bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Patient experiences of a bariatric group programme for managing obesity: A qualitative interview study
Authors: Tarrant Mark , Khan Sammyh S. , Farrow Claire V. , Shah Pooja , Daly Mark , Kos Katarina 
Published: November 2016

ObjectivesPeople with obesity experience a range of physical and psychological ill‐health outcomes. This study examined patients’ experiences of a group‐based programme for the management of morbid obesity delivered within the UK National Health Service. The focus of the study was on the emerging dynamic of the group and patients’ perceptions of its impact on health outcomes.DesignA qualitative interview study was conducted and involved patients recruited from a Tier 3 bariatric service in South West England. Verbatim transcripts were analysed using thematic analysis.MethodsTwenty patients (12 females) with a BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 participated in a semi‐structured one‐to‐one interview. Participants had been registered with the bariatric service for at least 6 months. None of the participants had had bariatric surgery.ResultsMost participants felt that they had benefited from participating in the group programme and talked about the group as a resource for lifestyle change. Participants’ narratives centred on the emergence of a sense of self based upon their participation in the group: establishing psychological connections to other patients, or shared social identity, was regarded as a key mechanism through which the programme's educational material was accessed, and underpinned the experience of social support within the group. Through interaction with other patients, involving the sharing of personal experiences and challenges, participants came to experience their weight ‘problem’ through a collective lens that they felt empowered them to initiate and sustain individual lifestyle change.DiscussionBariatric care groups have the potential to support lifestyle change and weight loss and may help address the psychological needs of patients. Nurturing a sense of shared social identity amongst patients with morbid obesity should be a core aim of the care pathway and may provide the foundation for successful translation of dietetic content in group programmes.
Statement of contribution

What is already known on this subject?

Services for people with obesity who require specialist care are often supported by group‐based bariatric programmes.

There are no specific guidelines for the organization of bariatric groups beyond the recommendation for lifestyle interventions delivered by a multidisciplinary care team.

Research with other health conditions suggests that the psychological connections formed between participants in bariatric programmes may play an important role in structuring programme effectiveness.

What does this study add?

Establishing psychological connections with other patients underpins bariatric patients’ group experience.

Shared social identity structures behaviour change in patients on bariatric programmes.

Nurturing shared social identity should be a core aim of the bariatric care pathway.
Effect of sphingosine kinase modulators on interleukin‐1β release, sphingosine 1‐phosphate receptor 1 expression and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
Authors: Barbour Mark , McNaughton Melissa , Boomkamp Stephanie D , MacRitchie Neil , Jiang Hui‐Rong , Pyne Nigel J , Pyne Susan 
Published: November 2016

Background and PurposeThe sphingosine analogue, FTY720 (GilenyaR), alleviates clinical disease progression in multiple sclerosis. Here, we variously assessed the effects of an azide analogue of (S)‐FTY720 vinylphosphonate (compound 5; a sphingosine kinase 1 activator), (R)‐FTY720 methyl ether (ROMe, a sphingosine kinase 2 inhibitor) and RB‐020 (a sphingosine kinase 1 inhibitor and sphingosine kinase 2 substrate) on IL‐1β formation, sphingosine 1‐phosphate levels and expression of S1P1 receptors. We also assessed the effect of compound 5 and ROMe in an experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model in mice.Experimental ApproachWe measured IL‐1β formation by macrophages, sphingosine 1‐phosphate levels and expression levels of S1P1 receptors in vitro and clinical score in mice with EAE and the extent of inflammatory cell infiltration into the spinal cord in vivo.Key ResultsTreatment of differentiated U937 macrophages with compound 5, RB‐020 or sphingosine (but not ROMe) enhanced IL‐1β release. These data suggest that these compounds might be pro‐inflammatory in vitro. However, compound 5 or ROMe reduced disease progression and infiltration of inflammatory cells into the spinal cord in EAE, and ROMe induced a reduction in CD4+ and CD8+ T‐cell levels in the blood (lymphopenia). Indeed, ROMe induced a marked decrease in expression of cell surface S1P1 receptors in vitro.Conclusion and ImplicationsThis is the first demonstration that an activator of sphingosine kinase 1 (compound 5) and an inhibitor of sphingosine kinase 2 (ROMe, which also reduces cell surface S1P1 receptor expression) have an anti‐inflammatory action in EAE.
Clinicopathological significance of SPC18 in colorectal cancer: SPC18 participates in tumor progression
Authors: Hattori Takuya , Sentani Kazuhiro , Naohide Oue , Sakamoto Naoya , Yasui Wataru 
Published: November 2016

