Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Role of antibiotic prophylaxis in open inguinal hernioplasty randomized clinical trial

Background: Inguinal hernia surgery is the most commonly performed surgery worldwide. Lichtenstein tension free repair using polypropylene mesh is the gold standard procedure for inguinal hernioplasty. Wound infection is the most common complication encountered in an surgical procedure. Antibiotic prophylaxis for open inguinal hernioplasty in minimizing wound infection has been a subject of debate since the beginning of mesh repair. We have conducted a randomized clinical trial in our hospital to analyze the usefulne
COX-2/PGE2 Axis Regulates HIF2α Activity to Promote Hepatocellular Carcinoma Hypoxic Response and Reduce the Sensitivity of Sorafenib Treatment

Purpose: Hypoxia-inducible factor-2α (HIF2α) is regarded as a preferential target for individualized hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treatment and sorafenib resistance. Our study aimed to identify the regulatory mechanisms of HIF2α activity under hypoxic conditions. We sought to determine whether the COX-2/PGE2 axis is involved in the regulatory mechanisms of HIF2α activity and of sorafenib resistance in hypoxic HCC cells. Experimental Design: The cell viability, migration, and invasion abilities were measured to analyze the effects of HIF2α on hypoxic HCC cells. Both in vitro and in vivo HCC models were used to determine whether the COX-2/PGE2 axis is a driver of HIF2α level and activity, which then reduces the sensitivity of sorafenib treatment in hypoxic HCC cells. Results: Under hypoxic conditions, the COX-2/PGE2 axis effectively stabilized HIF2α and increased its level and activity via decreasing von Hippel-Lindau protein (p-VHL) level, and also enhanced HIF2α activity by promoting HIF2α nuclear translocation via MAPK pathway. The activation of HIF2α then led to the enhanced activation of VEGF, cyclin D1, and TGFα/EGFR pathway to mediate HCC development and reduce the sensitivity of sorafenib. More importantly, COX-2–specific inhibitors synergistically enhanced the antitumor activity of sorafenib treatment. Conclusions: Our data obtained demonstrate that the COX/PGE2 axis acts as a regulator of HIF2α expression and activity to promote HCC development and reduce sorafenib sensitivity by constitutively activating the TGFα/EGFR pathway. This study highlights the potential of COX-2–specific inhibitors for HCC treatment and particularly for enhancing the response to sorafenib treatment. Clin Cancer Res; 24(13); 3204–16. ©2018 AACR.
Differential expression of CXCR3 targeting chemokines CXCL10, CXCL9, and CXCL11 in different types of skin inflammation

Recruitment of activated T‐cells to the skin is a common feature in a wide variety of inflammatory skin diseases. As CXCR3 activating chemokines CXCL10 (IP‐10), CXCL9 (Mig), and CXCL11 (IP‐9/I‐TAC) specifically attract activated T‐cells, this study addressed the question of whether differences in the expression of these chemokines correlate with the site and cellular composition of the skin infiltrates in different types of inflammatory skin disease. Skin biopsies from lichen planus, chronic discoid lupus erythematosus, allergic patch test reactions, psoriasis, and Jessner's lymphocytic infiltration of the skin were investigated for chemokine expression using RNA in situ hybridization, and for the expression of CXCR3 using immunohistochemistry. The results showed differential expression of CXCL10, CXCL9, and CXCL11, which correlated with differences in the localization and cellular composition of the infiltrates. Whereas CXCL10 and CXCL11 were mainly expressed by basal keratinoctyes, CXCL9 mRNA expression was located predominantly in the dermal infiltrates. Correlation with immunohistochemical data suggested that macrophages and activated keratinocytes were the main producers of these chemokines. CXCR3 was expressed by a majority of both CD4+ and CD8+ infiltrating T‐cells, suggesting a functional interaction between locally produced chemokines and CXCR3‐expressing T‐cells. In conclusion, these findings indicate that these CXCR3 activating chemokines play a significant role in the recruitment and maintenance of T‐cell infiltrates in the inflammatory skin diseases studied. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of analytical methods for cluster randomised trials: an example from a primary care setting.

