Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolution of major non‐HIV‐related comorbidities in HIV‐infected patients in the Italian Cohort of Individuals, Naïve for Antiretrovirals (ICONA) Foundation Study cohort in the period 2004–2014

The management of HIV disease is complicated by the incidence of a new spectrum of comorbid noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). It is important to document changes in the prevalence of NCDs over time. The aim of the study was to describe the impact of ageing on HIV markers and on the prevalence of NCDs in people living with HIV (PLWHIV) in the Italian Cohort of Individuals, Naïve for Antiretrovirals (ICONA) seen for care in 2004–2014.
Citrulline Malate Fails to Improve German Volume Training Performance in Healthy Young Men and Women

Abstract Citrulline malate (CM) is purported to buffer lactic acid, enhance oxygen delivery, and attenuate muscle soreness. Anaerobic exercise trials with CM have produced conflicting results. The aim of the current investigation was to test the efficacy of CM on resistance training (RT) with the hypothesis that CM would improve performance. A double-blind, counter-balanced, randomized control trial was utilized to assess the effects of CM on RT. Nineteen participants (8 female) (25.7 ± 7.7 years), regularly engaged in RT, consumed either 8 g of CM (1.1:1 ratio) or a placebo (6 g citric acid). Participants attempted to perform a German Volume Training (GVT) protocol comprising 10 sets of 10 repetitions of barbell curls at 80% of their one repetition maximum. Repeated ANOVA suggested no effect of CM on RT performance (treatment × time × order p = .217). There was no difference (p = .320) in the total number of reps over the 10 sets (CM median = 57, IQR 45–73; placebo median = 61, IQR 51–69). Blood lactate and creatine kinase did not differ between CM and placebo (p > .05). Finally, total muscle soreness was reduced significantly in CM compared to placebo (treatment × time × order p = .004). These results require corroboration; an ergogenic benefit is yet to be established, and weight trainers should exercise caution when assessing the efficacy of CM. Future research should focus on the potential effects of loading doses of CM.
Long-term follow-up after cure from chronic hepatitis C virus infection shows occult hepatitis and a risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in noncirrhotic patients

Objectives Curing of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection primarily aims to prevent severe liver complications. Our objectives were to investigate the long-term presence and impact of occult HCV infection (OCI) and to study the outcomes in terms of liver disease after virological cure. Patients and methods A total of 97 patients with achieved sustained virological response (SVR) during 1990–2005 were followed either by a clinical follow-up (FU) visit with blood sampling and liver elastography (n=54) or through national registries for outcomes (n=43). To diagnose OCI among patients with SVR, a highly sensitive method was used to detect HCV-RNA traces in whole blood. The FU duration was a median of 10.5 years, with samples up to 21.5 years after the end of treatment (EOT). Results The majority of patients [52 (96%)] were HCV-RNA negative at FU, and regression of fibrosis was statistically significant. OCI was found in two (4%) of them at 8 and 9 years after EOT. These patients had F1 and F2 fibrosis before treatment and F2 at FU, but no other abnormal findings. Three previously noncirrhotic men were diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma 8–11 years after EOT. Conclusion Occult infection could be detected many years after the achievement of SVR but was not associated with serious liver disease. The majority had persistent viral eradication and regression of fibrosis after SVR. However, an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma may persist in the long term after SVR even in noncirrhotic patients. Further studies with FU after direct-acting antiviral therapy and on the long-term impact after cure are needed.
Resting‐state functional connectivity after concussion is associated with clinical recovery

