Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autologous Fat Grafting Alleviates Burn-Induced Neuropathic Pain in Rats

Background: The management of neuropathic pain after burn injury is a critical clinical issue. Autologous fat grafting has been shown to alleviate neuropathic pain in certain cases, but has not been shown to alleviate the pain associated with burn-induced scars. The authors assessed the effectiveness of autologous fat grafting for the management of pain in burn-induced scars. Methods: One paw of the experimental rats received a third-degree burn using a heated metal block. Neuropathic pain in the affected paw was assessed based on behavioral responses to thermal and mechanical stimuli. A graft (0.4 ml of autologous fat or a sham graft) was administered by injection to the burn scar and sham-burned paw. The animals were killed 4 weeks after the fat graft treatments; Masson trichrome stain of hind-paw skin and expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 in the dorsal horns of the spinal cords were examined. Result: The third-degree burns were completely healed at 4 weeks. Burn-induced scarring caused mechanical allodynia and increased the expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 in spinal cord dorsal horn microglial cells. Autologous fat grafting significantly alleviated mechanical allodynia (p < 0.05), and immunohistochemistry showed that the expression of phosphorylated p38 and OX42 was significantly lower in spinal cord dorsal horn microglial cells 4 weeks after fat grafting (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Autologous fat grafting is used daily in clinical practice. It is an effective treatment for the relief of burn-induced mechanical allodynia in rats. Further investigation of the clinical use of autologous fat grafting in burn patients is warranted.
Early-Phase Resistance Training Strength Gains in Novice Lifters Are Enhanced by Doing Static Stretching

Kokkonen, J, Nelson, AG, Tarawhiti, T, Buckingham, P, and Winchester, JB. Early-phase resistance training strength gains in novice lifters are enhanced by doing static stretching. J Strength Cond Res 24(2): 502-506, 2010-This study investigated differences in lower-body strength improvements when using standard progressive resistance training (WT) vs. the same progressive resistance training combined with static stretching exercises (WT + ST). Thirty-two college students (16 women and 16 men) were pair matched according to sex and knee extension 1 repetition maximum (1RM). One person from each pair was randomly assigned to WT and the other to WT + ST. WT did 3 sets of 6 repetitions of knee extension, knee flexion, and leg press 3 days per week for 8 weeks with weekly increases in the weight lifted. The WT + ST group performed the same lifting program as the WT group along with static stretching exercises designed to stretch the hip, thigh, and calf muscle groups. Stretching exercise sessions were done twice a week for 30 minutes during the 8-week period. WT significantly (p < 0.05) improved their knee flexion, knee extension, and leg press 1RM by 12, 14, and 9%, respectively. WT + ST, on the other hand, significantly (p < 0.05) improved their knee flexion, knee extension, and leg press 1RM by 16, 27, and 31, respectively. In addition, the WT + ST group had significantly greater knee extension and leg press gains (p < 0.05) than the WT group. Based on results of this study, it is recommended that to maximize strength gains in the early phase of training, novice lifters should include static stretching exercises to their resistance training programs.
The cytoplasmic domain of herpes simplex virus type 1 glycoprotein C is required for membrane anchoring

The herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) glycoprotein C (gC) gene was altered so that it encoded a truncated glycoprotein lacking a cytoplasmic domain but retaining 20 of 23 amino acids of the transmembrane domain. No additional amino acid residues were introduced into the glycoprotein encoded by the altered gene. The gene was recombined into the HSV-1 genome by marker transfer. Two recombinant viruses, dl1 and dl2, that expressed the mutant gene were isolated. Characterization of these viruses showed that a substantial fraction of the mutant glycoprotein was secreted from infected cells. Pulse-chase experiments showed that the kinetics of posttranslational modification of the mutant glycoprotein were similar to those of the wild type. However, comparison of the kinetics of secretion of gC by dl2 and gC-3, a gC mutant lacking both the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, showed that dl2 gC was secreted much more slowly than gC-3 gC. Iodination of plasma membrane glycoproteins showed that dl2 gC was initially expressed on the cell surface as a membrane protein and subsequently was slowly released from the membrane into the medium. These data indicate that a major function of the cytoplasmic domain of gC is to ensure the stable anchoring of the glycoprotein in plasma membranes. In contrast to these major changes in the membrane-anchoring properties of gC, characterization of the virions produced by dl1 and dl2 showed that they contain significant amounts of gC. Thus the cytoplasmic domain does not appear to be essential for incorporation of this glycoprotein into virions.
Thalassemia minor, the Gilbert mutation, and the risk of gallstones.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Gallstones are a frequent complication of hemolytic anemias. The association with the mutation of the A(TA)nTAA motif of the promoter of the bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase gene has also been reported to increase the risk of gallstones. We studied the prevalence of cholelithiasis in thalassemia minor and the role of the Gilbert mutation. DESIGN AND METHODS A group of 143 women obligate carriers of beta-thalassemia, and a control group of 170 hematologically normal women were compared. In both groups serum bilirubin, total cholesterol, and alanine-aminotransferase were measured and analysis of the mutation of the UGT-1A gene was performed. On the same occasion the women underwent ultrasonography. RESULTS Total and unconjugated bilirubin were significantly higher in beta-thalassemia heterozygotes. Carriers of thalassemia had a higher prevalence of gallstones (20.3% vs 10.6% OR=2.15). Among the control group, the prevalence of gallstones did not differ significantly in relation to UGT1-A1 genotype, while in women carriers of beta-thalassemia it increased in an allele dose-dependent fashion. As compared to the controls, the odds ratios for the development of gallstones in thalassemic women were 1.68 (95% C.I.: 0.70-4.03) for those who had the normal UGT1-A1 genotype [(TA)6/(TA)6], 2.31 (95% C.I.: 1.06-5.02) for heterozygote carriers of the mutated genotype [(TA)7/(TA)6] and 3.88 (95% C.I.: 1.31-11.55) for those homozygous for the mutated genotype [(TA)7/(TA)7]. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS Thalassemia minor represents a risk factor for cholelithiasis and the Gilbert mutation further increases this risk. This is an additional example of how two genotypes can interact and modify a phenotype.
Comparison of surgical, functional, and oncological outcomes of open and robot-assisted partial nephrectomy

Background: We aimed to compare the surgical, oncological, and functional outcomes of robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) with open partial nephrectomy (OPN) in the management of small renal masses. Materials and Methods: Between 2009 and 2013, a total of 46 RAPN patients and 20 OPN patients was included in this study. Patients′ demographics, mean operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), warm ischemia time (WIT), length of hospital stay, pre- and post-operative renal functions, complications and oncological outcomes were recorded, prospectively. Results: Mean tumor size was 4.04 cm in OPN group and 3.56 cm in RAPN group (P = 0.27). Mean R.E. N.A. L nephrometry score was 6.35 in OPN group and 5.35 in RAPN group (P = 0.02). The mean operative time was 152 min in OPN group and 225 min in RAPN group (P = 0.006). The mean EBL in OPN and RAPN groups were 417 ml and 268 ml, respectively (P = 0.001). WIT in OPN group was significantly shorter than RAPN group (18.02 min vs. 23.33 min, P = 0.003). The mean drain removal time and the length of hospital stay were longer in OPN group. There were no significant differences in terms of renal functional outcomes and postoperative complications between groups. Conclusion: Minimally invasive surgical management of renal masses with RAPN offers better outcomes in terms of EBL and length of stay. However, the mean operative time and WIT were significantly shorter in OPN group. RAPN is a safe and effective minimally invasive alternative to OPN in terms of oncological and functional outcomes.
Liver stiffness modifications shortly after total cavopulmonary connection.