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer‐related death worldwide. In order to identify novel prognostic markers or therapeutic targets for CRC, we searched for candidate genes in our comprehensive gene expression libraries, and focused on SEC11A, which encodes the SPC18 protein. SPC18 plays a key role in the endoplasmic reticulum‐Golgi secretory pathway and presumably regulates the secretion of various secretory proteins. An immunohistochemical analysis of SPC18 in 137 CRC tissue samples demonstrated that 79 (58%) CRC cases were positive for SPC18. SPC18‐positive CRC cases were more advanced in terms of N classification (P = 0.0315) and tumor stage (P = 0.0240) than SPC18‐negative CRC cases. Furthermore, the expression of SPC18 was an independent prognostic classifier for CRC patients. The cell growth and invasiveness of SPC18 siRNA‐transfected CRC cell lines was less than that of the negative control siRNA‐transfected cell lines. The levels of phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor, Erk and Akt were lower in SPC18 siRNA‐transfected CRC cells than in control cells. The expression of SPC18 was colocalized with β‐catenin nuclear localization and MMP7 at the invasive front. An immunohistochemical analysis of human colorectal polyp specimens revealed a sequential increase in the expression of SPC18 through the conventional adenoma‐carcinoma pathway, while SPC18 was not expressed or was expressed to a lesser extent in serrated pathway‐related tumors. These results suggest that SPC18 is involved in tumor progression, and is an independent prognostic classifier in patients with CRC.
Immunoglobulin (Ig)G1 and IgG4 anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) associate with shared epitope, whereas IgG2 anti-CCP associates with smoking in patients with recent-onset rheumatoid arthritis (the Swedish TIRA project)
Authors: Martinsson K , Johansson A , Kastbom A , Skogh T 
Published: November 2016

SummaryGiven the possible importance of anti-citrullinated peptide/protein antibodies (ACPA) for initiation and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), extended knowledge about the different isotypes and subclasses is important. In the present study, we analysed the immunoglobulin (Ig)G subclasses regarding reactivity against cyclic citrullinated peptides (anti-CCP) among 504 clinically well-characterized patients with recent-onset RA in relation to smoking habits, shared epitope (SE) status and IgA and pan-IgG anti-CCP antibodies. All patients, regardless of pan-IgG anti-CCP status, were analysed for IgG1–4 CCP reactivity. Sixty-nine per cent were positive in any IgG anti-CCP subclass, and of these 67% tested positive regarding IgG1, 35% IgG2, 32% IgG3, and 59% IgG4 anti-CCP. Among ever-smokers the percentages of IgG2 anti-CCP (P = 0·01) and IgA anti-CCP (P = 0·002)-positive cases were significantly higher compared to never-smokers. A positive IgG anti-CCP subclass -negative cases. Combining SE and smoking data revealed that IgG1 and IgG4 anti-CCP were the IgG anti-CCP isotypes associated with expression of SE, although the lower number of patients positive for IgG2 or IgG3 anti-CCP could, however, have influenced the results. High levels of IgG2 anti-CCP were shown to correlate with expression of the ‘non-SE’ allele human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1*15. In conclusion, in this study we describe different risk factor characteristics across the IgG anti-CCP subclasses, where IgG2 appears similar to IgA anti-CCP regarding the predominant association with smoking, while IgG1 and IgG4 related more distinctly to the carriage of SE genes.
Spatial But Not Oculomotor Information Biases Perceptual Memory: Evidence From Face Perception and Cognitive Modeling
Authors: Wantz Andrea L. , Lobmaier Janek S. , Mast Fred W. , Senn Walter 
Published: November 2016

AbstractRecent research put forward the hypothesis that eye movements are integrated in memory representations and are reactivated when later recalled. However, “looking back to nothing” during recall might be a consequence of spatial memory retrieval. Here, we aimed at distinguishing between the effect of spatial and oculomotor information on perceptual memory. Participants’ task was to judge whether a morph looked rather like the first or second previously presented face. Crucially, faces and morphs were presented in a way that the morph reactivated oculomotor and/or spatial information associated with one of the previously encoded faces. Perceptual face memory was largely influenced by these manipulations. We considered a simple computational model with an excellent match (4.3% error) that expresses these biases as a linear combination of recency, saccade, and location. Surprisingly, saccades did not play a role. The results suggest that spatial and temporal rather than oculomotor information biases perceptual face memory.
Temporal Structure in Emerging Language: From Natural Data to Silent Gesture
Authors: Schouwstra Marieke 
Published: November 2016

