Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comorbidities in Lichen Planus: A Case–control Study in Indian Patients

Background: Many previous studies have observed an association of lichen planus (LP) with one or two comorbidities such as diabetes mellitus and thyroid dysfunction. This study was undertaken to determine the association of LP with common comorbidities including diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, thyroid dysfunction, and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Materials and Methods: The study included 75 patients with clinical diagnosis of LP and 75 age- and sex-matched controls. After taking complete history, general examination and thorough dermatological examination were performed in all cases. Fasting serum samples were taken from all cases and controls and assayed for fasting plasma glucose, lipid profile, T3, T4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone levels, and anti-HCVantibodies. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to 2005 revised National Cholesterol Education Programme's Adult Treatment Panel III. Two-sample Student's t-test was used for statistical analysis. Results: Increased triglyceride levels were seen in 26 cases (34.67%) compared with 14 controls (14%), which was significant (P = 0.024). Statistically significant increased prevalence of increasedlow-density lipoprotein levels (P = 0.027), low high-density lipoprotein levels (P = 0.0189), and diabetes mellitus (P = 0.0217) was also observed in LP. Metabolic syndrome (P = 0.656) and hypothyroidism (P = 0.117) were not significantly associated with LP. Strong association was observed between oral LP and hypothyroidism. All patients screened for anti-HCV antibodies were found to be negative. Conclusion: There is a clear associationof LP with dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus. Screening for dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus in all patients of LP will help in early detection, initiation of treatment, and prevent long-term morbidity.
Paraneoplastic Eosinophilic Dermatosis in a Case of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Eosinophilic dermatosis of hematologic malignancy is a rare paraneoplastic manifestation particularly associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Clinically, it presents as a peculiar polymorphic pruritic eruption with characteristic histological findings of superficial and deep dense perivascular infiltrate of lymphocytes and eosinophils without any vasculitis. Although it has been reported intermittently with different names, there is paucity of reports of this condition in Indian literature. Here, we report a patient of CLL having insect bite-like eruptions nonresponsive to conventional therapy and confirmed as eosinophilic dermatosis on histology. Patient was having eruptions well before the diagnosis of malignancy, and intensity as well as frequency increased as the disease progressed. Good control over the disease was achieved using chemotherapy and steroids. Thus, this case explains diagnostic and prognostic significance of eosinophilic dermatosis in CLL.
Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Protect Cyclophosphamide-induced Testicular Toxicity in Mice

Background: Cyclophosphamide (CP), as a chemotherapy drug, causes severe damage in testicular tissue through producing free radicals. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (NC) exhibit antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the protective effect of NC on CP-induced testicular damage in mice. Methods: In this experimental study, thirty-two male mice were divided into four groups (eight mice in each group). The control group was received intraperitoneally (IP) normal saline, NC group was received NC for three consecutive days (100 μg/kg, IP), CP group was received CP (200 mg/kg, IP), and the CP + NC group received NC, three consecutive days before receiving CP. After 2 days, testicles were assessed for biochemical, histomorphometrical, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses. Results: CP administration caused statistically significant increases in sperm abnormality, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyl levels, reactive oxygen species, level and apoptosis, and decreases in sperm count, sperm viability, testosterone, glutathione activity, the mean thickness of the germinal epithelium, diameter of seminiferous tubules in mice. Degeneration, necrosis, arrest of spermatogenesis, congestion, and atrophy in testicular tissue confirmed the low Johnsen's Testicular score in CP group. Administration of NC significantly ameliorated the CP-induced adverse effects on testis compared with the CP group. In addition, pretreatment mice with NC significantly reduced caspase-3 immunoreactivity induced by CP in testis. Conclusions: This study showed that NC with scavenging free radicals and antiapoptotic properties enable to reduce the side effects of CP in the testicular tissue.
Elderly patients for cancer surgeries: How much to investigate!

