Nevin Manimala

J Gastric Cancer. 2022 Jul;22(3):220-234. doi: 10.5230/jgc.2022.22.e25.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the esophagogastric junction (AEG) has increased in recent years, and the optimal surgical strategy for AEG remains highly controversial. We aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of proximal gastrectomy with double-tract reconstruction (PG-DT) for the treatment of patients with AEG.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with Siewert type II/III AEG between January 2013 and July 2018. Clinicopathological characteristics, survival, surgical outcomes, quality of life (QOL), and nutritional status were compared between the PG-DT and total gastrectomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis (TG-RY) groups.

RESULTS: After propensity score matching, 33 patients in each group were analyzed. There were no statistical differences between the 2 groups in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival. The surgical option was not an independent prognostic factor based on the multivariate analysis. In addition, no differences were found in terms of surgical complications. There were no significant differences in QOL assessed by the Visick grade, Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale, or endoscopic findings. Furthermore, the long-term nutritional advantage of the PG-DT group was significantly greater than that of the TG-RY group.

CONCLUSIONS: PG-DT is a safe and effective procedure for patients with local Siewert type II/III AEG, regardless of the TNM stage.

PMID:35938368 | DOI:10.5230/jgc.2022.22.e25

J Gastric Cancer. 2022 Jul;22(3):160-168. doi: 10.5230/jgc.2022.22.e21.

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the trends of gastric cancer in Korea by adding the latest updated gastric cancer data from 2019. Gastric cancer incidence between 1999 and 2019 was reviewed using data from the Korea Central Cancer Registry. The study period was divided into 3 periods: period I (1999-2005), period II (2006-2012), and period III (2013-2019). The incidence, mortality, tumor location, histology, stage, and treatment were analyzed. Between 1999 and 2019, 577,502 patients were newly diagnosed with gastric cancer in Korea, accounting for 33.2% of patients aged ≥70 years. The age-standardized incidence rate (per 100,000) significantly decreased from 2011 (43.0) to 2019 (29.6), with an annual percent change of -4.50. Additionally, the age-standardized mortality rate (per 100,000) markedly decreased from 1999 (23.9) to 2019 (6.7). The proportions of patients with cardia and fundus cancers remained consistent. The proportion of localized stage cases increased, while those of regional and distant stages decreased. The rate of surgical treatment increased in localized and regional stages from 2006 to 2019. The overall 5-year relative survival (5YRS) rate of gastric cancer (per 100,000) increased from 55.7% in period I to 77.0% in period III. From 2013 to 2019, the 5YRS rates of patients (per 100,000) who underwent surgical treatment were 100.6% and 70.5% in the localized and regional stages, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated several changes in the epidemiology of gastric cancer in Korea. This study provides information to help understand the current trends in gastric cancer in Korea.

PMID:35938363 | DOI:10.5230/jgc.2022.22.e21

J Vis Commun Med. 2022 Aug 8:1-11. doi: 10.1080/17453054.2022.2097059. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Technology that delivers an immersive experience in education offers a viable alternative to in-person teaching. This study aims to compare learning from a clinical encounter viewed in a virtual reality 360-degree headset to that of a traditional monitor by quantifying the user experience and testing what was learnt. Furthermore, experiential learning is described as a key concept in simulation practice, and this is explored using transcripts of participants’ experiences with 360-degree video. We could determine no statistical difference between median exam scores between groups (p = 0.25), and there was no correlation found between total immersion and motivational scores with exam performance (Rho = -0.14 p = 0.18, Rho = 0.08 p = 0.31). However, those viewing 360 media reported significantly higher immersion, motivation, and empathy scores (p < 0.05). Domains based upon Kolb’s learning cycle generated themes including engagement, communication, and self-efficacy. 360 video creates an immersive experience with an associated high-value motivational position; however, this could not be translated to an increase in exam scores. There are benefits to perceived learning and emotional content with 360 videos, although, pedagogical theory needs further understanding if educators are to embed new immersive technology in curriculums.

