bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Full Percutaneous Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Technical Note
Authors: Taguchi Mitsuto , Nakamura Shu 
Published: August 2017

Introduction Although lumbar interbody fusion is effective for low back pain caused by severe disk degeneration, it is a highly invasive procedure. Less invasive procedures such as transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) and lumbar lateral interbody fusion have become available; however, there is still scope for improvement. We performed full percutaneous endoscopic lumbar interbody fusion (PELIF), a technique designed as a safe and less invasive percutaneous fusion.
Method and Subjects Our technique is indicated for patients with chronic low back pain in whom conservative treatment was not effective, thinning of the intervertebral disk was prominent, and temporary pain relief was achieved with a disk block. In the operation, percutaneous endoscopic diskectomy was performed with a 7.5-mm sheath inserted through a small incision, and a cage was inserted percutaneously using an L-shaped retractor. Instead of pedicle screw fixation, hybrid facet screw fixation was performed. Low back pain was improved, and bone union was confirmed on radiography. This technique was used in six patients, and no surgery-related complications occurred.
Discussion The L-shaped retractor used in this series can protect the exiting nerve by inserting it into the sheath, then removing the sheath and placing the rounded corner of the retractor on the lateral cranial side. This technique is safe with no other associated risks. Cages larger than the sheath can be inserted, and commercially available cages for TLIF are applicable. Hybrid facet screw fixation can overcome the problems associated with both conventional transfacet pedicle screw fixation and translaminar facet screw fixation by combining these two procedures.
Conclusion PELIF is an easy, safe, and fully percutaneous technique with very low invasiveness that uses an L-shaped retractor and hybrid facet screw fixation. This procedure can be a treatment option for patients with severe low back pain related to disk degeneration.
Impact of the Regional Pediatric Palliative Care Network on the Care of Children on Long-Term Ventilation: Could the Availability of a Residential Solution into the Network Reduce the Duration of Intensive Care Unit Staying for These Patients?
Authors: Agosto Caterina , Brugnaro Luca , Benini Franca , Rusalen Francesca 
Published: August 2017

AbstractThe prevalence of children on long-term ventilation (LTV) at home has increased in many countries. In Italy, there are 4.3/100,000 population younger than 18 years. Pediatric palliative care (PPC) network provides high-level care for these patients. In December 2003, in the northeast region of Italy, the regional authority promoted and developed a regional network for PPC, a regional network dedicated to the management of pediatric patients with life-limiting and life-threatening diseases. Characterization of LTV children population and description of care offered to them by a regional PPC network, based on the experience of the Veneto region were collected in a regional database. The regional database and evaluation of families' satisfaction, by means of a questionnaire, were longitudinally analyzed. We studied 56 children on LTV. The main involved diseases were neuromuscular diseases and myopathy. All patients had major comorbidities. Mean age was 4.5 years. The median age of starting ventilation was 3.9 years. The initial type of ventilation was invasive mechanical ventilation in 31 patients and noninvasive ventilation in 25 of them. The overall average frequency of hospitalizations for acute episodes was 0.7 admissions per year and the median duration of staying was 6 days. The median duration of staying in the intensive care unit (ICU) was significantly reduced after the opening of a residential solution (the pediatric hospice) (5 vs. 39 days). PPC network can offer global care to children on LTV. The availability of a residential structure into the PPC network seems to reduce the number and duration of hospital stays, especially in ICU, of this population, with likely cost savings. Further studies are necessary to confirm this hypothesis.
Zurück zur Natur
Authors: Hügler Stephanie 
Published: August 2017

Zusammenfassung
BETREUUNG DER SCOTT-SRAM-MOUNTAINBIKER Es geht durch Urwälder, kleine Flüsse und Sandgruben, über Hängebrücken, Felsen, Lehm- oder
Kieselpisten: Kaum ein Untergrund ist den Profi-Mountainbikern vom Scott-SRAM-Team zu uneben, rutschig oder wackelig. Denn am Ende der
rasanten Fahrt wartet vielleicht eine Medaille oder ein Titel – so wie bei den beiden Goldmedaillengewinnern der letzten Olympiade in Rio,
Jenny Rissveds und Nino Schurter. Dass sie dabei stets auf Kurs bleiben, dafür sorgt ihr Sportphysio Frank Holfeld.
Faszienbehandlung in der Sportphysiotherapie
Authors: Wilke Jan 
Published: August 2017