BACKGROUND Cluster randomisation is commonly used to evaluate educational and organisational interventions in primary care. We conducted a study where 66 general practices in the North East of Scotland were randomised to receive guidelines and access to a fast-track investigation service for two common urological conditions. Patients were identified from referral letters and recruited upon referral to secondary care. Although these urological conditions are common in secondary care, the number of referrals per general practice can be small; this created a number of issues for the analysis. METHODS Three general approaches in the analysis of cluster randomised trials; the adjustment of standard tests; analysis at cluster level; and advanced statistical techniques (random effects models and generalised estimating equations) were applied to data from the above trial. The effect of the intervention on both a continuous and a dichotomous outcome was investigated. RESULTS Spuriously low P values were obtained when conventional tests (which do not account for clustering in the data) were applied. Cluster level analysis of the dichotomous outcome with no account for cluster size resulted in a different conclusion compared with cluster level analysis with weighting, standard tests with adjustment and advanced statistical methods. DISCUSSION Cluster randomised trials are becoming increasingly common in primary care. Where recruitment of individual patients is generated by referral from primary to secondary care it is likely that the trial will suffer from inherent weaknesses: not all clusters randomised contribute to the analysis; there is the likelihood of single size clusters and variable cluster sizes. Our analysis indicated that the different approaches produced consistent results across continuous outcomes, but for dichotomous outcomes in the cluster level analysis, failure to weight observations would have resulted in a different conclusion.
Prevalence of Past-Year Mental Disorders in the Canadian Armed Forces, 2002-2013

Objective: More than 40,000 Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) personnel have deployed in support of the mission in Afghanistan since 2002. Over the same period, the CAF strengthened its mental health system. This article explores the effect of these events on the prevalence of past-year mental disorders over the period 2002-2013. Method: The data sources were 2 highly comparable population-based mental health surveys of CAF Regular Force personnel done in 2002 and 2013 (n = 5155 and 6996, respectively). Data were collected via in-person interviews with Statistics Canada personnel using the World Health Organization’s Composite International Diagnostic Interview to assess past-year disorders. Results: In 2013, 16.5% had 1 or more of the 6 past-year disorders assessed in the survey, with the most common conditions being major depressive episode (MDE), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), which affected 8.0%, 5.3%, and 4.7%, respectively. The prevalence of PTSD, GAD, and panic disorder has increased significantly since 2002 (adjusted odds ratios from logistic regression models = 2.1, 3.0, and 1.9, respectively), while no change was seen for MDE. The comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders increased significantly over time, being seen in 27.4% and 41.0% of those with mental disorders in 2002 and 2013, respectively. Conclusion: There has been an increase in the prevalence of PTSD and other anxiety disorders and of the extent of comorbidity of mood and anxiety disorders in CAF personnel over the period 2002-2013.
β-Ketoacyl-Acyl Carrier Protein Synthase III (FabH) Is a Determining Factor in Branched-Chain Fatty Acid Biosynthesis

ABSTRACT A universal set of genes encodes the components of the dissociated, type II, fatty acid synthase system that is responsible for producing the multitude of fatty acid structures found in bacterial membranes. We examined the biochemical basis for the production of branched-chain fatty acids by gram-positive bacteria. Two genes that were predicted to encode homologs of the β-ketoacyl-acyl carrier protein synthase III of Escherichia coli (eFabH) were identified in theBacillus subtilis genome. Their protein products were expressed, purified, and biochemically characterized. Both B. subtilis FabH homologs, bFabH1 and bFabH2, carried out the initial condensation reaction of fatty acid biosynthesis with acetyl-coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) as a primer, although they possessed lower specific activities than eFabH. bFabH1 and bFabH2 also utilized iso- and anteiso-branched-chain acyl-CoA primers as substrates. eFabH was not able to accept these CoA thioesters. Reconstitution of a complete round of fatty acid synthesis in vitro with purified E. coli proteins showed that eFabH was the only E. colienzyme incapable of using branched-chain substrates. Expression of either bFabH1 or bFabH2 in E. coli resulted in the appearance of a branched-chain 17-carbon fatty acid. Thus, the substrate specificity of FabH is an important determinant of branched-chain fatty acid production.
Prevalence and interaction of hepatitis B and latent tuberculosis in Vietnamese immigrants to the United States

