Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Vox Sang 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Finnish Red Cross Blood Service (FRCBS), Helsinki, Finland.

Background And Objectives: Frequent blood donation depletes iron stores of blood donors. Iron depletion may lead to anaemia, but the health effects of iron depletion without anaemia in healthy blood donors are not well understood. We studied in the FinDonor cohort whether worsening of self-rated health of blood donors during the study period was associated with biomarkers for iron levels or other self-reported changes in lifestyle. Read More

Klin Monbl Augenheilkd 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Ophthalmology, Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Eye Diseases, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Background: Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of permanent visual disability around the world. However, the available literature lacks data on the prevalence of glaucoma in Central Asia, particularly in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Objective: The study was aimed at assessing the prevalence of glaucoma in the population of the Republic of Kazakhstan over 40 years old in 2019. Read More

Neuroepidemiology 2021 Apr 14:1-8. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Neurosurgery, Tampere University Hospital and Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.

Introduction: There is minimal existing available information on nationwide seasonal peaks in traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). This lack of information is an impediment to the effective development of prevention programs, societal policies, and hinders the resourcing of medical emergency services. Our current aim is to study nationwide population-based high-risk periods TBI over a 15-year study period in Finland. Read More

Spine J 2021 Apr 11. Epub 2021 Apr 11.

University of Cambridge, UK.

Background Context: Female physicians rarely choose spine surgery as their specialty. While the specialty's nature and its associated lifestyle are potential barriers, gender-related issues may play an important part.

Purpose: To evaluate the gender discrimination among spine surgeons across Latin America. Read More

Contraception 2021 Apr 11. Epub 2021 Apr 11.

Section of Family Planning, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. Electronic address:

Objectives: Limited research and guidance on the use of "withdrawal" or coitus interruptus for contraception lead to inconsistent or even inaccurate physician recommendations regarding its use. Consequently, patients rely on online communities to learn about this commonly used contraceptive method. To identify knowledge gaps and concerns between men and women, as well as explore how they use withdrawal, we examined withdrawal-related posts on the popular internet discussion forum, Reddit. Read More

Am J Phys Anthropol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Centre for Functional Ecology, Laboratory of Forensic Anthropology, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.

Objectives: Even though much is known about bone mineral and matrix composition, studies about their relationship with several bone properties and its alterations related to bone diseases such as osteoporosis are practically non-existent in humans. Thus, the development of methods to understand the effects of bone properties at a microscopic level is paramount. This research aimed to evaluate whether Fourier transform infrared-attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) band intensity ratios correlate with femoral bone mass, bone mineral content (BMC) (total and femoral neck), bone mineral per unit area (BMD) (total, femoral neck, greater trochanter, intertrochanteric region, and Ward's area) and the area (total and femoral neck). Read More

Cad Saude Publica 2021 7;37(4):e00050120. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Programa de Pós-graduação em Epidemiologia, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, Brasil.

This was a time trend study aimed at assessing inequalities in smoking and abusive alcohol consumption, considering schooling as a proxy for socioeconomic status, according to sex and region of Brazil. The study used data from the Risk and Protective Factors Surveillance System for Chronic Non-Comunicable Diseases Through Telephone Interview (Vigitel) survey collected from 2006 to 2017. The outcomes were abusive alcohol consumption and smoking. Read More

Rev Lat Am Enfermagem 2021 9;29:e3413. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Universidade Federal Fluminense, Escola de Enfermagem Aurora de Afonso Costa, Niterói, RJ, Brazil.

Objective: to analyze the therapeutic itinerary of health workers diagnosed with COVID-19.

Method: qualitative study conducted with 132 health workers diagnosed with COVID-19. Data were collected using a semi-structured form sent through the social media and processed with the Interface de R pour Analyses Multidimensionnelles de Textes et de Questionnaires, according to the Descending Hierarchical Classification. Read More

Clinics (Sao Paulo) 2021 9;76:e2571. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Sergio Franco Medicina Diagnostica, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, BR.

Objectives: To evaluate the mean concentration of 25-hydroxivitamin D [25(OH) D] and prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in individuals residing in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Methods: The data of 80,000 consecutive individuals who had 25(OH) D measurements performed by electrochemiluminescence between 1/2/2018 and 2/5/2018 were selected. Patients who reported the use of therapies/supplements were excluded. Read More

PLoS One 2021 14;16(4):e0249855. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Corporate Member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Institute of Radiology, Berlin, Germany.

Methodologies for the quantitative assessment of the spine tissues, in particular the intervertebral disc (IVD), have not been well established in terms of long-term reliability. This is required for designing prospective studies. 1H water T2 in the IVD ("T2") has attained wider use in assessment of the lumbar intervertebral discs via magnetic resonance imaging. Read More

PLoS One 2021 14;16(4):e0250039. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Health Sciences, Mid Sweden University, Mittuniversitetet, Sundsvall, Sweden.