Preanesthetic evaluation of a patient is useful in determining fitness of a patient based on clinical examination and history. However, blood investigations should be ordered as required by the anesthetist. In our study, thyroid abnormalities were the most frequently abnormal laboratory investigation. For most patients in developing nations, surgery may be the first reason to visit a hospital due to absence of widespread social security measures. Anesthesiologists sometimes resort to consultations as defensive practice to avert possible litigations. The changing role of anesthesiologists as perioperative physicians can probably avoid requirements for excessive consultations. The problem is thus multifaceted and practice guidelines should be evolved for every subset of patients.
Utility of Real-Time and Retrospective Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effects of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) on blood glucose levels, body weight, blood pressure, and hypoglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). A literature search was performed using MEDLINE, Cochrane Controlled Trials Registry, and ClinicalTrials.gov. RCTs using CGM in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were then selected. Statistical analysis included calculation of the standardized mean difference (SMD) or risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using a random effects model. After literature search, seven RCTs (669 patients) satisfied the eligibility criteria established herein and were included into the meta-analysis. Compared with the self-monitoring blood glucose group, the CGM group exhibited significantly lower HbA1c levels (SMD, −0.35; 95% CI, −0.59–−0.10; P = 0.006) and shorter time spent with hypoglycaemia (SMD, −0.42; 95% CI, −0.70–−0.13; P = 0.004). Conversely, no differences in body weight and blood pressure were observed between the groups. CGM in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus could reduce HbA1c levels and time spent with hypoglycaemia. However, because few RCTs were included in this present study and heterogeneity was also noted, care should be taken when interpreting the results.
The Efficacy and Safety of Intralesional Immunotherapy with Measles, Mumps, Rubella Virus Vaccine for the Treatment of Common Warts in Adults

Background: Most therapeutic modalities for common warts remain unsatisfactory. Objectives: To evaluate efficacy and safety of intralesional MMR (measles, mumps, rubella virus) vaccine in the treatment of common warts in adults. Patients and Methods: There were 110 (M:F = 61:49) patients aged 19–62 years having 1–211 warts over dorsal hands, feet, palms, soles, and periungual skin for 1–252 months. MMR vaccine 0.25 mL was injected intralesionally in the largest wart and repeated at 2-week interval until complete clearance or maximum of five doses. The outcome was evaluated as complete clearance, excellent, good, or unsatisfactory response on visual analog scale at every visit and at 4 and 8 weeks, thereafter by comparing baseline clinical photograph. Likert scale was used for patient satisfaction level assessment similarly. Results: Only 51 patients completed the study and 42 (82.4%) of them showed complete clearance of warts and 9 (17.6%) patients showed good or unsatisfactory response. In 4 (7.8%) patients, the warts subsided completely after one dose itself. The four patients showing excellent response after five doses initially also continued to improve during follow-up period of 8 weeks. Except for injection site pain, no adverse effects were noted. There was no recurrence of warts among cured who were also very much satisfied from treatment. Conclusion: Despite variable results, intralesional MMR vaccine immunotherapy appears another possible safe and effective treatment option for common warts in a set of adult patients with advantages of regression of distant warts, no significant adverse effects and low recurrence. However, well-designed, controlled studies for minimum effective dose and treatment schedule are highly desirable to make any recommendation.
Evaluation of Association of Vitamin D in Alopecia Areata: A Case–control Study of 100 Patients in a Tertiary Rural Hospital of Southern India

Background: Alopecia areata is a common autoimmune disorder which is characterized by non-scarring hair loss. Vitamin D plays an important role in immune regulation, cell growth, differentiation, and maintenance of hair cycle. Aims and Objectives: (1) To evaluate serum vitamin D levels in alopecia areata. (2) To compare serum vitamin D levels in new versus old cases and with respect to severity of alopecia areata. Materials and Methods: A retrospective case–control study with 100 cases of alopecia areata and 100 age- and sex-matched healthy controls was conducted from December 2014 to November 2015. All subjects underwent complete clinical evaluation and serum vitamin D levels. Results: The mean serum vitamin D level was significantly lower in patients with alopecia areata (18.90 ± 8.32 ng/mL) (64%) as compared to healthy controls (28.21 ± 18.32 ng/mL) (38%) (P < 0.001). The mean serum vitamin D levels was significantly lower in old cases (15.11 ± 4.75 ng/mL) as compared to new cases (20.85 ± 9.09 ng/mL) (P < 0.001). The proportion of subects with vitamin D deficiency was significantly higher among old cases (84.3%) as compared to new cases (53.1%) (P < 0.05). There was a significant inverse correlation between Severity of Alopecia Tool scores and serum vitamin D levels (r = −0.298, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Decreased vitamin D levels were observed in patients with alopecia areata and significant inverse correlation exists between vitamin D levels and duration/severity of the disease. These findings may suggest a causal role of vitamin D deficiency in the pathogenesis and therapeutic role of vitamin D supplementation in the management of alopecia areata.
Gateway to Recovery: A Comparative Analysis of Stroke Patients' Experiences of Change and Learning in Norway and Denmark

