Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do Journal Clubs Work? The Effectiveness of Journal Clubs in a Clinical Pastoral Education Residency Program

Journal clubs are an established means of ongoing learning in medicine. Beginning with physicians in the nineteenth century, journal clubs have gradually become established in nursing and other allied health professions. However, their use in Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) is relatively new. We describe the creation of a journal club for CPE residents and discuss the lessons learned from this effort. Over two years, a journal club was conducted with two different cohorts of residents. Residents were surveyed regarding the perceived strengths and weaknesses of the journal club and their recommendations for improvement. A small group of six to eight residents appears to be most effective. Focusing on a specific topic is preferable to broad-based readings. Residents preferred greater discussion about the applicability of the research findings to their clinical activity. Finally, the pros and cons of residents selecting articles and use of the Rush Research Summary Worksheet are discussed.
Prevalence of mental disorders in elderly people: The European MentDis_ICF65+ study

Background Except for dementia and depression, little is known about common mental disorders in elderly people. Aims To estimate current, 12-month and lifetime prevalence rates of mental disorders in different European and associated countries using a standardised diagnostic interview adapted to measure the cognitive needs of elderly people. Method The MentDis_ICF65+ study is based on an age-stratified, random sample of 3142 older men and women (65–84 years) living in selected catchment community areas of participating countries. Results One in two individuals had experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime, one in three within the past year and nearly one in four currently had a mental disorder. The most prevalent disorders were anxiety disorders, followed by affective and substance-related disorders. Conclusions Compared with previous studies we found substantially higher prevalence rates for most mental disorders. These findings underscore the need for improving diagnostic assessments adapted to the cognitive capacity of elderly people. There is a need to raise awareness of psychosocial problems in elderly people and to deliver high-quality mental health services to these individuals.
High-Performance Inverted Polymer Solar Cells: Study and Analysis of Different Cathode Buffer Layers

The effect of different cathode buffer layers on the performance of inverted organic solar cells (OSCs) fabric-ated with {poly[[2,6’-4,8-di(5-ethylhexylthienyl)benzo[1,2-b;3,3-b]dithiophene][3-fluoro-2-[(2-ethylhexyl) carbonyl] thieno[3,4-b]thiophenediyl]] (PTB7-Th):[6,6]-phenyl-C71-butyric acid methyl} (PC<sub>70</sub>BM) as active blend layer is studied using device simulator Silvaco/ATLAS TCAD. The parameters used in the simulations were extracted in fabricated OSCs, using the metal-insulator-metal model, obtaining very good agreement between measured and simulated current density (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$J_{{\rm{SC}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>), open-circuit voltage (<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{{\rm{OC}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula>), fill factor, and power conversion efficiency (PCE). The enhanced performance observed for devices where either 10 nm of poly[(9,9-bis(3-(N,N-dimethylamino)propyl)-2,7-fluorene)-alt-2,7-(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFN), 0.6 nm of lithium fluoride (LiF) layer, or the combination of these two materials, was very well reproduced by simulation. Results indicate that the described procedure can be used to predict the behavior of new buffer layers in OSCs. The PCEs values obtained by simulation were 10.90%, 10.45%, 10.38%, 9.03%, and 7.60% for OSCs with cathode buffer layer consisting of the stack PFN/LiF, PFN, LiF/PFN, LiF and without cathode buffer layer, respectively, which agree well with measured values.
Distinct Genomic Copy Number Alterations Distinguish Mucinous Tubular and Spindle Cell Carcinoma of the Kidney From Papillary Renal Cell Carcinoma With Overlapping Histologic Features

