bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Diabetes, Hyperlipidemia, and Statins on the Development of Rotator Cuff Disease
Authors: Lin Tony Tung-Liang , Lin Ching-Heng , Chang Chia-Li , Chi Chun-Han , Chang Shin-Tsu , Sheu Wayne Huey-Herng 
Published: June 2015

Background: The intrinsic risk factors of rotator cuff disease (RCD) include degeneration, inflammation, oxidative stress, and circulation impairment. Both diabetes and hyperlipidemia are thought to increase these risk factors and therefore potentially enhance RCD development. However, few studies, and few longitudinal follow-up studies in particular, exist to prove this. Hypothesis: Both diabetes and hyperlipidemia can increase a patient’s risk of developing RCD. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 498,678 participants, including 28,391 diagnosed with diabetes and 25,621 with hyperlipidemia in the year 2000, were followed for an 11-year period. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the effect of (1) diabetes, (2) hyperlipidemia, (3) diabetes with/without insulin use, and (4) hyperlipidemia with/without statin use on the development of RCD. In the subgroup of patients with hyperlipidemia, multivariate Cox proportional hazards models were also performed to explore the relationship between statin use and RCD development. Results: During an 11-year follow-up period, 26,664 patients developed RCD. The crude hazard ratio (HR) for RCD in patients with diabetes as compared with those without diabetes was 2.11 (95% CI, 2.02-2.20; P < .0001). The crude HR for RCD in patients with hyperlipidemia as compared with those without hyperlipidemia was 2.00 (95% CI, 1.92-2.08; P < .0001). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis revealed that, in addition to older age and female sex, both diabetes and hyperlipidemia increased the risk of RCD (diabetes: HR, 1.47 [95% CI, 1.41-1.54]; P < .0001) (hyperlipidemia: HR, 1.48 [95% CI, 1.42-1.55]; P < .0001). An elevated risk still existed in patients with diabetes with/without insulin use (diabetes with insulin use: HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.35-1.51]; P < .0001) (diabetes without insulin use: HR, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.53-1.75]; P < .0001). An increased risk also existed in patients with hyperlipidemia with/without statin use (hyperlipidemia with statin use: HR, 1.16 [95% CI, 1.10-1.23]; P < .0001) (hyperlipidemia without statin use: HR, 2.01 [95% CI, 1.89-2.13]; P < .0001). In the subgroup of patients with hyperlipidemia, statin use was associated with a lower risk of developing RCD when compared with no statin use (rosuvastatin: HR, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.35-0.49]; P < .0001) (simvastatin: HR, 0.62 [95% CI, 0.54-0.71]; P < .0001) (other statins: HR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.60-0.72]; P < .0001). Conclusion: The present longitudinal, population-based follow-up study showed that either diabetes or hyperlipidemia alone was an independent risk factor for RCD development. Statin use might provide protection against RCD in patients with hyperlipidemia.
Probabilistic simulation for the certification of railway vehicles
Authors: Funfschilling Christine , Perrin Guillaume , Sebes Michel , Bezin Yann , Mazzola Laura , Nguyen-Tajan Mac-Lan 
Published: June 2015

The present dynamic certification process that is based on experiments has been essentially built on the basis of experience. The introduction of simulation techniques into this process would be of great interest. However, an accurate simulation of complex, nonlinear systems is a difficult task, in particular when rare events (for example, unstable behaviour) are considered. After analysing the system and the currently utilized procedure, this paper proposes a method to achieve, in some particular cases, a simulation-based certification. It focuses on the need for precise and representative excitations (running conditions) and on their variable nature. A probabilistic approach is therefore proposed and illustrated using an example. First, this paper presents a short description of the vehicle / track system and of the experimental procedure. The proposed simulation process is then described. The requirement to analyse a set of running conditions that is at least as large as the one tested experimentally is explained. In the third section, a sensitivity analysis to determine the most influential parameters of the system is reported. Finally, the proposed method is summarized and an application is presented.
Comparison of clinical and serological differences among juvenile-, adult-, and late-onset systemic lupus erythematosus in Korean patients
Authors: Choi J H , Park D J , Kang J H , Yim Y R , Lee K E , Lee J W , Wen L , Kim T J , Park Y W , Lee J K , Lee S S 
Published: June 2015