OBJECTIVES Hepatic damage in Fontan circulation setting is well known. Mainly represented by fibrosis, it is still poorly understood. Transient hepatic elastography (Fibro-Scan) is a useful tool to test liver stiffness and is commonly used in the evaluation of liver fibrosis. Unfortunately, the increase of inferior vena cava pressure consequent to total cavopulmonary connection can probably interfere with Fibro-Scan evaluation altering the result evaluation with the conventional scale. To verify this hypothesis and to quantify the impact of venous pressure on Fibro-Scan results, we checked perioperative liver stiffness changes in patients undergoing total cavopulmonary connection. METHODS A prospective observational study was carried out on 9 patients undergoing extracardiac total cavopulmonary connection. Mean age at operation was 4.3 ± 0.6 years, and mean weight 14 ± 2.4 kg. Hepatic stiffness was analysed with Fibro-Scan evaluation immediately before and 4 months after surgery. Results were matched with several perioperative data: pulmonary pressures, conduit size, fenestration, hepatic enzymes and coagulation setting. RESULTS Preoperative hepatic stiffness was 6.2 ± 1.5 kPa, with a significant increase to 11.2 ± 4 kPa at a mean follow-up of 4 months (P < 0.01). Mean alanine aminotransferase was 16.9 ± 8.3 mg/dl preoperatively and 16.3 ± 8.7 mg/dl at discharge. Both values showed a significant correlation with liver stiffness raise, their Pearson Correlation Indexes being 0.8 and 0.7, respectively (P < 0.01). Mean aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio at discharge was 1.7 ± 0.5 and showed a significant negative correlation with liver stiffness raise, its Pearson Correlation Index being -0.7 (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Liver stiffness increases rapidly after total cavopulmonary connection and perioperative variations in some liver enzymes appear to correlate with this change. Since a true anatomical damage is known to develop gradually with Fontan circulation, early liver stiffness raise is likely due to parenchymal congestion only. Fibro-Scan can easily recognize and assess the entity of such a change. For these reasons, this diagnostic tool must be considered useful only to monitor liver stiffness changes and evolution with time, but a conventional evaluation of results, like in other acquired hepatic fibrosis, can be misleading.
Ablation of the vanishing PVC, facilitated by quantitative morphology‐matching software

Ablation of cardiac arrhythmias in children and teenagers often necessitates the use of anesthesia, which can suppress ventricular arrhythmias (VAs), making it difficult to map the site of origin using activation time (AT). Pace mapping, a technique employed to assist with VA origin localization, depends on subjective comparison of paced and targeted QRS morphology. We assessed the utility of a quantitative approach to paced QRS to VA morphology matching using the PaSo software (Carto 3, Biosense Webster), to localize the VA site of origin.
Educational and organizational interventions to improve the management of depression in primary care: a systematic review.

CONTEXT Depression is commonly encountered in primary care settings yet is often missed or suboptimally managed. A number of organizational and educational strategies to improve management of depression have been proposed. The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these strategies have not yet been subjected to systematic review. OBJECTIVE To systematically evaluate the effectiveness of organizational and educational interventions to improve the management of depression in primary care settings. DATA SOURCES We searched electronic medical and psychological databases from inception to March 2003 (MEDLINE, PsycLIT, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, United Kingdom National Health Service Economic Evaluations Database, Cochrane Depression Anxiety and Neurosis Group register, and Cochrane Effective Professional and Organisational Change Group specialist register); conducted correspondence with authors; and used reference lists. Search terms were related to depression, primary care, and all guidelines and organizational and educational interventions. STUDY SELECTION We selected 36 studies, including 29 randomized controlled trials and nonrandomized controlled clinical trials, 5 controlled before-and-after studies, and 2 interrupted time-series studies. Outcomes relating to management and outcome of depression were sought. DATA EXTRACTION Methodological details and outcomes were extracted and checked by 2 reviewers. Summary relative risks were, where possible, calculated from original data and attempts were made to correct for unit of analysis error. DATA SYNTHESIS A narrative synthesis was conducted. Twenty-one studies with positive results were found. Strategies effective in improving patient outcome generally were those with complex interventions that incorporated clinician education, an enhanced role of the nurse (nurse case management), and a greater degree of integration between primary and secondary care (consultation-liaison). Telephone medication counseling delivered by practice nurses or trained counselors was also effective. Simple guideline implementation and educational strategies were generally ineffective. CONCLUSIONS There is substantial potential to improve the management of depression in primary care. Commonly used guidelines and educational strategies are likely to be ineffective. The implementation of the findings from this research will require substantial investment in primary care services and a major shift in the organization and provision of care.
Distinct Pattern of Gray Matter Atrophy in Mild Alzheimer's Disease Impacts on Cognitive Outcomes of Noninvasive Brain Stimulation.