Mucinous tubular and spindle cell carcinoma (MTSCC) of the kidney is a rare type of renal cell carcinoma that frequently exhibits histologic and immunophenotypic features overlapping with type 1 papillary renal cell carcinoma (PRCC). To clarify molecular attributes that can be used for this difficult differential diagnosis, we sought to delineate the genome-wide copy number alterations in tumors displaying classic histologic features of MTSCC in comparison to the solid variant of type 1 PRCC and indeterminate cases with overlapping histologic features. The study included 11 histologically typical MTSCC, 9 tumors with overlapping features between MTSCC and PRCC, and 6 cases of solid variant of type 1 PRCC. DNA samples extracted from macrodissected or microdissected tumor areas were analyzed for genome-wide copy number alterations using an SNP-array platform suitable for clinical archival material. All cases in the MTSCC group exhibited multiple chromosomal losses, most frequently involving chromosomes 1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, and 22, while lacking trisomy 7 or 17. In contrast, cases with overlapping morphologic features of MTSCC and PRCC predominantly showed multiple chromosomal gains, most frequently involving chromosomes 7, 16, 17, and 20, similar to the chromosomal alteration pattern that was seen in the solid variant of type 1 PRCC cases. Morphologic comparison of these molecularly characterized tumors identified histologic features that help to distinguish MTSCC from PRCC, but immunohistochemical profiles of these tumors remained overlapping, including a marker for Hippo-Yes-associated protein signaling. Characteristic patterns of genome-wide copy number alterations strongly support MTSCC and PRCC as distinct entities despite their immunohistochemical and certain morphologic overlap, and help define histologic features useful for the classification of questionable cases.
Treatment of central sensitization in patients with ‘unexplained’ chronic pain: an update

Introduction: Central sensitization (CS) is present in a variety of chronic pain disorders, including whiplash, temporomandibular disorders, low back pain, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, headache, lateral epicondylalgia among others. In spite of our increased understanding of the mechanisms involved in CS pain, its treatment remains a challenging issue. Areas covered: An overview of the treatment options we have for desensitising the CNS in patients with CS pain is provided. These include strategies for eliminating peripheral sources of nociception, as well as pharmacotherapy and conservative interventions that primarily address top-down (i.e., brain-orchestrated) mechanisms. Expert opinion: A combination of different strategies, each targeting a different ‘desensitizing’ mechanism, might prove superior over monotherapies. Such combined therapy may include both bottom-up and top-down (e.g., opioids, combined μ-opioid receptor agonist and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor drugs) strategies. Topically applied analgesic therapies have strong potential for (temporally) decreasing peripheral nociceptive input (bottom-up approach). Targeting metabolic (e.g., ketogenic diets) and neurotrophic factors (e.g., decreasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor) are promising new avenues for diminishing hyperexcitability of the CNS in central sensitization pain patients. Addressing conservative treatments, pain neuroscience education, cognitive behavioural therapy and exercise therapy are promising treatments for CS pain.
Requirements Engineering Practice and Problems in Agile Projects: Results from an International Survey

Requirements engineering (RE) is considerably dierent in agile development than in traditional processes. Yet, there is little em- pirical knowledge on the state of the practice and contemporary prob- lems in agile RE. As part of a bigger survey initiative (Naming the Pain in Requirements Engineering), we build an empirical basis on such as- pects of agile RE. Based on the responses from 92 people representing 92 organisations, we found that agile RE concentrates on free-text doc- umentation of requirements elicited with a variety of techniques. Many manage explicit traces between requirements and code. Furthermore, the continuous improvement of RE is done because of intrinsic motivation. Important experienced problems include unclear requirements and com- munication aws. Hence, agile RE is in several aspects not so dierent from RE in other development processes. We plan to investigate spe- cic techniques, such as acceptance-test-driven development, in a future survey to better capture what is special in agile RE.
The effects of tone categories on the perception of Mandarin vowels

In order to explore the effects of tone categories on the perception of Mandarin vowels, the present study investigated the perceptual performance of vowel continua, which contained three Mandarin vowels /a, ɤ, u/ under four different tone conditions (i.e. high-level, mid-rising, falling-rising, and high-falling tones). The results showed that there was a shift in the categorical boundaries of /a/-/ɤ/ among the four different tone conditions. More specifically, participants generally tended to label the stimuli less as /a/ under the high-falling tone compared with the other three tone conditions. Moreover, the maximum identification rate of /ɤ/ was much lower under the falling-rising tone in contrast with other tone conditions. These findings suggest that vowel perceptions may be strongly influenced by the pitch properties of different tone categories.
Neural mechanisms of transient neocortical beta rhythms: Converging evidence from humans, computational modeling, monkeys, and mice

