Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging Bone and Soft Tissue Tumors with the Proliferation Marker [18F]Fluorodeoxythymidine

Purpose: We have determined the ability of positron emission tomography (PET) with the thymidine analogue 3`-deoxy-3′[18F]fluorothymidine (FLT) to detect manifestation sites of bone and soft tissue tumors, to assess tumor grading, and to differentiate malignant from benign tumors. Materials and Methods: In this prospective bicenter trial, FLT-PET was done in 22 patients with established or suspected soft or bone tissue lesions. Routine diagnostic procedures included incisional biopsy, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or contrast-enhanced spiral computed tomography in all patients and [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET in 15 patients. Forty-five to 60 minutes after i.v. injection of 350 to 425 MBq FLT, emission and transmission scanning was done. Tracer uptake in the tumor was evaluated semiquantitatively by calculation of mean and maximum standardized uptake values (FLT-SUV) and compared with respective values of FDG. Results were correlated to histopathology and tumor grading. Results: FLT-PET detected all malignant bone or soft tissue tumors (17 of 17). Mean FLT-SUV in benign lesions was 0.7 (range, 0.3-1.3), and 1.3 in low-grade sarcoma (grade 1; range, 1.0-1.6), 4.1 (range, 2.2-6.0; P = 0.002) and 6.1 (range, 2.5-8.3; P = 0.001) in grade 2 and grade 3 tumors, respectively. FLT but not FDG uptake correlated significantly with tumor grading (r = 0.71 versus r = 0.01), and a cutoff value of 2.0 for FLT-SUV discriminated between low- and high-grade tumors. Conclusion: In this clinical study, the proliferation marker FLT was suitable for imaging malignant bone or soft tissue tumors. FLT but not FDG uptake correlated significantly with the tumor grade, suggesting FLT as superior PET tracer for noninvasive grading of sarcomas.
Physiological and Fatigue Responses Associated With Male and Mixed-Gender Ultimate Frisbee Game Play

Abstract Scanlan, AT, Kean, CO, Humphries, BJ, and Dalbo, VJ. Physiological and fatigue responses associated with male and mixed-gender Ultimate Frisbee game play. J Strength Cond Res 29(9): 2600–2607, 2015—The aims of this study were to describe the physiological and fatigue responses associated with indoor Ultimate Frisbee game play, compare exercise intensities attained to current activity guidelines, and compare responses between male and mixed-gender game formats. A between-subjects (game format) repeated-measures (time points) observational experimental design was used. Subjects competed in male (n = 10; age: 26.3 ± 7.6 years) or mixed-gender (males: n = 4; 28.5 ± 5.7 years; females: n = 6; 28.3 ± 8.1 years) indoor Ultimate Frisbee game play. Games consisted of 10-minute halves, with heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration ([BLa−]), rating of perceived exertion, and 5-m and 20-m sprint times measured. Durations spent in HR-derived intensity zones and sprint decrements were calculated across games. Mixed-gender game play produced significantly (p ⩽ 0.05) higher relative HR (94.3 ± 5.1% vs. 89.6 ± 4.8% HRmax) and [BLa−] (8.31 ± 2.22 mmol·L−1 vs. 4.68 ± 1.89 mmol·L−1) than male game play. Significantly (p ⩽ 0.05) longer durations were spent at vigorous (male: 60.2 ± 26.1%; mixed-gender: 36.8 ± 34.8%) and near-maximal (male: 31.6 ± 27.6%; mixed-gender: 58.6 ± 37.7%) exercise intensities than moderate (3.9–7.2%), light (0.7–1.0%), and very light (0–0.1%) intensities in both formats. Limited physiological and sprint fatigue was apparent across games. Subjects primarily performed at vigorous and near-maximal intensities during Ultimate Frisbee. The greater physiological demands encountered during mixed-gender game play might be attributed to underlying gender-mediated cardiovascular differences. These findings support the efficacy of Ultimate Frisbee as a prescriptive exercise tool for health benefit.
Prevalence of fat embolism after total knee arthroplasty performed with or without computer navigation.

