Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biochemical control in acromegaly with multimodality therapies: outcomes from a pituitary center and changes over time.

PURPOSE To determine the prevalence of IGF-1 normalization with long-term multimodality therapy in a pituitary center, and to assess changes over time. METHODS Patients with acromegaly (N=409), with >1-year of data after surgery, and at least two subsequent clinic visits, were included in long-term analysis (N=266). Biochemical data, clinical characteristics and therapeutic interventions were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS At diagnosis, age was 43.4±14.3 years (mean±SD), BMI was 28.5 [24.9-32.1] kg/m2 [median, IQR], serum IGF-1 index (IGF-1 level/upper limit of normal) was 2.3 [1.7-3.1] and 80.5% had macroadenomas. Patients with TSS after 2006 were older [46.6±14.3 vs. 40.0±13.4 years, P< 0.001]. Age and tumor size correlated inversely. Overall (N=266), 93.2% achieved normal IGF-1 level during 9.9 [5.0-15.0] years with multimodality therapy. The interval to first normal IGF-1 level following failed surgical remission was shorter after 2006, 14.0 (95% confidence interval 10.0-20.0) vs. 27.5 (22.0-36.0) months (P=0.002). Radiation therapy (RT) and second surgery were rarer after 2006, 28 (22%) vs. 62 (47.0%), P<0.001 and 12 (9.4%) vs. 28 (21.2%), P=0.010, respectively. Age at diagnosis increased over time periods, possibly reflecting increased detection of acromegaly in older patients with milder disease. Male gender, older age, smaller tumor and lower IGF-1 index at diagnosis predicted long-term sustained IGF-1 control after surgery without adjuvant therapies. CONCLUSION The vast majority of patients with acromegaly can be biochemically controlled with multimodality therapy in the current era. Radiotherapy and repeat pituitary surgery became less frequently utilized over time. Long-term postoperative IGF-1 control without use of adjuvant therapies has improved.
How do people with eating disorders experience the stigma associated with their condition? A mixed-methods systematic review

Abstract Background Public opinion research shows that eating disorders (EDs) are a major target of stigmatisation. To understand the implications of this stigma, research investigating how stigma is experienced by individuals with EDs is critical. Aim This paper aims to collate, evaluate and synthesise the extant empirical research illuminating how people with EDs experience the stigma associated with their condition. Method A systematic mixed-methods literature search was performed. Articles that met a specified set of inclusion criteria underwent a quality assessment and thematic synthesis. Results Twenty-nine articles were included in the review. Studies were mostly qualitative and of reasonable methodological quality. The literature was characterised by five research themes, illuminating (i) the nature and prevalence of stigma experienced, (ii) stigma in families, (iii) stigma in healthcare contexts, (iv) self-stigmatisation and illness concealment, and (v) stigma resistance. Conclusions The reviewed research showed that people with EDs have extensive experience of stigma in diverse settings. They report that stigma has negative implications for their psychological wellbeing and likelihood of help-seeking. However, research also shows that people with EDs actively seek to resist and challenge stigma. The review identifies the outstanding gaps and weaknesses in this literature.
The Drug Treatment Outcomes Research study (DTORS): Cost-effectiveness analysisRH)HMXMSR

The Drug Treatment Outcomes Research Study (DTORS)assessed the outcomes, costs and benefits of drugtreatment in England.Results obtained in the study were variable and affected bya very small number of outliers. However, they providedevidence that treatment was effective in improving healthstatus and in reducing the costs of other health and socialcare services. Overall, the net benefits of structured drugtreatment were estimated to be positive, both overall andat the individual level in around 80 per cent of cases, with abenefit-cost ratio of approximately 2.5:1. Small sample sizeprevented the estimation of robust net benefits for samplesubgroups. However, the results are broadly generalisableto the population of people seeking structured drugtreatment in England and Wales.There were limitations to the analysis, due to missingobservations and follow-up data, and the use of self-reportdata to estimate service use, offending and health status.The absence of a control group not receiving treatmentalso means that it is not possible to ascribe with a highdegree of confidence any observed changes in outcomesto structured drug treatment specifically.DTORS participants were individuals who had receivedtriage and a care plan for drug treatment, and not all ofthese would have taken up or completed their courses oftreatment. The reported results reflect the average over allindividuals. Further, the analysis does not include the costsof ancillary services which might have been received priorto accessing treatment, for instance the costs of triage andcare plans. More significantly, the costs of referral throughschemes such as the Drug Interventions Programme arealso excluded
Heightened levels and seasonal inversion of riverine suspended sediment in a tropical biodiversity hot spot due to artisanal gold mining

