Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychiatric and social profile of recovering substance-dependent women

Objectives The objective of this article is to estimate the presence of psychiatric disorders among a group of recovering substance-dependents female patients and to assess the degree of social competence and support of the recovering substance-dependent women throughout the process of recovery. Patients and methods A total of 30 recovering substance-dependent women were selected as consecutive samples from private hospitals, private clinics, and private rehabilitation centers in Greater Cairo. Moreover, 30 controls were included who were nonsubstance-dependent volunteer women. All participants gave written consent and were subjected to the following interviews, assessments, and investigations: informed consent, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM axis I, Addiction Severity Index for cases, Social Support Questionnaire, Social Competence Scale, and urine sampling for cases. Results Most recovering substance-dependent women were single, mostly divorced, and unemployed. Benzodiazepines were the most common substance of abuse followed by opiates and alcohol. The period of sobriety was 6 months to 1 year in half of the cases. The addiction severity index revealed most cases had severe drug and alcohol use, severe psychiatric problems, and severe problems in their social relationships owing to drug dependence, and approximately half of the cases had severe medical and legal problems owing to drug dependence. Most of the recovering substance-dependent women showed low social competence and had limited to fair level of social support in their recovery. All recovering substance-dependent women had a psychiatric diagnosis. Major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder are the two most common psychiatric disorders found in recovering substance-dependent women. Conclusion There is a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders among recovering substance-dependent female patients. Their social competence is low, and they tend to have limited to fair social support throughout the process of recovery.
Auditory P300 and neuropsychological cognitive functioning assessment of patients with chronic hepatitis B and C infection

Background A growing body of interest was addressed to the concept of minimal rather than overt hepatic encephalopathy as a subclinical manifestation in chronic hepatitis B- and C-infected patients with normal liver function. This study aims to neuropsychologically and neurophysiologically assess those patients for minimal cognitive impairment and its correlates. Patients and methods Thorough neuropsychological evaluation including Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Trail Making Test, Montreal Cognitive Assessment Test, and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and neurophysiological (P300-evoked potential) assessment were conducted on untreated blood donors with hepatitis C virus (n=24) and hepatitis B virus (n=16) infection and 40 healthy controls. Results All tools of assessment showed a significant difference between cases and controls that suggests higher incidence of depression and cognitive dysfunction among hepatitis patients with no difference between B and C types of infection apart from BDI, which showed higher scores (more depressive features) among hepatitis C rather than B. Among variables such as patient age, BMI, BDI, and viral load titer, only BDI showed a significant positive correlation with such impairments. Conclusion Neuropsychological- and neurophysiological-based evidence of cognitive impairment was proved to be significantly present among cases with chronic hepatitis B and C infection. The value of such evaluation in the management plan of such group of patients needs further future studies.
Urinary transglutaminase 2 as a potent biomarker to predict interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy of kidney allograft during early posttransplant period in deceased donor kidney transplantation

Purpose Transglutaminase type 2 (TG2) is an extracellular matrix crosslinking enzyme with a pivotal role in kidney fibrosis. We tested whether quantification of urinary TG2 may represent a noninvasive method to estimate the severity of kidney allograft fibrosis. Methods We prospectively collected urine specimens from 18 deceased donor kidney transplant recipients at 1-day, 7-day, 1-month, 3-month, and 6-month posttransplant. In addition, kidney allograft tissue specimens at 0-day and 6-month posttransplant were sampled to analyze the correlation of urinary TG2 and kidney allograft fibrosis. Results Thirteen recipients had increased interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IFTA) scores at the 6-month protocol biopsy (IFTA group). The mean level of urinary TG2 in the IFTA group was higher compared to that of 5 other recipients without IFTA (no IFTA group). Conversely, the mean level of urinary syndecan-4 in the IFTA group was lower than levels in patients without IFTA. In the IFTA group, double immunofluorescent staining revealed that TG2 intensity was significantly upregulated and colocalizations of TG2/heparin sulfate proteoglycan and nuclear syndecan-4 were prominent, usually around tubular structures. Conclusion Urinary TG2 in early posttransplant periods is a potent biomarker for kidney allograft inflammation or fibrosis.
Inguinal hernia surgery in Korea: nationwide data from 2007–2015

