Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Primary Anastomosis with Diversion Have Any Advantages over Hartmann’s Procedure in Acute Diverticulitis?

Background: The optimal treatment for acute complicated diverticulitis is still a matter of debate. We evaluated outcomes of primary anastomosis with proximal diversion (PAD) versus Hartman’s procedure (HP) in acute diverticulitis. Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample database, we examined the clinical data of patients who underwent an urgent open colorectal resection (sigmoidectomy or anterior resection) for acute diverticulitis from 2002 to 2007 in the United States. We evaluated patient characteristics, patient comorbidities, perioperative complications, in-hospital mortality, length of hospital stay and total hospital charges between two groups. Results: A total of 99,259 patients underwent urgent surgery for acute diverticulitis during these years (Primary anastomosis without diversion: 39.3%; HP: 57.3% and PAD: 3.4%). The overall complication rate was lower in the PAD group compared with the HP group (PAD: 39.06% vs. HP: 40.84%; p = 0.04). Patients in the HP group had a shorter mean length of stay (12.5 vs.14.4 days, p < 0.001) and lower mean hospital costs (USD 65,037 vs. USD 73,440, p < 0.01) compared with the PAD group. Mortality was higher in the HP group (4.82 vs. 3.99%, p = 0.03). Conclusion: PAD has improved outcomes compared with HP, and should be considered in patients who are deemed candidates for two-stage operations for acute diverticulitis.
Adherence to a Mediterranean Diet and Bone Mineral Density in Spanish Premenopausal Women

The Mediterranean diet (MD) has been associated with an improvement in health and an increase in longevity. Certain components of a MD can play a role in the prevention of osteoporosis and/or hip fracture. We investigated the association between the degree of adherence to a MD and bone mineral density (BMD) measured in several bone areas in a population of Spanish premenopausal women. We analyzed 442 premenopausal women aged 42.73 ± 6.67 years. Bone measurements were obtained using quantitative bone ultrasound (QUS) for the phalanx, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) for the lumbar spine, Ward’s triangle, trochanter, and hip, and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) for the non-dominant distal forearm. MD adherence was evaluated with MedDietScore. Amplitude-dependent speed of sound (Ad-SOS), BMD, and volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) (total, trabecular, and cortical bone density) were positively associated with higher adherence to the MD (p < 0.05). Adherence to the MD was significantly associated with QUS, BMD, and vBMD in multiple regression analysis; QUS: Ad-SOS (m/s) β = 0.099 (p = 0.030); BMD (g/cm2): femur neck β = 0.114 (p = 0.010) and Ward’s triangle β = 0.125 (p = 0.006); vBMD (mg/cm3): total density β = 0.119 (p = 0.036), trabecular density β = 0.120 (p = 0.035), and cortical density β = 0.122 (p = 0.032). We conclude that the adherence to the MD was positively associated with better bone mass in Spanish premenopausal women.
Effects of different exercise training programs on body composition: A randomized control trial

We aimed to investigate the effects of different exercise training programs on body composition parameters in sedentary middle‐aged adults. A total of 89 middle‐aged adults (53.5 ± 4.9 years old; ~53% women) participated in the FIT‐AGEING study. A 12‐week randomized controlled trial was performed with a parallel group design. The participants were randomly assigned to (a) a concurrent training based on physical activity recommendation from the World Health Organization group (PAR group), (b) a high‐intensity interval training group (HIIT group), and (c) a high‐intensity interval training group adding whole‐body electromyostimulation group (WB‐EMS group). A significant decrease of fat body mass, fat body mass index, and visceral adipose tissue was observed in all training modalities compared to the control group (all P ≤ 0.001). There was a significant increase in lean body mass in the HIIT group as well as in the WB‐EMS group compared to the control group and the PAR group (all P ≤ 0.044), whereas an increment of lean body mass index was only observed in the WB‐EMS group compared to the control group and the PAR group (all P ≤ 0.042). A significant increase of bone mineral content was observed in the WB‐EMS group compared to the control group (P = 0.015), while no changes were found in the PAR group and in the HIIT group compared to the control group (all P ≥ 0.2). Our findings suggest that PAR, HIIT, and WB‐EMS can be used as a strategy to improve body composition parameters, obtaining slightly better results with the application of WB‐EMS.
Breast lesions: evaluation with shear wave elastography, with special emphasis on the "stiff rim" sign.

