Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) is lower than in patients with other chronic diseases and the general population. Although various factors affect HRQOL, no ...study has examined a structural equation model of HRQOL as an outcome variable in FM patients. The present study assessed relationships among physical function, social factors, psychological factors, and HRQOL, and the effects of these variables on HRQOL in a hypothesized model using structural equation modeling (SEM).
HRQOL was measured using SF-36, and the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was used to assess physical dysfunction. Social and psychological statuses were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES), and the Social Support Scale. SEM analysis was used to test the structural relationships of the model using the AMOS software.
Of the 336 patients, 301 (89.6%) were women with an average age of 47.9±10.9 years. The SEM results supported the hypothesized structural model (χ2 = 2.336, df = 3, p = 0.506). The final model showed that Physical Component Summary (PCS) was directly related to self-efficacy and inversely related to FIQ, and that Mental Component Summary (MCS) was inversely related to FIQ, BDI, and STAI.
In our model of FM patients, HRQOL was affected by physical, social, and psychological variables. In these patients, higher levels of physical function and self-efficacy can improve the PCS of HRQOL, while physical function, depression, and anxiety negatively affect the MCS of HRQOL.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
A method for electrophilic sulfenylation by organophosphorus-catalyzed deoxygenative O-atom transfer from sulfonyl chlorides is reported. This C-S bond-forming reaction is catalyzed by a readily ...available small-ring phosphine (phosphetane) in conjunction with a hydrosilane terminal reductant to afford a general entry to sulfenyl electrophiles, including valuable trifluoromethyl, perfluoroalkyl, and heteroaryl derivatives that are otherwise difficult to access. Mechanistic investigations indicate that the twofold deoxygenation of the sulfonyl substrate proceeds by the intervention of an off-cycle resting state thiophosphonium ion. The catalytic method represents an operationally simple protocol using a stable phosphine oxide as a precatalyst and exhibits broad functional-group tolerance.
Several studies have evaluated the association between serum adiponectin levels and knee and hand osteoarthritis (OA); mixed results have been reported. We investigated the relationship between OA ...and serum adiponectin levels according to the radiographic features of knee and hand OA. A total of 2402 subjects was recruited from the Dong-gu Study. Baseline characteristics were collected via a questionnaire, and X-rays of knee and hand joints were scored using a semi-quantitative grading system. The relationship between serum adiponectin levels and radiographic severity was evaluated by linear and logistic regression analysis. Subjects in the higher serum adiponectin levels tertiles were older and had a lower body mass index (BMI) than those in the lower tertiles. Regarding knee joint scores, serum adiponectin levels was positively associated with the total (P < 0.001), osteophyte (P = 0.003), and joint space narrowing (JSN) scores (P < 0.001) after adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking, alcohol consumption, education, and physical activity. In terms of hand joint scores, no association was found between serum adiponectin levels and the total, osteophyte, JSN, subchondral cyst, sclerosis, erosion, or malalignment score after the above-mentioned adjustments. Similarly, subjects with serum adiponectin levels above the median had higher total radiographic scores in the knee joints, but not in the hand joints, after adjustment. An increased serum adiponectin levels was associated with a higher radiographic score in the knee joint, but not in the hand joint, suggesting the involvement of different pathophysiologic mechanisms in the development of OA between those joints.
To compare the accuracy and computational efficiency of two of the latest deep-learning algorithms for automatic identification of cephalometric landmarks.
A total of 1028 cephalometric radiographic ...images were selected as learning data that trained You-Only-Look-Once version 3 (YOLOv3) and Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) methods. The number of target labeling was 80 landmarks. After the deep-learning process, the algorithms were tested using a new test data set composed of 283 images. Accuracy was determined by measuring the point-to-point error and success detection rate and was visualized by drawing scattergrams. The computational time of both algorithms was also recorded.
The YOLOv3 algorithm outperformed SSD in accuracy for 38 of 80 landmarks. The other 42 of 80 landmarks did not show a statistically significant difference between YOLOv3 and SSD. Error plots of YOLOv3 showed not only a smaller error range but also a more isotropic tendency. The mean computational time spent per image was 0.05 seconds and 2.89 seconds for YOLOv3 and SSD, respectively. YOLOv3 showed approximately 5% higher accuracy compared with the top benchmarks in the literature.
Between the two latest deep-learning methods applied, YOLOv3 seemed to be more promising as a fully automated cephalometric landmark identification system for use in clinical practice.
Plant microbiota is a key determinant of plant health and productivity. The composition and structure of plant microbiota varies according to plant tissue and compartment, which are specific habitats ...for microbial colonization. To investigate the structural composition of the microbiome associated with tomato roots under natural systems, we characterized the bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities of three belowground compartments (rhizosphere, endosphere, and bulk soil) of tomato plants collected from 23 greenhouses in 7 geographic locations of South Korea. The microbial diversity and structure varied by rhizocompartment, with the most distinctive community features found in the endosphere. The bacterial and fungal communities in the bulk soil and rhizosphere were correlated with soil physicochemical properties, such as pH, electrical conductivity, and exchangeable cation levels, while this trend was not evident in the endosphere samples. A small number of core bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) present in all samples from the rhizosphere and endosphere represented more than 60% of the total relative abundance. Among these core microbes, OTUs belonging to the genera Acidovorax, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Streptomyces, and Variovorax, members of which are known to have beneficial effects on plant growth, were more relatively abundant in the endosphere samples. A co-occurrence network analysis indicated that the microbial community in the rhizosphere had a larger and more complex network than those in the bulk soil and endosphere. The analysis also identified keystone taxa that might play important roles in microbe-microbe interactions in the community. Additionally, profiling of predicted gene functions identified many genes associated with membrane transport in the endospheric and rhizospheric communities. Overall, the data presented here provide preliminary insight into bacterial, archaeal, and fungal phylogeny, functionality, and interactions in the rhizocompartments of tomato roots under real-world environments.
Force touch sensors have received a great deal of attention for various applications owing to their versatile ability to detect touch and pressure. To demonstrate high‐performance force touch ...sensors, numerous studies have been performed, focusing on high sensitivity, transparency, and mechanical durability against bending. However, it is still challenging to apply force touch sensors in flexible applications, because their sensing performance is subject to change and degraded by induced mechanical stress and deformation when the device is bent. Here, a high‐performance and transparent nanoforce touch sensor with bending‐insensitivity is reported. This is achieved by developing a thin, flexible, and transparent hierarchical nanocomposite film, which is composed of a nanostructured plastic base, coplanar electrodes, and a dielectric polymer layer with silver nanoparticles. The fabrication process is simple that high manufacturing repeatability, uniformity, and reliability are achieved on a large‐area (8 in.) scale. The fabricated device shows a pressure sensitivity of 0.036 kPa−1 with high transparency (83%) in a pressure range up to 3 kPa. In particular, its thin thickness (45 µm) and the coplanar electrode enable to achieve excellent insensitivity to the bending with a radius of curvature of 4 mm more than 10 000 times.
The bending‐insensitive and transparent nanoforce touch sensor with high sensitivity is proposed by developing hierarchical nanocomposite films, composed of large‐area (7 in.) 100 nm nanograting plastic bases and dielectric polymer layer with metal nanoparticles. In particular, the proposed sensor‐device successfully shows high‐performances meeting industrial‐grade requirements such as sensitivity, reliability, transparency, uniformity, and reproducibility, owing to its simple design and semiconductor‐based fabrication process.
Gefitinib has shown high response rate and improved progression-free survival (PFS) in never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma (NSLAs). We compared efficacy of gefitinib with gemcitabine and cisplatin ...(GP) chemotherapy in this group of patients as first-line therapy.
In this randomized phase III trial, a total of 313 Korean never-smokers with stage IIIB or IV lung adenocarcinoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 to 2, and adequate organ function were randomly assigned to receive either gefitinib (250 mg daily) or GP chemotherapy (gemcitabine 1,250 mg/m(2) on days 1 and 8; cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) on day 1 every 3 weeks, for up to nine courses). The primary objective was to demonstrate better overall survival (OS) for gefitinib compared with GP in chemotherapy-naive NSLAs.
Three hundred nine patients were analyzed per protocol (gefitinib arm, n = 159; GP arm, n = 150). Gefitinib did not show better OS compared with GP (hazard ratio HR, 0.932; 95% CI, 0.716 to 1.213; P = .604; median OS, 22.3 v 22.9 months, respectively). The 1-year PFS rates were 16.7% with gefitinib and 2.8% with GP (HR, 1.198; 95% CI, 0.944 to 1.520). Response rates were 55% with gefitinib and 46% with GP (P = .101). Myelosuppression, renal insufficiency, and fatigue were more common in the GP arm, but skin toxicities and liver dysfunction were more common in the gefitinib arm. Two patients (1.3%) in the gefitinib arm developed interstitial lung disease and died.
Gefitinib failed to demonstrate superior OS compared with GP as first-line therapy for NSLAs.
Although the resting heart rate (RHR) predicts the clinical outcomes of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease, diabetes mellitus, and the risk of cancer, its role in patients with ...musculoskeletal diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA), remains unclear. We explored the association of the RHR with the extents of radiographic changes in the knees and hands of 2369 subjects from the Dong-gu Study. The radiographic hand and knee joint findings were graded semi-quantitatively; we calculated total hand and knee joint scores. Multiple linear regression was performed to examine the associations between the RHR and the radiographic characteristics of these joints. For the knee joints, the RHR was associated positively with the total (p < 0.01), osteophyte (p < 0.01), joint space narrowing (JSN; p < 0.01), and tibial attrition (p = 0.02) scores after adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol consumption, educational and physical activity levels, and comorbidities. For the hand joints, the RHR was associated positively with the JSN (p = 0.01) and subchondral cyst (p < 0.01) scores after such adjustment. The RHR was not associated with the total, osteophyte, sclerosis, erosion, or malalignment score for the hand joints. This study is the first to reveal an association between the RHR and the radiographic severity of knee, but not hand, OA.
High efficiency and color tuning of thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters were achieved at the same time by designing emitters with a twin emitter molecular design. The control of the ...interconnect position between two emitters could manage the emission spectrum of the thermally activated delayed fluorescent emitters without affecting the quantum efficiency.
Corticocancellous bone grafting from the iliac crest is acceptable treatment for unstable scaphoid nonunion with a viable proximal pole. However, harvesting graft from the iliac crest is associated ...with donor site morbidity and the requirement of general anesthesia. Thus, bone grafting from the anterolateral metaphysis of the distal radius (DR) can be a treatment option. However, no study has compared the clinical effect between the two grafting techniques.
From 2014 to 2019, patients with unstable scaphoid nonunion with humpback deformity underwent corticocancellous bone grafting from the anterolateral metaphysis of the DR (group DR) or iliac crest (group IC). Humpback deformity was determined by evaluating the scapholunate angle (SLA) ≥ 60°, intrascaphoid angle (ISA) ≥ 45°, and radiolunate angle (RLA) ≥ 15° from preoperative radiographs and computed tomography scans. The SLA, ISA, and RLA served to gauge carpal alignment. The operative time, grip strength, active range of motion (ROM), the Modified Mayo Wrist score (MMWS), and Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score were assessed postoperatively.
Thirty-eight patients qualified for the study (group DR, 15; group IC, 23). Union rates did not differ by patient subset (group DR, 100%; group IC, 95.7%; P = .827), and grip strength, ROM, MWS, and DASH score were similar between groups at the last follow-up. The operative time (minutes) was significantly shorter in group DR (median, 98; quartiles, 80, 114) than in group IC (median, 125; quartiles, 105, 150, P < .001). The ISA, RLA, and SLA improved postoperatively in both groups (P < 0.001). The degree of restoring carpal alignment, as evaluated by SLA, showed superior correction capability in group DR (median, 25.3% quartiles, 21.1, 35.3, P < 0.05). Donor site complications were not significantly different between the groups.
Corticocancellous bone graft from the anterolateral metaphysis of the DR for unstable scaphoid nonunion is associated with a shorter operation time and comparable results with that from the iliac crest in regard to union, restoration of carpal alignment, and wrist function.
Level III.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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