There has been a recent call for longitudinal imaging studies to better characterize the time course of physiological recovery following sport‐related concussion (SRC) and its relationship with clinical recovery. To address this, we evaluated changes to resting‐state functional connectivity (rs‐FC) of the whole‐brain network following SRC and explored associations between rs‐FC and measures of clinical outcome. High school and collegiate football athletes were enrolled during preseason. Athletes that suffered SRC (N = 62) were assessed across the acute (within 48 hr) and sub‐acute (days 8, 15, and 45) phases. Matched football athletes without concussion served as controls (N = 60) and participated in similar visits. Multi‐band resting‐state fMRI was used to assess whole‐brain rs‐FC at each visit using network‐based statistic and average nodal strength from regions of interest defined using a common whole‐brain parcellation. Concussed athletes had elevated symptoms, psychological distress, and oculomotor, balance, and memory deficits at 48 hr postconcussion relative to controls, with diminished yet significant elevations in symptoms and psychological distress at 8 days. Both rs‐FC analyses showed that concussed athletes had a global increase in connectivity at 8 days postconcussion relative to controls, with no differences at the 48‐hr, 15‐day, or 45‐day visits. Further analysis revealed the group effect at the 8‐day visit was driven by the large minority of concussed athletes still symptomatic at their visit; asymptomatic concussed athletes did not differ from controls. Findings from this large‐scale, prospective study suggest whole‐brain rs‐FC alterations following SRC are delayed in onset but associated with the presence of self‐reported symptoms.
The NEWA Ferry Lidar Experiment: Measuring Mesoscale Winds in the Southern Baltic Sea

This article presents the Ferry Lidar Experiment, which is one of the NEWA Experiments, a set of unique flow experiments conducted as part of the New European Wind Atlas (NEWA) project. These experiments have been prepared and conducted to create adequate datasets for mesoscale and microscale model validation. For the Ferry Lidar Experiment a Doppler lidar instrument was placed on a ferry connecting Kiel and Klaipeda in the Southern Baltic Sea from February to June 2017. A comprehensive set of all relevant motions was recorded together with the lidar data and processed in order to obtain and provide corrected wind time series. Due to the existence of the motion effects, the obtained data are essentially different from typical on-site data used for wind resource assessments in the wind industry. First comparisons show that they can be well related to mapped wind trajectories from the output of a numerical weather prediction model showing a reasonable correlation. More detailed validation studies are planned for the future.
Comparison of Effects of Diet on Mammary Cancer: Efficacy of Various Preventive Agents and Metabolomic Changes of Different Diets and Agents

To determine the effects of diet, rats were placed on a standard diet (4% fat) or on a modified Western (high-fat diet, HFD) diet (21% fat) at 43 days of age (DOA) and administered methylnitrosourea (MNU) at 50 DOA. Rats were administered effective (tamoxifen, vorozole, and Targretin) or ineffective (metformin and Lipitor) chemopreventive agents either by daily gavage or in the diet beginning at 57 DOA and continuing until sacrifice (190 DOA). Latency period of the tumors was determined by palpation, and multiplicity and cancer weights per rat were determined at final sacrifice. Rats on the HFD versus standard diet had: (i) a 6% increase in final body weights; (ii) significant decreases in tumor latency; and (iii) significant increases in final tumor multiplicity and average tumor weight. Tamoxifen, vorozole, and Targretin were highly effective preventive agents, whereas Lipitor and metformin were ineffective in rats on either diet. Serum was collected at 78 DOA and at sacrifice (190 DOA), and metabolomics were determined to identify the metabolite changes due to diets and effective agents. Rats given the HFD had increased levels of saturated free fatty acids (including myristate) and decreased levels of 2-aminooctanoate. Furthermore, rats on the HFD diet had increased levels of 2-aminobutyrate and decreases in glycine markers previously identified as indicators of prediabetes. Targretin increased long-chain glycophospholipids (e.g., oleyl-linoleoyl-glycerophosphocholine) and decreased primary bile acids (e.g., taurocholate). Tamoxifen increased palmitoyl-linoleoyl-glycophosphocholine and decreased stearoyl-arachidonyl glycophosphocholine. Finally, increased levels of methylated nucleotides (5-methylcytidine) and decreased levels of urea cycle metabolites (N-acetylcitrulline) were associated with the presence of mammary cancers.
Emerging role of SIRT3 in mitochondrial dysfunction and cardiovascular diseases

