Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of time of day on height loss response variability in asymptomatic participants on two consecutive days

Abstract Ergonomists measure height loss in relation to loads imposed on the spine. It is difficult to interpret whether height loss responses recorded on different days are accurate due to natural daily fluctuations in height loss and measurement variability. The objective of this research was to investigate whether the variability of height loss in the sitting position is affected by time of day and to analyse day-to-day variability in asymptomatic participants. Fifty asymptomatic participants attended two sessions (morning and afternoon) of stadiometry testing on four separate days. The results showed that a variability of height loss response changes in excess of 0.886 mm in morning and 1.128 mm in afternoon between days indicates that an intervention itself has influenced height loss. Future investigations on height loss in sitting should take these results into consideration to confidently state that an intervention has influenced height loss response at each time of day. Practitioner summary: Daily fluctuation creates difficulties when interpreting whether height losses recorded on different days and times are intervention related. Seated stadiometry measures on different days and times of day demonstrated specific levels of natural variation. Changes above 0.886 mm (morning) and 1.128 mm (afternoon) can be attributed to intervention effects. Abbreviations: LBP: low back pain; SEM: standard error of measurement; MeanSDs: means of standard deviations
Enrichment of Aurora B kinase at the inner kinetochore controls outer kinetochore assembly

In mitosis, the outer kinetochore is assembled to signal the spindle assembly checkpoint and to attach chromosomes to spindle microtubules. Bonner et al. demonstrate that outer kinetochore assembly requires the enrichment of Aurora B kinase at the inner kinetochore by the conserved central region of INCENP.
Emotional reactivity and surgical anxiety. The protective nature of perceived social support

ABSTRACT The study examined whether emotional reactivity is associated with surgical anxiety among patients scheduled for elective surgery, and whether any of the dimensions of perceived social support moderates this relationship. Participants consisted of 210 adult patients (females = 117, 55.7%) admitted for surgery at University of Nigerian Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozala, Enugu State, Nigeria. Applying cross-sectional design, participants completed the Anxiety Specific to Surgery Questionnaire, Emotion Reactivity Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support approximately 24 h before their respective surgery. Results showed that emotional reactivity was positively associated with surgical anxiety at low and moderate but not at high levels of perceived family social support. Emotional reactivity was positively associated with surgical anxiety only at low level of friends and significant others support but not at moderate or high levels of perceived support from friends or significant others. We concluded that anxiety reduction intervention programmes for surgical patients should consider integrating social support for its protective nature in improving surgical outcome.
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Clinicopathologic study of 56 autopsies.

: We studied 56 patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome who underwent autopsy at the New York University Medical Center. We uncovered several entities that were not previously described or emphasized in prior series. These were as follows: (1) three cases of necrotizing arteritis with cytomegalovirus inclusions; (2) dissemination in 95% of cases of Kaposi's sarcoma; (3) unusual clinical and histologic presentations of Kaposi's sarcoma presenting diagnostic difficulties for both clinicians and pathologists; and (4) a very high incidence of serious nonmycobacterial infections. In addition, previous autopsy studies have disagreed over such matters as the incidence of disseminated candidiasis, hemophagocytosis, and severe adrenal necrosis in acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. All of these studies, except one, involved ten to 12 cases each. Our study of 56 cases helps to resolve these disagreements.
Transforming Growth Factor-β in Renal Disease

An extensive number of animal and clinical studies indicate that transforming growth factors-β (TGF-βs) play an important role in inflammatory and fibrotic diseases, including renal fibrosis. Recent mouse models harboring genetically engineered alterations in TGF-β pathways reveal complicated mechanisms of regulation of TGF-β activity in vivo. The purpose of this review is to present recent advances relevant to our understanding of the TGF-β-signaling system in renal physiology and pathophysiology.
O-GlcNAcylation of Thr12/Ser56 in short-form O-GlcNAc transferase (sOGT) regulates its substrate selectivity

