Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Yearb Med Inform 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada.

Objectives: To identify the ways in which healthcare information and communication technologies can be improved to address the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: The study population included health informatics experts who had been involved with the planning, development and deployment of healthcare information and communication technologies in healthcare settings in response to the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data were collected via an online survey. Read More

Int J Prosthodont 2021 Mar-Apr;34(2):173-182

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of low-dose laser therapy to that of conservative treatment using two different occlusal splints (stabilization and anterior repositioning splints) in patients with internal derangements of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ).

Materials And Methods: The study population consisted of patients with disc displacement with reduction diagnosed according to the Research Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders (RDC/TMD) Axis I and Axis II. In addition, disc displacement with reduction was confirmed in all patients using TMJ ultrasonography. Read More

J Nurs Adm 2021 May;51(5):249-256

Author Affiliations: Assistant Professor (Dr Dierkes), Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Postdoctoral Fellow (Dr Schlak), School of Nursing, Columbia University, New York, New York; and Predoctoral Fellow (Ms French), Associate Director (Dr McHugh), and Director (Dr Aiken), Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether there are modifiable characteristics of nurses and hospitals associated with nurse specialty certification.

Background: Hospitals, nurses, and patients benefit from nurse specialty certification, but little actionable evidence guides administrators seeking higher hospital certification rates.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional, secondary data analysis of 20 454 nurses in 471 hospitals across 4 states. Read More

J Biomech 2021 Apr 5;121:110400. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, MD, USA; Maryland Biophysics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Electronic address:

During cancer metastasis, tumor cells undergo significant deformation in order to traverse through endothelial cell junctions in the walls of blood vessels. As cells pass through narrow gaps, smaller than the nuclear diameter, the spatial configuration of chromatin must change along with the distribution of nuclear enzymes. Nuclear stiffness is an important determinant of the ability of cells to undergo transendothelial migration, yet no studies have been conducted to assess whether tumor cell cytoskeletal or nuclear stiffness changes during this critical process in order to facilitate passage. Read More

Comput Methods Programs Biomed 2021 Apr 9;205:106091. Epub 2021 Apr 9.

Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Tabar, Finlandsgade 22, Building 5125, 8200 Aarhus N, Denmark.

Background: Automatic sleep stage classification depends crucially on the selection of a good set of descriptive features. However, the selection of a feature set with an appropriate low computational cost without compromising classification performance is still a challenge. This study attempts to represent sleep EEG patterns using a minimum number of features, without significant performance loss. Read More

Bioresour Technol 2021 Apr 7;333:125139. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Membrane Science and Desalination Technology, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; School of Marine Science and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin 300072, PR China. Electronic address:

One of the major limitations of lignocellulose conversion is the relatively low efficiency of cellulases. Expansins can act as an accessory protein to loosen the rigid cellulose structure and promote cellulose hydrolysis. However, the synergistic action of expansin is not well understood. Read More

PLoS One 2021 21;16(4):e0250211. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Division of Global HIV/AIDS, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America.

Introduction: The scale-up of Universal Test and Treat has resulted in reductions in HIV morbidity, mortality and incidence. However, healthcare system and personal challenges have impacted the levels of treatment coverage achieved. We implemented interventions to improve linkage to care, retention, viral load (VL) coverage and service delivery, and describe the HIV care cascade over the course of the Botswana Combination Prevention Project (BCPP) study. Read More

Phytopathology 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

2062 Cordely HallCorvallis, Oregon, United States, 97331;

Sphaerulina musiva is an economically and ecologically important fungal pathogen that causes Septoria stem canker and leaf spot disease of Populus species. To bridge the gap between genetic markers and structural barriers previously found to be linked to Septoria (Sphaerulina musiva) canker disease resistance in poplar, we employed hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) to identify and quantify metabolites involved with signaling and cell wall re-modelling. Fluctuations in signaling molecules, organic acids, amino acids, sterols, phenolics, and saccharides in resistant and susceptible Populus trichocarpa inoculated with Sphaerulina musiva, were observed. Read More

J Vet Pharmacol Ther 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Elanco Animal Health Inc., Basel, Switzerland.

The objective of the studies was to determine the route of excretion, faecal or urinary, of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) robenacoxib (Onsior™) in cats and dogs. The studies employed a two-part crossover design in 4 beagle dogs (2 female and 2 male, age 36-41 months and body weight 9.0-10. Read More

Adv Ther 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Urology, The First Hospital of Qinhuangdao, No. 258 of Cultural North Road, Haigang District, Qinhuangdao, 066000, China.

Introduction: Metastatic prostate cancer (mPCa) is responsible for most prostate cancer (PCa) deaths worldwide. The present study aims to explore the molecular differences between mPCa and PCa.

Methods: The authors downloaded GSE6752, GSE6919, and GSE32269 from the Gene Expression Omnibus and employed integrated analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between mPCa and PCa. Read More

Eur Heart J 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Section of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, 333 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT 06520-8056, USA.