Significance Artisanal-scale gold mining (ASGM) operations are expanding across the planet, leading to widespread riparian deforestation and excavation, and hastening sediment transport into nearby rivers. Here, we show that ASGM operations have led to major increases in river suspended-sediment concentrations across a wide region of the Peruvian Amazon. The magnitude of suspended-sediment increase we detect implies detrimental and long-lasting impacts on aquatic biota, particularly behavior and community structure of fish populations, and increased riverine transport of ASGM-contributed, mercury-laden sediments. Our data document that ASGM has rapidly decreased water quality in this large region since the 1980s, indicating a pressing need for biogeochemical and ecological evaluations of ASGM-affected rivers worldwide in order to quantify indirect consequences on aquatic species and human health. In recent years, rising gold prices have exacerbated the global proliferation of artisanal-scale gold mining (ASGM), with catastrophic consequences for human and ecological health. Much of this burgeoning industry has occurred in biodiversity hot spots, notably in the tropical forests of South America. While the loss of tropical forests and floodplains as a result of ASGM has been well characterized, ASGM impacts on riverine hydrological properties are less understood. Previous fieldwork on ASGM-affected and gully-eroded tropical streams and rivers has demonstrated that increases in suspended-sediment concentration (SSC) can substantially impact fish diversity and aquatic community structure, yet our understanding of the timing and scope of impacts of such increases is limited by the lack of long-term records of SSC. To address this challenge, we present a 34-y analysis of the direct effect of ASGM on 32 river reaches in the Madre de Dios region of Peru, which has been heavily impacted by ASGM since the 1980s. We evaluate spatial and temporal patterns of impacts using estimated SSC derived from Landsat satellite imagery. We find that 16 of 18 stretches of river impacted by ASGM show significant increasing trends in SSC (P < 0.05), while only 5 of 14 unaffected sites do so. Additionally, ASGM appears to reverse natural seasonal cycles of SSC, which may imperil aquatic species. Overall, our findings indicate that ASGM is fundamentally altering optical water quality dynamics of a critical tropical biodiversity hot spot and provide guidance for future regulation of these activities.
Diagnosis of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment

In this special issue of Diagnostics, expert contributors have produced up-to-date research studies and reviews on various topics related to the diagnosis of dementia and cognitive impairment. The methods of the assessments discussed extend from simple neurological signs, which may be elicited in the clinical encounter, through cognitive screening instruments, to sophisticated analyses of neuroimaging and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of disease. It is hoped that these various methods may facilitate earlier diagnosis of dementia and its subtypes, and provide differential diagnosis of depression and functional cognitive disorders, as a prelude to meaningful interventions.
Post-Sexual Assault Mental Health: A Randomized Clinical Trial of a Video-Based Intervention

