Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hyperuricemia and chronic kidney disease: an enigma yet to be solved

Abstract The role of uric acid (UA) on the pathogenesis and progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains controversial. Experimental and clinical studies indicate that UA is associated with several risk factors of CKD including diabetes, hypertension, oxidative stress, and inflammation and hyperuricemia could be considered as a common dominator linking CKD and cardiovascular disease. Notably, the impact of serum UA levels on the survival of CKD, dialysis patients, and renal transplant recipients is also a matter of debate, as there are conflicting results from clinical studies. At present, there is no definite data whether UA is causal, compensatory, coincidental or it is only an epiphenomenon in these patients. In this article, we attempt to review and elucidate the dark side of this old molecule in CKD and renal transplantation.
The relationship between peak height velocity and physical performance in youth soccer players

Abstract Longitudinal changes in height, weight and physical performance were studied in 33 Flemish male youth soccer players from the Ghent Youth Soccer Project. The players' ages at the start of the study ranged from 10.4 to 13.7 years, with a mean age of 12.2 ± 0.7 years. Longitudinal changes were studied over a 5 year period. Peak height velocity and peak weight velocity were determined using non-smoothed polynomials. The estimations of peak height velocity, peak weight velocity and age at peak height velocity were 9.7 ± 1.5 cm · year−1, 8.4 ± 3.0 kg · year−1 and 13.8 ± 0.8 years, respectively. Peak weight velocity occurred, on average, at the same age as peak height velocity. Balance, speed of limb movement, trunk strength, upper-body muscular endurance, explosive strength, running speed and agility, cardiorespiratory endurance and anaerobic capacity showed peak development at peak height velocity. A plateau in the velocity curves was observed after peak height velocity for upper-body muscular endurance, explosive strength and running speed. Flexibility exhibited peak development during the tear after peak height velocity. Trainers and coaches should be aware of the individual characteristics of the adolescent growth spurt and the training load should also be individualized at this time.
Comparison of the Efficacy and Safety of the 308 nm Excimer Laser for the Treatment of Localized Psoriasis in Adults and in Children: A Pilot Study

Abstract: The 308‐nm excimer laser has been shown to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of localized mild‐to‐moderate plaque‐type psoriasis in adults. However, the laser's safety and efficacy has not yet been demonstrated in children. Four of seven children with a mean age of 11.0 years and 12 of 18 adults with a mean age of 48.8 years completed the full protocol. The most common reason for incompletion was noncompliance unrelated to side effects. Both the children (p = 0.0200) and the adult groups (p = 0.0009) yielded a significant decrease in psoriatic severity scores of their respective target lesions. The children group had a greater reduction (p = 0.008) from a mean baseline target (PSS) of 5.75 ± 1.71 to final of 0.50 ± 0.58 (91.3% reduction) as compared to the adult treatment group from a mean baseline psoriatic severity score of 5.00 ± 1.15 to final of 1.92 ± 1.11 (61.6% reduction). However, there was no statistical difference between the mean total treatments required to achieve this result (p = 0.112). Side effects were common, albeit minor and well tolerated. In conclusion, the 308 nm excimer laser appears to be a safe and effective treatment for localized psoriasis in children as well as in adults.
Leader‐based community detection algorithm for social networks

Community detection has become a crucial task in social network mining. Detecting communities summarizes interactions between members for gaining deep understanding of interesting characteristics shared between members of the same community. In this research, we propose a novel community detection algorithm for the purpose of revealing and analyzing hidden similar behavior of online users. The proposed algorithm is based mainly on similar members’ actions rather than the structure similarity only for the aim of detecting communities that are closely mapped to the underlying behavioral communities in real social networks. First, leaders of the social network are discovered, then, communities are detected based on those leaders. The idea is grounded on the assumption that communities could be formed around people with great influence. Extensive experiments and analysis show the ability of the proposed algorithm to successfully detect real‐world communities with improved accuracy. WIREs Data Mining Knowl Discov 2017, 7:e1213. doi: 10.1002/widm.1213
Prioritising factors influencing consumers' reversing intention of e-waste using analytic hierarchy process