Background: Elder abuse is a growing public health question among policy makers and practitioners in many countries. Research findings usually indicate women as victims, whereas male elder abuse still remains under-detected and under-reported. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, severity and chronicity of abuse (psychological, physical, physical injury, sexual, and financial) against older men, and to scrutinize factors (e. Read More

PLoS One 2021 14;16(4):e0249564. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Rehabilitation, Hoshasen Daiichi Hospital, Imabari, Japan.

Background: In patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA) undergoing knee arthroplasty (KA), lower-limb motor function tests are commonly measured during peri-surgical rehabilitation. To clarify their sources of variation and determine reference intervals (RIs), a multicenter study was performed in Japan.

Methods: We enrolled 545 KOA patients (127 men; 418 women; mean age 74. Read More

PLoS One 2021 14;16(4):e0249123. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States of America.

Purpose: The Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) is the most commonly used patient reported outcome (PRO) tool in prostate cancer (PC) clinical trials, but health utilities associated with the different health states assessed with this tool are unknown, limiting our ability to perform cost-utility analyses. This study aimed to map EPIC tool to EuroQoL-5D-3L (EQ5D) to generate EQ5D health utilities.

Methods And Materials: This is a secondary analysis of a prospective, randomized non-inferiority clinical trial, conducted between 04/2006 and 12/2009 at cancer centers across the United States, Canada, and Switzerland. Read More

PLoS One 2021 14;16(4):e0249130. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Archaeology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.

This work demonstrates the importance of integrating sexual division of labour into the research of the transition to the Neolithic and its social implications. During the spread of the Neolithic in Europe, when migration led to the dispersal of domesticated plants and animals, novel tasks and tools, appear in the archaeological record. By examining the use-wear traces from over 400 stone tools from funerary contexts of the earliest Neolithic in central Europe we provide insights into what tasks could have been carried out by women and men. Read More

Nucl Med Commun 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Nuclear Medicine Department of Neurosurgery Department of Radiotherpay, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh Radipharmaceuticals Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India.

Aims: Bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical 177Lu-DOTMP with favorable pharmacokinetics in the preclinical studies has been evaluated for its role in reducing bone pain and improving quality of life (QOL) in patients with symptomatic skeletal metastases.

Method: Patients with painful widespread skeletal metastases documented on 99mTc-MDP bone scintigraphy were intravenously administered 37 MBq/kg of 177Lu-DOTMP. Visual analogue score (VAS), analgesic score, European Cooperative Group of Oncology (ECOG) and the European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 of all the patients were assessed at baseline and posttherapy follow-up. Read More

Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol 2021 Apr 9. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Clinic for Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty of Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf Department of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, Charité University Medicine Berlin, Augustenburger Platz 1, Berlin Epidemiology, IQVIA, Frankfurt, Germany.

Background Aims: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has emerged as the most prevalent chronic liver disease, with about one in four people being affected in most areas of the world. Due to its strong association with metabolic syndrome, NAFLD is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Recent data have suggested a pathophysiological association between NAFLD and thyroid disease, but most studies are explorative and results remained conflicting. Read More

J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Kirby Institute, UNSW Sydney Centre for Social Research in Health, UNSW Sydney Sydney Medical School - Westmead, University of Sydney Western Sydney Sexual Health Centre Macquarie University Department of Sexual Health Medicine and Sexual Assault Medical Service, Sydney Local Health District Central Clinical School, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney East Sydney Doctors Sydney Sexual Health Centre.

Background: Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevents HIV infection but relies on good adherence at times of risk, termed 'prevention-effective adherence'. Most studies assess adherence without reference to sexual behaviour, making it challenging to determine if poor adherence coincides with HIV risk.

Setting: We examined data from a behavioural sub-study of a large-scale PrEP implementation trial in New South Wales, Australia. Read More

Clin J Sport Med 2021 Mar 1. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, Waltham, Massachusetts; Faculty of Sport Sciences,Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan; ARFID Program, Department of GI/Nutrition, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts; and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.

Objective: To investigate clinical diagnoses, sports participation, and return to sport timeline associated with hallux sesamoid injuries with sex comparisons.

Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.

Setting: Sports medicine clinics at a tertiary-level pediatric medical center. Read More

Eur J Endocrinol 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

K Ho, Diabetes, Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Darlinghurst, Australia.

There is a strong biological link between the GH and gonadal systems in growth, development and metabolism; however regulatory interactions are poorly understood. Advances in estrogen biology and endocrine physiology have provided insights into mechanistic links between the two systems. Estrogens are synthesised from androgens by aromatase which is widely distributed in extragonadal tissues. Read More

Eur J Endocrinol 2021 Apr 1. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

J Kim, Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of).