Objectives We investigated whether systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients could be distinguished based on the time of disease onset and, if so, whether the groups differed in their clinical and laboratory features in ethnically homogeneous Korean patients. Methods We enrolled 201 SLE patients with available clinical data at the time of onset of SLE from the lupus cohort at Chonnam National University Hospital. Sociodemographic, clinical, and laboratory data, including autoantibodies, and concomitant diseases were found at the time of diagnosis of SLE by reviewing patient charts. We divided SLE patients according to age at SLE diagnosis into three groups: juvenile-onset SLE (JSLE, diagnosed at ≤ 18 years), adult-onset SLE (ASLE, diagnosed at 19–50 years), and late-onset SLE (LSLE, diagnosed at >50 years), and compared baseline demographic, clinical, and relevant laboratory findings. Results Of the 201 patients, 27 (14.4%), 149 (74.1%), and 25 (12.4%) were JSLE, ASLE, and LSLE patients, respectively. Fever, oral ulcers, nephritis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia were more common in JSLE patients than ASLE or LSLE patients ( p < 0.05, < 0.05, 0.001, < 0.05, and < 0.05, respectively). However, Sjögren’s syndrome was more frequent in LSLE patients than JSLE or ASLE patients ( p < 0.05). Disease activity was significantly higher in JSLE patients than in ASLE or LSLE patients ( p < 0.001). Anti-dsDNA and anti-nucleosome antibodies were found more frequently in JSLE patients and less frequently in LSLE patients ( p < 0.05 and 0.005, respectively) and decreased complement levels were more common in JSLE patients and less common in LSLE patients ( p < 0.001, 0.001, and < 0.05, respectively). Conclusions Our results indicate that SLE patients present with different clinical and serological manifestations according to age at disease onset. JSLE patients have more severe disease activity and more frequent renal involvement and LSLE patients have milder disease activity, more commonly accompanied by Sjögren’s syndrome, at disease onset.
Drug-like analogues of the parasitic worm-derived immunomodulator ES-62 are therapeutic in the MRL/Lpr model of systemic lupus erythematosus
Authors: Rodgers D T , Pineda M A , Suckling C J , Harnett W , Harnett M M 
Published: June 2015

Introduction ES-62, a phosphorylcholine (PC)-containing immunomodulator secreted by the parasitic worm Acanthocheilonema viteae, protects against nephritis in the MRL/Lpr mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). However, ES-62 is not suitable for development as a therapy and thus we have designed drug-like small molecule analogues (SMAs) based around its active PC-moiety. To provide proof of concept that ES-62-based SMAs exhibit therapeutic potential in SLE, we have investigated the capacity of two SMAs to protect against nephritis when administered to MRL/Lpr mice after onset of kidney damage. Methods SMAs 11a and 12b were evaluated for their ability to suppress antinuclear antibody (ANA) generation and consequent kidney pathology in MRL/Lpr mice when administered after the onset of proteinuria. Results SMAs 11a and 12b suppressed development of ANA and proteinuria. Protection reflected downregulation of MyD88 expression by kidney cells and this was associated with reduced production of IL-6, a cytokine that exhibits promise as a therapeutic target for this condition. Conclusions SMAs 11a and 12b provide proof of principle that synthetic compounds based on the safe immunomodulatory mechanisms of parasitic worms can exhibit therapeutic potential as a novel class of drugs for SLE, a disease for which current therapies remain inadequate.
Effects of input training on second language syntactic representation entrenchment
Authors: Deng Taiping , Dunlap Susan , Chen Baoguo 
Published: June 2015