Improper management of electronic waste (e-waste) is becoming a threat globally and emerges as the most recent and dangerous environmental issue that is abruptly affecting ecological and human health. In such scenario, manufacturers need to play their role in accepting responsibility to take care of the waste when they reach their end of life. For said purpose, the present study identified factors by which manufacturer can encourage end-consumers to reverse the products, at their discretion, when it reach end of life. Factors identified from literature were prioritised by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Results of the present study will help the manufacturers in devising their strategies for marketing and customer relationship management in a way that they can encourage consumers to reverse the products when it reach end of life.
Immediate and delayed restoration of dental implants in periodontally susceptible patients: 1-year results.

PURPOSE Immediate restoration of dental implants in patients with a history of periodontal disease was examined. The influence of insertion torque and implant stability quotient (ISQ) on the survival rate was compared in immediately restored, nonrestored, and submerged implants. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients received periodontal treatment after which "all in one" implant surgery was performed: hopeless teeth were extracted, debridement around remaining adjacent teeth was performed, implants were inserted and, in some cases, a prefabricated screw-retained provisional restoration was immediately delivered. Insertion torque and ISQ were recorded at baseline and 6 and 12 months postsurgery. RESULTS Nineteen patients were treated, and 74 implants were placed. Twelve implants, 10 of which were maxillary, failed in 4 patients. Survival rates were 100% in partial-arch restorations, 94% in the mandible, and 78% in the maxilla. The survival rate of restored implants was 65% in extraction sites versus 94% in healed, nonextraction sites. Implants exhibited a decrease in ISQ at 6 months followed by an increase at 12 months. There were no statistically significant differences in insertion torque or ISQ between failed and successful implants, restored and nonrestored implants, or extraction-site and nonextraction-site implants. Mandibular implants demonstrated higher insertion torque and higher ISQ at baseline and 6 and 12 months. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of this study, immediate restoration of dental implants in periodontally susceptible patients had a variable success rate. Several factors were shown to affect these results.
SEX DIMORPHISMS IN ACTIVATED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELL FUNCTION

ABSTRACT The plasticity of bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) has resulted in positive remodeling and the regeneration of viable tissues. However, BMSC release of growth factors, which limit apoptosis and inflammation, may play an important role in conferring organ protection. Recent studies also indicate that those patients with higher circulating BMSC counts may be more resistant to septic and traumatic insults. There are clear sex differences in response to such insults. Within the population of BMSC, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may have clinical advantages. Therefore, we hypothesize that sex differences in the MSC paracrine response to acute injury exist. Mesenchymal stem cells were obtained from male and female mice. One million MSCs per well (triplicate wells per group) were stressed by hypoxia and increasing doses of endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]) and hydrogen peroxide. Mesenchymal stem cell activation was determined by measuring vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and tumor necrosis factor &agr; production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Differences were considered significant if P < 0.05. Results Lipopolysaccharide resulted in significant activation of both male and female MSCs. However, LPS provoked significantly more VEGF production in female MSCs versus male MSCs at all LPS doses. Hypoxia of 1 h and hydrogen pyroxide exposure also caused significantly more VEGF production in female MSCs versus male MSCs. Female MSCs expressed significantly less tumor necrosis factor &agr; than male MSCs after acute LPS and hypoxia. Conclusion This study constitutes the first demonstration that sex differences exist in activated MSC function. Sex differences in progenitor cell function may have important implications in understanding the observed sex differences in the host's response to injury.
Effects of hydrochloric acid on duodenal and jejunal mucosal permeability in the rat.

