Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin Ameliorates Busulfan-Induced Spermatogonial Stem Cell Oxidative Apoptosis in Mouse Testes.

AIMS Many men endure immunosuppressive or anticancer treatments that contain alkylating agents before the age of sexual maturity, especially the increasing number of preadolescent males who undergo busulfan treatment for myeloablative conditioning before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Before sperm production, there are no sperm available for cryopreservation. Thus, it is necessary to identify a solution to ameliorate the busulfan-induced damage of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). RESULTS In this study, we demonstrated that melatonin relieved the previously described SSC loss and apoptosis in mouse testes. Melatonin increased the expression of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), which regulated the production of busulfan-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, melatonin promoted sirtuin type 1 (SIRT1) expression. SIRT1 participated in the deacetylation of p53, which promotes p53 ubiquitin degradation. Decreased concentrations of deacetylated p53 resulted in spermatogonial cell resistance to apoptosis. Acute T cell leukemia cell assay demonstrated that melatonin does not affect busulfan-induced cancer cell apoptosis and ROS. INNOVATION The current evidence suggests that melatonin may alleviate the side effects of alkylating drugs, such as busulfan. CONCLUSION Melatonin promoted MnSOD and SIRT1 expression, which successfully ameliorated busulfan-induced SSC apoptosis caused by high concentrations of ROS and p53. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 385-400.
Responsiveness of Noninvasive Continuous Cardiac Output Monitoring During the Valsalva Maneuver

To describe the baseline hemodynamic variables and response time of hemodynamic changes associated with the Valsalva maneuver using noninvasive continuous cardiac output monitoring (Nexfin). Hemodynamic monitoring provides an integral component of advanced clinical care and the ability to monitor response to treatment interventions. The emergence of noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring provides clinicians with an opportunity to monitor and assess patients rapidly with ease of implementation. However, the responsiveness of this method in tracking dynamic changes that occur has not been fully elucidated. A prospective observational study was conducted involving 44 healthy volunteers (age = 38 ±12 years). Participants performed a Valsalva maneuvers to illicit dynamic changes in blood pressure, cardiac output, cardiac index, systemic vascular resistance index (SVRI), and stroke volume. Changes in these hemodynamic parameters were monitored while performing repeated standardized Valsalva maneuvers. Baseline hemodynamic values were obtained in all 44 participants, and showed an interaction with age, accompanying a significant decline in cardiac index (r = –.66, p < .05) and stroke volume (r = –.68,p < .05), and an increase in SVRI (r = .67, p < .05) with increasing age. The Valsalva maneuver, performed in 20 participants, resulted in a change of 10% from baseline blood pressure and cardiac index, which was detected within 4.53 s (SD = 4.36) and 3.31 s (SD = 2.21), respectively. Noninvasive continuous cardiac monitoring demonstrated the ability to rapidly detect logical and predictable hemodynamic changes. These observations suggest that such Nexfin technology may have useful clinical applications.
Custodiol versus cold Calafiore for elective cardiac arrest in isolated aortic valve replacement: a propensity-matched analysis of 7263 patients†

OBJECTIVES This study was designed to assess the impact of crystalloid cardioplegia (CCP) and blood cardioplegia (BCP) on short- and long-term outcome after isolated aortic valve replacement (AVR). METHODS A total of 7263 patients undergoing AVR at our institution between November 1994 and June 2015 were identified. CCP (Custodiol ® ) was used in 83% ( n = 5998) and intermittent cold BCP in 1007 patients (14%). For 4790 patients, propensity scores were calculated from baseline data, risk factors, comorbidities and characteristics of the disease, resulting in 825 pairs. The primary outcome was operative mortality (OM). RESULTS There was no significant difference in OM between CCP and BCP cohorts [33 of 825 (4.0%) vs 35 of 825 (4.2%), P = 0.90]. The incidence of postoperative complications was comparable between both groups. Long-term survival was also not different between CCP and BCP (log-rank test: P = 0.9). Multiple Cox regression analysis demonstrated that mortality was significantly affected by renal function ( P < 0.001), logistic EuroSCORE ( P < 0.001), male sex ( P = 0.005) and diabetes ( P = 0.037). Patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction ≤30% showed improved survival when receiving BCP intraoperatively [odds ratio: 2.28 (1.12-4.63); P = 0.03]. CONCLUSIONS CCP and BCP provide equivalent outcome after isolated AVR. However, BCP seems to be beneficial for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.
Cervical Viral Infections among Asymptomatic Bulgarian Women.

