Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Title The utility of Aspirin in Dukes C and High Risk Dukes B Colorectal cancer-- the ASCOLT study : study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Background: High quality evidence indicates that aspirin is effective in reducing colorectal polyps; and numerous epidemiological studies point towards an ability to prevent colorectal cancer. However the role of Aspirin as an adjuvant agent in patients with established cancers remains to be defined. Recently a nested case-control study within the Nurses Health cohort suggested that the initiation of Aspirin after the diagnosis of colon cancer reduced overall colorectal cancer specific mortality. Although this data is supportive of Aspirin’s biological activity in this disease and possible role in adjuvant therapy, it needs to be confirmed in a randomized prospective trial. Methods/Design: We hypothesize through this randomized, placebo-controlled adjuvant study, that Aspirin in patients with dukes C or high risk dukes B colorectal cancer (ASCOLT) can improve survival in this patient population over placebo control. The primary endpoint of this study is Disease Free Survival and the secondary Endpoint is 5 yr Overall Survival. This study will randomize eligible patients with Dukes C or high risk Dukes B colorectal cancer, after completion of surgery and standard adjuvant chemotherapy (+/radiation therapy for rectal cancer patients) to 200 mg Aspirin or Placebo for 3 years. Stratification factors include study centre, rectal or colon cancer stage, and type of adjuvant chemotherapy (exposed/not exposed to oxaliplatin). After randomization, patient will be followed up with 3 monthly assessments whilst on study drug and for a total of 5 years. Patients with active peptic ulcer disease, bleeding diathesis or on treatment with aspirin or anti-platelet agents will be excluded from the study. Discussion: This study aims to evaluate Aspirin’s role as an adjuvant treatment in colorectal cancer. If indeed found to be beneficial, because aspirin is cheap, accessible and easy to administer, it will positively impact the lives of many individuals in Asia and globally. Trials Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT00565708
Laboratory and Self-Report Methods to Assess Reappraisal and Distraction in Youth

Coping and emotion regulation are central features of risk and resilience in childhood and adolescence, but research on these constructs has relied on different methods of assessment. The current study aimed to bridge the gap between questionnaire and experimental methods of measuring secondary control coping strategies, specifically distraction and cognitive reappraisal, and examine associations with symptoms of anxiety and depression in youth. A community sample of 70 youth (ages 9–15) completed a novel experimental coping and emotion regulation paradigm and self-report measures of coping and emotion regulation and symptoms. Findings indicate that use of distraction and reappraisal during the laboratory paradigm was associated with lower levels of negative emotion during the task. Youth emotion ratings while implementing distraction, but not reappraisal, during the laboratory task were associated with youth self-reported use of secondary control coping in response to family stress. Youth symptoms of anxiety and depression were also significantly positively associated with negative emotion ratings during the laboratory task, and both laboratory task and self-reported coping and emotion regulation accounted for significant variance in symptoms in youth. Both questionnaire and laboratory methods to assess coping and emotion regulation in youth are important for understanding these processes as possible mechanisms of risk and resilience and continued integration of these methods is a priority for future research.
Risky, Dramatic, and Unrealistic: Reality Television Portrayals of Pregnancy and Childbirth and their Effects on Women’s Fear and Self-Efficacy

ABSTRACT Because portrayals of pregnancy and childbirth on reality television (TV) often highlight risk, drama, and the use of medical interventions, it is possible that exposure to this content could influence women’s fear of childbirth and childbirth self-efficacy. To test this question, we conducted an experiment among 213 undergraduate women who were assigned to view a video clip of either medicalized births from reality TV, midwife-attended births from reality TV, or a neutral childbirth education clip. Findings indicated that childbirth attitudes did vary across conditions, with participants in the medicalized condition reporting the highest fear of childbirth and lowest childbirth self-efficacy. Participants’ feelings about potential pregnancy also varied depending on the clip viewed. Because the likelihood of witnessing a birth in person before becoming pregnant is lower than in previous years, these findings have significant implications for how women form their understandings of pregnancy and childbirth.
Risk factors for arbovirus infections in a low-income community of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2015-2016