O-GlcNAcylation is a ubiquitous protein glycosylation playing different roles on variant proteins. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is the unique enzyme responsible for the sugar addition to nucleocytoplasmic proteins. Recently, multiple O-GlcNAc sites have been observed on short-form OGT (sOGT) and nucleocytoplasmic OGT (ncOGT), both of which locate in the nucleus and cytoplasm in cell. Moreover, O-GlcNAcylation of Ser389 in ncOGT (1036 amino acids) affects its nuclear translocation in HeLa cells. To date, the major O-GlcNAcylation sites and their roles in sOGT remain unknown. Here, we performed LC-MS/MS and mutational analyses to seek the major O-GlcNAcylation site on sOGT. We identified six O-GlcNAc sites in the tetratricopeptide repeat domain in sOGT, with Thr12 and Ser56 being two “key” sites. Thr12 is a dominant O-GlcNAcylation site, whereas the modification of Ser56 plays a role in regulating sOGT O-GlcNAcylation, partly through Thr12. In vitro activity and pulldown assays demonstrated that O-GlcNAcylation does not affect sOGT activity but does affect sOGT-interacting proteins. In HEK293T cells, S56A bound to and hence glycosylated more proteins in contrast to T12A and WT sOGT. By proteomic and bioinformatics analyses, we found that T12A and S56A differed in substrate proteins (e.g. HNRNPU and PDCD6IP), which eventually affected cell cycle progression and/or cell proliferation. These findings demonstrate that O-GlcNAcylation modulates sOGT substrate selectivity and affects its role in the cell. The data also highlight the regulatory role of O-GlcNAcylation at Thr12 and Ser56.
An oligomeric state‐dependent switch in the ER enzyme FICD regulates AMPylation and deAMPylation of BiP

AMPylation is an inactivating modification that alters the activity of the major endoplasmic reticulum (ER) chaperone BiP to match the burden of unfolded proteins. A single ER‐localised Fic protein, FICD (HYPE), catalyses both AMPylation and deAMPylation of BiP. However, the basis for the switch in FICD's activity is unknown. We report on the transition of FICD from a dimeric enzyme, that deAMPylates BiP, to a monomer with potent AMPylation activity. Mutations in the dimer interface, or of residues along an inhibitory pathway linking the dimer interface to the enzyme's active site, favour BiP AMPylation in vitro and in cells. Mechanistically, monomerisation relieves a repressive effect allosterically propagated from the dimer interface to the inhibitory Glu234, thereby permitting AMPylation‐competent binding of MgATP. Moreover, a reciprocal signal, propagated from the nucleotide‐binding site, provides a mechanism for coupling the oligomeric state and enzymatic activity of FICD to the energy status of the ER.
Stage-Dependent Changes in Albumin, NLR, PLR, and AFR are Correlated with Shorter Survival in Patients with Gastric Cancer.

BACKGROUND To some extent, albumin levels reflect patient nutritional status and fibrinogen, neutrophils, lymphocytes, and platelets reflect chronic inflammation. These markers may be used to evaluate prognosis in gastric cancer. METHODS Four hundred gastric cancer patients who underwent treatment in our hospital between 2010 and 2012 were retrospectively analyzed. The aims of our study were to assess the association of preoperative albumin, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and albumin to fibrinogen ratio (AFR) with tumor stage and survival in gastric cancer (GC) patients. RESULTS Albumin, PLR, and AFR impacted survival when accompanied by low serum albumin levels, high PLR, and low AFR. Universal analysis showed that CEA, CA19-9, serum albumin, T, N, and nerve invasion were significantly correlated with the overall survival of gastric cancer patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that lower serum albumin levels correlated with decreased survival in gastric cancer patients (HR: 1.785, 95% confidence interval 1.139 - 2.797, p < 0.05). Apart from serum albumin levels, patients with advanced cancer with deep invasion (T3 + 4) and lymph node metastasis (N1-3) had significantly decreased survival. Albumin, AFR, PLR, and NLR were associated with the T stage, and albumin, AFR, and PLR were associated with the N stage. Albumin, AFR, NLR, and PLR were significantly different between gastric cancer patients and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS Serum albumin, AFR, PLR, and NLR are associated with prognosis in gastric cancer patients, indicating that these four markers impact inflammation, tumor metastasis, and patient nutrition, and are important independent markers of gastric cancer progression and patient survival.
Association of NLRP3 and CARD8 Inflammasome Polymorphisms With Aseptic Loosening After Primary Total Hip Arthroplasty

