Language Search Research Articles

Supratentorial neurenteric cyst: Analysis of 45 cases in the literature

Supratentorial neurenteric cysts (S-NC) are extremely rare. Patients with these lesions may present with headache, seizures or neurological deficit related to their location. Complete surgical excision, including its capsule, must be the aim of the surgery. However, strong adhesion of the cyst wall to the surrounding neurovascular structures may sometimes necessitate subtotal removal of the cyst capsule. In this study, the authors report two cases and review the literature for reported cases of S-NC to analyze clinical and radiographic presentations as well as surgical approaches and neurological outcomes. A MEDLINE/PubMed in English language search was performed, revealing 43 S-NC cases. The authors report two additional cases in the study, resulting a total of 45 cases. Each case was analyzed for clinical presentation, lesion location, radiographic features, treatment method, and outcome. There were 25 male, 18 female and 2 newborns. The average age was 42,2 (range 0–78 years). The majority of cases (63,6%) occurred in patients between the ages of 20 and 50, but 15.9% were over 70. Frontal lobe was affected in 29 cases (64,4%), parietal lobe in 12, temporal lobe in 4, occipital in 1, and sellar or parasellar region in 4. Three cases were intraventricular. Lesions were in left side in 23 cases, in right side in 16, and on midline in 7. The majority of cases (73,3%) were extra-axial. The most common presenting symptom was headache (42,2%). The average size was 5.38 cm (greater measure) Seizures occurred in 35,5% and motor deficit in 17,7%. Other presentations were visual deficit (13,3%) and behavior changes (8,8%). Hemorrhage occurred in 2 cases, one spontaneous and one after cyst aspiration. Craniotomy with resection of the cyst (partial or complete) was performed in 95,5%. One case was treated with cyst aspiration and one case was just observed (surgery was performed in another cyst in posterior fossa). Thirty-two cases showed total improvement of symptoms, and 4 partial improvement after treatment. Two cases presented malignant transformation and two presented recurrent lesion. Complications after treatment occurred in 5 cases: 2 presented seizures in immediate postoperative period, one presented hemorrhage, one had transient SIADH. Infection occurred in just one case. S-NC are rare and challenging lesions. The radiological features are nonspecific, and it is difficult to differentiate enterogenous cysts from other cystic lesions such as arachnoid cyst, epidermoid or glioependymal cyst. In cases with mass effect and refractory symptoms, surgical removal is indicated, including liquid drainage, capsule removal and cisternal communication. Resection of these lesions is associated with favorable outcomes.

Evidence for changes in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts resulting from exposure to alien species in Europe: a systematic map

BackgroundAlien species are frequently considered a serious environmental threat but negative impacts on human health through injury, allergy, or as vectors of disease sometimes have the most dire consequences for human livelihoods. Climate change and the increasing magnitude and frequency of introductions of species across geographic barriers as a result of international trade are likely to change their establishment, spread, abundance, physiology or phenology, potentially also altering their human health impacts. Yet despite receiving increasing attention in the scientific literature, there have been few attempts to quantify recent changes in human health impacts. Here we report the findings from a systematic map of the literature identifying evidence of any change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of impacts of alien species on human health in Europe over the last 25 years.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search of the ecological and medical literature using English language search terms to identify potentially relevant studies. Search results were assessed against inclusion criteria published in an a priori protocol at title, abstract and full-text to determine their suitability for inclusion in the review. Repeatability was checked at each stage by comparing a subset between reviewers and testing for inter-rater agreement using Cohen’s kappa test. Studies deemed relevant at full text were coded against bibliographic, inclusion and study design criteria to create a searchable database of evidence.ResultsSearches retrieved over 15,700 results yet only sixteen cases met criteria for inclusion in the systematic map. Most of this evidence represents first records of impacts from different areas, and in particular first reports of transmission of exotic diseases by introduced mosquito species.ConclusionsThere is currently limited published evidence demonstrating a change in the occurrence, frequency or severity of human health impacts caused by alien species in Europe over the last 25 years. Relevant studies relate to only a few species, often report specific cases and rarely link health impacts with ecology, distribution or spread of the species. Difficulties in attributing human health impacts, such as stings or allergies, to a specific alien species likely complicate attempts to measure changes, as may differences in professional interests between the environmental and health professions. Future studies could helpfully compare spread or abundance with reported, rather than potential, health impacts. Better cooperation between invasion ecologists and health professionals working in affected areas are likely to be necessary to improve the evidence base on this topic for the future.