BACKGROUND Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a promising tool to study and modulate brain plasticity. OBJECTIVE Our aim was to investigate the effects of rTMS on cognitive functions in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease (MCI/AD) and assess the effect of gray matter (GM) atrophy on stimulation outcomes. METHODS Twenty MCI/AD patients participated in the proof-of-concept controlled study. Each patient received three sessions of 10 Hz rTMS of the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), and the vertex (VTX, a control stimulation site) in a randomized order. Cognitive functions were tested prior to and immediately after each session. The GM volumetric data of patients were: 1) compared to healthy controls (HC) using source-based morphometry; 2) correlated with rTMS-induced cognitive improvement. RESULTS The effect of the stimulated site on the difference in cognitive scores was statistically significant for the Word part of the Stroop test (ST-W, p = 0.012, linear mixed models). As compared to the VTX stimulation, patients significantly improved after both IFG and STG stimulation in this cognitive measure. MCI/AD patients had significant GM atrophy in characteristic brain regions as compared to HC (p = 0.029, Bonferroni corrected). The amount of atrophy correlated with the change in ST-W scores after rTMS of the STG. CONCLUSION rTMS enhanced cognitive functions in MCI/AD patients. We demonstrated for the first time that distinct pattern of GM atrophy in MCI/AD diminishes the cognitive effects induced by rTMS of the temporal neocortex.
Functional annotation of risk loci identified through genome‐wide association studies for prostate cancer

The majority of established prostate cancer (PCa) risk‐associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified from genome‐wide association studies do not fall into protein coding regions. Therefore, the mechanisms by which these SNPs affect PCa risk remain unclear. Here, we used a series of bioinformatic tools and databases to provide possible molecular insights into the actions of risk SNPs.
Enzymic epimerization of sequoyitol to D-pinitol in Trifolium incarnatum.

The partial purification of an enzyme system from Trifolium incarnatum catalyzing the epimerization of sequoyitol to d-pinitol and its characterization is described. The reaction proceeds via a keto intermediate, d-5-O-methyl-2,3,5/4,6-pentahydroxycyclohexanone, and is catalyzed by two dehydrogenases or one protein with two dehydrogenase actions, of which the first one is NAD-specific and oxidizes sequoyitol to the keto intermediate, whereas the other has the function to reduce the keto compound to d-pinitol using NADPH as hydrogen donor. Both dehydrogenase actions as well as the overall epimerization reaction were shown to be reversible. Although the sequoyitol dehydrogenase activity can be easily destroyed by several means which leave the d-pinitol dehydrogenase activity intact, no real separation of the two activities has been achieved. The protein or proteins responsible for the two activities have a molecular weight of about 34,000 as determined by the gel filtration method. The two activities do not only differ in their sensitivity towards inhibitors, their substrate and coenzyme specificities, but also in their stereospecificity with respect to the coenzymes. Whereas the NAD-specific sequoyitol dehydrogenase activity is B-specific, the NADP-specific d-pinitol dehydrogenase activity shows A-specificity. On the basis of these findings, a possible mechanism for the epimerization is discussed.
Benzathine penicillin, metronidazole and benzyl penicillin in the treatment of tetanus: a randomized, controlled trial

