Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ovarian Cancer Debulking Surgery: A Survey of Practice in Australia and New Zealand

Introduction: The purpose of our study was to survey all practicing gynecological oncologists in Australia and New Zealand to determine their definition of optimal debulking, their current surgical techniques used to achieve optimal debulking, and their reasons for using or not using such techniques. Methods: In October 2007, an email survey was distributed to all 42 practicing gynecological oncologists in Australia and New Zealand. Information obtained included practice patterns, as well as surgical expertise, techniques, and rationale with respect to primary debulking surgery for advanced epithelial ovarian cancer. Results: There was an 81% response rate. Fifty-eight percent of respondents considered optimal debulking to be residual disease less than 10 mm, 21% considered it to be less than 5 mm, and 18% considered it to be no visible disease. Sixty-five percent were able to achieve optimal debulking in their patients, as measured by their own criteria. Patient factors considered to be most frequent barriers to optimal debulking were medical comorbidities (91%) and older patient population (59%). Disease findings which most often precluded optimal debulking were disease involving the base of the mesentery (94%), confluent diaphragmatic disease (74%), and large volume, confluent peritoneal disease (50%). A variety of procedures were used by either gynecological oncologists or their colleagues, but more than 50% would never perform resection of diaphragmatic disease, resection of parenchymal liver metastases, or ablation with cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator or argon beam. The most common reasons for not performing ultraradical procedures were concerns regarding benefit (39%), concerns regarding morbidity (24%), and lack of personal expertise (24%). Conclusions: Most gynecological oncologists use a variety of surgical techniques to achieve optimal debulking. However, patient factors as well as concerns regarding benefit and lack of expertise were reasons cited for not performing ultraradical surgery.
The Course and Predictors of Health‐Related Quality of Life in Living Kidney Donors: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

A better understanding of the course and risk factors for impaired long‐term health‐related quality of life (HRQoL; ie, physical, psychological, and social–relational functioning) after kidney donation might help clinicians improve the care of live kidney donors. This systematic review and meta‐analysis summarizes prospective studies about the course and predictors of HRQoL in living kidney donors. Studies indicate that shortly after donation, donors have lower HRQoL, with minor to moderate changes in psychological and social–relational functioning and major changes in physical functioning. At 3–12 months after donation, HRQoL returned to baseline or was slightly reduced, particularly for fatigue, but scores were still comparable to general population norms. Results were mainly robust across surgery techniques. A limited number of studies examined risk factors for impaired HRQoL, with low psychological functioning before donation as the most consistent predictor. Based on these results, clinicians can inform potential donors that, on average, kidney donors have high long‐term HRQoL; however, donors with low psychological functioning at baseline are those most at risk of impaired long‐term HRQoL. Future studies should focus on other potentially relevant predictors of postdonation HRQoL, including donor eligibility criteria and donor–recipient relationships, to optimize screening and interventions for donors at risk.
Clinical Implications of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Genetics on Phenotype

&NA; The genetic revolution has been with us for over a decade now. We have yet to see this impacting the care of patients except in a few rare examples. However, progress has been made in the field of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that could soon be translated to the bedside, both in terms of predicting the disease course as well as in the response to therapy. IBD traditionally has been classified as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, with 10% of patients classified as having indeterminate colitis on the basis of clinical, radiologic, endoscopic, and histologic findings. However, this traditional view is now being challenged. Developments in genetics and serological markers, as well as an appreciation of the disease course, have led to an understanding that IBD is a heterogeneous group of diseases with some common genetic and environmental factors but different clinical manifestations in terms of disease behavior, location, and response to treatment. Data are now emerging that may allow us to more objectively select the correct therapy for the correct patient, rather than the current approach, which is based on clinical experience backed up by a less‐than‐perfect evidence base. In this article, we will review the evidence for this.
Characterization of recombinant human gastrointestinal glutathione peroxidase mutant produced in Escherichia coli

Abstract Gastrointestinal glutathione peroxidase (GI-GPx, GPx2) is a selenium-dependent enzyme and regarded as the first line of defense against oxidative stress caused by ingested pro-oxidants or gut microbes. As the essential part of the catalytic site of GPx2, selenocysteine (Sec) is encoded by an in-frame UGA stop codon, which makes the expression of human GPx2 (hGPx2) using traditional recombinant DNA technology difficult. In order to produce bioactive recombinant hGPx2, the gene of hGPx2 was designed with the conversion of the codons for four cysteine (Cys) residues to the codons for serine (Ser) residues and the codon for Sec-40 was changed to the codon for Cys. This recombinant seleno-hGPx2 mutant was obtained using a single protein production system in a cysteine (Cys) auxotrophic strain, in which Sec was introduced into the protein via tRNACys misleading. The activity of this mutant was in the same order of magnitude as that of hGPx4, but about one order of magnitude lower than that of hGPx1 and hGPx3. Further study showed that the mutant exhibited pH and temperature optima of 7.4 and 25°C, respectively. The results obtained from the kinetic analysis demonstrated that it followed a typical ping-pong mechanism similar to native GPx. As there was no report on the activity of purified GPx2, this research was valuable in recognizing native GPx2. In addition, a three-dimensional structure of seleno-hGPx2 mutant was constructed, which could facilitate further analysis of the role and the catalytic mechanism of native GPx2.
Platelet monoamine oxidase type B, MAOB intron 13 and MAOA-uVNTR polymorphism and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder

Abstract Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a disorder that develops following exposure to traumatic experience(s), is frequently associated with agitation, aggressive behavior and psychotic symptoms. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) degrades different biogenic amines and regulates mood, emotions and behavior, and has a role in the pathophysiology of various neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between different symptoms occurring in PTSD [PTSD symptom severity assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), agitation and selected psychotic symptoms assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS)] and platelet MAO-B activity and/or genetic variants of MAOB rs1799836 and MAOA-uVNTR polymorphisms in 249 Croatian male veterans with PTSD. Our study revealed slightly higher platelet MAO-B activity in veterans with PTSD with more severe PTSD symptoms and in veterans with agitation, and significantly higher platelet MAO-B activity in veterans with more pronounced psychotic symptoms compared to veterans with less pronounced psychotic symptoms. Platelet MAO-B activity was associated with smoking but not with age. Genetic variants of MAOB rs1799836 and MAOA-uVNTR were not associated with agitation and selected psychotic symptoms in veterans with PTSD. A marginally significant association was found between MAOB rs1799836 polymorphism and severity of PTSD symptoms, but it was not confirmed since carriers of G or A allele of MAOB rs1799836 did not differ in their total CAPS scores. These findings suggest an association of platelet MAO-B activity, but a lack of association of MAOB rs1799836 and MAOA-uVNTR, with selected psychotic symptoms in ethnically homogenous veterans with PTSD.
Materials in Germany’s domestic building stock: calculation model and uncertainties

ABSTRACT Building stocks are the dominant consumers of resources within national economies. Correspondingly, there is high demand for improved knowledge of material stocks and flows in the built environment. Material flow analysis is well suited to meet this demand. Although numerous studies have been conducted on this topic over recent years, these frequently lack applicability and transferability due to insufficient documentation or treatment of uncertainties. A new approach is presented here to calculate material stocks and flows for domestic buildings using the example of multi-family housing (MFH) in Germany. The approach is critically examined to determine its validity. The calculation process involves four steps: (1) building types are classified according to building age; (2) highly specific material composition indicators (MCIs) are calculated for the respective building types; (3) the total material stock as well as inflows and outflows are derived from the total floor space of Germany’s MFH; and (4) validity tests are performed to quantify uncertainties. The main results are age-based MCIs for MFH, the total material mass as well as quantitative information on parameter- and model-related uncertainties. Conclusions are drawn on the validity of results, the scalability and applicability of the model and its implementation, along with potential model refinements.
Association between circulating miRNAs and spinal involvement in patients with axial spondyloarthritis

Objectives Dysregulation of miRNAs and their target genes contributes to the pathophysiology of autoimmune diseases. Circulating miRNAs may serve as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers. We aimed to investigate the association between circulating miRNAs, disease activity and spinal involvement in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA). Methods Total RNA was isolated from the plasma of patients with non-radiographic (nr)AxSpA, patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and healthy controls (HC) via phenol-chloroform extraction. A total of 760 miRNAs were analysed with TaqMan® Low Density Arrays, and the expression of 21 miRNAs was assessed using single assays. Results Comprehensive analysis demonstrated the differential expression of miRNAs among patients with progressive spinal disease. Of the 21 miRNAs selected according to their expression patterns, the levels of miR-625-3p were significantly different between nr-AxSpA patients and HCs. We found no correlation between miRNA levels and Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) in nr-AxSpA patients. Selected miRNAs, such as miR-29a-3p, miR-146a-5p or miR-222-3p with an established role in extracellular matrix formation and inflammation were associated with spinal changes and/or disease activity assessed by BASDAI in AS patients, including miR-625-3p reflecting disease activity in AS with spinal involvement. Conclusions Our data indicate that circulating miRNAs play a role in the pathogenesis of AxSpA and are also suggestive of their potential as biomarkers of disease progression. We hypothesize that differential systemic levels of miRNA expression reflect miRNA dysregulation at sites of spinal inflammation or bone formation where these molecules contribute to the development of pathophysiological features typical of AxSpA.
Impact of Medical Home Implementation Through Evidence-based Quality Improvement on Utilization and Costs