AIM Although sexually transmitted viral infections are significant and increasing public health concern, little is known about their prevalence among Bulgarian women. The aim of this study was to investigate cervical viral infections in asymptomatic women. METHODS The study group included 52 randomly selected asymptomatic female volunteers from Bulgarian border town Kardzhali. Cervical specimens were tested by real-time PCR for human papillomaviruses (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). RESULTS The investigation demonstrated a high rate (61.5%) of infection with one or more viruses of uterine cervix of participating women considered at low risk. The most prevalent was HPV, found in 32.7% of all women. The genotyping of high-risk (HR) HPV positive specimens showed that HPV16 was the most prevalent HR type. HSV prevalence (30.8%) was almost as high as that of HPV and most women were HSV1 infected. 9.6% and 5.8% of all specimens were positive for EBV and CMV, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that women from Kardzhali region, involved in this study, might be at risk for development of genital tract pathology, including cervical cancer, and for transmission of virus infection sexually and perinatally.
Patterns of Spatial Variation of Assemblages Associated with Intertidal Rocky Shores: A Global Perspective

Assemblages associated with intertidal rocky shores were examined for large scale distribution patterns with specific emphasis on identifying latitudinal trends of species richness and taxonomic distinctiveness. Seventy-two sites distributed around the globe were evaluated following the standardized sampling protocol of the Census of Marine Life NaGISA project (www.nagisa.coml.org). There were no clear patterns of standardized estimators of species richness along latitudinal gradients or among Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs); however, a strong latitudinal gradient in taxonomic composition (i.e., proportion of different taxonomic groups in a given sample) was observed. Environmental variables related to natural influences were strongly related to the distribution patterns of the assemblages on the LME scale, particularly photoperiod, sea surface temperature (SST) and rainfall. In contrast, no environmental variables directly associated with human influences (with the exception of the inorganic pollution index) were related to assemblage patterns among LMEs. Correlations of the natural assemblages with either latitudinal gradients or environmental variables were equally strong suggesting that neither neutral models nor models based solely on environmental variables sufficiently explain spatial variation of these assemblages at a global scale. Despite the data shortcomings in this study (e.g., unbalanced sample distribution), we show the importance of generating biological global databases for the use in large-scale diversity comparisons of rocky intertidal assemblages to stimulate continued sampling and analyses.
Obesity-related metabolic and endocrine disorders diagnosed during postoperative follow-up of slipped capital femoral epiphysis

Background and purpose — Patients with slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE) are phenotypically overweight or obese and may therefore require clinical follow-up of obesity-related disorders. We evaluated obesity-related disorders such as dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), and vitamin-D deficiency during the postoperative period in patients with SCFE. Patients and methods — 51 patients who were operated and followed-up for SCFE and 62 healthy adolescents without SCFE (control group) were included in this retrospective study. Patients’ BMI, serum lipid profile (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, triglyceride), fasting blood glucose, HbA1c, and serum vitamin D levels were evaluated. Results — At the time of surgery, 45 patients in the SCFE group were overweight or obese (BMI >25). At the latest follow-up, 42 patients in the SCFE group and 53 patients in the control group were overweight/obese. Abnormal serum lipid profile and ratio of total dyslipidemia were similar between the groups. 8 patients had abnormal HbA1c levels in the SCFE group and mean HbA1c levels were significantly higher in the SCFE group (p = 0.03). All patients and controls had low levels of vitamin D. Interpretation — Although serum lipid profile and vitamin D levels were detected as similar in SCFE and control groups, the potential risk of type 2 DM identified via abnormal HbA1c levels was significantly higher in patients with SCFE. We recommend that patients diagnosed with SCFE should be considered as potential candidates for type 2 DM; thus follow-up after surgical treatment should include not only orthopedic outcomes but also evaluation of future risk for DM.
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor as an Antidepressant Treatment Selection Biomarker: Higher Levels Selectively Predict Better Outcomes with Bupropion-SSRI Combination

