Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Female Underrepresentation in STEM Subjects: A Study of Female High School Students in China

In Chinese education, there is a conflict between girls’ socialized gender norms and the values and pedagogies that are incorporated in the science curriculum. These are influenced at both the microand macro-level of institutions and often discourage female students from choosing science courses, pushing them into social science instead. In order to ensure that female students have the same opportunities to reach their potential in science areas, it is important to understand the factors that influence their choices. This study investigates the potential reasons why female high school students in China are less likely to choose STEM subjects and direction. By conducting qualitative interviews with six female students, in two Chinese high schools, who have been enrolled in social sciences courses, the study discovers several factors, including the influence of current sciences curriculum, teachers, labor market, parents, and peers, behind their decisionmaking behaviors. The findings of this study enrich existing research on gender equity in science community by exploring the gender issue in Chinese high school education and provide a direction for future research on this topic while informing policies that can address gender disparities in science programs.
Current Clinical Applications of Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography in Coronary Artery Disease

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has emerged as a high-resolution (10-20 μ m), light-based, intravascular imaging technique capable of investigating detailed coronary plaque morphology. OCT is highly sensitive and specific for characterizing fibrous, fibrocalcific, and lipid-rich plaque. OCT is capable of discriminating 3 types of unstable plaque morphologies underlying coronary thrombosis such as plaque rupture, erosion, and calcified nodules. The high resolution of OCT has a potential to identify important features of vulnerable plaques such as thin-cap ( < 65 μ m thick) fibroatheroma, macrophages, vasa vasorums, cholesterol crystals, and micro-calcifications. As compared with conventional intravascular ultrasound, OCT provides more accurate measurements of coronary lumen diameter and lesion length, which is useful in determining stent size. OCT is much more sensitive in detecting inadequate stent findings such as intrastent tissue protrusion, incomplete stent apposition, stent edge dissection, and intrastent thrombus, which is helpful in optimizing stent implantation. Recently developed new stent optimization software such as OCT/angiography co-registration and 3-dimentional view enhances ease of use, simplifies interpretation and allows us to literally visualize a better outcome of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In conclusion, OCT is a promising technology to assess coronary atherosclerosis and to guide PCI.
Effect of pre-operative statin administration on delirium rate after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG): a prospective cohort study

Background: Statins have recently been suggested to exert protective cerebral effects in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the association between pre-operative statin administration and the rate of post-operative delirium (POD) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Methods: This prospective cohort study was conducted at Seyedoshohada Hospital (Urmia, Iran) from June 2017 through April 2018. Patients, before undergoing CABG may have two different approaches by clinicians; administrating statins vs. those who do not receive statins. Participants in this study were selected among each of the two approaches. Therefore, Group A (n=200) (exposure group) received statins 10 mg or 20 mg in the preoperative period and Group B (n=200) did not receive statins before admission to hospital. During their intensive care unit (ICU) stay, Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) was performed every 8 hours to assess delirium. The data were analyzed by STATA version 13. The rate of POD were determined across the groups using independent samples t-test and Chi-square tests. Study covariates were adjusted and the association between the outcome of delirium incidence and clinical interventions was examined using multiple logistic regression. Results: Demographic data was similar between the two groups. Of the four hundred patients analyzed, 57 patients (14.5%) had delirium at some time during their cardiovascular ICU stay; nine (4.5%) in the patients group with use of statins and forty-eight (24%) in the patients group without use of statins had POD. There was a significant difference in the occurrence of delirium across the two groups (p=0.001). Incidence of POD in patients ≥ 60 years in Group A was significantly lower than in the patients in Group B, 4.2% and 32.3% respectively (p=0.001). Conclusion: Statin Pretreatment reduces the occurrence of post-operative delirium after coronary artery bypass surgery.
Abstract CT039: Cyclin E1 (CCNE1)expression associates with benefit from palbociclib in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in the PALOMA3 trial

BACKGROUND: The CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib in combination with fulvestrant (F) improved progression-free survival (PFS) vs F alone in previously-treated MBC. