Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnitude of Cognitive Dysfunction in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes: A Meta-analysis of Six Cognitive Domains and the Most Frequently Reported Neuropsychological Tests Within Domains

Abstract The objectives were to conduct a meta-analysis in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) standards to determine effect sizes (Cohen's d) for cognitive dysfunction in adults with type 2 diabetes, relative to nondiabetic controls, and to obtain effect sizes for the most commonly reported neuropsychological tests within domains. Twenty-four studies, totaling 26,137 patients (n = 3351 with diabetes), met study inclusion criteria. Small to moderate effect sizes were obtained for five of six domains: motor function (3 studies, n = 2374; d = −0.36), executive function (12 studies, n = 1784; d = −0.33), processing speed (16 studies, n = 3076; d = −0.33), verbal memory (15 studies, n = 4,608; d = −0.28), and visual memory (6 studies, n = 1754; d = −0.26). Effect size was smallest for attention/concentration (14 studies, n = 23,143; d = −0.19). The following tests demonstrated the most notable performance decrements in diabetes samples: Grooved Pegboard (dominant hand) (d = −0.60), Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (immediate) (d = −0.40), Trails B (d = −0.39), Rey-Osterreith Complex Figure (delayed) (d = −0.38), Trails A (d = −0.34), and Stroop Part I (d = −0.28). This study provides effect sizes to power future epidemiological and clinical diabetes research studies examining cognitive function and to help inform the selection of neuropsychological tests. (JINS, 2014, 20, 1–14)
Pharmacogenetic profiling in patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with first-line FOLFOX-4 chemotherapy.

PURPOSE The objective is to investigate whether polymorphisms with putative influence on fluorouracil/oxaliplatin activity are associated with clinical outcomes of patients with advanced colorectal cancer treated with first-line oxaliplatin, folinic acid, and fluorouracil palliative chemotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive patients were prospectively enrolled onto medical oncology units in Central Italy. Patients were required to have cytologically/histologically confirmed metastatic disease with at least one measurable lesion. Peripheral blood samples were used for genotyping 12 polymorphisms in thymidylate synthase, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase, xeroderma pigmentosum group D (XPD), excision repair cross complementing group 1 (ERCC1), x-ray cross complementing group 1, x-ray cross complementing protein 3, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) genes. The primary end point of the study was to investigate the association between genotypes and progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS In 166 patients, ERCC1-118 T/T, XPD-751 A/C, and XPD-751 C/C genotypes were independently associated with adverse PFS. The presence of two risk genotypes (ERCC1-118 T/T combined with either XPD-751 A/C or XPD-751 C/C) occurred in 50 patients (31%). This profiling showed an independent role for unfavorable PFS with a hazard ratio of 2.84% and 95% CI of 1.47 to 5.45 (P = .002). Neurotoxicity was significantly associated with GSTP1-105 A/G. Carriers of the GSTP1-105 G/G genotype were more prone to suffer from grade 3 neurotoxicity than carriers of GSTP1-105 A/G and GSTP1-105 A/A genotypes. CONCLUSION A pharmacogenetic approach may be an innovative strategy for optimizing palliative chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. These findings deserve confirmation in additional prospective studies.
Evaluation of myocardial function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis using strain imaging by speckle-tracking echocardiography

Objectives Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD), although strategies to detect subclinical CVD are poorly characterised. The purpose of this study was to assess myocardial function by speckle-tracking echocardiography strain imaging in patients with RA without known CVD. Methods Eighty-seven patients with RA selected from a population-based sample underwent echocardiography. Left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) longitudinal peak systolic strain were measured. A subset of 59 patients with RA was compared with 59 age-, gender- and race-matched subjects with normal echocardiography and no CVD or risk factors. Results The mean ± SD age of the patients with RA and the normal patients was 55.7±12.1 and 54.5±12.2 years (p=0.42), respectively, with 45 (76%) women in each group. Global LV strain (−15.7±3.2% vs −18.1±2.4%, p<0.001) and RV strain (−17.9±4.7% vs −20.7±2.4%, p<0.001) was reduced in patients with RA compared with normal patients. Among all 87 patients with RA the mean disease duration and C-reactive protein at echocardiography were 10.0±6.1 years and 3.5±3.7 mg/L, and 74% were seropositive. Adjusted univariate regression analysis demonstrated a significant correlation between global LV strain and RA Health Assessment Questionnaire disability index (p=0.032), and borderline associations with prior use of oral corticosteroids (p=0.062) and methotrexate (p=0.054) after adjustment for age, gender, blood pressure, body mass index, heart rate and LV mass index. Conclusions Global longitudinal LV and RV strain is reduced in patients with RA compared with healthy patients. Strain abnormalities correlate with RA disease severity. Strain imaging by echocardiography may detect early myocardial dysfunction in RA.
Galectin-1 as a potential therapeutic target in autoimmune disorders and cancer