Background Dengue epidemics have occurred in the city of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) since 1986. In the year 2015, Zika and chikungunya viruses were introduced in the city, causing sequential and simultaneous epidemics. Poor socioeconomic conditions have been suggested as contributing factors of arboviral infection. Objective To describe the spatial distribution of human cases of symptomatic arboviral infections and to identify risk factors for infection in a poor community of Rio de Janeiro in the years 2015 and 2016. Methods We built thematic maps of incidence rates for 78 micro-areas in the Manguinhos neighborhood. The micro-areas congregate about 600 inhabitants. Simple and multiple multilevel logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the incidence of arboviral diseases and socio-demographic factors at both the individual and micro-area levels. Results From 2015 to 2016, 370 human cases of arbovirus infection were reported in the Manguinhos community: 123 in 2015 and 247 in 2016. There was a significant difference in the risk of arbovirus diseases among different micro-areas, but this was not explained by water and sanitation indicators. The cumulative incidence rate was 849/100,000 in two years. The incidence was greater in those individuals with familiar vulnerability (1,156/100,000 vs. 794/100,000). The multilevel adjusted model showed that the odds of acquiring an arbovirus infection was 55% greater in those with familiar vulnerability. Conclusion Arbovirus infections cause a high burden of disease in Brazilian urban centers. Our results suggest that even in poor neighborhoods, there is a high spatial variability in the risk of acquiring an arbovirus infection. The conditions that favor vector proliferation and infection by arboviruses are complex and involve both individual and environmental characteristics that vary from place to place. To reduce the burden of arboviral diseases, continued public health policies and basic services should be provided to the communities at risk that consider specific local needs.
A critical consideration of social networking sites’ addiction potential

Abstract The evolution of the Internet and its applications has led to a notable increase in concern about social networking sites (SNSs). SNSs have had global mass appeal and their often frequent use – usually by young people – has triggered worries, discussions and studies on the topic of technological and social networking addictions. In addressing this issue, we have to ask to what extent technological and social networking addictions are of the same nature as substance addictions, and whether the consequences they lead to, if any, are severe enough to merit clinical attention. We can summarize our position on the topic by saying that SNSs are primarily used to increase social capital and that there is not currently enough empirical evidence on SNSs’ addiction potential to claim that SNS addition exists. Although SNSs can provoke certain negative consequences in a subset of their users or provide a platform for the expression of preexisting conditions, this is not sufficient support for their standalone addictive power. It is necessary to distinguish between true addictive disorders, the kind that fall under the category of substance addictions, and the negative side-effects of engaging with certain appealing activities like SNSs so that we do not undermine the severity of psychiatric disorders and the experience of the individuals suffering from them. We propose that psychoeducation, viewing SNS use in context to understand their gratifications and compensatory functions and revisiting the terminology on the subject are sufficient to address the problems that emerge from SNS usage.
Contingent Prize Allocation and Pivotal Voting

Parties can elitcit widespread electoral support by making the distribution of prizes or rewards to groups of voters contingent upon electoral support. In addition to altering which party wins, a voter's choice also influences the distribution of prizes. This latter factor, referred to in this article as prize pivotalness, tends to be the dominant influence in vote choice. The desire to win prizes can induce voters to coalesce into a highly supportive group, even if they dislike the party's policies. Characterizing voting equilibria in this framework explains the rationale for the support of patronage parties, variance in voter turnout and the endogenous political polarization of groups in both established and new democracies.
McSpoligotyping, a One-Step Melting Curve Analysis-Based Protocol for Spoligotyping of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

The direct repeat (DR) region in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) genome is composed of highly polymorphic direct variant repeats, which are the basis of spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) to study the population structure and epidemiology of M. tuberculosis. However, the membrane hybridization-based detection format requires various post-PCR manipulations and is prone to carryover contamination, restricting its wide use in high-TB-burden and resource-limited countries. ABSTRACT The direct repeat (DR) region in the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) genome is composed of highly polymorphic direct variant repeats, which are the basis of spacer oligonucleotide typing (spoligotyping) to study the population structure and epidemiology of M. tuberculosis. However, the membrane hybridization-based detection format requires various post-PCR manipulations and is prone to carryover contamination, restricting its wide use in high-TB-burden and resource-limited countries. We developed a one-step spoligotyping protocol, termed McSpoligotyping, based on real-time PCR. The typing results can be generated within 3 h by a single step of DNA addition. When evaluated with a collection of 1,968 isolates of MTB, McSpoligotyping agreed 97.71% (1,923/1,968) by sample and 99.93% (84,568/84,624) by spacer with traditional spoligotyping. Sequencing results showed that McSpoligotyping was even more accurate than spoligotyping (99.34% versus 98.37%). Further exploration of the false results of McSpoligotyping revealed the presence of single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the DR region. We concluded that McSpoligotyping could be used in epidemiology studies of tuberculosis by taking advantage of the shortened procedure, ease of use, and compatibility of results with standard spoligotyping.
Letter: improvements in mental health after faecal microbiota transplantation—an underexplored treatment‐related benefit? Authors’ reply

