Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of synbiotic supplementation and dietary fat sources on broiler performance, serum lipids, muscle fatty acid profile and meat quality

Abstract A 42-d trial was conducted to investigate the effect of adding a synbiotic supplement to diets containing two different types of fat on performance, blood lipids and fatty acid (FA) composition and oxidative stability of breast and thigh meat in broilers. A total of 800 one-d-old male broiler chickens were randomly assigned into 1 of 8 treatments with 4 replicates of 25 birds per treatment. The experiment consisted of a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments including 4 concentrations of synbiotic (0, 0.5, 1 or 1.5 g/kg diet) and 2 types of fat [sunflower oil (SO) or canola oil (CO)] at an inclusion rate of 50 g/kg diet. Dietary fat type did not affect body weight gain (BWG) or feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the overall experimental period (0–42 d). However, fat type modified serum lipid profile and FA composition and 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) content in breast and thigh meat. The addition of synbiotic to the diet linearly improved overall BWG and FCR and also decreased serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations. The TBARS value in thigh meat after 30 d of storage at 4°C was linearly decreased as the synbiotic inclusion concentrations in the diets increased. Dietary synbiotic also decreased the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids and increased n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentration in thigh meat, whereas the FA profile of breast meat was not affected by synbiotic supplementation. Moreover, the PUFA/SFA ratio in the breast meat was linearly increased when synbiotic was included in the CO-containing diets. In conclusion, the addition of synbiotic to broiler diets had a positive effect on growth performance, blood lipid profile and meat quality. The results also support the use of synbiotic to increase the capacity of canola oil for enhancing PUFA/SFA ratio of breast meat in broilers.
90-day Readmission After Lumbar Spinal Fusion Surgery in New York State Between 2005 and 2014: A 10-year Analysis of a Statewide Cohort

Study Design. Retrospective cohort study. Objective. The aim of this study was to assess 90-day readmission and evaluate risk factors associated with readmission after lumbar fusion in New York State. Summary of Background Data. Readmission is becoming an important metric for quality and efficiency of health care. Readmission and its predictors following spine surgery are overall poorly understood and limited evidence is available specifically in lumbar fusion. Methods. The New York Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) was utilized to capture patients undergoing lumbar fusion from 2005 to 2014. Temporal trend of 90-day readmission was assessed using Cochran-Armitage test. Logistic regression was used to examine predictors associated with 90-day readmission. Results. There were 86,869 patients included in this cohort study. The overall 90-day readmission rate was 24.8%. On a multivariable analysis model, age (odds ratio [OR] comparing ≥75 versus <35 years: 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.35), sex (OR female to male: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.15–1.23), race (OR African-American to white: 1.60, 95% CI: 1.52–1.69), insurance (OR Medicaid to Medicare: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.33–1.53), procedure (OR comparing thoracolumbar fusion, combined [International Classification of Disease, Ninth Revision, ICD-9: 81.04] to posterior lumbar interbody fusion/transforaminal lumbar spinal fusion [ICD-9: 81.08]: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.49–2.97), number of operated spinal levels (OR comparing four to eight vertebrae to two to three vertebrae: 2.39, 95% CI: 2.07–2.77), health service area ([HSA]; OR comparing Finger Lakes to New York-Pennsylvania border: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.61-0.73), and comorbidity, i.e., coronary artery disease (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.19–1.33) were significantly associated with 90-day readmission. Directions of the odds ratios for these factors were consistent after stratification by procedure type. Conclusion. Age, sex, race, insurance, procedure, number of operated spinal levels, HSA, and comorbidities are major risk factors for 90-day readmission. Our study allows risk calculation to determine high-risk patients before undergoing spinal fusion surgery to prevent early readmission, improve quality of care, and reduce health care expenditures. Level of Evidence: 3
Effect of 5-azacytidine on differentiation and DNA methylation in human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60).

One of the most readily quantitated indices of myeloid maturation in HL-60 cells is their ability to respond to the tumor promoter, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate with increased respiratory burst activity. HL-60 cells exposed to the antileukemic drug, 5-azacytidine (3 to 5 microM) for 24 hr and subsequently cultured in its absence for 2 to 3 days develop an enhanced ability to respond to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate with increased respiratory burst activity detectable as an increase both in hexose monophosphate shunt activity and in the proportion of the population producing superoxide anion. 5-Azacytidine treatment also causes marked inhibition of DNA methyltransferase, and thus DNA synthesized by HL-60 cells during the 24-hr period of analogue treatment is essentially devoid of methylated cytosine residues. This suggests, as does our previous finding that a general inhibitor of transmethylation reactions, L-ethionine, can induce differentiation of HL-60 cells, that changes in gene expression triggered by these compounds may be linked to their ability to alter patterns of DNA methylation. Since at least 50% of HL-60 cells capable of forming colonies in soft agar after a 24-hr exposure to 5-azacytidine yield progeny that mature (i.e., produce superoxide anion in response to 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate) 2 weeks after 5-azacytidine treatment, the results also indicate that the changes induced in HL-60 cells by limited exposure to 5-azacytidine are heritable and can influence gene expression many generations after treatment has been terminated.
Towards an Integrated Health and Wellness Program Using Human-IoT Interaction