Galectin-1, a member of a family of highly conserved glycan-binding proteins, has emerged as a regulator of immune cell tolerance and homeostasis. This endogenous lectin widely expressed at sites of inflammation and tumour growth, has been postulated as an attractive immunosuppressive agent to restore immune cell tolerance and homeostasis in autoimmune and inflammatory settings. On the other hand, galectin-1 contributes to different steps of tumour progression including cell adhesion, migration and tumour-immune escape, suggesting that blockade of galectin-1 might result in therapeutic benefits in cancer. Recent findings implicating galectin-glycoprotein lattices as selective regulators of inflammatory responses have provided new insights into the understanding of the molecular bases of galectin-1-induced immunoregulation. Here the authors review the dual role of galectin-1 as a selective immunosuppressive agent in T helper (TH)1 and TH17-mediated inflammatory/autoimmune disorders and a potential therapeutic target in cancer and metastasis.
[Medical comorbidity in elderly patients with dementia. Differences according age and gender].

BACKGROUND Prevalence of dementia in elderly patients is high. The goal of the study was to assess some aspects of comorbidity in the patients with dementia. We also analyzed comorbidity differences according to age and gender. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 311 patients older than 64 years old with dementia were prospectively evaluated. Data were collected on sociodemographic endpoints, type of dementia, Barthel Index (BI), Lawton Index (LO), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Charlson Index, total number of drugs, history of high blood pressure (HT), diabetes (DM), dyslipidemia (DL), heart failure (HF), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer. RESULTS The sample consisted of 222 women (71.4%) and 89 men. Mean age (standard deviation [SD]) was 80.6 (6) years. Patients were taking an average of 5.8 (2.6) drugs. The mean of Charlson Index was of 2.1 (1.3). Fifty-one percent had HT, 24% DM, 24% DL, 13% HF, 11% COPD and 8% cancer. We found better scores in the MMSE, higher comorbidity and percentage of married people and prevalence of vascular dementia in men with respect to women, who had higher percentage of Alzheimer disease, and widowers. When differences were analyzed according to age, we found a higher percentage of widowers and HF diagnosis, a lower LI values and DL percentage in the patients older than 84 years with respect to younger subjects. CONCLUSIONS Our results showed the presence of high comorbidity and chronic drugs prescription in elderly people with dementia. There are some differences in comorbidity according to age and gender that must be taken into account.
Extravesical tumor relapse in patients with superficial bladder tumors.

PURPOSE To define the incidence of extravesical urothelial tumors among patients with high-risk superficial bladder tumors. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three hundred seven patients with multiple recurrent papillary and in situ carcinomas of the bladder were treated with transurethral resection and intravesical bacillus Calmette Guérin (BCG) therapy and monitored for a median of 12 years (range, 10 to 18). Extravesical tumors were detected during investigation of a positive urine cytology after no tumor was found in the bladder. RESULTS Among 307 patients, 78 (25%) developed tumors in the upper urinary tract (UTT). Of 251 men, 61 (24%) had tumors detected in the prostatic urethra or ducts (T4p). The median times to detection of an UTT or prostatic epithelial tumor were 56 months and 11 months, respectively, and 32% of the UTT and 44% of the T4p relapses were lethal. CONCLUSION Patients with high-risk superficial bladder tumors who are treated successfully by a bladder-sparing strategy are at increased risk for tumor relapse that involves extravesical mucosa.
Acute kidney injury in children: incidence and prognostic factors in critical ill patients.