Zusammenfassung
MECHANISMEN UND ANWENDUNGSBEISPIELE Wenn man von Faszientherapie spricht, denken viele an schmerzhafte manuelle Techniken. Doch zur
erfolgreichen Behandlung des kollagenen Bindegewebes gehört für den Sportphysiotherapeuten noch weit mehr: Neben dem Grundwissen zum
nozizeptiven Potenzial der Faszie und ihrer mechanischen Relevanz ist die evidenzbasierte Verwendung von Hartschaumrollen-, Stretching- und
Kräftigungsübungen von entscheidender Bedeutung für den Therapieerfolg.
ChAMP: updated methylation analysis pipeline for Illumina BeadChips
Authors: Tian Yuan , Morris Tiffany J , Webster Amy P , Yang Zhen , Beck Stephan , Feber Andrew , Teschendorff Andrew E 
Published: August 2017

Abstract

Summary
The Illumina Infinium HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip is the new platform for high-throughput DNA methylation analysis, effectively doubling the coverage compared to the older 450 K array. Here we present a significantly updated and improved version of the Bioconductor package ChAMP, which can be used to analyze EPIC and 450k data. Many enhanced functionalities have been added, including correction for cell-type heterogeneity, network analysis and a series of interactive graphical user interfaces.

Availability and implementation
ChAMP is a BioC package available from https://bioconductor.org/packages/release/bioc/html/ChAMP.html.

Supplementary information
Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Single-center Experience of Over a Hundred Implantations of a Transcutaneous Bone Conduction Device
Authors: Dimitriadis Panagiotis A. , Hind Daniel , Wright Kay , Proctor Vicki , Greenwood Larissa , Carrick Suzanne , Ray Jaydip 
Published: August 2017

Objective:
To assess outcomes with a novel passive transcutaneous bone conduction device (t-BCD).

Study Design:
Prospective data collection and patient review.

Setting:
Tertiary referral center.

Patients:
Patients who underwent implantation with the t-BCD between November 2013 and September 2016.

Intervention:
Implantation of BAHA Attract.

Main Outcome Measures:
Surgical outcome, patient reported outcomes including the “Glasgow Benefit Inventory” and the “Client Oriented Scale of Improvement” for adults and the “Speech, Spatial and Qualities of Hearing scale” (SSQ-12) for children.

Results:
One hundred five patients were implanted. Numbness superior to the incision was commonly noticed. Four patients (3.8%) developed skin tenderness and redness that settled with conservative measures. Among those patients who had a conversion from a percutaneous Bone Conduction Hearing Device (BCHD) to the t-BCD (n=15), 1 (0.9%) developed seroma and 2 (1.9%) developed skin dehiscence at the edge of the implant magnet. Significant improvement in Client Oriented Scale of Improvement and Glasgow Benefit Inventory scores with a global satisfaction of 84% and 77.4% was observed for those previously aided and unaided respectively, with use of the device. A 22% improvement in SSQ-12 mean score was observed in the pediatric population.

Conclusion:
This is the largest single-center series reported on this t-BCD. The complication rate is small but caution is required in patients of conversion from a percutaneous BCHD. The patients’ satisfaction is high and the need for aftercare is minimal. Cost-effectiveness evaluation of these devices, development of core outcome sets and well-designed, prospective trials to compare the different BCHDs should be the focus of future research.
Predictors of early discontinuation of interferon-free direct antiviral agents in patients with hepatitis C virus and advanced liver fibrosis: results of a real-life cohort
Authors: Miotto Noelle , Mendes Leandro C. , Zanaga Letícia P. , Goncales Eduardo S.L. , Lazarini Maria S.K. , Pedro Marcelo N. , Gonçales Fernando L. , Stucchi Raquel S.B. , Vigani Aline G. 
Published: August 2017

Aim
The aim of this study was to determine risk factors for premature treatment discontinuation among patients with hepatitis C and advanced fibrosis with advanced fibrosis treated with interferon (IFN)-free direct antiviral agents (DAA)-based therapy.