OBJECTIVES:Southeast Asian immigrants, with a high prevalence of both hepatitis B and latent tuberculosis, constitute a large proportion of immigrants to the United States. Isoniazid hepatotoxicity may be associated with hepatitis B. This study was conducted to document the prevalence and interaction of hepatitis B, latent tuberculosis, and isoniazid toxicity.METHODS:Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and tuberculin skin testing was done on 743 Vietnamese immigrants to the Midwest between January, 1991 and December, 1999. HBsAg positive cases were tested for hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). All tuberculin skin test-positive patients were treated with isoniazid, unless contraindicated. Complications of isoniazid treatment and compliance with hepatitis B virus immunization recommendations were evaluated.RESULTS:One hundred three subjects (13.86%) had HBsAg, and 43 (5.7%) HBeAg. Prevalences of latent tuberculosis were similar in HBsAg positive (53%) and HBsAg negative (45%) subjects. Sixty-two percent of HBeAg positive versus 19% of HBeAg negative subjects had hepatotoxic side effects requiring discontinuation of treatment (relative risk [RR] = 11.38, CI = 5.49 < RR < 23.59, p < 0.001). Three cases of severe isoniazid hepatitis occurred in 21 HBeAg positive subjects, versus no cases in 121 HBeAg negative cases treated with isoniazid (RR = 7.72, CI = 5.02 < RR < 11.88, p < 0.001). Only 58% of subjects at risk of developing hepatitis B virus infection were appropriately immunized.CONCLUSIONS:Vietnamese immigrants have a high prevalence of hepatitis B and latent tuberculosis. HBeAg positive cases have a 7.7-fold increased risk of serious isoniazid toxicity and an 11.3-fold increased risk of isoniazid side effects requiring discontinuation of treatment. HBeAg represents an important risk factor for severe isoniazid hepatitis.
Enhanced Synthesis of Curculigoside by Stress and Amino Acids in Static Culture of Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (Kali Musli)

Background: Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (Kali musli; Family: Hypoxidaceae) is an endangered medicinal plant used for many medicinal purposes such as impotency, aphrodisiac, tonic, jaundice, and skin ailments. Its hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-cancerous potential have also been evaluated by many scientists. Objective: The objective of this study is to enhance the curculigoside content in tissue culture of C. orchioides. Materials and Methods: The present study deals with the enhancement of an active compound of C. orchioides by incorporating various concentration of phenylalanine (Phe), tyrosine, (20, 40, 60, and 80 mg/100 ml), chromium (Cr) and nickel (Ni) (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 ppm) into Zenk media in controlled and aseptic conditions. Results: Plant secondary metabolites are unique sources for pharmaceuticals, food additives, flavors, and industrially important biochemicals. Accumulation of such metabolites often occurs in plants subjected to stresses including various elicitors or signal molecules. A significantly remarkable enhancement in all induced samples was noted. Curculigoside content was maximum in the 6-week-old tissue induced with 3 ppm of Cr (7.63%) followed by 4 weeks tissue of tissue fed with 4 ppm of Ni (5.66%) and 4-week-old tissue fed with tyrosine 7.5 mg/100 ml (2.38%) among all samples used. These results suggest that tyrosine is better enhancer than Phe in the biosynthetic pathway of curculigoside. The presence of curculigoside in all extracts was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, high-performance thin layer chromatography analysis with standard compound of curculigoside and histology of treated samples. Conclusion: This investigation was carried out for the 1st time, and it is a significant step in understanding the biochemistry of curculigoside. The developed protocol will be beneficial for marketing in pharmaceutical industries. SUMMARY Curculigo orchioides Gaertn (Kali musli; Family: Hypoxidaceae) is an endangered medicinal plant used for many medicinal purposes such as impotency, aphrodisiac, tonic, jaundice, and skin ailments It was observed that dry matter % was maximum in 6.week. old tissue fed with 2.5 mg/100 ml of tyrosine and diminished beyond this concentration among all samples used The nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr) stress has enhanced the curculigoside in considerable amount in nontoxic range, in tissue culture of C. orchioides Curculigoside content was maximum in 6.week. old tissue induced with 3 ppm of Cr (7.63%; 11.fold enhancement) followed by 4 weeks tissue of tissue fed with 4 ppm of Ni (5.66%) and 4.week. old tissue fed with tyrosine 7.5 mg/100 ml (2.38%) among all samples used. Histological studies confirmed the enhanced production of curculigoside. Abbreviations Used: Phe: Phenylalanine; PAL: Phenylalanine ammonia-lyase; mM: mille Molar; Cr: Chromium; Ni: Nickel; HPTLC: High-performance thin layer chromatography
Hot Topics in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

