Polyvictimization and Psychiatric Sequelae Associated with Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)

Female Genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) is associated with enduring psychiatric complications. In this study, we investigate the rates of co-morbid abuses and polyvictimization experienced by survivors of FGM/C. This is a sub-analysis of a cohort study examining the patient population at the EMPOWER Center for Survivors of Sex Trafficking and Sexual Violence in New York City. A retrospective chart-review of electronic medical records was conducted for all consenting adult patients who had FGM/C and had an intake visit between January 16, 2014 and March 6, 2020. Of the 80 participants, ages ranged from 20 to 62 years with a mean of 37.4 (SD?=?9.1) years. In addition to FGM/C, participants were victims of physical abuse (43; 53.8%), emotional abuse (35; 43.8%), sexual abuse (35; 43.8%), forced marriage (20; 25%), child marriage (13; 16.3%), and sex trafficking (1; 1.4%). There was a high degree of polyvictimization, with 41 (51.2%) experiencing 3 or more of the aforementioned abuses. Having FGM/C on or after age 13 or having a higher total abuse score was also found to be strong predictors of depression and PTSD. The high rates of polyvictimization among survivors of FGM/C are associated with development of depression and PTSD. Despite co-morbid abuses, patients still attribute substantial psychiatric symptoms to their FGM/C. Health care providers should understand the high risk of polyvictimization when caring for this patient population.

     

Glycaemic control for patients with severe acute brain injury: Protocol for a systematic review

Background

Hyperglycaemia is common in patients with acute brain injury admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). Many studies have found associations between development of hyperglycaemia and increased mortality in hospitalised patients. However, the optimal target for blood glucose control is unknown. We want to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of restrictive versus liberal glucose control on patient outcomes in adults with severe acute brain injury.

Methods

We will systematically search medical databases including CENTRAL, Embase, MEDLINE and trial registries. We will search the following websites for ongoing or unpublished trials: http://www.controlled-trials.com/ , http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ , www.eudraCT.com , http://centerwatch.com/ , The Cochrane Library's CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, Science Citation Index Expanded and CINAHL. Two authors will independently review and select trials and extract data. We will include randomised trials comparing levels of glucose control in our analyses and observational studies will be included to address potential harms. The primary outcomes are defined as all-cause mortality, functional outcome and health-related quality of life. Secondary outcomes include serious adverse events including hypoglycaemia, length of ICU stay and duration of mechanical ventilation, and explorative outcomes including intracranial pressure and infection. Trial Sequential Analysis will be used to investigate the risk of type I error due to repetitive testing and to further explore imprecision. Quality of trials will be evaluated using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and quality of evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) approach.

Discussion

The results of the systematic review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publication. With the review, we hope to inform future randomised clinical trials and improve clinical practice.     

Comprehensively evaluating cancer survival in children with birth defects: a population-based assessment

Cancer Causes & Control - Congenital malformations are strong risk factors for childhood cancer. Our objective was to determine whether cancer survival differs by birth defect status among...     

The current status of surgical pilonidal sinus disease therapy in Germany

European Surgery - Treatment of pilonidal sinus disease (PSD) requires a tailored approach. A national guideline was published in 2014. The current status of surgical PSD therapy...     

中药治疗哮喘-慢阻肺重叠的Meta分析＊

目的 系统评价中药治疗哮喘-慢阻肺（ACO）的疗效与安全性。方法 全面检索PubMed、Cochrane Library、Web of Science、中国知网、万方、维普、中国医学文献数据库，纳入有关中医药治疗ACO的随机对照试验（RCT），运用Cochrane手册对纳入研究的方法学质量进行评估，采用Review Manager 5.3进行Meta分析。结果 共纳入32项RCT，包括2688例ACO患者，其中试验组1361例，对照组1327例。Meta分析结果显示，中医药可以显著改善ACO患者的中医证候疗效［RR=1.19，95% CI（1.13，1.25），P<0.00001］、CAT评分［MD=-3.62，95% CI（-4.37，-2.87），P<0.00001］、ACT评分［MD=3.42，95% CI（2.23，4.62），P<0.00001］，、中医证候总积分［MD=-3.61，95% CI（-4.83，-2.39），P<0.00001］、FEV₁［MD=0.59，95% CI（0.08，1.10），P=0.02］、FEV₁%［MD=8.61，95% CI（5.20，12.1），P<0.00001］、FEV₁/FVC［MD=6.52，95% CI（4.24，8.80），P<0.00001］、6 min步行实验［MD=41.18，95% CI（22.15，60.21），P<0.0001］、急性发作次数［MD=-2.46，95% CI（-3.62，-1.13），P<0.0001］。所有研究均未报道严重不良反应。结论 中药治疗ACO，可以显著提高临床疗效，改善患者的肺功能且具有较好安全性，但是需要更高质量、多样本、多中心的随机对照试验进一步确认。     