An open source and modular search engine for biomedical literature retrieval

AbstractThis work presents the bioMine system, a full‐text natural language search engine for biomedical literature. bioMine provides search capabilities based on the full‐text content of documents belonging to a database composed of scientific articles and allows users to submit their search queries using natural language. Beyond the text content of articles, the system engine also uses article metadata, empowering the search by considering extra information from picture and table captions. bioMine is publicly released as an open‐source system under the MIT license.

Lixisenatide: A New Option for Managing Type 2 Diabetes.

Objective: To evaluate the clinical role of Adlyxin (lixisenatide) in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. Data Sources: A MEDLINE search of the English language indexed from January 2013 to April 2017 was conducted using the search terms lixisenatide, safety, and efficacy. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Studies including human subjects were utilized to assess the efficacy and safety of lixisenatide. Data Synthesis: Lixisenatide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) that increases glucose-dependent insulin release, decreases glucagon secretion, and slows gastric emptying. Clinical trials demonstrate that lixisenatide is an effective add-on pharmacotherapy option to achieve goal HbA1c levels. For example, in the Get Goal-Duo 1 study, HbA1c decreased to 7.0% in the lixisenatide group versus 7.3% in the placebo group (least square mean difference of -0.3%, P < .0001). Furthermore, lixisenatide was shown to be superior to liraglutide in reducing postbreakfast glucose levels. Conclusions: Clinical studies have demonstrated that lixisenatide is a safe and effective treatment option for type 2 diabetes mellitus. In addition, it may be a safer and equally effective option to rapid-acting insulin.

Applicant Perspectives on the Otolaryngology Residency Application Process

It has been nearly 25 years since medical students were queried regarding their perspectives on otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) residency selection. Understanding this viewpoint is critical to improving the current application process. To evaluate the perceptions of 2016 OHNS residency applicants regarding the application process and offer suggestions for reform. In this cross-sectional study of anonymous online survey data, a 14-question survey was designed based on resources obtained from a computerized PubMed, Ovid, and GoogleScholar database search of the English language from January 1, 1990, through December 31, 2015, was conducted using the following search terms: (medical student OR applicant) AND (application OR match) AND otolaryngology. The survey was administered to 2016 OHNS residency applicants to examine 4 primary areas: current attitudes toward the match, effect of the new Otolaryngology Program Directors Organization personal statement mandate, sources of advice and information, and suggestions for improvement. In January 2016, an email was sent to 100 program directors asking them to distribute the survey to current OHNS applicants at their institution. One follow-up reminder email was sent in February 2016. A link to the survey was posted on the Otomatch.com homepage on January 28, 2016, with the last response received on March 28, 2016. Survey responses regarding the residency application process. A total of 150 of 370 residency applicants (40.5%) responded to the survey. Of these, 125 respondents (90.6%) noted applying to programs in which they had no specific interest simply to improve their chances of matching. Applicants intended to apply to more programs than they actually did (63.6 vs 60.8; r = 0.19; 95% CI, -0.03 to 0.40). Program directors advised fewer applications than other sources; however, 58 respondents (38.7%) did not receive advice from a program director. A total of 121 respondents (80.7%) found online program information to be insufficient. Finally, 90 of 140 respondents (64.3%) noted that they would agree to a hard cap on applications, among other suggestions for improvement. Several main themes emerged from the data, providing a foundation for process improvement opportunities: careful consideration to applicant mentorship, including peers; uniform set of criteria for residency program websites; and investigating alternative match platforms, which may allow hard caps, flagging programs of higher interest, or wave application cycles. Overall, the otolaryngology applicant provides a unique perspective regarding the current state of the match and potential opportunities for system-wide improvement.