The current study assessed the efficacy of a brief video intervention (Prevention of Post-Rape Stress [PPRS]) delivered in the emergency department to recent sexual assault (SA) victims. PPRS was compared to treatment as usual (TAU) and an active control condition (Pleasant Imagery and Relaxation Instruction [PIRI]). Primary outcomes were posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and perceived present control. Prior SA was examined as a moderator of treatment effects. Women (n = 233; aged 15 years and older; 59.70% identified as a racial or ethnic minority) who received a post-SA medical forensic exam participated in the study (NCT01430624). Participants were randomized to watch the PPRS video (n = 77), the PIRI video (n = 77), or receive TAU (n = 79). Participants completed measures of PTSD symptoms and perceived present control 1.5-, 3-, and 6-months post-SA. An interaction between condition and prior SA was found on PTSD symptom frequency and on perceived present control. Among women with a prior SA, women in the PPRS versus TAU condition reported less frequent PTSD symptoms 6-months post-SA. Those in the PPRS condition had lower perceived present control than those in the TAU condition among those with no prior SA 3-months post-SA. However, at 6-months post-SA, among women with a prior SA, women in the PPRS reported higher perceived present control than those in TAU. These findings partially replicate a prior study in which PPRS was found to be beneficial in mitigating the development of PTSD symptoms, but only for women with a prior SA.
Adolescent mothers' non-utilisation of antenatal care services in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe

Curationis 32 (3): 14-21 A dolescen t pregnan cies are high risk obstetric occurrences. Antenatal care (ANC) p ro vid es opportunities to recognise and treat obstetric com plications, enhancing the preg n a n cy outcom es f o r m others an d babies. The pu rp o se o f the stu dy w as to identifyfactors influencing adolescen ts' non-utilisation o f A N C services in Bulawayo. The Health B e lie f M odel (HBM) was used to contextualise the study. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive research design was adopted, using structured interview s to collect data. Purposive, non-probability sam pling was used to conduct structured interview s with 80 adolescent mothers from the postn atal w ards who had d elivered their babies without attending ANC. F actors influencing these adolescent mothers ' non-utilisation o f A N C services in­ cluded socio-econom ic issues, individuals' perception s about ANC, lim ited knowl­ edge about ANC, p olicies an d structural barriers. However, these adolescents knew that deliverin g their babies with skilled attendance could enhance the outcomes f o r the m others and babies, w ould help secure documents to fa cilita te the acquisition o f their children's birth certificates, an d that obstetric com plications required the serv­ ices o f skilled m idw ives/doctors. P olicy-related issues, such as requiring national identity cards from pregnan t adolescents (orfrom their spouses) p roh ibited som e o f them fro m utilising A N C services. There is a need to im prove adolescents ' reproductive health outreach (including ANC) program m es and to offerfree A N C services in Zimbabwe. Restrictive policies, such as the required identity cards o f the pregnan t adolescents (or their husbands), im pacted negatively on the accessibility o f A N C services and should be addressed as a m atter o f urgency in Bulawayo.
A Study on the Effects of Bottom Electrode Designs on Aluminum Nitride Contour-Mode Resonators

This study presents the effects of bottom electrode designs on the operation of laterally vibrating aluminum nitride (AlN) contour-mode resonators (CMRs). A total of 160 CMRs were analyzed with varying bottom electrode areas at two resonant frequencies (f0) of about 230 MHz and 1.1 GHz. Specifically, we analyzed the impact of bottom electrode coverage rates on the resonator quality factor (Q) and electromechanical coupling (k2), which are important parameters for Radio Frequency (RF) and sensing applications. From our experiments, Q exhibited different trends to electrode coverage rates depending on the device resonant frequencies, while k2 increased with the coverage rate regardless of f0. Along with experimental measurements, our finite element analysis (FEA) revealed that the bottom electrode coverage rate determines the active (or vibrating) region of the resonator and, thus, directly impacts Q. Additionally, to alleviate thermoelastic damping (TED) and focus on mechanical damping effects, we analyzed the device performance at 10 K. Our findings indicated that a careful design of bottom electrodes could further improve both Q and k2 of AlN CMRs, which ultimately determines the power budget and noise level of the resonator in integrated oscillators and sensor systems.
Overgrowth of the lower limb after treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip: incidence and risk factors in 101 children with a mean follow-up of 15 years

