Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sleep apnoeas may represent a reversible risk factor for amyloid-β pathology.

1 Sleep Medicine Centre, Neurophysiopathology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy 2 Neurology Unit, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy 3 Department of Biomedicine and Prevention, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy 4 Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy 5 IRCCS Fondazione Santa Lucia, Rome, Italy
Psychological determinants of quality of life in patients with whiplash associated disorders–a prospective study

Purpose. To evaluate whether psychological factors and personality traits influence recovery in terms of quality of life in patients with subacute whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Method. The data was obtained from a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on 47 patients. The patients completed measures of pain intensity, affective dimension of pain, pain location, psychological stress, heightened somatic awareness, depression, catastrophizing, self-efficacy, fear of movement (re)injury, and physical disability. After three months of physiotherapy interventions, the outcome of quality of life was measured with the Short Form Health survey (SF-12). All variables were entered in a multiple regression analysis, after controlling for age and sex. Results. Forty patients (85%) completed the trial. The self-efficacy scale (SES) was the only variable in the model that significantly explained the fraction of the SF12-score. The correlation between the SES and SF-12 was B = 0.64 (p < 0.01), and the adjusted R2 was 0.40 (p < 0.05), which means that 40% of the variation in the SF12 outcomes was explained by the SES. Conclusion. In order to improve health-related quality of life in patients with WAD, the present study stresses the importance of targeting self-efficacy. A special effort should be made to enhance these beliefs in the rehabilitation process.
A Qualitative Stress Analysis of a Cross Section of the Trabecular Bone Tissue of a Distal Femur by Photoelasticity

In this work a qualitative analysis of the stress distribution of a cross section of the medial condyle of a human femur by photoelasticity is presented. A model of the cross section was obtained by plaster casting, carefully maintaining the internal architecture of the porous bone. Here the displacement and load curves reported at the ISO - 14243-1 are used. The load tests started from total extension at 0deg to a complete flexion at 56deg. The fringe patterns observed in the porous bone model showed that the maximum stress concentration is shifted from the surface to the interior of the bone, allowing the damping of external forces and diffused them towards the interior of the bone tissue, thus reducing the contact stresses at the surface of the knee joint.
Subtle changes in benign tissue adjacent to prostate neoplasia detected with a Bayesian belief network

The aim of this paper was to test the usefulness of a Bayesian belief network (BBN) as a decision support system in the uncertainty assessment of benign prostatic tissue, either associated or not with inflammation or adjacent to prostatic adenocarcinoma (PAC) or prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN). A shallow network was used with eight first‐level descendant nodes for the diagnostic clues, each independently linked by a conditional probability matrix to a root node containing the diagnostic alternatives. One diagnostic evidence node was based on the tissue architecture and the others were based on cell features. The efficacy of the network was tested on a series of 45 simple prostatectomy specimens, subdivided as follows: benign prostatic tissue not associated with other diseases (15 cases), associated with acute and/or chronic inflammation (15 cases), and adjacent to accidentally discovered PAC or PIN (15 cases). The highest belief values for the diagnostic alternative normal prostate (NP) were obtained in the 15 cases not associated with other diseases, the mean value being 0·996. The 15 cases evaluated in areas with inflammation showed the lowest belief values for NP (mean 0·774). For the 15 cases evaluated in specimens with PAC or PIN, the belief values for NP were intermediate between those from normal prostatic tissue associated with inflammation and those not associated (mean 0·925). Moreover, it was found that subtle changes were also present at a certain distance from the tumour. In conclusion, the network can be used as a decision support system to differentiate with high certainty benign prostate adjacent to PAC or PIN from benign prostatic tissue either associated or not with inflammation. The subtle morphological alterations detected with the BBN may be considered malignancy‐associated changes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The endocrine pancreas in non‐diabetic rats after short‐term and long‐term treatment with the long‐acting GLP‐1 derivative NN2211

