Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Twenty‐Four–Hour Diet recall and Diet records compared with 24‐hour urinary excretion to predict an individual’s sodium consumption: A Systematic Review

This systematic literature review aimed to investigate whether 24 hour diet recall and diet records are reliable and valid ways to measure usual dietary sodium intake compared with 24 hour urinary assessment. We searched electronic databases Medline, Embase, Cinahl, Lilacs, Google Scholar and the Cochrane Library using pre‐defined terms Studies were eligible for inclusion if they assessed adult humans in free‐living settings, and if they included dietary assessment and 24 hours urinary collection for assessment of sodium intake in the same participants. Studies that included populations with an active disease state that might interfere with normal sodium metabolism were excluded. Results of 20 studies using 24 hour diet recall recall (including 14 validation studies) and 10 studies using food records (including six validation studies) are included in this review. Correlations between estimates from dietary assessment and urinary excretion ranged from 0.16 to 0.72 for 24 hour diet recall, and 0.11 to 0.49 for food diaries. Bland‐Altman analysis in two studies of 24 hour diet recall showed poor agreement with 24 hours urinary sodium excretion. These results show that 24 hour diet recall and diet records inaccurately measure dietary sodium intake in individuals compared with the gold standard 24 hours urinary excretion. Validation studies of dietary assessment methods should include multiple days of assessment and 24 hours urine collection, use relevant food composition databases and Bland‐Altman methods of analysis.
MCL1 gene silencing promotes senescence and apoptosis of glioma cells via inhibition of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Glioma is known to be the most prevalent primary brain tumor. In recent years, there has been evidence indicating myeloid cell leukemia‐1 (MCL1) plays a role in brain glioblastoma. Therefore, the present study was conducted with aims of exploring the ability of MCL1 silencing to influence glioma cell senescence and apoptosis through the mediation of the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway. Glioma and tumor‐adjacent tissues were collected in order to detect the presence of higher levels of MCL1 protein expression. Next, the mRNA and protein expression of MCL1, PI3K, Akt, B cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2), Bcl2‐associated X (Bax), B lymphoma Mo‐MLV insertion region 1 homolog (Bmi‐1), and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) were determined. Cell counting kit‐8 assay was applied to detect cell proliferation, β‐galactosidase staining for cell senescence, and flow cytometry for cell cycle entry and apoptosis. Initially, the results revealed higher positive expression rate of MCL1 protein, increased mRNA and protein expression of MCL1, PI3K, Akt, Bmi‐1, and Bcl‐2 and decreased that of Bax and PTEN in human glioma tissues. The silencing of MCL1 resulted in a decrease in mRNA and protein expression of PI3K, Akt, Bmi‐1, and Bcl‐2 and an increase in Bax and PTEN expressions in glioma cells. Moreover, silencing of MCL1 also inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle entry in glioma cells, and promoted glioma cell senescence and apoptosis. In conclusion, the aforementioned results collectively suggested that the silencing of MCL1 promotes senescence and apoptosis in glioma cells through inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Thus, decreasing the expression of MCL1 might have therapeutic functions in glioma. © 2018 IUBMB Life, 71(1):81–92, 2019
Trace Quotient with Sparsity Priors for Learning Low Dimensional Image Representations

This work studies the problem of learning appropriate low dimensional image representations. We propose a generic algorithmic framework, which leverages two classic representation learning paradigms, i.e., sparse representation and the trace quotient criterion, to disentangle underlying factors of variation in high dimensional images. Specifically, we aim to learn simple representations of low dimensional, discriminant factors by applying the trace quotient criterion to well-engineered sparse representations. We construct a unified cost function, coined as the SPARse LOW dimensional representation (SparLow) function, for jointly learning both a sparsifying dictionary and a dimensionality reduction transformation. The SparLow function is widely applicable for developing various algorithms in three classic machine learning scenarios, namely, unsupervised, supervised, and semi-supervised learning. In order to develop efficient joint learning algorithms for maximizing the SparLow function, we deploy a framework of sparse coding with appropriate convex priors to ensure the sparse representations to be locally differentiable. Moreover, we develop an efficient geometric conjugate gradient algorithm to maximize the SparLow function on its underlying Riemannian manifold. Performance of the proposed SparLow algorithmic framework is investigated on several image processing tasks, such as 3D data visualization, face/digit recognition, and object/scene categorization.
Student nurses’ perceptions of Facebook™ as an interactive learning platform in nursing education

