Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Retrospective analysis of complications associated with dorsal root ganglion stimulation for pain relief in the FDA MAUDE database

Background and objectives Dorsal root ganglion stimulation is an emerging therapy in the treatment of chronic pain. Compared with traditional spinal cord stimulation, it allows a discretely targeted stimulation profile and may act via differing mechanisms of action. Despite these advantages, little is known about the complications associated with this new modality. Methods We queried the MAUDE (Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience) database for all entries named ‘Dorsal root ganglion stimulator for pain relief’ reported between May 1, 2016 and December 31, 2017. We verified these data through the Office of the Freedom of Information Act at the US Food and Drug Administration. We then eliminated duplicate entries and categorized each complication based on the event description. A secondary analysis was performed to characterize the serious adverse events and the severity of new neurologic symptoms and infections. Results We identified 979 unique episodes following our process of deduplication. Almost half (47%) of entries were categorized as device-related complications, a quarter (28%) as procedural complications, with the remainder as patient complaints (12%), serious adverse events (2.4%), and ‘other’ complications (4.6%). The majority of complications were managed surgically with revision (n = 488; 49.8%) rather than explant (n = 161; 16.4%) events, respectively. Conclusions The ‘Dorsal root ganglion stimulator for pain relief’ device has been publicized as a breakthrough in neuromodulation technologies. As with any new technology, we must proceed with caution and re-evaluate effectiveness as information becomes available. The MAUDE database has provided safety data unique for this device that will aid in informed consent and further refinement of this innovative therapy.
Recurrence of Silent Corticotroph Adenomas After Primary Treatment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Context 2017 WHO Classification of Pituitary Tumors grades silent corticotroph adenomas (SCAs) as "high-risk adenomas" due to their aggressive clinical behavior (high probability of recurrence). However, studies comparing recurrence rates of SCAs with other non-functioning pituitary adenoma (NFPAs) subtypes have provided conflicting results. Objective Estimate recurrence rates of SCAs after primary treatment (surgery±radiotherapy) and recurrence rate ratios (RRR) between SCAs and other NFPA subtypes. Methods Systematic review of published literature reporting on outcomes of SCAs up to October 31, 2017 was conducted. Recurrence rates, RRRs, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated from each study and pooled using random effects meta-analysis model. Results For determination of SCAs recurrence rates, 14 studies (low risk of bias, 297 patients) were selected; recurrence rate was 5.96 (95% CI, 4.3-7.84) per 100 person-years. Based on studies with mean follow-up <5 or ≥5 years, 25% (cumulative incidence 0.25; 95% CI, 0.13-0.38) and 31% (cumulative incidence 0.31; 95% CI, 0.23-0.40) of SCAs had recurrence, respectively. Recurrence rates after surgery or surgery+radiotherapy were 5.41 (95% CI, 3.28-7.96) and 4.88 (95% CI, 0.67-11.54) cases per 100 person-years, respectively. Analysis of 10 eligible studies (moderate risk of bias, 244 SCAs, 1622 NFPAs) showed no significant RRR (1.44; 95% CI, 0.9-2.33, p=0.130) between the groups. Focus on tumors treated solely by surgery also revealed no significant RRR (1.17; 95% CI, 0.79-1.75, p=0.429). Conclusions Based on studies with mean follow-up ≥5 years, 31% of SCAs have recurrence. No evidence supporting higher recurrence risk of SCAs compared with other NFPA subtypes was found.
The Gene Structure and Expression Level Changes of the GH3 Gene Family in Brassica napus Relative to Its Diploid Ancestors