Demand for food safety in emerging and developing countries

PurposeFood safety in emerging and developing regions is receiving increased attention from economists, researchers and policymakers. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of the literature on the economics of food safety in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Of interest are studies exploring consumer demand and producer behavior regarding food safety. Particular attention is given to areas in need of additional research. The studies’ common implications for future research are discussed.Design/methodology/approachTwo English language searches were conducted in the summer of 2013 to identify relevant studies on the economics of food safety, one each in Google Scholar and Web of Science. The authors carefully reviewed the abstracts of these studies for content, and select papers were identified that capture overarching themes found in the literature. Findings are presented by region.FindingsConsumers in developing countries will become increasingly aware of food safety issues as urbanization proceeds and incomes continue to rise at robust rates. However, assuring food safety in modernizing food systems involves significant costs, and current incomes in developing SSA are far lower than in Asia. The authors find that overall consumer awareness of food safety problems in SSA is low relative to Asia. Moreover, knowledge of producer behavior and consumer demand for food safety in developing countries is very limited.Research limitations/implicationsLimitations include a lack of information available on domestic food safety issues and overall knowledge of how food safety affects developing agrifood systems.Originality/valueThe findings from this review contribute to a better understanding of the economics of food safety in emerging and developing regions.

統制語索引と自然語検索を補完するCitation Semanticの効用( 統制語彙・シソーラスの現在)

統制語索引と自然語検索を補完するCitation Semanticの効用( 統制語彙・シソーラスの現在)

Characteristics of non-vitreoretinal ocular injury in child maltreatment: a systematic review.

explicit confirmation of injury aetiology, age <18 years, examination conducted by an ophthalmologist. Exclusion: post-mortem data, organic diseases, review articles. Standardised critical appraisal and narrative synthesis was conducted of included publications by two independent reviewers.ResultsOf 1492 studies identified, 153 full texts were assessed, 49 underwent full review, resulting in five included studies: three case series and two case reports. The 26 included cases describe a wide variety of ocular, facial and skeletal injuries occurring as a consequence of child maltreatment. Ocular signs included periorbital oedema, chemosis, injection, abrasion, hyphaema, and cataract. Of interest all children that had suffered physical abuse with ocular injury had subconjunctival haemorrhages. Children presenting with abusive ocular injuries had a mean age of 13.9 months (range 1-68), while those who suffered violent corporal punishment were considerably older (mean 96 months). All cases, apart from severe corporal punishment, underwent screening for occult fractures, but neuroimaging only apparent in 2/5 eligible cases.ConclusionAlthough, the face is the most common site of abusive injury, there is a paucity of high-quality data on non-vitreoretinal ocular abusive injury. Thus, while subconjunctival haemorrhages are a potential sentinel injury of maltreatment, and may warrant further evaluation, the lack of large-scale published data limits our ability to highlight further specific characteristics of non-vitreoretinal ocular injury indicative of child abuse.

Self-medication among people living with hypertension: a review.

Self-medication is commonly practised by patients, underpinned by health beliefs that affect their adherence to medication regimens, and impacting on treatment outcomes. This review explores the scope of self-medication practices among people with hypertension, in terms of the scale of use, types of medication and influencing factors. A comprehensive search of English language, peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2014 was performed. Twenty-seven studies met the inclusion criteria; 22 of these focused on complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). Anti-hypertensive medications are listed among the 11% of products that patients reportedly obtain over-the-counter (OTC) for self-medication. On average, 25% of patients use CAMs, mostly herbs, to lower blood pressure. Recommendations by family, friends and neighbours are the most influential factors for self-medication with CAMs. Faith in treatment with CAMs, dissatisfaction with conventional medicine and the desire to reduce medication costs are also cited. Most (70%) patients with hypertension take OTC medicines to treat minor illnesses. The concurrent use of anti-hypertensive medications with analgesics and herbal medicines is commonly practised. The sociodemographic profile of patients engaging in self-medication differs markedly in the articles reviewed; self-medication practices cannot be attributed to a particular profile. Low disclosure of self-medication is consistently reported. This review highlights a high proportion of people with hypertension practise self-medication. Further studies are needed to assess the impact of self-medication with OTC and anti-hypertensive medications on hypertension treatment. Health professionals involved in hypertension management should be mindful of any types of self-medication practices.