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of linguistic input training on second language (L2) syntactic representation entrenchment using English subject–verb agreement structures as the stimuli. Methodology: A pre-test/training/first-post/delayed post-test experimental design was adopted. Sixty Chinese (L1)–English (L2) adult learners participated in the experiments and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (EG) and the control group (CG). In training sessions, EG learned the subject–verb structures, and CG learned other syntactic structures. Data and analysis: Reaction time and comprehension accuracy data were analyzed using a repeated-measures analysis of variance. P2 and P3 signified the key positions of the verb and the word immediately following the verb in the experimental sentence, respectively. For example, the reading time indicator was the time for reading the key positions of the example sentence “The book under the newspaper was interesting”. The words “newspaper”, “was”, and “interesting” were marked as P1, P2, and P3, respectively. Findings/conclusions: At pre-test, there was no difference between the EG and the CG in processing the subject–verb agreement structures. After two sessions of intensive training, the first post-test indicated that the EG had significantly longer reading times for the P2 and P3 positions of the ungrammatical sentences than those of the grammatical versions. The CG showed no differences in reading times. At delayed post-test, the EG had significantly longer reading times for the P3 position for all of the ungrammatical sentences than for the grammatical ones. The CG exhibited no differences in reading times. The results indicated both short-term and long-term efficacy of input training and transfer effects of input on representation entrenchment. Originality: In adult L2 syntactic literature, the current study empirically and directly explored the role of input training in entrenching L2 syntactic representation. Significance: The study suggested that input training can entrench representation. These results support the usage-based theory.
Multidisciplinary members’ perspectives on a pharmacist joining a rheumatology practice team
Authors: Wilbur Kerry , Kur Jason 
Published: June 2015

Background: Pharmacist participation in chronic disease management benefits patients in many ambulatory settings. We explored the attitudes and perceptions among multidisciplinary members of a rheumatology team towards the skills and responsibilities of a pharmacist joining their practice. Methods: The physicians, nurse, physiotherapist and staff of a rheumatology clinic were invited to participate in focus group and semistructured interviews. Practice members also completed an inventory of perceived health professional roles in the medication use process. Results: Discussions with 2 physicians, a nurse, physiotherapist and 1 office administrator were conducted. Concepts related to 3 key themes included positively viewed pharmacist roles broadly related to activities that encompass provision of medication-related services for the patients, the providers and the practice. Examples of such care included educational tasks related to therapies (rheumatological and otherwise) and maintenance of accurate drug histories. These findings were reflected in high scores for perceived pharmacist roles in education and medication review responsibilities using the Medication Use Processes Matrix instrument. Most members were not comfortable with pharmacists conducting physical assessments and emphasized the need for a team member who could adapt to variations in workflow preferences across rheumatologists in the practice. Interpretation: Perceived pharmacist roles expressed by existing rheumatology team members were largely consistent with the scope of pharmacist knowledge, skills and responsibilities in primary care. Conclusion: Overall, existing multidisciplinary staff exhibited favourable attitudes towards a pharmacist joining their practice setting. Data from this job analysis exercise were used to inform the development of a job description for a rheumatology clinical pharmacist.
Systematic review of interventional sickle cell trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov
Authors: Lebensburger Jeffrey D , Hilliard Lee M , Pair Lauren E , Oster Robert , Howard Thomas H , Cutter Gary R 
Published: June 2015

Background/Aims: The registry ClinicalTrials.gov was created to provide investigators and patients an accessible database of relevant clinical trials. Methods: To understand the state of sickle cell disease clinical trials, a comprehensive review of all 174 “closed,” “interventional” sickle cell trials registered at ClinicalTrials.gov was completed in January 2015. Results: The majority of registered sickle cell disease clinical trials listed an academic center as the primary sponsor and were an early phase trial. The primary outcome for sickle cell disease trials focused on pain (23%), bone marrow transplant (BMT) (13%), hydroxyurea (8%), iron overload (8%), and pulmonary hypertension (8%). A total of 52 trials were listed as terminated or withdrawn, including 25 (14% of all trials) terminated for failure to enroll participants. At the time of this review, only 19 trials uploaded results and 29 trials uploaded a manuscript in the ClinicalTrials.gov database. A systematic review of pubmed.gov revealed that only 35% of sickle cell studies completed prior to 2014 resulted in an identified manuscript. In comparison, of 80 thalassemia trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov, four acknowledged failure to enroll participants as a reason for trial termination or withdrawal, and 48 trials (60%) completed prior to 2014 resulted in a currently identified manuscript. Conclusion: ClinicalTrials.gov can be an important database for investigators and patients with sickle cell disease to understand the current available research trials. To enhance the validity of the website, investigators must update their trial results and upload trial manuscripts into the database. This study, for the first time, quantifies outcomes of sickle cell disease trials and provides support to the belief that barriers exist to successful completion, publication, and dissemination of sickle cell trial results.
Narrow-band imaging bronchoscopy in the detection of premalignant airway lesions: a meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy
Authors: Iftikhar Imran H. , Musani Ali I. 
Published: June 2015