From a biological standpoint, the most interesting issue regarding papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the identification of the first steps of PTC tumorigenesis. For practical purposes, on the other hand, the crucial question concerns the prediction of the clinicopathological behavior of PTCs— namely, the identification of PTC cases prone to recur locally and/or give rise to metastases. It is not difficult to anticipate that in the near future, the discussion on the therapy options of the aforementioned clinically aggressive PTCs will also become a major issue in the field of thyroid oncology. The evidence on record shows that histopathology alone has not been able to address in an appropriate way any of those issues, thus, justifying the progressive incorporation of immunohistochemical and molecular data in the pathology evaluation of the different variants of PTCs and their putative precursor lesions. Using the WHO histopathological classification of thyroid tumors as a frame, we discuss briefly, in the present review, 5 issues on the diagnosis and/ or prognosis of PTCs that are particularly important in the daily life of surgical pathologists.
Die romische Reichsgrenze zwischen Mosel und Nordseekuste

As the authors of the Roughground Farm report note, Roughground Farm demonstrated a high degree of continuity in settlement form, while a very different pattern is suggested by the evidence for Claydon Pike and Thornhill Farm, which are only a few kilometres further upstream. For Claydon Pike and Thornhill Farm it is suggested that Late Iron Age settlements on the low-lying first terrace gravels were swept away in the late first century and replaced by 'officially fostered' settlements connected with the Roman army. The reasons for these apparently differing patterns of settlement history require serious study.
Development of a Single-Session, Transdiagnostic Preventive Intervention for Young Adults at Risk for Emotional Disorders

Cognitive-behavioral prevention programs have demonstrated efficacy in reducing subclinical symptoms of anxiety and depression, and there is some evidence to suggest that they can lower the risk of future disorder onset. However, existing interventions tend to be relatively lengthy and target specific disorders or problem areas, both of which limit their potential for widespread dissemination. To address these limitations, we aimed to develop a single-session, transdiagnostic preventive intervention based on the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders for young adults at risk for developing anxiety and/or depressive disorders within a college setting. Results from this proof-of-concept study indicated that the intervention was viewed as highly satisfactory and acceptable. The intervention also was successful at delivering adaptive emotion management skills in its 2-hr workshop format. Future studies evaluating the efficacy of this novel transdiagnostic, emotion-focused prevention program are warranted.
Confirming or Excluding the Diagnosis of Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome in Children With Thrombocytopenia of an Unknown Etiology

Early diagnosis is an important factor in a better prognosis in patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), but it is not always easy to distinguish between WAS and immune thrombocytopenic purpura on clinical grounds. To confirm or to exclude a WAS diagnosis promptly for children with thrombocytopenia, the authors performed flow cytometric screening of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) for 10 children with thrombocytopenia of an unknown etiology. Five children were diagnosed with WAS, and the remaining 5 were diagnosed as having non-WAS causes of thrombocytopenia. There were no ambiguous results, and these were confirmed by genetic analysis. The authors conclude that screening by flow cytometry for WASP is recommended for boys with persistent thrombocytopenia of an unknown etiology.
Human immune response to Pseudomonas aeruginosa mucoid exopolysaccharide (alginate) vaccine