PURPOSE To analyze the diagnostic performance of shear wave elastography (SWE) in differentiating between benign and malignant breast lesions, with special emphasis on the value of the "stiff rim" sign, as compared with conventional ultrasonography (US). MATERIALS AND METHODS For this ethics committee-approved retrospective study, all patients provided verbal informed consent for the analysis of their imaging data. A total of 193 consecutive women (age range, 18-82 years; mean age, 46 years) with 193 breast lesions (56 malignant, 137 benign) were included. The stiff rim sign, a qualitative SWE feature, was evaluated at the display setting of less than 180 kPa and at 180 kPa. The quantitative SWE features were assessed. Sensitivity, specificity, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (Az), and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated for conventional US features, for SWE features, and for combined conventional US and SWE features. RESULTS Among all qualitative and quantitative SWE features, the stiff rim sign at the display setting (<180 kPa) showed the highest Az (0.918; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.870, 0.953), which was comparable to that for conventional US (0.891; 95% CI: 0.838, 0.931) (P = .40). The combination of the stiff rim sign at less than 180 kPa and conventional US features, with a positive likelihood ratio of 12.23 (95% CI: 11.5, 13.0) and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.02 (95% CI: 0.003, 0.1), yielded the highest Az (0.982; 95% CI: 0.951, 0.995)-higher than those for conventional US only and for any single SWE feature alone (P < .001 for all)-and yielded higher sensitivity (98.2% [55 of 56]; 95% CI: 90.4%, 100.0%) and similar specificity (92.0% [126 of 137]; 95% CI: 86.1%, 95.9%) compared with conventional US (P < .001 and P = .58, respectively). With use of this combination, the rate of recommendation of benign lesions for interventional procedures would decrease from 56.9% (78 of 137) (on the basis of conventional US features) to 15.3% (21 of 137), and 100.0% (56 of 56) (95% CI: 93.6%, 100.0%) malignant lesions would be correctly selected for biopsy. CONCLUSION Adding SWE features, especially the stiff rim sign at the display setting (<180 kPa), to conventional US has the potential to improve the differentiation of breast lesions.
Correlated Electronic Properties of a Graphene Nanoflake: Coronene

We report studies of the correlated excited states of coronene and substituted coronene within the Pariser–Parr–Pople (PPP) correlated π-electron model employing the symmetry-adapted density matrix renormalization group technique. These polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons can be considered as graphene nanoflakes. We review their electronic structures utilizing a new symmetry adaptation scheme that exploits electron-hole symmetry, spin-inversion symmetry, and end-to-end interchange symmetry. The study of the electronic structures sheds light on the electron correlation effects in these finite-size graphene analogues, which diminishes going from one-dimensional to higher-dimensional systems, yet is significant within these finite graphene derivatives.
The Opt-Out Continuation: Education, Work, and Motherhood from 1984 to 2012

Debate about an increasing trend in highly educated women dropping out of the labor force to care for children—an opt-out revolution—has been considerable. I use unique features of the of Survey of Income and Program Participation—a large nationally representative sample, longitudinal structure, monthly labor-force outcomes, and repeated panels—to study trends in women's birth-related career interruptions over time and across the education spectrum. Methodologically, I use event studies to compare women's monthly labor-force outcomes on the extensive and intensive margins from twenty-four months before to twenty-four months after births in the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Rather than an abrupt change in opting out, I find that the pattern of birth-related interruptions has changed surprisingly little over the past thirty years—substantial and sustained interruptions remain common for mothers in all education categories. Rather than a revolution, I find an opt-out continuation.
Intensive induction is effective in selected octogenarian acute myeloid leukemia patients: prognostic significance of karyotype and selected molecular markers used in the European LeukemiaNet classification