AbstractMany human languages have complex grammatical machinery devoted to temporality, but very little is known about how this came about. This paper investigates how people convey temporal information when they cannot use any conventional languages they know. In a laboratory experiment, adult participants were asked to convey information about simple events taking place at a given time, in spoken language and in silent gesture (i.e., using only gesture and no speech). It was shown that in spoken language, participants formed utterances according to the rules of their native language (Dutch), but in silent gesture, the temporal information was presented initially, and structurally separately, from the other information in the utterance. The experimental results are consistent with findings from natural systems emerging in situations of communicative stress: unsupervised adult second language learning and homesign. This confirms that presenting temporal information separately and initially (directly mirroring how temporal and propositional information can be represented semantically) is a robust strategy to talk about past and future when only sparse communicative means are available.
Gastric mucosal cracked and cobblestone‐like changes resulting from proton pump inhibitor use
Authors: Miyamoto Shuichi , Kato Mototsugu , Tsuda Momoko , Matsuda Kana , Muranaka Tetsuhito , Abiko Satoshi , Ono Masayoshi , Mizushima Takeshi , Omori Saori , Yamamoto Keiko , Mabe Katsuhiro , Ono Shoko , Kudo Takahiko , Shimizu Yuichi , Sakamoto Naoya 
Published: November 2016

Background and AimUse of proton pump inhibitors (PPI) is histologically associated with oxyntic gland dilatations. Two interesting mucosal changes are often detected endoscopically in patients who use PPI: gastric cracked mucosa (GCM) and gastric cobblestone‐like mucosa (GCSM). The aim of the present study was to clarify the relationship between PPI use and these mucosal changes.MethodsThis was a single‐center observational study. All successive subjects who underwent a routine esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) between August and November 2014 in Hokkaido University Hospital were enrolled. Endoscopists carried out the assessment blinded to the use of PPI and checked for GCSM and GCM using original diagnostic criteria for GCM and GCSM. Subjects were divided into two groups: those who used PPI (PPI group) and those who did not (control group). Endoscopic findings and backgrounds were compared between the two groups.ResultsA total of 538 patients were analyzed (control group: 374 patients, men/women: 204/170, median age: 65.2 years; PPI group: 164 patients, men/women: 89/75, median age: 67.1 years). GCM was detected in 54 (10.0%) subjects, and GCSM was detected in 18 (3.3%) subjects. There was a significant difference in the prevalence rate of GCM between the control group (14/374, 3.7%) and the PPI group (40/164, 24.4%) (P < 0.01). GCSM was significantly more prevalent in the PPI group (15/164, 9.1%) than in the control group (3/374, 0.8%) (P < 0.01).ConclusionNovel GCM and GCSM endoscopic findings in the corpus area seem to be strongly associated with PPI use.
A real‐world study of treatment patterns and outcomes in US managed‐care patients with type 2 Diabetes initiating injectable therapies
Authors: Wei Wenhui , Buysman Erin , Grabner Michael , Xie Lin , Brekke Lee , Ke Xuehua , Chu James W. , Levin Philip A. 
Published: November 2016

AimsExamine real‐world outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) initiating injectable therapy as part of the Initiation of New Injectable Treatment Introduced after Antidiabetic Therapy with Oral‐only Regimens (INITIATOR) study.Materials and methodsLinked insurance claims and medical record data were collected from 2 large US health insurers (April 1, 2010 to March 31, 2012) of T2DM adults initiating treatment with glargine (GLA) or liraglutide (LIRA). Baseline characteristics were examined and changes in 12‐month follow‐up outcomes were described for both treatment groups: HbA1c, weight change, hypoglycaemia, persistence, healthcare utilisation and costs.ResultsA total of 4490 patients were included (GLA, 2116; LIRA, 2374). At baseline, GLA patients had significantly higher HbA1c vs LIRA patients (9.72% vs 8.19%; P < .001), lower likelihood of having HbA1c < 7% (7.1% vs 23.8%; P < .001), lower bodyweight (100.9 kg vs 110.9 kg, P < .001), higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score (0.88 vs 0.63; P < .001), and higher diabetes‐related costs ($3492 vs $2089; P < .001), respectively.During 12‐months of follow‐up, treatment persistence was 64%, mean HbA1c reduction was −1.24% and weight change was + 1.17 among GLA patients, and was 49%, −0.51% and −2.74 kg, respectively, among LIRA patients. Diabetes‐related costs increased significantly from baseline to follow‐up for LIRA patients ($2089 vs $3258, P < .001) but not for GLA patients ($3492 vs $3550, P = .890).ConclusionsThere were clinically relevant baseline differences in both groups, suggesting that GLA and LIRA are prescribed for different patient groups, and highlighting that efficacy results from clinical trials do not always translate into real‐world practice. Significant increases in healthcare costs were observed in the LIRA group, warranting further cost‐effectiveness analysis.
l‐DOPA‐induced dyskinesia and neuroinflammation: do microglia and astrocytes play a role?
Authors: Carta Anna R. , Mulas Giovanna , Bortolanza Mariza , Duarte Terence , Pillai Elisabetta , Fisone Gilberto , Vozari Rita Raisman , Del‐Bel Elaine 
Published: November 2016

