Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Continuous Passive Motion Does Improve Range of Motion, Pain and Swelling After ACL Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Background This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the results of empirical studies on the effects of CPM on rehabilitation after ACL reconstruction. The research question was: what are the effects of CPM on ROM, swelling and pain after ACL reconstruction? Patients/Material and Methods We searched in MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane and PEDro up to January 2018. Standardized mean differences (SMD) were expressed as Hedgesʼ g, in order to correct for overestimation of the true effect in small study samples. The 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated for both the individual studies and the overall weighted estimate. Outcomes were range of motion, pain and swelling. Results Eight studies comprising 442 participants were included in the meta-analysis. Beneficial effects of CPM could be identified for the need for pain medication (Hedgesʼ g = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.41 to 1.45 during the first 24 hours after surgery), the number of PCA button pushes by the patient during the first 24 hours after surgery (MD = 31.20; 95% CI = 11.35 to 51.05), on regaining knee flexion on the third to the seventh postoperative day (MD = 11.6°; 95% CI = 1.96 to 21.33) as well as in the third to the sixth postoperative week (Hedgesʼ g = 0.93; 95% CI = 0.41 to 1.44) and on swelling of the knee in the fourth to sixth postoperative week (Hedgesʼ g = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.35 to 1.18). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggests that CPM has beneficial effects on pain reduction during the first two postoperative days, on knee flexion during the first to the sixth postoperative weeks and on swelling between the fourth and the sixth postoperative weeks. However, the risk-of-bias scores do not allow a high level of evidence.
Estimating misreporting in condom use and its determinants among sex workers: Evidence from the list randomisation method

Social desirability bias, which is the tendency to underreport socially undesirable health behaviours, significantly distorts information on sensitive behaviours gained from self-reports. We applied the list randomisation method to indirectly elicit condom use among female sex workers and tested it among 651 female sex workers in Senegal, a country where sex workers face high social stigma and where the AIDS epidemic is mainly concentrated among this population. On the basis of our list randomisation, we found that the condom use rate in the last sexual intercourse with a client was 78%, which is significantly lower than the 97% obtained when asked directly in the survey. When estimating condom use among the subgroups, we found that female sex workers who are at a higher risk of infection are less likely to use condoms.
A Novel Actin Binding Drug with In Vivo Efficacy

Occidiofungin is produced by the soil bacterium Burkolderia contaminans MS14 and is structurally similar or identical to the burkholdines, xylocandins, and cepacidines. This study identified the primary cellular target of occidiofungin, which was determined to be actin. ABSTRACT Occidiofungin is produced by the soil bacterium Burkolderia contaminans MS14 and is structurally similar or identical to the burkholdines, xylocandins, and cepacidines. This study identified the primary cellular target of occidiofungin, which was determined to be actin. The modification of occidiofungin with a functional alkyne group enabled affinity purification assays and localization studies in yeast. Occidiofungin has a subtle effect on actin dynamics that triggers apoptotic cell death. We demonstrate the highly specific localization of occidiofungin to cellular regions rich in actin in yeast and the binding of occidiofungin to purified actin in vitro. Furthermore, a disruption of actin-mediated cellular processes, such as endocytosis, nuclear segregation, and hyphal formation, was observed. All of these processes require the formation of stable actin cables, which are disrupted following the addition of a subinhibitory concentration of occidiofungin. We were also able to demonstrate the effectiveness of occidiofungin in treating a vulvovaginal yeast infection in a murine model. The results of this study are important for the development of an efficacious novel class of actin binding drugs that may fill the existing gap in treatment options for fungal infections or different types of cancer.
Long noncoding RNA NNT‐AS1 promotes gastric cancer proliferation and invasion by regulating microRNA‐363 expression

Increasing studies showed that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) had crucial regulatory roles in various tumors, including gastric cancer (GC). Recent studies demonstrated that lncRNA nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase‐antisense RNA1 (NNT‐AS1) played an important role in several tumors. However, the role and expression of NNT‐AS1 in GC progression remain unknown. In our study, we indicated that NNT‐AS1 expression was upregulated in GC samples compared with the nontumor tissues. We also showed that NNT‐AS1 expression was upregulated in the GC cell lines. Ectopic expression of NNT‐AS1 promoted GC cell line HGC‐27 cell proliferation, cell cycle progression, and invasion. In addition, we showed that NNT‐AS1 acted as a sponge competing endogenous RNA for microRNA‐363 (miR‐363), which was downregulated in the GC samples and cell lines. miR‐363 expression was negatively related with NNT‐AS1 expression in GC samples. Upregulated expression of miR‐363 suppressed GC cell growth, cycle, and invasion. Furthermore, we reported that elevated expression of NNT‐AS1 promoted GC cell proliferation, cycle, and invasion partly by suppressing miR‐363 expression. These results indicated that lncRNA NNT‐AS1 acted as an oncogene in the development of GC partly by inhibiting miR‐363 expression.
Serum Metabolites as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Cholangiocarcinoma, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