Purpose The aim of this study is to analyze inguinal hernia in Korea based on the nationwide data. Methods Retrospective analysis of nationwide data obtained from the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service database for surgical repair of inguinal hernia from January, 2007 to December, 2015 was performed. Results A total of 314,238 cases of inguinal hernia surgery were performed during 9 years. The mean number of inguinal hernia surgery per year was 34,604 (range, 30,065–36,928). The proportion of male patient was 87%. Patients between the age of 1 to 5 years (17.3%) and of 60 to 69 years (17.4%) constituted the 2 dominant groups for inguinal hernia repair. A slight increase in repair for recurrent inguinal hernia, 1.9% to 3.2%, was observed from 2007 to 2015. The rate of concurrent bowel resection decreased from 1.9% to 0.6%. The total cost of inguinal hernia surgery was increased up to 1.68 times from 2007 to 2015 ($856 to $1,439), although the number of hospital days was decreased from 4.7 to 3.7 days. The rate of laparoscopic surgery was increased to 29.5% in 2015. Conclusion A mean number of 34,604 cases of inguinal hernia surgery have been carried out annually in Korea. The age distribution for inguinal hernia repair demonstrates bimodal peak at early childhood and old age. The proportion of laparoscopic surgery of inguinal hernia has been increasing for the past 9 years. The length of hospital stay and the rate of combined bowel resection have decreased.
Clustering and Switching Patterns in Semantic Fluency and Their Relationship to Working Memory in Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background and Purpose Semantic verbal fluency test is a neuropsychological assessment that can sensitively detect neuropathological changes. Considering its multifactorial features tapping various cognitive domains such as semantic memory, executive function, and working memory, it is necessary to examine verbal fluency performance in association with underlying cognitive functions. The objective of the current study was to investigate semantic fluency patterns of people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) based on clustering and switching and their relationship with working memory. Methods Twenty-six individuals with MCI and 23 normal elderly adults participated in this study. A semantic verbal fluency test (animal version) was administered and the performance was analyzed using the following measures: number of correct words, cluster size, and number of switches. Scores of digit forward (DF) and backward span tasks were employed as working memory measures. Results Analyses of variance revealed significant group differences in the numbers of correct words and switches. Multivariate logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic analyses showed that the number of switches more sensitively distinguished MCI existence than the number of correct words. Stepwise linear regression analysis showed that DF task and age significantly predicted the number of correct words while only the DF task significantly predicted the number of switches. Conclusions Decrement in semantic verbal fluency in MCI seems to be associated with impaired switching abilities. Working memory capacity might serve as the underlying cognitive factor related to decreased verbal fluency in MCI.
The correlation between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor VEGF receptor 3 in colorectal cancer

Purpose Despite plasma biomarkers offering a number of advantages over tissue-based markers, the relationship between serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor (VEGF-R) tumor expression in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still unclear. This study was designed to establish the relationship between the concentration of serum VEGF and tumor VEGF-R expression in patients with CRC. Methods A prospective study of consecutive patients undergoing elective colorectal surgery during 1 year. Preoperative VEGF was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and VEGF-R3 by immunochemistry. Results The initial sample included 134 patients with CRC diagnosis. Results showed significant association of serum values of VEGF with VEGF-R3 expression (P < 0.001), even in the presence of confounders (sex, age, body mass index, tumor location, and surgical approach). The estimated effect size was high (η2 = 0.35). Conclusion Serum VEGF has a significant correlation with tumoral VEGF-R3 expression in CRC.
Effect of Paper-Based Cognitive Training in Early Stage of Alzheimer's Dementia