BACKGROUND Total knee arthroplasty performed with computer-assisted navigation without breaching of the femoral medullary canal may decrease the prevalence of fat and/or bone-marrow-cell embolization. We performed this study to determine whether the use of navigation for primary total knee arthroplasty resulted in a different prevalence of fat and/or bone-marrow-cell embolization. METHODS We enrolled 160 patients (210 knees) who were scheduled to undergo primary total knee arthroplasty with navigation and 160 patients (210 knees) who were scheduled to undergo primary total knee arthroplasty without navigation. Arterial and right atrial blood samples were obtained before insertion of a femoral alignment rod or cutting of the distal part of the femur (baseline); at one, three, five, and ten minutes after insertion of an alignment rod or cutting of the distal part of the femur; before insertion of a tibial component broach (baseline); at one, three, five, and ten minutes after insertion of a tibial component broach; and at twenty-four and forty-eight hours after the operation. We determined the presence of fat emboli and bone-marrow-cell emboli in histologic preparations of the blood samples. RESULTS The prevalence of fat embolization was 49% (102 of 210 knees) in the total knee arthroplasty group managed with navigation and 52% (109 of 210 knees) in the total knee arthroplasty group managed without navigation (p = 0.2674). The prevalence of bone-marrow-cell embolization was 17% (thirty-six of 210 knees) in the group managed with navigation and 15% (thirty-one of 210 knees) in the group managed without navigation (p = 0.2591) CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of fat and/or bone-marrow-cell embolization was not significantly different between the patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty with navigation and those who underwent it without navigation.
Blastocystis ratti Induces Contact-Independent Apoptosis, F-Actin Rearrangement, and Barrier Function Disruption in IEC-6 Cells

ABSTRACT Blastocystis is an enteric protozoan purportedly associated with numerous clinical cases of diarrhea, flatulence, vomiting, and other gastrointestinal symptoms. Despite new knowledge of Blastocystis cell biology, genetic diversity, and epidemiology, its pathogenic potential remains controversial. Numerous clinical and epidemiological studies either implicate or exonerate the parasite as a cause of intestinal disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenic potential of Blastocystis by studying the interactions of Blastocystis ratti WR1, an isolate of zoonotic potential, with a nontransformed rat intestinal epithelial cell line, IEC-6. Here, we report that B. ratti WR1 induces apoptosis in IEC-6 cells in a contact-independent manner. Furthermore, we found that B. ratti WR1 rearranges F-actin distribution, decreases transepithelial resistance, and increases epithelial permeability in IEC-6 cell monolayers. In addition, we found that the effects of B. ratti on transepithelial electrical resistance and epithelial permeability were significantly abrogated by treatment with metronidazole, an antiprotozoal drug. Our results suggest for the first time that Blastocystis-induced apoptosis in host cells and altered epithelial barrier function might play an important role in the pathogenesis of Blastocystis infections and that metronidazole has therapeutic potential in alleviating symptoms associated with Blastocystis.
Effect of a macroscopic groove on bone response and implant stability.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a macroscopic groove on bone response and implant stability during the early stages of healing using a rabbit tibia model. MATERIALS AND METHODS Anodized titanium implants with (n=24) and without (n=24) macroscopic grooves were prepared. A total of 12 rabbits were used and each received four implants: six rabbits with implants with macroscopic grooves (test group) and six rabbits with implants without macroscopic groves (control group). Histomorphometry, resonance frequency, and removal torque value were evaluated 2 and 6 weeks post-implant-insertion. RESULTS At 2 and 6 weeks, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the percentage of bone-to-implant contact (P>0.05). At 6 weeks, the test group had significantly higher implant stability quotient values than the control group (P<0.05). At 2 and 6 weeks, implants with grooves showed a significantly greater resistance to reverse torque than control implants (P<0.05). CONCLUSION The groove on the oxidized titanium surface may increase both resistance to shear load and adhesion at the bone-implant interface. A geometric feature such as a macroscopic groove may facilitate osseointegration and increase implant stability in various clinical conditions. Further studies are required to confirm whether the improvement in implant stability will enhance treatment success in humans.
Follow-up for people with cancer: nurse-led services and telephone interventions.