Abstract As a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+-dependent protein deacetylase, SIRT3 is highly expressed in tissues with high metabolic turnover and mitochondrial content. It has been demonstrated that SIRT3 plays a critical role in maintaining normal mitochondrial biological function through reversible protein lysine deacetylation. SIRT3 has a variety of substrates that are involved in mitochondrial biological processes such as energy metabolism, reactive oxygen species production and clearance, electron transport chain flux, mitochondrial membrane potential maintenance, and mitochondrial dynamics. In the suppression of SIRT3, functional deficiencies of mitochondria contribute to the development of various cardiovascular disorders. Activation of SIRT3 may represent a promising therapeutic strategy for the improvement of mitochondrial function and the treatment of relevant cardiovascular disorders. In the current review, we discuss the emerging roles of SIRT3 in mitochondrial derangements and subsequent cardiovascular malfunctions, including cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and endothelial dysfunction in hypertension and atherosclerosis.
Uninterrupted anticoagulation with non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in atrial fibrillation catheter ablation: Lessons learned from randomized trials

Catheter ablation has been established as a rhythm control strategy in selected patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) who have failed or wish to avoid anti‐arrhythmic drugs. Uninterrupted oral anticoagulation with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) peri‐ablation is associated with a lower risk of thromboembolic and bleeding complications as compared to interrupted oral anticoagulation and bridging heparin. However, a substantial portion of patients with AF are treated with non‐vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Herein, we perform an in‐depth review and comparison of three recent randomized trials of uninterrupted oral anticoagulation with NOACs vs VKAs in patients undergoing AF catheter ablation. Furthermore, we report pooled results of these randomized trials. The pooled incidence of major bleeding was significantly lower with NOACs as compared to VKAs (2% vs 4.9%, respectively; odds ratio [OR] 0.40; 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.16‐0.99). Similarly, cardiac tamponade was also reduced in the NOAC group (0.4% vs 1.5%; OR 0.27; 95% CI 0.07‐0.97). Thromboembolic complications were not significantly different between groups. Overall, these findings support the 2017 HRS/EHRA/ECAS/APHRS/SOLAECE expert consensus statement's class I recommendation for uninterrupted NOAC use in patients undergoing AF catheter ablation.
A study on the evaluation of bite force, prosthetic and nutritional status in adult cleft patients in Kolkata

Context: Altered orofacial morphology and poor dental status affects the dietary intake of cleft patient, making susceptible to nutritional imbalance. Oral health care planning for this population is impossible without the evaluation of stomatognathic functional status as well as prosthetic and nutritional status and need. Aims: The aim of this study was to evaluate prosthetic status and prosthetic treatment need, bite force and nutritional status, in adult cleft patients and to compare them with the adult noncleft population of similar definition. Settings and Design: Cleft (n = 250) and noncleft (n = 250) individuals of either sex, aged 18 years or above, excluding severe medically compromised and differently abled, were examined and individual biteforce was measured after obtaining written consent and ethical clearance from the two institutions in Kolkata. Subjects and Methods: A “raw data sheet” was prepared according to the parameters of the “Oral Health Surveys: Basic methods,” World Health Organization (1997) for evaluation of prosthetic status and need, dentition status and Mini-Nutritional Assessment, Nestlé (1994) for the evaluation nutritional status. A Gnathodynamometer was used to record bite force. Statistical Analysis Used: Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 20.0. 1, Graph Pad Prism version 5, Student's t-test, and Chi-square test. Results: The mean bite force of frontal area in cleft group (3.4356 ± 0.9457 kgf) was found to be significantly lower (P < 0.0001) than in noncleft (22.8749 ± 5.3644 kgf) group. The difference of mean bite force in the right side (2.4576 ± 0.6131 kgf) and left side (1.2708 ± 0.1036 kgf) in cleft group was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Prosthetic need in maxillary arch was found to be significantly (χ2: 490.0000; P < 0.0001) higher in cleft than in noncleft group. Nutritional status was observed to be significantly (χ2: 179.4049; P < 0.0001) higher “at risk” in cleft than in noncleft group. Conclusions: Lack of adequate Government concern leading to significantly higher prosthetic need and lower prosthetic status, hence lower bite force resulting lower nutritional status in adult cleft patients in Kolkata.
Application of whole-lesion intravoxel incoherent motion analysis using iZOOM DWI to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules

Background Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) parameters derived from iZOOM diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can be used to quantitatively identify malignant thyroid nodules. However, the criteria are not standardized. Purpose To determine IVIM parameter values derived from iZOOM DWI that can differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules. Material and Methods Forty-two patients with 46 pathologically confirmed thyroid nodules. All patients underwent preoperative examinations with conventional and iZOOM DWI. A three-dimensional region of interest was drawn on multiple slices to cover the entire nodule. IVIM parameters (D, pure diffusion; f, perfusion fraction; and D*, pseudodiffusion) were measured. The IVIM parameters of the malignant and benign thyroid nodules were compared using independent samples t-tests, a multiple logistic regression, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results D, D*, and f exhibited good reproducibility. The D and f values in the malignant nodules (D = [0.72 ± 0.14] × 10−3 mm2/s, [29.94 ± 7.36] %) were significantly lower than those in benign nodules (D = [1.23 ± 0.35] × 10−3 mm2/s, [36.00 ± 8.35] %). The D value achieved the highest area under curve (0.939). The optimal cut-off value for D was 0.87 × 10−3 mm2/s (sensitivity = 95.83%, specificity = 90.91%, positive predictive value [PPV] = 92.00%, negative predictive value [NPV] = 95.24%, and accuracy rate = 93.48%). The area under ROC curve (AUC) of D combined with the f value did not significantly differ from that of D. Conclusion IVIM parameter D derived from iZOOM DWI may be helpful in differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules.
The Effects of Nonlinear Frequency Compression and Digital Noise Reduction on Word Recognition and Satisfaction Ratings in Noise in Adult Hearing Aid Users

Abstract Background: Nonlinear frequency compression (NLFC) and digital noise reduction (DNR) are hearing aid features often used simultaneously in the adult population with hearing loss. Although each feature has been studied extensively in isolation, the effects of using them in combination are unclear. Purpose: The effects of NLFC and DNR in noise on word recognition and satisfaction ratings in noise in adult hearing aid users were evaluated. Research Design: A repeated measures design was used. Study Sample: Two females and 13 males between the ages of 55 and 83 yr who were experienced hearing aid users participated. Thirteen were experienced with NLFC and all were experienced with DNR. Each participant was fit with Phonak Bolero Q90-P hearing instruments using their specific audiometric data and the Desired Sensation Level v5.0 (adult) fitting strategy. Fittings were verified with probe microphone measurements using speech at 65-dB sound pressure level (SPL). NLFC verification was performed using the Protocol for the Provision of Amplification, Version 2014.01. Data Collection and Analysis: All testing was conducted in a double-walled sound booth. Four hearing aid conditions were used for all testing: Baseline (NLFC off, DNR off), NLFC only, DNR only, and Combination (NLFC on, DNR on). A modified version of the Pascoe’s High-Frequency Word List was presented at 65-dB SPL with speech spectrum noise at 6-dB signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 1-dB SNR for each hearing aid condition. Listener satisfaction ratings were obtained after each listening condition in terms of word comfort, word clarity, and average satisfaction. Two-way repeated measures analyses of variance were conducted to assess listener performance. Pairwise comparisons were then completed for significant main effects. Results: Word recognition results indicated a significant SNR effect only (6 dB SNR > 1 dB SNR). Satisfaction ratings results indicated a significant SNR and hearing aid condition effect for clarity, comfort, and average satisfaction. Clarity ratings were significantly higher for DNR and Combination than NLFC. Comfort ratings were significantly higher for DNR than NLFC. Average satisfaction was significantly higher for DNR and Combination than for NLFC. Also, average ratings were significantly higher for Combination than Baseline. Conclusions: Activating NLFC or DNR in isolation or in combination did not significantly impact word recognition in noise. Activating NLFC in isolation reduced satisfaction ratings relative to the DNR or Combination conditions. The isolated use of DNR significantly improved all satisfaction ratings when compared with the isolated use of NLFC. These findings suggest NLFC should not be used in isolation and should be coupled with DNR for best results. Future research should include a field trial as this was a limitation of the study.
Characteristics of Self‐Reported Sleep and the Risk of Falls and Fractures: The Women's Health Initiative (WHI)

