Plos One
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The aim of the study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Medical Outcomes Study HIV Health Survey (MOS-HIV) in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) in mainland China. ⋯ The results of this study provide evidence that the MOS-HIV may be an acceptable, valid and reliable instrument for evaluating QOL of PLWHA in mainland China.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of traffic-injury related hospitalisation between bicyclists and motorcyclists in Taiwan.
Bicyclists and motorcyclists contribute substantially to the morbidity and mortality rates of road crash casualties. The objective of the study was to investigate the crash characteristics of bicyclist and motorcyclist casualties presented to hospitals in Taiwan resulting from crashes. ⋯ The result that bicyclists had an increased probability of being hospitalised than motorcyclists is particularly noteworthy, because there have recently been much more users of bikesharing systems in metropolitan cities where cycle helmets are not provided. We further found that helmet non-use was also a risk factor for motorcyclists, but insignificant for cyclists, possibly due to lower helmet utilization rates among bicyclists. Our findings regarding the increased hospitalisation percentage emphasize the importance of helmet use.
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Although several studies have explored factors associated with loss to follow-up (LTFU) from HIV care, there remains a gap in understanding how these factors vary by setting, volume of patient and patients' demographic and clinical characteristics. We determined rates and factors associated with LTFU in HIV care Lilongwe, Malawi. ⋯ A sizeable proportion of ART LTFU occurred among women enrolled during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Non- compliance to clinic and receiving ART in a rural facility or high-volume facility were associated with increased risk of LTFU from ART care. Developing effective interventions that target high-risk subgroups and contexts may help reduce LTFU from HIV care.
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The CRISPR/Cas9 system is an RNA guided nuclease system that evolved as a mechanism of adaptive immunity in bacteria. This system has been adopted for numerous genome engineering applications in research and recently, therapeutics. The CRISPR/Cas9 system has been largely implemented by delivery of Cas9 as protein, RNA, or plasmid along with a chimeric crRNA-tracrRNA guide RNA (gRNA) under the expression of a pol III promoter, such as U6. ⋯ To augment the capability and accessibility of multiplexed genome engineering, we developed an efficient golden gate based method to assemble gRNAs linked by optimal Csy4 ribonuclease sequences to deliver up to 10 gRNAs as a single gRNA array transcript. Here we report the optimal expression of our guide RNA array under a strong pol II promoter. This system can be implemented alongside the myriad of CRISPR applications, allowing users to model complex biological processes requiring numerous gRNAs.
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Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (IPD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by typical motor impairment. However, lower urinary tract symptoms, including urinary urgency or frequency, which are non-motor phenomena, occur frequently among patients with IPD. In this study, we assess the risk of overactive bladder (OAB) in patients with IPD. ⋯ This study reveals that IPD is independently associated with an increased risk of OAB in patients with IPD. The probability of OAB was 1.54% over a 10-year period after IPD diagnosis; the risk of OAB is considered to be age-dependent and most substantial in patients aged 65-74 years.