Background and purpose — There are few studies on overgrowth of the affected limb after treatment of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). We investigated the incidence of overgrowth and its risk factors in DDH patients. Patients and methods — 101 patients were included in this study. Overgrowth was defined by 2 criteria: when the height of the femoral head of the affected side was higher than that of the contralateral side by more than 10 mm, or by more than 15 mm. The potential risk factors of distinct overgrowth were retrospectively examined using multivariable analysis. Results — When overgrowth was defined as femoral head height difference (FHHD) > 10 mm, its incidence was 44%, and only femoral osteotomy was identified as a significant risk factor with a relative risk (RR) of 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.0–2.5). When overgrowth was defined as FHHD > 15 mm, its incidence was 23%, and femoral osteotomy was identified as the only significant risk factor with an RR of 2.3 (CI 1.2–4.5). Overgrowth developed more frequently in patients who underwent femoral osteotomy at the age of 2 to 4 years (87%) than in the others (46%) (p = 0.04). Interpretation — Overgrowth of the affected limb is common in DDH patients. Patients who underwent femoral osteotomy, especially at the age of 2 to 4 years, may require careful follow-up because of the substantial risk for overgrowth.
Are Aspects of Twitter Use Associated with Reduced Depressive Symptoms? The Moderating Role of In-Person Social Support

In a two-wave, 4-month longitudinal study of 308 adults, two hypotheses were tested regarding the relation of Twitter-based measures of online social media use and in-person social support with depressive thoughts and symptoms. For four of five measures, Twitter use by in-person social support interactions predicted residualized change in depression-related outcomes over time; these results supported a corollary of the social compensation hypothesis that social media use is associated with greater benefits for people with lower in-person social support. In particular, having a larger Twitter social network (i.e., following and being followed by more people) and being more active in that network (i.e., sending and receiving more tweets) are especially helpful to people who have lower levels of in-person social support. For the fifth measure (the sentiment of Tweets), no interaction emerged; however, a beneficial main effect offset the adverse main effect of low in-person social support.
Mechanisms and Functions of Long Non-Coding RNAs at Multiple Regulatory Levels

Long non-coding (lnc) RNAs are non-coding RNAs longer than 200 nt. lncRNAs primarily interact with mRNA, DNA, protein, and miRNA and consequently regulate gene expression at the epigenetic, transcriptional, post-transcriptional, translational, and post-translational levels in a variety of ways. They play important roles in biological processes such as chromatin remodeling, transcriptional activation, transcriptional interference, RNA processing, and mRNA translation. lncRNAs have important functions in plant growth and development; biotic and abiotic stress responses; and in regulation of cell differentiation, the cell cycle, and the occurrence of many diseases in humans and animals. In this review, we summarize the functions and mechanisms of lncRNAs in plants, humans, and animals at different regulatory levels.
Advanced Cataloging of Lysine-63 Polyubiquitin Networks by Genomic, Interactome, and Sensor-Based Proteomic Analyses

Comprehensive analysis of Lys-63 polyubiquitination sheds light on its importance to plant growth and development and identifies the machinery driving this posttranslational modification. The lack of resolution when studying the many different ubiquitin chain types found in eukaryotic cells has been a major hurdle to our understanding of their specific roles. We currently have very little insight into the cellular and physiological functions of Lys-63 (K63)–linked ubiquitin chains, although they are the second most abundant forms of ubiquitin in plant cells. To overcome this problem, we developed several large-scale approaches to characterize (1) the E2-E3 ubiquitination machinery driving K63-linked ubiquitin chain formation and (2) K63 polyubiquitination targets to provide a comprehensive picture of K63 polyubiquitin networks in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Our work identified the ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s) UBC35/36 as the major drivers of K63 polyubiquitin chain formation and highlights the major role of these proteins in plant growth and development. Interactome approaches allowed us to identify many proteins that interact with the K63 polyubiquitination-dedicated E2s UBC35/36 and their cognate E2 variants, including more than a dozen E3 ligases and their putative targets. In parallel, we improved the in vivo detection of proteins decorated with K63-linked ubiquitin chains by sensor-based proteomics, yielding important insights into the roles of K63 polyubiquitination in plant cells. This work strongly increases our understanding of K63 polyubiquitination networks and functions in plants.
Cyberbullying, Self-concept and Academic Goals in Childhood

