Tag: pubmed

Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol. 2021 Mar 5. doi: 10.1111/ajo.13322. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis-specific (advanced gynaecological) ultrasound is recommended as part of preoperative work-up of women with suspected endometriosis.

AIM: To evaluate the awareness and utilisation of advanced gynaecological ultrasound in the preoperative work-up of women with suspected endometriosis among active RANZCOG (Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists) fellows and trainees.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Anonymous online survey invitations were emailed to all active RANZCOG fellows in Australia and New Zealand. Descriptive analysis of responses and multivariate analysis where appropriate were performed. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: A 17% (437/2567) survey response rate and 93% (409/437) completion rate were recorded; 59% (248/421) of respondents identified as generalists, whereas 15% (63/421) identified as advanced laparoscopic surgeons. Routine pelvic ultrasound (88.9%, 361/406) was the most common imaging modality requested by respondents; 32% (128/405) of respondents would also always request advanced gynaecology ultrasound. Respondents’ self-reported practice type was significantly associated with utilisation of advanced gynaecological ultrasound (P = 0.03); 79.6% (348/437) agreed with our proposed definition of advanced gynaecological ultrasound for endometriosis. A major limitation to the utilisation of advanced gynaecological ultrasound for endometriosis was the lack of local expertise (63.8%, 233/356).

CONCLUSION: The utilisation of advanced gynaecological ultrasound for endometriosis is significantly influenced by respondents’ self-reported practice type and limited by the lack of local expertise.

PMID:33667321 | DOI:10.1111/ajo.13322

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 5;16(3):e0248164. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248164. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To assess and compare safety and effectiveness between 23-gauge and 25-gauge vitrectomy systems for the treatment of common vitreoretinal diseases in non-vitrectomized eyes.

METHODS: Retrospective evaluation of patients who underwent pars plana vitrectomy from April 2018 to December 2019 at the Department of Ophthalmology and Optometry at the Medical University of Vienna (MUV) for the following indications: macular epiretinal membrane, macular hole, macular lamellar hole, vitreous hemorrhage, vitreous opacities, vitreomacular traction syndrome and macular edema.

RESULTS: 201 eyes of 195 patients that underwent 23-gauge (n = 105 eyes) or 25-gauge (n = 96 eyes) vitrectomy were included in this study. The mean best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved at 1-3 months postoperatively and beyond 3 months in both gauge groups. Risk of any complication within 1 month postoperatively was lower in the 25-gauge group, but the difference was statistically not significant (HR [95% CI]: 0.95 [0.53; 1.70], p = 0.85). Intraocular pressure less than 5 mmHg was observed in 2 eyes (2%) in the 23-gauge group at the first postoperative day. Intraocular pressure elevation over 25 mmHg occurred in 5 eyes (2 eyes, 2%, in 23-gauge and 3 eyes, 3%, in 25-gauge group) at postoperative day 1, between 7 and 28 days in 5 cases (2 eyes, 2%, in 23-gauge and 3 eyes, 3%, in 25-gauge group), and in 2 eyes (2%) of the 23-gauge group at postoperative day 145 and 61, respectively. Retinal detachment occurred in 1 eye (1%) in the 23-gauge and in 3 eyes (3%) in the 25-gauge group. We did not observe any cases of endophthalmitis.

CONCLUSION: Results in terms of safety, surgical success and visual outcomes for the treatment of common vitreoretinal surgery indications seem to be comparable between 23-gauge and 25-gauge vitrectomy systems, indicating that the two gauge systems can be used equally in the clinical routine.

PMID:33667273 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0248164

Interact Cardiovasc Thorac Surg. 2021 Mar 1:ivab059. doi: 10.1093/icvts/ivab059. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to determine the outcome of patients undergoing an elective frozen elephant trunk (FET) procedure as a redo operation following previous cardiac surgery.