The GH3 gene family plays a vital role in the phytohormone-related growth and developmental processes. The effects of allopolyploidization on GH3 gene structures and expression levels have not been reported. In this study, a total of 38, 25, and 66 GH3 genes were identified in Brassica rapa (ArAr), Brassica oleracea (CoCo), and Brassica napus (AnACnCn), respectively. BnaGH3 genes were unevenly distributed on chromosomes with 39 on An and 27 on Cn, in which six BnaGH3 genes may appear as new genes. The whole genome triplication allowed the GH3 gene family to expand in diploid ancestors, and allopolyploidization made the GH3 gene family re-expand in B. napus. For most BnaGH3 genes, the exon-intron compositions were similar to diploid ancestors, while the cis-element distributions were obviously different from its ancestors. After allopolyploidization, the expression patterns of GH3 genes from ancestor species changed greatly in B. napus, and the orthologous gene pairs between An/Ar and Cn/Co had diverged expression patterns across four tissues. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the GH3 gene family in B. napus, and these results could contribute to identifying genes with vital roles in phytohormone-related growth and developmental processes.
Molecular epidemiology of noroviruses in children under 5 years of age with acute gastroenteritis in Yaoundé, Cameroon

Norovirus is a common cause of acute gastroenteritis (AGE) among children in developing countries. Limited data on the prevalence and genetic variability of norovirus are available in Cameroon, where early childhood mortality due to AGE is common. We tested 902 fecal specimens from children younger than 5 years of age hospitalized with AGE between January 2010 and December 2013. Overall, 76 (8.4%) samples tested positive for norovirus, of which 83% (63/76) were among children below 12 months old. Most of the noroviruses detected were in children infected between July and December of each year. All norovirus‐positive specimens were genotyped, with 80% (61/76) being GII.4 (three variants detected). Genotypes GI.2, GI.6, GII.1, GII.2, GII.3, GII.6, GII.16, GII.17, and GII.21 were also detected. Interestingly, GII.4 Sydney and GII.17 Kawasaki viruses were found as early as 2010, years before their emergence globally. This study suggests norovirus is a significant cause of moderate to severe gastroenteritis among young children in Cameroon. The results are important to highlight appropriate prevention and control strategies for reducing the burden of norovirus disease.
EFSUMB Position Paper: Recommendations for Gastrointestinal Ultrasound (GIUS) in Acute Appendicitis and Diverticulitis

Abstract An interdisciplinary task force of European experts summarizes the value of gastrointestinal ultrasound (GIUS) in the management of acute appendicitis and diverticulitis. Based on an extensive literature review, clinical recommendations for these highly common diseases in visceral medicine are presented. In patients with acute appendicitis, preoperative sonography has been established as a routine procedure in most European countries for medical and legal reasons. Routine sonography in these patients may reduce the rate of unnecessary surgery by half. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of ultrasound reach values above 90 % and are equivalent to CT and MRI. However, the high operator dependence may be a problem, for example in point-of-care ultrasound in emergency departments. Structured training programs, quality controls and standardized ultrasound reporting should be increasingly implemented. In the case of suspected acute diverticulitis, “ultrasound first” should also be a basic element in the approach to all patients. Sonography can confirm the diagnosis and allows early risk stratification. As treatment strategies have become less aggressive and more tailored to the stage of diverticulitis, accurate staging has become increasingly important. GIUS and CT have proven to have similar sensitivity and specificity. Especially in cases of uncomplicated diverticulitis, GIUS will be the one and only imaging procedure. CT may work as a backup and has particular advantages for diverticulitis located in the distal sigmoid, inflammation deep in the small pelvis and insufficient ultrasound scanning conditions. This step-up approach (ultrasound first and CT only in case of a negative or inconclusive ultrasound result) has proven to yield the best accuracy.
Coping, Community and Fighting Stereotypes: An Exploration of Multidimensional Social Capital in Personal Blogs Discussing Mental Illness

ABSTRACT Social capital has been identified as one of the ways in which mental health concerns may be mitigated – by ensuring that systems are in place at the micro (cognitive), meso (social interaction), and macro (institutional) levels to support individuals as they seek assistance with and recovery from mental health concerns. One area that deserves further research, however, is how social capital is created communicatively online for these purposes. This study outlines the creation of social capital through interviews with five personal bloggers, analysis of six additional personal blogs with mental health content, and analysis of 878 reader comments to blog posts. Social capital creation is found in three levels, with: (1) coping with mental illness present at the cognitive level, (2) fostering supportive community at the social interaction level, and (3) fighting against stereotypes at the institutional level.
'Artiphysiology' reveals V4-like shape tuning in a deep network trained for image classification