OBJECTIVES Acute kidney injury is characterized by sudden and generally revertible renal function impairment involving inability to maintain homeostasis. In pediatrics, the main causes of acute kidney injury are sepsis, use of nephrotoxic drugs and renal ischemia in critically ill patients. The incidence of acute kidney injury in these patients ranges from 20 to 30%, resulting in increased morbid-mortality, a 40 to 90% rate. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of acute kidney injury in intensive care unit patients, to categorize the severity of the acute kidney injury according to the Pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-Stage (pRIFLE), examine the relationship between the acute kidney injury and severity using the Pediatric Index of Mortality (PIM) and to analyze outcome predictors. METHODS A prospective study of the patients admitted to the intensive care unit of Hospital Infantil Joana de Gusmão - Florianópolis / SC - Brazil was conducted between July 2008 and January 2009. Were evaluated daily the urine output and serum creatinine, and the patients were categorized according to the pRIFLE criteria. RESULTS During the follow-up period, 235 children were admitted. The incidence of acute kidney injury was 30.6%, and the maximal pRIFLE score during hospitalization was 12.1% for R, 12.1% for I and 6.4% for F. The mortality rate was 12.3%. The patients who developed acute kidney injury had a ten times bigger risk of death versus the not exposed patients. CONCLUSIONS Acute kidney injury is frequent in critically ill patients. Early diagnosis and prompt and appropriate therapy for each clinical aspect may change this condition's course and severity, and reduce the patients' morbidity and mortality.
5‐HT4 receptor agonists: similar but not the same

Abstract 5‐Hydroxytryptamine4 (5‐HT4) receptors are an interesting target for the management of patients in need of gastrointestinal (GI) promotility treatment. They have proven therapeutic potential to treat patients with GI motility disorders. Lack of selectivity for the 5‐HT4 receptor has limited the clinical success of the agonists used until now. For instance, next to their affinity for 5‐HT4 receptors, both cisapride and tegaserod have appreciable affinity for other receptors, channels or transporters [e.g. cisapride: human ether‐a‐go‐go‐related gene (hERG) is K+ channel and tegaserod: 5‐HT1 and 5‐HT2 receptors]. Adverse cardiovascular events observed with these compounds are not 5‐HT4 receptor‐related. Recent efforts have led to the discovery of a series of selective 5‐HT4 receptor ligands, with prucalopride being the most advanced in clinical development. The selectivity of these new compounds clearly differentiates them from the older generation compounds by minimizing the potential of target‐unrelated side effects. The availability of selective agonists enables the focus to shift to the exploration of 5‐HT4 receptor‐related differences between agonists. Based on drug‐ and tissue‐related properties (e.g. differences in receptor binding, receptor density, effectors, coupling efficiency), 5‐HT4 receptor agonists are able to express tissue selectivity, i.e. behave as a partial agonist in some and as a full agonist in other tissues. Furthermore, the concept of ligand‐directed signalling offers great opportunities for future drug development by enlarging the scientific basis for the generation of agonist‐specific effects in different cell types, tissues or organs. Selective 5‐HT4 receptor agonists might thus prove to be innovative drugs with an attractive safety profile for better treatment of patients suffering from hypomotility disorders.
Acne Vulgaris in Jeddah Medical Students: Prevalence, Severity, Self-Report, and Treatment Practices

Acne is a common skin disorder of teenagers and continues into adulthood. Research has been limited regarding acne prevalence, perception and health care utilization in Saudi Arabia. The objective of this study was to assess acne prevalence in final year female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia using the global acne grading system (GAGS) compared with student’s self-report of their acne. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 151 students during 2016, in which students were interviewed subjectively and examined objectively by a trained physician. This study showed that acne was reported subjectively by 83.4% of female students compared to 98% of students assessed objectively by the global acne grading system. 14.6% of students claimed having no acne while it was objectively present, which was statistically significant (Χ2 = 15.4, P 2 months in 39.1% of students. Acne was present in 41.1% of the students parents compared to 83.4% in their siblings. A total of 41.7% of student had trunk acne. 60.9% of students had scarring and 72.8% of them had pigmentation. Moderate to severe acne students had higher siblings acne history of 95.2% (Χ2 = 5.85, P < 0.05), higher scaring of 73.8% (Χ2 = 4.05, P < 0.05), and higher pigmentation of 85.7% (Χ2 = 4.87, P < 0.05) which was statistically significant. Our study confirms that acne is very common in female medical students in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with a prevalence rate of 98%. Knowledge regarding acne treatment was inadequate demonstrating the need for educational and awareness programs about early treatment that will prevent suffering from acne scarring or pigmentation.
Identification:and immunohistochemical mapping of GABAA receptor subtypes containing the 6-subunit in rat brain