Background and Purpose Cognitive training refers to a series of standardized tasks with inherent challenges that target specific cognitive domains. Positive outcome of cognitive training in persons with Alzheimer's disease has been reported. In this study, the objective was to design sets of cognitive training program, “Gipum-seo” which is combined cognitive training, consists of different levels of difficulty using predesigned paper-and-pencil exercises. Also, to evaluate the effects of the cognitive training on patients' with early stage of Alzheimer's disease. Methods The subjects for this study were forty participants who were diagnosed with early stage of Alzheimer's dementia. To test the efficacy of paper-based cognitive training programs to cognition, all patients were randomly grouped to either an intervention group (n=20) or a control group (n=20). The intervention group regularly received 24 sessions of paper-based cognitive training over a 12-week period. Neuropsychological examinations were conducted before and after this training period. Results After the 12 weeks, the intervention group showed a significant change in Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (25.90±3.8), compared to the control group (23.7±2.8) (p=0.042). The training group also showed a significant improvement in language, attention and executive function, as compared with controls. Conclusions Paper-based cognitive training might have beneficial effects on the general cognitive functions in the early stage of Alzheimer's dementia.
The Prevalence of Allergic Rhinitis toAmbrosia Elatior in OlteniaArea and the Association with Allergic Conjunctivitis or Asthma

Introduction-Ambrosia elatior pollen sensitivity can lead to respiratory diseases such as rhinitis, asthma and allergic conjunctivitis. Ambrosia is quite an important source of pollen and it is thought to be an invasive plant. Sensitivity prevalence to Ambrosia pollen varies from one country to another. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of pollen allergic rhinitis caused by Ambrosia elatior in the Oltenia area located in the south west part of Romania. Material and method - The study was carried on 1004 patients with allergic rhinitis. All the patients experienced symptoms of allergic rhinitis, associated with /without conjunctivitis or asthma, and positive skin tests to aeroallergens. Results - In the group under study, 48,80% of the cases are sensitized to Ambrosia elatior pollen. The number of patients with allergic rhinitis and pollen sensitivity to Ambrosia is higher in 2014-2015 compared to 2012, i.e. 282 cases and the symptoms are moderate-severe. Conclusions - Ambrosia elatior pollen has become a major source of aeroallergen in Oltenia area.
Minimally-invasive neonatal surgery: laparoscopic excision of choledochal cysts in neonates

Purpose Improvements in surgical techniques and a better understanding of the unique anesthetic requirements in neonates undergoing laparoscopy have suggested that laparoscopic surgery may be effective in newborns. This study therefore evaluated the safety and feasibility of laparoscopic excision of the cyst (LEC) in neonates. Methods This retrospective study included 43 neonates who underwent excision of choledochal cysts between November, 2001, and January, 2018, including 21 who underwent open excision and 22 who underwent LEC. Their perioperative and surgical outcomes were reviewed. The patients were followed up for a median 37 months (range, 3–141 months). Results Baseline characteristics did not differ significantly in the open and LEC groups. Mean intraoperative peak partial pressure of arterial CO2 (PaCO2) (45.5 mmHg vs. 48.0 mmHg) and total operation time (208.3 ± 71.0 minutes vs. 235.0 ± 47.2 minutes) were similar in both groups. Parents of the patients in the LEC group provided a more positive evaluation of scar scale and greater satisfaction with wound. No patient in either group experienced any critical complications. Three patients in the open excision group required readmission for cholangitis and 2 patients had ileus. No patient in the laparoscopic excision group experienced any postoperative complications during follow-up. Conclusion Despite difficulties performing laparoscopic surgery in neonates, LEC was safe and feasible when intraperitoneal peak pressure was maintained under 10 mmHg and PaCO2 was closely monitored by a pediatric anesthesiologist. Compared with open excision, LEC provided improved cosmetic outcomes without severe complications. Prospective randomized studies with large numbers of patients are warranted.
Magnolol exerts anti-asthmatic effects by regulating Janus kinase-signal transduction and activation of transcription and Notch signaling pathways and modulating Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokines in ovalbumin-sensitized asthmatic mice

