bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patients' self‐reported measures of oral health—A validation study on basis of oral health questions used in a large multi‐country survey for populations aged 50+
Authors: Sekundo Caroline , Stock Christian , Jürges Hendrik , Listl Stefan 
Published: March 2019

ObjectiveTo assess the validity of patient self‐reported oral health measures as used in a large multi‐country survey for populations aged 50+.BackgroundInformation on people's oral health status is important for assessing oral health needs within populations. However, clinical examination is not always possible. Patient self‐reported measures may provide an alternative when time and other resources are scarce.Materials and methodsUsing oral health items from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), self‐reported measures were collected from 186 patients receiving treatment at Heidelberg University Hospital. Self‐reports were compared with subsequent clinical examinations. Analyses were conducted for patients of all age groups and separately for patients aged 50+ (analogous to the SHARE study population). Diagnostic accuracy, agreement and correlation of patient‐reported information were examined using descriptive statistics and Bland‐Altman plots.ResultsPatient‐reported presence or absence of a full tooth count was closely related to clinical measurement, both for all age groups (sensitivity: 93%; specificity: 92%) and persons aged 50+ (sensitivity: 100% specificity: 94%). Bland‐Altman plots indicate good agreement between patient‐ and clinical reports of the number of teeth at age 50+ (Concordance Correlation Coefficient = 0.95). Discriminatory power of patient‐reporting was good regarding presence vs absence of artificial teeth, but less robust regarding partial vs full replacement of missing teeth.ConclusionPatient self‐evaluations provide reasonable estimates of clinical measures and appear sufficiently accurate for examining variations in the number of teeth, including among populations aged 50+. However, patient reports of the extent of replacement of missing teeth may not constitute reliable reflections of clinical conditions.
Depressive symptoms, frailty, and mortality among dialysis patients
Authors: Sy John , McCulloch Charles E. , Johansen Kirsten L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIntroduction: Frailty and depression are highly prevalent in the dialysis population, but the association between them, the risk factors for their development, and their independent associations with mortality have not been studied.Methods: We examined 771 patients enrolled in the ACTIVE/ADIPOSE prevalent dialysis cohort study. Fried's frailty phenotype and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression score were used to determine frailty and presence of depressive symptoms, respectively. We assessed the baseline association between frailty and depressive symptoms, whether one entity is a risk factor for development of the other, and associations between frailty and depressive symptoms with mortality.Findings: At baseline, 13.1% of our population screened positive for depressive symptoms, 21.8% met criteria for frailty, and 10.0% met criteria for both. During follow‐up, 26.6% of our population developed frailty and 12.7% developed depressive symptoms. Using multivariable logistic regression, baseline depressive symptoms were associated with 2.14‐fold higher odds of being frail at baseline (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.45–3.17) and with a 2.16‐fold higher odds of incident frailty during follow‐up (95% CI 1.22–3.82). However, baseline frailty was not associated with incident depressive symptoms. Frailty and depressive symptoms were independent predictors of mortality in time‐varying survival analysis (meeting frailty criteria: hazard ratio [HR] 1.53, 95% CI 1.05–2.23; depressive symptoms: HR 2.21, 95% CI 1.50–3.25).Discussion: Frailty and depressive symptoms remained highly prevalent over time and were strongly associated with one another and independently associated with mortality among dialysis patients. Future studies should investigate whether interventions for depression could potentially mitigate the appearance of frailty and its associated poor outcomes.
