Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Diagnostic Utility of Cardiac Biomarkers in Dialysis Patients

Mortality in dialysis patients remains high due to excessive cardiovascular disease burden from coronary artery disease, left ventricular hypertrophy, and heart failure. Thus, cardiovascular risk stratification is an important aspect in managing dialysis patients; it may enable early identification of high‐risk patients to optimize therapeutic interventions that may ultimately lower their cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In particular, serum cardiac biomarkers that are readily measured, inexpensive, reproducible with high sensitivity and specificity, may have potential for cardiovascular risk prediction and stratification. Cardiac troponin represents a highly sensitive and specific marker of myocardial damage and is a current gold standard test for diagnosing acute myocardial infarction in the general population. On the other hand, natriuretic peptides, released from the heart secondary to increased left ventricular wall stress, have emerged as a diagnostic marker for heart failure in the general population. These two biomarkers reflect unique pathology of the myocardium and are powerful prognostic markers in the dialysis population. This article reviews the diagnostic potentials of these two cardiac biomarkers and their clinical application in the dialysis population.
Implant stability and marginal bone level of microgrooved zirconia dental implants: A 3-month experimental study on dogs.

BACKGROUND/AIM The modification of implant surfaces could affect mechanical implant stability as well as dynamics and quality of peri-implant bone healing. The aim of this 3-month experimental study in dogs was to investigate implant stability, marginal bone levels and bone tissue response to zirconia dental implants with two laser-micro-grooved intraosseous surfaces in comparison with nongrooved sandblasted zirconia and sandblasted, high-temperature etched titanium implants. METHODS Implant surface characterization was performed using optical interferometric profilometty and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A total of 96 implants (4 mm in diameter and 10 mm in length) were inserted randomly in both sides of the lower jaw of 12 Fox Hound dogs divided into groups of 24 each: the control (titanium), the group A (sandblasted zirconia), the group B (sandolasted zirconia plus microgrooved neck) and the group C (sandblasted zirconia plus all microgrooved). All the implants were immediately loaded. Insertion torque, periotest values, radiographic crestal bone level and removal torque were recorded during the 3-month follow-up. Qualitative scanning electon microscope (SEM) analysis of the bone-implant interfaces of each group was performed. RESULTS Insertion torque values were higher in the group C and control implants (p < 0.05). Periotest values increased in all the periods in proportion to the extent of microgrooving as follows: the group C > the control > the group B > the group A (p < 0.05). Radiographic measurements showed minimal crestal bone loss at 3 months for microgrooved zirconia implants (groups C and B) and control implants compared with the group A implants (p < 0.05). The removal torque values increased with time for all the groups as follows: the group C > the control > the group B > the group A (p < 0.05). SEM showed that implant surfaces of the groups B and C had an extra bone growth inside the microgrooves that corresponded to the shape and direction of the microgrooves. CONCLUSION The addition of microgrooves to the entire intraosseous surface of zirconia dental implants enhances primary and secondary implant stability, promotes bone tissue ingrowth and preserves crestal bone levels.
The Effects of Organic Chromium Supplementation on Production Traits and Some Serum Parameters of Laying Quails

Les objectifs de cette etude sont de determiner les effets d'une supplementation en Cr organique sur les caracteristiques de productions et sur certains parametres sanguins des cailles pondeuses. Des cailles pondeuses âgees de 45 jours ont ete reparties aleatoirement en 5 groupes de 45 oiseaux chacun. Un melange de mais et de soja a ete utilise comme ration de base et contenait deja 1268.05 ppb de Cr en absence de toute autre addition. La ration de base a ete supplementee par 0, 250, 500, 750 et 1000 ppb de Cr apporte sous forme de picolinate de Cr. Tous les oiseaux ont recu la nourriture et l'eau ad libitum. La supplementation en Cr organique a conduit a une augmentation de la production en oeufs et a une amelioration de l'efficacite alimentaire (P<0.05) d'autant plus marquees que la supplementation ete importante. Le poids total des oeufs ainsi que les poids respectifs du jaune et de l'albumen ont egalement augmente proportionnellement a la supplementation realisee en Cr (P<0.05). En revanche, ni le poids, ni l'epaisseur de la coquille ont ete modifies par le traitement en Cr. En outre, les concentrations seriques en glucose et en cholesterol ont diminue alors que les concentrations en Cr, en insuline et en proteines totales ont augmente de facon proportionnelle aux quantites ajoutees de Cr dans la ration (P<0.05). Ces donnees montrent qu'une supplementation en Cr organique entraine une augmentation de l'insulinemie et augmente l'efficacite de la ration, et les caracteristiques de production: production totale des oeufs, poids des oeufs, poids de l'albumen et du jaune.
Prevention of fungal spoilage in food products using natural compounds: A review

