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【Abstract】 Objective: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) and hemiarthroplasty (HA) are effective methods currently used to treat femoral neck fracture in elderly patients, but the two options remain controversial in patients over 70 years old. The main purpose of our study was to determine whether THA or HA is a superior treatment of femoral fractures involving a displaced neck in patients who are over 70 years of age. Methods: A computer-based online search of Medline (1970-2011), PubMed (1977-2011), and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (2002-2011) was conducted. Six relevant randomized controlled trials with a total of 739 patients were included for the final analysis. The analysis was performed with software RevMan 5.0. Results: We found that compared with THA, HA needed shorter average time and lost less blood. While over the long-term follow-up, THA patients exhibited significantly less pain and better function and were less likely to require a revision hip surgery. Postoperative infection was equally common among HA and THA patients. Conclusions: The significant differences in outcomes suggest that THA is a valuable treatment option for active elderly hip fracture individuals. However, patients who are older, impaired or institutionalized benefit from HA. Key words: Hip fractures; Arthroplasty, replacement, hip; Aged; Meta-analysis

Purpose: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the deadliest tumors, which is involved in numerous dysregulated microRNAs including miR-137. However, the mechanism of how miR-137 suppression associated with cancer progression and chemoresistance still remains to be elucidated. Methods: Quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR), DNA methylation analysis, cell proliferation assay, flow cytometric analysis, invasion assay, in situ tumor formation experiment were performed to test the expression levels and functions of miR-137 in GBM. Bioinformatics analysis, luciferase reporter assay, qRT-PCR, immunoblotting, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry assay were used to identify and verify the target of miR-137. Results: We found that miR-137 was downregulated in primary and recurrent GBM compared with normal brain tissues. Overexpression of miR-137 inhibited cell invasion and enhanced cell chemosensitivity to temozolomide (TMZ) by directly targeting low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) in GBM. Forced expression of LRP6 cDNA without its 3'-UTR region partly restored the effects of miR-137 in vitro and in vivo. Hypoxia-induced miR-137 methylation was responsible for the miR-137 suppression, leading to the cell chemoresistance and poor prognosis of GBM. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated the detailed molecular mechanism of miR-137 in regulating GBM growth and chemoresistance in hypoxia microenvironment, suggesting the potentiality of miR-137 as a therapeutic target for GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To evaluate the associations of pre-endoscopy anxiety with discomfort and tolerance in patients undergoing unsedated esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD). Methods: This is a hospital-based cohort study of 348 patients undergoing routine, non-advanced EGD without sedation. The primary outcomes were discomfort and tolerance. The anxiety before endoscopy was evaluated with a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS). The associations of pre-endoscopy anxiety with the outcomes were evaluated with logistic regression adjusting for potential confounders like age, sex, and body mass index. Results: Seventy patients reported severe discomfort and 56 patients reported poor tolerance after endoscopy. The risk of severe discomfort increased with pre-endoscopy anxiety and reached a platform around 7–10 points. Compared with the participants with low pre-endoscopy anxiety, those with moderate (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.70, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 to 6.22) and high level of anxiety (adjusted OR 6.87, 95% CI 2.16 to 21.79) were associated with a gradual increase in the risk of severe discomfort (P-trend < 0.001). The association between pre-endoscopy anxiety and tolerance was linear, with an adjusted OR of 1.67(95% CI 1.33 to 2.08) for a 1-score increase in pre-endoscopy anxiety VAS. The associations were not modified by age, sex, pharyngitis, duration of endoscopy, and diameter of the endoscope. Conclusions: Pre-endoscopy anxiety was an independent predictor of severe discomfort and poor tolerance in Chinese patients undergoing unsedated EGD. Our findings suggested the importance of the management of anxiety to reduce adverse endoscopic experience and taking high level of anxiety as an indication for sedation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are recommended for preventing gastrointestinal lesions induced by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). We performed this study: (1) to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of PPIs, (2) to explore the association between effectiveness and potential influential factors, and (3) to investigate the comparative effect of different PPIs.Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched to identify randomized controlled trials comparing different classes of PPIs, or comparing PPIs with placebo, H2 receptor antagonists or misoprostol in NSAIDs users. Both pairwise meta-analysis and Bayesian network meta-analysis were performed.Results: Analyses were based on 12,532 participants from 31 trials. PPIs were significantly more effective than placebo in reducing ulcer complications (relative risk [RR] = 0.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.20 to 0.42) and endoscopic peptic ulcers (RR = 0.27; 95% CI, 0.22 to 0.33), with no subgroup differences according to class of NSAIDs, ulcer risk, history of previous ulcer disease, Helicobacter pylori infection, or age. To prevent one ulcer complication, 10 high risk patients and 268 moderate risk patients need PPI therapy. Network meta-analysis indicated that the effectiveness of different PPIs in reducing ulcer complications and endoscopic peptic ulcers is generally similar. PPIs significantly reduced gastrointestinal adverse events and the related withdrawals compared to placebo; there is no difference in safety between different PPIs.Conclusions: PPIs are effective and safe in preventing peptic ulcers and complications in a wide spectrum of patients requiring NSAID therapy. There is no major difference in the comparative effectiveness and safety between different PPIs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Heterojunction structures were fabricated, which consisted of a double-walled carbon nanotube (DWCNT) thin film coated either on an n-type silicon wafer or an n-type silicon nanowires (SiNW) array with varied lengths. Current–voltage characteristics measured under laser (532nm) irradiation showed that the photoresponse [(light current−dark current)/dark current] of the heterojunctions dramatically depends on the length of SiNWs. Increase in the length of SiNWs led first to increase and then to decrease in the photoresponse of DWCNT/SiNW heterojunction. The heterojunction with a SiNW length of ca. 600nm has the highest the photoresponse value of 10.72. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 (SBTi) and Sr-deficient SBTi thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si(100) substrates using a sol-gel method. Structure, morphology and electric properties were investigated systematically. These films were random-oriented and were composed of rod-like grains. The remanent polarization (2Pr) and coercive field (Ec) of SBTi films were 24 μC/cm2 and 68 kV/cm, respectively. This value of 2Pr was much higher than the reported value of SBTi prepared by pulse laser deposition. The compounds with Sr-deficient and Bi-excess composition showed a very large remanent polarization of 35.5 μC/cm2. More importantly, both films showed high fatigue resistance against continuous switching up to 3 × 1010 cycles and excellent charge-retaining ability up to 3 × 104 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: La, Nd, Sm, and Dy-doped Sr2Bi4Ti5O18 (SBTi) ceramic samples have been prepared by the solid-state reaction method. The X-ray diffraction reveals that all of the ceramic samples are single phase compounds. Their remnant polarization (2P r) increases at first, and then decreases with the increase of doping content. When doping content is 0.01, Sm and Dy-doped SBTi samples exhibit the maximum 2P r of 18.2 and 20.1μC/cm2, respectively. While La and Nd-doped SBTi samples display the maximum 2P r value of 18.4 and 19.1μC/cm2 with doping content of 0.05 and 0.10, respectively. The ferroelectric properties of Sr2Bi4− xLnx Ti5O18 are found to be dominated by the competition of the decrease of oxygen vacancy concentration and the relief of structural distortion. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Vanadium incorporation in SrBi4Ti4O15 results in an improvement of electric properties. Raman scattering reveals that V-addition brings about the local disorders of structure, charge, and internal stress. The chemical valence of Bi and Ti does not increase after V-doping. The electric property improvement is originated from the restraint of oxygen vacancies, mobility weakening of the defects, and the vacancies produced at A-site. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ferroelectric ceramics of Bi4Ti3O12, SrBi4Ti4O15, and lanthanum-doped Bi4Ti3O12–SrBi4Ti4O15 were synthesized, and their Raman spectra were investigated. La-doping resulted in the enlargement of remnant polarization of Bi4Ti3O12–SrBi4Ti4O15. The structure of the Bi2O2 layers and TiO6 octahedra of the intergrowth was found to be different from those of Bi4Ti3O12 and SrBi4Ti4O15. La3+ ions exhibit pronounced selectivity for the occupation of A site as La content is lower than 0.50, and tend to be incorporated into Bi2O2 layers when the La content is higher than 0.50. Lanthanum substitution brings about the structural phase transition in Bi4Ti3O12–SrBi4Ti4O15. The variation of ferroelectric property may be attributed to combined contribution from the decreasing of the oxygen vacancies, the relaxation of the lattice distortion, the destroying of the insulation and the space charge compensation effects of the Bi2O2 slabs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The electronic and optical properties of newly discovered alloy superconductor MgCNi3 are studied using density functional calculations and generalized gradient approximation method. The calculated results exhibit that the conduction bands in this compound are derived by Ni 3d and C 2p states. The top valence states have essentially Ni 3d characters and the C 2p states occupy the region from 4.0 to 7.0 eV below Fermi energy. EF locates just at the step slope of sharply structured Ni 3dyz+zx and 3d3z2−r2 peaks. The doping carriers from Mg atoms destroy the magnetic order. The calculated optical properties show that the optical conductivity in the energy range 0–12 eV is contributed from the Ni 3d to Ni 4s and C 2p transitions. The densities of states near Fermi energy N(EF) are evaluated to be 5.50 states/eV/cell, which yields a theoretical Sommerfeld constant γcal∼4.45 mJ/mol-Ni K2. Based on BCS strong-coupling theory and first-principle calculation, the Debye frequency for MgCNi3 is estimated to be 87 cm−1 approximately. We conclude that the mechanism of superconductivity in MgCNi3 is of the type of BCS with strong electron–phonon coupling. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Currently 2 difference classes of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitors, coxibs and relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors, are available for patients requiring nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) therapy; their gastroprotective effect is hardly directly compared. The aim of this study was to compare the gastroprotective effect of relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors with coxibs. MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (from their inception to March 2015) were searched for potential eligible studies. We included randomized controlled trials comparing coxibs (celecoxib, etoricoxib, parecoxib, and lumiracoxib), relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors (nabumetone, meloxicam, and etodolac), and nonselective NSAIDs with a study duration ≥ 4 weeks. Comparative effectiveness and safety data were pooled by Bayesian network meta-analysis. The primary outcomes were ulcer complications and symptomatic ulcer. Summary effect-size was calculated as risk ratio (RR), together with the 95% confidence interval (CI). This study included 36 trials with a total of 112,351 participants. Network meta-analyses indicated no significant difference between relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors and coxibs regarding ulcer complications (RR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.47-3.27), symptomatic ulcer (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.09-3.92), and endoscopic ulcer (RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.37-2.96). Network meta-analyses adjusting potential influential factors (age, sex, previous ulcer disease, and follow-up time), and sensitivity analyses did not reveal any major change to the main results. Network meta-analyses suggested that relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors and coxibs were associated with comparable incidences of total adverse events (AEs) (RR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.93-1.31), gastrointestinal AEs (RR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.87-1.25), total withdrawals (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.74-1.33), and gastrointestinal AE-related withdrawals (RR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.57-1.74). Relatively selective COX-2 inhibitors appear to be associated with similar gastroprotective effect and tolerability as coxibs. Owing to the indirectness of the comparisons, future research is required to confirm the study conclusion.