Aims: Coronary artery disease is frequently diagnosed following evaluation of stable chest pain with anatomical or functional testing. A more granular understanding of patient phenotypes that benefit from either strategy may enable personalized testing.

Methods And Results: Using participant-level data from 9572 patients undergoing anatomical (n = 4734) vs. Read More

Demography 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, Milan, Italy.

Cash assistance allocations from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and its predecessor program fell from $34.3 billion to $7.4 billion in real value from 1993 to 2016, a 78% decrease. Read More

Langmuir 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8571, Ibaraki, Japan.

Hydration states are a crucial factor that affect the self-assembly and properties of soft materials and biomolecules. Although previous experiments have revealed that the hydration state strongly depends on the chemical structure of lipid molecules, the mechanisms at the molecular level remain unknown. Classical and density-functional tight-binding (DFTB) molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are employed to determine the mechanisms underlying dissimilar water dynamics between lipid membranes with phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) head groups. Read More

Int J Rheum Dis 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Rheumatology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

Aim: The idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are rare autoimmune diseases that are usually chronic and often present with skeletal muscle inflammation and weakness. We sought to examine the impact of IIM in a cohort of 50 South Australian patients on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and work productivity (WP). We uniquely categorized patients across gender, IIM subtypes, employment status, and also whether there was extramuscular involvement from IIM. Read More

Food Funct 2021 Apr 21. Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Food Science and Engineering, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510632, P. R. China.

Researchers have noted that organ-organ communication between bone and intestine has significant effects on bone health and its related diseases. In this study, we collected colonic epithelial tissue from dexamethasone-induced osteoporotic rats and Astragalus polysaccharide (APS)-alleviated osteoporotic rats and employed transcriptome sequencing to investigate the functional changes that occurred in the intestine. Principal component analysis showed that both dexamethasone (inducer of osteoporosis) and APS reprogrammed the gene expression profile of the intestine. Read More

J Oral Pathol Med 2021 Apr 20. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Department of Ear-Nose-Throat, Maoming People's Hospital, Maoming, 525000, P.R. China.

Background: Early detection and prognostic prediction are crucial in improving the survival of patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Therefore, we provided potential molecular markers in this study for early diagnosis and prognosis of this cancer based on the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database analysis and experimental validations.

Methods: Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HNSCC tumor and normal samples were identified by TCGA database-based analyses. Read More

Br J Clin Pharmacol 2021 Apr 20. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

School of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, College of Health and Medicine, University of Tasmania, Hobart, 7005, Australia.

Aims: We aimed to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of pharmacist-led interventions to reduce adverse drug events (ADEs) in older people living in residential aged care facilities (RACFs).

Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and PsycINFO from their inceptions to July 2020. We investigated experimental study designs that employed a control group, or quasi-experimental studies conducted in RACFs. Read More

Pharm Res 2021 Apr 20. Epub 2021 Apr 20.

Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol Myers Squibb, Route 206 and Province Line Road, Princeton, NJ, 08540, USA.

Purpose: The use of two solvent-casted film methods to select optimal polymer compositions for amorphous solid dispersions prepared to support preclinical pharmacokinetic and toxicology studies is described.

Methods: Evaporation of solvent from cover slips by using nitrogen flow, and solvent removal from vials by using rotary evaporation were employed. The films prepared on cover slips were evaluated under the microscope to determine crystallinity. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2021 Jun 21;23(6). Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment, Institute of Cancer and Basic Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, P.R. China.

Abnormal circular RNAs (circRNAs) are associated with biological processes in cancer; however, the function of circRNAs remains largely unknown in non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The present study aimed to investigate the role of hsa_circ_0058357 on the progression of NSCLC. Cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis were determined using Cell Counting Kit‑8, Transwell and flow cytometry assays, respectively. Read More

Mol Med Rep 2021 Jun 21;23(6). Epub 2021 Apr 21.

Department of Gastroenterology, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430033, P.R. China.

The present study aimed to explore whether and how microRNA‑5580‑3p (miR‑5580‑3p) affected oral cancer (OC) cell phenotypes via regulation of laminin subunit γ2 (LAMC2). Bioinformatics analysis was used to identify miR‑5580‑3p/LAMC2, a novel interactome that, to the best of our knowledge, has not been studied previously in OC. In the present study, the expression levels of miR‑5580‑3p and LAMC2 were detected by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, while the protein expression levels of LAMC2 were identified using western blotting. Read More

Ann Cancer Epidemiol 2021 Mar 30;5. Epub 2021 Mar 30.

Mobley Consulting, LLC, Atlanta, GA, USA.

Background: There is a projected rapid increase in cancer survivors in the US population, from 15.5 million in 2016 to 26.1 million by 2040. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2021 7;2021:8875380. Epub 2021 Apr 7.

The Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Army Medical University, Chongqing 400037, China.

Objective: The aim of the current investigation is to develop a new strategy for evaluating blood loss in the process of transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP).