Significance Neocortical beta is one of the most prominent signatures of neural activity measured noninvasively in humans. Beta expression is a strong predictor of healthy and pathological perceptual and motor performance. However, there is considerable debate as to whether beta itself is causally important in information and disease processes. Key to resolving this debate is understanding the neural mechanisms inducing beta. Here, building on prior work, we combined human magnetoencephalography, computational modeling, and laminar recordings in mice and monkeys to establish and test a new theory explaining the emergence of spontaneous transient neocortical beta events in somatosensory and frontal cortex. Our results enable a principled understanding of neocortical beta and can help guide studies seeking to understand its relation to function. Human neocortical 15–29-Hz beta oscillations are strong predictors of perceptual and motor performance. However, the mechanistic origin of beta in vivo is unknown, hindering understanding of its functional role. Combining human magnetoencephalography (MEG), computational modeling, and laminar recordings in animals, we present a new theory that accounts for the origin of spontaneous neocortical beta. In our MEG data, spontaneous beta activity from somatosensory and frontal cortex emerged as noncontinuous beta events typically lasting <150 ms with a stereotypical waveform. Computational modeling uniquely designed to infer the electrical currents underlying these signals showed that beta events could emerge from the integration of nearly synchronous bursts of excitatory synaptic drive targeting proximal and distal dendrites of pyramidal neurons, where the defining feature of a beta event was a strong distal drive that lasted one beta period (∼50 ms). This beta mechanism rigorously accounted for the beta event profiles; several other mechanisms did not. The spatial location of synaptic drive in the model to supragranular and infragranular layers was critical to the emergence of beta events and led to the prediction that beta events should be associated with a specific laminar current profile. Laminar recordings in somatosensory neocortex from anesthetized mice and awake monkeys supported these predictions, suggesting this beta mechanism is conserved across species and recording modalities. These findings make several predictions about optimal states for perceptual and motor performance and guide causal interventions to modulate beta for optimal function.
Long-term effects of the new direct antiviral agents (DAAs) therapy for HCV-related mixed cryoglobulinaemia without renal involvement: a multicentre open-label study.

OBJECTIVES To investigate the long-term effects and safety of new direct anti-viral agents (DAAs) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related mixed cryoglobulinaemia (MC) without renal involvement. METHODS The study enrolled 22 consecutive patients, 19 received sofosbuvir-based regimen and three patients received other DAAs, individually tailored according to latest guidelines. As of December 2016, the median length of follow-up was 17 months (range 13-21). RESULTS Extra-hepatic manifestations at enrollment were: purpura and arthralgia (12 cases), peripheral neuropathy (10 cases) and marginal zone B- lymphomas (2 cases). After a four-week DAA therapy, all patients became HCV- negative. Moreover, after 48 weeks since the beginning of DAA treatment, sustained regression of purpura and arthralgias was observed respectively in eight and in nine cases; peripheral neuropathy improved in seven cases, and cryocrit median values decreased from three (1-20) at baseline to two (1-12) after 48 weeks. Two cases with indolent marginal zone lymphomas did not show any haematological response: size and number of the involved nodes remained unchanged. In addition, the monoclonal B-cell population found in the peripheral blood in four cases did not disappear after recovery from HCV- RNA. Mild side effects occurred in nine patients, but six patients developed ribavirin-related anaemia requiring reduction of ribavirin dose. CONCLUSIONS DAA therapy is safe and effective to eradicate HCV in MC, but seems associated with satisfactory clinical response in mild or moderate cryoglobulinaemic vasculitis and no response in B-NHL.
Epigenetic markers in circulating cell‐free DNA as prognostic markers for survival of castration‐resistant prostate cancer patients

