Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Helicobacter pylori Infection as a Risk Factor for Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case-Control Study in Ethiopia

Background and Aims. Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major cause of cancer death worldwide, accounting for over half a million deaths per year. Its incidence varies with geographic locations and the type of etiologic factors. In Ethiopia, unidentified causes of liver disease are of sizeable proportion. Recent studies have shown an association of H. pylori infection with different spectrums of chronic liver disease. This study was conducted at St. Paul's Hospital Millennium Medical College in Ethiopia and assesses liver cancer and the association with H. pylori infection. Method. A prospective case-control study conducted on patients with chronic liver disease presenting with a suspicious liver lesion and diagnosed to have HCC in the Gastrointestinal (GI) Clinic of St. Paul's Hospital MMC from Dec 30, 2016, to Nov 1, 2017 G.C. Descriptive surveys on clinical history and physical examination and laboratory profiles were obtained, and the clinical course of the patients including the type of treatment was followed prospectively. Control cases were taken from adult patients without evidence of liver disease in the internal medicine clinic coming for routine evaluation. After collection data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and associations were assessed using chi-square test. Binary logistic regression was used to assess the association of HCC with different variables and H. pylori infection. All variables with p-value <0.05 were considered as statistically significant. Results. One hundred twenty patients were analyzed with equal representation of cases and controls. The majority of patients with HCC were male with a mean age of 36 years. Older age adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) (95%CI, p-value) 1.07(1.03-1.09, <0.001), viral hepatitis B (AOR) (95%CI, p-value) 6.19 (1.92-19.93, 0.002), and H. pylori infection (AOR) (95%CI, p-value) 5.22 (2.04–13.31, <0.001) were statistically significantly associated with HCC. Conclusion. H. pylori infection is associated with HCC in this case-control study. This study supports the emerging evidence of H. pylori association with other extra-gastric manifestations.
Periodontal status of hypothyroid patients on thyroxine replacement therapy: A comparative cross-sectional study

Background: Thyroid hormones play a significant role in bone remodeling. However, there are few studies on the effect of these hormones on periodontium. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the periodontal status of hypothyroid patients on thyroxine replacement therapy. Materials and Methods: Clinical parameters (plaque index, bleeding index, probing pocket depth [PPD], and clinical attachment level [CAL]) and radiographic parameters (Mandibular cortical width and panoramic mandibular index) were recorded in 52 hypothyroid patients on thyroxine replacement therapy (Study group) and 50 individuals without signs and symptoms of thyroid dysfunction (Control group). The effect of dosage and duration of therapy on clinical and radiographical parameters were also assessed in the study group. Results: Statistically significant higher PPD (P = 0.008) and clinical attachment loss (P = 0.032) were observed in the study group in comparison to the control group. However, no significant differences were observed within the hypothyroid group with varying doses and duration of therapy. Furthermore, there was no correlation between the dosage and duration of therapy with periodontal status. Regression analysis showed that hypothyroidism and thyroxine replacement therapy was a significant predictor of PPD and CAL even after controlling for the effect of age in hypothyroid patients. Conclusion: Hypothyroid patients on thyroxine replacement therapy may be at increased risk for periodontal destruction. However, this needs to be validated through longitudinal studies.
Microvascular Capillary Plexus Findings of Commotio Retinae on Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) and histopathology features of commotio retinae (CR) have been established, but alterations of the microvascular macular capillary plexus on OCT angiography (OCTA) has not been previously studied. We present a 46-year-old man who sustained a tennis ball injury to the right eye with visual acuity reduction to 20/30 and grey-white deep macular discoloration, suggestive of CR. Spectral-domain OCT (SD-OCT) showed increased reflectivity and thickness of the ellipsoid zone (junction of photoreceptor inner and outer segments). OCTA revealed no apparent microvascular alterations (right versus left eye) in the foveal avascular zone superficial (0.42 vs. 0.43 mm2) and deep (0.45 vs. 0.44 mm2), superficial foveal capillary density (34.1 vs. 32.6%), and superficial parafoveal capillary density (55.2 vs. 52.2%). Deep macular capillary plexus and choriocapillaris were qualitatively comparable between the two eyes. At 2 months’ follow-up, SD-OCT had normalized. CR is characterized by disruption of the ellipsoid zone without detectable alteration of the capillary plexuses.
Attentional Engagement for Pain-Related Information among Individuals with Chronic Pain: The Role of Pain Catastrophizing