Background: The use of Facebook™ in nursing education is under-researched. Objective: To assess students’ perceptions of using Facebook™ as an educational mean to support their study. Methods: One group pretest–posttest study was conducted in one nursing school in Jordan. Facebook™ pages were created for two nursing courses. Students completed a questionnaire about students’ perception of using Facebook™ as educational platform in the first lecture of the semester as a pre-test, and then at the end of the semester as a post-test; after interacting with the created Facebook™ page. Results: Students perceived that Facebook™ is an effective tool for nursing education (n = 119, 78.8%). It can facilitate the communication, ease access to course materials, and provide support for students. However, a few students believed that Facebook™ is a distraction from study, requires users to have special skills, and does not protect privacy. Conclusion: This preliminary evaluation revealed that Facebook™ can be used as an instructional tool to support nursing education.
Survival Outcomes for Induction vs Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Maxillary Sinus

Objective In advanced maxillary sinus cancers treated with surgery and radiotherapy, poor local control rates and the potential for organ preservation have prompted interest in the use of systemic therapy. Our objective was to present outcomes for induction compared to adjuvant chemotherapy in the maxillary sinus. Study Design Secondary database analysis. Setting National Cancer Database (NCDB). Subjects and Methods In total, 218 cases of squamous cell maxillary sinus cancer treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy between 2004 and 2012 were identified from the NCDB and stratified into induction chemotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy cohorts. Univariate Kaplan-Meier analyses were compared by log-rank test, and multivariate Cox regression was performed to evaluate overall survival when adjusting for other prognostic factors. Propensity score matching was also used for further comparison. Results Twenty-three patients received induction chemotherapy (10.6%) and 195 adjuvant chemotherapy (89.4%). The log-rank test comparing induction to adjuvant chemotherapy was not significant (P = .076). In multivariate Cox regression when adjusting for age, sex, race, comorbidity, grade, insurance, and T/N stage, there was a significant mortality hazard ratio of 2.305 for adjuvant relative to induction chemotherapy (confidence interval, 1.076-4.937; P = .032). Conclusion Induction chemotherapy was associated with improved overall survival in comparison to adjuvant chemotherapy in a relatively small cohort of patients (in whom treatment choice cannot be characterized), suggesting that this question warrants further investigation in a controlled clinical trial before any recommendations are made.
Do the Low WHRs and BMIs Judged Most Attractive Indicate Higher Fertility?

We examine the widely accepted view that very low waist–hip ratios and low body mass indices (BMIs) in women in well-nourished populations are judged attractive by men because these features reliably indicate superior fertility. In both subsistence and well-nourished populations, relevant studies of fertility do not support this view. Rather studies indicate lower fertility in women with anthropometric values associated with high attractiveness. Moreover, low maternal BMI predisposes to conditions that compromise infant survival. Consistent with these findings from the literature, new data from a large U.S. sample of women past reproductive age show that women with lower BMIs in the late teens had fewer live births, controlling for education, marital history, and race. They also had later menarche and earlier menopause compared with women with higher youth BMIs. In addition, data from the 2013 U.S. natality database show that mothers with lower prepregnancy BMIs have an increased risk of producing both low-birth-weight and preterm infants controlling for other relevant variables—conditions that would have adversely affected fitness over almost all of human evolution. Thus, a review of the relevant literature and three new tests fail to support the view that highly attractive women are more fertile.
Surgical therapy of chronic pancreatitis: clinical results and health-related quality of life

Abstract Introduction There are several well-established surgical procedures for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis (CP). The present study seeks to evaluate the perioperative and long-term outcome of these procedures. Methods All patients who had undergone pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD), duodenum-preserving pancreatic head resection (DPPHR), and distal pancreatectomy (DP) for CP were retrospectively analyzed with regards to the perioperative outcome and long-term survival. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was assessed using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire. Results There were 145 patients available for analysis. Major complications (grade IIIb–V) occurred in 19 %, in-hospital mortality was 4.2 %, and 90-day mortality was 3 % with no differences between the different resection groups (all p > 0.05). Ten-year survival was 58 % and was highest in the DP group (100 %) but without statistical significance (p = 0.72). The response rate of the HRQoL assessment was 45 % (65 of 145). There was a significant improvement with regards to pain and HRQoL of all resection groups compared to the preoperative group (all p < 0.05). With respect to HRQoL and pain relief, the PD, DPPHR, and DP did not differ significantly. Discussion Surgical therapy of CP can be performed safely. The 3 different types of resection performed equally with regards to complications and HRQoL.
Innate immune cell infiltration in melanoma metastases affects survival and is associated with BRAFV600E mutation status