BACKGROUND Questions about the suitability of traditional outpatient follow-up clinics as a way of providing on-going monitoring for patients following serious illness have led to the development of a range of nurse-led services. However, there has been little attempt to draw some of this knowledge together formally and consider the weight of evidence on the necessity and value of nurse-led follow-up. AIM To provide a review of literature evaluating the impact of nurse led follow-up in cancer care, with particular focus on the use and value of telephone interventions. METHOD A literature search was conducted of nursing, medical and social science databases and the following keywords: cancer follow-up, nurse-led follow-up, telephone follow-up, telephone-based interventions and telephone survey. The search yielded over 150 papers, of which 37 were relevant to this review. FINDINGS The literature suggests that nurse-led follow-up for people with cancer meets their needs for psychological support and information. The telephone is identified as a suitable means of providing this kind of service. CONCLUSION This review demonstrates that nurse-led follow-up services are acceptable, appropriate and effective. Combined with use of the telephone, such services can be an efficient means of maintaining contact with a large client group, providing vital support to vulnerable patients during their move into aftercare and beyond.
Mapping the Hyaluronan-binding Site on the Link Module from Human Tumor Necrosis Factor-stimulated Gene-6 by Site-directed Mutagenesis*

Link modules are hyaluronan-binding domains found in extracellular proteins involved in matrix assembly, development, and immune cell migration. Previously we have expressed the Link module from the inflammation-associated protein tumor necrosis factor-stimulated gene-6 (TSG-6) and determined its tertiary structure in solution. Here we generated 21 Link module mutants, and these were analyzed by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and a hyaluronan-binding assay. The individual mutation of five amino acids, which form a cluster on one face of the Link module, caused large reductions in functional activity but did not affect the Link module fold. This ligand-binding site in TSG-6 is similar to that determined previously for the hyaluronan receptor, CD44, suggesting that the location of the interaction surfaces may also be conserved in other Link module-containing proteins. Analysis of the sequences of TSG-6 and CD44 indicates that the molecular details of their association with hyaluronan are likely to be significantly different. This comparison identifies key sequence positions that may be important in mediating hyaluronan binding, across the Link module superfamily. The use of multiple sequence alignment and molecular modeling allowed the prediction of functional residues in link protein, and this approach can be extended to all members of the superfamily.
Recovery of in vitro functional activity of platelet concentrates stored at 4 degrees C and treated with second-messenger effectors.

BACKGROUND The potential for bacterial contamination limits the storage of platelets at 22 degrees C to 5 days. Refrigerated storage at 4 degrees C would abrogate this problem but would also result in a rapid loss of in vitro viability and functional activity and in vivo viability. The inhibition of platelets during storage by a combination of specific, reversible, second-messenger effectors has been investigated to allow prolonged storage at 4 degrees C with significant retention of in vitro viability and functional activity. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS The combination of effectors was added directly to platelet concentrates, and this step was followed by storage at 4 degrees C. Control units were incubated at 4 degrees C without the effectors and at 22 degrees C according to standard blood-banking techniques. At 1, 5, and 9 days, the units were tested for recovery of cell number, recovery of in vitro functional activity and viability, and expression of platelet surface markers. RESULTS Treated platelets stored at 4 degrees C for 9 days, while spherical in shape, displayed no loss of cell number and had a recovery of viability and functional activity, as compared with control platelets stored at 22 degrees C for 5 days, as follows: ADP and collagen aggregation responses of 250 and 100 percent, respectively; a 70-percent recovery of hypotonic shock response; and a 60-percent recovery of extent of shape change. The treated platelets also expressed an equivalent amount of the surface marker glycoprotein lb and a lower amount of the activation marker alpha-granule membrane protein-140 on the membrane surface. CONCLUSION Second-messenger effectors added to platelets significantly maintained in vitro functional activity with storage at 4 degrees C. In vitro analysis demonstrates the potential for extended 4 degrees C storage of platelets with numerical and functional recovery comparable to that achieved with current methods. Refrigerated storage of platelet concentrates has the potential to reduce the risk of bacterial contamination.
Development and evaluation of the McKnight Risk Factor Survey for assessing potential risk and protective factors for disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls.