S)'naptic inhibition in brain is mainly mediated via GABA^ rc¢¢ptont which di~pl:ty a strikin~ strtt¢tural betero~tenCity. A novel type of GABA^ receptor subtmit. ~he 6.subtmit. has recently been described b=~d on molecular donin~l of'lt~ eDNA Ill. To identify the pre ealenee and distribution of GABA^ receptors which contain the 6.subunit protein in sl tu polyclomd site.directed antiscm were developed altainsl thre~ synthetic pcptides derived rorm the rat 6-subtmit eDNA. :~equcnec, All anti~ra ~pccifically recognized a ~4 kDa protein i~ GABA^ receptor prepanttion~, Nearly 30~ of the GA BA,,, reccptor~ contained tl~e 6.suhunit irnmunoreaetivity and displayed high affinity GABA and birth atllnity bcnzodiazepine bindinlt sites as ~hown by immunopt¢cipitation, Receptors which contain ~he di-subunit were irnmunohistochemically shown to be restricted to a few brain areas such as: the cerebellum, thalamus and dentate gyrus ol" the hippocampal formation, Thus. those neurons which express GABA^ receptors with a 6.sUbUnit have now been vimtalized arid made accessible for a functional analysis of ttlis GABA^ receptor subtype in situ,
Chromosome VIII disomy influences the nonsense suppression efficiency and transition metal tolerance of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The SUP35 gene of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae encodes the translation termination factor eRF3. Mutations in this gene lead to the suppression of nonsense mutations and a number of other pleiotropic phenotypes, one of which is impaired chromosome segregation during cell division. Similar effects result from replacing the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene with its orthologues. A number of genetic and epigenetic changes that occur in the sup35 background result in partial compensation for this suppressor effect. In this study we showed that in S. cerevisiae strains in which the SUP35 orthologue from the yeast Pichia methanolica replaces the S. cerevisiae SUP35 gene, chromosome VIII disomy results in decreased efficiency of nonsense suppression. This antisuppressor effect is not associated with decreased stop codon read‐through. We identified SBP1, a gene that localizes to chromosome VIII, as a dosage‐dependent antisuppressor that strongly contributes to the overall antisuppressor effect of chromosome VIII disomy. Disomy of chromosome VIII also leads to a change in the yeast strains’ tolerance of a number of transition metal salts. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparing the Costs of HIV Screening Strategies and Technologies in Health-Care Settings

Objectives. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended routine human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening for people aged 13 to 64 years in all U.S. health-care settings. Earlier recommendations focused on those at high risk for HIV and included more extensive pretest counseling. HIV screening may also involve either rapid or conventional testing. The purpose of this research was to estimate the costs of these different testing procedures and the cost per HIV-infected patient correctly receiving test results in three health-care scenarios that illustrated these policy differences. Methods. The study estimated the costs of rapid and conventional HIV testing in the following scenarios: (1) sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic counseling and testing (CT), (2) STD clinic screening, and (3) emergency department (ED) screening. Costs were estimated from the provider perspective in 2006 dollars. A decision analytic model was developed to estimate the cost per HIV-infected patient notified of test results using the two testing procedures in the three scenarios. Results. Although the complete rapid testing procedure was more expensive than conventional testing, the cost per HIV-infected patient receiving test results was lower for the rapid test compared with conventional testing in all scenarios. Per-patient costs of receiving results were lowest in the ED screening scenario and highest in the STD CT scenario. These costs were sensitive to changes in test costs, HIV prevalence, and return rates following conventional tests. Conclusion. HIV screening in general health-care settings is economically feasible, particularly with rapid tests that lower the cost of HIV-infected patients receiving their test results.
Moral develpment and parent behavior antecedents in adolescent psychopaths.