A synbiotic supplement for inflammation and oxidative stress and lipid abnormalities in hemodialysis patients
Authors: Kooshki Akram , Tofighiyan Tahereh , Miri Mohammad 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIntroduction: Among the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease in hemodialysis patients are high concentrations of serum inflammation markers, lipid profiles, and oxidative stress. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of a synbiotic supplement on serum systemic inflammation, oxidative stress markers, and lipid profile in hemodialysis patients.Methods: Fifty hemodialysis patients were randomly allocated to synbiotic and placebo groups. The synbiotic group received 2 tablets per day of a synbiotic supplement (100 mg) Lactobacillus coagulans and fructo‐oligosaccharides for 8 weeks; whereas the placebo group received a similar appearing placebo. At the beginning and end of the study, 5 mL blood was taken after 12–14 hours of fasting.Findings: Mean values of serum C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly decreased in the synbiotic group at the end compared to the beginning of the study (P = 0.01). This reduction was significant in comparison with changes in the placebo group (P = 0.01). The synbiotic supplement also reduced serum total cholesterol (P = 0.001) and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐c; P = 0.001) compared to the placebo group.Discussion: The synbiotic supplement used improves serum hs‐CRP and MDA, total cholesterol and LDL‐c in hemodialysis patients, which are known risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
What matters to people with memory problems, healthy volunteers and health and social care professionals in the context of developing treatment to prevent Alzheimer's dementia? A qualitative study
Authors: Watson Julie , Saunders Stina , Muniz Terrera Graciela , Ritchie Craig , Evans Alison , Luz Saturnino , Clarke Charlotte 
Published: February 2019

AbstractBackgroundAlzheimer's disease (AD) is recognized as one of the greatest global public health challenges. There is increasing consensus that optimal disease modification using pharmaceuticals may best be achieved earlier in the disease continuum before symptoms occur. However, more needs to be understood about what outcomes are meaningful to potential participants in clinical trials within this preventative paradigm and how people make trade‐offs between risks and benefits. The Electronic Person‐Specific Outcome Measure (ePSOM) programme is developing an app to capture person‐specific outcomes and preferences in clinical trials.ObjectiveAs one phase in the ePSOM programme, this study explored what matters when developing new treatments to prevent AD and how trade‐offs are made between risks and benefits, from three perspectives.DesignFocus groups were conducted with people living with memory problems (n = 21) and healthy volunteers (n = 10), and telephone interviews with health and social care professionals (n = 10). Differences and overlap between the three groups were explored.ResultsOutcomes that matter lie in five key domains in relation to what matters in everyday life: Everyday Functioning; Relationships and Social Connections; Enjoying Life; Sense of Identity; and Alleviating Symptoms. Insights were gained into the significance of reducing the risk of developing dementia with drugs and the processes of weighing up risks versus benefits.Discussion and conclusionsThe key domains identified are being used to inform the next stage of the ePSOM programme which is to develop a survey to be distributed nationally in the UK to explore these issues further.
Medical academic libraries in Romania – breaking with the past and turning towards the future
Authors: Madge Octavia‐Luciana , Robu Ioana 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis article is part of a series in this regular feature which looks at new directions in health science libraries. This article provides an updated overview of medical libraries in Romania, with a focus on the academic libraries which function under the patronage of medical schools. Information was collected through a survey questionnaire sent out to Romanian academic medical libraries in March 2017. The responses provide an overall picture of the state of Romanian medical libraries, highlighting the main trends and areas in which progress is evident, as well as the problems confronting these libraries.J.M.
Glycyrrhizin protects against sodium iodate‐induced RPE and retinal injury though activation of AKT and Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway
Authors: He Huijun , Wei Daheng , Liu Hua , Zhu Chen , Lu Yue , Ke Zongwen , Jiang Shuang , Huang Jianhua 
Published: March 2019

AbstractGlycyrrhizin is a bioactive triterpenoid saponin extracted from a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, glycyrrhiza, and has been reported to protect the organs such as liver and heart from injuries. However, there is no report about the effects of glycyrrhizin on atrophic age‐related macular degeneration (AMD). This study investigated the effects of glycyrrhizin on retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vitro and retina of mice in vivo treated with sodium iodate (SI). Glycyrrhizin significantly inhibited SI‐induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreased apoptosis of RPE in vitro. The underlying mechanisms included increased phosphorylation of Akt, and increased expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor2 (Nrf‐2) and HO‐1, thereby protecting RPE from SI‐induced ROS and apoptosis. Furthermore, glycyrrhizin significantly decreased the apoptosis of retinal cells in vivo, resulting in the inhibition of thinning of retina, decreasing the number of drusen and improving the function of retina. These findings suggested that glycyrrhizin may be a potential candidate for the treatment of atrophic AMD in clinical practice.