Patients and methods
We included all patients with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and advanced liver fibrosis in whom treatment was initiated with IFN-free DAA therapy at a university hospital from December 2015 through June 2016. We prospectively collected data from medical records using standardized questionnaires and evaluated them using Epi Info 7.1.2.0. The primary outcome was treatment interruption and associated factors.

Results
In total, 214 patients were included in this study; 180 patients were treated with sofosbuvir (SOF)+daclatasvir±ribavirin (RBV), 31 received SOF+simeprevir±RBV, and three were treated with SOF+RBV. Treatment discontinuation rate was 8.9% (19 patients) and cirrhotic decompensation was the main reason [8 (42.1%)]. Among patients with Child B or C cirrhosis (31), 10 (32.2%) prematurely interrupted treatment. The risk factors for treatment discontinuation in univariate analysis were older age (P=0.0252), higher comorbidity index (P=0.0078), higher model for end-stage liver disease (P<0.0001), higher fibrosis index based on the 4 factores (P=0.0122), and lower hemoglobin (P=0.0185) at baseline. Multivariate analysis showed that older age (odds ratio: 1.1, 95% confidence interval: 1.02–1.19) and higher model for end-stage liver disease (odds ratio: 1.27, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–1.56) were associated with premature treatment interruption.

Conclusion
Older age and advanced liver disease were related to treatment interruption. Identification of risk factors associated with treatment discontinuation is important to recognize patients who should be followed up closely during treatment, ando those whom possibly may not benefit from immediate DAA treatment or should be followed up closely during treatment.
Associations Between Perceived Race-based Discrimination and Contraceptive Use Among Women Veterans in the ECUUN Study
Authors: MacDonald Serena , Hausmann Leslie R.M. , Sileanu Florentina E. , Zhao Xinhua , Mor Maria K. , Borrero Sonya 
Published: August 2017

Objective:
To describe perceived race-based discrimination in Veterans Affairs (VA) health care settings and assess its associations with contraceptive use among a sample of women Veterans.

Methodology:
This study used data from a national telephone survey of women Veterans aged 18–44 receiving health care in VA who were at risk of unintended pregnancy. Participants were asked about their perceptions of race-based discrimination while seeking VA health care and about their contraceptive use at last heterosexual intercourse. Logistic and multinomial regression analyses were used to examine associations between perceived race-based discrimination with use of prescription contraception.

Results:
In our sample of 1341 women Veterans, 7.9% report perceived race-based discrimination when receiving VA care, with blacks and Hispanics reporting higher levels of perceived discrimination than white women (11.3% and 11.2% vs. 4.4%; P<0.001). In logistic and multinomial regression analyses adjusting for race/ethnicity, age, income, marital status, parity, and insurance, women who perceived race-based discrimination were less likely to use any prescription birth control than women who did not (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% confidence interval, 0.42–1.00), with the largest difference seen in rates of intrauterine device or implant use (odds ratio, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.20–0.79).

Conclusions:
In this national sample of women Veterans, over 10% of racial/ethnic minority women perceived race-based discrimination when receiving care in VA settings, and perceived racial/ethnic discrimination was associated with lower likelihood of prescription contraception use, especially intrauterine devices and implants. VA efforts to enhance respectful interactions may not only improve patient health care experiences, but also represent an opportunity to improve reproductive health outcomes for women Veterans.
Creating a Toolkit to Reduce Disparities in Patient Engagement
Authors: Keddem Shimrit , Agha Aneeza Z. , Long Judith A. , Werner Rachel M. , Shea Judy A. 
Published: August 2017

Background:
Patient engagement has become a major focus of health care improvement efforts nationally. Although evidence suggests patient engagement can be beneficial to patients, it has not been consistently defined, operationalized, or translated into practice.

Objectives:
Our objective was to develop a toolkit to help providers increase patient engagement and reduce disparities in patient engagement.