A Coupled FEM-BEM Approach for the Solution of the Free-Boundary Axi-Symmetric Plasma Equilibrium Problem

In this paper we present a coupled Finite Element Method – Boundary Element Method (FEM-BEM) approach for the solution of the free-boundary axi-symmetric plasma equilibrium problem. The proposed method, obtained from an improvement of the Hagenow-Lackner coupling method, allows to efficiently model the equilibrium problem in unbounded domains by discretizing only the plasma region; the external conductors can be modelled either as 2D or 3D models, according to the problem of interest. The paper explores different iterative methods for the solution of the nonlinear Grad-Shafranov equation, such as Picard, Newton-Raphson and Newton-Krylov, in order to provide a robust and reliable tool, able to handle large-scale problems (e.g. high resolution equilibria). This method has been implemented in the FRIDA code (FRee-boundary Integro-Differential Axisimmetric – https://github. om/matteobonotto/ FRIDA), together with a suitable Adaptive Integration Technique (AIT) for the computation of the source term. FRIDA has been successfully tested and validated against experimental data from RFX-mod device, and numerical equilibria of an ITER-like device.     

基于真实世界数据探讨中医药治疗糖尿病肾病用药规律的研究＊

目的 基于临床信息系统分析总结真实世界的数据，采用数据挖掘的方法探讨中医药治疗糖尿病肾病的用药规律。方法 收集2018年1月-2020年12月上海中医药大学附属曙光医院宝山分院健康信息系统确诊的糖尿病肾病的门诊或住院患者的诊疗信息，建立Excel数据库，采用Excel 2010软件统计高频药物的四气、五味、归经及功效；使用SPSS Modeler 18.0软件中的Apriori算法分析关联规则，采用web节点建构药对关联网状图；运用SPSS 25统计软件进行因子分析。结果 本研究最终纳入477例接受中药饮片治疗的DKD患者，在1203条方剂信息中，涉及中药462种；使用频数排名前5位的中药分别是黄芪、黄精、石斛、山茱萸、麦冬；使用频数前5类的中药类别分别是补气药、补阴药、清热燥湿药、活血调经药、息风止痉药；在30味高频药物中，苦、甘、辛药味最为常见；药性寒、温数量接近；归脾经、肝经、肺经、肾经居多；关联规则提示，药物组合中置信度最高的组合为地龙-当归-僵蚕，因子分析共得到5个有效因子，累积贡献率为47.33%。结论 中医药治疗DKD在补益气血阴阳的同时，兼顾对瘀血、湿邪和痰饮的治疗，结合证型，可考虑使用黄芪、黄精、石斛、山茱萸、麦冬、金蝉花等药物的使用，清热燥湿药物如黄连、黄芩、黄柏可适当加入，为使邪有去处，大黄、车前子或可增添疗效。     

特发性肺纤维化急性加重期证候与血清生物标志物的相关性研究＊

目的 通过分析特发性肺纤维化急性加重期（AE-IPF）患者证候与血清生物标志物的关系，为中医辨证治疗提供参考。方法 采用观察性研究设计，收集2019年3月至2019年11月三个中心的AE-IPF患者76例，其中痰热壅肺证26例、痰浊阻肺证50例，并纳入健康志愿者10例作为对照。采用ELISA测定患者血清CCL18、HMGB1、KL-6、MMP-7、SP-A和SP-D水平，分析与中医证候的相关性。结果 AE-IPF患者血清CCL18、HMGB1、KL-6、MMP-7、SP-A和SP-D水平均显著高于健康对照组。血清CCL18、HMGB1、KL-6、MMP-7和SP-D水平在痰热壅肺证和痰浊阻肺证患者间无显著性差异（P＞0.05），而血清SP-A水平存在显著性差异（P＜0.05）。结论 血清SP-A与AE-IPF证候存在一定的相关性，血清SP-A的浓度升高，与痰热壅肺证关系越密切，反之，血清SP-A浓度降低，则与痰浊阻肺证关系越密切。AE-IPF痰热壅肺证患者的预后可能较痰浊阻肺证患者更差。     

Trends in radiation dose for low grade gliomas across the United States

Journal of Neuro-Oncology - Adjuvant radiation is often used in patients with low grade gliomas with high-risk characteristics with a recommended dose of 45–54&nbsp;Gy. We used the...     

Education Outcomes of Children Born Late Preterm: A Retrospective Whole-Population Cohort Study

Maternal and Child Health Journal - Early life exposures can have an impact on a child’s developmental trajectory and children born late preterm (34–36&nbsp;weeks gestational age)...