METHODS: One hundred and eighteen consecutive patients underwent FET procedures between October 2010 and October 2019 at our centre. Patients were registered in a dedicated database and analysed retrospectively. Clinical and follow-up characteristics were compared between patients undergoing a FET operation as a primary (primary group) or a redo procedure (redo group) using logistic regression and Cox regression analysis. Emergency procedures (n = 33) were excluded from the analysis.

RESULTS: A total of 36.5% (n = 31) of the FET procedures were redo operations (redo group) and 63.5% (n = 54) of the patients underwent primary surgery (primary group). There was no significant difference in the 30-day mortality [primary group: 7.4%; redo group: 3.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.19-35.29); P = 0.63] and the 3-year mortality [primary group: 22.2%; redo group: 16.7%; 95% CI (0.23-3.23); P = 0.72] between redo and primary cases. Furthermore, the adjusted statistical analysis did not reveal significant differences between the groups in the occurrence of transient or permanent neurological deficit, paraplegia, acute renal failure and resternotomy. The redo group showed a higher rate of recurrent nerve palsy, which did not reach statistical significance [primary group: 3.7% (n = 2); redo group: 19.4% (n = 6); P = 0.091].

CONCLUSIONS: Elective FET procedures as redo operations performed by a dedicated aortic team following previous cardiac surgery demonstrate an adequate safety profile.

PMID:33667306 | DOI:10.1093/icvts/ivab059

Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2021 Mar 1:pyab008. doi: 10.1093/ijnp/pyab008. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are predominantly prescribed for people suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD). These antidepressants exert their effects by blocking the serotonin transporter (SERT) leading to increased levels of serotonin in the synaptic cleft and subsequently to an attenuation of depressive symptoms and elevation in mood. Although long-term studies investigating white matter (WM) alterations after exposure to antidepressant treatment exist, results on the acute effects on the brain’s WM microstructure are lacking.

METHODS: In this interventional longitudinal study, 81 subjects were included (33 patients and 48 healthy controls). All participants underwent diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) on two separate days receiving either citalopram or placebo using a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design. Fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD) and radial diffusivity (RD) were calculated within FSL and analysed using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS).

RESULTS: The repeated measures ANOVA model revealed significant decreases after SSRI administration in MD, AD and RD regardless of the group (p<0.05, FWE-corrected). Results were predominantly evident in frontal WM regions comprising the anterior corona radiata, corpus callosum, external capsule and in distinct areas of the frontal blade. No increases in diffusivity were found and no changes in FA were present.

CONCLUSIONS: Our investigation provides first evidence that fast WM microstructure adaptions within one hour after intravenous SSRI administration precede elevations in mood due to SSRI treatment. These results add a new facet to the complex mode of action of antidepressant therapy. This study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov with the identifier NCT02711215.

PMID:33667309 | DOI:10.1093/ijnp/pyab008

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 5;16(3):e0248098. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248098. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Salmonid rickettsial septicemia is an emergent and geographically widespread disease of marine-farmed salmonids caused by infection with the water-borne bacterium Piscirickettsia salmonis. Very little is known about the route, timing, or magnitude of bacterial shedding from infected fish.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A cohabitation challenge model was used to assess shedding from chum Oncorhynchus keta, pink O. gorbuscha and Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Infections in donor fish were established by intraperitoneal injection of P. salmonis. Naïve recipients were cohabitated with donor fish after which cumulative percent morbidity and mortality (CMM) was monitored, and bacterial burdens in kidney and in tank water were measured by qPCR. All donor fish died with mean days-to-death (MDD) among species ranging from 17.5 to 23.9. Among recipients, CMM ranged from 42.7% to 77.8% and MDD ranged from 49.7 to 56.4. In each trial, two peaks of bacterial DNA concentrations in tank water closely aligned with the MDD values of donor and recipient fish. Bacterial tissue burden and shedding rate, and plasma physiological parameters were obtained from individual donors and recipients. Statistically significant positive correlations between the shedding rate and P. salmonis kidney burden were measured in donor pink and in donor and recipient chum salmon, but not in donor or recipient Atlantic salmon. In Atlantic salmon, there was a negative correlation between kidney bacterial burden and hematocrit, plasma Ca++ and Mg++ values, whereas in infected chum salmon the correlation was positive for Na+ and Cl- and negative for glucose.