Intralesional cryotherapy for hypertrophic scars and keloids: a review.

Introduction:Hypertrophic and keloid scarring remain notoriously troublesome for patients to tolerate and frustratingly difficult for clinicians to treat. Many different treatment modalities exist, signifying the failure of any method to achieve consistently excellent results. Intralesional cryotherapy is a relatively recent development that uses a double lumen needle, placed through the core of a keloid or hypertrophic scar, to deliver nitrogen vapour, which freezes the scar from its core, outwards.Methods:This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on intralesional cryotherapy for hypertrophic scars and keloids. A systematic review or meta-analysis was not possible, since the existing articles did not permit this.Results:A search of English language, peer-reviewed literature was carried out. The evidence base was found to be low (level 4). In addition, much of the published evidence comes from a very few groups. Despite this, consistent findings from case series suggest that the technique is safe and achieves good scar reduction with very few treatments. Adverse effects include depigmentation, recurrence and pain. Pain and recurrence appear to be uncommon and depigmentation may be temporary.Discussion:Well-constructed, prospectively recruited comparative trials are absent from the literature. These are strongly encouraged, in order to strengthen general confidence in this technique and in the repeatability of outcomes reported thus far.

MEGGASENSE - The Metagenome/Genome Annotated Sequence Natural Language Search Engine: A Platform for the Construction of Sequence Data Warehouses.

The MEGGASENSE platform constructs relational databases of DNA or protein sequences. The default functional analysis uses 14 106 hidden Markov model (HMM) profiles based on sequences in the KEGG database. The Solr search engine allows sophisticated queries and a BLAST search function is also incorporated. These standard capabilities were used to generate the SCATT database from the predicted proteome of Streptomyces cattleya. The implementation of a specialised metagenome database (AMYLOMICS) for bioprospecting of carbohydrate-modifying enzymes is described. In addition to standard assembly of reads, a novel 'functional' assembly was developed, in which screening of reads with the HMM profiles occurs before the assembly. The AMYLOMICS database incorporates additional HMM profiles for carbohydrate-modifying enzymes and it is illustrated how the combination of HMM and BLAST analyses helps identify interesting genes. A variety of different proteome and metagenome databases have been generated by MEGGASENSE.

Review of Moser (2016): A Billion Voices: China’s Search for a Common Language

Review of Moser (2016): A Billion Voices: China’s Search for a Common Language

Association between organisational and workplace cultures, and patient outcomes: systematic review protocol

IntroductionDespite widespread interest in the topic, no current synthesis of research is available analysing the linkages between organisational or workplace cultures on the one hand, and patient outcomes on the...

Implicit Negative Feedback in Clinical Information Retrieval

In this paper, we reflect on ways to improve medical information retrieval accuracy by drawing implicit negative feedback from negated information in noisy natural language search queries. We begin by studying the extent to which negations occur in clinical texts and quantifying their detrimental effect on retrieval performance. Subsequently, we present approaches to query reformulation and ranking that remedy these shortcomings by resolving natural language negations. Our experimental results are based on data collected in the course of the TREC Clinical Decision Support Track and show consistent improvements compared to state-of-the-art methods. For queries that make excessive use of negations, we were able to achieve up to 300% relative improvement in early precision.

Is Routine Pathologic Evaluation of Sebaceous Cysts Necessary?: A 15-Year Retrospective Review of a Single Institution.