Abstract Background Platelet derived growth factor is integral to maintenance of blood brain barrier, increases in response to blood brain barrier disruption, and may reflect neuroinflammation. Based on previous reports of better outcomes with dopaminergic antidepressants in depressed patients with elevated inflammatory biomarkers, we hypothesize that elevated peripheral platelet derived growth factor levels can serve as a powerful biomarker for selecting dopaminergic antidepressants. Methods Platelet derived growth factor, basic fibroblast growth factor, and granulocyte colony stimulating factor were measured as part of Bioplex Pro human cytokine 27-plex kit in participants of the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes trial who provided baseline plasma (n=166) and were treated with either bupropion-plus-escitalopram, escitalopram-plus-placebo, or venlafaxine-plus-mirtazapine. Differential changes in overall symptom severity and anhedonia as well as side effects were tested with a treatment-arm-by-biomarker interaction in mixed model analyses. Effect of biomarkers with significant interaction was calculated in subsequent analyses stratified by treatment arm. Results There was a significant treatment-arm-by-platelet derived growth factor interaction for depression severity (P=.03) and anhedonia (P=.008) but not for side effects (P=.44). Higher baseline platelet derived growth factor level was associated with greater reduction in depression severity (effect size=0.71, P=.015) and anhedonia (effect size=0.66, P=.02) in the bupropion- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor but not the other two treatment arms. There was no significant treatment-arm-by-biomarker interaction for both depression severity and side effects with the other two biomarkers. Conclusion As compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor monotherapy or venlafaxine-plus-mirtazapine, bupropion-plus-escitalopram selectively improves anhedonia, which in turn results in improved overall depression severity in depressed patients with elevated platelet derived growth factor levels.
Whole brain radiotherapy after stereotactic radiosurgery or surgical resection among patients with one to three brain metastases and favorable prognoses: a secondary analysis of EORTC 22952-26001

Background The absence of a survival benefit for whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) among randomized trials has been attributed to a competing risk of death from extracranial disease. We re-analyzed EORTC 22952 to assess the impact of WBRT on survival for patients with controlled extracranial disease or favorable prognoses. Patients and methods We utilized Cox regression, landmark analysis, and the Kaplan-Meier method to evaluate the impact of WBRT on survival accounting for (i) extracranial progression as a time-dependent covariate in all patients and (ii) diagnosis-specific graded prognostic assessment (GPA) score in patients with primary non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results A total of 329 patients treated per-protocol were included for analysis with a median follow up of 26 months. One hundred and fifteen (35%) patients had no extracranial progression; 70 (21%) patients had progression <90 days, 65 (20%) between 90 and 180 days, and 79 (24%) patients >180 days from randomization. There was no difference in the model-based risk of death in the WBRT group before [hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI)=0.70 (0.45-1.11), P = 0.133), or after [HR (95% CI)=1.20 (0.89-1.61), P = 0.214] extracranial progression. Among 177 patients with NSCLC, 175 had data available for GPA calculation. There was no significant survival benefit to WBRT among NSCLC patients with favorable GPA scores [HR (95% CI)=1.10 (0.68-1.79)] or unfavorable GPA scores [HR (95% CI)=1.11 (0.71-1.76)]. Conclusions Among patients with limited extracranial disease and one to three brain metastases at enrollment, we found no significant survival benefit to WBRT among NSCLC patients with favorable GPA scores or patients with any histology and controlled extracranial disease status. This exploratory analysis of phase III data supports the practice of omitting WBRT for patients with limited brain metastases undergoing SRS and close surveillance. Clinical Trials Number NCT00002899.
Clinical outcomes and hospital length of stay in 2,756 elderly patients with hip fractures: a comparison of surgical and non-surgical management.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes of elderly hip fracture patients who received surgical treatment with those who received non-surgical treatment. METHODS This retrospective study involved 2,756 elderly patients with hip fractures who were admitted over a six-year period. The patients' biodata, complications, ambulatory status at discharge and length of hospital stay were obtained from the institution's hip fracture registry. RESULTS Among the 2,756 hip fracture patients, 2,029 (73.6%) underwent surgical intervention, while 727 (26.4%) opted for non-surgical intervention. The complication rate among the patients who underwent surgical intervention was 6.6%, while that among the patients who underwent non-surgical intervention was 12.5% (p < 0.01). The mean length of hospital stay for the surgical and non-surgical hip fracture patients was 15.7 days and 22.4 days, respectively (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Surgical management of hip fractures among the elderly is associated with a lower complication rate, as well as a reduced length of hospital stay.
Ductile damage measurement and necking analysis of metal sheets based on digital image correlation and direct current potential drop methods