Little is known about the infiltrative pattern of innate immune cells in primary melanoma compared with their paired metastases and in BRAFV600E-mutated tumors. Therefore, our aim was to characterize the inflammatory microenvironment in primary ulcerated and nonulcerated melanomas and paired metastases, to investigate the relation between inflammation and BRAFV600E mutation in primary melanoma and paired metastases, and to evaluate the effect of the analyzed biomarkers on melanoma-specific survival. A total of 385 primary tumors and 96 paired metastases were stained with immunohistochemistry for BRAFV600E, CD163+ macrophages, CD123+ plasmacytoid dendritic cells, CD66b+ neutrophils, and E-cadherin and estimated using objective computer-assisted image analysis. BRAFV600E was semiquantitatively scored as either present or absent. In metastases of nonulcerated melanomas, we observed higher neutrophil (P=0.02) and macrophage (P=0.01) numbers. In the metastases of ulcerated melanomas, we found a higher number of macrophages (P<0.0001). Increase in the neutrophil numbers in the metastases was associated with poor patient survival after first relapse (hazard ratio=1.19, 95% confidence interval: 1.03–1.38, P=0.02). BRAFV600E-positive primary tumors (P=0.02) and metastases (P=0.01) exhibited increased plasmacytoid dendritic cell numbers compared with BRAFV600E-negative tumors. Lastly, primary melanomas in men had higher neutrophil numbers than women (P⩽0.0001), and men had worse melanoma-specific survival (hazard ratio=1.52, 95% confidence interval: 1.04–2.21, P=0.03). Our data show that melanoma metastases are densely infiltrated with neutrophils, which affects survival. Our results also highlight the importance of recognizing the presence of inflammatory cells in the metastases as a prognostic marker, and that they may potentially be used to improve the precision of immunotherapy and BRAFV600E targeted therapy.
Predictive Models of Word Reading Fluency in Hebrew

This study examined a multi-componential approach to reading fluency in first and third grade Hebrew speaking children. Measures of naming speed, phonological awareness (PA), morphological awareness (MA), syntax awareness, and vocabulary were administered to first (N = 68) and third (N = 67) graders. Hierarchical regression models revealed that in both grades, naming speed accounted for most of the variance in each model. However, while in the first grade, word reading fluency was also predicted by vocabulary, in the third grade, both PA and MA were significant additional predictors. Predictive models of word reading fluency in Hebrew and applied implications are proposed.
The Neuro-Immuno-Senescence Integrative Model (NISIM) on the Negative Association Between Parasympathetic Activity and Cellular Senescence

There is evidence that accumulated senescent cells drive age-related pathologies, but the antecedents to the cellular stressors that induce senescence remain poorly understood. Previous research suggests that there is a relationship between shorter telomere length, an antecedent to cellular senescence, and psychological stress. Existing models do not sufficiently account for the specific pathways from which psychological stress regulation is converted into production of reactive oxygen species. We propose the neuro-immuno-senescence integrative model (NISIM) suggesting how vagally mediated heart rate variability (HRV) might be related to cellular senescence. Prefrontally modulated, and vagally mediated cortical influences on the autonomic nervous system, expressed as HRV, affects the immune system by adrenergic stimulation and cholinergic inhibition of cytokine production in macrophages and neutrophils. Previous findings indicate that low HRV is associated with increased production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-6 and TNF-α. IL-6 and TNF-α can activate the NFκB pathway, increasing production of reactive oxygen species that can cause DNA damage. Vagally mediated HRV has been related to an individual’s ability to regulate stress, and is lower in people with shorter telomeres. Based on these previous findings, the NISIM suggest that the main pathway from psychological stress to individual differences in oxidative telomere damage originates in the neuroanatomical components that modulate HRV, and culminates in the cytokine-induced activation of NFκB. Accumulated senescent cells in the brain is hypothesized to promote age-related neurodegenerative disease, and previous reports suggest an association between low HRV and onset of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Accumulating senescent cells in peripheral tissues secreting senescence-associated secretory phenotype factors can alter tissue structure and function which can induce cancer and promote tumor growth and metastasis in old age, and previous research suggested that ability to regulate psychological stress has a negative association with cancer onset. We therefore conclude that the NISIM can account for a large proportion of the individual differences in the psychological stress-related antecedents to cellular senescence, and suggest that it can be useful in providing a dynamic framework for understanding the pathways by which psychological stress induce pathologies in old age.
The temporal pattern of recovery in eccentric hamstring strength post-soccer specific fatigue