Objective We aimed to investigate the interaction of reduced skeletal muscle mass and abdominal obesity on coronary artery calcification (CAC). Design and methods A total of 19,728 adults free of cardiovascular disease (CVD) who contemporaneously underwent cardiac tomography and bioelectrical impedance analysis were enrolled in a cross-sectional and longitudinal cohort. Skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) was calculated the following formula: SMI (%) = total appendicular muscle mass (kg)/body weight (kg) x 100 according to sex. Read More

JMIR Pediatr Parent 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

DSI-NRF Centre for Excellence in Human Development, University of the Witwatersrand, Office 154, First Floor, East Wing, Wits School of Public Health Education Campus27 St Andrews Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, ZA.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic and containment measures have severely affected families around the world. It is frequently assumed that digital technologies can supplement and perhaps even replace services for families. This is challenging in conditions of high device and data costs as well as poor internet provision and access, raising concerns about widening inequalities in availability of support and consequent effects on child and family outcomes. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.

The greater omentum can serve as a useful target for percutaneous biopsy; in clinical practice, CT is commonly used for biopsy guidance. To evaluate the diagnostic yield of percutaneous ultrasound (US)-guided omental biopsy and to explore the association of diagnostic yield with pre-biopsy diagnostic CT findings. This retrospective study included 163 patients (mean age, 65±12 years; 120 women, 43 men; mean BMI, 28. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, Kariya Toyota General Hospital.

Acute exacerbation (AE) is a life-threatening complication of interstitial pneumonia (IP). Thoracic surgery may trigger AE. To explore the role of preoperative CT findings for predicting postoperative AE in patients with IP and lung cancer. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14:1-7. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St, Rochester, MN 55905.

Knowledge of normal testicular F-FDG PET/CT (FDG PET/CT) SUVs is crucial for accurate examination interpretation. The objective of this study was to establish normal testicular SUV ranges among adult men receiving health care in North America. A retrospective review of an institutional electronic database identified adult men undergoing pretreatment clinical FDG PET/CT examinations from March 15, 2013, through March 15, 2018. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14:1-5. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First St SW, Rochester, MN 55905.

The purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of percutaneous cryoablation for the treatment of lymph node metastases. In this single-institution retrospective study 55 patients were identified who underwent CT-guided cryoablation of metastatic lymph nodes between November 2006 and September 2019. Patient demographics, disease characteristics, and procedural details were recorded. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14:1-9. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, E3/311 Clinical Sciences Center, 600 Highland Ave, Madison WI 53792.

The purpose of this article is to evaluate interobserver, intraobserver, and interplatform variability and compare the previously established association between texture metrics and tumor histologic subtype using three commercially available CT texture analysis (CTTA) software platforms on the same dataset of large (> 7 cm) renal cell carcinomas (RCCs). CT-based texture analysis was performed on contrast-enhanced MDCT images of large (> 7 cm) untreated RCCs in 124 patients (median age, 62 years; 82 men and 42 women) using three different software platforms. Using this previously studied cohort, texture features were compared across platforms. Read More

AJR Am J Roentgenol 2021 Apr 14:1-11. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Institute of Human Genomic Study, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.

The objectives of this study were to propose the use of the cross-sectional area of paravertebral muscle (PMA) and the ratio of the PMA to the cross-sectional area of visceral fat (PVR) as new indexes of sarcopenia or sarcopenic obesity through comparison with existing indexes and to show the clinical associations of PMA and PVR with hypertension and diabetes. A total of 1270 participants (608 men and 662 women; mean [± SD] age, 63.57 ± 6. Read More

AIDS Behav 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Columbia Spatial Epidemiology Lab, Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, Room 729, New York, NY, 10032, USA.

This study investigated sexual identity and behavior and their potential associations with PrEP use and attitudes in cisgender Black gay and bisexual men. A total of N = 173 (mean age 25.2) participants from the Neighborhoods and Networks (N2) Study in Chicago were included. Read More

Arch Osteoporos 2021 Apr 14;16(1):69. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Endocrinology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, Cochin, Kerala, India.

Using the FRAX® model for India, thresholds for osteoporosis evaluation and treatment without bone mineral density measurement were derived and were validated in a cohort of 300 patients. We suggest the use of this newer age and ethnic-specific FRAX®-derived thresholds for management of osteoporosis in India.

Purpose: Our study aimed to formulate population-specific intervention thresholds for treatment of osteoporosis in India which can be used even without dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Read More

Eur Radiol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Radiology, Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University College of Medicine, 1 Singil-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, 07441, Republic of Korea.

Objectives: 2-Deoxy-2-[F]fluoro-D-glucose ([F]FDG) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is widely used to evaluate lung nodules, although respiratory motion artefacts may occur. We investigated the value of prone position PET/CT (pPET/CT) in lung nodule evaluation compared with standard supine position PET/CT (sPET/CT).

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 28 consecutive patients (20 men; age, 65. Read More