Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and Safety of Tanezumab on Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Pains: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objectives. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tanezumab for management of osteoarthritis (OA) knee and hip pain. Methods. Articles about management of OA knee and hip pains by tanezumab were systematically searched in PubMed, EBSCO, EMBASE, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, OVID, and Cochrane Library from the available date of inception until January 2016. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the efficacy and safety of tanezumab with placebo/active comparator for management of OA knee and hip pains were included, and those with confounding conditions were excluded. Study quality was assessed using the Jadad five-point score. Finally, a meta-analysis of all eligible RCTs was performed on Review Manager 5.3 and STATA 12.0. Results. Nine studies with 10 RCTs that enrolled 7,665 patients were included. The reductions in pain intensity are significantly different between tanezumab-treated patients and placebo-treated patients (5,879 patients, mean difference [MD] = -0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI] = -1.18– -0.79). Both functional improvement (6,078 patients, MD = −1.10, 95% CI = −1.28– -0.92) and Patient’s Global Assessment (PGA; 5,366 patients, MD = -0.27, 95% CI = -0.34– -0.20) are significantly different. There are significantly more discontinued patients due to adverse events (AEs) after treatment with tanezumab (6,537 patients, risk ratio = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.29–2.03). However, differences in serious AEs are not significant. Moreover, tanezumab-treated patients suffer from significantly more paraesthesia, arthralgia, hypoaesthesia, and peripheral edema. Conclusions. Tanezumab vs placebo provides superior pain relief and improvement in physical function and PGA in knee and hip osteoarthritis patients and is generally well tolerated with acceptable AEs. Low-dose tanezumab (10 or 25 µg/kg and 2.5 mg) provides similar effectiveness in reducing pain and improving function and is associated with fewer AEs. The long-term safety of tanezumab on osteoarthritis knee and hip pain needs further investigation.
Neuropsychology and Rehabilitation Services in the United States: Brief Report from a Survey of Clinical Neuropsychologists

OBJECTIVE To provide a brief presentation of preliminary data on rehabilitation services provided by clinical neuropsychologists within the United States. METHOD This survey utilized data extracted from a larger international research study conducted in 39 countries including N = 173 professionals who reported to engage in neuropsychological rehabilitative services within the past year (63.6% female, 44.36 ± 11.83 years of age) took part in the study. RESULTS Neuropsychologists providing rehabilitation services in the United States in the past year were more likely to provide individual versus group therapy, likely to employ technology (e.g., personal computers, mobile phones/smartphones) as part of treatment services, see a range of diagnostic groups most prominently traumatic brain injury and stroke/vascular conditions, and work to address a range of both cognitive (e.g., memory, attention/concentration, and executive functioning) and psychological (e.g., emotional/behavioral adjustment and well-being, awareness of disability/disease) issues. CONCLUSIONS Prior published surveys suggest that clinical neuropsychologists have a growing involvement in rehabilitation services within the United States but with little clarity as to the actual characteristics of actual professional activities and practices. The present study aimed to provide such information and hopefully will be helpful in promoting additional systematic studies in this area.
Downregulation of LKB1 promotes tumor progression and predicts unfavorable prognosis in patients with glioma

The liver kinase B1 (LKB1)/5′-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase pathway has been reported to facilitate glioma cell growth by improving growth conditions. To investigate the clinical significance of LKB1 in human gliomas western blot analysis and quantitative polymerase chain reaction experiments were performed. The present study demonstrated that LKB1 expression was markedly decreased at the messenger RNA and protein levels in 30 freshly prepared glioma tissues, compared with non-neoplastic brain tissues (P<0.001). Subsequently, immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that LKB1 immunostaining in 180 glioma tissues was significantly decreased compared with that in the corresponding non-neoplastic brain tissues (P<0.001). Notably, this downregulation frequently occurred in high-grade gliomas, and statistical analysis revealed that low LKB1 expression was significantly associated with large tumor size (P=0.02), advanced World Health Organization grade (P=0.006) and low Karnofsky performance scale (P=0.01). The prognostic value of LKB1 expression in patients with glioma was additionally evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression models. As a result, the overall survival time of patients with glioma with low LKB1 expression was shorter compared with that of patients with high LKB1 expression (P<0.001), and low LKB1 expression also indicated decreased survival time in patients with high-grade glioma (P<0.001). Collectively, the present data indicated that the downregulation of LKB1 was closely associated with the malignant degree of human gliomas, exhibiting lower expression at a higher grade. Notably, LKB1 may serve as a potential prognostic biomarker for patients with glioma following surgery.
Nitrogen Fixation in Soils and Canals of Rehabilitated Raised‐Fields of the Bolivian Altiplano 1