Summary Thirty psychopathic and 30 nonpsychopathic delinquents were compared with one another on level of moral development as assessed by the Kohlberg Interview, and psychopaths were found to exhibit a lower level of moral development. Analysis of subjects' perceptions of the behavior of their parents disclosed that psychopaths, as against nonpsychopathic delinquents, saw their fathers as having been less nurturant toward them and as having given them less praise. The mothers of psychopaths were reported to have demanded less achievement of their sons than the mothers of nonpsychopathic delinquents.
Endothelin system in oral squamous carcinoma cells: Specific siRNA targeting of ECE‐1 blocks cell proliferation

The present study focused on the endothelin axis in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cells. We investigated the expression and distribution of endothelin‐1 (ET‐1), its receptors (endothelin‐A receptor (ETAR) and endothelin‐B receptor (ETBR)) and isoforms of its specific converting enzyme (ECE‐1a, 1b, 1c) and the report on their relative influences on cell proliferation. We also investigated the effect of an ECE‐specific inhibitor (ECE‐i) and siRNA targeting of the ECE‐1 gene on SCC cell proliferation. We observed the expression of ET‐1, ETAR, ETBR and all endothelin‐converting enzyme‐1 (ECE‐1) isoforms in oral SCC cells, but only the expression of ET‐1, ETBR and ECE‐1 was increased when compared to normal human epidermal keratinocytes. ET‐1 alone stimulated proliferation of oral SCC cells. Antagonists of either ETAR or ETBR inhibited ET‐1‐mediated proliferation. Decreased ECE‐1 expression after ECE siRNA treatment reduced SCC cell proliferation. Antiproliferative effects were also observed by inhibiting ECE activity with ECE‐i. In conclusion, the present study demonstrates that modulation of the endothelin system in oral SCC cells might provide a novel therapeutic protocol for oral cancer. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Stability for Discrete Hopfield Neural Networks with Delay

Discrete Hopfield neural network with delay is an extension of discrete Hopfield neural network. The dynamic behavior of discrete Hopfield neural networks with delay is mainly studied by using the method of defining energy function. The conditions for the networks with delay converging towards a limit cycle with length at most 2 and the conditions for the networks with delay converging towards a limit cycle with length 4 are respectively given. The obtained results here extend the existing results on stability of discrete Hopfield neural network with delay and without delay.
A Research Agenda on Visualizations in Information Systems Engineering

Effectively using visualizations in socio-technical artifacts like information systems and software yields a number of challenges, such as ensuring that they allow for all necessary information to be captured, that visualizations can be efficiently and correctly read, and perhaps most important: that communication is fostered, leading rather to a shared understanding instead of misunderstandings and communication breakdowns. While over the last years many strides have been made to propose visualizations for specific purposes (such as modeling language notations, software interfaces, visual methods, and games), there has been less attention for frameworks and guidelines meant to support the people making such visualizations. When taking a closer look at the deficiencies in research on visualizations in information systems today, it turns out that especially a deeper understanding of the mental processes behind comprehending visualizations and the way humans are cognitively affected by visualizations, is required in order to gain advanced theoretic underpinnings for the creation and use of visualizations in information systems. In this paper we build towards a research agenda on visualization in information systems engineering by identifying a number of relevant requirements for research to address, of fundamental, methodical and tool nature.
Um retorno ao básico: compreendendo os paradigmas de pesquisa e sua aplicação na pesquisa em administração

O artigo aborda os diferentes paradigmas que devem guiar a escolha de estrategias de pesquisa na area de Administracao, discutindo as principais caracteristicas de dois desses paradigmas: o positivismo (fortemente relacionado a pesquisas de natureza quantitativa), e o interpretativismo (fortemente relacionado a pesquisas de natureza qualitativa). A compreensao desses paradigmas e fundamental para a escolha de uma estrategia adequada de pesquisa; o artigo pretende contribuir para esse entendimento por meio de uma discussao objetiva e didatica, visando a auxiliar, principalmente, aqueles que iniciam a atividade de pesquisa academica em Administracao.