ISG12a and its interaction partner NR4A1 are involved in TRAIL‐induced apoptosis in hepatoma cells
Authors: Liu Nianli , Wu Zhiyuan , Chen Aoxing , Chai Dafei , Li Liantao , Zhang Longzhen , Zheng Junnian 
Published: March 2019

AbstractTumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand (TRAIL) can induce apoptosis in cancer cells while sparing normal cells, thereby leading to the development of TRAIL receptor agonists for cancer treatment. However, these agonist‐based therapeutics exhibit little clinical benefits due to the lack of biomarkers to predict whether patients are responsive to the treatment, as well as determine the resistance of cancer cells to TRAIL‐based agonists. Our previous study has demonstrated that ISG12a enhances TRAIL‐induced apoptosis and might serve as a biomarker to predict the TRAIL response. The downstream mechanism by which ISG12a augments TRAIL‐induced apoptosis remains to be elucidated. In this study, we found that ISG12a was localized in the mitochondria and nucleus and augmented TRAIL‐induced apoptosis through intrinsic apoptotic pathway. In addition, ISG12a interacted with NR4A1 and promoted its nuclear‐to‐cytoplasm translocation. Upon translocate to cytoplasm, NR4A1 targeted mitochondria and induced Bcl2 conformational change, thereby exposing its BH3 domain. Moreover, TRAIL treatment can induce NR4A1 expression through the activation of NF‐κB in TRAIL‐resistant Huh7 hepatoma cells. Knockdown of NR4A1 could overcome TRAIL resistance. However, in TRAIL‐sensitive LH86 liver cancer cells, TRAIL activated the Jun N‐terminal kinases signalling pathway. Overall, these results showed that both ISG12a and its interaction partner NR4A1 are involved in TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis in hepatoma cells.
Effect of thermal, high hydrostatic pressure, and ultraviolet‐C processing on the microbial inactivation, vitamins, chlorophyll, antioxidants, enzyme activity, and color of wheatgrass juice
Authors: Ali Nagwa , Popović Vladimir , Koutchma Tatiana , Warriner Keith , Zhu Yan 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe comparative study determined the fate of vitamin C, chlorophyll, antioxidants, enzymes (polyphenol oxidase [PPO], peroxidase [POD]) and effect on color of wheatgrass juice processed by thermal, high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), or ultraviolet‐C light (254 nm; UV‐C) to inactivate Escherichia coli P36, Listeria innocua ATCC 51742, and Salmonella Typhimurium WG49. A thermal treatment at 75°C for 15 s, HHP at 500 MPa for 60 s, and UV‐C fluence of 69.2 mJ cm−2 was required to achieve the target 5 log CFU reduction of the test bacteria. Thermal treatment resulted in a significant (p < 0.05) loss of enzyme activities (75.3% POD and 40.0% PPO), total phenolic content (TPC; 36.0%), vitamin C (27.4%), chlorophyll (12.4%), and negatively impacted the juice color. UV‐C treatment significantly (p < 0.05) decreased the TPC of the juice and resulted in a 20.0% decrease in PPO activity. In comparison, HHP significantly (p < 0.05) increased the chlorophyll content by 9.0% with negligible impact on the nutritive content, and PPO and POD levels. HHP would be preferentially selected over UV‐C and thermal treatment for wheatgrass juice based on changes induced by processing.Practical applicationsWheatgrass juice is a low‐acid health beverage that is marketed with the claims of high content of chlorophyll, antioxidants (phenolics and vitamin C), and enzymes (polyphenol oxidase and peroxidase) and distributed in frozen state. As a risk prevention control, a pasteurization step is required to achieve a 5 log CFU reduction of relevant pathogens. The study illustrated that HHP is the preferred treatment method for wheatgrass juice based on the negligible impact on product quality parameters and retention of nutritive composition while delivering the required microbial reduction. Although, the current study focused on wheatgrass juice the same equivalent treatments approach can be undertaken with other beverages when selecting the appropriate processing method to retain the raw characteristics of juices.