Objectives The recovery process is reported by stroke survivors to be a change process fraught with crises and hazard. Interaction with health professionals and others may play a central role in establishing renewed control over life. Research Questions (1) How do patients handle and overcome experienced changes after stroke? (2) How do they experience the support to handle these changes during the first year after stroke? (3) How do the similarities and differences transpire in Danish and Norwegian contexts? Methodology. A qualitative method was chosen. Six patients from Denmark and five patients from Norway (aged 25-66) were followed up until one year after stroke, by way of individual interviews. The data were analyzed (using NVivo 11) by means of phenomenological analysis. Findings The participants described four main issues in the recovery process that impacted the experienced changes: (i) strategies and personal factors that promote motivation, (ii) the involvement of family, social network, and peers, (iii) professionals' support, and (iv) social structures that limit the recovery process. There was a diversity of professional support and some interesting variations in findings about factors that affected recovery and the ability to manage a new life situation between Central Denmark and Northern Norway. Both Norwegian and Danish participants experienced positive changes and progress on the bodily level, as well as in terms of activity and participation. Furthermore, they learned how to overcome limitations, especially in bodily functions and daily activities at home. Unfortunately, progress or support related to psychosocial rehabilitation was almost absent in the Norwegian data.
Clinico-Epidemiological Profile of Patients with Vitiligo: A Retrospective Study from a Tertiary Care Center of North India

Background: We studied clinico-epidemiological features of 945 patients with vitiligo with an objective to delineate epidemiological and clinical aspects of vitiligo from this part of the country. Materials and Methods: The medical records of patients with vitiligo attending outpatient clinic over a 5-year period from January 2013 to December 2017 were analyzed retrospectively for this descriptive, observational study. Results: There were 449 men and 496 women (m:f 1:1.1) aged between 2 and 83 years (mean 24.4 years) and having vitiligo for 1 week to 64 years (mean 5.1 years). The majority, 478 (50.6%) patients were aged ≤20 years and 248 (26.2%) were children aged ≤12 years. The age at the onset was between 6 months and 82 years (mean 20.5 years), and the majority 674 (71.3%) patients had it before 25 years of age. The consultation time was within 5 years in 692 (73.2%) patients. A family history of vitiligo was present in 150 (15.9%) patients. The majority 871 (92.2%) patients had involvement of up to 10% body surface area and vitiligo vulgaris in 562 (59.5%) and focal vitiligo in 117 (18.7%) patients were the most common clinical types. An association with other systemic disorders was in 124 (13.1%) patients and predominately included thyroid abnormalities and diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Our observations are essentially consistent with the literature. There was no difference in clinico-epidemiological features of vitiligo. Patients with an affected first-degree family member had early onset, but difference was not statistically significant. Screening for concurrent thyroid disorders appears important. However, our inferences remain limited by single center, retrospective, observational, and cross-sectional nature of the study.
Governing networks in tourism: what have we achieved, what is still to be done and learned?

Purpose – Networks and networking are ubiquitous concepts in tourism, their importance appreciated by scholars and practitioners. Tourism research has developed elaborate methods and concepts to grasp the numerous variants of tourism networks and to gain insights into their governance. In particular, Association Internationale D’Experts Scientifiques Du Tourisme (AIEST) and its official journal, Tourism Review, have made significant contributions to the achievements in this research area. After approximately two decades of intensive research on tourism networks, it is appropriate to pause for a moment to critically assess the results achieved, to compare them with partly old, partly newly, emerging real-world challenges, and to explore future directions. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a selective and critical overview of the state-of-the-art in research on governing networks in tourism. This overview of eight major achievements is combined with an exploratory, comparative analysis of qu.
Integrated Bioinformatics Analysis of Hub Genes and Pathways in Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinomas

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) is a very rare malignancy; the pathogenesis of which is still not fully understood. The aim of the present study was to identify hub genes and pathways in ATC by microarray expression profiling. Two independent datasets (GSE27155 and GSE53072) were downloaded from GEO database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between ATC tissues and normal thyroid tissues were screened out by the limma package and then enriched by gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway analysis. The hub genes were selected by protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis. A total of 141 common upregulated and 87 common downregulated genes were screened out. These DEGs were significantly enriched in the phagosome and NF-kappa B signaling pathway. Through PPI analysis, TOP2A, TYMS, CCNB1, RACGAP1, FEN1, PRC1, and UBE2C were selected as hub genes, which were highly expressed in ATC tissues. TCGA data suggested that the expression levels of TOP2A, TYMS, FEN1, and PRC1 genes were also upregulated in other histological subtypes of thyroid carcinoma. High expression of TOP2A, TYMS, FEN1, PRC1, or UBE2C gene significantly decreased disease-free survival of patients with other thyroid carcinomas. In conclusion, the present study identified several hub genes and pathways, which will contribute to elucidating the pathogenesis of ATC and providing therapeutic targets for ATC.
Physical self worth, athletic engagement and goal orientations in Greek female athletes.