Although the evidence of the attentional bias of chronic pain individuals toward pain-related information is established in the literature, few studies examined the time course of attention toward pain stimuli and the role of pain catastrophizing on attentional engagement toward pain-related information. This study examined the time course of attention to pain-related information and the role of pain catastrophizing on attentional engagement for pain-related information. Participants were fifty young adult participants with chronic pain (35% male, 65% female; M = 21.8 years) who completed self-report questionnaires assessing pain catastrophizing levels (Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS)), depression (the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D)), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)), and pain disability (the Pain Disability Index: (PDI)). Attentional engagements to pain- and anger-related information were measured by the eye tracker. Significant interaction effects were found between (1) time and stimulus type for pain-related information (F (5, 245) = 11.55, p < 0.001) and (2) bias scores and pain catastrophizing (F (1, 48) = 6.736, p < 0.05). These results indicated that the degree of increase for pain bias scores were significantly greater than anger bias scores as levels of pain catastrophizing increased. Results of the present study provided the evidence for the attentional bias and information processing model which has clinical implications; high levels of pain catastrophizing may impair individuals' ability to cope with chronic pain by increasing attentional engagement toward pain-related information. The present study can add knowledge to attentional bias and pain research as this study investigated the time course of attention and the role of pain catastrophizing on attentional engagement toward pain-related information for adults with chronic pain conditions.
Caregivers' Experience of Decision-Making regarding Diagnostic Assessment following Cognitive Screening of Older Adults

Targeted screening for dementia among older adults in primary healthcare has potential benefits such as better clinical outcomes and the opportunity to access services. Cognitive screening can be followed up by further diagnostic assessment to determine a diagnosis of dementia. Unfortunately, the rates of accepting further diagnostic assessment following cognitive screening are low. The objective of this study was to explore the caregivers' decision-making process regarding uptake of diagnostic assessment following positive screening results. A qualitative design was employed, and interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze the data. Three major themes in caregiver decision-making were identified: gathering information, protecting the patient, and balancing obligation and convenience in caregiving. These findings suggest that the decision-making process involved effort to process information through observations of the patient and that caregivers emphasized quality of life.
Case Report of Recurrent Metastatic Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor with Gastric Invasion: Consequences of Potential Needle-Tract Seeding from Fine-Needle Aspiration

Abstract Background: Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are relatively rare, and data guiding management of metastatic lesions are scarce. Hepatic metastases are most common; here we describe a case of metastatic PNET implanted into the posterior gastric cardia. Case Presentation: This case study describes the progression of a 44-year-old man with a history of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (PNET) resected through distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy who developed recurrent disease in his stomach with extension into the left adrenal fossa 17 months after initial resection. He subsequently underwent a total gastrectomy and left adrenalectomy with en bloc resection of this recurrence without complication. Final pathology revealed a morphologically similar PNET with positivity for CAM5.2, chromogranin A, and synaptophysin. Conclusion: The unusual location of his recurrence could suggest that his preoperative endoscopic ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration may have had a role in seeding the posterior gastric wall, highlighting the risk of performing this diagnostic procedure in the setting of suspected pancreatic malignancy.
Toxicity of TiO2, SiO2, ZnO, CuO, Au and Ag engineered nanoparticles on hatching and early nauplii of Artemia sp.

The potential of environmental release enhances with increased commercial applications of the nanomaterials. A simple and efficient test to estimate the acute toxicity of nanoparticles is carried out in this work using Artemia species and their hatching rate. We have tested six different engineered nanoparticles (silver, gold, copper oxide, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and silicon nanoparticles) and three soluble salts (CuSO4, ZnSO4 and AgNO3) on Artemia sp. The physiochemical properties of the nanoparticles involved in this study are estimated and their properties in normal water and marine water were analyzed. Hydrated and bleached Artemia cysts were allowed to hatch in continuously aerated, filtered sterile salt water containing nanoparticles; hatching of viable nauplii vs total hatchlings were recorded. In parallel, Standard Artemia toxicity test was conducted on the nauplii monitoring the viability. A comparison of results obtained in both experiments is discussed. The toxicity of the nanoparticles was compared and the order of toxicity is estimated as Ag>CuO>ZnO>Au>TiO2>SiO2.
Rate of positive depression screenings among Marshallese patients with diabetes in Northwest Arkansas

Introduction The lifetime risk of developing depression is 16.6%, however the risk is 2-fold in patients with diabetes. The rate of diabetes is much higher for the Marshallese than the general US population, with a prevalence ranging from 25% to 50%, however the prevalence of depression is not well defined among this minority group. The primary objective of this study was to obtain the rate of positive depression screenings, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), among adult Marshallese patients with diabetes. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for Marshallese adults receiving care in a student-led clinic in Northwest Arkansas. Marshallese adults with a documented PHQ-2 score and a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes, as outlined by the American Diabetes Association, were included. Demographic information was obtained from the medical records. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The study included 96 patients. Ten patients scored a 3 or higher on the PHQ-2, indicating a positive screen. Of these, scores ranged from 3 to 6, with the majority of patients scoring 4 (N = 6). The average hemoglobin A1C for patients with a positive PHQ-2 score was 10.5%. Discussion This project identified a rate of 10.4% of patients with a positive PHQ-2 from the study sample. This finding is similar to the prevalence of depression for the general US population, however it is lower than rates cited in the literature for patients diagnosed with diabetes. Future studies should use Native Marshallese community health workers and focus groups to develop a multistep approach to obtain a culturally appropriate, translated tool with high sensitivity for patient response.
Coordination between Prefrontal Cortex Clock Gene Expression and Corticosterone Contributes to Enhanced Conditioned Fear Extinction Recall

Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with impaired conditioned fear extinction learning, a ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)-dependent process. PTSD is also associated with dysregulation of vmPFC, circadian, and glucocorticoid hormone function. Rats have rhythmic clock gene expression in the vmPFC that requires appropriate diurnal circulatory patterns of corticosterone (CORT), suggesting the presence of CORT-entrained intrinsic circadian clock function within the PFC. We examined the role of vmPFC clock gene expression and its interaction with CORT profiles in regulation of auditory conditioned fear extinction learning. Extinction learning and recall were examined in male rats trained and tested either in the night (active phase) or in the day (inactive phase). Using a viral vector strategy, Per1 and Per2 clock gene expression were selectively knocked down within the vmPFC. Circulating CORT profiles were manipulated via adrenalectomy (ADX) ± diurnal and acute CORT replacement. Rats trained and tested during the night exhibited superior conditioned fear extinction recall that was absent in rats that had knock-down of vmPFC clock gene expression. Similarly, the superior nighttime extinction recall was absent in ADX rats, but restored in ADX rats given a combination of a diurnal pattern of CORT and acute elevation of CORT during the postextinction training consolidation period. Thus, conditioned fear extinction learning is regulated in a diurnal fashion that requires normal vmPFC clock gene expression and a combination of circadian and training-associated CORT. Strategic manipulation of these factors may enhance the therapeutic outcome of conditioned fear extinction related treatments in the clinical setting.
Safety Study of Targeted and Localized Intra-Arterial Delivery of Gemcitabine in Patients with Locally Advanced Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Abstract Purpose: This is a first-in-man safety study in locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) using a targeted intra-arterial delivery catheter (RenovoCath™). Methods: Twenty patients were enrolled in a four-stage dose escalation of intra-arterial, locally delivered gemcitabine, at doses up to 1000 mg/m2. Patients' symptoms and laboratory values were monitored for safety and tolerability. Secondary endpoints included the effect on tumor size, tumor markers, and survival. Results: One hundred one treatments were administered to 20 patients. Five patients dropped out early due to adverse events or withdrawing consent. Serious adverse events and complications were as follows: sepsis (n = 3), grade 3 neutropenia (n = 3), guide-mediated vascular dissection (n = 3), and pulmonary toxicity (n = 1). There were no cases of elevated liver or pancreatic enzymes. All sepsis cases occurred in patients with biliary stent/drains, prompting the addition of periprocedural treatment with antibiotics, which effectively prevented further sepsis in the study. Efficacy analysis was limited to 15 patients who received more than two treatments. Fifty-eight percent of these patients had a reduction in CA 19-9 tumor markers, 3 patients had tumor progression, 1 had partial response, and 11 showed disease stability. The survival rate at 12 months was 60%. Conclusions: The results demonstrate feasibility of localized and selective intra-arterial chemotherapy delivery to the pancreas utilizing the RenovoCath. With gemcitabine, this approach is safe, with the sole prerequisite of perioperative antibiotics for patients with prior biliary drainage/stent. Efficacy results suggest a survival benefit when compared to historical control, especially in patients with prior radiation therapy.
The systemDrive: a Multisite, Multiregion Microdrive with Independent Drive Axis Angling for Chronic Multimodal Systems Neuroscience Recordings in Freely Behaving Animals

Visual Abstract A multielectrode system that can address widely separated targets at multiple sites across multiple brain regions with independent implant angling is needed to investigate neural function and signaling in systems and circuits of small animals. Here, we present the systemDrive, a novel multisite, multiregion microdrive that is capable of moving microwire electrode bundles into targets along independent and nonparallel drive trajectories. Our design decouples the stereotaxic surgical placement of individual guide cannulas for each trajectory from the placement of a flexible drive structure. This separation enables placement of many microwire multitrodes along widely spaced and independent drive axes with user-set electrode trajectories and depths from a single microdrive body, and achieves stereotaxic precision with each. The system leverages tight tube–cannula tolerances and geometric constraints on flexible drive axes to ensure concentric alignment of electrode bundles within guide cannulas. Additionally, the headmount and microdrive both have an open-center design to allow for the placement of additional sensing modalities. This design is the first, in the context of small rodent chronic research, to provide the capability to finely position microwires through multiple widely distributed cell groups, each with stereotaxic precision, along arbitrary and nonparallel trajectories that are not restricted to emanate from a single source. We demonstrate the use of the systemDrive in male Long–Evans rats to observe simultaneous single-unit and multiunit activity from multiple widely separated sleep–wake regulatory brainstem cell groups, along with cortical and hippocampal activity, during free behavior over multiple many-day continuous recording periods.
A florigen paralog is required for short-day vernalization in a pooid grass