Chronic lung infection with mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major pathologic feature of cystic fibrosis. Previous studies suggested that a failure to produce opsonic antibody to the mucoid exopolysaccharide (MEP; also called alginate) capsule is associated with the maintenance of chronic bacterial infection. Provision of MEP-specific opsonic antibodies has therapeutic potential. To evaluate the ability of MEP to elicit opsonic antibodies, humans were immunized with two lots of MEP vaccine that differed principally in molecular size. Lot 2 had a larger average MEP polymer size. Both vaccines were well tolerated, but lot 1 was poorly immunogenic, inducing long-lived opsonic antibodies in only 2 of 28 vaccinates given doses of 10 to 150 micrograms. In contrast, at the optimal dose of 100 micrograms, lot 2 elicited long-lived opsonic antibodies in 80 to 90% of the vaccinates. The antibodies elicited by both lots enhanced deposition of C3 onto mucoid P. aeruginosa cells and mediated opsonic killing of heterologous mucoid strains expressing distinct MEP antigens. These results indicate that the polymers of MEP with the largest molecular sizes safely elicit opsonic antibodies in a sufficiently large proportion of vaccinates to permit studies of active and passive immunization of cystic fibrosis patients against infection with mucoid P. aeruginosa.
Positive Gaming: Workshop on Gamification and Games for Wellbeing

Gamification and games have been used and studied in a variety of applications related with health and wellbeing. Nevertheless, there are very few studies aimed at designing games (whether serious games or recreational games) or gameful applications for improving wellbeing or flourishing -- the pursuit of a happy and meaningful life, rather than the avoidance of illness. Therefore, this full-day Workshop aims to form a community, discuss theoretical and practical considerations, and promote the development of research projects focused on "Positive Gaming" -- the use of gamification and games as tools for realizing Positive Computing objectives. This will create the opportunities for interested researchers to form a common understanding, develop methods and procedures, and establish a roadmap for future research in Positive Gaming.
Computable metrization

Every second‐countable regular topological space X is metrizable. For a given “computable” topological space satisfying an axiom of computable regularity M. Schröder [10] has constructed a computable metric. In this article we study whether this metric space (X, d) can be considered computationally as a subspace of some computable metric space [15]. While Schröder's construction is “pointless”, i. e. , only sets of a countable base but no concrete points are known, for a computable metric space a concrete dense set of computable points is needed. But there may be no computable points in X. By converging sequences of basis sets instead of Cauchy sequences of points we construct a metric completion ($ \tilde X $, $ \tilde d $) of a space (X, d) together with a canonical representation $ \tilde X $, $ \tilde \delta $. We show that there is a computable embedding of (X, d) in ($ \tilde X $, $ \tilde d $) with computable inverse. Finally, we construct a notation of a dense set of points in ($ \tilde X $, $ \tilde d $) with computable mutual distances and prove that the Cauchy representation of the resulting computable metric space is equivalent to $ \tilde \delta $. Therefore, every computably regular space has a computable homeomorphic embedding in a computable metric space, which topologically is its completion. By the way we prove a computable Urysohn lemma. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Parallel Simulated Annealing Algorithms for Cell Placement on Hypercube Multiprocessors

A discussion is presented of two ways of mapping the cells in a two-dimensional area of a chip onto processors in an n-dimensional hypercube such that both small and large cell moves can be applied. Two types of move are allowed: cell exchanges and cell displacements. The computation of the cost function in parallel among all the processors in the hypercube is described, along with a distributed data structure that needs to be stored in the hypercube to support such a parallel cost evaluation. A novel tree broadcasting strategy is presented for the hypercube that is used extensively in the algorithm for updating cell locations in the parallel environment. A dynamic parallel annealing schedule is proposed that estimates the errors due to interacting parallel moves and adapts the rate of synchronization automatically. Two novel approaches in controlling error in parallel algorithms are described: heuristic cell coloring and adaptive sequence control. The performance on an Intel iPSC-2/D4/MX hypercube is reported. >