OBJECTIVE To describe the development, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the McKnight Risk Factor Survey-III (MRFS-III). The MRFS-III was designed to assess a number of potential risk and protective factors for the development of disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls. METHOD Several versions of the MRFS were pilot tested before the MRFS-III was administered to a sample of 651 4th through 12th- grade girls to establish its psychometric properties. RESULTS Most of the test-retest reliability coefficients of individual items on the MRFS-III were r > . 40. Alpha coefficients for each risk and protective factor domain on the MRFS-III were also computed. The majority of these coefficients were r > . 60. High convergent validity coefficients were obtained for specific items on the MRFS-III and measures of self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) and weight concerns (Weight Concerns Scale). CONCLUSIONS The test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the MRFS-III suggest that it is a useful new instrument to assess potential risk and protective factors for the development of disordered eating in preadolescent and adolescent girls.
Advanced cancer at home: caregiving and bereavement

Background: The advanced and terminal phases of cancer are being increasingly treated at home with the aid of palliative care teams. It is well known that caregivers are overburdened emotionally, financially and physically, and some studies have demonstrated that this overload extends beyond the period of mourning. Identifying caregivers at risk of bereavement maladjustment is a useful means of ensuring prompt psychological and social assistance, and optimising the available resources. Methods: One hundred and eleven caregivers of home-treated patients with advanced/terminal cancer were recruited by the palliative care unit operating in their place of residence. After giving their informed consent, all of the caregivers were asked to complete questionnaires designed to evaluate various emotional, financial and social aspects. Three, six and 12 months after the decease of their patients, the caregivers were contacted again and asked to complete other questionnaires aimed at assessing their emotional reactions and bereavement-related problems. Results: The 12-month follow-up was completed by 93 caregivers. Their bereavement maladjustment problems correlated with their perception of emotional distress and the caregivingrelated problems detected at the time of referral, particularly among females. Spouses, subjects aged over 61 years and those perceiving a substantial emotional burden proved to be at greater long-term risk. Conclusions: The identification of overburdened caregivers and those at risk of long-term bereavement maladjustment may facilitate the programming of ad hoc interventions that could reduce inherent health and social costs. Palliative care teams can usefully include someone to identify such caregivers by means of inexpensive and objectively predictive instruments.
Bispectral index for improving anaesthetic delivery and postoperative recovery.

