Pint study

BACKGROUND: The performance of modified balloons (namely cutting or scoring balloons) to prepare severely calcified lesions in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) remains controversial. We investigated the clinical and imaging outcomes of patients undergoing PCI assigned to modified balloon therapy to prepare severely calcified coronary lesions before stent implantation. METHODS: In this meta-analysis, we aggregated the study-level data from trials enrolling invasively treated patients who were randomly assigned to modified balloon or control therapy to prepare severely calcified lesions before stenting...

To quantify the association of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the polygenic risk score (PRS) with lung function decline, we developed a repeated-measures study with 4681 observations from baseline and 6-year follow-up of the Wuhan-Zhuhai cohort. Lung function and urinary monohydroxylated PAH metabolites (OH-PAHs) were measured for each observation. The PRS was derived from 246 lung function-associated genetic variants weighted by the effect size of the decreasing ratio of forced expiratory volume in 1 s by forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC)...

BACKGROUND: There is limited evidence on the ideal retention thickness of skin flap in mastectomy. Residual breast tissue (RBT) after mastectomy still represents an unknown risk for local recurrence or new breast cancer lesions. We made this systematic review to identify the optimal flap after mastectomy with minimal complications and better oncological safety. METHODS: A systematic review was performed using MEDLINE search in PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library with the search terms relevant to skin flap thickness and residual breast tissue in breast cancer patients undergoing mastectomy...

INTRODUCTION: Multimorbidity is common in patients with stroke, and is associated with increased medium to long-term mortality, but its value for clinical decision-making and case-mix adjustment will depend on other factors, such as age, stroke severity, aetiological subtype, prior disability, and vascular risk factors. AIMS: In the absence of previous studies, we related multimorbidity to long-term post-stroke mortality with stratification by these factors. METHODS: In patients ascertained in a population-based stroke incidence study (Oxford Vascular Study; 2002-2017), we related pre-stroke multimorbidity (weighted/unweighted Charlson Comorbidity Index-CCI) to all-cause/vascular/non-vascular mortality (1/5/10-years) using regression models adjusted/stratified by age, sex, predicted early outcome (THRIVE Score), stroke severity (NIH Stroke Scale-NIHSS), aetiology (TOAST), pre-morbid disability (modified Rankin Scale-mRS), and non-CCI risk factors (hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, atrial fibrillation, smoking, deprivation, anxiety/depression)...

Background Sepsis is a highly heterogeneous syndrome, that has hindered the development of effective therapies. This has prompted investigators to develop a precision medicine approach aimed at identifying biologically homogenous subgroups of patients with septic shock and critical illnesses. Transcriptomic analysis can identify subclasses derived from differences in underlying pathophysiological processes that may provide the basis for new targeted therapies. The goal of this study was to elucidate pathophysiological pathways and identify pediatric septic shock subclasses based on whole blood RNA expression profiles...

The intense objective of the present study is to investigate the symmetrical effectiveness of economic expansion, inflation rate, oil price, interest rate, and industrial production on trade deficit of the three neighboring states (China, Pakistan, and India). Westerlund bootstrap LM (Lagrange multiplier) panel co-integration test, Dumitrescu Herlin method, PMG-ARDL model, quantile regression, and quarterly data of last 15 years (2006Q1 to 2020Q4) have been utilized to envisage outcomes. Initial measurements validate the existence of stable co-integration and uni-directional causality among variables...

BACKGROUND: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been associated arterial stiffness. However, previous studies were limited to contradicting cross-sectional studies. This study aimed to examine the longitudinal association between SUA and progression of arterial stiffness and the potential mechanisms. METHODS: Based on the Kailuan study, arterial stiffness progression was assessed by the annual growth rate of repeatedly measured brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV). Generalized linear regression models were used to estimate the association of SUA with baseline arterial stiffness (n=37,659) and arterial stiffness progression (n=16,506), and Cox regressions were used to investigate the risk of incident arterial stiffness (n=13,843)...

Large blood pressure (BP) variability contributed to subclinical brain disease thus may be implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study included 64,810 CVD-free participants who attended the first two examinations from the Kailuan study to investigate the association of BP variation, considering its magnitude, direction, and time interval prior to CVD diagnosis, with the risk of CVD in Chinese population. Magnitude and directional BP variability was calculated as absolute BP difference or BP difference value divided by mean BP over 2 sequential visits, respectively...

Blood pressure (BP) is a typical complex trait, and the genetic susceptibility of individuals to changes in BP induced by air pollution exposure is different. Although interactions of exposure to air pollutants with several candidate genes have been identified, genome-wide interaction studies (GWISs) are needed to understand the association between them with BP. Therefore, we aimed to discover the unique genetic loci for BP that interact with exposure to air pollutants in Korean adults. We ultimately included 1868 participants in the discovery step and classified them into groups of those with low-to-moderate exposure and high exposure to average annual concentration of particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 10 μm (PM10 )...