Over the past decade, the market size of connected wellness devices has grown in an exponential fashion. This trend is due to the advent and affordability of connected wearables and activity trackers. While users see in these health and wellness devices opportunities to nurture a culture of health and wellbeing, several hurdles still exist towards developing this culture. Wearable technologies companies have built closed-gated ecosystems around their products, preventing them to resonate with the clinical guidelines and best practices. Thus, users of these wearables find themselves torn apart between two drastically different environments; The medical healthcare environment and the wellness environment. In this paper, we explore the efforts already done to bridge that gap by analyzing the available health solutions. From this analysis, we draft guidelines for an integrated health and wellness ecosystem. These proposed guidelines focus on the Human-IoT Interaction aspect as an important cornerstone in the success and sustainability of the health and wellness program. These guidelines will also account for scalability and compatibility depending respectively on the advancement of medical practices and technologies available.
Clinicopathologic findings following intra-articular injection of autologous and allogeneic placentally derived equine mesenchymal stem cells in horses.

BACKGROUND AIMS The development of an allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) product to treat equine disorders would be useful; however, there are limited in vivo safety data for horses. We hypothesized that the injection of self (autologous) and non-self (related allogeneic or allogeneic) MSC would not elicit significant alterations in physical examination, gait or synovial fluid parameters when injected into the joints of healthy horses. METHODS Sixteen healthy horses were used in this study. Group 1 consisted of foals (n = 6), group 2 consisted of their dams (n = 5) and group 3 consisted of half-siblings (n = 5) to group 1 foals. Prior to injection, MSC were phenotyped. Placentally derived MSC were injected into contralateral joints and MSC diluent was injected into a separate joint (control). An examination, including lameness evaluation and synovial fluid analysis, was performed at 0, 24, 48 and 72 h post-injection. RESULTS MSC were major histocompatibility complex (MHC) I positive, MHC II negative and CD86 negative. Injection of allogeneic MSC did not elicit a systemic response. Local responses such as joint swelling or lameness were minimal and variable. Intra-articular MSC injection elicited marked inflammation within the synovial fluid (as measured by nucleated cell count, neutrophil number and total protein concentration). However, there were no significant differences between the degree and type of inflammation elicited by self and non-self-MSC. CONCLUSIONS The healthy equine joint responds similarly to a single intra-articular injection of autologous and allogeneic MSC. This pre-clinical safety study is an important first step in the development of equine allogeneic stem cell therapies.
Requirement for Transcription Factor Ets1 in B Cell Tolerance to Self-Antigens

The differentiation and survival of autoreactive B cells is normally limited by a variety of self-tolerance mechanisms, including clonal deletion, anergy, and clonal ignorance. The transcription factor c-ets-1 (encoded by the Ets1 gene) has B cell–intrinsic roles in regulating formation of Ab-secreting cells by controlling the activity of Blimp1 and Pax5 and may be required for B cell tolerance to self-antigen. To test this, we crossed Ets1−/− mice to two different transgenic models of B cell self-reactivity, the anti–hen egg lysozyme BCR transgenic strain and the AM14 rheumatoid factor transgenic strain. BCR transgenic Ets1−/− mice were subsequently crossed to mice either carrying or lacking relevant autoantigens. We found that B cells lacking c-ets-1 are generally hyperresponsive in terms of Ab secretion and form large numbers of Ab-secreting cells even in the absence of cognate Ags. When in the presence of cognate Ag, different responses were noted depending on the physical characteristics of the Ag. We found that clonal deletion of highly autoreactive B cells in the bone marrow was intact in the absence of c-ets-1. However, peripheral B cells lacking c-ets-1 failed to become tolerant in response to stimuli that normally induce B cell anergy or B cell clonal ignorance. Interestingly, high-affinity soluble self-antigen did cause B cells to adopt many of the classical features of anergic B cells, although such cells still secreted Ab. Therefore, maintenance of appropriate c-ets-1 levels is essential to prevent loss of self-tolerance in the B cell compartment.
Marital status and prostate cancer outcomes.