Early and differential diagnosis of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by noninvasive methods represents a current clinical challenge. The analysis of low‐molecular‐weight metabolites by new high‐throughput techniques is a strategy for identifying biomarkers. Here, we have investigated whether serum metabolome can provide useful biomarkers in the diagnosis of iCCA and HCC and could discriminate iCCA from HCC. Because primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is a risk factor for CCA, serum metabolic profiles of PSC and CCA have also been compared. The analysis of the levels of lipids and amino acids in the serum of patients with iCCA, HCC, and PSC and healthy individuals (n = 20/group) showed differential profiles. Several metabolites presented high diagnostic value for iCCA versus control, HCC versus control, and PSC versus control, with areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) greater than those found in serum for the nonspecific tumor markers carbohydrate antigen 19‐9 (CA 19‐9) and alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP), commonly used to help in the diagnosis of iCCA and HCC, respectively. The development of an algorithm combining glycine, aspartic acid, SM(42:3), and SM(43:2) permitted to accurately differentiate in the diagnosis of both types of tumors (biopsy‐proven). The proposed model yielded 0.890 AUC, 75% sensitivity, and 90% specificity. Another algorithm by combination of PC(34:3) and histidine accurately permitted to differentiate PSC from iCCA, with an AUC of 0.990, 100% sensitivity, and 70% specificity. These results were validated in independent cohorts of 14‐15 patients per group and compared with profiles found in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis. Conclusion: Specific changes in serum concentrations of certain metabolites are useful to differentiate iCCA from HCC or PSC, and could help in the early diagnosis of these diseases.
Does Feeling Empathy Lead to Compassion Fatigue or Compassion Satisfaction? The Role of Time Perspective

Abstract Research has shown that feeling empathy sometimes leads to compassion fatigue and sometimes to compassion satisfaction. In three studies, participants recalled an instance when they felt empathy in order to assess the role time perspective plays in how empathizers perceive the consequences of empathy. Study 1 revealed that college students perceive empathy as having more negative consequences in the short term, but more positive consequences in the long term. Study 2 showed that service industry professionals perceive the consequences of feeling empathy for customers who felt bad as less negative, and the consequences of feeling empathy for people who felt good as less positive, in the long as opposed to the short term. Because Studies 1 and 2 confounded time perspective with event specificity a third study was conducted in which event specificity was held constant across time perspectives. The same pattern of results emerged. The results of these studies indicate that perceptions of the effects of feeling empathy, whether positive or negative, become less extreme over time. These findings shed light on the relation between empathy and compassion fatigue and satisfaction by suggesting that situations that initially are experienced as stressful can over time make the empathizer stronger.
Glucocorticoid–temperature association is shaped by foraging costs in individual zebra finches

ABSTRACT Glucocorticoid (GC) levels vary with environmental conditions, but the functional interpretation of GC variation remains contentious. A primary function is thought to be metabolic, mobilizing body reserves to match energetic demands. This view is supported by temperature-dependent GC levels, although reports of this effect show unexplained heterogeneity. We hypothesized that the temperature effect on GC concentrations will depend on food availability through its effect on the energy spent to gather the food needed for thermoregulation. We tested this hypothesis in zebra finches living in outdoor aviaries with manipulated foraging conditions (i.e. easy versus hard), by relating within-individual differences in baseline GCs between consecutive years to differences in ambient temperature. In agreement with our hypothesis, we found the GC–temperature association to be significantly steeper in the hard foraging environment. This supports the metabolic explanation of GC variation, underlining the importance of accounting for variation in energy expenditure when interpreting GC variation. Summary: The association between baseline corticosterone and temperature was steeper in zebra finches living in a high- versus low-foraging-costs environment, which supports the metabolic explanation of glucocorticoid variation.
Congenital hypothyroidism : update and perspectives

Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) may be primary, due to a defect affecting the thyroid gland itself, or central, due to impaired thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH)-mediated stimulation of the thyroid gland as a result of hypothalamic or pituitary pathology. Primary CH is the most common neonatal endocrine disorder, traditionally subdivided into thyroid dysgenesis (TD), referring to a spectrum of thyroid developmental abnormalities, and dyshormonogenesis, where a defective molecular pathway for thyroid hormonogenesis results in failure of hormone production by a structurally intact gland. Delayed treatment of neonatal hypothyroidism may result in profound neurodevelopmental delay; therefore, CH is screened for in developed countries to facilitate prompt diagnosis. Central congenital hypothyroidism (CCH) is a rarer entity which may occur in isolation, or (more frequently) in association with additional pituitary hormone deficits. CCH is most commonly defined biochemically by failure of appropriate TSH elevation despite subnormal thyroid hormone levels and will therefore evade diagnosis in primary, TSH-based CH-screening programmes. This review will discuss recent genetic aetiological advances in CH and summarize epidemiological data and clinical diagnostic challenges, focussing on primary CH and isolated CCH.
Relationship between social cognition and social behaviour following traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT Objective: To present an overview of studies that investigated associations between social cognition functions (social cue perception, empathy, understanding intentions) and social behaviour or social outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Methods: The literature search was conducted in the Medline, PsycInfo, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases. Main criteria for selection were that the participants were adult persons with TBI, social cognition as well as social behaviour or social outcome post-TBI was assessed and correlations between social cognition and social behaviour or outcome were reported. Average correlations were calculated based on weighted summation of the correlations from the individual studies. Results: Of the 511 publications identified in the search, 13 were selected. Ten of these assessed emotion recognition, six assessed understanding of intentions and two assessed empathy. Average correlations between social cognition performance and post-injury social behaviour or outcome were significant for each of the three social cognition functions; poorer performance was associated with poorer outcome. Effect sizes varied from small to moderate (understanding intentions) to moderate (emotion recognition) to large (empathy). Conclusions: The associations were in line with models of social cognition and proposals that impairments in social cognition may underlie social behaviour difficulties and poor social outcome following TBI.
Breaking bread!

Humankind has existed for 2·5 million years but only in the past 10 000 years have we been exposed to wheat. Therefore, it could be considered that wheat (gluten) is a novel introduction to humankind's diet! Prior to 1939, the rationing system had already been devised. This led to an imperative to try to increase agricultural production. Thus, it was agreed in 1941 that there was a need to establish a Nutrition Society. The very roots of the Society were geared towards necessarily increasing the production of wheat. This goal was achieved and by the end of the 20th century, global wheat output had expanded by 5-fold. Perhaps, as a result, the epidemiology of coeliac disease (CD) or gluten sensitive enteropathy has changed. CD now affects 1 % or more of all adults. Despite this, delays in diagnosis are common, for every adult patient diagnosed approximately three–four cases are undetected. This review explores humankind's relationship with gluten, wheat chemistry, the rising prevalence of modern CD and the new entity of non-coeliac gluten or wheat sensitivity. The nutritional interventions of a low fermentable oligo-, di- and mono-saccharides and polyols diet and gluten-free diet (GFD) for irritable bowel syndrome and the evidence to support this approach (including our own published work) are also reviewed. There appears to be a rising interest in the GFD as a ‘lifestyler’, ‘free from’ or ‘clean eater’ choice, causing concern. Restrictive diets may lead to potential nutritional implications, with long-term effects requiring further exploration.
The Determinants of Employee Acceptance of Mobile Learning at a Thai State-Owned Enterprise

This study was aimed at examining the effect of four determinants of acceptance of mobile learning among employees of a major state-owned enterprise in Thailand's utilities sector. A research model was adapted from the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology: UTAUT [1] The model consisted of four determinants of employee acceptance of mobile learning: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions on. A multiple regression analysis was used to test the model. This study suggested that effort expectancy and facilitating conditions were the only two determinants explaining employee acceptance of mobile learning.
The Face of STEM: Racial Phenotypic Stereotypicality Predicts STEM Persistence by—and Ability Attributions About—Students of Color

Despite strong initial interest, college students—especially those from underrepresented minority (URM) backgrounds—leave STEM majors at high rates. Here, we explore the role of racial phenotypic stereotypicality, or how typical one’s physical appearance is of one’s racial group, in STEM persistence. In a longitudinal study, URM students were especially likely to leave STEM to the extent that they looked more stereotypical of their group; Asian American students were especially likely to leave STEM to the extent that they looked less stereotypical. Three experiments documented a possible mechanism; participants (Studies 2–4), including college advisors (Study 3), attributed greater STEM ability to more-stereotypical Asian Americans and to less-stereotypical Black women (not men), than to same-race peers. Study 4 showed that prejudice concerns, activated in interactions with Black men (not women), account for this gender difference; more-stereotypical Black men (like women) were negatively evaluated when prejudice concerns were not salient. This work has important implications for ongoing efforts to achieve diversity in STEM.
Cellular profile of primary molars with pulp necrosis after treatment with antibiotic paste