: Noninvasive biomarkers to guide personalized treatment for castration‐resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are needed. In this study, we analyzed hypermethylation patterns of two genes (GSTP1 and APC) in plasma cell‐free DNA (cfDNA) of CRPC patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the cfDNA concentrations and levels of the epigenetic markers and to assess the value of these biomarkers for prognosis.
Taking a critical look at the UNAIDS global estimates on paediatric and adolescent HIV survival and death

No abstract available (Published: 28 June 2017) Sohn AH Journal of the International AIDS Society 2017, 20 :21952 http://www.jiasociety. org/index.php/jias/article/view/21952 | http://dx.doi. org/10.7448/IAS.20. 1.21952
Elucidating the Burden of HIV in Tissues Using Multiplexed Immunofluorescence and In Situ Hybridization: Methods for the Single-Cell Phenotypic Characterization of Cells Harboring HIV In Situ

Persistent tissue reservoirs of HIV present a major barrier to cure. Defining subsets of infected cells in tissues is a major focus of HIV cure research. Herein, we describe a novel multiplexed in situ hybridization (ISH) (RNAscope) protocol to detect HIV-DNA (vDNA) and HIV-RNA (vRNA) in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) human tissues in combination with immunofluorescence (IF) phenotyping of the infected cells. We show that multiplexed IF and ISH (mIFISH) is suitable for quantitative assessment of HIV vRNA and vDNA and that multiparameter IF phenotyping allows precise identification of the cellular source of the ISH signal. We also provide semi-quantitative data on the impact of various tissue fixatives on the detectability of vDNA and vRNA with RNAscope technology. Finally, we describe methods to quantitate the ISH signal on whole-slide digital images and validation of the quantitative ISH data with quantitative real-time PCR for vRNA. It is our hope that this approach will provide insight into the biology of HIV tissue reservoirs and to inform strategies aimed at curing HIV.
Recognition of emotional speech with convolutional neural networks by means of spectral estimates

Current developments in deep neural architectures achieved remarkable results in the classification of emotions from speech. Recently, also cross-modal approaches gained attention in the community. Such a classification method is the Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Mainly developed for analyses of images it can be used also in speech processing. In this paper, we present a CNN-based classification architecture adapting spectrograms as representations of emotion-afflicted speech input. Given this approach, we applied our network architecture to three benchmark corpora, namely EmoDB, eNTERFACE, and SUSAS, and investigated the classification ability in a Leave-One-Speaker-Out setting. Especially, for SUSAS, a close-to-real-life corpus, remarkable results were obtained. In addition, we investigated the option of analysing CNN's internal representations of the given input using Deep Dreaming. For this, we were able to identify spectral parts which contribute most to the classification process.
Efficacy of a Computer-Assisted Cognitive Rehabilitation Intervention in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive impairment is frequently encountered in multiple sclerosis (MS) affecting between 40–65% of individuals, irrespective of disease duration and severity of physical disability. In the present multicenter randomized controlled trial, fifty-eight clinically stable RRMS patients with mild to moderate cognitive impairment and relatively low disability status were randomized to receive either computer-assisted (RehaCom) functional cognitive training with an emphasis on episodic memory, information processing speed/attention, and executive functions for 10 weeks (IG; n = 32) or standard clinical care (CG; n = 26). Outcome measures included a flexible comprehensive neuropsychological battery of tests sensitive to MS patient deficits and feedback regarding personal benefit gained from the intervention on four verbal questions. Only the IG group showed significant improvements in verbal and visuospatial episodic memory, processing speed/attention, and executive functioning from pre - to postassessment. Moreover, the improvement obtained on attention was retained over 6 months providing evidence on the long-term benefits of this intervention. Group by time interactions revealed significant improvements in composite cognitive domain scores in the IG relative to the demographically and clinically matched CG for verbal episodic memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, and attention. Treated patients rated the intervention positively and were more confident about their cognitive abilities following treatment.
Cerebrospinal fluid in long-lasting delirium compared with Alzheimer's dementia.