Raised‐field agricultural systems were exploited extensively by pre‐Columbian Andean civilizations and now are used less extensively by contemporary Bolivian and Peruvian farmers as a method for farming the perennially wet soils of the intermontane pampas of the Andean high altiplano. The raised‐field agricultural systems are linear or semi‐linear raised planting platforms interspersed with shallow, parallel canals filled with water. The elevated planting platforms raise the critical rooting zone of crops such as potatoes, quinoa, or barley above perennially saturated soils. A hypothesized advantage of the raised‐field system is that agricultural production can be increased by exploiting the ability of bacteria and Azolla fililculoides to fix nitrogen in the canals adjacent to the planting platforms.
Featured Article: Evaluating Smartphone-Based Virtual Reality to Improve Chinese Schoolchildren’s Pedestrian Safety A Nonrandomized Trial

Objective This nonrandomized trial evaluated whether classroom-based training in a smartphone-based virtual reality (VR) pedestrian environment (a) teaches schoolchildren to cross streets safely, and (b) increases their self-efficacy for street-crossing. Methods Fifty-six children, aged 8-10 years, attending primary school in Changsha, China participated. Baseline pedestrian safety assessment occurred in the VR environment and through unobtrusive observation of a subsample crossing a street for 11 days outside school. Self-efficacy was assessed through both self-report and observation. Following baseline, children engaged in the VR for 12 days in their classrooms, honing complex cognitive-perceptual skills required to engage safely in traffic. Follow-up assessment replicated baseline. Results Probability of crash in the VR decreased posttraining (0.40 vs. 0.09), and observational data found the odds of looking at oncoming traffic while crossing the first lane of traffic increased (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4). Self-efficacy increases occurred in self-report (proportional OR = 4.7 crossing busy streets) and observation of following crossing-guard signals (OR = 0.2, first lane). Conclusions Pedestrian safety training via smartphone-based VR provides children the repeated practice needed to learn the complex skills required to cross streets safely, and also helps them improve self-efficacy to cross streets. Given rapid motorization and global smartphone penetration, plus epidemiological findings that about 75,000 children die annually worldwide in pedestrian crashes, smartphone-based VR could supplement existing policy and prevention efforts to improve global child pedestrian safety.
Characterization of Polyphenolic Content in the Aquatic Plants Ruppia cirrhosa and Ruppia maritima —A Source of Nutritional Natural Products

Herein, the polyphenolic content in extracts of Ruppia cirrhosa (Petagna) Grande and Ruppia maritima L.was fully characterized for the first time. High amounts of the main compound chicoric acid (CA) (≤30.2 ± 4.3 mg/g) were found in both Ruppia species. In addition, eight flavonoids, namely the 3-O-glucopyranosides and 3-O-galactopyranosides, as well as malonylated 3-O-glycosides of quercetin and isorhamnetin, were isolated and identified. The antioxidant activity of Ruppia cirrhosa extracts and isolated compounds was investigated spectrophotometrically by a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH·) radical scavenging assay. IC50 values were 31.8–175.7 μg/mL for Ruppia cirrhosa extracts and 12.1–88.4 μg/mL for isolated flavonoids. Both individual and total phenolic and flavonoid content were quantified in crude extracts using analytical HPLC. The relative high amount of total flavonoids ranged from 5.9 to 14.7 mg/g in both species, with concentrations of individual flavonoids ranging from 0.4 to 2.9 mg/g dry weight. The content of chicoric acid was twofold more in Ruppia maritima than in Ruppia cirrhosa. Seasonal variation of the quantitative content in Ruppia cirrhosa was examined. Total flavonoid content ranged from 8.4 mg/g in October to 14.7 mg/g in August, whereas the highest concentration of chicoric acid was observed in March (29.2 mg/g).
Evolution of magnesium sulphate for eclampsia