The interradicular region of primary molars is permeated by many foramina, channels and accessories that connect the pulp cavity with the periapical tissues anatomically. Thus, pulp decomposition products or drugs used in endodontic treatment can trigger inflammatory reactions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the blood cell profile of the alveolar region after extraction of primary molars treated with CTZ paste. Forty‐eight primary molars were selected with clinical and radiographic signs of extraction. The sample was divided into three groups with 16 teeth each: Group 1—healthy teeth; Group 2—untreated decayed teeth; and Group 3—teeth treated with CTZ paste. Immediately after the extraction, blood from the interface of the tooth socket was collected and smears were performed for further evaluation. The slides were stained by the Fast Panoptic® method and analysed by two previously trained examiners who counted the leucocytes in sets of 100 cells/slide, differentiating them into neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. The data were analysed statistically by the MANOVA test. The blood samples from Group 2 differed significantly from Group 1 samples for all classes of leucocytes, except basophils, with higher average for lymphocytes (62.56), monocytes (7.81) and eosinophils (2.31). For Group 3, there was a relative difference (P < 0.05) to Group 2, of monocytes and eosinophils values. The blood cellularity interface in the tooth socket of primary teeth treated with CTZ paste is similar to those of healthy, exfoliated teeth and physiologically different from untreated decayed teeth.
Two‐pore domain potassium channels: emerging targets for novel analgesic drugs: IUPHAR Review 26

Chronic pain is a debilitating and increasingly common medical problem with few effective treatments. In addition to the direct and indirect economic burden of pain syndromes, the concomitant increase in prescriptions for narcotics has contributed to a sharp rise in deaths associated with drug misuse – the ‘opioid crisis’. Together, these issues highlight the unmet clinical and social need for a new generation of safe, efficacious analgesics. The detection and transmission of pain stimuli is largely mediated by somatosensory afferent fibres of the dorsal root ganglia. These nociceptive cells express an array of membrane proteins that have received significant attention as attractive targets for new pain medications. Among these, a growing body of evidence supports a role for the two‐pore domain potassium (K2P) family of K+ channels. Here, we provide a concise review of the K2P channels, their role in pain biology and their potential as targets for novel analgesic agents.
Impact of Next-generation Sequencing Defined Human Immunodeficiency Virus Pretreatment Drug Resistance on Virological Outcomes in the ANRS 12249 Treatment-as-Prevention Trial

Abstract Background Previous studies in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive individuals on thymidine analogue backbone antiretroviral therapy (ART) with either nevirapine or efavirenz have suggested poorer virological outcomes in the presence of pretreatment drug resistance (PDR). We assessed the impact of PDR on virological suppression (VS; <50 copies/mL) in individuals prescribed primarily tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz in rural KwaZulu-Natal within a treatment-as-prevention trial. Methods Among 1557 HIV-positive individuals who reported no prior ART at study entry and provided plasma samples, 1328 individuals with entry viral load (VL) >1000 copies/mL had next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the HIV pol gene with MiSeq technology. Results were obtained for 1148 individuals, and the presence of PDR was assessed at 5% and 20% detection thresholds. Virological outcome was assessed using Cox regression in 837 of 920 ART initiators with at least 1 follow-up VL after ART initiation. Results PDR prevalence was 9.5% (109/1148) and 12.8% (147/1148) at 20% and 5% thresholds, respectively. After a median of 1.36 years (interquartile range, 0.91–2.13), mostly on fixed-dose combination tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz, presence of both nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)/nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor PDR vs no PDR was associated with longer time to VS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 0.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12–0.86), while there was no difference between those with only NNRTI PDR vs no PDR (aHR, 1.05; 95% CI, 0.82–1.34) at the 5% threshold. Similar differences were observed for mutations detected at the 20% threshold, although without statistical significance. Conclusions NGS uncovered a high prevalence of PDR among participants enrolled in trial clinics in rural KwaZulu-Natal. Dual-class PDR to a mainly tenofovir/emtricitabine/efavirenz regimen was associated with poorer VS. However, there was no impact of NNRTI PDR alone. Clinical Trials Tegistration NCT01509508; South African National Clinical Trials Register: DOH-27-0512-3974.
Trajectories of Depressive Symptomatology and Loneliness in Older Adult Sexual Minorities and Heterosexual Groups

ABSTRACT Objectives: This article examines whether sexual minority men and women experience greater increases in depressive symptoms and loneliness with age compared to heterosexual men and women. Methods: Using three waves of data from sexual minority (nMen = 87 and nWomen = 62) and heterosexual (nMen = 1,297 and nWomen = 1,362) older adults in the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project, we used latent growth curve modeling to test whether change in depressive symptoms and loneliness varies across sexual orientation and whether annual household income and family support accounted for this change. Results: Although differences in the growth trajectories of depressive symptoms and loneliness across sexual orientation were not observed, gender differences were. Annual household income and family support more strongly influenced initial depressive symptoms and loneliness in sexual minority men and women than in heterosexual men and women. Conclusions: Trajectories of depressive symptoms and loneliness in older adulthood do not vary by sexual orientation. Economic and family resources may allow sexual minorities to cope effectively with depressive symptoms and loneliness. Clinical Implications: Clinicians should be cautious about assuming that older sexual minority group members are more susceptible to depressive symptoms and loneliness than heterosexual groups by virtue of their sexual preference.