Deep networks provide a potentially rich interconnection between neuroscientific and artificial approaches to understanding visual intelligence, but the relationship between artificial and neural representations of complex visual form has not been elucidated at the level of single-unit selectivity. Taking the approach of an electrophysiologist to characterizing single CNN units, we found many units exhibit translation-invariant boundary curvature selectivity approaching that of exemplar neurons in the primate mid-level visual area V4. For some V4-like units, particularly in middle layers, the natural images that drove them best were qualitatively consistent with selectivity for object boundaries. Our results identify a novel image-computable model for V4 boundary curvature selectivity and suggest that such a representation may begin to emerge within an artificial network trained for image categorization, even though boundary information was not provided during training. This raises the possibility that single-unit selectivity in CNNs will become a guide for understanding sensory cortex.
The clinical significance of ultrasound grayscale ratio in differentiating markedly hypoechoic and anechoic minimal thyroid nodules

Purpose: This study explored ultrasound grayscale ratios (USGRs) for differentiating markedly hypoechoic and anechoic minimal thyroid nodules. Materials and Methods: Longitudinal scan images of 193 markedly hypoechoic papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) lesions from 184 patients were retrospectively reviewed using RADinfo and compared with 123 anechoic micronodular goiters (MNGs) from 110 patients. Final diagnosis was validated by pathological examination; MNGs predominantly manifested with cyst formation. Grayscale values of PTMC, MNG, and normal surrounding tissues were obtained from grayscale histograms; USGRs (grayscale ratios of pathologic tissue to surrounding normal tissue) of PTMC and MNG were calculated. Optimal USGRs for differentiating PTMC and MNG were determined with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results: Among 193 PTMC and 123 MNG lesions, USGRs were 0.24–0.51 (mean ± standard deviation [SD]: 0.41 ± 0.07) and 0.01–0.38 (mean ± SD: 0.12 ± 0.08), respectively. The area under the ROC curve for distinguishing markedly hypoechoic PTMC and anechoic MNG was 0.992. As USGRs decreased, sensitivity decreased and specificity increased for MNG diagnosis. At a USGR of 0.26, the Youden index was high (0.933), corresponding to 94.3% sensitivity and 99% specificity for predicting anechoic MNG. At a USGR of 0.23, sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing anechoic MNG were 92.7% and 100%, respectively. In contrast, as USGR increased, sensitivity decreased and specificity increased for predicting PTMC. At a USGR of 0.38, sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing markedly hypoechoic PTMC were 68.4% and 100%, respectively. Conclusions: USGRs could objectively quantize grayscale values of markedly hypoechoic and anechoic lesions, enabling accurate and quantitative determination of nodular properties.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: miR-506 contributes to malignancy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma via targeting of P65 and LAMC1