ABSTRACT The kingdom Fungi is the most important group of microorganism contaminating food commodities, and chemical additives are commonly used in the food industry to prevent fungal spoilage. However, the increasing consumer concern about synthetic additives has led to their substitution by natural compounds in foods. The current review provides an overview of using natural agents isolated from different sources (plants, animals, and microorganisms) as promising antifungal compounds, including information about their mechanism of action and their use in foods to preserve and prolong shelf life. Compounds derived from plants, chitosan, lactoferrin, and biocontrol agents (lactic acid bacteria, antagonistic yeast, and their metabolites) are able to control the decay caused by fungi in a wide variety of foods. Several strategies are employed to reduce the drawbacks of some antifungal agents, like their incorporation into oil-in-water emulsions and nanoemulsions, edible films and active packaging, and their combination with other natural preservatives. These strategies facilitate the addition of volatile agents into food products and, improve their antifungal effectiveness. Moreover, biological agents have been investigated as one of the most promising options in the control of postharvest decay. Numerous mechanisms of action have been elucidated and different approaches have been studied to enhance their antifungal effectiveness.
CUPA: Cube Pal for Developing Children's Emotional Intelligence and Parent-Child Relationship

Emotional intelligence (EI) development of children is comparatively an underexplored domain and is highly dependent on the quality of children's relationships with the adults and early care experience. Yet, the observed pattern of increasing parental employment is threatening communication and interaction between parents and children, hence affecting quality family time and parent-child relationship. In response to the aforementioned needs, this paper presents CUPA, a children companion tool that encourages EI and parent- child relationship. The two main contributions are: First, CUPA proposes a different approach to children's EI by combining 'interoception & deep breathing' and 'emotional check-in & review' methods to encourage emotional awareness and sensitivity, alongside various forms of interaction. Second, CUPA presents the use of ritual and routine to encourage children independence while promoting parent-child relationship, as well as healthy morning and sleep rituals. Functionality and interaction were explored with 21 participants and overall results returned positive. Additional roles and concept refinement of presented tool were discovered.
Default-mode network dysfunction and cognitive impairment in progressive MS

Objective: This study explores default-mode network (DMN) abnormalities in patients with secondary progressive (SP) and primary progressive (PP) multiple sclerosis (MS) and whether such abnormalities correlate with cognitive impairment and damage to selected white matter (WM) fiber bundles, quantified using diffusion tensor (DT) MRI tractography. Methods: Resting state (RS) functional MRI and DT MRI data were acquired from 33 patients with SPMS, 24 patients with PPMS, and 24 controls. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to identify the DMN. SPM5 was used to assess within- and between-group activations. Results: Between-group differences in DMN activity were found in the left medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), left precentral gyrus (PcG), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Compared to controls, patients with SPMS had reduced activity in the mPFC (p = 0.01) and PcG (p = 0.02), while patients with PPMS had reduced activity in the PcG (p = 0.008) and the ACC (p = 0.002). Compared to patients with PPMS, patients with SPMS had increased ACC activity (p = 0.04). Reduction of RS activity in the ACC was more pronounced in cognitively impaired vs cognitively preserved patients with MS (p = 0.02). In patients with MS, DMN abnormalities correlated with the PASAT and word list test scores (r values ranging from 0.35 to 0.45) and DT MRI changes in the corpus callosum and the cingulum (r values ranging from 0.82 to 0.87). Conclusion: These results suggest that a dysfunction of the anterior components of the default-mode network may be among the factors responsible for the accumulation of cognitive deficits in patients with progressive multiple sclerosis.
Effect of bleaching agents on the hardness and morphology of enamel.