The effects of various concentrations of hydrochloric acid (1, 5, 10, and 100 mM) on mucosal permeability and acid disappearance (H+-dis) in duodenum and jejunum were studied in anesthetized rats. Mucosal permeability was assessed by measuring blood-to-lumen clearance of 51Cr-labeled EDTA (ED-Cl). Luminal alkalinization (LA) and H+-dis were determined by backtitration. ED-Cl was stable during saline perfusion and was not affected by changes in intestinal blood flow. Basal ED-Cl was four times higher in duodenum than in jejunum. Mucosal permeability of both duodenum and jejunum was not altered by 1 mM HCl. However, 5 mM HCl induced a 3.3-fold increase (P less than 0.001) in ED-Cl in jejunum but was without effect in duodenum. A 15-fold increase in ED-Cl was obtained in jejunum and a doubling (P less than 0.001) in ED-Cl was observed in duodenum when HCl concentration was increased to 10 mM HCl. One hundred millimolar HCl induced large increases of ED-Cl in both segments. The twofold increase of ED-Cl in response to 10 mM HCl in duodenum was completely reversible, whereas ED-Cl in jejunum was three to four times higher (P less than 0.05) than preacid levels 60 min after cessation of acid perfusion. The net increase in jejunal ED-Cl obtained after acid exposure was closely correlated (r = 0.99) with the net increase in LA, indicating leakage of interstitial fluid into the luminal solution. LA (saline perfusion) and H+-dis (HCl perfusion) were significantly higher in duodenum than in jejunum. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Examining insurance employees' acceptance of merimen technologies

This research aimed to investigate users’ perceptions towards the practice of Merimen technologies use in insurance companies in Indonesia using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). It explains potential implementation problems and their causes that may occur before adopting or while applying technology in the company. This research elaborate on each of the various UTAUT variable factors. It provides concrete motivations and impression as well as context sensitivity rather than result based on a Likert-scale score. This research also embeds the technology acceptance and adoption of specific organization context, focusing on multiple organizations similarities and differences.
Outcomes of malignant external otitis: survival vs mortality

Conclusions. In patients with malignant external otitis (MEO), mortality was not related to age, sex, degree of glucose tolerance, duration of diabetes mellitus (DM), microorganism, comorbid disease, or involvement of a single cranial nerve. Severe complications such as skull base osteomyelitis, intracranial extension, and involvement of multiple cranial nerves were correlated with mortality. Objectives. To analyze the factors that affect the survival of patients with MEO in today's era of advanced antibiotics. Patients and methods. Patients with a diagnosis of MEO from 1993 to 2005 were collected. Results. A total 26 patients with a mean age of 63.7±10.2 years were included. All had a history of DM. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (26.9%), Klebsiella pneumoniae (19.2%), and fungus (15.4%) were most frequently found in pus cultures. Cranial nerves were involved in 11 patients: the facial nerve was most frequently (38.46%) involved. Complications such as osteomyelitis (11 patients) and intracranial involvement (3 patients) were noted in this series. Mastoidectomy was performed in 12 patients. A total of five patients died.
Association between diacylglycerol kinase kappa variants and hypospadias susceptibility in a Han Chinese population

Previous genome-wide association studies have identified variants in the diacylglycerol kinase kappa (DGKK) gene associated with hypospadias in populations of European descent. However, no variants of DGKK were confirmed to be associated with hypospadias in a recent Han Chinese study population, likely due to the limited number of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) included in the analysis. In this study, we aimed to address the inconsistent results and evaluate the association between DGKK and hypospadias in the Han Chinese population through a more comprehensive analysis of DGKK variants. We conducted association analyses for 17 SNPs in or downstream of DGKK with hypospadias among 322 cases (58 mild, 113 moderate, 128 severe, and 23 unknown) and 1008 controls. Five SNPs (rs2211122, rs4554617, rs7058226, rs7063116, and rs5915254) in DGKK were significantly associated with hypospadias (P < 0.05), with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.64-1.76. When only mild and moderate cases were compared to controls, 10 SNPs in DGKK were significant (P < 0.05), with ORs of 1.56-2.13. No significant SNP was observed when only severe cases were compared to controls. This study successfully implicated DGKK variants in hypospadias risk among a Han Chinese population, especially for mild/moderate cases. Severe forms of hypospadias are likely due to other genetic factors.
Reliability and Validity of a New Specific Field Test of Aerobic Capacity with the Ball for Futsal Players

