Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

J Crit Care 2018 Dec 1;50:177-187. Epub 2018 Dec 1.

University of Ottawa, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Nursing, 3245B Roger Guindon Hall, 451 Smyth Road, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada. Electronic address:

Purpose: Despite advances in medical science, patient death and family bereavement are commonly encountered in adult intensive care units (ICUs). This is the first review to investigate the state of ICU bereavement support globally, and the availability and effectiveness of bereavement support interventions.

Methods: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Read More

Differentiation 2018 Dec 5;105:14-26. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Department of Research, IRCCS-ISMETT, Palermo, Italy.

We isolated a population of proliferating cells from cultured human fetal hepatocytes of 16-22 weeks gestational age. The cells shared a similar phenotype to that of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) according to the International Society for Cellular Therapy (ISCT), including plastic adherence, antigen expression profile, and in vitro multilineage differentiation potential. Fetal liver (FL)-MSCs expressed the albumin gene, and harbored a subpopulation of CK18 cells (20-40%), which defined their hepatic origin. Read More

Eur J Cancer 2018 Dec 12;107:86-92. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Odense University Hospital, Denmark.

Objective: The objective is to investigate the topographical distribution of sentinel nodes (SNs) and lymph node metastases in T1-2cN0 oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs).

Methods: The study entailed a prospective enrolment of 220 patients with clinical T1-2N0 OSCCs who underwent preoperative lymphoscintigraphy (LSG) followed by gamma probe-guided sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). Patients with positive SNs were treated with completion neck dissection. Read More

J Psychiatr Res 2018 Dec 6;109:173-177. Epub 2018 Dec 6.

Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Wacol, Australia; School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Herston, Australia; Metro North Mental Health, Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Australia.

Low physical activity is a major public health concern. There has been extensive research examining the role of physical activity as a potentially modifiable risk factor for the onset of mental illness. However, fewer studies have reported how mental disorders affect future physical activity. Read More

Hum Mov Sci 2018 Dec 12;63:148-155. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Laboratory of Neuromuscular Biomechanics, School of International Liberal Studies, Chukyo University, Nagoya, Japan. Electronic address:

Introduction: The present study investigated the effect of stretchable characteristics of elastic therapeutic tape and its elongation on surface electromyography (EMG) of knee extensor muscles during knee extension movements.

Methods: Nine healthy men performed knee extension movement with the application of normal elastic tape or highly stretchable tape and without the tapes (control). Tapes were applied on the anterior thigh to cross the knee joint with no elongation and elongation of 50 and 75% of the maximum stretchability. Read More

Biosens Bioelectron 2018 Dec 7;126:743-750. Epub 2018 Dec 7.

Department of Information and Communication Engineering, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology (DGIST), Daegu 42988, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

A color-sensitive and spectrometer-free sensing method using plasmonic nanohole arrays and the color components, L* , a* , and b* , of the CIELAB defined by the international commission on illumination (CIE) is introduced for the analysis of optically transparent materials in the visible range. Spectral analysis based on plasmonic nanoparticles or nanostructures can be applied to real-time bio-detection, but complex optical instrumentations and low spatial resolution have limited the sensing ability. Therefore, we take an advantage of color image processing instead of spectral analysis which induces the distinctive color information of plasmonic nanohole arrays with different transparent materials. Read More

Epilepsy Res 2018 Nov 26;149:92-101. Epub 2018 Nov 26.

A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.

The Epilepsy Bioinformatics Study for Antiepileptogenic Therapy (EpiBioS4Rx) is an international, multicenter, multidisciplinary study aimed at preventing epileptogenesis (EpiBioS4Rx: https://epibios.loni.usc. Read More

Eur J Pharm Sci 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER), S.A.S. Nagar, Mohali, Punjab 160 062, India. Electronic address:

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in females as per the global cancer project (GLOBOCAN 2018) estimates of breast cancer incidence and mortality produced by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 2018, there will be 2,088,849 new cases of breast cancer and 626,679 cases of deaths due to breast cancer in 5 regions (Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania) at 20 sites of the world. Epidemiologic studies on diet and cancer have guided the search for some nutraceuticals acting as anti-cancer agents. Read More

Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Key Laboratory of Pu-erh Tea Science, the Ministry of Education, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China; State Key Laboratory for Conservation and Utilization of Bio-Resources in Yunnan, Kunming, China; Pu'erh Tea Research Institute, Pu'erh, China. Electronic address:

Caffeine intake is associated with a reduced risk developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be fully elucidated. We report here that caffeine markedly improved high fat diet-induced NAFLD in mice resulting in a 10-fold increase in circulating IL-6 levels, leading to STAT3 activation in the liver. Interestingly, the expression of IL-6 mRNA was not increased in the liver, but increased substantially in the muscles of caffeine-treated mice. Read More

Exp Gerontol 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Mossakowski Medical Research Centre, PAS, Pawinskiego 5, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education, Marymoncka 99/103, 01-813 Warsaw, Poland. Electronic address:

Introduction: Polymorphism of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) may modify protein abundance or function and therefore disturb human homeostasis.

Methods: Variant frequencies of the three NR3C1 polymorphisms, rs2963154, rs10515522 and rs2918418, selected in silico as associated with longevity, was analyzed in 552 DNA samples from 95 to 106-year-old individuals and in 284 samples of cord blood DNA from newborns.

Results: Frequencies of the TT genotypes of rs2963154 and rs10515522, and of the rs291841 CC genotype, were higher in the long-lived study subjects (p = 0. Read More

Pharmacol Res 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

International Center for T1D, Pediatric Clinical Research Center Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, "L. Sacco" Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Transplantation Research Center, Nephrology Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Endocrinology Division, ASST Fatebenefratelli-Sacco, Milan, Italy. Electronic address:

Urology 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

UT Southwestern Medical Center, Department of Urology, University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX, US.

Objective: To report 1-year safety and efficacy outcomes after either Aquablation or TURP for the treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms related to BPH.

Methods: This double-blinded, multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial assigned 181 patients with BPH-related moderate-to-severe lower urinary tract symptoms to either electrocautery-based prostate resection (TURP) or Aquablation. Efficacy endpoints included reduction in International Prostate Symptom Score and improvement in uroflow parameters. Read More

Brain Res 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Department of General and Experimental Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany. Electronic address:

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive disruption of cholinergic neurotransmission and impaired cognitive functions. In rodents, scopolamine has been used to induce cholinergic dysfunction resulting in cognitive impairments and an increment of oxidative stress in the brain. Here we tested whether oxidative stress can be attenuated via an antioxidant (astaxanthin) to rescue scopolamine-induced spatial memory. Read More

Gastroenterology 2018 Dec 12. Epub 2018 Dec 12.

Unit of Internal Medicine and Hepatology (UIMH), Department of Medicine - DIMED, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. Electronic address:

Background And Aims: Bacterial infections are common and life-threatening in patients with cirrhosis. Little is known about the epidemiology of bacterial infections in different regions. We performed a multicenter prospective intercontinental study to assess the prevalence and outcomes of bacterial and fungal infections in patients with cirrhosis. Read More

Swiss Med Wkly 2018 Dec 15;148:w14691. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Lung Centre, Cantonal Hospital St Gallen, Switzerland.

Aim: Our aim was to estimate the diagnostic performance of institutions and healthcare regions from a nationwide hospitalisation database.

Methods: The Shannon diversity index was used as an indicator of diagnostic performance based on the International Classification of Disease, 10th revision, German Modification (ICD-10-GM codes). The dataset included a total of 9,325,326 hospitalisation cases from 2009 to 2015 and was provided by the Swiss Federal Office for Statistics. Read More

Arthritis Rheumatol 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Immunology, CHU Rennes, Univ Rennes, France.