PMID:35938350 | DOI:10.1080/17453054.2022.2097059

Can Assoc Radiol J. 2022 Aug 7:8465371221118072. doi: 10.1177/08465371221118072. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Purpose: The aim of this study is to describe the radiological findings of adhesive capsulitis due to different etiological factors and reveal that different clues due to different etiological causes should be considered in the diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis. Methods: The study group comprised 24 primary and 22 supraspinatus tendon rupture-related adhesive capsulitis patients with 24 individuals without adhesive capsulitis and with normal shoulder magnetic resonance imaging. Independent samples t-test and one-way analysis of variance tests were used to compare the measurements between the groups. Paired sample t-test and Cohen’s kappa statistic were used to determine inter-observer reliability. The chi-squared test was used to determine the relationships between groups and categorical variables. Study participants were evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively. Quantitative measurements included the thickness of the humeral and glenoid segment of the joint capsule and the thickness of the anterior joint capsule and the fluid depth within the biceps tendon sheath. The qualitative assessments included the detection of any signal abnormality at the rotator interval, the grading of the humeral and glenoid segment of the joint capsule, and the detection of any signal abnormality in respect of the anterior joint capsule. Results: A statistically significant difference was found between the groups of patients with primary adhesive capsulitis and with supraspinatus tear-related adhesive capsulitis in terms of the thickness of the humeral segment of the joint capsule at the axillary recess level (AUC = .729) (P: .006). Furthermore, setting the cutoff value for the thickness of the humeral segment of the capsule to 4.6 mm allowed the differentiation of primary adhesive capsulitis and supraspinatus tear-related adhesive capsulitis with a sensitivity of 70.8% and a specificity of 87.3%. Conclusion: In conclusion, the humeral segment of the joint capsule thickness at the axillary recess was found to be affected by different degrees depending on whether it is a primary or supraspinatus tear-related adhesive capsulitis.

PMID:35938344 | DOI:10.1177/08465371221118072

Zhongguo Zhen Jiu. 2022 Aug 12;42(8):949-55. doi: 10.13703/j.0255-2930.20210810-k0004.

ABSTRACT

Through collecting the prescriptions for headache treated with acupuncture in Huangdi Neijing (Yellow Emperor’s Inner Classic) till the Qing Dynasty, the literature traceability research is undertaken to determine the extant literature documents with the earliest recorded acupuncture prescriptions and identify the repeated ones in later generations; and then, the acupoint use frequency in the earliest recorded literature of acupuncture prescriptions in the extant documents and acupuncture treatment verses is analyzed separately. It is found that the most of acupoints of high use frequency are overlapped between such two kinds of literature. By integrating and classifying the same or similar contents of acupuncture prescription articles between headache and migraine, the common characteristics and acupoint selections are extracted, the regularity of acupoint selection is explored in view of etiology, complication and affected location, and the attributed fourteen meridians are analyzed statistically in terms of the acupoints in the earliest recorded prescriptions. Finally, the experience of ancient medical masters in acupuncture treatment for headache is obtained.

PMID:35938341 | DOI:10.13703/j.0255-2930.20210810-k0004

J Xray Sci Technol. 2022 Aug 4. doi: 10.3233/XST-221199. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: In order to solve the problem of image quality degradation of CT reconstruction under sparse angle projection, we propose to develop and test a new sparse angle CT reconstruction method based on group sparse.

METHODS: In this method, the group-based sparse representation is introduced into the statistical iterative reconstruction framework as a regularization term to construct the objective function. The group-based sparse representation no longer takes a single patch as the minimum unit of sparse representation, while it uses Euclidean distance as a similarity measure, thus it divides similar patch into groups as basic units for sparse representation. This method fully considers the local sparsity and non-local self-similarity of image. The proposed method is compared with several commonly used CT image reconstruction methods including FBP, SART, SART-TV and GSR-SART with experiments carried out on Sheep_Logan phantom and abdominal and pelvic images.

RESULTS: In three experiments, the visual effect of the proposed method is the best. Under 64 projection angles, the lowest RMSE is 0.004776 and the highest VIF is 0.948724. FSIM and SSIM are all higher than 0.98. Under 50 projection angles, the index of the proposed method remains achieving the best image quality.

CONCLUSION: Qualitative and quantitative results of this study demonstrate that this new proposed method can not only remove strip artifacts, but also effectively protect image details.

PMID:35938282 | DOI:10.3233/XST-221199

Work. 2022 Aug 5. doi: 10.3233/WOR-211034. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Students spend a high number of hours being seated while at school. In order to find the correct adjustment between school furniture and the anthropometric characteristics, specific knowledge and tools are necessary.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study is to evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the measurers with different instruments, as well as contrast the differences between the values that were obtained by the different examiners.

METHODS: Measurements were taken independently by one expert examiner and two inexperienced teachers from the school. They used a measuring tape, a segmometer and an anthropometer for the anthropometric measurements. The statistical tests conducted: Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Intraclass Correlation Coefficient, Bland and Altman method, Standard Error of Measurement, Technical Error of Measurement and relative TEM with a level of significance of ρ ≤ 0.05.

RESULTS: A total of 108 students (8.87±1.67 years; 40.7% girls) participated in the study. The non-expert measurers had good accuracy and reliability, but they far exceeded the error percentages of the expert, obtaining the worst results in the shoulder measurement. The instrument with the lowest affinity between the inexperienced measurers was the anthropometerCONCLUSIONS:In order to assign furniture in the schools, the experts should continue using the anthropometer. The inexperienced measurers can use more accessible instruments in the school environment such as a measuring tape and segmometer.

PMID:35938277 | DOI:10.3233/WOR-211034

Curr Med Res Opin. 2022 Aug 8:1-36. doi: 10.1080/03007995.2022.2108616. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of the only Food and Drug Administration-authorized prescription digital therapeutic (PDT) Somryst* versus cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), or FDA-approved prescription medications for insomnia.