Abstract The aim of this study was to establish the validity and reliability and verification of the reproducibility of the lactate minimum test (LM) to predict the maximal lactate steady state exercise intensity (MLSS) on a futsal-specific circuit (Futsal_circuit) which takes into consideration the technical movements performed. 16 male Brazilian futsal players (body mass: 67.7±8.3 kg; height: 1.73±0.05 m) were distributed randomly into 2 studies with 8 athletes in each (Study A – reproducibility; Study B – validity). First, aerobic capacity was determined by adapting the protocol of the LM to the futsal_circuit. In study A, the evaluation was repeated after 7 days (test e re-test) and, in study B, the MLSS on the futsal_circuit was performed. LM intensity (test=7.7±0.3 km.h-1; retest=7.7±0.4 km.h-1) showed a concordance (CV=4.13 and ET=0.32) on study A. No significant differences, high association (r=0.80; p<0.05) and concordance (lower limits: −0.58 km.h-1; Upper limits: 0.55 km.h-1) between LM and MLSS (7.5±0.5 km.h-1 LM; 7.5±0.4 km.h-1 MLSS) on study B. According to the results, we can conclude that the Futsal_circuit is reliable, reproducible and valid for assessing the functional aerobic capacity of futsal players.
Do Early Skin Care Practices Alter the Risk of Atopic Dermatitis? A Case‐Control Study

Abstract: The rise in atopic dermatitis prevalence observed in industrialized countries is unexplained. We hypothesized that certain skin care practices early in life may increase the risk for developing atopic dermatitis. Our case‐control study could not identify any one practice that increased the odds of developing atopic dermatitis, but it revealed that regular lotion use was very common in infants who later develop atopic dermatitis.
The Effects of Employee Hours-of-Service Regulations on the U.S. Airline Industry

Maximum employee work-hour restrictions are implemented to reduce accidents. However, because they decrease the stock of work-hours available to employers, they may also have detrimental effects. A quasi-experiment suggests that pilot hours-of-service reforms, which decreased the number of flights and hours a pilot may work, reduced consumer choice and increased fares in the airline industry. We find that regional and low-cost carriers reduced scheduled flight frequency, while less constrained legacy carriers (and potentially their wholly owned subsidiaries) were unaffected. Further, we find evidence that market concentration increased on many routes, implying that fare increases may be due to a decrease in competition. These findings illustrate a situation where a policy implemented to correct one market failure, airlines not internalizing the full social costs of accidents by allowing dangerously fatigued pilots to fly, exacerbated another market failure by decreasing competition.
Resonance frequency analysis of implants subjected to immediate or early functional occlusal loading. Successful vs. failing implants.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to analyze the development of implant stability by repeated resonance frequency analysis (RFA) measurements during 1 year in 23 patients treated according to an immediate/early-loading protocol. The objective was also to evaluate the possible differences between failing and successful implants. MATERIAL AND METHODS Eighty-one Brånemark System implants were placed in 23 patients for immediate/early-occlusal loading in all jaw regions. Thirty of the implants were placed in extraction sockets and 62 were subjected to GBR procedures. Apart from clinical and radiographic examinations, the patients were followed with RFA at placement, prosthesis connection and after 1-3, 6 and 12 months. Statistical analyses were carried out to study the possible differences between implants that failed during the study period and implants that remained successful. RESULTS Nine implants failed (11.2%) during the 1 year of loading. RFA showed a distinct different pattern between the implants that remained stable and the implants that were lost. The implants that failed during the course of the study showed a significantly lower stability already after 1 month. CONCLUSION Within the limitations of this study, it is concluded that failing implants show a continuous decrease of stability until failure. Low RFA levels after 1 and 2 months seem to indicate an increased risk for future failure. This information may be used to avoid implant failure in the future by unloading implants with decreasing degree of stability with time as diagnosed with the RFA technique.
The recommended dietary allowance for protein may not be adequate for older people to maintain skeletal muscle.