Objectives: Both autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy and narrow-band imaging have shown promise in the detection of premalignant airway lesions, each by utilizing different bandwidths of lights for better characterization of the mucosal and submucosal vascular grid. Since previously published meta-analyses have shown poor specificity of autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy, we specifically studied the diagnostic accuracy of narrow-band imaging alone and in combination with autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy in the detection of premalignant airway lesions. Methods: After an extensive search of eligible studies from PubMed and Medline, extracted data were pooled with weighted averages. Symmetrical summary–receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to summarize the results quantitatively. Study heterogeneity was assessed by the I2 index. Results: Analysis of data from eight studies on narrow-band imaging showed a pooled sensitivity of 0.80 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.77–0.83] and a pooled specificity of 0.84 (95% CI: 0.81–0.86). Summary–receiver operating characteristic curves from the data on narrow-band imaging calculated an area-under-the-curve of 0.908 (standard error 0.01). The diagnostic odds ratio of narrow-band imaging was 31.49 (95% CI: 12.17–81.45). Data from studies where narrow-band imaging and autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy were used together showed a pooled sensitivity, specificity, area-under-the-curve and diagnostic odds ratios of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82–0.89), 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71–0.79), 0.964 (standard error 0.05) and 27.96 (95% CI: 3.04–257.21), respectively. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that in the evaluation of premalignant airway lesions, narrow-band imaging has a higher sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic odds ratios compared with autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy. However, combining autofluorescence imaging bronchoscopy and narrow-band imaging does not significantly improve test performance characteristics.
Utility of baseline 18FDG-PET/CT functional parameters in defining prognosis of primary mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Ceriani Luca , Martelli Maurizio , Zinzani Pier Luigi , Ferreri Andrés J. M. , Botto Barbara , Stelitano Caterina , Gotti Manuel , Cabras Maria Giuseppina , Rigacci Luigi , Gargantini Livio , Merli Francesco , Pinotti Graziella , Mannina Donato , Luminari Stefano , Stathis Anastasios , Russo Eleonora , Cavalli Franco , Giovanella Luca , Johnson Peter W. M. , Zucca Emanuele 
Published: June 2015

Key Points
18FDG PET/CT is a very important staging tool for patients with PMBCL. Metabolic activity defined by TLG on the baseline PET scan is a powerful predictor of PMBCL outcome.
Perturbation of the normal immune system in patients with CLL
Authors: Forconi Francesco , Moss Paul 
Published: June 2015

AbstractImmune dysregulation is a cardinal feature of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) from its early stage and worsens during clinical observation, even in absence of disease progression. Although the mechanisms remain unclear, new insights are emerging into the complex relationship between the CLL clone and its immune environment. T cells are increased in early-stage disease and show progressive accumulation and exhaustion. The mechanisms that drive this expansion may include auto-antigens involved in the original clonal expansion. In addition, chronic viral infections such as cytomegalovirus generate huge virus-specific immune responses, which are further expanded in CLL. Attention is now focused largely on the direct immunosuppressive properties of the tumor. Remarkably, CLL clones often have features of the recently described regulatory B cells producing immunosuppressive IL-10. Better knowledge of the regulatory properties intrinsic to CLL cells may soon become more important with the switch from chemotherapy-based treatments, which trade control of CLL with further impairment of immune function, to the new agents targeting CLL B-cell receptor–associated signaling. Treatment with these new agents is associated with evidence of immune recovery and reduced infectious complications. As such, they offer the prospect of immunologic rehabilitation and a platform from which to ultimately replace chemotherapy.
The prevalence of primary headache disorders and their associated factors among nursing staff in North China
Authors: Wang Yan , Xie Jingdan , Yang Fei , Wu Shiwen , Wang Hebo , Zhang Xiaolan , Liu Hua , Deng Xin , Yu Shengyuan 
Published: June 2015