Statement of Retraction We, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Cell Cycle, have retracted the following article: Jian Zhou, Ying Zhang, Zhaofeng Han, Zhiwei Dong, Tongtong Cao, Aizhou Wei, Pengfei Guo, and Qingnan Meng. miR-506 contributes to malignancy of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma via targeting of P65 and LAMC1. Cell Cycle. 2019;18(3):333-345. doi:10.1080/15384101.2019. 1568747. Since publication, significant concerns have been raised about the integrity of the data and reported results in the article. When approached for an explanation, the authors did not provide their original data or any necessary supporting information. As verifying the validity of published work is core to the integrity of the scholarly record, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author listed in this publication has been informed. The authors 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’.
Mother Knows Best? Comparing Child Report and Parent Report of Sleep Parameters With Polysomnography.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Parent report or child report is commonly used to obtain information on sleep in children. Data are lacking comparing the validity of parent-reported versus child-reported sleep parameters. METHODS A total of 285 children (age 9 to 17 years) from the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea community cohort study were assessed. Parent report and child report of total sleep time (TST), sleep latency (SL), and sleep efficiency (SE) for a single night were compared to polysomnography (PSG). Intraclass correlations (ICCs) were used to evaluate agreement between child report, parent report, and PSG findings. RESULTS When compared to PSG, children overestimated TST by a median of 32 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 6 to 68), whereas parents overestimated TST by 36 minutes (IQR 13-70) (P = .006). Children overestimated SL by 4 minutes (IQR -8 to 20), whereas parents overestimated SL by 2 minutes (IQR -10 to 13) (P = .001). Children overestimated SE by 5% (IQR 0% to 11%), whereas parents overestimated SE by 6% (IQR 2% to 11%, P = .04). Both child-reported TST (ICC 0.722, P < .001) and parent-reported TST (ICC 0.776, P < .001) agreed substantially with PSG. Child-reported SL (ICC 0.467, P < .001) and parent-reported SL (r = .419, P < .001) moderately agreed with PSG. Least agreement with PSG was seen between child-reported SE (ICC 0.404, P < .001) and parent-reported SE (ICC 0.473, P < .001), but significant agreement was still present. CONCLUSIONS When compared to PSG, children overestimate TST to a smaller degree than their parents and overestimate SL to a larger degree than their parents, but these differences appear small. Child and parent reports appear to be equally valid for TST, SL, and SE.
High Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistance MRSA and VRSA of Different Infections from AI-Jumhuory Teaching Hospital Patients in Mosul

Staphylococcus aureus is major human pathogen causing large variety of infections worldwide. This study carried out to isolate S. aureus from different clinical cases, also detection of MRSA prevalence and VRSA emergence, in addition to shedding light on strains that have to be multidrug resistance against various antibiotics. The clinical samples were collected from Al-Jumhuory Teaching Hospital patients in Mosul, isolates identification were achieved by conventional procedures including biochemical and physiological tests, and the specific latex agglutination test. The sensitivity pattern achieved by using disk diffusion technique, for MRSA and VRSA detection oxacillin-disk (1 μg) and vancomycin-disk (30 μg) were used respectively. Results revealed, among 17 S. aureus isolates, 7 (41%) were mostly isolated from patients with wound and burn infections. Isolates had high resistance rate against ampicillin (100%) and cefotaxime (81%), and lower resistance rate against several antibiotics. MRSA was 88% of total isolates, 93.3% of MRSA were multidrug resistance to 3-9 of antibiotics. Six isolates (40%) of MRSA were VRSA. It is concluded that antibiotics other than vancomycin can be used as anti-MRSA agents after a sensitivity test to prevent the prevalence of VRSA, the major cause of this chemotherapy problems maybe irrational and indiscriminate use of broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Oral bowenoid papulosis.

To the Editor: A 22-year-old Somali woman presented to our institution with oral lesions of 2 years’ duration. The lesions started as small papules in the corners of the mouth that gradually continued to spread to the mucosal lips and gums. The lesions did not drain any material. The patient reported that they were not painful and had not regressed. She was concerned about the cosmetic appearance of the lesions. The patient believed the lesions had developed from working in a chicken factory and was concerned that they appeared possibly due to contact with a substance in the factory. Additionally, she noted that her voice had become hoarse. She was otherwise healthy and denied any sexual contact or ever having a blood transfusion. Physical examination revealed 10 to 15 flesh-colored papules measuring 2 to 3 mm in diameter on the vermilion, mucosal surfaces of the lips, and upper and lower gingivae (Figure 1). No lesions were seen on the hard and soft palate, tongue, buccal mucosa, or posterior pharynx. Skin biopsy of the left lower mucosal lip revealed parakeratosis, acanthosis, superficial koilocytes, and atypical keratinocytes with frequent mitoses (Figures 2A–2C). In situ hybridization testing for human papillomavirus (HPV) was negative for low-risk types 6 and 11 but positive for high-risk types 16 and 18 (Figure 2D). Laboratory investigations including complete blood cell count, electrolyte panel, and liver function studies were normal, and serum was negative for syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus antibodies. The combined clinical and histologic findings were diagnostic of oral bowenoid papulosis. Gynecologic evaluation showed that the patient had undergone female circumcision, and she had a normal Papanicolaou test. The patient was referred to both the ear, nose, and throat clinic Oral Bowenoid Papulosis
Molecular features of premenopausal breast cancers in Latin American women: Pilot results from the PRECAMA study