Methods: 318 patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) that need TURP were enrolled in this study. Hospitalization information including age, height, weight, surgery time, prostate volume, hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, hematocrit (HCT) percentage, and red blood cell count (RBC) was evaluated for each patient. Read More

Biomed Res Int 2021 6;2021:5568724. Epub 2021 Apr 6.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Liaocheng Dongchangfu People's Hospital, Liaocheng 252000, China.

Background: Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is one of the most serious gastrointestinal disease-causing high morbidity and mortality in premature infants. However, the underlying mechanism of the pathogenesis of NEC is still not fully understood.

Methods: RNA sequencing of intestinal specimens from 9 NEC and 5 controls was employed to quantify the gene expression levels. Read More

Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2021 5;2021:5510290. Epub 2021 Apr 5.

Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.

Objective: The purpose of this work is to study the mechanism of action of Duhuo Jisheng Decoction (DHJSD) in the treatment of osteoporosis based on the methods of bioinformatics and network pharmacology.

Methods: In this study, the active compounds of each medicinal ingredient of DHJSD and their corresponding targets were obtained from TCMSP database. Osteoporosis was treated as search query in GeneCards, MalaCards, DisGeNET, Therapeutic Target Database (TTD), Comparative Toxicogenomics Database (CTD), and OMIM databases to obtain disease-related genes. Read More

J Interv Cardiol 2021 1;2021:6654515. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Biosensors Clinical Research, Morges, Switzerland.

Background: While thinner struts are associated with improved clinical outcomes in bare-metal stents (BMS), reducing strut thickness may affect drug delivery from drug-eluting stents (DES) and there are limited data comparing otherwise similar thin and thick strut DES. We assessed 2-year outcomes of patients treated with a thin strut (84-88um) cobalt-chromium, biodegradable polymer, Biolimus A9-eluting stent (CoCr-BP-BES) and compared these to patients treated with a stainless steel, biodegradable polymer, Biolimus A9-eluting stent (SS-BP-BES).

Methods: In total, 1257 patients were studied: 400 patients from 12 centres receiving ≥1 CoCr-BP-BES in the prospective Biomatrix Alpha registry underwent prespecified comparison with 857 patients who received ≥1 Biomatrix Flex SS-BP-BES in the LEADERS study (historical control). Read More

Int J MS Care 2021 Mar-Apr;23(2):59-65. Epub 2020 Apr 16.

Background: Despite growing understanding that African American patients may have a more aggressive course of multiple sclerosis (MS) and experience disparities in diagnosis and treatment, fewer studies have examined how African Americans experience MS and its effect on their lives. This study explored the experiences of African American women with MS to inform future research and practice.

Methods: Face-to-face semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 African American women. Read More

Med Devices (Auckl) 2021 13;14:105-118. Epub 2021 Apr 13.

Heartfelt Technologies Ltd, Cambridge, UK.

Background And Objectives: Peripheral edema, change in foot volume, is a marker of congestion which is regularly assessed in routine clinical care. A novel video and Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solution used to measure anatomical parameters, including volume and foot length, Heartfelt HF-1, is compared to the laboratory gold standard (water displacement) and a medical disposable measuring tape.

Design Setting Participants And Measurements: 58 healthy volunteers were measured with the Heartfelt device; 22 were also measured with the water displacement method and 19 with the medical tape. Read More

JSLS 2021 Jan-Mar;25(1)

Department of Surgery, Summa Health Akron City Hospital, Akron, Ohio USA.

Background: Peritoneal dialysis (PD) is a widely employed renal replacement modality. A prospective study was conducted to determine the short-term and midterm outcomes and complication rates associated with a standardized optimal laparoscopic peritoneal dialysis catheter placement technique.

Methods: All patients undergoing laparoscopic PD catheter placement by one surgeon using our standardized method over a 5-year period were entered into a prospective database. Read More

Eur J Dev Res 2021 Apr 16:1-28. Epub 2021 Apr 16.

Human Sciences Research Council, Merchant House, 116-118 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town, 8001 South Africa.

For the economic recovery in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, South Africa announced the launch of an ambitious ZAR 2.3 trillion infrastructure investment plan. This paper uses a simplified yet reliable method to analyse the potential growth and employment effects of this stimulus plan. Read More

Beijing Da Xue Xue Bao Yi Xue Ban 2021 Mar;53(2):348-354

Department of Pharmaceutics, Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, Peking University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Beijing 100191, China.

Objective: To explore the feasibility of preparing gastric floating formulations by fused de-position modeling (FDM) 3D printing technology, to evaluate the properties of the prepared FDM 3D printed gastric floating formulations, and to compare the influence of different external shapes of the formulation with their properties.

Methods: Verapamil hydrochloride and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were used as the model drug and the excipient, respectively. The capsule-shaped and hemisphere-shaped gastric floating formulations were then prepared by FDM 3D printing. Read More