Glucagon‐like peptide 1 (GLP‐1) and GLP‐1 receptor agonists increase the beta‐cell mass in rodent models of type 2 diabetes and enhance the proliferation rate of beta cells in vitro, while the long‐term effect in vivo in non‐diabetic animals is unknown. We studied the endocrine pancreas in non‐diabetic Sprague‐Dawley rats after short‐ and long‐term treatment with NN2211, an acetylated long‐acting derivative of GLP‐1. Four groups of rats (n=6 for each group) received two daily injections with either NN2211 or vehicle for 1 or 6 weeks. NN2211‐treated rats displayed a 10% lower body weight after both 1 week (p<0.001) and 6 weeks (p<0.005) of treatment. The mean beta‐cell mass in NN2211‐treated rats was increased by 19% after 1 week of treatment (p<0.05), but normalized after 6 weeks of treatment. No difference in alpha‐cell mass, volume‐weighted mean islet volume, or pancreas mass was found after 1 or 6 weeks of treatment. We conclude that NN2211 treatment of non‐diabetic rats induces a sustained lower body weight, and an only temporary increase in the beta‐cell mass, while the alpha‐cell mass and the volume‐weighted mean islet volume are unaffected by the treatment.
Angiographic, IVUS and OCT evaluation of the long-term impact of coronary disease severity at the site of overlapping drug-eluting and bare metal stents: a substudy of the ODESSA trial

Background A potentially adverse vascular response to overlapping drug eluting stents (DES) has been suggested in current research. Objective To evaluate the impact of baseline disease severity at the site of stent overlap. Methods and results This is a substudy of ODESSA, a prospective, randomised controlled trial designed to evaluate healing of overlapping stents. 71/77 patients with a total of 86 overlapping stents were studied: 25 sirolimus, 24 paclitaxel, 26 zotarolimus-eluting stents; and 11 bare metal stents (BMS). Patients were categorised into high-grade stenosis (HGS, ≥70% diameter stenosis) and low-grade stenosis (LGS, <70%) at the site of stent overlap. Angiography and intravascular ultrasound were performed after stent deployment and repeated at 6 months, together with additional optical coherence tomography. Images were analysed by an independent core laboratory. End points were binary restenosis, percentage neointimal hyperplasia (%NIH), mean lumen and stent areas and degree of strut coverage/apposition at overlapping stents at 6 months. Stent overlaps occurred in 49 HGS and 37 LGS. Restenosis was found in 5/6 HGS versus 0/5 LGS treated with overlapping BMS (p=0.01) and 4/43 HGS versus 0/32 LGS treated with overlapping DES. There was a trend towards higher %NIH at BMS overlap in HGS versus LGS (p=0.07). DES overlaps had lower lumen and stent areas and similar %NIH in HGS versus LGS. Any uncovered or malapposed struts occurred more often in overlapping DES at LGS than at HGS (59.4% vs 32.6%, p=0.03). Conclusions Overlapping DES in normal-appearing coronary segments showed a higher incidence of uncovered or malapposed struts, while restenosis occurred exclusively in overlapping stents at HGS. These findings should be considered when deploying overlapping stents.
Migration of ganglion cell precursors in the ileoceca of normal and lethal spotted embryos, a murine model for Hirschsprung disease.