We investigated whether octogenarian patients with acute myeloid leukemia enrolled onto Cooperative Group clinical trials and treated with intensive induction therapy could be cured, and whether karyotype and selected molecular markers had any prognostic significance in these patients. Among 138 patients with cytogenetic information, normal karyotype was the most common (47.1%) followed by complex karyotype (14.5%) and sole +8 (9.4%). Among these patients, the relapse-free survival rate at 1 year was 37% and 13% at 3 years, and the respective overall survival rates were 24% and 8%. Whereas the 90 patients who survived beyond 30 days had the same relapse-free survival rates, their 1-year and 3-year overall survival rates were 36% and 11%, respectively. Of the 66 patients surviving beyond 30 days who could be classified into European LeukemiaNet genetic groups, those in the intermediate-I group had better overall survival than patients in the adverse group (P=0.01). Among patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia who were tested for the European LeukemiaNet-associated molecular alterations, FLT3-internal tandem duplication and NPM1 mutations, it was found that FLT3-internal tandem duplication (detected in 29% of patients) did not associate with overall survival (P=0.31), whereas NPM1 mutations (30%) were associated with a significantly longer overall survival (P=0.002). We conclude that intensive induction is effective and indicated in selected octogenarians with acute myeloid leukemia, that their overall survival varies among the European LeukemiaNet genetic groups and that NPM1 mutations may be of prognostic significance among octogenarian patients with cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukemia.
Role of oral calcium supplementation alone or with vitamin D in preventing post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia

Background: Thyroidectomy is the main intervention for thyroid malignancies and some benign thyroid diseases. Its most common complication is hypocalcaemia, which requires oral or intravenous calcium therapy. The aim of this meta-analysis was to assess the efficacy of routine calcium supplementation with or without vitamin D in preventing hypocalcaemia post-thyroidectomy. Methods: Systematic searches of the PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were performed. The qualities of the included articles were assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. The studies’ qualities of outcomes and strengths of evidence were evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tool. Data analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.3, and odds ratio (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for dichotomous data. Results: Ten randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were included. The combined study recruited 1620 patients (343 men and 1277 women) who underwent total thyroidectomy alone or with neck dissection. Calcium supplementation decreased the risk of transient postoperative hypocalcaemia (OR 0.48 [95% CI, 0.31–0.74]; P < .001) but did not decrease the demand for intravenous supplementation or the rate of permanent hypocalcaemia compared to no treatment. Calcium and vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the rate of transient hypocalcaemia and the demand for intravenous supplementation compared to either no treatment (OR 0.21 [95% CI, 0.11–0.40]; P < .001 and OR 0.26 [95% CI, 0.10–0.69]; P = .007, respectively) or calcium alone (OR 0.39 [95% CI, 0.18–0.84]; P = .02 and OR 0.18 [95% CI, 0.07–0.47]; P < .001, respectively), but did not decrease the rate of permanent hypocalcaemia. GRADE-based confidence was moderate. Conclusion: Postoperative calcium supplementation is effective for preventing post-thyroidectomy hypocalcaemia. Calcium plus vitamin D was more effective than calcium alone in preventing postoperative hypocalcaemia and decreasing the demand for intravenous calcium supplementation. Further, well-designed RCTs with larger sample sizes are required to validate our findings.
Proteomic analysis of the effects of cell culture density on the metastasis of breast cancer cells