In this study, a damage measurement procedure is proposed, which combines both digital image correlation and direct current potential drop techniques to evaluate quantitatively the ductile damage in metal sheets during uniaxial tensile loading. Digital image correlation and direct current potential drop techniques are applied to measure the full-field deformation and overall electrical resistance of the region of interest of the specimen during tensile loading. The basic principles, methodology and derivation process are presented in detail. A professional data processing system based on MATLAB is developed to characterize the deformation–resistance–damage relationship during uniaxial tensile loading. The ductile damage can be evaluated conveniently by the proposed approach, and the experimental results so obtained are consistent with those derived by using micro-hardness technique. The necking stage during uniaxial tension is discussed in detail, and it has been shown that the onsets of diffused necking and localized necking can be determined according to the relationship between the major principle true strain and loading steps. Further, the onset of the localized necking can be used to estimate accurately whether the material is going to rupture.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Benefits of vaginal misoprostol prior to IUD insertion in women with previous Caesarean delivery: a randomised controlled trial

We, the Editor and Publisher of The European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, have retracted the following article: Ahmed M. Maged, Gamal Youssef, Ashraf Eldaly, Eman Omran, Mohamed El Naggar, Ahmed Abdel Hak, Amal Kotb & Asmaa I. Ogila (2018) Benefits of vaginal misoprostol prior to IUD insertion in women with previous caesarean delivery: a randomised controlled trial, The European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care, 23:1, 32-37, DOI: 10.1080/13625187.2018. 1428297 Since publication, significant concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data and reported results in the article. While the authors have fully cooperated with the investigation and provided information in response to our queries, they have not been able to adequately address the concerns raised. As we cannot verify the validity of the published work, we are therefore retracting the article. The authors listed in this publication have been informed, and they do not agree with the retraction. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’.
Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy and Its Determinants Among HIV-Infected Patients in Nigeria

Purpose: The study investigated the level of adherence and factors affecting adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART). Methods: The study sample consisted of 300 HIV-infected patients who received ART in the Antiretroviral Clinic of Central Hospital, Agbor, Delta State, Nigeria. Self-reported adherence to ART in the previous 1 month prior to the study as well as determinants of adherence were assessed using a questionnaire. Results: The most frequently used ART regimen was zidovudine + lamivudine + nevirapine. On the whole, a total of 33 (11%) respondents missed 3 doses or less in the previous month prior to the survey. There was a statistically significant association between adherence to ART and marital status, source of income, and occupation (P < .05). The most commonly reported reasons for missed doses were forgetfulness (60.4%), busy daily task (18.3%), and avoiding being seen while taking medications (11%). Conclusion: The prevalence of adherence among the participants was high. However, more serious efforts are needed to reduce the number of in-adherent patients. Interventions to improve adherence to ART should address challenges such as forgetfulness among the patients and frequent occurrence of adverse effects and consider specific patient-related factors such as daily tasks.
Massive MIMO for Communications With Drone Swarms