Background:Evidence-based quality improvement (EBQI) methods may facilitate practice redesign for more effective implementation of the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Objective:We assessed changes in health care utilization and costs for patients receiving care from practices using an EBQI approach to implement PCMH and comparison practices over a 5-year period. Research Design:We used longitudinal, electronic data from patients in 6 practices using EBQI and 28 comparison practices implementing standard PCMH for 1 year before and 4 years after PCMH implementation. We analyzed trends in utilization and costs using bivariate analyses and independent effects of EBQI status on outcomes using multivariate regressions adjusting for year, patient and clinic factors, and patient random effects for repeated measures. Subjects:A total of 136,856 patients using Veterans Affairs primary care. Measures:Veterans Affairs ambulatory care encounters, emergency department visits, admissions, and total health care costs per patient. Results:After PCMH implementation, overall utilization for primary care, specialty care, and mental health/substance abuse care decreased, whereas utilization for telephone care increased among all practices. Patients also had fewer hospitalizations and lower costs per patient. In adjusted analyses, EBQI practice was independently associated with fewer primary care (IRR=0.85), specialty care (IRR=0.83), and mental health care encounters (IRR=0.69); these effects attenuated over time (all P<0.01). There was no independent effect of EBQI on prescription drug use, acute care, health care costs, or mortality rate relative to comparison practices. Conclusion:EBQI methods enhanced the effects of PCMH implementation by reducing ambulatory care while increasing non-face-to-face care.
The utility of [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography in thymic epithelial tumours.

OBJECTIVES Positron emission tomography using [(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose ((18)F-FDG-PET) plays an important role in many oncological settings. In this study, we assessed the utility of (18)F-FDG PET-CT for predicting the histologic type and stage of thymic epithelial tumours. METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 58 patients with thymic epithelial tumours who underwent PET-CT before treatment and investigated the relationship between the histologic type based on the World Health Organization classification and the maximum standardized uptake value (SUV(max)) of each tumour. We also analyzed the relationship between the Masaoka tumour stage and the SUV(max). RESULTS The study included 31 males and 27 females, ranging in age from 25 to 80 years (median: 62 years). The tumour histology of 44 tumours was thymoma and that of the remaining tumours was thymic carcinoma, including 11 squamous cell carcinomas and 3 carcinoids. The Masaoka tumour stage was as follows: Stage I in 8, Stage II in 24, Stage III in 18 and Stage IV in 8 patients. The patients were divided into three groups according to a simplified histologic classification: low-risk thymomas (types A, AB and B1, n = 23), high-risk thymomas (types B2 and B3, n = 21) and thymic carcinomas (n = 14). The SUV(max) of the thymic carcinoma group was significantly higher than those of the low-risk thymoma and high-risk thymoma groups (P < 0.001, respectively). No significant differences between the low-risk thymoma and high-risk thymoma groups were observed (P = 0.204). The SUV(max) of Stages III and IV thymomas showed a higher trend toward Stages I and II thymomas (P = 0.060). CONCLUSIONS PET-CT is a useful modality for predicting the histologic type and tumour stage of thymic epithelial tumours.
Determinants of Cue-Elicited Craving and Physiologic Reactivity in Methamphetamine-Dependent Subjects in the Laboratory

Objective: Craving for methamphetamine is commonly reported by heavy users of the drug and may increase the risk of relapse in newly abstinent individuals. Exposure to methamphetamine-associated cues in the laboratory can elicit measureable craving and autonomic reactivity in some individuals with methamphetamine dependence. In this study, clinical and demographic correlates of methamphetamine craving and the optimal conditions for its measurement in the laboratory are explored. Methods: Subjective (craving) and physiologic (heart rate and skin conductance) reactivity to presentation of methamphetamine-associated photo, video, and paraphernalia cues were evaluated in 43 subjects with methamphetamine dependence. Association of cue reactivity with demographic and clinical characteristics including duration, frequency, amount, and recency of methamphetamine use were assessed. Results: Craving was reported by fewer than half of subjects at baseline and by approximately 70% of subjects after methamphetamine cue exposure. Relative to baseline, subjective craving was increased by all three cue modalities to a similar extent. In general, physiological cue reactivity correlated poorly with cue-induced craving. Craving at baseline was strongly predictive of cue-induced craving. Differences in cue-induced craving were not associated with age, sex, education, employment, treatment status, or number of days using methamphetamine in the 60 days prior to study entry. In contrast, the degree of baseline craving was strongly associated with employment status and the number of days using methamphetamine in the past 60 days. Conclusions: Cue-induced craving for methamphetamine may be reliably measured in methamphetamine-dependent individuals in the laboratory. Further studies employing the cue reactivity paradigm in methamphetamine dependence are warranted.
Understanding Web Experience and Perceived Web Enjoyment as Antecedents of Online Purchase Intention

