Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Comput Med Imaging Graph 2021 Mar 14;90:101898. Epub 2021 Mar 14.

Department of Radiology and Imaging, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, 30 Gascoigne Road, Hong Kong, Hong Kong.

The hyperdense middle cerebral artery sign (HMCAS) representing a thromboembolus has been declared as a vital CT finding for intravascular thrombus in the diagnosis of acute ischemia stroke. Early recognition of HMCAS can assist in patient triage and subsequent thrombolysis or thrombectomy treatment. A total of 624 annotated head non-contrast-enhanced CT (NCCT) image scans were retrospectively collected from multiple public hospitals in Hong Kong. Read More

Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.

Background: To assess the association between variation in retinal central subfield thickness (CSFT) with best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) change in patients receiving Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) inhibitor therapy for neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).

Methods: CSFT measurements were obtained from 141 eyes (total 1300 scans). SD of CSFT was calculated. Read More

West J Emerg Med 2021 Feb 22;22(2):417-426. Epub 2021 Feb 22.

University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.

Introduction: Patient navigation programs can help people overcome barriers to outpatient care. Patient experiences with these programs are not well understood. The goal of this study was to understand patient experiences and satisfaction with an emergency department (ED)-initiated patient navigation (ED-PN) intervention for US Medicaid-enrolled frequent ED users. Read More

J Appl Physiol (1985) 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Cardiovascular Lab, NASA Johnson Space Center, United States.

Head-to-foot gravitationally-induced hydrostatic pressure gradients in the upright posture on Earth are absent in weightlessness. This results in a relative headward fluid shift in the vascular and cerebrospinal fluid compartments and may underlie multiple physiological consequences of spaceflight, including the Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome. Here, we tested 3 mechanical countermeasures (lower body negative pressure [LBNP], veno-constrictive thigh cuffs [VTC] and impedance threshold device [ITD] resistive inspiratory breathing) individually and in combination to reduce a posture-induced headward fluid shift as a ground-based spaceflight analog. Read More

Mult Scler 2021 Apr 15:13524585211003479. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Experimental and Clinical Research Center, Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine and Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany/ NeuroCure Clinical Research Center, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany/Einstein Center for Neurosciences, Berlin, Germany/Department of Neurology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.

Background: Cross-sectional studies suggest normal appearing white matter (NAWM) integrity loss may lead to cortical atrophy in late-stage relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective: To investigate the relationship between NAWM integrity and cortical thickness from first clinical presentation longitudinally.

Methods: NAWM integrity and cortical thickness were assessed with 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 102 patients with clinically isolated syndrome or early MS (33. Read More

Int J Dermatol 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Clinical Laboratory of Neurodegenerative Diseases, National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Mexico City, Mexico.

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic demyelinating disease related to HLA-DR8. Susceptibility to onychomycosis has been found in Mexican mestizos with HLA-DR8. The frequency of onychomycosis in this neurological disease is unknown. Read More

Support Care Cancer 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Population Sciences in the Pacific Program, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA.

Purpose: Exercise improves the quality of life (QOL) in cancer patients recovering from treatment. Since group exercise fosters cohesion, we sought to determine if paired exercise would have similar, positive effects. An experiential study design was used to compare the effect of exercise (12 weeks) on psychosocial health in paired versus individually trained cancer patients. Read More

Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2021 Apr 20;4(2):e00204. Epub 2020 Dec 20.

Department of Internal Medicine University of California San Francisco, Fresno Medical Education Program Fresno CA USA.

Aim: To determine whether de-escalating from advanced insulin therapy (AIT) to the combined use of metformin, an SGLT2 inhibitor, a GLP1 receptor agonist and basal insulin is the better option than multiple daily insulin injections (MDI) in obese patients with poorly controlled T2DM.

Methods: This was a 16-week, prospective, randomized, controlled trial. Twenty-two obese patients with T2DM on AIT were randomized to intervention (step-down) or control (MDI) group. Read More

Endocrinol Diabetes Metab 2021 Apr 5;4(2):e00198. Epub 2020 Nov 5.

Department of Clinical Sciences Lund University/CRC Skåne University Hospital Malmö Sweden.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess beta cell function based on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) in participants with single islet autoantibody or an intravenous glucose tolerance test (IvGTT) in participants with multiple islet autoantibodies.

Materials And Methods: Healthy participants in Sweden and Finland, between 2 and 49.99 years of age previously identified as positive for a single (n = 30) autoantibody to either insulin, glutamic acid decarboxylase, islet antigen-2, zinc transporter 8 or islet cell antibodies or multiple autoantibodies (n = 46), were included. Read More

Interspeech 2012 Sep;2012:538-541

Center for Spoken Language Understanding, OHSU, Portland, OR.

In this paper, we report our experiments on Interspeech 2012 Speaker Trait Pathology challenge task [2]. Specifically, we investigate two factors that impact the acoustic properties of the utterances collected in this task. Although the task treats utterances as independent data points, multiple utterances are recorded from individual speakers. Read More

Transl Clin Pharmacol 2021 Mar 10;29(1):21-32. Epub 2021 Mar 10.