PURPOSE The goal of the present laboratory study was to analyze the effect of two home bleaching agents (Opalescence 10%, Ultradent, and Hi-Lite II, Shofu) as well as the separate solutions of 10% carbamide peroxide primary components (3% hydrogen peroxide and 7% urea) on enamel microhardness and surface morphology. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty human molars stored in water for no longer than 3 months were selected. Their facial and lingual surfaces were embedded in acrylic resin, and the specimens were polished with up to 600-grit sandpaper. The 30 molar sections were divided into five groups as per treatment modality (n = 6); group 1, 10% carbamide peroxide bleach with carbopol (Opalescence, Ultradent); group 2, oxygen-free gel bleach (Hydroxylite, Hi-Lite II, Shofu); group 3, 3% hydrogen peroxide with carbopol (Dermus Pharmacy, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil); group 4, 7% urea treatment (Dermus Pharmacy); and control, group 5, artificial saliva (Dermus Pharmacy). Prior to treatment, six indentations (Vickers) were made on each of the six surfaces in each group under a load of 100 g for 30 seconds. Bleaching procedure was conducted for 3 hours per day for 2 weeks, the control group excepted. Following each bleaching session, the specimens were washed with deionized water and kept in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C, this solution being changed daily. Pre- and post-treatment microhardness data were analyzed using a two-way analysis of variance. In a similar way, 30 other specimens underwent the same procedures. After the bleaching period, the samples were observed under the scanning electron microscope. RESULTS Specimens submitted to bleaching treatment with 3% hydrogen peroxide gel as described in this study showed a significant reduction of surface microhardness (p < .0001). The other treatment modalities had no effect on surface microhardness. No morphologic alterations were observed on enamel submitted to bleaching gel of 10% carbamide peroxide (Opalescence), oxygen-free gel (Hi-Lite II, Shofu), or 7% urea solution compared with the control (artificial saliva). However, the specimens bleached for 3 hours per day for 2 weeks with 3% hydrogen peroxide gel presented areas of mild erosion. The effect, nevertheless, was not uniform, occurring with varying intensity on all samples of enamel bleached with 3% hydrogen peroxide. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Bleaching treatment conducted with two home bleaching agents (Opalescence 10%, Ultradent, and Hi-Lite II, Shofu) had no adverse effects on enamel microhardness or on surface morphology. Bleaching with 3% hydrogen peroxide can have a negative effect on enamel hardness and surface morphology when performed as described in this study.
Efficacy and safety of lamivudine treatment for chronic hepatitis B in pregnancy.

AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of lamivudine treatment of chronic hepatitis B disease in pregnancy. METHODS The study group was comprised of 38 chronic HBV patients who were diagnosed pregnant during lamivudine treatment and voluntary to continue the same therapy. The control group was from documented patient data in the literatures. We compared the following parameters with those of a control group: anti-HBV efficacy, complications of pregnancy (abortion, preterm birth, neonatal asphyxia, fetal death, and congenital anomaly), incidence of HBV-positive babies and developmental anomalies in pregnant women treated with lamivudine. RESULTS The blocking rate of lamivudine treatment was significantly higher than that of active vaccine immunization for babies with double-positive (HBsAg/HBeAg) mothers with 30-30-10 mug doses of vaccine (74.07%) and with 30-20-10 mug (64.87%). The natural vertical HBV transmission from mother to infant of "double-positive" mothers was 100% (10/10). No pregnancy complication was noted during the observation period, but in the control group the incidences of pregnancy complication were 16.67% (abortion), 43.02%(preterm), 15.62% (neonatal asphyxia), and 4.49% (fetal death), 10.0% (congenital anomaly). No HBV-positive newborn was detected and no developmental anomaly was found in the study group. CONCLUSION Lamivudine is helpful to prevent maternal-infant HBV transmission and may reduce the complications of HBV-infected pregnant patients.
Rehabilitation of the geriatric vascular amputee patient: a population-based study.