1. Jalanka J, Hillamaa A, Satokari R, Mattila E, Anttila V-J, Arkkila P. The long-term effects of faecal microbiota transplantation for gastrointestinal symptoms and general health in patients with recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2018;47:371-379. 2. Lurie I, Yang Y-X, Haynes K, Mamtani R, Boursi B. Antibiotic exposure and the risk for depression, anxiety, or psychosis. J Clin Psychiatry. 2015;76:1522-1528. 3. Zhao X, Jiang Z, Yang F, et al. Sensitive and simplified detection of antibiotic influence on the dynamic and versatile changes of fecal short-chain fatty acids. PLoS ONE. 2016;11:e0167032. 4. Spohn SN, Mawe GM. Non-conventional features of peripheral serotonin signalling – the gut and beyond. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2017;14:412-420. 5. Kelly JR, Borre Y, O’ Brien C, et al. Transferring the blues: depression-associated gut microbiota induces neurobehavioural changes in the rat. J Psychiatr Res. 2016;82:109-118. 6. Pinto-Sanchez MI, Hall GB, Ghajar K, et al. Probiotic Bifidobacterium longum NCC3001 reduces depression scores and alters brain activity: a pilot study in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Gastroenterology. 2017;153:448-459.e8.
Effects of a food product (based on Daucus carota) and education based on traditional Persian medicine on female sexual dysfunction: a randomized clinical trial

Background Globally, female sexual dysfunction is a serious concern based on negative family and social consequences, high side effects of medications and lack of effective treatment. Thus, the evaluation of treatment approach for this problem is an important priority for healthcare systems. Sexual life and its related disorders are considered the main aspects of a healthy lifestyle in traditional Persian medicine (TPM). Objective The present study aimed to determine and compare the effects of food products containing Daucus carota, TPM-based training program, and a combination of these two interventions on the improvement of female sexual dysfunction. Methods This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 96 women with sexual dysfunction based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5®), aged 18–35 years who referred to the Gynecology Clinic of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran, during 2016 and 2017. The patients were randomly divided into three groups (n=32) and received the intervention over an eight-week period. The first group was provided with TPM-based sexual health training, the second group received 30 g of a traditional food product (wild carrot halva: mixed Daucus carota and several herbs with honey) on a daily basis, and the third group received a combination of this traditional food product plus education. Data analysis was performed using Chi square test, repeated measures ANOVA, two-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, post hoc Bonferroni, Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank test in SPSS version 11.5. Results According to the results of this study, there was a significant difference in terms of sexual desire (p=0.002), lubrication (p=0.002), orgasm (p=0.004) and pain (p<0.001) after eight weeks of the intervention among the three groups. Conclusion The use of two interventions of TPM including a food product containing Daucus carota and this product with TPM-based education improved desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain in females with sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, TPM-based education alone, led to the improvement of all domains of sexual dysfunction, except for pain in the females with sexual dysfunction. Trial registration The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials with the IRCT ID: IRCT2015122425681N1). Funding The present study was supported by a grant from the Research Council, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran (ref. no.: 941503).
Predictive factors for anastomotic leakage after laparoscopic colorectal surgery

Every colorectal surgeon during his or her career is faced with anastomotic leakage (AL); one of the most dreaded complications following any type of gastrointestinal anastomosis due to increased risk of morbidity, mortality, overall impact on functional and oncologic outcome and drainage on hospital resources. In order to understand and give an overview of the AL risk factors in laparoscopic colorectal surgery, we carried out a careful review of the existing literature on this topic and found several different definitions of AL which leads us to believe that the lack of a consensual, standard definition can partly explain the considerable variations in reported rates of AL in clinical studies. Colorectal leak rates have been found to vary depending on the anatomic location of the anastomosis with reported incidence rates ranging from 0 to 20%, while the laparoscopic approach to colorectal resections has not yet been associated with a significant reduction in AL incidence. As well, numerous risk factors, though identified, lack unanimous recognition amongst researchers. For example, the majority of papers describe the risk factors for left-sided anastomosis, the principal risk being male sex and lower anastomosis, while little data exists defining AL risk factors in a right colectomy. Also, gut microbioma is gaining an emerging role as potential risk factor for leakage.
Hepatic iron concentration correlates with insulin sensitivity in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