INTRODUCTION: The 2018 United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations endorsed shared decision-making (SDM) for men aged 55-69, encouraging consideration of patient race/ethnicity for prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening. This study aimed to assess whether a proxy SDM variable modified the effect of race/ethnicity on the likelihood of PSA screening. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of men between 55 and 69 years, who responded to the PSA screening portions of the 2020 U...

BACKGROUND: Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is a complex spinal disease, with multiple genetic polymorphisms being related to its risk. Nevertheless, the role of LINC-PINT polymorphisms in LDH risk has remained unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the association between LINC-PINT polymorphisms and LDH risk. METHODS: DNA was extracted from 504 LDH patients and 500 healthy controls. Three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in LINC-PINT were selected and genotyped using Agena MassARRAY...

OBJECTIVE: To examine whether the association of co-morbidity with mortality after acute stroke is influenced by stroke type, age, sex, or time since stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a province-wide population-based study using linked administrative databases to identify all admissions for acute stroke between 2007-2018 in Alberta, Canada. We used Cox proportional hazard models to determine the association of severe co-morbidity based on the Charlson Co-morbidity Index with 1-year mortality after stroke, assessing for effect modification by stroke type, age, and sex, and with adjustment for estimated stroke severity, comprehensive stroke centre care, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and year of study...

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to summarize the optimal strategy for early feeding in patients with acute pancreatitis. METHODS: The search was undertaken in electronic databases, which compared early with delayed feeding in acute pancreatitis. The primary outcome was the length of hospital stay (LOHS). The second outcomes were intolerance of refeeding, mortality, and total cost of each patient. This meta-analysis followed the "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses" guideline...

BACKGROUND: Smaller serving sizes of alcoholic drinks could reduce alcohol consumption across populations thereby lowering the risk of many diseases. The effect of modifying the available range of serving sizes of beer and cider in a real-world setting has yet to be studied. The current study assessed the impact on beer and cider sales of adding a serving size of draught beer and cider (2/3 pint) that was between the current smallest (1/2 pint) and largest (1 pint) standard serving sizes...

BACKGROUND: Starvation-induced tumor microenvironment significantly alters genetic profiles including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), further regulating the malignant biological characteristics (invasion and migration) of clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). METHODS: Transcriptome RNA-sequencing data of 539 ccRCC tumors and 72 normal tissues were acquired from the TCGA and paired clinical samples of 50 ccRCC patients. In vitro experiments, such as qPCR, migration and invasion assays were applied to reveal the clinical relevance of LINC-PINT, AC108449...

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) controls synthesis of sex steroid hormones through hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis in vertebrates. But in mollusks, research on neuroendocrine control of gonadal function, such as the function of GnRH during gonadal development is limited. In this study, we investigated the morphology and structure of the nerve ganglia of Zhikong scallop Chlamys farreri by physiological and histological observations. We also cloned the ORF and studied the expression patterns of GnRH in the scallop...

Objective: Liver cancer (LC) is the most common cause of cancer mortality. This study aimed to explore the impact of LINC-PINT polymorphisms on LC. Materials & methods: The authors recruited 591 LC patients and 592 healthy controls. The association between LINC-PINT polymorphisms and susceptibility to LC was determined by logistic regression analysis. Results: The authors found that rs157916 and rs16873842 reduced susceptibility to LC. rs157916 decreased LC risk in patients aged <55 years, nondrinkers and those with BMI <24...

This study investigated the effects of 10 weeks of recreational football training on the leg-extensor force-velocity (F-V) profile in 55- to 70-year-old adults. Simultaneous effects on functional capacity, body composition and endurance exercise capacity were examined. Forty participants (age 63.5 ± 3.9 years; 36♂ 4♀) were randomized in a football training (FOOT, n = 20) and a control (CON, n = 20) group. FOOT performed 45-min to 1-h of football training sessions with small-sided games twice a week...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Outcome has improved during the last decades due to secondary prevention and widespread coronary interventions, but recent studies still show sex differences and insufficient drug adherence. We aimed to determine differences in the treatment strategies and outcomes between women and men with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in Germany. METHODS: From the Federal Association of the Local Health Insurance Funds (Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse), 175,187 patients were identified who were hospitalized due to STEMI in Germany between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2017...

BACKGROUND: Positive thinking is a cognitive attitude that focuses on optimism and aims for positive results. Positive thinking leads to positive emotions, more adaptive behaviors, and better problem solving. Positive thoughts can inspire individuals and have been linked to increased psychological health. On the other hand, negative thoughts are related to unsatisfactory mental health. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Positive Thinking Skills Scale (PTSS) and to verify the correlations between positive thinking, resilience, and repetitive negative thinking...