Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Selective Trafficking of Fatty Acids in the Liver: Add Them2 to the List of Influencers

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) occurs in 25-40% of the US and European populations, with rates up to 70% in individuals with diabetes mellitus. The majority of people with NAFLD also have hypertriglyceridemia, characterized by increased secretion of very low density lipopoproteins (VLDL) carrying triglycerides (TG) (1). This raises several questions: Why would there be both increased secretion of VLDL and increased hepatic fat content? If VLDL TG secretion cannot keep up with TG synthesis, why isn't there a compensatory increase in hepatic fatty acid oxidation? What determines whether TG synthesized within the bilayer membrane of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) moves to the cytoplasm as lipid droplets (LDs) or into the ER lumen, where it can be incorporated into VLDL? This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Constitutive activation of the Fas ligand gene in mouse lymphoproliferative disorders.

Mice homozygous for lpr (lymphoproliferation) or gld (generalized lymphoproliferative disease) develop lymphadenopathy and splenomegaly and suffer from autoimmune disease. The lpr mice have a defect in a cell‐surface receptor, Fas, that mediates apoptosis, while gld mice have a mutation in the Fas ligand (FasL). Northern hybridization with the FasL cDNA as probe indicated that the cells accumulating in lpr and gld mice abundantly express the FasL mRNA without stimulation. By means of in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry, we identified the cells expressing the FasL mRNA as CD4‐CD8‐ double negative T cells. The T cells from lpr mice were specifically cytotoxic against Fas‐expressing cells. Since FasL is normally expressed in activated mature T cells these results indicate that the double negative T cells accumulating in lpr and gld mice are activated once, and support the notion that the Fas/FasL system is involved in activation‐induced suicide of T cells. Furthermore, the graft‐versus host disease caused by transfer of lpr bone marrow to wild‐type mice can be explained by the constitutive expression of the FasL in lpr‐derived T cells.
Does the ethnic density effect extend to obesity? A cross-sectional study of 415 166 adults in east London

Objectives To examine the prevalence of obesity by ethnic group and to examine the association between ethnic density and obesity prevalence. Design and setting Cross-sectional study utilising electronic primary care records of 128 practices in a multiethnic population of east London. Participants Electronic primary care records of 415 166 adults with a body mass index recorded in the previous 3 years. Outcome measures (1) Odds of obesity for different ethnic groups compared with white British. (2) Prevalence of obesity associated with each 10% increase in own-group ethnic density, by ethnic group. Results Using multilevel logistic regression models, we find that compared with white British/Irish males, the odds of obesity were significantly higher among black ethnic groups and significantly lower among Asian and white other groups. Among females, all ethnic groups except Chinese and white other were at increased odds of obesity compared with white British/Irish. There was no association between increasing ethnic density and obesity prevalence, except among black Africans and Indian females. A 10% increase in black ethnic density was associated with a 15% increase in odds of obesity among black African males (95% CI 1.07 to 1.24) and 18% among black African females (95% CI 1.08 to 1.30). Among Indian females, a 10% increase in Indian ethnic density was associated with a 7% decrease in odds of obesity (95% CI 0.88 to 0.99). Conclusion Wider environmental factors play a greater role in determining obesity than the ethnic composition of the area for most ethnic groups. Further research is needed to understand the mechanism through which increasing ethnic density is associated with increased odds of obesity among black Africans and decreased odds of obesity among Indian females.
Fistulotomy with or without marsupialisation of wound edges in treatment of simple anal fistula: a randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Promotion of healing of the anal wound after fistulotomy may help accelerate recovery and return to work. The present study aimed to assess the effect of marsupialisation of the edges of the laid open fistula track on wound healing after anal fistulotomy for simple anal fistula. METHODS This was a prospective randomised trial on patients with simple anal fistula. Patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups; group I underwent anal fistulotomy and group II underwent anal fistulotomy and marsupialisation of the edges of the laid open track. Outcomes of the study were time to achieve complete wound healing, operation time, postoperative pain and complications. RESULTS Sixty patients of mean age of 40.8 years with simple anal fistula were randomly divided into two equal groups. No significant differences between the two groups regarding operation time (16.8 vs 18.4 minutes; P = 0.054), postoperative pain score (1.6 vs 1.2; P = 0.22), and complication rates were recorded. Group II achieved complete healing in a significantly shorter duration than group I (5.1 vs 6.7 weeks; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Marsupialisation of the edges of the laid open fistula track after fistulotomy resulted in quicker wound healing with similar complication and recurrence rates to lay open fistulotomy alone.
Migraine prevalence in male to female transsexuals on hormone therapy