Sleep disturbances are common and may influence falls and fracture directly by influencing bone turnover and muscle strength or indirectly through high comorbidity or poor physical function. To investigate the association between self‐reported sleep and falls and fractures, we prospectively studied 157,306 women in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) using information on sleep quality, sleep duration, and insomnia from questionnaires. Annual self‐report of falling two or more times (ie, “recurrent falling”) during each year of follow‐up was modeled with repeated measures logistic regression models fit by generalized estimating equations. Cox proportional hazards models were used to investigate sleep disturbance and time to first fracture. We examined the risks of recurrent falls and fracture by sleep duration with 7 hours as referent. We examined the risks across categories of sleep disturbance, insomnia status, and sleep quality. The average follow‐up time was 7.6 years for falls and 12.0 years for fractures. In multivariable adjusted models, including adjustment for comorbidity, medications, and physical function, women who were short (≤5 hours) and long (≥10 hours) sleepers had increased odds of recurrent falls (odds ratio [OR] 1.28; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23 to 1.34 and OR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.09 to 1.43, respectively). Poor sleep quality, insomnia, and more sleep disturbances were also associated with an increased odds of recurrent falls. Short sleep was associated with an increased risk of all fractures, and upper limb, lower limb, and central body fractures, but not hip fractures, with hazard ratios ranging from 1.10 to 1.13 (p < 0.05). There was little association between other sleep characteristics and fracture. In conclusion, short and long sleep duration and poor sleep quality were independently associated with increased odds of recurrent falls. Short sleep was associated with modest increase in fractures. Future long‐term trials of sleep interventions should include falls and fractures as endpoints. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Brucella pinnipedialis in lungworms Parafilaroides sp. and Pacific harbor seals Phoca vitulina richardsi: proposed pathogenesis.

Brucella spp. were first isolated from marine mammals in 1994 and since have been described in numerous pinniped and cetacean species with nearly global distribution. Microscopic, electron microscopic, or culture results have shown lungworms in harbor seals to be infected with brucellae, suggesting that the lungworms may serve a role in this infection. In this study, we reviewed archived and more recent case material from 5 Pacific harbor seals from Washington State (USA) with evidence of B. pinnipedialis infection in the lungworm Parafilaroides sp. Twenty-two sections of lung containing approximately 220 Parafilaroides sp. , stained with an immunohistochemical technique using antibody to B. abortus, showed approximately 80 (36%) infected nematodes. A few brucellae were also present in lung parenchyma in proximity to nematodes. Infection was present in the first- and fourth-stage larvae in the seal lung and intestines, as well as in the male and female reproductive organs of adult nematodes. Infected sperm deposits in the nematode uterus were suggestive of venereal transmission between lungworms. Massive infection of some degenerate adult lungworms and evidence of degeneration of some developing larvae in utero were observed. Based on these observations, we suggest that Parafilaroides sp. , rather than the Pacific harbor seal Phoca vitulina richardsi, is the preferred host of B. pinnipedialis infection.