AbstractIn Parkinson's disease (PD), l‐DOPA therapy leads to the emergence of motor complications including l‐DOPA‐induced dyskinesia (LID). LID relies on a sequence of pre‐ and postsynaptic neuronal events, leading to abnormal corticostriatal neurotransmission and maladaptive changes in striatal projection neurons. In recent years, additional non‐neuronal mechanisms have been proposed to contribute to LID. Among these mechanisms, considerable attention has been focused on l‐DOPA‐induced inflammatory responses. Microglia and astrocytes are the main actors in neuroinflammatory responses, and their double role at the interface between immune and neurophysiological responses is starting to be elucidated. Both microglia and astrocytes express a multitude of neurotransmitter receptors and via the release of several soluble molecules modulate synaptic function in neuronal networks. Here we review preclinical and clinical evidence of glial overactivation by l‐DOPA, supporting a role of microglia and astrocytes in the development of LID. We propose that in PD, chronically and abnormally activated microglia and astrocytes lead to an aberrant neuron‐glia communication, which affect synaptic activity and neuroplasticity contributing to the development of LID.
N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide is a useful marker to identify latent heart failure patients in older adults in a rural outpatient clinic
Authors: Hamagawa Kosuke , Kubo Toru , Nishimura Kotaro , Baba Yuichi , Hirota Takayoshi , Yamasaki Naohito , Kitaoka Hiroaki 
Published: November 2016

AbstractAimAlthough measurement of natriuretic peptides including N‐terminal pro‐brain natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP) has been recommended for identifying heart failure (HF) patients, the prevalence of elderly patients with latent HF who are attending an outpatient clinic is unknown.MethodsWe measured NT‐proBNP levels in 393 patients (aged 75 ± 9 years) in a rural outpatient clinic. Patients with a diagnosis of heart disease were excluded. The patients were divided into two groups by the values of NT‐proBNP: high NT‐proBNP group (>400 pg/mL) and low NT‐proBNP group (≤400 pg/mL) according to Japanese guidelines. Patients with a high NT‐proBNP value underwent echocardiography including tissue Doppler examination.ResultsA total of 43 (11%) patients had high NT‐proBNP values. Those patients were older, and larger percentages of those patients were male, had atrial fibrillation, history of stroke and dementia. Echocardiography was carried out in 39 of the 43 patients with high NT‐proBNP values, and there were four patients with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, two with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and one with aortic regurgitation. In the remaining 32 patients, 27 patients had diastolic HF in accordance with Japanese guidelines. A diagnosis of HF according to the guidelines was finally made in 34 (87 %) of the 39 patients.ConclusionsA large number of elderly patients without a diagnosis of HF who were attending an outpatient clinic showed high levels of NT‐proBNP, and measurement of NT‐proBNP is useful to identify patients with latent HF. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 1648–1653.
Inferring the role of microorganisms in water kefir fermentations
Authors: Martínez‐Torres Abigail , Gutiérrez‐Ambrocio Sandra , Heredia‐del‐Orbe Pamela , Villa‐Tanaca Lourdes , Hernández‐Rodríguez César 
Published: November 2016