Abstract Penicillin, the drug of choice in tetanus, may potentiate the effect of tetanus toxin by inhibiting the type-A (GABAA) receptor for γ-amino-n-butyric acid. Metronidazole has therefore been suggested as an alternative. Intramuscular benzathine penicillin (1.2 million units as a single dose; N = 56), enteral metronidazole (600 mg every 6 h for 10 days; N = 55) and intravenous benzyl penicillin (2 million units every 4 h for 10 days; N = 50) were therefore compared, in a randomized, controlled trial, among patients with all grades of tetanus. On presentation, the three treatment groups were similar in terms of age and sex distributions, immune statuses, durations of illness, and their APACHE-II scores and Ablett's grades of tetanus. Of the patients given benzathine penicillin, 36 required tracheostomy, 10 neuromuscular blockade, and 23 mechanical ventilation; the corresponding numbers for the metronidazole (34, 12 and 18, respectively) and benzyl-penicillin groups (39, 12 and 25, respectively) were similar (P > 0.10). The incidences of dysautonomia and nosocomial pneumonia and the numbers of in-hospital deaths (26 with benzathine penicillin, 19 with metronidazole and 22 with benzyl penicillin; P = 0.392) were also similar in each treatment arm. The length of the hospital stay was longer in the patients receiving benzyl penicillin than in the benzathine-penicillin or metronidazole groups, with means (S.D.) of 21.9 (15), 16.9 (11) and 19.9 (15) days, respectively, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = 0.09). Although the three antibiotic regimens investigated appear equally effective, benzathine penicillin offers the convenience of a single, intramuscular injection instead of the 10 days of therapy needed with the other two drugs.
Enhanced Versus Conventional Sludge Anaerobic Processes: Performances and Techno‐Economic Assessment

Sewage sludge processing is a key issue in water resource recovery facilities due to the inefficacy of conventional treatments to produce high quality biosolids to be safely used in agriculture. Under this framework, the performances of several enhanced stabilization processes, namely ultrasound‐pretreated Mesophilic Anaerobic Digestion (US+MAD), thermophilic anaerobic digestion (TAD), thermal‐pretreated TAD (TH+TAD) and ultrasound‐pretreated inverse Temperature Phased Anaerobic Digestion (US+iTPAD) have been investigated. Such enhanced processes resulted in higher biogas yields and higher destruction of pathogens with respect to conventional MAD process, thus suggesting their feasibility in full‐scale implementation perspectives. A procedure for technical‐economic comparison of new sludge processing lines against conventional ones (benchmarking) was developed, based on the definition of technical issues (e.g. reliability, complexity, etc.) which are rated for each situation. Moreover, capital and operating costs were estimated. The enhanced processes analyzed in this work showed some potentially critical items, mainly related to energy balance and reagent consumption.
The Influence of End-of-Life Education on Attitudes of Nursing Students

Palliative care is an important aspect of nursing when comfort and quality of life are the patient goals. The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) developed a comprehensive program of teaching care of the dying to nurses and nursing students. This pretest-posttest study evaluated the influence of the integration of the ELNEC curriculum into a baccalaureate nursing program on students' attitudes toward care of the dying. The Frommelt Attitudes toward Care of the Dying Scale for nurses (FATCOD) was administered to traditional and accelerated baccalaureate students before and after exposure to a nursing curriculum that integrated essential ELNEC elements. Multiple regression analyses indicated that no previous experience with death and an age of 18-22 accounted for the most variance in attitude change. The findings suggest that integrating the ELNEC curriculum throughout a baccalaureate program positively affects the attitudes of nursing students toward the care of patients who are dying.
Comparison of Regional Brain Volume and Glucose Metabolism Between Patients with Mild Dementia with Lewy Bodies and Those with Mild Alzheimer's Disease

The aim of this study was to investigate regional differences between morphologic and functional changes in patients with mild dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) compared with those with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: Twenty patients with very mild DLB (mean age, 74.5 y; mean Mini-Mental State Examination [MMSE] score, 24.0), 20 patients with very mild AD (mean age, 74.1 y; mean MMSE score, 24.0), and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers (normal controls [NC]) underwent both 18F-FDG PET and 3-dimensional spoiled gradient echo MRI. Fully automatic volumetry of the MRI data was used to obtain whole brain, hippocampal, occipital, and striatal volumes, which were compared with the results of a similar analysis of glucose metabolic data. Results: In DLB patients, volumetric data indicated a significant volume decrease in the striatum, whereas 18F-FDG PET showed significant glucose metabolic reductions in the temporal, parietal, and frontal areas—including in the occipital lobe—compared with those in the NC group. In contrast, in AD patients, both the hippocampal volume and glucose metabolism were significantly decreased, whereas the occipital volume and metabolism were preserved. Conclusion: Comparison of very mild DLB and AD revealed different morphologic and metabolic changes occurring in the medial temporal lobes and the occipital lobe, demonstrating characteristic pathophysiologic differences between these 2 diseases.