Allergic asthma, is a common chronic inflammatory disease of the airway presenting with airway hyperresponsiveness and airway remodelling. T helper cells-derived cytokines are critically associated with asthma pathogenesis. Janus kinase-signal transduction and activation of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling is found to be involved in asthma. Magnolol is a plant-derived bioactive compound with several pharmacological effects. The study aimed to assess the effects of magnolol in ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic model. BALB/c mice were sensitized and challenged with OVA. Magnolol (12.5, 25, or 50 mg/kg body weight) was administered to separate groups of animals. Dexamethasone was used as the positive control. Cellular infiltration into the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were reduced on magnolol treatment. The levels of Th2 and Th17 cytokines were reduced with noticeably raised levels of interferon gamma. Lung function was improved effectively along with restoration of bronchial tissue architecture. OVA-specific immunoglobulin E levels in serum and BALF were decreased by magnolol. Magnolol reduced Th17 cell population and effectively modulated the JAK-STAT and Notch 1 signaling. The results suggest the promising use of magnolol in therapy for allergic asthma.
Prognostic value of long non-coding RNA CRNDE in gastrointestinal cancers: a meta-analysis

Purpose Numerous studies have reported that the long non-coding RNA colorectal neoplasia differentially expressed (CRNDE) plays important roles in the tumorigenesis, progression, and prognosis of various types of cancer. However, thus far, a systematic analysis of CRNDE in cancers of the digestive system has not been conducted. Thus, the aim of this meta-analysis was to explore the relationship between CRNDE expression and survival or the clinicopathological features of gastrointestinal cancer. Methods Eligible studies were collected from nine databases (ie, PubMed, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, Ovid, Science Citation Index Expanded, China Biology Medicine, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Wanfang). The meta-analysis was conducted using the Stata SE.12 Software. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) or odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (Cl) was used to assess the clinical value of CRNDE expression in gastrointestinal cancers. Results A total of 1,053 patients from nine articles were selected. The analysis provided evidence suggesting a significant negative correlation between high CRNDE expression and the rate of overall survival [HR=1.92, 95% CI (1.40–2.64), p<0.001] in patients with malignancies of the digestive system. A positive correlation was observed between high CRNDE expression and lymph node metastasis [OR=2.82, 95% CI (1.85–4.31), p<0.001], distant metastasis [OR=2.72, 95% CI (1.16–6.35), p=0.021], more advanced tumor-node-metastasis stage [OR=3.13, 95% CI (2.03–4.83), p<0.001], and tumor size >5 cm [OR=2.81, 95% CI (1.62–4.88), p<0.001]. In the non-colorectal cancer subgroup, high CRNDE expression predicted worse histopathological grade [OR=2.21, 95% CI (1.37–3.57), p=0.001] and depth of tumor invasion [OR=2.54, 95% CI (1.46–4.41), p=0.001]. Conclusion This meta-analysis revealed that CRNDE may be an unfavorable risk factor of survival and predict advanced clinicopathological features of patients with gastrointestinal cancer. These findings emphasize the usefulness of CRNDE as a predictor of prognosis and pathological biomarker in this type of tumors.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment in patients with oncogene-addicted non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): summary of a multidisciplinary round-table discussion

The introduction of targeted treatments and more recently immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) to the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has dramatically changed the prognosis of selected patients. For patients with oncogene-addicted metastatic NSCLC harbouring an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) or v-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homologue B1 (BRAF) mutation or an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) or ROS proto-oncogene 1, receptor tyrosine kinase (ROS1) gene alteration (translocation, fusion, amplification) mutation-specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are already first-line standard treatment, while targeted treatment for other driver mutations affecting MET, RET, human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2, tropomyosin receptor kinases (TRK) 1–3 and others are currently under investigation. The role of ICI in these patient subgroups is currently under debate. This article summarises a round-table discussion organised by ESMO Open in Vienna in July 2018. It reviews current clinical data on ICI treatment in patients with metastatic oncogene-addicted NSCLC and discusses molecular diagnostic assessment, potential biomarkers and radiological methods for response evaluation of ICI treatment. The round-table panel concluded ICI should only be considered in patients with oncogene-addicted NSCLC after exhaustion of effective targeted therapies and in some cases possibly after all other therapies including chemotherapies. More clinical trials on combination therapies and biomarkers for ICI therapy based on the specific differing characteristics of oncogene-addicted NSCLC need to be conducted.
In the literature: June 2019