Migraine prevalence is three times higher in women than men, suggesting that sex hormones may be involved in migraine generation. To further understand the relationship between migraine and sex hormones, we assessed male to female transsexuals (MFTs) using antiandrogens to suppress male sex characteristics and estrogens to induce female sex characteristics for the presence of headache. The Gender Team Clinic has treated >900 MFTs and provides comprehensive care for 95% of transsexuals in The Netherlands. A questionnaire consisting of eight multiple choice questions on headache frequency, duration, intensity, pain location, associated symptoms, and visual phenomena was distributed during a 4-month period to MFTs who had recently completed sex reassignment surgery. Headaches before taking hormone therapy were not assessed because of the long period (years) many patients had taken treatment. Migraine diagnosis was based on satisfaction of International Headache Society (IHS) criteria. We calculated the expected number of persons with migraine based on …
Effect of glazing on translucency, color, and surface roughness of monolithic zirconia materials.

OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of material, thickness and glazing upon the color, translucency, and roughness of monolithic zirconia. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty discs (0.8, 1.5, and 2 mm thickness) were fabricated from A1 translucent zirconia (IPS e.max ZirCAD/MT, Katana/HT, Vita YZ/HT, Cercon/HT) and glazed. Roughness (Ra) was assessed with a profilometer and color coordinates were measured with a spectrophotometer on a black, white, and tooth-shaded background before and after glazing. Relative translucency parameter (RTP), color differences (CIEDE2000) and differences in translucencies between materials, before and after glazing were calculated. RTP, Ra, color differences were statistically analyzed using ANOVA. Any significant interaction between factors was further analyzed using Tukey's HSD. RESULTS RTP values were significantly different between materials (P < .001) and thicknesses (P < .001), with the interaction effect between material type and thickness, also significant (P < .001). However, glazing did not have a significant effect on RTP values (P = .782). Color differences resulted after glazing were significantly different between materials (P < .001), and thicknesses (P < .001) with the interaction effect also significant (P < .001). Glazing influenced roughness, Ra decreasing for all materials (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS As a result of glazing, only color changes were statistically significant. Translucency varied among brands of precolored monolithic zirconia; the differences increased for greater thicknesses. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Glazing is an important step in the technological process of ceramic restorations; however, it can influence the final optical appearance of the restoration as color changes could be expected after the application of the glaze.
Survival of children with endemic Burkitt lymphoma in a prospective clinical care project in Uganda

“Endemic” Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is a common childhood cancer in Africa. Social and treatment factors may contribute to poor survival. With the aim of improving BL outcomes in Uganda, we undertook a comprehensive project (BL Project) that provided diagnostic support, access to standard chemotherapy, nutritional evaluations, and case management. We evaluated survival of children with BL in the context of the project.
Pathogenicity of fowl adenovirus (FAdV) serotype 4 strain SDJN in Taizhou geese