The main purpose of this research article is to determine web experience and perceived web enjoyment as antecedents of online purchase intention. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was followed by two-stage structural equation modelling (SEM) to fit the data in the hypothesized model. The findings of the study reported that web experience of an online consumer is formed from website visual design, website interactivity, web privacy and web ease of navigation. This study also reported that perceived web enjoyment is partially mediating the relationship between web experience and the attitude of an online consumer. This study will help marketers to understand the importance of interactive web experience for online shoppers.
Korean Adolescents’ Energy Intake of Selected Foods by Eating Place from 1998 to 2012 During Implementation of Two National School Nutrition Policies

ABSTRACT This study examines changes in Korean adolescents’ energy intakes from selected foods that were offered in school stores over 15 years, during which 2 policies prohibiting unhealthy food sales in school stores were implemented in 2007 and in 2009, respectively. Using 24-h dietary recall from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1998–2012, adolescents’ energy intakes in each eating place were calculated. Energy intakes from instant noodles consistently decreased both at home and in school stores. Energy intakes from soft drinks away from home or school rapidly increased beginning in 2008. Policies regulating unhealthy food sales in school stores appear to have had a modest impact on adolescents’ overall consumption of unhealthy foods. Comprehensive policies targeting diverse eating places are needed to improve adolescents’ overall diet.
The induction of a radiation-induced bystander effect in fish transcends taxonomic group and trophic level

Abstract Purpose: To extend the investigations of bystander effect induction in fish of the same species as the irradiated fish, to bystander effect induction between fish species and between trophic levels. Materials and methods: To investigate interspecies bystander effect induction, zebrafish and medaka were irradiated with a 0.5 Gy X-ray dose and then swum with non-irradiated fish of the same and opposite species. To investigate trophic level bystander effect induction, California blackworms were irradiated with the same X-ray dose and then fed to non-irradiated rainbow trout. Results: Reductions in clonogenic survival of the HPV-G (non-transformed human keratinocytes, immortalized with the human papilloma virus) reporter cell line, treated with tissue explant media, revealed that zebrafish and medaka induced a pro-apoptotic bystander effect in the other species and that, in trout, the normally anti-apoptotic effect caused by the consumption of non-irradiated blackworms was significantly reduced or lost if the blackworms had been irradiated. Conclusions: These results are the first to show that a radiation- induced bystander effect can transcend taxonomic group and trophic level in fish. This provides further evidence that bystander signals are widespread and conserved and may be transmitted through an ecosystem, as well as between individuals of the same species.
Early postoperative arrhythmias after pediatric cardiac surgery

Background This prospective study proposed to determine the incidence, risk factors, and management protocols for early postoperative arrhythmias after pediatric cardiac surgery, with focus on outcomes, using a uniform protocol, and also to see if children operated on at a later age have different issues from those operated on earlier. Methods Of 224 consecutive pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgery from September 2013 to July 2014, 24 were excluded because their procedures were performed without cardiopulmonary bypass. Results The median age was 24 months (mean 50.1 ± 62.4 months, range 0.5–216 months). Fifteen (7.5%) patients developed arrhythmia, the most common was junctional ectopic tachycardia (n = 7, 46.6%) followed by supraventricular tachycardia (n = 5, 33.3%). All junctional ectopic tachycardias occurred within 24 h of intensive care unit admission. Of the 7 patients with junctional ectopic tachycardia, 5 responded to conventional measures and 2 required amiodarone infusion. There was a significant longer cardiopulmonary bypass time in patients with arrhythmias compared to those without arrhythmias. Conclusion We observed a very low incidence of arrhythmias, particularly junctional ectopic tachycardia, after open heart surgery in children. Other than a longer cardiopulmonary bypass time, no specific predictors were identified. It appears that the cause of arrhythmias following pediatric cardiac surgery is multifactorial and needs further study with a greater number of patients.
Evaluation of small noncoding RNAs in ex vivo stored human mature red blood cells: changes in noncoding RNA levels correlate with storage lesion events

While biomarkers of storage lesions (SLs) for red blood cells (RBCs) abound, the physiologic consequences of SLs and associated important events are poorly understood. Previously we have identified differentially expressed regulatory small noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) in stored RBCs, suggesting their role in the RBC SL process and their potential as quality biomarkers of stored RBCs.
Depression or anxiety: which is best able to predict patterns of lateralisation for the processing of emotional faces?

ABSTRACT Previous research has shown that both anxiety and depression are associated with strength of lateralisation for the processing of emotive faces, although these clinical measures have always been considered in separate studies. In the present study, we measure depression and anxiety, within the same non-clinical sample, and consider whether these variables can predict strength of lateralisation, measured using the chimeric faces test. There are two key findings from this study. First, for females only, anxiety is negatively associated with right hemispheric superiority for processing of negative emotional expressions. Second, there was only one finding for depression, showing a relationship with strength of lateralisation for the processing of fearful faces that differed according to sex.