Biliary tract cancer (BTC) includes cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer. BTCs are known to have a poor prognosis, with a 5-year overall survival below 20%. 1 Unfortunately, majority of patients are diagnosed with advanced stage, being palliative chemotherapy with cisplatin and gemcitabine the current standard of care.2 Poor prognosis is due to the fact that only 20% of patients are diagnosed in early stages3 and the high risk of relapse following curative surgery. Unfortunately, the lack of randomised studies has made the role of adjuvant treatment in BTC following surgery an unresolved matter for many years.4 5 Adjuvant therapy (either in the form of chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy) was supported by a meta-analysis published in 2012, which showed that tumours with lymph node metastases and microscopic invasion of resection margins were the ones benefiting the most.5 However, this meta-analysis consisted of retrospective studies that employed different chemotherapy schedules; thus, adjuvant strategies were not widely adopted and practice varied significantly between countries worldwide. Fruit of a huge effort and investment from the BTC scientific community, three phase III randomised trials were recently reported.6–8 All these three prospective studies randomised patients with resected BTC to chemotherapy or observation alone. The chemotherapy arm consisted of gemcitabine in the bile duct cancer adjuvant trial (BCAT), which included patients diagnosed with extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma only,6 gemcitabine and oxaliplatin (GemOx) in the PRODIGE-12 (Gemcitabine and Oxaliplatin Chemotherapy or Surveillance in Resected BTC) study7 and capecitabine in the resected biliary tract cancer (BILCAP) study.8 BCAT and PRODIGE-12 randomised 225 and 186 patients, respectively. Unfortunately, none of these studies showed a significant benefit from adjuvant therapy (BCAT: primary endpoint was overall survival (OS) (HR 1.01 (95% CI 0.70 to 1.45); p value 0.964); PRODIGE-12: primary endpoint was relapse-free survival (RFS) (HR 1.28 (95% …
Echocardiographic subtypes of heart failure in consecutive hospitalised patients with dyspnoea

Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) involves half of hospitalised patients with heart failure (HF), but estimates vary due to unclear diagnostic criteria. We performed a prospective observational study of hospitalised patients admitted with dyspnoea. The aim was to apply contemporary guidelines to diagnose HF due to valvular disease (HFvhd), HF due to reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), HF due to midrange EF (HFmrEF) and HFpEF in relation to presumed cardiac or non-cardiac dyspnoea. Methods We included consecutive hospitalised patients with presumed HF or dyspnoea and excluded patients with acute coronary syndrome, estimated glomerular filtration rate <30 mL/min/1.73 m² or low NT-proBNP (<296 ng/L). Higher age-adjusted NT-proBNP values excluded patients with presumptive non-cardiac dyspnoea. Contemporary criteria for HFpEF and diastolic dysfunction were assessed, and we adjudicated whether acute decompensated HF (ADHF) had been the primary diagnosis. Results Of 707 eligible patients, we included 370 patients of whom 75 had non-cardiac dyspnoea. Of these, 10% (38/370) had no cardiac dysfunction. Cardiac dysfunction consisted of 18.4%, HFvhd, 30.1% HFrEF, 10.2% HFmrEF and 41.3% HFpEF. HFpEF was twice as common in presumptive non-cardiac dyspnoea versus cardiac dyspnoea (71% vs 34%, p<0.0001). However, adjudicated ADHF was the primary diagnosis in 80% of HFrEF, 62% of HFmrEF and just 28% of HFpEF. Conclusion HF according to contemporary criteria applied to 90% of patients admitted with dyspnoea and elevated NT-proBNP irrespective of the presumptive cause of dyspnoea, of whom 10% had HFmrEF and 41% HFpEF. However, significant non-cardiac diagnoses related to 9 out of 10 with HFpEF with pulmonary disease as the predominant adjudicated problem.