ABSTRACT Eccentric hamstring strength is an aetiological risk factor for soccer injury. The temporal pattern of recovery post-exercise is critical in injury management. 18 male professional soccer players completed baseline assessments of eccentric hamstring strength at isokinetic speeds of 60, 150 and 300°· s−1. Post SAFT90 measures were repeated immediately, + 24 hrs, + 48 hrs and + 72 hrs. Main effects for recovery time and testing speed in average torque (AvT), peak torque (PT) and the corresponding angle (Ɵ) were supplemented by regression modelling to describe the temporal pattern of recovery. A main effect for isokinetic testing speed was observed in PT and AvT. A main effect for recovery time highlighted greater strength pre-exercise, with a quadratic pattern to temporal recovery highlighting minima achieved at between 40–48 hrs. Strength parameters are not fully recovered until 96 hrs post soccer specific fatigue, with implications for training design and injury management, particularly within fixture-congested periods.
A comparative review of use of sulphate and phosphate salts for colonoscopy preparations and their potential for nephrotoxicity

Abstract Background and study aims Colonoscopy is a widely used diagnostic procedure which requires prior cleansing of the bowel. Many different bowel cleansing preparations have been developed, all of which have specific advantages and disadvantages. This review compares two low-volume high-osmolarity bowel cleansing preparations, oral phosphate salts and oral sulphate salts, with a particular focus on risk of nephrotoxicity. Patients and methods An electronic search of the Medline database was performed using the search terms “(phosphates OR sulfates) AND cathartics [MeSH Term] AND kidney” restricted to humans with a cut-off date of December 31, 2016. Results Introduction of oral phosphate salts offered the advantage of low intake volume and low risk of bowel irritation compared to previous options. However, phosphate salts have been associated with renal toxicity (acute phosphate nephropathy [APN]), thought to arise due to perturbations of calcium and phosphate homeostasis as a consequence of increases in serum phosphate. This results in high concentrations of calcium phosphate in the distal tubule and collecting ducts of the kidney, where it may precipitate. Although APN is rare, it may lead to permanent kidney damage. For this reason, phosphate salts are contraindicated in vulnerable patient groups. As an alternative to phosphate salts, oral sulphate salts have recently been introduced. Because sulphate absorption from the intestinal tract is saturable, serum sulphate concentrations increase only minimally after ingestion. Furthermore, excretion of sulphate in the kidney is not accompanied by calcium excretion and urine calcium levels are unchanged. For these theoretical reasons, use of sulphate salts as bowel cleansing solutions is not expected to lead to calcium precipitation in the nephron. Conclusions Oral phosphate salts are no longer recommended for routine use as bowel cleansing preparations as they carry significant risk of kidney damage and a safer alternative is available in the form of oral sulphate solutions. To date, use of sulphate salts has not been associated with elevations in serum creatinine or other markers of renal impairment, nor with clinical manifestations of kidney injury. Nonetheless, experience with sulphate salts in everyday practice is limited and physicians should be vigilant in detecting potential safety issues.
Association between serum copper levels and lung cancer risk: A meta-analysis

Objective To evaluate the association between serum copper levels and lung cancer risk. Methods We searched the electronic PubMed, WanFang, CNKI, and SinoMed databases to identify studies including information on serum copper levels and lung cancer. Standard mean differences and corresponding 95% confidence intervals were calculated using Stata 12.0 software. We performed a meta-analysis on the identified studies overall and according to geographic location. We also evaluated heterogeneity among the studies and the occurrence of publication bias. Results Thirty-three articles including 3026 cases and 9439 controls were included in our study. The combined results showed that serum copper levels were higher in patients with lung cancer compared with controls without lung cancer, though the results showed high heterogeneity. In a subgroup analysis according to geographic location, significant associations between copper levels and lung cancer were found for both Asian and European populations. No publication bias was detected in this meta-analysis. Conclusions High serum copper levels could increase the risk of lung cancer, suggesting that environmental copper exposure may be a risk factor for the development of lung cancer.
The Relationship Between Executive Function Deficits and DSM-5-Defined ADHD Symptoms

Objectives: To identify the relationship between the core Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed.) ADHD symptoms and executive function deficits (EFDs), to evaluate ADHD characteristics of those with executive dysfunction (ED), and to examine the predictive utility of the Adult ADHD Investigator Symptom Rating Scale (AISRS) in identifying those with adult ADHD and ED. Method: Two samples (referred and primary care practice) were pooled together for present analysis. Results: Final analysis included 297 respondents, 171 with adult ADHD. Spearman correlation coefficients and binary logistic regressions demonstrated that ADHD inattentive (IA) and hyperactive-impulsive (H-I) symptoms were moderately to strongly correlated with and highly predictive of EFDs. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that an AISRS DSM 18-item score of ⩾ 28 was most predictive of clinical ED. Conclusion: ADHD symptoms were strongly correlated with and predictive of EFDs, clinicians should screen adults with ADHD for EFDs and ADHD treatment providers should track EFD improvement in addition to DSM-5 ADHD symptoms.