Research Design:
We used qualitative interviews and observations with staff at primary care sites nationally to identify patient engagement practices and resources used to engage patients. We then used a modified Delphi process, that included a series of conference calls and surveys, where stakeholders reduced lists of engagement practices based on perceived feasibility and importance to develop a toolkit for patient engagement.

Sampling:
Sites were selected for interviews and site visits based on the concentration of minority patients served and performance on a measure of patient engagement, with the goal of highlighting practices at sites that successfully serve minority patients.

Results:
We created a toolkit consisting of patient engagement practices and resources. No identified practice or resource specifically targeted patient engagement of minorities or addressed disparities. However, high-performing, high–minority-serving sites tended to describe more staff training opportunities and staff feedback mechanisms. In addition, low-performing and high–minority-serving sites more often reported barriers to implementation of patient engagement practices.

Conclusions:
Stakeholders agreed on feasible and important engagement practices. Implementation of this toolkit will be tracked to better understand patient engagement and its effect on patient-centered care and related disparities in care.
Brain-Gut-Microbiota Axis and Mental Health
Authors: Dinan Timothy G. , Cryan John F. 
Published: August 2017

ABSTRACT

Objective
The brain-gut-microbiota axis has been put forward as a new paradigm in neuroscience, which may be of relevance to mental illness. The mechanisms of signal transmission in the brain-gut-microbiota axis are complex and involve bidirectional communications that enable gut microbes to communicate with the brain and the brain to communicate with the microbes. This review assesses the potential usefulness and limitations of the paradigm.

Methods
A selective literature review was conducted to evaluate the current knowledge in clinical and preclinical brain-gut-microbiota interactions as related to psychiatric disorders.

Results
Most published studies in the field are preclinical, and there is so far a lack of clinical studies. Preliminary studies in psychiatric populations support the view of a dysbiosis in some conditions, but studies are often small scale and marred by potential confounding variables. Preclinical studies support the view that psychobiotics (“bacteria which when ingested in adequate amounts have a positive mental health benefit”) might be of use in treating some patients with mental health difficulties. To date, we have no well-conducted studies in clinical populations, although there are some studies in healthy volunteers. A cocktail of probiotics has been shown to alter brain activity as monitored by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and Bifidobacterium longum was reported to alter brain electrical activity.

Conclusions
It has yet to be convincingly demonstrated that the exciting findings of psychobiotic efficacy demonstrated in preclinical models of psychiatric illness will translate to patients.
Congenital Salivary Fistula From Parotid Main Gland
Authors: Lee Dong Hoon , Yoon Tae Mi , Lee Joon Kyoo , Lim Sang Chul 
Published: August 2017

Abstract
Congenital parotid fistulas are extremely rare diseases. Herein, the authors report a patient with congenital salivary fistula from parotid main gland in a 15-year-old boy. Therefore, clinicians should consider the possibility of congenital parotid fistula form parotid main gland. Surgical excision of the fistula and parotid gland can be effective treatment option of congenital parotid fistula.
Bromodomains regulate dynamic targeting of the PBAF chromatin remodeling complex to chromatin hubs
Authors: Kenworthy C.A. , Haque N. , Liou S.H. , Chandris P. , Wong V. , Dziuba P. , Lavis L.D. , Liu W.L. , Singer R.H. , Coleman R.A. 
Published: August 2017