A question arose in our practice of whether all cysts considered sebaceous should be sent for pathologic evaluation. To address this controversial topic, we performed a retrospective study of our single institution's histopathology database. A natural language search of the CoPath database across the institution was undertaken using the diagnosis of sebaceous cyst, epidermal cyst, epidermoid cyst, epithelial cyst, infundibular cyst, pilar cyst, trichilemmal cyst, and steatocystoma. A surgical pathologic review of all specimens with one of these preexcision diagnoses was included in the 15-year retrospective study of 1998 to 2013. All slides were confirmed to have undergone histopathologic review, and the preexcision diagnoses were compared with the postexcision diagnoses. Chart review was undertaken in instances of a diagnosis of malignancy. A total of 13,746 samples were identified. Forty-eight specimens had histopathologic diagnosis of malignancy, for an incidence of 0.3% and with the most common malignancy being squamous cell carcinoma. Chart review showed that for all cases, the surgeons reported uncertainty with regard to the diagnosis because of history or physical characteristics, or both. In addition, a comprehensive literature review showed results consistent with our data and illustrated 19 cases during the past 10 years in which most of the findings were squamous cell carcinoma. We propose the recommendation that routine pathologic evaluation of sebaceous cysts is necessary only when clinical suspicion exists.

Omega-3 fatty acids (ῳ-3 fatty acids) in epilepsy: animal models and human clinical trials

ABSTRACTIntroduction: There is growing interest in alternative and nutritional therapies for drug resistant epilepsy. ῳ-3 fatty acids such as fish or krill oil are widely available supplements used to lower triglycerides and enhance cardiovascular health. ῳ-3 fatty acids have been studied extensively in animal models of epilepsy. Yet, evidence from randomized controlled clinical trials in epilepsy is at an early stage.Areas covered: This report focuses on the key ῳ-3 fatty acids DHA and EPA, their incorporation into the lipid bilayer, modulation of ion channels, and mechanisms of action in reducing excitability within the central nervous system. This paper presents pre-clinical evidence from mouse, rat, and canine models, and reports the efficacy of n-3 fatty acids in randomized controlled clinical trials. An English language search of PubMed and Google scholar for the years 1981–2016 was performed for animal studies and human randomized controlled clinical trials.Expert commentary: Basic science and animal models provide a cogent rationale and substantial evidence for a role of ῳ-3 fatty acids in reducing seizures. Results in humans are limited. Recent Phase II RCT evidence suggests that low to moderate dose of ῳ-3 fatty acids reduce seizures; however, larger multicenter randomized trials are needed to confirm or refute the evidence. The safety, health effects, low cost and ease of use make ῳ-3 fatty acids an intriguing alternative therapy for drug resistant epilepsy. Though safety of profile is excellent, the human data is not yet sufficient to support efficacy in drug resistant epilepsy at this time.

Privacy-Preserving and Regular Language Search Over Encrypted Cloud Data

Using cloud-based storage service, users can remotely store their data to clouds but also enjoy the high quality data retrieval services, without the tedious and cumbersome local data storage and maintenance. However, the sole storage service cannot satisfy all desirable requirements of users. Over the last decade, privacy-preserving search over encrypted cloud data has been a meaningful and practical research topic for outsourced data security. The fact of remote cloud storage service that users cannot have full physical possession of their data makes the privacy data search a formidable mission. A naive solution is to delegate a trusted party to access the stored data and fulfill a search task. This, nevertheless, does not scale well in practice as the fully data access may easily yield harm for user privacy. To securely introduce an effective solution, we should guarantee the privacy of search contents, i.e., what a user wants to search, and return results, i.e., what a server returns to the user. Furthermore, we also need to guarantee privacy for the outsourced data, and bring no additional local search burden to user. In this paper, we design a novel privacy-preserving functional encryption-based search mechanism over encrypted cloud data. A major advantage of our new primitive compared with the existing public key based search systems is that it supports an extreme expressive search mode, regular language search. Our security and performance analysis show that the proposed system is provably secure and more efficient than some searchable systems with high expressiveness.