We illustrate the potential of Massive MIMO for communication with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). We consider a scenario, where multiple single-antenna UAVs simultaneously communicate with a ground station (GS) equipped with a large number of antennas. Specifically, we discuss the achievable uplink (UAV to GS) capacity performance in the case of line-of-sight conditions. We develop a realistic geometric model, which incorporates an arbitrary orientation, of the GS and UAV antenna elements to characterize the polarization mismatch loss, which occurs due to the movement and orientation of the UAVs. A closed-form expression for a lower bound on the ergodic rate for a maximum-ratio combining receiver with estimated channel state information is derived. The optimal antenna spacing that maximizes the ergodic rate achieved by an UAV is also determined for uniform linear and rectangular arrays. It is shown that when the UAVs are spherically uniformly distributed around the GS, the ergodic rate per UAV is maximized for an antenna spacing equal to an integer multiple of one-half wavelength.
Depressive symptoms in patients with wounds: A cross‐sectional study

Depression slows wound healing in patients with chronic wounds. The prevalence of depressive symptoms differs in the literature and the current understandings of factors related to depression in patients with wounds have been limited. To investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and the associated factors in patients with wounds, we performed this retrospective study in which depressive symptoms were evaluated with the Patient Health Questionnaire 9‐item (PHQ‐9). Valid PHQ‐9 scores were collected from 222 patients (112 males and 110 females; age: 64.1 ± 15.8) out of 260 consecutive patients evaluated at an outpatient physical therapy wound clinic during 2012–2015. The proportion of patients with minimal to severe depressive symptoms was 81.5% [80.8% in patients with venous leg ulcers (VLUs) and 82.0% in non‐VLUs]; 22.1% patients with wounds had scored positive for depression (moderate to severe depressive symptoms). Specific proportions of positive depression screening were 26.6% in patients with VLUs and 18.8% in non‐VLU patients, and 14.1 and 40.0% in patients with wounds <90 and ≥ 90 days as of initial examination, respectively. PHQ‐9 scores were significantly decreased from 5.85 ± 6.01 at initial examination to 3.42 ± 4.35 at last visit (p < 0.001). The odds of a positive depression screening was 3.20 (95% CI = [1.49, 6.87]) in patients with wounds ≥ 90 days (vs. < 90 days) and 2.53 (95% CI = [1.26, 5.08]) in patients with pain related to the wounds (vs. without pain), after patients’ age, gender, and race were controlled for. No difference was found in proportions of positive depression screening between VLUs and other wound diagnoses. Depressive symptoms were common in patients with wounds, especially in patients with wounds ≥90 days and with pain related to the wounds at initial examination. Therefore, clinicians should take into consideration patients’ mental status upon management of wounds.
Tuning dCas9's ability to block transcription enables robust, noiseless knockdown of bacterial genes

Over the past few years, tools that make use of the Cas9 nuclease have led to many breakthroughs, including in the control of gene expression. The catalytically dead variant of Cas9 known as dCas9 can be guided by small RNAs to block transcription of target genes, in a strategy also known as CRISPRi. Here, we reveal that the level of complementarity between the guide RNA and the target controls the rate at which RNA polymerase “kicks out” dCas9 from the target and completes transcription. We use this mechanism to precisely and robustly reduce gene expression by defined relative amounts. Alternatively, tuning repression by changing dCas9 concentration is noisy and promoter‐strength dependent. We demonstrate broad applicability of this method to the study of genetic regulation and cellular physiology. First, we characterize feedback strength of a model auto‐repressor. Second, we study the impact of amount variations of cell‐wall synthesizing enzymes on cell morphology. Finally, we multiplex the system to obtain any combination of fractional repression of two genes.