Department of Physiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul 05029, Korea.

Along with the multiple neuroprotective effect, recent studies suggest that gintonin might increase the blood brain barrier permeability. We evaluated the effect of gintonin on the vascular permeability changes in different brain segments, using dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In this 8-week, randomized, open label pilot study, ten participants with subjective memory impairment but preserved cognitive function assigned to gintonin-enriched fraction (GEF) 300 mg/day or placebo groups. Read More

Clin Interv Aging 2021 6;16:583-591. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Department of Geriatric Orthopedics, Sichuan Provincial Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, People's Republic of China.

Background: Prognostic evaluation of elderly patients with hip fracture is an issue that has been highly concerned by clinicians. Only a few studies have focused on organ dysfunction after hip fracture in the elderly. This study aimed to investigate the association between high-sensitivity troponin T (hs-TnT) at admission and organ dysfunction during hospitalization in elderly patients with hip fracture. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 Apr 14;11(4):e041745. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Centre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia

Introduction: Difficulties in emotional regulation are key to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Recent evidence shows internet-delivered dialectic behaviour therapy (iDBT) skills training can reduce emotional dysregulation and pain intensity. However, further studies are needed to provide more definitive evidence regarding the efficacy of iDBT skills training in the chronic pain population. Read More

Microbiome 2021 Apr 14;9(1):91. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Center for Gut Microbiota Research, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong, China.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by the enveloped RNA virus SARS-CoV-2 primarily affects the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. SARS-CoV-2 was isolated from fecal samples, and active viral replication was reported in human intestinal cells. The human gut also harbors an enormous amount of resident viruses (collectively known as the virome) that play a role in regulating host immunity and disease pathophysiology. Read More

N Engl J Med 2021 Apr;384(15):1402-1411

From the Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London.

Background: Psilocybin may have antidepressant properties, but direct comparisons between psilocybin and established treatments for depression are lacking.

Methods: In a phase 2, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial involving patients with long-standing, moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder, we compared psilocybin with escitalopram, a selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitor, over a 6-week period. Patients were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive two separate doses of 25 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily placebo (psilocybin group) or two separate doses of 1 mg of psilocybin 3 weeks apart plus 6 weeks of daily oral escitalopram (escitalopram group); all the patients received psychological support. Read More

Eur J Neurol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Neuroimaging Research Unit, Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy.

Background: Fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common and disabling; medication efficacy is still not fully proven. Aim of this study was to investigate four-week modifications of fatigue severity in 45 relapsing-remitting MS patients following different symptomatic treatments, and concomitant resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) changes.

Methods: Patients were randomly, blindly assigned to treatment with fampridine (n=15), amantadine (n=15) or placebo (n=15), and underwent clinical/3T RS fMRI at baseline (t0) and after four weeks (w4) of treatment. Read More

JAMA Dermatol 2021 Apr 14. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

Importance: Atopic dermatitis (AD) may affect academic performance through multiple pathways, including poor concentration associated with itching, sleep deprivation, or adverse effects of medications. Because educational attainment is associated with health and well-being, any association with a prevalent condition such as AD is of major importance.

Objective: To examine whether a childhood diagnosis of AD is associated with lower educational attainment. Read More

Mod Rheumatol 2021 Apr 14:1-28. Epub 2021 Apr 14.

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

Objectives: We aimed to clarify the clinical implication of ultrasound (US)-detected foot joint inflammation in tightly controlled patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods: We evaluated bilateral foot joints (second to fifth metatarsophalangeal joints of forefoot; tarsometatarsal, cuneonavicular and midtarsal joints of midfoot) of 430 RA patients for synovitis using Power Doppler (PD) imaging by US. We made a cross-sectional and a 3-year longitudinal analysis about the associations of US-detected synovitis with clinical, laboratory and radiographic data as well as foot-specific outcomes using a self-administered foot evaluation questionnaire (SAFE-Q). Read More

medRxiv 2021 Apr 7. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

Purpose: The Survey of the Health of Wisconsin (SHOW) was established in 2008 by the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health (SMPH) with the goals of 1) providing a timely and accurate picture of the health of the state residents; and 2) serving as an agile resource infrastructure for ancillary studies. Today SHOW continues to serve as a vital population health research infrastructure.

Participants: SHOW currently includes 5,846 adult and 980 minor participants recruited between 2008-2019 in four primary waves. Read More

Asia Pac J Oncol Nurs 2021 May-Jun;8(3):267-275. Epub 2021 Mar 9.

Department of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand.

Objective: Patients with lung cancer can experience various distressing symptoms. The present study aims to use symptom cluster management intervention based on symptom management theory to moderate the severity of symptom clusters, including fatigue, loss of appetite, and anxiety, in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods: A quasi-experimental study was conducted using historical controls to assess and compare the effect of a novel symptom cluster management intervention on the severity of fatigue, loss of appetite, and anxiety in patients with lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Read More

J Contemp Dent Pract 2020 Nov 1;21(11):1205-1209. Epub 2020 Nov 1.