ABSTRACT Hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome (HHS) is a fatal disease in chickens, mainly caused by fowl adenovirus serotype 4 (FAdV-4). Since June 2015, HHS has appeared in many provinces in China. The disease has spread from broilers to laying hens, breeders and Cherry Valley ducks, seriously endangering the health of the poultry industry in China. In July 2016, an infectious disease was noticed in a goose farm in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and hydropericardium was the main finding in post mortem investigations. In the actual study, we isolated a FAdV-4 strain from the livers of naturally-infected goslings and designated it as SDJN. We first evaluated its pathogenicity by inoculating Taizhou geese at 10, 20, and 30 days of age with 10−7.15EID50/0.2 ml doses of the SDJN strain in 1 ml allantoic fluid via subcutaneous injection or oral infection. Clinical signs and pericardial effusion appeared in geese infected subcutaneously at 10 days of age, whereas 20- and 30-day-old geese were not susceptible to FAdV-4. The results of real-time PCR showed that the replication ability of FAdV-4 in geese correlated with the age. Furthermore, results from clinical chemistry showed that FAdV-4 damaged the liver and kidney in geese and the results paralleled viral load and gross lesions. Consequently, FAdV-4 was pathogenic in geese, and the pathogenicity was related to age and mode of infection. This study is the first experimental infection of FAdV-4 in geese, which will provide a basis for further understanding of the disease. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Pathogenicity tests with a FAdV-4 were conducted in geese, which included data on clinical signs, gross pathology, histopathology, clinical chemistry and viral load. FAdV-4 could replicate in geese and HHS was successfully induced. Pathogenicity of FAdV-4 in geese was related to the age and routes of infection.
The association between congestive heart failure and cognitive performance in a primary care population of elderly adults: the Steel Valley Seniors Survey

Background: Evidence suggests an association between congestive heart failure (CHF) and cognitive function, particularly in heart transplant patients and patients hospitalized for CHF. We examined the association between CHF and cognitive performance in stable outpatients recruited from primary care. Methods: This is a cross-sectional secondary data analysis of the Steel Valley Seniors Survey, an epidemiological study of elderly primary care outpatients. Participants aged ≥ 65 years were recruited in primary care clinics. The study cohort (n = 354) is a subgroup, composed of subjects with Mini-mental State Examination score < 25, and a random sample of the remaining, who underwent a baseline assessment in the home. The assessment included demographics, comorbid illnesses, depressive symptoms, functional status, a neurological examination and a neuropsychological battery. CHF is defined by self-report and/or chart review, and stable CHF as not being hospitalized in the year prior to the assessment. The associations between CHF and specific cognitive tests were examined by bivariate analysis and logistic regression, controlling for demographic variables. Results: Subjects with CHF performed worse on tests of visual memory [10.1 (S.D. 5.4) vs. 12.7 (S.D. 5.2), p = 0.007], Trailmaking B [0.1 (0.1) vs. 0.2 (0.1), p = 0.002], category fluency [11.1 (4.4) vs. 13.4 (4.5), p = 0.008], and clock drawing [5.6 (1.9) vs. 6.7 (1.4), p < 0.001] compared to subjects without CHF, after adjustment for relevant demographic variables. Conclusion: CHF is associated with lower cognitive functioning in a population of patients with stable heart failure in primary care settings.
Minimally invasive radical hysterectomy: an analysis of oncologic outcomes from Hospital Italiano (Argentina)