Association between dietary iron and zinc intake and development of ulcerative colitis: A case–control study in Japan
Authors: Kobayashi Yumie , Ohfuji Satoko , Kondo Kyoko , Fukushima Wakaba , Sasaki Satoshi , Kamata Noriko , Yamagami Hirokazu , Fujiwara Yasuhiro , Suzuki Yasuo , Hirota Yoshio ,   for the Japanese Case–Control Study Group for Ulcerative Colitis
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackground and AimThe prevalence of ulcerative colitis (UC) has been increasing in Japan. Trace elements, such as iron, zinc, magnesium, and copper, can cause digestive symptoms where there is a deficiency or excess. We focused on the dietary intake of trace elements and their associations with UC development.MethodsA multicenter, hospital‐based case–control study was conducted in Japan. Cases were 127 newly diagnosed UC patients, and 171 age‐matched and sex‐matched hospital controls were recruited. We considered that UC patients had potentially changed their dietary habits due to disease symptoms. The dietary habits were investigated using a self‐administered diet history questionnaire to analyze the dietary intakes and frequencies at two points, the previous 1 month and 1 year before.ResultsIn the assessment of dietary habits 1 year before, the highest intake of iron showed an increased odds ratio (OR) for UC on multivariate analysis (OR = 4.05, 95% confidence interval, 1.46–11.2, P < 0.01). The highest intake of zinc 1 year before showed a decreased OR for UC (OR = 0.39, 95% confidence interval, 0.18–0.85, P = 0.01). Intakes of magnesium and copper had no significant association with UC. Because most UC cases had experienced the first symptom of UC within the previous 11 months, these intakes at 1 year before represented an association with pre‐illness dietary habits.ConclusionA high intake of iron has some effect on the development of UC. In contrast, a high intake of zinc has a protective effect on the development of UC.
Association of vitamin D and vitamin B12 with cognitive impairment in elderly aged 80 years or older: a cross‐sectional study
Authors: da Rosa M. I. , Beck W. O. , Colonetti T. , Budni J. , Falchetti A. C. B. , Colonetti L. , Coral A. S. , Meller F. O. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundThe present study aimed to assess the association of vitamin D and vitamin B12 with cognitive impairment in elderly people.MethodsThe data were obtained from a cross‐sectional study that included individuals aged 80 years or older living in the urban and rural areas of the cities of Siderópolis and Treviso in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. In total, 165 elderly people were included in the analysis. The outcome of cognitive decline was assessed by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Vitamin D and vitamin B12 levels were measured from blood samples. The socio‐demographic, anthropometric and health variables used in the analysis were collected from a questionnaire. Crude and adjusted analyses of the relationship between vitamins D and B12 and cognitive decline were performed using a Poisson regression model.ResultsThe prevalence of cognitive decline was 35.2%. In the adjusted model, individuals who had vitamin D levels >19 ng mL−1 showed a lower prevalence of cognitive decline (prevalence ratio = 0.59; 95% confidence interval = 0.39–0.87). Those participants who had vitamin B12 levels of ≥496 pg mL−1 had a higher prevalence of cognitive decline (prevalence ratio = 1.90; 95% confidence interval = 1.08–3.36).ConclusionsThe present study showed that individuals aged ≥80 years who had vitamin D levels of ≤18 ng mL−1 had a higher prevalence of cognitive decline even after adjustment for potential confounders. In addition, the study demonstrated that vitamin B12 levels of ≥496 pg mL−1 in this population were also a risk factor for cognitive decline. A cross‐sectional analysis does not enable the inference of a cause–effect relationship and additional studies are needed to understand these relationships.
Effects of hot water extract of Curcuma longa on human epidermal keratinocytes in vitro and skin conditions in healthy participants: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors: Asada Kazuki , Ohara Tatsuya , Muroyama Koutarou , Yamamoto Yoshihiro , Murosaki Shinji 
Published: February 2019

SummaryBackgroundCurcuma longa has been reported to have anti‐inflammatory effects. Skin inflammation impairs skin functions.ObjectivesOur aim was to investigate the effect of a hot water extract of C longa (WEC) on skin conditions in cell studies using keratinocytes and in clinical trials.MethodsWe measured proinflammatory cytokine levels in ultraviolet B‐irradiated keratinocytes in the presence or absence of WEC. The effects of WEC on hyaluronan production in keratinocytes were also determined. In a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial, 47 healthy participants were assigned to 8‐week intervention groups with daily intakes of WEC with or without curcumin or a placebo. The water content and transepidermal water loss in the face and minimal erythema dose on the back after ultraviolet B irradiation were evaluated every 4 weeks.ResultsHot water extract of C longa significantly inhibited increases in ultraviolet B‐induced tumor necrosis factor α and interleukin 1β at the mRNA and protein levels. WEC also significantly increased hyaluronan production from nonstimulated keratinocytes. In the randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial, increases from baseline in the water content of the face were significantly greater at weeks 4 and 8 in the WEC group, but not in the WEC + curcumin group, than in the placebo group. There were no significant differences in transepidermal water loss and minimal erythema dose among the groups.ConclusionsThe cell studies confirmed that WEC has anti‐inflammatory effects and augments hyaluronan production in the skin. The results of clinical trials suggest that WEC may be useful for moisturizing facial skin.Trial registrationUMIN Clinical Trials Registry 000028510. Retrospectively registered.