Perception of seasonal cues is critical for reproductive success in many plants. Exposure to winter cold is a cue that can confer competence to flower in the spring via a process known as vernalization. In certain grasses, exposure to short days is another winter cue that can lead to a vernalized state. In Brachypodium distachyon, we find that natural variation for the ability of short days to confer competence to flower is due to allelic variation of the florigen paralog FT-like9 (FTL9). An active FTL9 allele is required for the acquisition of floral competence, demonstrating a novel role for a member of the florigen family of genes. Loss of the short-day vernalization response appears to have arisen once in B. distachyon and spread through diverse lineages indicating that this loss has adaptive value, perhaps by delaying spring flowering until the danger of cold damage to flowers has subsided.
Cell-Type-Specific Changes in Intrinsic Excitability in the Subiculum following Learning and Exposure to Novel Environmental Contexts

Abstract The subiculum is the main target of the hippocampal region CA1 and is the principle output region of the hippocampus. The subiculum is critical to learning and memory, although it has been relatively understudied. There are two functional types of principle neurons within the subiculum: regular spiking (RS) and burst spiking (BS) neurons. To determine whether these cell types are differentially modified by learning-related experience, we performed whole-cell patch clamp recordings from male mouse brain slices following contextual fear conditioning (FC) and memory retrieval relative to a number of control behavioral paradigms. RS cells, but not BS cells, displayed a greater degree of experience-related plasticity in intrinsic excitability measures [afterhyperpolarization (AHP), input resistance (Rinput), current required to elicit a spike], with fear conditioned animals having generally more excitable RS cells compared to naïve controls. Furthermore, we found that the relative proportion of RS to BS neurons is modified by the type of exposure, with the lowest proportion of BS subicular cells occurring in animals that underwent contextual FC followed by a retrieval test. These studies indicate that pyramidal neurons in the subiculum undergo experience- and learning-related plasticity in intrinsic properties in a cell-type-specific manner. As BS and RS cells are thought to convey distinct types of information, this plasticity may be particularly important in encoding, consolidating, and recalling spatial information by modulating information flow from the hippocampus to cortical regions.
Prion Strain-Specific Structure and Pathology: A View from the Perspective of Glycobiology

Prion diseases display multiple disease phenotypes characterized by diverse clinical symptoms, different brain regions affected by the disease, distinct cell tropism and diverse PrPSc deposition patterns. The diversity of disease phenotypes within the same host is attributed to the ability of PrPC to acquire multiple, alternative, conformationally distinct, self-replicating PrPSc states referred to as prion strains or subtypes. Structural diversity of PrPSc strains has been well documented, yet the question of how different PrPSc structures elicit multiple disease phenotypes remains poorly understood. The current article reviews emerging evidence suggesting that carbohydrates in the form of sialylated N-linked glycans, which are a constitutive part of PrPSc, are important players in defining strain-specific structures and disease phenotypes. This article introduces a new hypothesis, according to which individual strain-specific PrPSc structures govern selection of PrPC sialoglycoforms that form strain-specific patterns of carbohydrate epitopes on PrPSc surface and contribute to defining the disease phenotype and outcomes.
The Pesticide Exposure of People Living in Agricultural Community, Northern Thailand

Background and Aim Biomarkers of pesticide exposure are generally lacking in communities where agricultural crops are grown. The purpose of this study was to focus on evaluating biomarkers of pesticide exposure in people living in an agricultural area of San Pa Tong District in Chiang Mai Province, northern Thailand. Materials and Methods One hundred and twenty-four participants (38 nonfarm workers, 38 rice growers, 31 longan growers, and 17 vegetable growers) from San Pa Tong District gave consent to participate in the study. Pesticide exposure was assessed by determining acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) levels in blood samples using Ellman's method and measuring 6-dialkylphosphate metabolites (DAPs), 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA), and glyphosate in urine samples using chromatographic methods. Results AChE and BChE activities in the nonfarm worker group had higher level than those in the grower groups. DAPs were detected in almost all urine samples and 3-PBA was detected in 12-45% of each group, while glyphosate was found in 11 – 30% among the three groups of growers but not in nonfarm workers. Conclusion In this study, participants living in an agricultural area of San Pa Tong District were exposed to organophosphate, synthetic pyrethroid, and glyphosate through multiple pathways.