BACKGROUND Delirium is a common syndrome affecting older people in hospital, whose pathophysiology is poorly understood, but sequelae of increased cognitive and functional impairment suggest neuronal loss. METHODS Cohort study comparing cerebrospinal fluid, blood, and clinical markers of delirium and neuronal cell death in 20 older hospitalized patients with delirium and 20 outpatients with Alzheimer's dementia. RESULTS Compared with participants with dementia, patients with delirium demonstrated higher CSF lactate (1.87 vs 1.48 mmol/L, p < .001) and protein levels (0.62 vs 0.44 g/L, p = .036) and lower levels of neuron-specific enolase (4.84 vs 8.98 ng/mL, p < .001) but no difference in S100B. The changes correlated with clinical indices and outcomes. CONCLUSION Older patients with delirium experience significant metabolic disturbance in the brain, which requires further investigation.
Phytochemical Profiles and Antimicrobial Activities of Allium cepa Red cv. and A. sativum Subjected to Different Drying Methods: A Comparative MS-Based Metabolomics

Plants of the Allium genus produce sulphur compounds that give them a characteristic (alliaceous) flavour and mediate for their medicinal use. In this study, the chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of Allium cepa red cv. and A. sativum in the context of three different drying processes were assessed using metabolomics. Bulbs were dried using either microwave, air drying, or freeze drying and further subjected to chemical analysis of their composition of volatile and non-volatile metabolites. Volatiles were collected using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) with 42 identified volatiles including 30 sulphur compounds, four nitriles, three aromatics, and three esters. Profiling of the polar non-volatile metabolites via ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution MS (UPLC/MS) annotated 51 metabolites including dipeptides, flavonoids, phenolic acids, and fatty acids. Major peaks in GC/MS or UPLC/MS contributing to the discrimination between A. sativum and A. cepa red cv. were assigned to sulphur compounds and flavonoids. Whereas sulphur conjugates amounted to the major forms in A. sativum, flavonoids predominated in the chemical composition of A. cepa red cv. With regard to drying impact on Allium metabolites, notable and clear separations among specimens were revealed using principal component analysis (PCA). The PCA scores plot of the UPLC/MS dataset showed closer metabolite composition of microwave dried specimens to freeze dried ones, and distant from air dried bulbs, observed in both A. cepa and A. sativum. Compared to GC/MS, the UPLC/MS derived PCA model was more consistent and better in assessing the impact of drying on Allium metabolism. A phthalate derivative was found exclusively in a commercial garlic preparation via GC/MS, of yet unknown origin. The freeze dried samples of both Allium species exhibited stronger antimicrobial activities compared to dried specimens with A. sativum being in general more active than A. cepa red cv.
Prognostic nutritional index predicts short-term outcomes after liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma within the Milan criteria

Background The prognostic nutritional index (PNI) is calculated based on the serum albumin concentration and the total lymphocyte count. The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic ability of the PNI for postoperative complications after liver resection to treat hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) within the Milan criteria. Results Postoperative complications were observed in 166 (44.6%) patients. The optimal cutoff value of the PNI was set at 45.6 for postoperative complications. Patients in the PNI-low (PNI < 45.6) group were more likely to have postoperative complications, more blood loss, a longer surgery time and a longer hospital stay than patients in the PNI-high group (PNI > 45.6). Our regression analysis demonstrated that the preoperative PNI and albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) score were significantly associated with postoperative complications (Pearson correlation coefficient, -0.865, p < 0.001). The multivariate analysis revealed that the PNI was an independent predictor of postoperative complications. Materials and Methods Three-hundred and seventy-two patients who underwent partial hepatectomy for HCC from 2003 to 2014 were identified. The cutoff value of the PNI was determined by a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify clinicopathological features associated with postoperative complications. Conclusion The PNI may be a significant prognostic factor for evaluating short-term outcomes of patients with HCC after partial hepatectomy.