Background The Laparoscopic Approach to Cervical Cancer (LACC) trial demonstrated a higher rate of disease recurrence and worse disease-free survival in patients who underwent minimally invasive radical hysterectomy. Objectives To evaluate surgical and oncological outcome of laparoscopic radical hysterectomy performed at Hospital Italiano in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Methods This retrospective study included all patients with cervical cancer, 2009 FIGO stage IA1, with lymphovascular invasion to IB1 (<4 cm) who underwent a laparoscopic radical hysterectomy between June 2010 and June 2015. Patients were eligible if they had squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, or adenosquamous carcinoma, and no lymph node involvement by imaging. Patients must have undergone a type C1 radical hysterectomy. Only patients who were treated by a laparoscopic approach were included. Patients were excluded if histopathology showed a component of neuroendocrine carcinoma before or after surgery; if they had synchronous primary tumors, history of abdominal or pelvic radiotherapy, or were operated on at an outside institution; and if they had only surgery and no follow-up in our institution. Relapse rate and disease-free survival were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Results A total of 108 patients were evaluated. The median age was 41 years (range 27–70). Distribution of histologic sub-types was squamous carcinoma in 77 patients (71%), adenocarcinoma in 27 patients (25%), and adenosquamous carcinoma in four patients (4%). Ninety-nine patients (92%) had stage IB1 tumors and 58 (54%) patients had tumors ≤2 cm. The median surgical time was 240 min (range 190–290), the median estimated blood loss was 140 mL (range 50–500) and the transfusion rate was 3.7%. The median length of hospital stay was 2 days (range 1–11). The median follow-up time was 39 months (range 11–83). The global recurrence rate after laparoscopic radical hysterectomy was 15% (16/108). According to tumor size, the recurrence rate was 12% in patients with tumors ≤2 cm (7/58) and 18% in patients with tumors >2 cm (9/50) (OR=0.76; 95% CI 0.26 to 2.22; p=0.62) The 3- and 5-year relapse rate was 17% (95% CI 11% to 27%). The 3- and 5-year disease-free survival was 81% (95% CI 71% to 88%) and 70% (95% CI 43% to 86%), respectively. Overall survival at 3 years was 87% (95% CI 76% to 93%). Conclusion The recurrence rate after laparoscopic radical hysterectomy was 15%, and in tumors ≤2 cm it was 12%. The 3-year disease-free survival was 81%. Given these results our hospital has changed the approach to open radical hysterectomy.
Predictors of time to sputum smear conversion in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis under treatment.

Sputum acid-fast bacilli smear conversion is a fundamental index of treatment response and reduced infectivity in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (P-TB). To date, there are no models to predict the time to sputum conversion based on patient characteristics. This study aims to ascertain the time to sputum conversion in patients with smear-positive P-TB under treatment, and the variables associated with time to smear conversion. We retrospectively evaluated the time to sputum smear conversion of 89 patients with smearpositive P-TB undergoing treatment at the S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna (Italy), a referral centre for the diagnosis of TB. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was performed to document variables independently associated with time to conversion. Median time to sputum smear conversion was 24 days (IQR 12-54); the sputum smear converted within the first 2 months of treatment in 78.7% patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that older age, high baseline mycobacterial load detected by Xpert MTB/RIF, and severity of lung involvement are predictors of persistent smear positivity. The identification of risk factors delaying smear conversion allowed us to develop predictive models that may greatly facilitate the management of smear-positive patients in terms of the duration of respiratory isolation and treatment.
Gray matter T1‐w/T2‐w ratios are higher in Alzheimer's disease

Myelin determines the conduction of neuronal signals along axonal connections in networks of the brain. Loss of myelin integrity in neuronal circuits might result in cognitive decline in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recently, the ratio of T1‐weighted by T2‐weighted MRI has been used as a proxy for myelin content in gray matter of the cortex. With this approach, we investigated whether AD dementia patients show lower cortical myelin content (i.e., a lower T1‐w/T2‐w ratio value). We selected structural T1‐w and T2‐w MR images of 293 AD patients and 172 participants with normal cognition (NC). T1‐w/T2‐w ratios were computed for the whole brain and within 90 automated anatomical labeling atlas regions using SPM12, compared between groups and correlated with the neuronal injury marker tau in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). In contrast to our hypothesis, AD patients showed higher whole brain T1‐w/T2‐w ratios than NC, and regionally in 31 anatomical areas (p < .0005; d = 0.21 to 0.48), predominantly in the inferior parietal lobule, angular gyrus, anterior cingulate, and precuneus. Regional higher T1‐w/T2‐w values were associated with higher CSF tau concentrations (p < .0005; r = .16 to .22) and worse MMSE scores (p < .0005; r = −.16 to −.21). These higher T1‐w/T2‐w values in AD seem to contradict previous pathological findings of demyelination and disconnectivity in AD. Future research should further investigate the biological processes reflected by increases in T1‐w/T2‐w values.
[Association between health literacy and behavior regarding health checkups and health counseling in Japanese employees: A comprehensive health literacy survey of a Japanese railway company].