Eclampsia is said to occur when a woman with preeclampsia experiences generalised tonic-clonic seizures during pregnancy or shortly after delivery [1]. Eclampsia complicates between 1 to 2% of all cases of severe preeclampsia [2]. Preeclampsia is a multi-systemic disorder, characterised by hypertension and proteinuria occurring after the 20th week of pregnancy in a woman who has been previously normotensive and non-proteinuric. It is classified as one of the hypertensive disorders of pregnancy [1,2]. Eclampsia was first associated with albuminuria in 1839, before hypertension in 1897 [3]. These discoveries, coupled with the introduction of antenatal care in the first decade of the 20th century, led to better understanding and earlier diagnosis of the precursor condition known as preeclampsia. In spite of this, mortality from eclampsia still remained high in the 20th century, necessitating active search for treatment [3]. The low and middle income countries suffer a disproportionately higher morbidity and mortality from preeclampsia and eclampsia. The incidence of eclamptic convulsions reported in developed countries is 1/2000 while in developing countries; the incidence varies from 1/500 to 1/50 deliveries [4]. Most (99%) of the 63,000 women worldwide that die every year from preeclampsia and eclampsia are in low-income countries [5]. The reported case fatality rates from eclampsia range from 1.8% in some centres in high-income countries, to as high as 15% in Nigeria and Bangladesh [6,7]. This condition accounts for 25% of maternal deaths in Latin America and 10% of maternal deaths in Africa and Asia [8].
The genetic architecture of UV floral patterning in sunflower

Background and Aims The patterning of floral ultraviolet (UV) pigmentation varies both intra- and interspecifically in sunflowers and many other plant species, impacts pollinator attraction, and can be critical to reproductive success and crop yields. However, the genetic basis for variation in UV patterning is largely unknown. This study examines the genetic architecture for proportional and absolute size of the UV bullseye in Helianthus argophyllus , a close relative of the domesticated sunflower. Methods A camera modified to capture UV light (320-380 nm) was used to phenotype floral UV patterning in an F 2 mapping population, then quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified using genotyping-by-sequencing and linkage mapping. The ability of these QTL to predict the UV patterning of natural population individuals was also assessed. Key Results Proportional UV pigmentation is additively controlled by six moderate effect QTL that are predictive of this phenotype in natural populations. In contrast, UV bullseye size is controlled by a single large effect QTL that also controls flowerhead size and co-localizes with a major flowering time QTL in Helianthus . Conclusions The co-localization of the UV bullseye size QTL, flowerhead size QTL and a previously known flowering time QTL may indicate a single highly pleiotropic locus or several closely linked loci, which could inhibit UV bullseye size from responding to selection without change in correlated characters. The genetic architecture of proportional UV pigmentation is relatively simple and different from that of UV bullseye size, and so should be able to respond to natural or artificial selection independently.
The Mediation of Racial Differences in Hypertension by Sleep Characteristics: Chicago Area Sleep Study.