Our aim was to investigate the association of inflammasome polymorphisms NLRP3 rs35829419 (p. Q705K) and CARD8 rs2043211 (p. C10X) with aseptic loosening of total hip endoprostheses. We asked whether patients with the loosening of total hip arthroplasty earlier than 15 years after primary implantation had a higher proportion of the polymorphisms Q705K and C10X in comparison to subjects without loosening. A retrospective case–control study compared 36 patients with total hip endoprosthesis loosening earlier than 15 years after primary implantation and 51 control subjects with unloosened total hip endoprostheses, matched for gender, age, and follow‐up period. Buccal mucosa samples were used for genomic DNA analysis and genotyped for NLRP3 rs35829419 and CARD8 rs2043211 using a fluorescence‐based competitive allele‐specific real‐time polymerase chain reaction. The proportion of subjects with both wild‐type NLRP3 and CARD8 (i.e., without Q705K or C10X) was considerably higher in the control group when compared with patients with early total hip arthroplasty loosening (49% vs. 28%; p = 0.05). After adjustment for gender, age, and follow‐up, patients with combined wild type of both NLRP3 and CARD8 had significantly smaller odds for early implant loosening (odds ratio 0.33, p = 0.02). Investigated polymorphisms may influence several inflammatory pathways and contribute to the loosening of artificial implants with potential clinical significance for the appropriate selection of patients and endoprostheses when planning elective total hip arthroplasty. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:417‐421, 2020
Orthostatic hypotension in Parkinson disease

Objective To determine the frequency, evolution, and associated features of orthostatic hypotension (OH) over 7 years of prospective follow-up in a population-based, initially drug-naive Parkinson disease (PD) cohort. Methods We performed repeated lying and standing blood pressure measurements in 185 patients with newly diagnosed PD and 172 matched normal controls to determine the occurrence of (1) OH using consensus-based criteria and (2) clinically significant OH (mean arterial pressure in standing position ≤75 mm Hg). We applied generalized estimating equations models for correlated data to investigate associated features of these 2 outcomes in patients with PD. Results OH was more common in patients with PD than controls at all visits, with the relative risk increasing from 3.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6–5.8; p < 0.001) at baseline to 4.9 (95% CI 2.4–10.1; p < 0.001) after 7 years. Despite a high cumulative prevalence of OH (65.4%) and clinically significant OH (29.2%), use of antihypotensive drugs was very rare (0.5%). OH was independently associated with older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.06 per year; 95% CI 1.03–1.10), lower Mini-Mental State Examination score (OR 0.91 [0.85–0.97] per unit), and longer follow-up time (OR 1.12 [1.03–1.23] per year). Clinically significant OH was associated with the same characteristics, in addition to higher levodopa equivalent dosage (OR 1.16 [1.07–1.25] per 100 mg). Conclusions In this population-based study, we found OH to be a very frequent but undertreated complication in early PD, with associations to both disease-specific symptoms and drug treatment. Our findings suggest that clinicians should more actively assess and manage OH abnormalities in PD.
Immunosuppressive treatment for peripheral neuropathies in Sjogren’s syndrome – a systematic review