METHODS: A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify relevant studies. A Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA) was conducted to examine (1) mean change in insomnia severity index (ISI); (2) proportional change in ISI remitters; (3) mean change in wake after sleep onset (WASO); and (4) mean change in sleep onset latency (SOL).

RESULTS: Twenty studies provided data on the PDT, CBT-I, CBT-I in combination with self-help (SH), or two prescription medications (eszopiclone and zolpidem). The PDT was associated with significant mean change in ISI (-5.77, 95% Credible Interval [CI] -8.53, -3.07) and ISI remitters (OR 12.33; 95% CI 2.28, 155.91) compared to placebo, and had the highest probability of being the most effective treatment overall for ISI mean change (56%), and ISI remitters (64%). All evaluated interventions significantly outperformed placebo for WASO but no significant differences were observed for SOL (five interventions). Sensitivity analyses excluding medications and meta-regression (assessing type, duration, delivery method for CBT-I) did not affect NMA results.

CONCLUSIONS: This network meta-analysis demonstrated that a PDT delivering CBT-I had the highest probability of being most effective compared to face-to-face CBT-I, prescription sleep medications, or placebo, as measured by reductions in mean ISI score from baseline and ISI-determined remittance.* Somryst is the registered trademark for a prescription digital therapeutics for insomnia developed by Pear Therapeutics (US), Inc.

PMID:35938209 | DOI:10.1080/03007995.2022.2108616

Acta Radiol. 2022 Aug 8:2841851221117260. doi: 10.1177/02841851221117260. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Identifying and locating endometriotic lesions is crucial for preoperative planning, so new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques are urgently needed to improve the diagnostic sensitivity for pelvic endometriosis.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of R2* multiple fast gradient recalled echo (MFGRE) imaging in the diagnosis of pelvic endometriosis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 46 patients with suspected endometriosis underwent routine pelvic MRI and R2*MFGRE imaging. Clinical diagnosis was pathologically confirmed one month after MRI examination. Three radiologists who were blinded to the pathological results evaluated the number of ovarian endometriomas (OMAs) and deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) lesions using routine MRI and its combination with R2*MFGRE. The diagnostic sensitivity for OMA or DIE using the two examination methods was determined. Two-correlation sample rank-sum tests were used to compare both methods. Additionally, for all lesions, the R2* values were measured and statistically analyzed.

RESULTS: Among 46 patients, 47 OMAs and 30 DIE lesions were found surgically and pathologically confirmed. The diagnostic sensitivity of the routine MRI was 87.2% for OMA and 46.7% for DIE. The diagnostic sensitivity of the routine imaging combined with R2*MFGRE was 100% for OMA and 90% for DIE. The two-correlation sample rank-sum test showed a significant difference between both methods (P<0.01, z = -4.26). The median R2* value was 25.20 (IQR=14) for the OMA group, and 45.21 (IQR=40) for the DIE group. The difference between both groups was statistically significant (P<0.01, z = -4.89).

CONCLUSION: R2*MFGRE imaging, as a supplement to the routine MRI, could improve the diagnostic sensitivity for pelvic endometriosis, especially for DIE.

PMID:35938205 | DOI:10.1177/02841851221117260

Inquiry. 2022 Jan-Dec;59:469580221117743. doi: 10.1177/00469580221117743.

ABSTRACT

The avalanche of Corona Virus 2019 (COVID-19) cases has placed an unprecedented load on Afghanistan’s government and public health authorities, putting the country in jeopardy. The primary goal of this research was to shed light on the country’s capital, Kabul, and to examine the existing preparedness and perceptions of its population in the midst of COVID-19’s third wave, which could result in decentralization and fragmentation of the already overburdened health-care system. An online, cross-sectional survey was conducted by the lecturers of the Kabul University of Medical Sciences between April 15, 2021 and April 25, 2021, to evaluate the preparedness of the Kabul citizens amidst the third wave of COVID-19. About 1736 citizens from Kabul participated in the survey. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25. All categorical variables were reported using frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that the most common source of COVID-19-related information was social media (74.8%). In addition, 34.4% of subjects had previously been infected with COVID-19. It was reassuring to see that 78.4% of residents said they knew more about COVID-19 than they did about prior COVID-19 waves. A majority (81.5%) expressed willingness to resist the third wave, but 89.4% said that the country’s government would be unable to develop an effective COVID-19 vaccine within the next 6 months. The findings of this present study indicates that citizens of Kabul are active in obtaining accurate information and disseminating it in the community. The citizens also reported sufficient COVID-19 related knowledge; however, they were more motivated to fight against the third wave of COVID-19. In regards to vaccination, they believed that the government could not vaccinate the public anytime soon. Hence, the enactment of non-pharmaceutical measures is important in the fight against the pandemic.

PMID:35938197 | DOI:10.1177/00469580221117743