Cancer cell progression and proliferation increase cell density, resulting in changes to the tumour site, including the microenvironment. What is not known is if increased cell density influences the aggressiveness of cancer cells, especially their proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities. In this study, we found that dense cell culture enhances the aggressiveness of the metastatic cancer cell lines, 4T1 and ZR‐75‐30, by increasing their proliferation, migration, and invasion capabilities. However, a less metastatic cell line, MCF‐7, did not show an increase in aggressiveness, following dense cell culture conditions. We conducted a differential proteomic analysis on 4T1 cells cultured under dense or sparse conditions and identified an increase in expression for proteins involved in migration, including focal adhesion, cytoskeletal reorganization, and transendothelial migration. In contrast, 4T1 cells grown under sparse conditions had higher expression levels for proteins involved in metabolism, including lipid and phospholipid binding, lipid and cholesterol transporter activity, and protein binding. These results suggest that the high‐density tumour microenvironment can cause a change in cellular behaviour, leading towards more aggressive cancers.
Logistic Regression Confined by Cardinality-Constrained Sample and Feature Selection

Many vision-based applications rely on logistic regression for embedding classification within a probabilistic context, such as recognition in images and videos or identifying disease-specific image phenotypes from neuroimages. Logistic regression, however, often performs poorly when trained on data that is <italic>noisy</italic>, has <italic>irrelevant features</italic>, or when the samples are distributed across the classes in an <italic>imbalanced setting</italic>; a common occurrence in visual recognition tasks. To deal with those issues, researchers generally rely on ad-hoc regularization techniques or model a subset of these issues. We instead propose a mathematically sound logistic regression model that selects a subset of (relevant) features and (informative and balanced) set of samples during the training process. The model does so by applying cardinality constraints (via <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _0$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>ℓ</mml:mi><mml:mn>0</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="adeli-ieq1-2901688.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>-‘norm’ sparsity) on the features and samples. <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _0$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>ℓ</mml:mi><mml:mn>0</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="adeli-ieq2-2901688.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> defines sparsity in mathematical settings but in practice has mostly been approximated (e.g., via <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\ell _1$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:msub><mml:mi>ℓ</mml:mi><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="adeli-ieq3-2901688.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> or its variations) for computational simplicity. We prove that a local minimum to the non-convex optimization problems induced by cardinality constraints can be computed by combining block coordinate descent with penalty decomposition. On synthetic, image recognition, and neuroimaging datasets, we show that the accuracy of the method is higher than alternative methods and classifiers commonly used in the literature.
A Magnet-Based Timing Tystem to Detect Gate Crossings in Alpine Ski Racing

In alpine skiing, intermediate times are usually measured with photocells. However, for practical reasons, the number of intermediate cells is limited to three–four, making a detailed timing analysis difficult. In this paper, we propose and validate a magnet-based timing system allowing for the measurement of intermediate times at each gate. Specially designed magnets were placed at each gate and the athletes wore small magnetometers on their lower back to measure the instantaneous magnetic field. The athlete’s gate crossings caused peaks in the measured signal which could then be related to the precise instants of gate crossings. The system was validated against photocells placed at four gates of a slalom skiing course. Eight athletes skied the course twice and one run per athlete was included in the validation study. The 95% error intervals for gate-to-gate timing and section times were below 0.025 s. Each athlete’s gate-to-gate times were compared to the group’s average gate-to-gate times, revealing small performance differences that would otherwise be difficult to measure with a traditional photocell-based system. The system could be used to identify the effect of tactical choices and athlete specific skiing skills on performance and could allow a more efficient and athlete-specific performance analysis and feedback.
Antibiofouling Performance by Polyethersulfone Membranes Cast with Oxidized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes and Arabic Gum