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the influence of marriage on the survival outcomes of men diagnosed with prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined 115,922 prostate cancer cases reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between 1988 and 2003. Multivariate Cox regression techniques were used to study the relationship of marital status and prostate cancer-specific and overall mortality. RESULTS Married men comprised 78% of the cohort (n = 91,490) while unmarried men (single, divorced, widowed, and separated) comprised 22% of the cohort (n = 24,432). Married men were younger (66.4 versus 67.8 years, p < 0.0001), more likely to be white (85% versus 76%, p < 0.0001), presented with lower tumor grades (68% are well or moderately differentiated versus 62%, p < 0.0001) and at earlier clinical stages (41% AJCC stage I/II versus 37%, p < 0.0001). Multivariate analysis revealed that unmarried men had a 40% increase in the relative risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality (HR 1.40; CI 1.35-1.44; p < 0.0001), and a 51% increase in overall mortality (HR 1.51; CI 1.48-1.54; p < 0.0001), even when controlling for age, AJCC stage, tumor grade, race and median household income. Furthermore, the 5 year disease-specific survival rates for married men was 89.1% compared to 80.5% for unmarried men (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Marital status is an independent predictor of prostate cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality in men with prostate cancer. Unmarried men have a higher risk of prostate cancer-specific mortality compared to married men of similar age, race, stage, and tumor grade.
Osteopontin expression is associated with platinum-based chemotherapy response and prognosis of patients with advanced non small cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE To examine the expression of osteopontin (OPN) in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), and to analyze the correlation of the expression level of OPN with response to platinum-based chemotherapy and the prognosis of NSCLC patients. METHODS This retrospective study enrolled 92 patients with advanced NSCLC. All of the patients received platinum- based regimens as first-line chemotherapy. The expression of OPN in advanced NSCLC tissue was detected by immunohistochemistry. The associations between OPN expression with response to chemotherapy and the prognosis were analyzed by SPSS 17.0 statistical software. RESULTS The positive expression rate of OPN in advanced NSCLC tissue was 36.9% (34/92). The positive expression rate of OPN was higher in patients ≥70 years old (65.2%;15/23) vs those aged <70 years (27.5%;19/69; p<0.05), which was also higher in patients with distant metastasis (51.9%;28/54) than that in patients without metastasis 15.8% (6/38) , the difference with statistically significant (p<0.05). Pearson's correlation analysis results showed that OPN expression was significantly correlated with age (r=0.338, p=0.001) , distant metastasis (r=0.368, p<0.001), curative effect of platinum-based regimen (r=0.403, p<0.001), progression-free survival/PFS (r=-0.486, p<0.001) and overall survival/OS (r=-0.552, p<0.001). Furthermore, the OPN expression was an independent predictor of PFS and OS for patients with advanced NSCLC after receiving platinum-based first-line chemotherapy (p<0.001). CONCLUSION OPN expression is an independent predictor of response to platinum-based first-line chemotherapy and of the prognosis of patients with advanced NSCLC.
Impact of daily bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate on ventilator associated pneumonia in intensive care units: a meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most important nosocomial infection in intensive care units (ICUs). Our objective was to assess whether daily bathing with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) would significantly result in the reduction of VAP. MATERIALS AND METHODS Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies were conducted. The setting are medical, surgical, trauma, and combined medical-surgical ICUs. The patients are adult. We searched electronic search engine (PubMed), Embase and the Cochrane Central Register database for all published studies related to the application of daily CHG bathing with VAP risk. RESULTS In all, six articles reporting a total of 27,638 ventilator-days met the inclusion criteria; 132 patients in the CHG arm developed a VAP (13,349 ventilator-days), compared with 188 patients in the control arm (14,289 ventilator-days). Daily bathing with CHG was significantly associated with decreased incidence risk of VAP [relative risk (RR): 0.73, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.57-0.92, I(2)=0%]. In the subgroup analysis, we found that daily bathing with 2% CHG impregnated cloths or wipes would reduce the incidence risk of VAP among before-and-after studies (pooled RR: 0.73, 95% CI: 0.57-0.93). CONCLUSIONS The application of daily bathing with CHG would decrease incidence risk of VAP, which would be an important complementary intervention to barrier precautions.
Influence of Ophthalmic Solutions on Tear Components

Abstract: Tear fluids are a mixture of secretions derived from lacrimal glands, accessory lacrimal glands, conjunctiva, and meibomian glands. Compositional changes to tears occur in the normal state and during ocular surface disease, such as dry eye conditions. We have investigated compositional changes to tears after topical application of ophthalmic solutions, with regard to tear-specific proteins (secretory immunoglobulin A, lactoferrin, lipocalin-1, and lysozyme) and ocular surface mucin in normal and dry eye conditions using high-performance liquid chromatography. After application of saline solution (0.9% sodium chloride) in normal subjects, transient but significant decreases in all tear components were observed. The recovery of protein concentrations took up to 30 minutes and lasted longer when the saline solution was applied more frequently. When applying ophthalmic solutions, a balance between washout and dilutional effects should be considered in addition to the therapeutic effect. Investigation of the effect of diquafosol solution (3%) in normal subjects revealed a significant increase in sialic acid concentration, a marker of ocular mucin, at 5 minutes after application, whereas a significant decrease was observed with saline. This result indicates the accelerated secretion of mucin from ocular tissues induced by diquafosol. A clinical study to determine the efficacy of diquafosol in patients with dry eye revealed improvements in tear breakup time, keratoconjunctival staining scores, and Schirmer test score, accompanied by an increase in sialic acid concentration in tears. Investigating normal and dry eye conditions through tear analysis may clarify the pathophysiology of dry eye conditions and support the efficacy of treatments.
Fluvoxamine for the treatment of anxiety disorders in children and adolescents. The Research Unit on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Anxiety Study Group.