BACKGROUND The use of clinical signs may not be reliable to measure the hypnotic component of anaesthesia. The use of bispectral index to guide the dose of anaesthetics may have certain advantages over clinical signs. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess whether bispectral index (BIS) reduced anaesthetic use, recovery times, recall awareness and cost. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 2), MEDLINE (1990 to May 2007), EMBASE (1990 to May 2007) and reference lists of articles. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomized controlled trials comparing BIS with clinical signs (CS) in titrating anaesthetic agents. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two authors independently assessed trial quality, extracted data and analysed the data. We contacted study authors for further details. MAIN RESULTS We included 20 studies with 4056 participants. Seven recent trials are still awaiting assessment. BIS-guided anaesthesia reduced the requirement for propofol by 1.30 mg/kg/hr (578 participants; 95% confidence interval (CI) -1.97 to -0.62) and for volatile anaesthetics (desflurane, sevoflurane, isoflurane) by 0.17 minimal alveolar concentration equivalents (MAC) (689 participants; 95% CI -0.27 to -0.07). Irrespective of the anaesthetic, BIS reduced the recovery times: time for eye opening by 2.43 min (996 participants; 95% CI -3.60 to -1.27), response to verbal command by 2.28 min (717 participants; 95% CI -3.47 to -1.09), time to extubation by 3.05 min (1057 participants; 95% CI -3.98 to -2.11) and orientation by 2.46 min (316 participants; 95% CI -3.21 to -1.71). BIS shortened the duration of postanaesthesia care unit stay by 6.83 min (584 participants; 95% CI -12.08 to -1.58) but did not reduce time to home readiness (329 participants; 95% CI -30.11 to 16.09). The BIS-guided anaesthesia significantly reduced the incidence of intraoperative recall awareness in surgical patients with high risk of awareness (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.05 to 0.79). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Anaesthesia guided by BIS within the recommended range (40 to 60) could improve anaesthetic delivery and postoperative recovery from relatively deep anaesthesia. In addition, BIS-guided anaesthesia has a significant impact on reduction of the incidence of intraoperative recall in surgical patients with high risk of awareness.
The relationship between human dignity and medication adherence in patients with heart failure

Medication adherence is a behavior that is influenced by several factors, and maintaining patients’ dignity is an important issue that needs to be considered in the course of treatment. The present study aimed to determine the relationship between human dignity and medication adherence in patients with heart failure. This was a cross-sectional study. A total number of 300 patients with heart failure admitted to the Mazandaran Heart Center, Iran, participated in this study by census. Samples were selected based on inclusion criteria such as an HF diagnosis by a cardiologist for a minimum of 6 months, and taking at least one cardiac medication. Data were collected through demographic, clinical, human dignity, and medication adherence questionnaires over a period of three months in 2016. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Consents were obtained from patients and the medical center, and necessary explanations were given about the confidentiality of information prior to completing the questionnaires. The mean score of medication adherence was 5.82 suggesting low medication adherence among the patients, and the mean score of human dignity was 81.39. There was a negative relationship between medication adherence and threat to human dignity (r = - 0.6, P < 0.001), i.e., the higher the scores of threat, the lower the medication adherence of the patients. After adjusting the effects of potential confounding variables, there still was a correlation between medication adherence and the variables of human dignity and its dimensions. Based on the findings, an increase in patients’ dignity can enhance medication adherence, which can theoretically improve patients’ health and reduce frequent hospitalization.
Definition of compassion in healthcare: a systematic literature review.

AIM To reflect on the definition of compassion and analyse the concepts encompassed by the term. BACKGROUND A large number of authors have defined compassion, with certain nuances that differ from case to case. This raises the need for specificity in the definition of the term. DATA SOURCES First, a systematic search was conducted of scientific databases. Second, a selection of experts were consulted and a request made to them for specific articles. Third, the snowball method was used. DESIGN The keywords used in the literature search were 'compassion' and 'empathy', a MeSH term given for compassion. There are terms, such as self-compassion, compassion meditation, compassion fatigue and mindfulness, which, owing to their specific nature, were not included, because this study deals with the general aspects of compassion. RESULTS The systematic search found 104 articles, of which 6 articles were selected after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The eight experts provided a total of 14 references, of which seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Finally, 15 references were identified with the snowball method (n=28). CONCLUSIONS Compassion originates as an empathic response to suffering, as a rational process which pursues patients' wellbeing, through specific, ethical actions directed at finding a solution to their suffering. We therefore define the term compassion to mean the sensitivity shown in order to understand another person's suffering, combined with a willingness to help and to promote the wellbeing of that person, in order to find a solution to their situation. This should be a duty in healthcare professionals' daily work.