Objective: to evaluate the association of ulnar artery occlusion (UAO) assessed by Doppler Ultrasonography (dUS) with the severity markers of systemic sclerosis (SSc) METHODS: 204 unselected patients fulfilling 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for SSc were included in this cross-sectional multicenter study. All patients benefit from bilateral hand dUS evaluating the presence of UAO and clinical/paraclinical visceral evaluation according to current guidelines. Univariable and multivariable ordinal regression models were conducted, grading the severity of UAO as "no UAO", "only one UAO" and "UAO on both hands" and assessing its association with clinical features of SSc. Read More

J Clin Nurs 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Nursing Research and Practice Development, Ulster University, and South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, Northern Ireland.

Aims And Objectives: To review published research into the staff and adult patient experience of person-centred practice in a 100% single-room environment in acute care.

Background: There has been a significant move towards the 100% single-room environment within healthcare systems. Furthermore, there has been a global move for developing person-centred practice in a range of healthcare settings. Read More

Actas Esp Psiquiatr 2018 Nov 1;46(6):217-25. Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Unidad de Gestión Clínica de Salud Mental. Hospital Universitario de Valme. Sevilla. España.

Introduction: Despite the high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia, its origins are still unclear.

The Aim Of This Study: to determine the prevalence and causal factors of sexual dysfunction in a group of outpatients with schizophrenia.

Methods: The study was designed to be cross-sectional and naturalistic, including outpatients with schizophrenia undergoing second generation antipsychotic monotherapy. Read More

BJU Int 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Department of Uro-Neurology, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, and UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, WC1N 3BG, United Kingdom.

Objectives: To identify factors influencing return for maintenance Percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation (PTNS) treatment after successful completion of a 12-week course of treatment for the overactive bladder (OAB).

Patients And Methods: Patients with OAB symptoms referred for PTNS treatment underwent twelve sessions of weekly PTNS treatment and evaluated at baseline and week 12 using the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire on OAB (ICIQ-OAB), lower urinary tract symptoms related quality of life questionnaire (ICIQ-LUT symptoms QOL) and bladder diary (BD). Responders to treatment, evaluated using two patient-reported outcome measurements, were invited to return for maintenance treatments when symptoms returned. Read More

Diabetes Obes Metab 2018 Dec 15. Epub 2018 Dec 15.

Clinical Research, Endocrine and Metabolic Consultants, Rockville, MD, USA.

Aims: To compare the real-world effectiveness of insulin degludec (degludec) and glargine 300 units/mL (glargine U300) in insulin-naïve adult patients with type 2 diabetes in routine US clinical practice.

Materials And Methods: CONFIRM is a non-interventional comparative effectiveness study following US patients across the continuum of care, through electronic medical records from multiple health systems and integrated delivery networks. Propensity-score matching controlled for confounding. Read More

J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl) 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

National Center for International Research on Animal Gut Nutrition, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Nutrition and Animal Health, Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Microbiology, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China.

The objective of the present study was to explore the changes in fatty acids (FAs) and minerals composition in sow milk in order to improve the knowledge about FAs and mineral requirements for piglets. The FAs and minerals composition in the sow milk samples which were collected from ten sows during a period of 16 days of lactation was analysed. The proportion of FAs in sow milk has a significant increase in C8:0, C10:0, C12:0, C14:0, C16:0, C14:1 and C16:1 FAs and the sum of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) according to the lactation period (p < 0. Read More

J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Internal Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Republic of Korea.

Background: It is unclear whether obesity increases the incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) in the general population. Further, no study has prospectively examined the associations of the risk of AP by etiology with measured body mass index (BMI) values.

Methods: 512,928 Korean participants in routine health examinations during 2002-2003 were followed up until 2013 via linkage to national hospital discharge records to assess AP incidence. Read More

Sociol Health Illn 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Economics, University of Massachusetts, USA.

An unprecedented mortality crisis befell the former socialist countries between 1989 and 1995, representing one of the greatest demographic shocks of the period after the Second World War. While it is likely that country-level variation in the post-socialist mortality crisis in Eastern Europe can be explained by a constellation of political and socio-economic factors, no comprehensive review of the existing scholarly attempts at explaining these factors exists. We review 39 cross-national multi-variable peer reviewed studies of social determinants of mortality in post-socialist Europe in order to assess the social factors behind the post-socialist mortality crisis, determine the gaps in the existing literature and to make suggestions for future research. Read More

Cancer Treat Res 2019 ;171:37-45

Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.

