Browse Articles
Discover research articles across all indexed journals
Prevalence, impact on quality of life, and predictive factors of coexistence of overactive bladder and underactive bladder in men
Validation of guiding needle placement using registered ultrasound imaging for gynecologic brachytherapy in a simulated pelvic Phantom
Temporal changes in per and polyfluoroalkyl substances and their associations with type 2 diabetes
Abstract We assessed temporal changes of PFAS and associations with T2DM over a period of 30 years in a nested case–control study with repeated measurements. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between 11 PFAS and T2DM at five time-points in 116 cases and 139 controls (3 pre- and 2 post-diagnostic time-points in cases). Mixed linear models were applied to assess if changes in PFAS were related to T2DM status. In the pre-diagnostic time-point T3 (2001), future cases had higher concentrations of PFHpA, PFNA, PFHxS and PFHpS compared to controls. In the post-diagnostic time point T5 (2015/16), PFNA and PFOS were higher in prevalent cases. PFHxS and PFHpS were positively associated with future T2DM at the pre-diagnostic time-point T3, whereas PFTrDA were inversely associated with future T2DM at T1 (1986/87) and prevalent T2DM at T4 (2007/8). Temporal changes in PFAS across the study period showed that cases experienced a greater increase in pre-diagnostic concentrations of PFHpA, PFTrDA, PFHxS and PFOSA, as well as a larger post-diagnostic decrease in PFOSA, compared to controls. This study is the first to show that temporal changes in PFAS are associated with T2DM status for certain PFAS, and associations between PFAS and T2DM vary according to sample year.
Preoperative TNF-α predicts uneventful postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery
Abstract The development of novel biomarkers to predict postoperative complications (POCs) after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery is essential, both for improving treatment outcomes and for facilitating the widespread use of same-day discharge following colectomy. This longitudinal observational study, a sub-study of a previous RCT, investigated the prognostic potential of a panel of novel biomarkers, including inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p70, IL-17 A, INF-γ, IP-10, MCP-1, TGF-β1), alongside conventional biomarkers such as CRP and WBC levels, measured preoperatively and on postoperative day 6, for predicting POCs following CRC resection. Among 40 recruited patients, 38 were included in the final analysis. Patients who did not experience POCs had a significantly lower preoperative level of TNF-α (2.28 pg/mL vs. 68.77 pg/mL, p = 0.022). ROC curve analysis showed that TNF-α has significant (p = 0.012) discriminative capacity to distinguish between patients with POCs and those with an uneventful postoperative course, with an AUC of 0.722 (95% CI: 0.555, 0.889). Multivariable analysis suggested that a low preoperative TNF-α level (< 55.35 pg/mL) may be an independent predictor of an uneventful postoperative course (Odds Ratio = 0.137, 95% CI: 0.023, 0.836). This study showed that preoperative levels of TNF-α demonstrates a moderate discriminative capacity to distinguish between patients with POCs and those with an uneventful postoperative course in patients undergoing surgery for left-side CRC, although the findings are limited by the small sample size and should be validated in larger cohorts. Clinical Trial Registration: NCT04013841, date of registration 2019-07-10.
Performance benchmarking and analysis of lithium-sulfur batteries for next-generation cell design
Oropouche virus infects human trophoblasts and placenta explants
Correction to “Zinc Coordination‐Polymer‐Mediated Self‐Assembly of Nanoparticles into ‘Brick‐and‐Mortar’ Membranes for Hydrogen Separation”
SRT2104 enhances dendritic outgrowth and spine formation through Sirtuin 1-mediated mTORC1 signaling
The long-term outcomes after smiley face rod surgery in young lumbar spondylolysis patients
Correction: Galactin-8 DNA methylation mediates macrophage autophagy through the MAPK/mTOR pathway to alleviate atherosclerosis
Advanced Love wave sensor based on algal polymers for the detection of mercury in French Guiana waters
Longitudinal MRI study over 20 years of cervical posterior extensor muscle area in asymptomatic subjects
Abstract Few studies have investigated long-term changes in the posterior extensor muscles of the cervical spine in healthy subjects. Therefore, we used MRI to investigate changes in the posterior extensor muscles in healthy subjects over 20 years. The subjects of this study were 55 volunteers with an average follow-up period of approximately 20 years. The axial images of the C3/4, C4/5, and C5/6 levels from the initial scan and scans taken 20 years later were evaluated and compared for the following: the cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of the multifidus, semispinalis cervices, semispinalis capitis, and splenius capitis muscles, along with left–right differences, gender differences, influence of age, and muscle fatty degeneration of each muscle. The mean CSAs of the posterior extensor muscles significantly increased at C3/4 and significantly decreased at C5/6 over 20 years. The CSA of posterior cervical extensor muscles always tended to be greater on the left side than on the right side and was significantly larger in men than in women at all levels. The fatty degeneration increased significantly at all intervertebral levels. The decrease in the CSA was significantly associated with smoking status (relative risk: 2.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.32–3.63, p < 0.01), but not with clinical symptoms.