BACKGROUND Racial disparities in hypertension prevalence in the United States are established. Given our understanding of racial and ethnic disparities in sleep characteristics and demonstrated associations between sleep characteristics and hypertension, we tested whether sleep characteristics mediated racial disparities in hypertension. METHODS Analyses were performed in the Chicago Area Sleep Study, a population-based cohort study of 154 Blacks, 128 Whites, 103 Hispanics, and 109 Asians without obstructive sleep apnea. Participants underwent 7 days of wrist actigraphy monitoring. Algorithms were used to determine sleep duration and sleep maintenance (the percent of sleep in the sleep period). Hypertension was determined as systolic blood pressure >140mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure >90mm Hg or the use of antihypertensive medications. We estimated sample prevalence ratios for hypertension before and after adjustment for sleep characteristics and also conducted mediation analysis. RESULTS The sample prevalence of hypertension was highest in Blacks (36%), followed by Hispanics (14%), Asians (8%), and Whites (5%). The sample prevalence ratio for hypertension for Blacks vs. Whites was 5.52 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.36, 13.23) after adjusting for age, sex, and education. Adjustment for sleep duration had no influence on the effect estimate, but adjustment for sleep maintenance attenuated the sample prevalence ratio to 4.55 (95% CI: 1.91, 11.14). Sleep maintenance mediated 11.4% of the difference in hypertension prevalence between Blacks and Whites in this sample. CONCLUSIONS Sleep maintenance mediated a small but significant portion of the disparity in hypertension between Blacks and Whites. Future research should investigate the mechanisms underlying these findings.
Skeletal Complications and Mortality in Thyroid Cancer: A Population-Based Study

Context Although bone is a common site for tumor metastases, the burden of bone events [bone metastases and skeletal-related events (SREs)] in patients with thyroid cancer is not well known. Objective To measure the prevalence of bone events and their impact on mortality in patients with thyroid cancer. Patients, Design, and Setting We identified patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 1991 and 2011 from the linked Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare dataset. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the risk factors for bone metastases and SREs. We used Cox proportional hazards regressions to assess the impact of these events on mortality, after adjusting for patient and tumor characteristics. Results Of the 30,063 patients with thyroid cancer, 1173 (3.9%) developed bone metastases and 1661 patients (5.5%) developed an SRE. Compared with papillary thyroid cancer, the likelihood of developing bone metastases or an SRE was higher in follicular thyroid cancer [odds ratio (OR), 2.25; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.85 to 2.74 and OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.15 to 1.68, respectively] and medullary thyroid cancer (OR, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.60 to 2.86 and OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.23 to 2.11, respectively). The occurrence of a bone event was associated with greater risk of overall and disease-specific mortality [hazard ratio (HR), 2.14; 95% CI, 1.94 to 2.36 and HR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.48 to 1.71, respectively]. Bone events were a poor prognostic indicator even when compared with patients with other distant metastases (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001 for overall and disease-specific mortality, respectively). Conclusions Bone events in patients with thyroid cancer are a poor prognostic indicator. Patients with follicular and medullary thyroid cancers are at especially high risk for skeletal complications.
Identifying ‘corridors of HIV transmission’ in a severely affected rural South African population: a case for a shift toward targeted prevention strategies

Abstract Background In the context of a severe generalized African HIV epidemic, the value of geographically targeted prevention interventions has only recently been given serious consideration. However, to date no study has performed a population-based analysis of the micro-geographical clustering of HIV incident infections, limiting the evidential support for such a strategy. Methods We followed 17 984 HIV-uninfected individuals aged 15–54 in a population-based cohort in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, and observed individual HIV sero-conversions between 2004 and 2014. We geo-located all individuals to an exact homestead of residence (accuracy <2 m). We then employed a two-dimensional Gaussian kernel of radius 3 km to produce robust estimates of HIV incidence which vary across continuous geographical space. We also applied Tango's flexibly shaped spatial scan statistic to identify irregularly shaped clusters of high HIV incidence. Results Between 2004 and 2014, we observed a total of 2 311 HIV sero-conversions over 70 534 person-years of observation, at an overall incidence of 3.3 [95% confidence interval (CI), 3.1-3.4] per 100 person-years. Three large irregularly-shaped clusters of new HIV infections (relative risk = 1.6, 1.7 and 2.3) were identified in two adjacent peri-urban communities near the National Road (P = 0.001, 0.015) as well as in a rural node bordering a recent coal mine development (P = 0.020), respectively. Together the clusters had a significantly higher age-sex standardized incidence of 5.1 (95% CI, 4.7-5.6) per 100 person-years compared with a standardized incidence of 3.0 per 100 person-years (95% CI, 2.9-3.2) in the remainder of the study area. Though these clusters comprise just 6.8% of the study area, they account for one out of every four sero-conversions observed over the study period. Conclusions Our study has revealed clear ‘corridors of transmission’ in this typical rural, hyper-endemic population. Even in a severely affected rural African population, an approach that seeks to provide preventive interventions to the most vulnerable geographies could be more effective and cost-effective in reducing the overall rate of new HIV infections. There is an urgent need to develop and test such interventions as part of an overall combination prevention approach.
High-throughput sequencing reveals circular substrates for an archaeal RNA ligase