With the increase in utilization of alternative medications to manage cancer treatment-related side effects, pharmacovigilance of alternative drug therapies, specifically herbal supplements, has become of increasing importance in the oncologic setting. This chapter focuses on the pharmacovigilance of herbal supplements in the setting of cancer drug therapy and explores national and international drug policies that have been employed to mitigate adverse herbal supplement events (AHEs). This chapter examines common drug-herbal supplement interactions, discusses the mechanisms behind these interactions, and investigates several common pharmacovigilance reporting methods clinicians can use to report adverse events. Read More

Pharmacoecon Open 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

King's College Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, London, UK.

Background: Uncertainty within cost-effectiveness analysis, often driven by lack of mature data from large clinical trials, plays a key role in decisions made by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), particularly for early access medicines and orphan drugs.

Objectives: In this case study, we used real-world evidence to address the uncertainty in the cost-effectiveness case for lenalidomide in transfusion-dependent low- and intermediate-1-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) deletion 5q [del(5q)], affecting a small but unique subpopulation with an orphan disease.

Methods: As part of a submission to NICE, we developed a cost-effectiveness model for lenalidomide, resulting in eventual recommendation. Read More

J Microbiol 2018 Oct 2. Epub 2018 Oct 2.

Department of Molecular Cell Biology, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea.

Antibiotic resistance is a global concern in public health. Antibiotic-resistant clones can spread nationally, internationally, and globally. This review considers representative antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacterial clones-CTX-M- 15-producing ST131 in Escherichia coli, extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing ST11 and KPC-producing ST258 in Klebsiella pneumoniae, IMP-6-producing, carbapenem-resistant ST235 in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and OXA-23-producing global clone 2 in Acinetobacter baumannii-that have disseminated worldwide, including in Korea. Read More

Arch Sex Behav 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

International Development, Community, and Environment, Clark University, Worcester, MA, 01610, USA.

Cancer Causes Control 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Use of recommended screening tests can reduce new colorectal cancers (CRC) and deaths, but screening uptake is suboptimal in the United States (U.S.). Read More

AIDS Behav 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

The Ethox Centre and Wellcome Centre for Ethics & Humanities, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Oxford, England, UK.

This study explored how multinational HIV experts weigh clinical, evidential, and ethical considerations regarding pre-exposure prophylaxis in pregnant/breastfeeding women. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts in HIV policy, research, treatment, and implementation from three global regions. A constant comparative approach identified major themes. Read More

Eur Radiol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Symbiosis Center for Medical Image Analysis and Symbiosis Institute of Technology, Symbiosis International University, Lavale, Mulshi, Pune, Maharashtra, 412115, India.

Objectives: To investigate the structural connectivity of the motor subnetwork in multiple system atrophy with cerebellar features (MSA-C), a distinct subtype of MSA, characterized by predominant cerebellar symptoms.

Methods: Twenty-three patients with MSA-C and 25 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were recruited for the study. Disease severity was quantified using the Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS). Read More

Eur J Trauma Emerg Surg 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department for Anesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Pain Therapy, Armed Forces Hospital Ulm, HEMS "Christoph 22", Oberer Eselsberg 40, 89081, Ulm, Germany.

Background: The TraumaRegister DGU (TR-DGU) of the German Trauma Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Unfallchirurgie, DGU) enables the participating hospitals to perform quality management. For that purpose, nine so-called audit filters have existed, since its foundation, which, inter alia, is listed in the Annual Report. The objective of this study effort is a revision of these quality indicators with the aim of developing pertinent new and reliable quality indicators for the management of severely injured patients. Read More

Eur J Hum Genet 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

CHRU Montpellier, Laboratoire de Génétique moléculaire, Montpellier, France.