Abstract Cyberbullying has aroused scientific interest given the impact it has on the lives of young people. The present study proposes to analyze the relationship between self-concept (Self-Description Questionnaire I), academic goals (Achievement Goals Tendencies Questionnaire), and the participation of the roles of victim, bully and bystander in cyberbullying (Cyberbullying. Screening for peer bullying and cyberbullying), by gender and grade. The sample was composed of 548 students (49.8% girls) in 5th and 6th grade of Primary Education (Mage = 10.95, SD = 0.7). Logistic regression analyses showed the explicative role of social self-concept and learning goals in the three roles, highlighting the academic self-concept and achievement goals in the victims, as well as the high social reinforcement goals in bullies and bystanders. This relation varied slightly according to gender and grade, being the motivational orientation towards school achievement a protector of victimization in girls and 6th grade students. The findings are discussed, pointing out their involvement in the development of preventive cyberbullying programs in preadolescence.
Adaptive Neural Quantized Control of MIMO Nonlinear Systems Under Actuation Faults and Time-Varying Output Constraints

In this article, a neural network (NN)-based robust adaptive fault-tolerant control (FTC) algorithm is proposed for a class of multi-input multi-output (MIMO) strict-feedback nonlinear systems with input quantization and actuation faults as well as asymmetric yet time-varying output constraints. By introducing a key nonlinear decomposition for quantized input, the developed control scheme does not require the detailed information of quantization parameters. By imposing a reasonable condition on the gain matrix under actuation faults, together with the inherent approximation capability of NN, the difficulty of FTC design caused by anomaly actuation can be handled gracefully, and the normally used yet rigorous assumption on control gain matrix in most existing results is significantly relaxed. Furthermore, a brand new barrier function is constructed to handle the asymmetric yet time-varying output constraints such that the analysis and design are extremely simplified compared with the traditional barrier Lyapunov function (BLF)-based methods. NNs are used to approximate the unknown nonlinear continuous functions. The stability of the closed-loop system is analyzed by using the Lyapunov method and is verified through a simulation example.
Does host socio-spatial behavior lead to a fine-scale spatial genetic structure in its associated parasites?

Gastro-intestinal nematodes, especially Haemonchus contortus, are widespread pathogenic parasites of small ruminants. Studying their spatial genetic structure is as important as studying host genetic structure to fully understand host-parasite interactions and transmission patterns. For parasites having a simple life cycle (e.g., monoxenous parasites), gene flow and spatial genetic structure are expected to strongly rely on the socio-spatial behavior of their hosts. Based on five microsatellite loci, we tested this hypothesis for H. contortus sampled in a wild Mediterranean mouflon population (Ovis gmelini musimon × Ovis sp.) in which species- and environment-related characteristics have been found to generate socio-spatial units. We nevertheless found that their parasites had no spatial genetic structure, suggesting that mouflon behavior was not enough to limit parasite dispersal in this study area and/or that other ecological and biological factors were involved in this process, for example other hosts, the parasite life cycle, or the study area history.
Alumina and Zirconia Ceramics in Joint Replacements

Ceramic biomaterials have gained widespread use in arthroprostheses joints. Ceramic oxides including alumina as α-corundum Al2O3 and zirconia, as yttria-stabilised zirconia polycrystals, were used in large number of patients, especially in the manufacture of ball heads for hip replacements. The experience and the feedbacks gathered in more than 30-year clinical use of alumina, and 15-year use of zirconia are reviewed. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies on the biocompatibility of alumina and zirconia ceramics are analyzed as well as the studies on carcinogenicity. (Journal of Applied Biomaterials & Biomechanics 2003; 1: 19-32)