CONCLUSIONS: A dependency of bacterial shedding on species-specific patterns of pathogenesis was suggested. The coincidence of bacterial shedding with mortality will inform pathogen transmission models.

PMID:33667267 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0248098

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 5;16(3):e0248168. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0248168. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

HOTAIR is a well-known long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) involved in various cellular signaling, whereas its functional impacts on endometriosis development are still largely unknown. To this end, six potential functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in HOTAIR, with minor allele frequencies more than 10% in Han population and altered net energy of RNA structures larger than 0.5 kcal/mol, were selected for genotyping study. The study included 207 endometriosis patients and 200 healthy women. Genetic substitutions at rs1838169 and rs17720428 were frequently found in endometriosis patients, and rs1838169 showed statistical significance (p = 0.0174). The G-G (rs1838169-rs17720428) haplotype showed the most significant association with endometriosis (p < 0.0001) with enhanced HOTAIR stability, and patients who harbor such haplotype tended to show higher CA125. Data mining further revealed higher mRNA HOTAIR levels in the endometria of patients with severe endometriosis which consistently showed reduced HOXD10 and HOXA5 levels. HOTAIR knockdown with specific shRNAs down-regulated cell proliferation and migration with the induction of HOXD10 and HOXA5 expression in human ovarian clear cancer cells. Our study therefore provided evidence to indicate a prominent role of HOTAIR in promoting endometriosis, which could be used as a potential target for clinical applications.

PMID:33667269 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0248168

Eur J Endocrinol. 2021 Mar 1:EJE-20-1073.R3. doi: 10.1530/EJE-20-1073. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE The objectives of our study were to analyze the influence of age on the survival of patients with RAIR-DTC and to determine their prognostic factors according to age. METHODS This single centre, retrospective study enrolled 155 patients diagnosed with RAIR-DTC. The primary end point was overall survival (OS) according to different cut-off (45,55,65,75 years). Secondary endpoints were progression free survival (PFS) and prognostic factors in patients under and over 65 years. RESULTS Median OS after RAIR diagnosis was 8.2 years (95% IC: 5.3-9.6). There was no difference according to age with a 65 (p=0.47) and 55 years old cut-off (p=0.28). Median OS was significantly improved before 45 years old (p=0,0043). After 75 years old, median OS significantly decrease (p= 0,0008). Median PFS was 2.1 years (95% CI: 0.8-3) in patients < 65 years, and 1 year in patients ≥ 65 years (95% CI: 0.8-1.55) with no statistical difference (p=0.22). There was no impact of age on PFS with any cut-off. In both groups, progressive disease despite 131I treatment reduced OS. In patients < 65, an interval of less than 3 years between the initial diagnosis and the diagnosis of RAIR metastatic disease was predictive of poor survival. In patients > 65, the presence of a mediastinum metastasis was a significant factor for mortality (HR: 4.55, 95% CI: 2.27-9.09). CONCLUSION In RAIR-DTC patients, a cut-off age of 65 years old was not a significant predictive factor of survival. 45 and 75 years old cut off were predictive for OS, but not PFS.

PMID:33667193 | DOI:10.1530/EJE-20-1073

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 5;16(3):e0247777. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247777. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: HIV/AIDS remains a public health concern affecting millions of people across the world. Although the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients living with HIV has significantly improved after treatment, its chronicity makes the HRQoL uncertain. This study assessed factors associated with the health-related quality of life among people living with HIV/AIDS on HAART in North-East Ethiopia.

METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2018, and systematic random sampling was used to select 235 participants who were on HAART. HRQoL was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey. Descriptive and multiple linear regression analysis were computed using the statistical package for social sciences version 20.