The multifunctional roles of vegetated strips around and within agricultural fields. A systematic map protocol

Abstract Background Agriculture and agricultural intensification can have significant negative impacts on the environment, including nutrient and pesticide leaching, spreading of pathogens, soil erosion and reduction of ecosystem services provided by terrestrial and aquatic biodiversity. The establishment and management of vegetated strips adjacent to farmed fields (including various field margins, buffer strips and hedgerows) are key mitigation measures for these negative environmental impacts and environmental managers and other stakeholders must often make decisions about how best to design and implement vegetated strips for a variety of different outcomes. However, it may be difficult to obtain relevant, accurate and summarised information on the effects of implementation and management of vegetated strips, even though a vast body of evidence exists on multipurpose vegetated strip interventions within and around fields. To improve the situation, we describe a method for assembling a database of relevant research relating to vegetated strips undertaken in boreo-temperate farming systems (arable, pasture, horticulture, orchards and viticulture), according to the primary question: What evidence exists regarding the effects of field margins on nutrients, pollutants, socioeconomics, biodiversity, and soil retention? Methods We will search 13 bibliographic databases, one search engine and 37 websites for stakeholder organisations using a predefined and tested search string that focuses on a comprehensive list of vegetated strip synonyms. Non-English language searches in Danish, Finnish, German, Spanish, and Swedish will also be undertaken using a web-based search engine. We will screen search results at title, abstract and full text levels, recording the number of studies deemed non-relevant (with reasons at full text). A systematic map database that displays the meta-data (i.e. descriptive summary information about settings and methods) of relevant studies will be produced following full text assessment. The systematic map database will be displayed as a web-based geographical information system (GIS). The nature and extent of the evidence base will be discussed.

Chinese ecclesiology – post-denominationalism and the search for an ecclesiological language

The quest for ecclesiology is apparent in Chinese theology and church life, both in China and abroad. It has been responded to with reference to different sorts of deductively elaborated ecclesiologies. This article suggests that analyses of present teaching and practices in Chinese churches should be undertaken in order to understand more precisely what sort of implicit or explicit ecclesiologies are already operative. On the basis of an ecclesiological hermeneutics, it would be possible to achieve an ecclesiological reconstruction in Chinese theology, recognising the given divine revelation.

S768I Mutation in EGFR in Patients with Lung Cancer

IntroductionEpidermal growth factor receptor gene (EGFR) mutations are relatively common oncogenic drivers in non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The outcomes of patients who present with less common EGFR mutations or more than one EGFR mutation are uncertain. We reviewed our experience with the S768I mutation of exon 20 of EGFR to provide insight into the clinical significance of this mutation. MethodsWe used a natural language search program to search our electronic medical record system and every EGFR mutation analysis of patients with NSCLC treated at Mayo Clinic that was performed in our Department of Molecular Genetics to identify patients with EGFR S768I mutation. Relevant clinical and laboratory data were abstracted for selected cases, including evaluation of response after treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. ResultsA total of 1527 patients with NSCLC who underwent EGFR testing were reviewed. The S768I mutation was present in nine patients (0.59%), four of whom were female. Only three had an isolated S768I mutation, four had a concurrent G719 mutation, and two had a concurrent L858R mutation. Among patients with stage IV disease treated with erlotinib (n = 4), one had an isolated S768I mutation and three had additional mutations (two patients with G719 and one patient with L858R). The tumor response to erlotinib of patients with stage IV disease was highly variable (progression-free survival ranged from 3 to 30 months and overall survival ranged from 5 to more than 51 months). ConclusionsS768I mutations in exon 20 of the EGFR gene are rare and are typically seen in conjunction with sensitizing EGFR mutations. Because of this mutation's rarity and the variability of responses of treated cases, its exact prognostic and predictive role is not fully understood. In our experience, S768I mutations in isolation do not necessarily confer sensitivity to erlotinib, but in conjunction with sensitizing EGFR mutations, S768I mutations do not restrict efficacy.