Background In Latin America (LA), there is a high incidence rate of breast cancer (BC) in premenopausal women, and the genomic features of these BC remain unknown. Here, we aim to characterize the molecular features of BC in young LA women within the framework of the PRECAMA study, a multicenter population-based case-control study on breast cancer in premenopausal women. Methods Pathological tumor tissues were collected from incident cases from four LA countries. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed centrally for ER, PR, HER2, Ki67, EGFR, CK5/6 and p53 protein markers. Targeted deep sequencing was done on genomic DNA extracted from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumour tissues and their paired blood samples to screen for somatic mutations in eight genes frequently mutated in BC. A subset of samples was analyzed by exome sequencing to identify somatic mutational signatures. Results The majority of cases were positive for ER or PR (168/233; 72%) and there were 21% triple negative (TN) cases, mainly of basal type. Most tumors were positive for Ki67 (189/233; 81%). In 126 sequenced cases, TP53 and PIK3CA were the most frequently mutated genes (32.5% and 21.4%, respectively), followed by AKT1 (9.5%). TP53 mutations were more frequent in HER2-enriched and TN IHC subtypes, while PIK3CA/AKT1 mutations were more frequent in ER positive tumors, as expected. Interestingly, a higher proportion of G:C>T:A mutations was observed in TP53 gene in PRECAMA cases compared to TCGA and METABRIC breast cancer series (27% vs 14%). Exome-wide mutational patterns in 10 TN cases revealed alterations in signaling transduction pathways and major contributions of mutational signatures caused by altered DNA repair pathways. Conclusions This pilot results on PRECAMA tumors gives a preview of the molecular features of premenopausal BC in LA. Although, the overall mutation burden was as expected from data in other populations, mutational patterns observed in TP53 and exome-wide suggested possible differences in mutagenic processes giving rise to these tumors compared to other populations. Further omics analyses of a larger number of cases in the near future will allow investigating relationships between these molecular features and risk factors.
Masked Sentence Recognition in Children, Young Adults, and Older Adults: Age-Dependent Effects of Semantic Context and Masker Type.

OBJECTIVES Masked speech recognition in normal-hearing listeners depends in part on masker type and semantic context of the target. Children and older adults are more susceptible to masking than young adults, particularly when the masker is speech. Semantic context has been shown to facilitate noise-masked sentence recognition in all age groups, but it is not known whether age affects a listener's ability to use context with a speech masker. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of masker type and semantic context of the target as a function of listener age. DESIGN Listeners were children (5 to 16 years), young adults (19 to 30 years), and older adults (67 to 81 years), all with normal or near-normal hearing. Maskers were either speech-shaped noise or two-talker speech, and targets were either semantically correct (high context) sentences or semantically anomalous (low context) sentences. RESULTS As predicted, speech reception thresholds were lower for young adults than either children or older adults. Age effects were larger for the two-talker masker than the speech-shaped noise masker, and the effect of masker type was larger in children than older adults. Performance tended to be better for targets with high than low semantic context, but this benefit depended on age group and masker type. In contrast to adults, children benefitted less from context in the two-talker speech masker than the speech-shaped noise masker. Context effects were small compared with differences across age and masker type. CONCLUSIONS Different effects of masker type and target context are observed at different points across the lifespan. While the two-talker masker is particularly challenging for children and older adults, the speech masker may limit the use of semantic context in children but not adults.