Department of Periodontology and Implantology, Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Shikshan Santha's Dental College and Hospital, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.

Aim: To evaluate effectiveness of demineralized freeze-dried bone allograft (DFDBA) block fixed by titanium screw for reconstructing interimplant papilla in maxillary esthetic zone during one-stage early loading multiple implant procedure.

Materials And Methods: A total of 20 implants were placed in 10 systemically healthy patients (2 implants per patient) for replacement of multiple teeth by early loading one-stage implants along with interimplant papilla reconstruction using DFDBA block fixed by titanium screw. At the baseline, 6 months, and at 1 year, clinical measurements (interimplant papillary height measurement, papilla contour) and radiographic measurements were recorded. Read More

BMJ Open 2021 Apr 13;11(4):e045064. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Introduction: Balancing problems are prominent in stroke survivors with unilateral paresis. Recent evidence supports that dance interventions are associated with significant improvements in gait, stability and walking endurance in people with neurological conditions. The aim of this study is to explore the feasibility of a novel ballet-inspired at-home workout programme (Footprints to Better Balance (FBB)) for stroke survivors. Read More

Trials 2021 Apr 13;22(1):275. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Rehabilitation, Lentis Psychiatric Institute, Lagerhout E35, 9741 KE, Zuidlaren, The Netherlands.

Background: A fundamental challenge for many people with severe mental illness (SMI) is how to deal with cognitive impairments. Cognitive impairments are common in this population and limit daily functioning. Moreover, neural plasticity in people with SMI appears to be reduced, a factor that might hinder newly learned cognitive skills to sustain. Read More

BMC Public Health 2021 Apr 13;21(1):711. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.

Background: Serum potassium levels have been positively associated with cardiovascular mortality, but little is known about the association with cancer mortality and death due to other causes. We examined whether serum levels of potassium were associated with long-term mortality in a healthy cohort.

Methods: Oslo Ischemia Study invited 2341 initially healthy men aged 40-59 years with no use of medication to a comprehensive health survey in 1972. Read More

Ann Palliat Med 2021 Mar;10(3):3258-3266

Department of Cardiology, Beijing Aerospace General Hospital, Beijing, China.

Background: Fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21) plays multiple roles in pathophysiological processes of the human body. Previous studies have evidenced FGF-21 to be an inhibitor of vascular calcification through a variety of mechanisms. Increased levels of serum FGF-21 are known to be associated with an elevated risk of coronary heart disease; however, the factors affecting the expression of FGF-21 are currently unclear. Read More

Eur J Radiol 2021 Apr 5;139:109680. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Department of Imaging, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA. Electronic address:

Purpose: Population dose has been a concern with coronary artery calcium scoring CT since it is performed in adults with borderline risk. Lower tube voltage acquisitions are appealing but there are no agreed schemes for reduced dose determination. Moreover, conventional scoring cannot be used without changing the multiple Agatston thresholds. Read More

Am J Obstet Gynecol 2021 Apr 10. Epub 2021 Apr 10.

Mater Research Institute-University of Queensland, Level 3 Aubigny Place, Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia,; Mater Mothers' Hospital, Raymond Terrace, South Brisbane, Queensland 4101, Australia,; Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Australia,. Electronic address:

Background: Small-for-gestational age (SGA) infants are at significantly increased risk of perinatal complications, but the risk of recurrent SGA is not well known, particularly as there are many demographic and obstetric factors that interact and modify this risk. We investigated the relationship between previous SGA births and the risk of recurrence at term in a large Australian cohort.

Objective(s): We aimed to identify key demographic and obstetric variables that influence the risk of recurrence of an SGA infant at term. Read More

Clin Transplant 2021 Apr 13:e14315. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Background: Primary graft dysfunction (PGD) is an important contributor to early mortality in lung transplant recipients and is associated with impaired lung function. The radiographic sequelae of PGD on computed tomography (CT) have not been characterized.

Methods: We studied adult double lung transplant recipients from 2010-2016 for whom protocol 3-month post-transplant CT scans were available. Read More

Rheumatology (Oxford) 2021 Apr 12. Epub 2021 Apr 12.

Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital Basel and University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Objectives: Data from randomized controlled trials have shown the feasibility of discontinuation of bDMARD therapy in patients with RA that have reached remission. Criteria for selecting patients that are likely to remain in remission are still incompletely defined.We aimed to identify predictors of successful discontinuation of bDMARD therapy in the Swiss Clinical Quality Management (SCQM) registry, a real-world cohort of RA patients. Read More

CNS Drugs 2021 Apr 13. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Bristol Myers Squibb, Princeton, NJ, USA.

Background: Patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience relapses and sustained disability progression. Since 2004, the number of disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for MS has grown substantially. As a result, patients, healthcare providers, and insurers are increasingly interested in comparative efficacy and safety evaluations to distinguish between treatment options, but head-to-head studies between DMTs are limited. Read More