Rodent and cell‐culture models support a role for iron‐related adipokine dysregulation and insulin resistance in the pathogenesis of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD); however, substantial human data are lacking. We examined the relationship between measures of iron status, adipokines, and insulin resistance in patients with NAFLD in the presence and absence of venesection. This study forms part of the Impact of Iron on Insulin Resistance and Liver Histology in Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (IIRON2) study, a prospective randomized controlled trial of venesection for adults with NAFLD. Paired serum samples at baseline and 6 months (end of treatment) in controls (n = 28) and patients who had venesection (n = 23) were assayed for adiponectin, leptin, resistin, retinol binding protein‐4, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin‐6, using a Quantibody, customized, multiplexed enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay array. Hepatic iron concentration (HIC) was determined using MR FerriScan. Unexpectedly, analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between baseline serum adiponectin concentration and HIC, which strengthened after correction for age, sex, and body mass index (rho = 0.36; P = 0.007). In addition, there were significant inverse correlations between HIC and measures of insulin resistance (adipose tissue insulin resistance (Adipo‐IR), serum insulin, serum glucose, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, hemoglobin A1c, and hepatic steatosis), whereas a positive correlation was noted with the insulin sensitivity index. Changes in serum adipokines over 6 months did not differ between the control and venesection groups. Conclusion: HIC positively correlates with serum adiponectin and insulin sensitivity in patients with NAFLD. Further study is required to establish causality and mechanistic explanations for these associations and their relevance in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance and NAFLD. (Hepatology Communications 2018;2:644‐653)
Efficient Surfel-Based SLAM using 3D Laser Range Data in Urban Environments

—Accurate and reliable localization and mapping is a fundamental building block for most autonomous robots. For this purpose, we propose a novel, dense approach to laser- based mapping that operates on three-dimensional point clouds obtained from rotating laser sensors. We construct a surfel-based map and estimate the changes in the robot’s pose by exploiting the projective data association between the current scan and a rendered model view from that surfel map. For detection and veriﬁcation of a loop closure, we leverage the map representation to compose a virtual view of the map before a potential loop closure, which enables a more robust detection even with low overlap between the scan and the already mapped areas. Our approach is efﬁcient and enables real-time capable registration. At the same time, it is able to detect loop closures and to perform map updates in an online fashion. Our experiments show that we are able to estimate globally consistent maps in large scale environments solely based on point cloud data.
Eye-tracking measures in audiovisual stimuli in infants at high genetic risk for ASD: challenging issues

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have shown difficulties to integrate auditory and visual sensory modalities. Here we aim to explore if very young infants at genetic risk of ASD show atypicalities in this ability early in development. We registered visual attention of 4-month-old infants in a task using audiovisual natural stimuli (speaking faces). The complexity of this information and the attentional features of this population, among others, involves a great amount of challenges regarding data quality obtained with an eye-tracker. Here we discuss some of them and draw possible solutions.
Jamestown Canyon encephalitis with NORSE and electrographic response to ribavirin: a case report

New‐onset refractory status epilepticus (NORSE) is a rare condition where refractory seizures occur with no obvious cause in an otherwise healthy individual. We report here the first case of a patient with NORSE caused by Jamestown Canyon virus, an emerging virus throughout North America. This is the first patient with Jamestown Canyon virus encephalitis treated by a specific antiviral agent, in this case intravenous ribavirin, with electroencephalography (EEG) evidence of improvement. This is finally the first reported death caused by this virus, here secondary to intensive care unit complications. Therefore, Jamestown Canyon virus should be considered as a NORSE etiology, and ribavirin may be an effective treatment of that condition, especially if used early.
The influence of sex on left ventricular strain in hypertensive population

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of sex on left ventricular mechanics in hypertensive individuals. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 171 untreated hypertensive patients and 112 normotensive controls who underwent a 24-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and comprehensive echocardiographic examination including strain assessment. Results: Hypertensive women and men had significantly lower left ventricular global longitudinal and circumferential strains than their normotensive counterparts. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain was lower in hypertensive men than in women (−19.8 ± 2.2 vs. −17.9 ± 2.1%; P < 0.01). Left ventricular global circumferential strain was also reduced in hypertensive men in comparison with women (−21.0 ± 2.5 vs. −18.7 ± 2.3%; P < 0.01). The difference in left ventricular radial strain was not discovered between hypertensive women and men. Furthermore, left ventricular twist was significantly higher in hypertensive women than in hypertensive men (21.9 ± 4.1° vs. 20.6 ± 3.8°; P = 0.034). Female sex and arterial hypertension, and also their interaction, were associated with lower left ventricular mass index, increased left ventricular global longitudinal, and circumferential strains and increased left ventricular twist compared with hypertensive men. Conclusion: Left ventricular longitudinal and circumferential strains were significantly reduced in hypertensive patients. However, the changes are more pronounced in hypertensive men than in women. Sex has a significant effect on the association between hypertension, and longitudinal and circumferential strain.
Spontaneous spin-up during the decay of 2D turbulence in a square container with rigid boundaries

Direct numerical simulations of the decay of 2D turbulent Navier-Stokes flows inside a square container with no-slip boundaries are presented. Several numerical runs have been carried out for three different values of the Reynolds number. A surprising observation in a majority of these runs is the spontaneous spin-up of the flow during the initial stage of the self-organization of the flow, which is due to normal and shear stresses exerted on the fluid by the rigid boundaries.