Abstract

Background
Epidemiological data on the prevalence of headache in nursing staff in Mainland China are lacking. We therefore performed a study to assess the prevalence of headache, and factors associated with headaches, in nursing staff in three hospitals in North China.

Methods
Stratified random cluster sampling was used to select 1102 nurses from various departments in three hospitals. A structured questionnaire was used to collect epidemiological data, headache characteristics and associated factors.

Results
The response rate was 93.0%. Among nursing staff, the 1-year prevalence of primary headache disorders was 45.3%, of migraine 14.8% (migraine with aura 3.4%, migraine without aura 11.4%), of tension-type headache (TTH) 26.2%, of chronic daily headache (CDH) 2.7%. Multivariate analysis showed that seniority (≥5 years) was a risk factor for migraine (OR 2.280), obesity (BMI ≥ 25) was a risk factor for TTH and CDH (OR 1.684 and 3.184), and age (≥40 years) was a risk factor for CDH (OR 8.455). Nurses working in internal medicine were more likely to suffer CDH than those in other departments. Working a greater number of night shifts was also associated with increased prevalence of headache.

Conclusion
The prevalence of primary headache disorders in nurses is higher than that in the general population in China, and occupational factors may play an important role. Therefore, the prevalence of headache in nurses should be a focus of attention, and coping strategies should be provided. Such measures could contribute to improving patient care.
Association between HIF-1α C1772T/G1790A polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis based on 40 case-control studies
Authors: Yan Qing , Chen Pin , Wang Songtao , Liu Ning , Zhao Peng , Gu Aihua 
Published: June 2015

AbstractBackgroundHIF-1 (hypoxia-inducible factor 1) is a transcriptional activator that functions as a critical regulator of oxygen homeostasis. Recently, a large number of epidemiological studies have investigated the relationship between HIF-1α C1772T/G1790A polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility. However, the results remain inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis on all of the available case-control studies to systematically summarize the possible association.MethodsA literature search was performed using PubMed and the Web of Science database to obtain relevant published studies. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the relationship between HIF-1α C1772T/G1790A polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility were calculated using fixed- and random-effects models when appropriate. Heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analyses and publication bias assessments were also performed in our meta-analysis.ResultsA total of 40 studies met the inclusion criteria were included in the meta-analysis: 40 studies comprised of 10869 cases and 14289 controls for the HIF-1α C1772T polymorphism and 30 studies comprised of 7117 cases and 10442 controls for the HIF-1α G1790A polymorphism. The results demonstrated that there were significant association between the HIF-1α C1772T polymorphism and cancer susceptibility under four genetic models (TTvs.CC: OR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.02-2.60; CT + TTvs.CC: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.01-1.34; TTvs.CT + CC: OR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.32-3.77; Tvs.C: OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 1.04-1.41). Similarly, the statistically significant association between the HIF-1α G1790A polymorphism and cancer susceptibility was found to be consistently strong in all of the genetic models. Moreover, increased cancer risk was observed when the data were stratified by cancer type, ethnicity and the source of controls.ConclusionsThis meta-analysis demonstrates that both the C1772T and G1790A polymorphisms in the HIF-1α gene likely contribute to increased cancer susceptibility, especially in the Asian population and in breast cancer, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer and oral cancer. However, further research is necessary to evaluate the relationship between these polymorphisms and cancer risk.