Abstract Background. Sjogren’s syndrome (SS) is among the most frequent autoimmune diseases and one of its most severe extraglandular manifestations is peripheral neuropathy. There is no consensus about peripheral neuropathy treatment in SS. Our aim is to identify studies proving the efficiency of immunosuppressive treatment on peripheral neuropathies in SS. Methods. The search was conducted on the PubMed (MEDLINE) database. Studies with patients diagnosed with SS and peripheral neuropathy were included. Treatment with one of the following was among inclusion criteria: glucocorticoids (GC), rituximab (RTX), azathioprine (AZA), mycophenolic acid (MMF), cyclophosphamide (CP), methotrexate (MTX), plasmapheresis or iv immunoglobulins (IV IG). Results. A total of 116 results were found and abstracts were examined. 103 papers were excluded, and the remaining 13 papers were analyzed. They were 3 case series and 10 case reports, retrospective, totalizing 62 patients of which 22 (35.5%) received IV IG, 8 (13%) received RTX, 7 (11%) CP, and 5 (8%) received only GC. Drug associations containing corticosteroids were frequent. Of those 22 treated with IV IG, 18 patients improved (82%), and 4 stabilized (18%). IV IG was useful in sensory, motor and sensorimotor neuropathies. CP had good results in mononeuritis multiplex, while autonomic neuropathies responded well to GC or RTX. AZA, RTX, MTX, MMF or plasmapheresis were not used alone. Follow-up periods were heterogenous and the evaluation of the neuropathy was not systematic. Conclusion. There is only low level evidence (retrospective case reports and case series). In most cases, IV IG treatment in patients with peripheral neuropathies and SS resulted in clinical improvement, while other therapies, such as RTX, corticosteroids and CP proved to be useful in a handful of cases.
Combinatorial modulation of initial codons for improved zeaxanthin synthetic pathway efficiency in Escherichia coli

A balanced and optimized metabolic pathway is the basis for efficient production of a target metabolite. Traditional strategies mostly involve the manipulation of promoters or ribosome‐binding sites, which can encompass long sequences and can be complex to operate. In this work, we found that by changing only the three nucleotides of the initiation codons, expression libraries of reporter proteins RFP, GFP, and lacZ with a large dynamic range and evenly distributed expression levels could be established in Escherichia coli (E. coli). Thus, a novel strategy that uses combinatorial modulation of initial codons (CMIC) was developed for metabolic pathway optimization and applied to the three genes crtZ, crtY, and crtI of the zeaxanthin synthesis pathway in E. coli. The initial codons of these genes were changed to random nucleotides NNN, and the gene cassettes were assembled into vectors via an optimized strategy based on type II restriction enzymes. With minimal labor time, a combinatorial library was obtained containing strains with various zeaxanthin production levels, including a strain with a titer of 6.33 mg/L and specific production value of 1.24 mg/g DCW—a striking 10‐fold improvement over the starting strain. The results demonstrated that CMIC was a feasible technique for conveniently optimizing metabolic pathways. To our best knowledge, this is the first metabolic engineering strategy that relies on manipulating the initiation codons for pathway optimization in E. coli.
Medication-related harm in older adults following hospital discharge: development and validation of a prediction tool

Objectives To develop and validate a tool to predict the risk of an older adult experiencing medication-related harm (MRH) requiring healthcare use following hospital discharge. Design, setting, participants Multicentre, prospective cohort study recruiting older adults (≥65 years) discharged from five UK teaching hospitals between 2013 and 2015. Primary outcome measure Participants were followed up for 8 weeks in the community by senior pharmacists to identify MRH (adverse drug reactions, harm from non-adherence, harm from medication error). Three data sources provided MRH and healthcare use information: hospital readmissions, primary care use, participant telephone interview. Candidate variables for prognostic modelling were selected using two systematic reviews, the views of patients with MRH and an expert panel of clinicians. Multivariable logistic regression with backward elimination, based on the Akaike Information Criterion, was used to develop the PRIME tool. The tool was internally validated. Results 1116 out of 1280 recruited participants completed follow-up (87%). Uncertain MRH cases (‘possible’ and ‘probable’) were excluded, leaving a tool derivation cohort of 818. 119 (15%) participants experienced ‘definite’ MRH requiring healthcare use and 699 participants did not. Modelling resulted in a prediction tool with eight variables measured at hospital discharge: age, gender, antiplatelet drug, sodium level, antidiabetic drug, past adverse drug reaction, number of medicines, living alone. The tool’s discrimination C-statistic was 0.69 (0.66 after validation) and showed good calibration. Decision curve analysis demonstrated the potential value of the tool to guide clinical decision making compared with alternative approaches. Conclusions The PRIME tool could be used to identify older patients at high risk of MRH requiring healthcare use following hospital discharge. Prior to clinical use we recommend the tool’s evaluation in other settings.
Gender and diet management in type 2 diabetes