ABSTRACT It is only recently that the abundant presence of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in all kingdoms of Life, including the hyperthermophilic archaeon Pyrococcus abyssi, has emerged. This led us to investigate the physiologic significance of a previously observed weak intramolecular ligation activity of Pab1020 RNA ligase. Here we demonstrate that this enzyme, despite sharing significant sequence similarity with DNA ligases, is indeed an RNA-specific polynucleotide ligase efficiently acting on physiologically significant substrates. Using a combination of RNA immunoprecipitation assays and RNA-seq, our genome-wide studies revealed 133 individual circRNA loci in P. abyssi. The large majority of these loci interacted with Pab1020 in cells and circularization of selected C/D Box and 5S rRNA transcripts was confirmed biochemically. Altogether these studies revealed that Pab1020 is required for RNA circularization. Our results further suggest the functional speciation of an ancestral NTase domain and/or DNA ligase toward RNA ligase activity and prompt for further characterization of the widespread functions of circular RNAs in prokaryotes. Detailed insight into the cellular substrates of Pab1020 may facilitate the development of new biotechnological applications e.g. in ligation of preadenylated adaptors to RNA molecules.
Worsening Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors Do Not Readily Explain Why Smokers Gain Weight After Cessation: A Cohort Study in Young Adults

Introduction The relationship between smoking cessation and weight gain is well established but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We aimed to determine whether postcessation weight gain was mediated by changing health behaviors. Methods A total of 281 smokers self-reported their demographic, smoking, and lifestyle characteristics in 2004-2006 (aged 26-36) and 2009-2011 (aged 31-41). Behaviors considered as potential mediators of weight gain were changes in consumption of breakfast, discretionary foods (servings/d), fruit and vegetables (servings/d), alcohol (g/d), takeaway food (times/wk), Diet Guideline Index score, leisure time physical activity (PA, min/wk), total PA (min/wk), time spent sitting (min/d), and TV viewing (h/d). Results In total, 124 smokers quit smoking during 5 years follow-up. After adjustment for age, sex, baseline body mass index, education, and follow-up length, smoking cessation was associated with average excess weight gain of 2.09kg (95% CI = 0.35-3.83). Compared with continuing smokers, quitters reported a higher Diet Guideline Index score and less consumption of alcohol at baseline and follow-up (all p < .05). In addition, there was a tendency towards healthier dietary and PA behaviors over 5 years among quitters than continuing smokers except for time spent sitting, although these differences did not reach statistical significance. Adjustment for changes in these behaviors made little difference to the magnitude of postcessation weight gain (β: 2.32kg, 95% CI = 0.54-4.10). Conclusions The weight gain associated with smoking cessation was not explained by worsening dietary and PA behaviors. Future research is needed to elucidate the complex mechanisms and particularly ways it may be prevented. Implications Fear of weight gain often discourages smokers from trying to quit but guidance on ways to most effectively avoid weight gain is lacking. It is important to identify what causes postcessation weight gain and the ways it may be prevented. The current study explored the effects of several changing dietary and PA behaviors on the relationship between smoking cessation and weight gain in 281 young Australian smokers. We found that quitters tended to adopt healthier dietary and PA behaviors than continuing smokers, so these behaviors did not readily explain the postcessation weight gain. Further investigations of other potential mechanisms are needed.