BACKGROUND Inadequate dietary protein intake results in loss of skeletal muscle mass. Some shorter-term nitrogen balance studies suggest that the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein may not be adequate for older people. The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of the RDA of protein for older people by examining longer-term responses in urinary nitrogen excretion, whole-body protein metabolism, whole-body composition, and mid-thigh muscle area. METHODS This was a 14-week precisely controlled diet study. Ten healthy, ambulatory men and women, aged 55 to 77 years, were provided eucaloric diets that contained 0.8 g protein.kg(-1). day(-1). The study was conducted at a General Clinical Research Center using an outpatient setting for 11 weeks and an inpatient setting for 3 weeks. The main outcome measures included urinary nitrogen excretion, postabsorptive and postprandial whole-body leucine kinetics via infusion of L-[1-(13)C]-leucine, whole-body density via hydrostatic weighing, total body water via deuterium oxide dilution, and mid-thigh muscle area via computed tomography scans. RESULTS Mean urinary nitrogen excretion decreased over time from Weeks 2 to 8 to 14 (p =.025). At Week 14, compared with Week 2, there were no changes in postabsorptive or postprandial leucine kinetics (turnover, oxidation, incorporation into protein via synthesis, release via breakdown, or balance). Whole-body composition (% body fat, fat-free mass, and protein + mineral mass) did not change over time in these weight-stable subjects. Mid-thigh muscle area was decreased by -1.7 +/- 0.6 cm(2) (p =.019) at Week 14 compared with Week 2. The loss of mid-thigh muscle area was associated with the decrease in urinary nitrogen excretion (Spearman r =.83, p =.010). CONCLUSIONS The maintenance of whole-body leucine metabolism and whole-body composition is generally consistent with a successful adaptation to the RDA for protein. However, the decrease in mid-thigh muscle area and the association with decreased urinary nitrogen excretion are consistent with a metabolic accommodation. These results suggest that the RDA for protein may not be adequate to completely meet the metabolic and physiological needs of virtually all older people.
Student Preferences and Expectations: Some Practical Tips for Designers of English Enhancement Programmes

As one of the essential skills for success in work and studies, English communication is often made a key component in the GE curriculum of tertiary study programmes. In addition to the provision of required English proficiency courses, many tertiary institutions have established English centres of some description to promote English learning on campus. Yet from students’ perspective, what kinds of programmes and activities should be offered, and how they feel about these initiatives is not very widely discussed in the existing literature.This paper aims to address these questions with practical experiences gained from a project to establish an English language enhancement centre by one self-financing tertiary institution in Hong Kong. Funded by the Quality Enhancement Support Scheme (QESS), the centre, titled the Centre for Academic and Professional Language Enhancement (CAPLE), was set up in March 2016. Cognizant of the benefits of life-wide learning, independent learning and collaborative peer learning, CAPLE offers a series of workshops and various kinds of English and culture learning activities that adopt these pedagogical approaches.Centre usage figures and user feedback were continuously collected for evaluative purposes. Data collected through student diaries, online surveys, usage records of the online programmes and other resources and a focus group interview showed varying levels of popularity of different types of workshops/activities, suggesting there is a need for programme designers to have a more realistic view about students’ actual English learning needs and learning motivation. Recommendations are made accordingly for more economical use of resources.
Profiling cruise passengers in a Mediterranean port-of-call

ABSTRACT This study profiles cruise passengers based on their perceived satisfaction with their experience. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and K-means Cluster Analysis were applied to a sample of 419 cruise passengers interviewed in the period March–April 2013 at the port-of-call of Messina (Italy). The main factors that influenced destination satisfaction were: onshore shopping experience, transportation and tourist services, security perceptions, port-related factors, length of stay, and aesthetic perceptions of the destination. Furthermore, two clusters were identified: “independent passengers” and “organized passengers”. Contributions to the body of knowledge and managerial implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are given.