A comparison of the academic impact of plastic surgery units in the United Kingdom and Ireland using bibliometric analysis

Academic output is just one aspect of a successful career as a plastic surgeon. However, for those with a strong interest in academia, the academic output of a department will likely be a key factor when deciding how to rank jobs. The aim of this study was to quantify and rank the academic output of plastic surgery units across the UK and Ireland. The Institute for Scientific Information (ISI) Web of Science Bibliometric analysis tool was used to collate cumulative (1950–2016), 10 year (2006–2016) and 3 years (2013–2015) research output data for plastic surgery units in the UK and Ireland. Sixty-six plastic surgery units were identified. Departments were ranked for each time period according to the number of papers produced, number of citations (Nc) and h-index (a measure of the impact of scientific output). The top 3 departments for number of papers in the last 10 years were The Royal Free Hospital, London (226) Broomfield Hospital, Chelmsford (218), and Morriston Hospital and Swansea (188). The top 3 for h-number were The Royal Free Hospital (21) Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester (18) and Morriston Hospital (17). Academic output varies across plastic surgery units in the UK and Ireland. A number of departments have consistently maintained high academic outputs across the years and will be of interest to surgeons hoping to pursue a career in academia.     

良性前列腺增生与前列腺慢性炎症的相关性研究进展

良性前列腺增生（BPH）是老年男性常见的泌尿系统疾病，其发病与前列腺慢性炎症之间存在显著相关。感染因子、尿液返流、代谢综合征、衰老过程和自身免疫应答在内的几种刺激，通过相应分子途径引起前列腺免疫细胞的组织定位和组成成分发生广泛改变，从而导致免疫系统失调，之后引发的组织损伤和缓慢愈合，导致了BPH发生和进展。本文通过总结良性前列腺增生与前列腺慢性炎症的相关性的临床研究结果，前列腺免疫细胞在病理生理机制层面与前两者之间的内在联系，以及抗炎药物对BPH-LUTS的干预作用，以其为BPH-LUTS的药物研发提供参考。     

Epidemiological evidence of increased waist circumference,but not body mass index,associated with impaired baroreflex sensitivity

Although an inverse relationship between body mass index (BMI) and baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) was found, the effect of waist circumference (WC) on BRS is still inconclusive. The contradictory results of previous studies may be related to the heterogeneity and relatively small sample size of the subjects examined. The aim of this population-based study was to investigate whether the influence of increased WC is more detrimental to BRS than BMI. A total of 760 community dwellers were recruited and they were classified into Q1 (n = 189), Q2 (n = 183), Q3 (n = 192) and Q4 (n = 196) groups, based on WC quartiles. Spontaneous BRS was determined by spectral α coefficient method. Valsalva ratio was the longest RR interval after release of Valsalva maneuver divided by the shortest RR interval during maneuver. Cardiac autonomic function was calculated by power spectrum of heart rate in low and high frequency (LF, 0.04–0.15 Hz; HF, 0.15–0.40 Hz), and LF/HF ratio in supine position for five minutes. There were significant differences in spontaneous BRS and Valsalva ratio among different WC groups. In multivariate analysis, obesity was inversely associated with spontaneous BRS and Valsalva ratio. However, these inverse relationships became insignificant after further adjustment for WC quartiles. In contrast, Q4 vs. Q1, Q3 vs. Q1 and Q2 vs. Q1 of WC were inversely related to spontaneous BRS. Q4 vs. Q1 and Q3 vs. Q1 of WC were negatively associated with the Valsalva ratio. In conclusion, increased and even high-normal WC had a stronger adverse effect on BRS than BMI, independent of cardio-metabolic risk factors.     

Fine particulate matter and incidence of metabolic syndrome in non-CVD patients: A nationwide population-based cohort study

Background

It has been reported that particulate matter (PM) is associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) while metabolic syndrome is also an important risk factor for CVD. However, few studies have investigated the epidemiological association between PM and metabolic syndrome.

组织气氛在护士知识与行为间的中介效应:以脑卒中吞咽障碍护理为例

目的探究组织气氛在护士吞咽障碍知识水平与护理行为之间的中介效应。方法2019年6-7月,便利抽样法选取15个省市33所医院及医疗机构神经科、康复科具有吞咽障碍护理经验的231名护士为研究对象采用脑卒中吞咽障碍知识水平问卷、脑卒中吞咽障碍护理行为问卷及团队创新气氛量表对其进行调查。结果护士吞咽障碍知识水平总分为(56.69±13.50)分、护理行为得分为(140.65土32.02)分、组织气氛得分为(157.63±26.56)分。组织气氛与吞咽障碍知识水平(r=0.49,P<0.01)、护理行为(r=0.50,P<0.01)均呈正相关。组织气氛在知识水平和护理行为之间起中介作用,中介效应占总效应的83.18%。结论组织气氛在护士吞咽障碍知识水平与护理行为之间起中介作用,临床管理者可在提升护士吞咽障碍知识水平的基础上,通过提高组织气氛水平推进其护理行为。     

Innovative Thinking on Endpoint Selection in Clinical Trials

ABSTRACT

In clinical trials, selection of appropriate study endpoints is critical for an accurate and reliable evaluation of safety and effectiveness of a test treatment under investigation. In practice, however, there are usually multiple endpoints available for measurement of disease status and/or therapeutic effect of the test treatment under study. For example, in cancer clinical trials, overall survival, response rate, and/or time to disease progression are usually considered as primary clinical endpoints for evaluation of safety and effectiveness of the test treatment under investigation. Once the study endpoints have been selected, sample size required for achieving a desired power is then determined. It, however, should be noted that different study endpoints may result in different sample sizes. In practice, it is usually not clear which study endpoint can best inform the disease status and measure the treatment effect. Moreover, different study endpoints may not translate one another although they may be highly correlated one another. In this article, we intend to develop an innovative endpoint namely therapeutic index based on a utility function to combine and utilize information collected from all study endpoints. Statistical properties and performances of the proposed therapeutic index are evaluated theoretically. A numerical example concerning a cancer clinical trial is given to illustrate the use of the proposed therapeutic index.