BACKGROUND Dopamine-beta-hydroxylase-nlacZ transgenic mice are useful for studies of enteric neurodevelopment. Expression of the transgene provides a histochemical marker for neuroblasts in wild-type embryos and embryos homozygous for the lethal spotted (ls) allele that are born with aganglionosis coli and serve as a model for the human birth defect, Hirschsprung disease. Neuroblasts, derived from the vagal neural crest, colonize the gut in a cranial-to-caudal manner. However, migration of neuroblasts in ls/ls gut is impaired when neuroblasts reach the ileocecal junction and attempt to colonize the large intestine. To learn more about neuroblast migration through this specific region of the intestinal tract, a detailed light and electron microscopic study of neuroblast colonization of the developing ileoceca from wild-type, ls/+, and ls/ls embryos was conducted. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN The ileoceca from wild-type, ls/+, and ls/ls, dopamine-beta-hydroxylase-nlacZ embryos (E10.5-E13.5) were treated with a histochemical substrate for the transgene product and examined by light and electron microscopy. RESULTS Five stages of ileocecal development were defined based on distinctive gross, light, and electron microscopic features. At each stage, neuroblasts had different ultrastructural features than other mesenchymal cells. Initial colonization of the colon was different from other parts of the gut, in that a string of "pioneer" neuroblasts populated the mesenteric border of the proximal colon before circumferential invasion. Subsequently, neuroblasts were arranged in intersecting linear groups of contiguous cells that radiated around the cecum and proximal colon. In ls/ls embryos, transition from neuroblast extension along the mesenteric border to cecal invasion was delayed profoundly. However, the ultrastructural features of neuroblasts and adjacent mesenchyme were indistinguishable in ls/ls and wild-type embryos. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the hypothesis that impaired migration of neuroblasts in ls/ls embryos is not limited to the presumptive aganglionic segment, but begins at the ileocecal junction. Migration of neuroblasts from the ileum into the proximal colon follows a different pattern than movement of neuroblasts through the small intestine. The biological bases for these differences may account for the defects observed in ls/ls mice and/or may affect the pathogenesis of human Hirschsprung disease.
Education and Inequality in Greece

In the public discourse, education is usually considered as the main vehicle for the promotion of social equality and social mobility. The paper surveys the existing literature and concludes that the relationship between education and inequality in Greece is strong. Inequities are evident at all levels of the education system; especially as regards access to the most rewarding level, that is, university education. Many facets of the inequities observed in the labour market are associated with education, while education appears to be the single most important factor that shapes the overall distribution of income and influences the probability of poverty. Nevertheless, so far, several links between education and inequality have not been examined in detail.
Depression and anxiety in patients undergoing elective and emergency surgery: Cross-sectional study from Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot.

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of depression and anxiety in post-operative patients undergoing elective and emergency surgery. METHODS The cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at the Department of Surgery and Department of Psychiatry of the Allama Iqbal Memorial Teaching Hospital, Sialkot, Pakistan, from September 2013 to April 2016, and comprised patients due for elective or emergency surgery. Patients admitted to the surgical wards, including general surgical, neurosurgical, urological and orthopaedic wards, undergoing major surgical procedures were enrolled. The patients were divided into elective surgery group 1 and emergency surgery group 2. The hospital anxiety and depression scale was used to screen for symptoms of anxiety and depression. SPSS 22 was used for data analysis. RESULTS Of the 6,624 patients, 4,635(69.97%) were in group 1 and 1,989(30.03%) in group 2.The mean age of patients was 36.75±10.3years in group 1 and 39.11±11.4 years in group 2. There were 1,715(37%) males and 2,920(63%) females in group 1, while 518(26%) males and 1,471(74%) females were in group 2. Anxiety was present in 914(45.95%) and 656(32%) patients at 0 and 3 weeks in patients undergoing emergency surgery, while in elective surgery patients it was noted in 509(10.93%) and 1,390(29.87%) subjects, respectively. Depression was present in 218(10.96%) and 616(30.97%) patients at 0 and 3 weeks in patients undergoing emergency surgery, while in elective surgery it was noted in 463(9.98%) and 1,488(32.1%) respectively. CONCLUSIONS Depression and anxiety were quite frequent in patients undergoing major surgeries. Anxiety was more common in patients who underwent emergency surgeries.
Correlates of Efavirenz Exposure in Chilean Patients Affected With Human Immunodeficiency Virus Reveals a Novel Association With a Polymorphism in the Constitutive Androstane Receptor