Costly Information Acquisition, Social Networks, and Asset Prices: Experimental Evidence
Authors: HALIM EDWARD , RIYANTO YOHANES E. , ROY NILANJAN 
Published: February 2019

ABSTRACTWe design an experiment to study the implications of information networks for incentives to acquire costly information, market liquidity, investors' earnings, and asset price characteristics in a financial market. Social communication crowds out information production as a result of an agent's temptation to free ride on the signals purchased by her neighbors. Although information exchange among traders increases trading volume, improves liquidity, and enhances the ability of asset prices to reflect the available information in the market, it fails to improve price informativeness. Net earnings and social welfare are higher with information sharing due to reduced acquisition of costly signals.
Intra‐individual stability of NREM sleep quantitative EEG measures in obstructive sleep apnea
Authors: Poon Joseph J. Y. , Chapman Julia L. , Wong Keith K. H. , Mullins Anna E. , Cho Garry , Kim Jong W. , Yee Brendon J. , Grunstein Ronald R. , Marshall Nathaniel S. , D'Rozario Angela L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractElectroencephalography is collected routinely during clinical polysomnography, but is often utilised to simply determine sleep time to calculate apnea–hypopnea indices. Quantitative analysis of these data (quantitative electroencephalogram) may provide trait‐like information to predict patient vulnerability to sleepiness. Measurements of trait‐like characteristics need to have high test–retest reliability. We aimed to investigate the intra‐individual stability of slow‐wave (delta power) and spindle frequency (sigma power) activity during non‐rapid eye movement sleep in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. We recorded sleep electroencephalograms during two overnight polysomnographic recordings in 61 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (median days between studies 47, inter‐quartile range 53). Electroencephalograms recorded at C3‐M2 derivation were quantitatively analysed using power spectral analysis following artefact removal. Relative delta (0.5–4.5 Hz) and sigma (12–15 Hz) power during non‐rapid eye movement sleep were calculated. Intra‐class correlation coefficients and Bland–Altman plots were used to assess agreement between nights. Intra‐class correlation coefficients demonstrated good‐to‐excellent agreement in the delta and sigma frequencies between nights (intra‐class correlation coefficients: 0.84, 0.89, respectively). Bland–Altman analysis of delta power showed a mean difference close to zero (−0.4, 95% limits of agreement −9.4, 8.7) and no heteroscedasticity with increasing power. Sigma power demonstrated heteroscedasticity, with reduced stability as sigma power increased. The mean difference of sigma power between nights was close to zero (0.1, 95% limits −1.6, 1.8). We have demonstrated the stability of slow‐wave and spindle frequency electroencephalograms during non‐rapid eye movement sleep within patients with obstructive sleep apnea. The electroencephalogram profile during non‐rapid eye movement sleep may be a useful biomarker for predicting vulnerability to daytime impairment in obstructive sleep apnea and responsiveness to treatment.
A variation of the Azéma martingale and drawdown options
Authors: Dassios Angelos , Lim Jia Wei 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn this paper, we derive a variation of the Azéma martingale using two approaches—a direct probabilistic method and another by projecting the Kennedy martingale onto the filtration generated by the drawdown duration. This martingale links the time elapsed since the last maximum of the Brownian motion with the maximum process itself. We derive explicit formulas for the joint densities of , which are the first time the drawdown period hits a prespecified duration, the value of the Brownian motion, and the maximum up to this time. We use the results to price a new type of drawdown option, which takes into account both dimensions of drawdown risk—the magnitude and the duration.