Physical self worth is an important part of human development. The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between physical self worth, athletic engagement and goal orientation in Greek female athletes. In the present study participated Greek female athletes, current and former, participating in team and individual sports, (N=258). Self reported questionnaires were completed examining physical self worth from Physical Self-Perception Profile, athletic engagement (confidence, dedication-commitment and vigor) and goal orientation (task, ego orientations). Separate linear regressions analyses were contacted in order to examine whether physical self worth was predicted by athletic engagement (confidence, dedication-commitment and vigor) and by goal orientations. Results showed that athletes had similar physical self worth whether they were current athletes either they were former athletes, but athletes in individual sport had higher physical self worth than athletes in team sports. Physical self worth was predicted by confidence and commitment, but commitment decreased the probability of physical self worth. On the other hand, ego orientation also predicted physical self worth. It seems that sport is a context that influences physical self worth in female Greek athletes and interventions must be addressed in order to enhance positive physical self worth.
EARTHWORMS IN SOUTHERN NORTH ISLAND HILL PASTURES

Earthworm populations were measured in hill pastures, near Woodville, which were rotationally grazed or set stocked by sheep, or rotationally grazed by cattle. For each grazing management there were two fertiliser treatments: high and low superphosphate application, and sampling sites were located within each of three slope and three aspect classes. Earthworm weight was greater in sheep-grazed than in cattle-grazed areas (91 vs 45 s/r+), was higher in high than in low fertiliser areas (93 vs 75 g/mz), and declined with increasing slope of measurement site. There was also a greater number of earthworms in sheep~grazed compared with cattle~grazed areas (645 vs 270/n+), earthworm numbers declined with slope, and aspect influenced earthworm numbers (SW <NW,E). Allolobophoro coliginosa was 78% of total earthworm weight, the remainder was Lumbricus rubellus. This percentage was affected by grazing management. The major factor influencing size of the earthworm populations was pasture production (r=O.42), although soil organic matter (r4.32) and nitrogen (rg.22) contents also had an effect. Liveweight of earthworms increased by 76 kg/ha for every extra 1000 kg DM/ha annual pasture production. This value was influenced only by grazing management, so was constant across a wide range of sites. Practical implications include: rotational grazing with high stock densities may reduce earthworm populations because of treading damage; and increasing existing earthworm populations in similar hill soils, other than by increasing pasture productivity, will be difficult.
BIODEGRADATION OF PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS POLLUTANTS IN SOIL USINGMICROBIAL CONSORTIUM

Soil samples were collected from oil contaminated sites at Coimbatore. MTCC cultures, Micrococcus sp. , Bacillus sp. , Pseudomonas sp, which are able to utilize the oil in soil as carbon source, were added to oil contaminated soil samples. The growth profiles were determined by monitoring the optical density, dry weights and pH of the culture utilizing lubricating oil as sole carbon and energy source. They were incubated at 30EC for one week. Optimization was done based on the pH, temperature and nutrient contents. The microbial consortium showed optimum growth in day 21. The optical density varied from 0.543- 7.279. The gravimetric analysis showed the microbial consortium was capable of utilizing 80-90% the oil samples, under laboratory conditions at 30EC and 170rpm with Bushnell-Hass medium. Correlation analysis indicated positive correlation between optical density and pH (correlation coefficient = 0.735). After the extraction, the quantity of hydrocarbon content present in the soil sample was determined using GC- MS. Gas chromatographic analysis showed the degradation for petrol, diesel, and kerosene are 48%, 78% and 57% respectively. The statistical analysis was done with Students T-Test with p<0.05. These can be applied to oil contaminated area for cleanup process.
From feedback to action: Physicians’ teaching performance in residency training

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Limitations and Possibilities of Transnational Mobilization: The Case of Eu Summit Protesters in Brussels, 2001

Taking part in protest demonstration has become a normal part of national politics. However whereas politics have gradually moved to a higher level, the protest has not evolved at the same pace. It is only the recent wave of protest against neo-liberal globalization that seemed to have increased the speed and successfully mobilized on a transnational scale, hereby seemingly overcoming the transnational mobilizations difficulties. By means of a large survey conducted under protesters from all over Europe during the anti-globalist manifestation against the EU summit at Brussels (Belgium), we will try to expose the specific impediments to transnational mobilization in the European context. How did the anti-globalization movement(s) managed to overcome these obstacles while other movements only succeed to coordinate collective action on a national level? Special attention will be dedicated to the impact these difficulties have on the motivation and profile of foreign versus local protesters. Are foreign protesters more fervent protesters than the local participants and do they take a stronger stance towards their protest actions and globalization? Finally we speculate on the future possibilities of this movement and transnational collective action in general.