Objective:To explore the effect of demographics and single-nucleotide polymorphisms in cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2B6, 2A6, UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT) 2B7, and the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) genes on efavirenz pharmacokinetics in a Chilean cohort affected with human immunodeficiency virus. Methods:Timed plasma samples obtained throughout the dosing interval were analyzed for efavirenz concentrations with liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. DNA from whole-blood samples was used for genetic analysis. Data were analyzed using a Mann–Whitney statistical test; furthermore, a Pearson or Spearman correlation was used. A multivariate analysis was then conducted using multiple linear regression by best subset analysis. Results:Overall 219 patients were included, 208 patients had measurable efavirenz levels and available genetic samples. The overall median (interquartile range) of efavirenz concentration was 2.6 (2.1–3.7) mcg/mL. In multivariate regression analysis, CYP2B6 516G>T (P < 0.0001) and CAR rs2307424 C>T (P = 0.002) were significantly related to efavirenz plasma concentrations. Conclusion:This novel association between CAR rs2307424 and efavirenz plasma concentrations now requires validation in other cohorts.
Clinical characteristics and outcome of primary systemic light-chain amyloidosis in Greece.

BACKGROUND Primary systemic light-chain (AL) amyloidosis is characterized by the deposition of immunoglobulin light chain-derived amyloid fibrils in various tissues leading to multiorgan dysfunction. PATIENTS AND METHODS In order to define characteristics, treatment, and outcome of Greek patients with AL amyloidosis, we analyzed 112 unselected patients with AL from several hospitals. RESULTS The heart was involved in 59% of patients and kidneys in 71%. Patients were treated with several different treatment regimens; high-dose dexamethasone-based regimens were used as primary treatment in 43% and melphalan-based regimens in 37%, while 12% received up-front bortezomib with dexamethasone. A hematologic response to first-line therapy was documented in 50% (complete response, 14.5%), and organ responses were observed in 25% of patients, the latter being strongly associated with achievement of hematologic response. Median overall survival was 34.2 months and was independently affected by heart involvement, creatinine, age, involvement of > or = 2 organs, and bone marrow plasmacytosis > 30%. In patients with cardiac involvement, advanced age and extended bone marrow plasmacytosis were associated with an even worse outcome, while for patients without heart involvement, only bone marrow plasmacytosis was independently associated with survival. Hematologic response was associated with improved survival in patients with heart involvement but mostly in patients with less bone marrow infiltration. CONCLUSION In this first series of patients from Greece with AL amyloidosis, disease features and outcome appeared similar to those reported from tertiary centers. Heart involvement and bone marrow plasma cell infiltration comprise adverse prognostic factors but also indicate the heterogeneity of the disease and the need for individual treatment approaches.
Molecular Cloning of an N-terminal Splice Variant of the Capsaicin Receptor

Recently a cDNA clone, vanilloid receptor subtype-1 (VR1), was isolated and found to encode an ion channel that is activated by both capsaicin, the pain producing compound in chili peppers, and by noxious thermal stimuli. Subsequently, two related cDNAs have been isolated, a stretch inactivating channel with mechanosensitive properties and a vanilloid receptor-like protein that is responsive to high temperatures (52–53 °C). Here, we report the isolation of a vanilloid receptor 5′-splice variant (VR.5′sv) which differs from VR1 by elimination of the majority of the intracellular N-terminal domain and ankyrin repeat elements. Both VR.5′sv and VR1 mRNA were shown to be expressed in tissues reportedly responsive to capsaicin including dorsal root ganglion, brain, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Functional expression of VR.5′sv inXenopus oocytes and mammalian cells showed no sensitivity to capsaicin, the potent vanilloid resiniferatoxin, hydrogen ions (pH 6.2), or noxious thermal stimuli (50 °C). Since VR.5′sv is otherwise identical to VR1 throughout its transmembrane spanning domains and C-terminal region, these results support the hypothesis that the N-terminal intracellular domain is essential for the formation of functional receptors activated by vanilloid compounds and noxious thermal stimuli.
Differences in follicle-stimulating hormone secretion between 45,X monosomy Turner syndrome and 45,X/46,XX mosaicism are evident at an early age.

