Socioeconomic position and prevalence of self-reported diabetes in rural Kerala, India: results from the PROLIFE study

This article aims to study the relationship between socioeconomic position (SEP) and prevalence of self-reported diabetes in a rural population in Kerala, India. This study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. Data from PROLIFE, a prospective cohort study involving the long-term follow-up of the residents of an administrative unit in Kerala, India, was used. The 33 379 households in the study area were divided into 4 groups (SEP1 to SEP4) on the basis of household assets. Prevalence of diabetes was ascertained through a lifestyle questionnaire. The proportion of self-reported diabetes was highest (at 11.1%) in SEP4, the group with the highest socioeconomic status, when compared with 3.1% in SEP1. The trend was similar in both sexes. Prevalence of self-reported diabetes increases as one moves up the socioeconomic ladder in this rural community.     

Test‐retest reliability of the default mode network in a multi‐centric fMRI study of healthy elderly: Effects of data‐driven physiological noise correction techniques

Understanding how to reduce the influence of physiological noise in resting state fMRI data is important for the interpretation of functional brain connectivity. Limited data is currently available to assess the performance of physiological noise correction techniques, in particular when evaluating longitudinal changes in the default mode network (DMN) of healthy elderly participants. In this 3T harmonized multisite fMRI study, we investigated how different retrospective physiological noise correction (rPNC) methods influence the within‐site test‐retest reliability and the across‐site reproducibility consistency of DMN‐derived measurements across 13 MRI sites. Elderly participants were scanned twice at least a week apart (five participants per site). The rPNC methods were: none (NPC), Tissue‐based regression, PESTICA and FSL‐FIX. The DMN at the single subject level was robustly identified using ICA methods in all rPNC conditions. The methods significantly affected the mean z‐scores and, albeit less markedly, the cluster‐size in the DMN; in particular, FSL‐FIX tended to increase the DMN z‐scores compared to others. Within‐site test‐retest reliability was consistent across sites, with no differences across rPNC methods. The absolute percent errors were in the range of 5–11% for DMN z‐scores and cluster‐size reliability. DMN pattern overlap was in the range 60–65%. In particular, no rPNC method showed a significant reliability improvement relative to NPC. However, FSL‐FIX and Tissue‐based physiological correction methods showed both similar and significant improvements of reproducibility consistency across the consortium (ICC = 0.67) for the DMN z‐scores relative to NPC. Overall these findings support the use of rPNC methods like tissue‐based or FSL‐FIX to characterize multisite longitudinal changes of intrinsic functional connectivity. Hum Brain Mapp 37:2114–2132, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Clinical experiences of removing foreign bodies in the airway and esophagus with a rigid endoscope: a series of 3217 cases from 1970 to 1996.

This study examined 11,333 rigid endoscopy procedures performed in the Department of Otolaryngology, National Taiwan University Hospital, during a 27-year period from 1970 to 1996. Among these cases, 3217 were performed to remove foreign bodies from the airway (459 cases, 14.3%) and esophagus (2758 cases, 85.7%). Retrospective analysis of these data revealed that peanuts (217 cases) and animal bones (1184 cases) were the most frequent foreign bodies encountered in the airway and esophagus, respectively. The successful rate of removal of these foreign bodies was 99.9% (3213/3217). The complication rate was only 0.2% (8/3217), and the mortality rate was less than 0.1% (2/3217). On the basis of these results, we conclude that foreign bodies in the airway and esophagus can be removed safely under direct visualization through rigid endoscopy with relatively few complications. A significant finding in this study is the declining trend in the number of cases in recent years. Despite the decline in the number of procedures, endoscopic removal of foreign bodies remains as a vital skill of the aerodigestive tract surgeon.     

Mechanisms of the antiaggregation activity of 1,4-naphthoquinone derivatives

The antiaggregation effects of synthetic derivatives of 1,4-naphtoquinone and ionol were studied as compared with the antioxidant properties of the agents. The proportional relationship was shown to exist between the antiaggregation properties of the compounds and their antiradical activity under conditions of the interaction with biosubstrates. The data obtained suggest that the derivatives of 1,4-naphtoquinone with the intramolecular transfer of the charge are promising antiaggregation agents.