Despite extensive research efforts focusing on tackling membrane biofouling, one of the biggest problems associated with membrane technology, there has been little headway in this area. This study presents novel polyethersulfone (PES) membranes synthesized via a phase inversion method at incremental loadings of functionalized oxidized multiwalled carbon nanotubes (OMWCNT) along with 1 wt. % arabic gum (AG). The synthesized OMWCNT were examined using scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy for morphological changes compared to the commercially obtained carbon nanotubes. Additionally energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy was carried out on the raw and OMWCNT materials, indicating an almost 2-fold increase in oxygen content in the latter sample. The cast PES/OMWCNT membranes were extensively characterized, and underwent a series of performance testing using bovine serum albumin solution for fouling tests and model Gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis) and Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) bacterial species for anti-biofouling experiments. Results indicated that the composite PES membranes, which incorporated the OMWCNT and AG, possessed significantly stronger hydrophilicity and negative surface charge as evidenced by water contact angle and zeta potential data, respectively, when compared to plain PES membranes. Furthermore atomic force microscopy analysis showed that the PES/OMWCNT membranes exhibited significantly lower surface roughness values. Together, these membrane surface features were held responsible for the anti-adhesive nature of the hybrid membranes seen during biofouling tests. Importantly, the prepared membranes were able to inhibit bacterial colonization upon incubation with both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial suspensions. The PES/OMWCNT membranes also presented more resilient normalized flux values when compared to neat PES and commercial membrane samples during filtration of both bacterial suspensions and real treated sewage effluents. Taken together, the results of this study allude to OMWCNT and AG as promising additives, for incorporation into polymeric membranes to enhance biofouling resistance.
The burden of Staphylococcus aureus among Native Americans on the Navajo Nation

Introduction Native Americans in the southwestern United States have a higher risk for many infectious diseases and may be at higher risk for Staphylococcus aureus due to the high prevalence of risk factors for S. aureus. Recent data on invasive S. aureus infections among Native Americans are limited. Methods Active population- and laboratory-based surveillance was conducted in 2016–2017 on the Navajo Nation to document the rate of invasive S. aureus. A case of invasive S.aureus infection was defined as a Native American individual with S. aureus isolated from a normally sterile body site whose reported community of residence was on or around the Navajo Nation. Results One hundred and fifty-nine cases of invasive S. aureus from 152 individuals were identified. The median age of cases was 56.3 years and 35% were female. Thirty-five percent of cases had community-acquired infections. Ninety-three percent of cases had underlying medical conditions, including diabetes (60%) and obesity (42%), 28% of cases had a documented prior S. aureus infection, and 33% were infected with methicillin-resistant S. aureus. The annual incidence of invasive S. aureus and of invasive methicillin-resistant S. aureus was 64.9/100,000 persons and 21.2/100,000 persons, respectively. Conclusions This community has a high burden of invasive S. aureus infections. Further research is needed to identify prevention strategies and opportunities for intervention.
Cervical cancer and pap smear screening: knowledge, attitude and practice among working women in northern state of Malaysia.

INTRODUCTION Cervical cancer is among the most common cancers in women worldwide. The Pap smear test is the primary screening procedure used to detect abnormal cells that may develop into cancer. OBJECTIVES This study analysed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of working women in Kedah state, Malaysia, about cervical cancer and Pap smear tests and the associations of knowledge, attitudes and practices with socio-demographic factors. METHODS This cross-sectional questionnaire study analysed knowledge, attitudes and practices among 210 female entrepreneurs who received funding from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) in Kedah state. Women were included if they were married or previously married, aged 20-65 years and had not been diagnosed with cervical cancer. RESULTS Most subjects could not recall common symptoms of cervical cancer, such as bleeding between periods, and did not know or were unsure of the suitable age for Pap smear tests and the interval between tests. Although most subjects agreed that Pap smear tests were necessary, some gave priority to other issues. About half (55.2%) had undergone Pap smear tests, but only 38.6% had been tested within the previous five years. Use of hormonal contraceptives, higher knowledge score, and higher attitude score were associated with Pap smear testing within the previous 5 years. CONCLUSIONS Knowledge regarding cervical cancer and Pap smear testing and attitudes toward testing were poor among most participants. These factors were significantly associated with lack of actual testing.