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) gene-panel-based analyses constitute diagnosis strategies which are adapted to the genetic heterogeneity within the field of myopathies, including more than 200 implicated genes to date. Nonetheless, important inter-laboratory diversity of gene panels exists at national and international levels, complicating the exchange of data and the visibility of the diagnostic offers available for referring neurologists. To address this issue, we here describe the initiative of the genetic diagnosis section of the French National Network for Rare Neuromuscular Diseases (Filière Nationale des Maladies Rares Neuromusculaires, FILNEMUS), which led to set up a consensual nationwide diagnostic strategy among the nine French genetic diagnosis laboratories using NGS for myopathies. Read More

Spinal Cord 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Public Health and Infection Disease, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.

Study Design: Psychometric study.

Objective: To validate the Italian version of the Van Lieshout Test Short Version (VLT-SV) with a spinal cord injury population.

Setting: Three Italian spinal units. Read More

Spinal Cord 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Neurology, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.

Study Design: Registry-based cross-sectional study.

Objectives: To describe and analyze epidemiological and demographic characteristics of non-traumatic spinal cord injury (NTSCI) and to compare persons with NTSCI and traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI).

Setting: A total of 225 non-traumatic and 349 traumatic SCI patients were admitted for primary rehabilitation at one of the three specialized SCI departments in Norway (located in Bergen, Trondheim, and Oslo) from 2012 to 2016. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 14;8(1):17862. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Institut Claudius Regaud - IUCT Oncopole, University Toulouse III, Toulouse, France.

The poor prognosis of ovarian cancer (it is the leading cause of death from gynecological cancers) is mainly due to the acquisition of resistance to carboplatin. Among the possible resistance pathways, resistance to apoptosis and especially the overexpression of inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAP) cIAP1 and X-linked IAP (XIAP), have been implicated. DEBIO 1143, a SMAC (second mitochondria-derived activator of caspase) mimetic, belongs to a new class of targeted agents currently being evaluated in clinical trials, which activate apoptotic cell death and block pro-survival signaling in cancer cells. Read More

Sci Rep 2018 Dec 14;8(1):17840. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Dermatology, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.

Onychomycosis (OM) is a common nail disease. Although controversial, vascular diseases are considered independent predictors of OM and vice versa. Sequential pattern mining (SPM) has not been previously used for statistical analysis in dermatology, but it is an efficient method for identifying frequent association rules in multiple sequential data sets. Read More

J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

RTI International;

Synthetic cannabinoids (SCs) are novel psychoactive substances that are easily acquired, widely abused as a substitute for cannabis, and associated with cardiotoxicity and seizures. While the structures of these compounds are based upon scaffolds with known affinity and efficacy at the human cannabinoid type-1 receptor (hCB), upon ingestion or inhalation they can be metabolized to multiple chemical entities of unknown pharmacological activity. A large proportion of these metabolites are hydroxylated on the pentyl chain, a key substituent that determines receptor affinity and selectivity. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 14;8(12):e025761. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.

Introduction: Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a psychological therapy that has been used to improve patient well-being across multiple mental and physical health problems. Its effectiveness has been examined in thousands of randomised control trials that have been synthesised into hundreds of systematic reviews. The aim of this overview is to map, synthesise and assess the reliability of evidence generated from these systematic reviews of the effectiveness of CBT across all health conditions, patient groups and settings. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 14;8(12):e022879. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Orthopaedics, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, China.

Objective: To investigate the efficacy and safety of the pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy in treating osteoarthritis (OA).

Design: Meta-analysis.

Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched through 13 October 2017. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 14;8(12):e022195. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, Monash University, Notting Hill, Victoria, Australia.

Introduction: Hyperlipidaemia, hyperglycaemia and chronic inflammation are risk factors for chronic diseases cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Polyphenols are bioactive compounds found in marine algae with potential antihyperlipidaemic, antihyperglycaemic and anti-inflammatory effects. The modulation of these risk factors using bioactive polyphenols may represent a useful strategy for disease prevention and management; research in humans, however, remains limited. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 14;8(12):e021696. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland.

Objectives: To examine metric properties and responsiveness of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Generic Set when used in routine clinical practice to assess functioning.

Design: Prospective multicentre study.