OBJECTIVES To determine the rate of successful prosthetic fitting in geriatric vascular amputees in the community and to determine predictors of successful fit. DESIGN Epidemiologic survey. SETTING General community, Olmsted County, Minnesota. PATIENTS All Olmsted County residents more than 65 years old who had a major lower extremity amputation (below knee amputation [BKA] or higher) for peripheral vascular disease between 1974-1995, of whom 199 were identified. Median age at amputation was 79.7 years with a median survival of 1.5 years. INTERVENTION A retrospective chart review. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Successful prosthetic fit. RESULTS Amputation levels were: 64% BKA, 4.5% knee disarticulation, 31% above knee amputation (AKA), and 0.5% hip disarticulation. Only 36% of the population was successfully fitted, compared with 74% of patients referred to the Amputee Clinic. Major reasons for not being fitted included death, reamputation, cerebrovascular disease, and cognitive deficits. Increased age (p < .001), cerebrovascular disease (p < .001), dementia (p = .002), and AKA (p < .001) were associated with failure to fit. CONCLUSION The high probability of successful prosthetic fitting reported among referral practices cannot be generalized to unselected elderly individuals. However, selected individuals can successfully be fitted with a prosthesis; knowledge of predictors of prosthetic fitting may facilitate setting of realistic goals during presurgical counseling in this age group.
Tick Size, Spreads, and Liquidity: An Analysis of Nasdaq Securities Trading near Ten Dollars

Quoted and effective bid-ask spreads on Nasdaq are two to four cents per share narrower, ceteris paribus, when stocks trade with a smaller tick size below $10 per share. There is no evidence of a reduction in liquidity with the smaller tick size. The largest spread reductions occur for stocks whose market makers avoid odd-eighth quotes. This finding provides support for models implying that changes in the tick size can affect equilibrium spreads on a dealer market, and indicates that the relation between tick size and market quality is more complex than the imposition of a constraint on minimum spread widths.
Induction of long‐term potentiation in the basolateral amygdala does not depend on NMDA receptor activation

Long‐term potentiation (LTP) can be induced in the lateral and basolateral amygdala by stimulating synaptic afferents in the external capsule (EC). We examined the sensitivity of amygdaloid LTP to the NMDA receptor antagonist 2‐amino‐5‐phosphonopentanoate (AP5), which is known to block LTP induction in the Schaffer collateral/CA1 synapses in the hippocampus. While relatively high concentrations (100 μM) of DL‐AP5 were effective in preventing LTP induction in the lateral and basolateral amygdala in vitro, the same concentrations also significantly depressed synaptic responses to low‐frequency stimulation. Furthermore, at 50 μM, a concentration sufficient to block both synaptic responses mediated by NMDA receptors and LTP induction in the hippocampus and neocortex, AP5 did not affect the probability of inducing LTP in the amygdala. Application of 10 μM 6‐cyano‐7‐nitroquinoxaline‐2, 3‐dione (CNQX), which blocks non‐NMDA excitatory amino acid receptors, reduced the monosynaptic response to EC stimulation by 85%. The remaining CNQX‐insensitive response did not appear to be mediated by NMDA‐type receptors, since it was not reduced by 50 or 100 μM AP5, and showed none of the voltage sensitivity characteristic of NMDA responses. These data suggest that while the induction of LTP in the amygdala produced by EC stimulation is blocked by high doses of AP5, plasticity at these synapses probably does not require activation of NMDA receptors. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detection of novel NF1 mutations and rapid mutation prescreening with Pyrosequencing