CONTEXT Little information exists regarding FSH values in very young girls with Turner syndrome (TS). OBJECTIVES The objective of the study was to evaluate the pattern, natural progression, and karyotype-related differences in FSH secretion in young, prepubertal girls with TS. STUDY DESIGN FSH was measured at study entry and annually for 2 yr. SETTING The Toddler Turner study was conducted at 11 U.S. pediatric endocrine centers. STUDY PARTICIPANTS Eighty-eight girls with karyotype-proven TS aged 9 months to 4 yr participated in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES By-karyotype differences in FSH concentration and age-related changes in FSH were measured. RESULTS Mean (+/- SD) FSH was markedly elevated in the 45,X (n = 56: 68.3 +/- 36.0 IU/liter) and Other groups [n = 15 (excluding three subjects with Y-containing karyotypes): 52.7 +/- 50.8 IU/liter] but was minimally elevated in girls with 45,X/46,XX mosaicism (n = 14: 10.1 +/- 13.5 IU/liter, P < 0.005 both comparisons). Over the 2-yr period, FSH declined in the 45,X group (-13.4 IU/liter.yr, P < 0.0001). Nonetheless, only three of 159 FSH values fell within normal range for age at any time during the 2-yr study. FSH decline was similar in the Other group (-14.3 IU/liter.yr, P = 0.0032). In contrast, no significant decrease in FSH with age was observed in the 45,X/46,XX group. CONCLUSIONS In contrast to the original report of FSH concentrations in individuals with TS, this study demonstrates distinct differences in patterns of FSH secretion between young girls with monosomy TS, who have persistent elevation of FSH to age 6 yr, and those with 45,X/46,XX mosaicism, whose FSH values suggest retained ovarian function in the majority. These findings have implications for patient management and family counseling.
Personal predictors of educational attainment after compulsory school: Influence of measures of vulnerability, health, and school performance

Aims: Getting a secondary education is essential in preventing future inequalities in health and socioeconomic status. We investigated to what degree personal predictors like low school performance, high vulnerability, and poor health status are associated with not completing a secondary education in a Danish youth cohort. Methods: This prospective study used data from a questionnaire in 2004 and register data in 2010. The study population consisted of 3053 adolescents born in 1989. Information on educational attainment from Statistics Denmark was divided into four categories: completed, still studying, dropped out, or never attained a secondary education. Data was analysed using multinomial logistic regression. Results: Low grades when completing compulsory school predicted not having completed a secondary education by age 20/21 (odds ratios (OR) between 1.7 and 2.5). Low sense of coherence in childhood was associated with dropping out from a vocational education (OR 2.0). Low general health status was associated with dropping out (OR 2.2) or never attaining a secondary education (OR 2.7) and overweight was associated with never attaining a secondary education (OR 3.5). Conclusions: The study confirms the social gradient in educational attainment. Furthermore, the results indicate that factors related to the individual in terms of low school performance, low health status, and high vulnerability predict future success in the educational system. It is recommended that these high-risk groups are recognised and targeted when designing guidance and supervision programmes for youth at secondary education.
Injuries of the elbow and the current treatment of tendon disease.

OBJECTIVE Overuse and traumatic injuries of the elbow are common, occurring in both athletes and nonathletes. This article will discuss the commonly encountered soft-tissue and osseous pathologic abnormalities around the elbow and their imaging appearance on MRI and ultrasound. CONCLUSION The current treatment of tendon disease of the elbow is reviewed, with a focus on platelet-rich plasma injection.
Cell-type specificity of anti-CD45 autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE To determine the specificity of anti-CD45 autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) for native CD45 and for CD45 expressed by T cells and B cells, and at different stages of cellular activation. METHODS CD45 purified from different types of lymphocytes was examined by immunoblotting with sera from patients with SLE. Indirect immunofluorescence experiments were performed with purified anti-CD45 autoantibodies. RESULTS IgM anti-CD45 autoantibodies in SLE recognize native CD45 expressed on the surface membrane of viable lymphocytes and CD45 purified from activated peripheral T cells and certain T cell lines, but not CD45 purified from B cells or resting peripheral T cells. The presence or absence of reactivity is independent of the individual isoforms expressed. CONCLUSION Recognition of CD45 by IgM antilymphocyte autoantibodies in SLE varies with the lineage and state of activation of the lymphocyte target. This pattern of reactivity is consistent with autoantibody specificities involving CD45 glycoforms, rather than CD45 isoforms.