Management of sagittal craniosynostosis: morphological comparison of eight surgical techniques

The aim of this study was to carry out a retrospective multicentre study comparing the morphological outcome of 8 techniques used for the management of sagittal synostosis versus a large cohort of control patients. Computed tomographic (CT) images were obtained from children CT-scanned for non-craniosynostosis related events (n = 241) and SS patients at preoperative and postoperative follow-up stages (n = 101). No significant difference in morphological outcomes was observed between the techniques considered in this study. However, the majority of techniques showed a tendency for relapse. Further, the more invasive procedures at older ages seem to lead to larger intracranial volume compared to less invasive techniques at younger ages. This study can be a first step towards future multicentre studies, comparing surgical results and offering a possibility for objective benchmarking of outcomes between methods and centres.     

Evaluation of circulating cell free DNA in plasma as a biomarker of different thyroid diseases

IntroductionMany studies have been done on proteomics, genomics, epigenetic, immunogenetics in many body fluids. Among these, circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA) entered the literature in 1948, but it has not been studied for many years due to technological deficiencies. Following recent advances, geno-metastasis has been mentioned and new research is needed in this area. ccfDNA is known to be an important biomolecule in this regard.ObjectiveThe presence of cell-free DNA in the circulatory system may offer a tremendous opportunity to provide novel biomarkers for thyroid diseases. This experimental study was conducted to determine the amount of ccfDNA in different thyroid diseases, then to evaluate whether the ccfDNA concentration varied between the disease groups and control group.MethodsIn total, we included 121 individuals in the present study. We collected blood samples and then determined the ccfDNA concentration in plasma of collected blood samples from three groups: thyroiditis (n = 33), benign (n = 37), and malignant (n = 30) and from a control group (n = 21).ResultsThe median values of the ccfDNA groups were found as 1610, 1665, 1685 and 576 ng/mL for the thyroiditis, benign, malign, and control groups, respectively. Findings showed that the ccfDNA of the three groups was significantly higher than the control (p < 0.0001). Each group was compared in terms of ccfDNA and the p-values of benign-thyroiditis, benign-malign, and thyroiditis-malign were 0.09, 0.65, and 0.29, respectively.ConclusionsThe clear differences between thyroid diseases and controls suggest that ccfDNA is worthy of attention as a biomarker for further evaluation of different thyroid diseases. Likewise, it might indicate a clear tendency that ccfDNA can also be used to distinguish different thyroid diseases.     

中国精神分裂症患者不同家庭干预措施效果比较的meta分析

目的对中国精神分裂症患者采取家庭干预的研究文献进行综合回顾和系统评价, 比较不同条件下家庭干预效果的差异。方法在中国知网、维普、万方、中国生物医学文献数据库四大中文数据库及OVID Medline、Science Direct、Web of Science、EBSCO四大英文数据库中, 检索各数据库建库至2015年1月为止使用社会功能缺陷筛选量表(SDSS)、简明精神病(科)量表(BPRS)、阳性与阴性症状量表(PANSS)研究中国精神分裂症患者家庭干预效果的文献, 以标准化加权均数差( SMD)作为效应量, 采用meta分析比较不同干预时间、不同干预类型、对不同病程和不同严重程度的精神分裂症患者的家庭干预效果差异。 结果共纳入57篇符合标准的文献。SDSS、PANSS分析结果显示:① 干预时间越长干预效果越好( P < 0.0001、 P=0.0025);② 单独家庭干预比多个家庭合并单独家庭干预的效果更明显( P < 0.0001、 P=0.0131);③ 干预对于病情较重患者效果较好( P < 0.0001、 P=0.0280)。SDSS量表还显示家庭干预对于病程短的患者效果更好( P < 0.0001)。 结论家庭干预更适合病程较短的精神分裂症患者, 干预应实施较长时间; 单独家庭干预更有利于患者阴性症状的改善和社会功能的康复, 且对于病情较轻患者的阴性症状改善效果更好。     

提高选题策划质量 提升行业期刊品牌影响力——以金属加工杂志社实践为例

【目的】 探讨行业期刊进行选题策划的方法,提升选题策划的质量。【方法】 利用互联网技术及新媒体资源,结合金属加工杂志社选题策划实例,归纳出几种选题策划的途径及方法。【结果】 结合行业热点进行选题策划,注重实效性和内容深度,提升期刊内容的可读性,可使期刊获得更多读者的关注和认可,提升期刊的行业影响力。【结论】 提高选题策划质量,可有效提升期刊内容的可读性,从而进一步提升期刊在行业的影响力。     

Development of a core outcome set for venous leg ulceration (CoreVen) research evaluations (protocol)

BackgroundA venous leg ulcer is a chronic leg wound caused by poor venous blood circulation in the lower limbs. It is a recurring condition causing pain, malodour, reduced mobility, and depression. Randomised controlled trials evaluating treatments for venous leg ulcers provide important evidence to inform clinical decision-making. However, for findings to be useful, outcomes need to be clinically meaningful, consistently reported across trials, and fully reported. Research has identified the large number of outcomes reported in venous leg ulcer trials, impacting both synthesis of results, and clinical decision-making. To address this, a core outcome set will be developed. A core outcome set is an agreed standardised set of outcomes which should be, as a minimum, measured and reported in all trials which evaluate treatment effectiveness for a given indication. A core outcome set has the potential to reduce research waste, improve the utility of RCTs, reduce reporting bias, facilitate treatment comparisons across different sources of evidence and expedite the production of systematic reviews, meta-analyses and evidence-based clinical guidelines.AimThe aim of this project is to develop a core outcome set for research evaluating the effectiveness of interventions for treating venous leg ulceration.MethodsThrough a scoping review of the literature on venous leg ulceration, we will firstly identify a list of candidate outcome domains (broad categories in relation to what is being measured) from randomised controlled trials and qualitative research, and outcomes (specific methods in relation to what is being measured). In two further stages, we will use the resulting lists of outcome domains and outcomes to design two online surveys. A range of stakeholders will be invited to participate in the surveys and they will be asked to indicate which outcome domains and outcomes are most important and should be considered as core in future research reports.