BACKGROUND Drugs that selectively inhibit serotonin reuptake are effective treatments for adults with mood and anxiety disorders, but limited data are available on the safety and efficacy of serotonin-reuptake inhibitors in children with anxiety disorders. METHODS We studied 128 children who were 6 to 17 years of age; who met the criteria for social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder; and who had received psychological treatment for three weeks without improvement. The children were randomly assigned to receive fluvoxamine (at a maximum of 300 mg per day) or placebo for eight weeks and were evaluated with rating scales designed to assess the degree of anxiety and impairment. RESULTS Children in the fluvoxamine group had a mean (+/-SD) decrease of 9.7+/-6.9 points in symptoms of anxiety on the Pediatric Anxiety Rating Scale (range of possible scores, 0 to 25, with higher scores indicating greater anxiety), as compared with a decrease of 3.1+/-4.8 points among children in the placebo group (P<0.001). On the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement scale, 48 of 63 children in the fluvoxamine group (76 percent) responded to the treatment, as indicated by a score of less than 4, as compared with 19 of 65 children in the placebo group (29 percent, P<0.001). Five children in the fluvoxamine group (8 percent) discontinued treatment because of adverse events, as compared with one child in the placebo group (2 percent). CONCLUSIONS Fluvoxamine is an effective treatment for children and adolescents with social phobia, separation anxiety disorder, or generalized anxiety disorder.
Far More Than Dutiful Daughter: Milicent Shinn's Child Study and Education Advocacy After 1898

Abstract Previous scholarship on the life of psychologist Milicent Shinn (E. Scarborough & L. Furumoto, 1987) emphasized Shinn's failure to pursue an academic career in psychology following her PhD in 1898. Scarborough and Furumoto used Shinn as an example of “the family claim”—the career limitations women faced in terms of their family obligations. This narrative, however, obscured Shinn's continued engagement with child study before and after her years in graduate school, as a recent article documenting Shinn's leadership of network of home-based observers of infant development makes clear (C. von Oertzen, 2013). This article challenges the traditional retelling of Shinn's story still further, by exploring how Shinn used her professional contacts from her previous role as editor of the Overland Monthly to promote a wide range of causes related to child study and education. Following G. Lerner (1979), the author attends to Shinn's own values, such as her love of California, education, and her family. These values suggest a much more positive evaluation of Shinn's life work and the domestic environment in which she conducted her research and advocacy work.
Phase I/II clinical trial of sequential subcutaneous and intravenous delivery of dendritic cell vaccination for refractory multiple myeloma using patient‐specific tumour idiotype protein or idiotype (VDJ)‐derived class I‐restricted peptides

Fifteen multiple myeloma (MM) patients who had failed maintenance therapy after tandem autologous stem cell transplantation underwent anti‐idiotype (Id) vaccination with dendritic cells (DCs). CD14+‐derived DCs were loaded with the autologous Id as whole protein (=6) or Id‐derived class I‐restricted peptides (=9) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). Vaccination consisted of three subcutaneous (sc) and two intravenous injections of increasing DC doses at 2 weeks interval. DC therapy was well tolerated. Most patients developed both humoral and T‐cell responses to KLH, suggesting immunocompetence. Eight of 15 patients developed an Id‐specific T‐cell proliferative response, 8/15 increased interferon‐γ‐secreting T cells and 4/15 showed an Id‐positive delayed‐type hypersensitivity test. Anti‐Id cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte precursors increased after DC vaccination in 2/2 evaluable patients. A more robust T‐cell response was observed after sc DC injections and increased Id‐specific T‐cell proliferation was found up to 1 year after vaccination. VDJ‐derived peptides were as effective as the whole protein in stimulating T‐cell responses. Clinically, 7/15 patients have stable disease after a median follow‐up of 26 months, one patient achieved durable partial remission after 40 months, and seven patients progressed. In conclusion, sc injections of cryopreserved Id‐pulsed DCs were safe and, in contrast with intravenous administrations, induced anti‐MM T‐cell responses.