SummaryWater kefir is a slightly alcoholic, lactic and acetic beverage fermented by yeasts, lactic acid bacteria and acetic acid bacteria that are associated with the polysaccharide of the water kefir grains. In this study, the three main metabolic products of microorganisms were evaluated during a traditional 192‐h water kefir fermentation and also after inoculating the microorganisms in fresh medium or sterilised broth from different fermentation stages. The first process to occur was alcoholic fermentation, carried out in particular by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. After 24 h, lactic and acetic acid accumulation was generated by Lactobacillus hilgardii and Acetobacter tropicalis. By the end of fermentation, ethanol had been almost entirely consumed and oxidised to acetic acid, possibly by a dissimilatory route of Acetobacter species. An original hypothetical diagram is proposed for the carbon flux from sucrose, and the metabolic role of the main yeasts and bacteria is assigned for the distinct stages of water kefir fermentation.
Pulmonologist‐performed transoesophageal sampling for lung cancer staging using an endobronchial ultrasound video‐bronchoscope: an Australian experience
Authors: Wimaleswaran Hari , Farmer Michael W. , Irving Louis B. , Jennings Barton R. , Steinfort Daniel P. 
Published: November 2016

BackgroundTransoesophageal endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) video‐bronchoscope insertion provides pulmonologists access to conduct endoscopic fine‐needle aspiration (EUS‐B‐FNA) of mediastinal lymph node (LN) lesions and also assist in lung cancer staging by sampling left adrenal gland (LAG) lesions. Limited literature has described additional diagnostic value whilst maintaining patient safety.To elicit whether combining endoscopic transoesophageal fine‐needle aspiration using convex probe bronchoscope (EUS‐B‐FNA) and EBUS bronchoscopy enhances the diagnostic yield of mediastinal nodal staging in lung cancer, whilst maintaining safety.MethodsAll eligible patients with paraoesophageal lesions on thoracic computed tomography (CT) underwent pulmonologist‐performed EUS‐B‐FNA at two tertiary centres and were included in this prospective observational cohort study.ResultsEUS‐B‐FNA sampling was performed at 69 mediastinal LN lesion sites, including 17 sites inaccessible to bronchoscopic sampling. Four LAG lesions were sampled via EUS‐B‐FNA. There were no complications. EBUS‐TBNA was augmented by EUS‐B‐FNA because of accessibility of sampling lesions otherwise unamenable bronchoscopically, thereby increasing diagnostic utility. Diagnostic sensitivity of EUS‐B‐FNA for malignancy in mediastinal LN lesions was 88% (51 of 58). For mediastinal LN lesions not amenable to EBUS‐TBNA, the sensitivity for diagnosis of malignancy via EUS‐B‐FNA was 88% (15 of 17). Diagnostic sensitivity of EUS‐B‐FNA for malignancy in LAG lesions was 50% (2 of 4).ConclusionEUS‐B‐FNA is a precise and safe approach in the evaluation and staging of lung cancer when performed by a pulmonologist. It complements and increases the diagnostic utility of EBUS‐TBNA by further coverage of mediastinal LN stations and access to LAG lesions.
Clinical profile and treatment outcomes of advanced neuroendocrine tumours in rural and regional patients: a retrospective study from a regional cancer centre in North Queensland, Australia
Authors: Hafeez Umbreen , Joshi Abhishek , Bhatt Manoj , Kelly Jenny , Sabesan Sabe , Vangaveti Venkat 
Published: November 2016

BackgroundNeuroendocrine tumours (NET) arise from neuroendocrine cells, which are widely distributed throughout the body. However, diagnosing NET is difficult due to nonspecific symptoms and the paucity of experience among health professionals. This retrospective study was carried out to improve our understanding about NET. This knowledge can be used for optimal utilisation and distribution of limited resources.AimTo study the clinical profile, treatment and survival outcomes for advanced NET patients in Australian regional and remote settings.MethodsWe reviewed all adult patients who were diagnosed with NET between 1994 and 2012. Patients' data were extracted from electronic databases of The Townsville Cancer Centre. Remoteness was based on postcodes, with patients stratified as regional or rural North Queensland according to Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC). Overall survival was studied using survival analysis.ResultsData from 79 patients were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis was 60 years. A total of 48 patients (60.8%) was male and 31 (39.2%) female. The majority of the patients lived in rural areas (51, 64%) as compared to residing in regional areas (28, 36%). There were 34 deaths at the study cut‐off point. Median overall survival of NET patients in rural areas is significantly less than those living in regional areas (1613 days vs. 2935 days, respectively), P = 0.03.ConclusionRemoteness has an adverse impact on overall survival of NET patients. This outcome may be because of varied access to health services and/or lack of access to specialised scans and medical and surgical expertise.