Introduction Type 2 diabetes is a chronic health condition that requires ongoing self-management. This often includes changes in diet, which may be open to influences from relatives. Family support in terms of diet may be linked with gender and the assumption that meal preparation is a traditionally female activity. This article looks at the role of gender in diet management in people with type 2 diabetes and their relatives. Methods Seventeen semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 participants (10 people with type 2 diabetes, 13 relatives of people with type 2 diabetes) in Scotland, UK. The aim was to uncover changes people have made to their diet following diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in oneself or a family member. Data were analysed using Framework Approach. Findings: Female relatives were more likely to manage the patient’s diet while male relatives provided support but were less likely to monitor the person’s diet. Female patients may prioritise the needs of their family while male patients are more likely to rely on their female relatives in terms of diet management. Discussion The study findings have implications for family-based interventions as gender may play a crucial role in the management of type 2 diabetes.
Radiosurgery for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy following ROSE trial guidelines — A planning comparison between Gamma Knife, Eclipse, and Brainlab

Abstract Purpose This study aims to compare stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) planning of epilepsy that complies with Radiosurgery or Open Surgery for Epilepsy (ROSE) guidelines in GammaKnife, non‐coplanar conformal (NCC) plan in Eclipse, dynamic conformal arc (DCA) plan in Brainlab, and a volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan in Eclipse. Methods Twenty plans targeting Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) was generated using GammaKnife, Eclipse with 20 NCC beams, Brainlab with 5 DCA, and Eclipse VMAT with 4 arcs observing ROSE trial guidelines. Multivariate analysis of variance and Wilcoxon signed‐rank test were used to compare dosimetric data of the plans and perform pairwise comparison, respectively. Results The plans obeyed the recommended prescription isodose volume (PIV) within 5.5–7.5 cc and maximum doses to brainstem, optic apparatus (OA) of 10 and 8 Gy, respectively, for a prescription dose of 24 Gy. The volumes of the target were in the range 4.0–7.4 cc. Mean PIV, maximum dose to brainstem, OA were 6.5 cc, 10 Gy, 7.9 Gy in GammaKnife; 7.2 cc, 6.1 Gy, 4.5 Gy in Eclipse NCC; 7.2 cc, 6.4 Gy, 5.7 Gy in Brainlab DCA; and 5.2 cc, 8.4 Gy, 6.1 Gy in Eclipse VMAT plans, respectively. Multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences among the 4 SRS planning techniques (P‐values < 0.01). Conclusions Among the 4 SRS planning methods, VMAT with least PIV and acceptable maximum doses to brainstem and OA showed highest compliance with ROSE trial. Having the most conformal dose distribution and least dose inhomogeneity, VMAT scored higher than GK, Eclipse NCC, and Brainlab DCA plans.
Leprosy educational practices with adolescents: an integrative literature review.

OBJECTIVES to identify scientific evidence in the literature regarding educational actions on leprosy developed with adolescents. METHOD an integrative review of the literature, with the following research question: what are the leprosy educational practices currently being developed with adolescents? The search was performed in the following databases: MEDLINE, Scopus, LILACS, CINAHL, BVS Hanseníase and other sources, using "adolescent"; "leprosy"; "health education"; "public health", and "public health practice" as keywords. Results: the sample was comprised of nine studies. Leprosy educational practices with adolescents verifiably promote change in knowledge when they are based on constructivist methodologies. The nurse is recognized as a professional with potential for developing these educational practices. Final considerations: actions for leprosy education with adolescents do lead to changes in knowledge, but new research is needed to evaluate their effectiveness in further improving this knowledge as well as changing behaviors and practices.
Early airway management of patients with severe head injury: opportunities missed?

1Honorary Professor, School of Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK 2 EmergencyMedical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS),Wales, UK 3Honorary Professor of Brain Injury andConsultant Neurosurgeon, Imperial College London, London, UK 4GibsonChair of Pre-hospital Care, Faculty of Pre-hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK . Correspondence to: D. J. Lockey Email: david.lockey@nbt.nhs. uk Accepted: 20August 2019