AbstractTranscriptional bursting involves genes rapidly switching between active and inactive states. Chromatin remodelers actively target arrays of acetylated nucleosomes at select enhancers and promoters to facilitate or shut down the repeated recruitment of RNA Pol II during transcriptional bursting. It is unknown how acetylated chromatin is dynamically targeted and regulated by chromatin remodelers such as PBAF. Thus, we sought to understand how PBAF targets acetylated chromatin using live-cell single molecule fluorescence microscopy. Our work reveals chromatin hubs throughout the nucleus where PBAF rapidly cycles on and off the genome. Deletion of PBAF’s bromodomains impairs targeting, stable engagement and persistent binding on chromatin in hubs. Interestingly, PBAF has a higher probability to stably engage chromatin inside hubs indicating that hubs contain a unique nucleosomal scaffold compared to global chromatin. Dual color imaging of PBAF in hubs near H3.3 or HP1α reveals that PBAF targets both euchromatic and heterochromatic regions with distinct genome binding kinetics that mimic chromatin stability. Removal of PBAF’s bromodomains stabilizes H3.3 and HP1α binding within chromatin indicating that bromodomains may play a direct role in remodeling of the nucleosome. Our data, suggests that PBAF differentially and dynamically engages a variety of chromatin structures involved in both activation and repression of transcription via bromodomains. Furthermore, PBAF’s binding stability on chromatin may reflect the chromatin remodeling potential of different bound chromatin states.Statement of SignificanceTranscriptional bursting involves a gene rapidly switching between transcriptionally active and inactive states. To regulate transcriptional bursting, chromatin must interchange between euchromatin and heterochromatin to permit or restrict access of transcription factors including RNA Polymerase II to enhancer and gene promoters. However, little is known regarding how chromatin remodelers dynamically read a rapidly changing 4D epigenome. We used live-cell single molecule imaging to characterize the spatiotemporal chromatin binding dynamics of PBAF, a chromatin remodeler that accesses both euchromatin and heterochromatin to regulate transcription. PBAF cycles on and off chromatin hubs in select nuclear regions where it distinctly engages euchromatin and heterochromatin via bromodomains in its BAF180 subunit. Our study provides the framework to understand how the 4D epigenome is regulated.
Automating Mendelian randomization through machine learning to construct a putative causal map of the human phenome
Authors: Hemani Gibran , Bowden Jack , Haycock Philip , Zheng Jie , Davis Oliver , Flach Peter , Gaunt Tom , Smith George Davey 
Published: August 2017

AbstractA major application for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) has been the emerging field of causal inference using Mendelian randomization (MR), where the causal effect between a pair of traits can be estimated using only summary level data. MR depends on SNPs exhibiting vertical pleiotropy, where the SNP influences an outcome phenotype only through an exposure phenotype. Issues arise when this assumption is violated due to SNPs exhibiting horizontal pleiotropy. We demonstrate that across a range of pleiotropy models, instrument selection will be increasingly liable to selecting invalid instruments as GWAS sample sizes continue to grow. Methods have been developed in an attempt to protect MR from different patterns of horizontal pleiotropy, and here we have designed a mixture-of-experts machine learning framework (MR-MoE 1.0) that predicts the most appropriate model to use for any specific causal analysis, improving on both power and false discovery rates. Using the approach, we systematically estimated the causal effects amongst 2407 phenotypes. Almost 90% of causal estimates indicated some level of horizontal pleiotropy. The causal estimates are organised into a publicly available graph database (http://eve.mrbase.org), and we use it here to highlight the numerous challenges that remain in automated causal inference.
The conflict negativity: A neural correlate of value conflict and indecision during financial decision making
Authors: Petersen Gesa-K. , Saunders Blair , Inzlicht Michael 
Published: August 2017

AbstractIndividuals struggle when making financial decisions, sometimes preferring to avoid difficult decisions and receive lower future rewards over actively deliberating between options of similar value. Here, we examine how conflict deriving from objective and subjective value characteristics of stocks, as well as the behavioural and phenomenological correlates of decision conflict, are accompanied by variation in a thus far understudied ERP component, the conflict negativity (CN). In a novel EEG paradigm (N = 53), we simulated a financial decision situation in which participants made incentivized choices between different, sometimes conflicting, stock options. Our results indicate that participants become slower, more undecided, and less pleased, when choosing between similar options compared to choices in which one option clearly outweighs the other. This effect even held when participants chose between two objectively good alternatives. We further provide preliminary evidence that the CN, a negative-going ERP recorded over the medial prefrontal cortex, is not only sensitive to decision conflict, but also predicts behavioural indecision. What is more, subjective value characteristics of stocks, impressions based on brand perception of the stock options, modestly influenced affective and behavioural reactions over and above objective stock characteristics. While our results are at odds with assumptions made by classic economic theory, they may serve as one out of several indicators as to why private investors seem to avoid financial decisions.