Medicine
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Urology authors are required to evaluate research achievements (RAs) in the field of bladder cancer (BC). However, no such bibliometric indices were appropriately applied to quantify the contributions to BC in research. In this study, we examined 3 questions: whether RAs in China are higher than those in the United States, how the Sankey-based temporal bar graph (STBG) may be applied to the analysis of the trend of article citations in the BC field, and what subthemes were reflected in China's and the United States' proportional counts in BC articles. ⋯ With an overall increase in publications and RCRs on BC articles, research contributions assessed by the RCRs and visualized by the STBGs are suggested for use in future bibliographical studies.
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Recently, the prevalence of colorectal cancer has been increasing in Korea. Several studies have reported that adenomatous polyps, known as precancerous lesions, are associated with increased blood insulin levels. The principal objective of the present study was to examine the correlation between insulin levels and colon polyps in subjects without a history of diabetes or colorectal cancer. ⋯ The mean values of insulin, HbA1c, and fasting blood glucose were significantly increased in the adenomatous and nonadenomatous polyp groups compared to the normal group. Logistic regression analysis showed that the risk of adenoma (odds ratio [OR] 1.483; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.170-1.878) and nonadenomatous polyps (OR 1.415; 95% CI, 1.038-1.929) were increased in the high insulin level group (≥7.36 uIU/mL), and only the risk of adenoma (OR 1.312; 95% CI, 1.003-1.718) was significantly higher after adjustment for disturbance variables. This study suggests that an increase in insulin levels is a significant risk factor for colon adenoma.
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Microplastics have the characteristics of small size, high specific area, strong ability to adsorb pollutants, and difficult to degrade. They have become a major global environmental problem that humans urgently need to address. A balanced microecosystem is essential to human health. ⋯ To find out the potential predictors and to access the difference between the groups, statistical analysis will be performed in the end. The study will be the first observational cross-sectional study focusing on the effects of microplastics on nasal and gut microbiota of high-exposure population. The study is expected to provide reliable evidence to fill the gaps in the impact of microplastics on human health.
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To examine the expression level of procollagen-lysine2-oxoglutarate 5-dioxygenase 2 (PLOD2) in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and analyze its correlation with clinicopathological parameters, in order to explore the mechanism of PLOD2 in regulating invasion and metastasis of ESCC. ⋯ PLOD2 is highly expressed in ESCC and is closely related to tumor invasion and metastasis. The mechanism of PLOD2 for promoting invasion and metastasis of ESCC may be related to activation of the EMT signaling pathway to promote EMT and tumor stem cell transformation.
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To clarify the risk factors for frailty to help doctors prevent diseases that cause weakness, through early interventions. ⋯ Characteristics, comorbidities, and lifestyle factors can impact the occurrence of frailty, and relevant influencing factors should be considered.