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is caused by mutations in the neurofibromin (NF1) gene. Mutation analysis of NF1 is complicated by its large size, the lack of mutation hotspots, pseudogenes and frequent de novo mutations. Additionally, the search for NF1 mutations on the mRNA level is often hampered by nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay (NMD) of the mutant allele. In this study we searched for mutations in a cohort of 38 patients and investigated the relationship between mutation type and allele‐specific transcription from the wild‐type versus mutant alleles. Quantification of relative mRNA transcript numbers was done by Pyrosequencing, a novel real‐time sequencing method whose signals can be quantified very accurately. We identified 21 novel mutations comprising various mutation types. Pyrosequencing detected a definite relationship between allelic NF1 transcript imbalance due to NMD and mutation type in 24 of 29 patients who all carried frame‐shift or nonsense mutations. NMD was absent in 5 patients with missense and silent mutations, as well as in 4 patients with splice‐site mutations that did not disrupt the reading frame. Pyrosequencing was capable of detecting NMD even when the effects were only moderate. Diagnostic laboratories could thus exploit this effect for rapid prescreening for NF1 mutations as more than 60% of the mutations in this gene disrupt the reading frame and are prone to NMD.
Inferior frontal white matter anisotropy and negative symptoms of schizophrenia: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was test the hypothesis that abnormalities of inferior frontal white matter are related to the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. METHOD Fractional anisotropy of white matter tracts in the prefrontal area of 10 schizophrenic patients was determined by diffusion tensor imaging. Patients were also assessed for severity of negative symptoms by using the Schedule for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). RESULTS Inferior frontal white matter fractional anisotropy was significantly inversely correlated with the SANS global ratings of negative symptoms. CONCLUSIONS These data, while preliminary, suggest that impaired white matter integrity in the inferior frontal region may be associated with the severity of negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Frequency-tunable designs of the linearly and circularly polarized dielectric resonator antennas using a parasitic slot

A method for tuning the operation frequency of a dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) in the design stage is proposed. The method employs a parasitic annular slot, which can be applied to both the linearly-polarized (LP) and circularly-polarized (CP) DRAs. To demonstrate the former, an annular-slot-excited hemispherical DRA is used. By changing the radius of the parasitic slot, the operating frequency of the antenna can be adjusted while maintaining good impedance match and stable radiation patterns. For the CP case, a CP DRA excited by a shorted annular slot is used for the demonstration of this idea. It is found that good impedance matches and axial ratios can be obtained across the tunable frequency range. The radiation patterns are, again, stable across the frequency range. The problems are formulated using the Green's function approach, with the unknown slot currents solved using the method of moments. Measurements were carried out to verify the theory, and reasonable agreement between them is obtained.
Developing combination of artesunate with paclitaxel loaded into poly-d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticle for systemic delivery to exhibit synergic chemotherapeutic response

Abstract Objectives: Paclitaxel (PTX) has been indicated for the treatment of a variety of solid tumors, whereas artesunate (ART) has been reported to have the potential for use in combination chemotherapy. In this study, the combination of ART and PTX was prepared in nanoparticle to induce the synergic effect and improve therapeutic efficiency in treatment of breast cancer. Methods: Dual anticancer agents (PTX and ART) were loaded into Poly-D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) nanoparticle (NP) by solvent evaporation technique from oil-in-water emulsion, stabilized with Tween 80. Physicochemical properties of obtained nanoparticles (PTX-ART-NPs) were characterized including particle size (Z), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potentials (ZP), encapsulation efficiency (EE), and in-vitro drug release. Combination index (CI) was calculated to determine the synergic effect of the combination and select the best ratio of ART and PTX. The final NPs analyzed intracellular uptake, cytotoxicity assay, and apoptosis study. Results: The final NP had a small size (around 120 nm) with a narrow size distribution (PDI <0.3). EE values for each drug were 87.8 ± 1.1% and 99.5 ± 0.1% for ART and PTX, respectively, and drugs were released from NPs in a controlled release pattern. All combinations of PTX and ART had CI values under 1, which confirmed the synergic effects. Meanwhile, NP preparation increased cytotoxicity on three breast cancer cell-lines comparable to free drugs. Conclusions: Combination of ART- and PTX-loaded PLGA NP showed promising results for anticancer therapy, especially for breast cancer treatment.