Setting: 50 hospitals from 20 provinces of Mainland China. Read More

BMJ Open 2018 Dec 14;8(12):e021443. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine, University of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, UK.

Introduction: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects 0.7% of the general population, and up to 40% of people prescribed opioid substitution therapy (OST) in Scotland. In conventional care, less than 10% of OST users are tested for HCV and less than 25% of these initiate treatment. Read More

Oncologist 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.

Background: International guidelines suggest hepatitis C virus (HCV) eradication by direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) after first-line immunochemotherapy (I-CT) in patients with HCV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), although limited experiences substantiate this recommendation. Moreover, only a few data concerning concurrent administration of DAAs with I-CT have been reported.

Subjects, Materials, And Methods: We analyzed hematological and virological outcome and survival of 47 consecutive patients with HCV-positive DLBCL treated at 23 Italian and French centers with DAAs either concurrently (concurrent cohort []: = 9) or subsequently (sequential cohort []: = 38) to first-line I-CT (mainly rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone [R-CHOP]-like). Read More

Mol Pharmacol 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Hiroshima International University (HIU).

Bisphenol A (BPA), recognized as an endocrine disruptor, is thought to exert its activity through a mechanism involving the activation of estrogen receptors (ERα/β). However, a major problem is that very high concentrations of BPA are required (i.e. Read More

Diabetes 2018 Dec 14. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan

The first genome-wide association study of fulminant type 1 diabetes mellitus was performed in Japanese individuals. As previously reported using a candidate gene approach, a strong association was observed with multiple SNPs in the HLA region, and the strongest association was observed with rs9268853 in the class II DR region (P=1.56 x 10, odds ratio [OR] 3. Read More

JMIR Ment Health 2018 Dec 14;5(4):e10240. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Adult Psychiatry and Medical Psychology, Sorbonne Université, Saint-Antoine Hospital, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France.

Background: Recent discoveries in the fields of machine learning (ML), Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA), computerized adaptive testing (CAT), digital phenotype, imaging, and biomarkers have brought about a new paradigm shift in medicine.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore psychiatrists' perspectives on this paradigm through the prism of new clinical decision support systems (CDSSs). Our primary objective was to assess the acceptability of these new technologies. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2018 Dec 14;7(12):e10720. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, United States.

Background: The field of infodemiology uses health care trends found in public networks, such as social media, to track and quantify the spread of disease. Type 2 diabetes is on the rise worldwide, and social media may be useful in identifying prediabetes through behavior exhibited through social media platforms such as Facebook and thus in designing and administering early interventions and containing further progression of the disease.

Objective: This pilot study is designed to investigate the social media behavior of individuals with prediabetes, before and after diagnosis. Read More

JMIR Res Protoc 2018 Dec 14;7(12):e10777. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

Background: Advancing technology has increased functionality and permitted more complex study designs for behavioral interventions. Investigators need to keep pace with these technological advances for electronic data capture (EDC) systems to be appropriately executed and utilized at full capacity in research settings. Mobile technology allows EDC systems to collect near real-time data from study participants, deliver intervention directly to participants' mobile devices, monitor staff activity, and facilitate near real-time decision making during study implementation. Read More

JMIR Mhealth Uhealth 2018 Dec 14;6(12):e11175. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Digital interventions for alcohol can help achieve reductions in hazardous and harmful alcohol consumption. The Drink Less app was developed using evidence and theory, and a factorial randomized controlled trial (RCT) suggested that 4 of its intervention modules may assist with drinking reduction. However, low engagement is an important barrier to effectiveness, and low response to follow up is a challenge for intervention evaluation. Read More

J Med Internet Res 2018 Dec 14;20(12):e296. Epub 2018 Dec 14.

Department of Psychiatry, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States.

Background: Web-based preventive interventions can reduce risk and incidence of bulimia and binge eating disorders among young high-risk women. However, their specific effects on core symptoms of anorexia nervosa (AN) are rather weak.

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an indicated, parent-based, Web-based preventive program Eltern als Therapeuten (E@T) in reducing risk factors and symptoms of AN. Read More