RESULTS: The study revealed one-factor structure and had good overall internal consistency (78.5). Over one-third (42.6%; 95% CI; 36.2%, 48.9%) of participants had good HRQoL. The least HRQoL mean score was found for cognitive functioning 32.21(±19.78), followed by social functioning 40.58(±29.8). Factors associated with the overall HRQoL were 25-45 years of age (β = – 3.55, 95% CI;-6.54, -0.55), working in private sector (β = -5.66, 95% CI;-9.43, -1.88), government (β = -4.29, 95% CI;-7.83, -0.75) and self-employment (β = -8.86, 95% CI;-13.50, -4.21), 100-200 (β = – 4.84, 95% CI;-9.04, -0.63) and 201-350 CD4 at the time of diagnosis (β = – 7.45, 95% CI;-11.73, -3.16), 351-500 current CD4 level (β = 8.34, 95% CI;5.55, 11.41), 6-10 years of disease duration (β = -8.28, 95% CI;-12.51, -4.04), WHO stage II (β = -4.78, 95% CI;-8.52, -1.04) and III (β = 3.42, 95% CI;0.06, 6.79) during treatment initiation and not taking of Cotrimoxazole prophylaxis (β = -5.79, 95% CI;-8.34, -3.25).

CONCLUSIONS: High proportion of participants had a poor HRQoL. Routine assessment and appropriate interventions at each visit is recommended to improve HRQoL.

PMID:33667245 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247777

PLoS One. 2021 Mar 5;16(3):e0247802. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0247802. eCollection 2021.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The prognostic impact of neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) on the receptor expression status in patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) is still not fully understood. We aimed to evaluate the changes in hormone (estrogen and progesterone) receptor (HR) and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status post-NAC and their correlation with survival.

METHODS: Patients with LABC who have received NAC between 2008 and 2015 and have been followed up till December 2019 at the Oncology Center, King Saud University, KSA were analyzed retrospectively. biomarker analysis of ER, PR & HER2 were done using immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Fluorescent in situ hybridization.

RESULTS: Ninety-one patients fulfilled the inclusion criteria. HR status changed in 21(23.1%) patients, with a significant difference between patients with stable receptors and those with any receptor conversion; p = 0.000. Five (5.5%) initially HER2 negative tumors became HER2 positive and 10 (11%) initially HER2 positive tumors became HER2 negative after NAC. The difference in HER2 expression level before and after NAC was not statistically significant (p = 0.302). Univariate analysis relating patients’ characteristics and 10-years disease-free survival (DFS) showed only significant correlations with the expressions of ER, PR, and any receptor conversion, (ER and/or PR) p< 0.001, p< 0.001, and p = 0.001; respectively. In the univariate analysis, none of the clinicopathological features showed a significant correlation with the OS except for the molecular subtypes P<0.001.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with LABC have significant changes in the ER and PR receptor status following NAC. Post-NAC expressions change of ER and PR (ER and/or PR) are correlated to DFS. Retesting of the hormone receptors should be considered after NAC in Saudi patients with LABC.

PMID:33667252 | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0247802

Psychol Sci. 2021 Mar 5:956797620972367. doi: 10.1177/0956797620972367. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Fernbach et al. (2013) found that political extremism and partisan in-group favoritism can be reduced by asking people to provide mechanistic explanations for complex policies, thus making their lack of procedural-policy knowledge salient. Given the practical importance of these findings, we conducted two preregistered close replications of Fernbach et al.’s Experiment 2 (Replication 1a: N = 306; Replication 1b: N = 405) and preregistered close and conceptual replications of Fernbach et al.’s Experiment 3 (Replication 2: N = 343). None of the key effects were statistically significant, and only one survived a small-telescopes analysis. Although participants reported less policy understanding after providing mechanistic policy explanations, policy-position extremity and in-group favoritism were unaffected. That said, well-established findings that providing justifications for prior beliefs strengthens those beliefs, and well-established findings of in-group favoritism, were replicated. These findings suggest that providing mechanistic explanations increases people’s recognition of their ignorance but is unlikely to increase their political moderation, at least under these conditions.

PMID:33667138 | DOI:10.1177/0956797620972367