BACKGROUND Globally, health literacy is considered important for healthy ageing. However, to our knowledge, no study has investigated comprehensive health literacy in Japanese employees. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine comprehensive health literacy in employees of company A, a Japanese railway company, and to determine the association between health literacy and behavior regarding health checkups and health counseling in the employees. METHODS A representative sample of company A with 541 employees was selected through random sampling. We divided the sample into 20 groups based on gender, age, night shift work, and administrative position. These groups were compared with the employee distribution of company A. The self-administered Japanese version of the 47-item European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire was distributed to the participants via mail from May 1, 2017, to May 30, 2017. This questionnaire consists of three domains, each with its own index: health care health literacy (health care health literacy index [HC-HL]), disease prevention health literacy (disease prevention health literacy index [DP-HL]), and health promotion health literacy (health promotion health literacy index [HP-HL]). Additionally, general health literacy (general health literacy index [GEN-HL]) was also assessed. Statistical analyses were performed to identify the association between health literacy and behavior regarding health checkups and health counseling in the employees in company A. Furthermore, we compared the health literacy of the present sample with that of samples in past studies by Nakayama et al. (2015) and Goto et al. (2018). RESULTS A total of 417 questionnaires were returned. The health literacy scores were calculated based on the valid responses of 381 participants. The mean health literacy scores in company A for GEN-HL, HC-HL, DP-HL, and HP-HL were 25.1, 24.6, 27.9, and 22.8, respectively. The mean health literacy scores in the survey by Nakayama et al. for GEN-HL, HC-HL, DP-HL, and HP-HL were 25.3, 25.7, 22.7, and 25.5, respectively, and those in the survey by Goto et al. were 29.79, 29.23, 32.52, and 27.60, respectively. There was no significant difference between participant characteristics and GEN-HL scores. In contrast, there was a significant difference in the association between GEN-HL and health counseling in terms of the number of times health counseling was provided in the workplace. However, there was no significant difference between those who did not wish to receive health counseling and GEN -HL scores. CONCLUSION The health literacy in railway company A was low. The results of this study and those of past studies did not demonstrate similar trends for health literacy. Additionally, GEN-HL scores were likely to increase if the number of people who wished to receive health counseling increased.
Prevalence of iron deficiency in first trimester, nonanemic pregnant women

Abstract Despite a high frequency of iron deficiency in pregnancy, the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) stated: “there is inconclusive evidence routine supplementation for iron deficiency anemia improves maternal or infant clinical health outcomes. ” In contradistinction, high-quality epidemiologic studies report long lasting deficits in infants diagnosed with iron deficiency in the first 6 months of life compared with infants who were not, with specific deficits in cognition, memory, executive function and electrophysiology documented up to 19 years of age. Infants are not routinely screened for iron deficiency. United Kingdom guidelines differ and recommend screening high-risk infants who are preterm, of diabetic, underweight, obese, or vegetarian mothers, those born to anemic or iron deficient mothers, of smokers, those with inflammatory bowel disease or abnormal uterine bleeding, and from pregnancies in which the intergravid period is <6 months. Iron parameters are not routinely drawn unless anemia is present and in some cases only if microcytic. In that iron deficiency precedes the development of anemia, and waiting for its development misses a large number of overtly iron deficient gravidas. Iron parameters were measured in 102 consecutive, nonselected, nonanemic, first trimester women presenting to their obstetricians. Using standard cutoffs of percent transferrin saturation and/or serum ferritin, 42% were observed to be iron deficient. Given the lack of harm of testing for iron deficiency, it appears prudent to err on the side of caution and screen all presenting pregnant mothers until properly powered outcome data become available. The current recommendations of the USPSTF may need to be revisited.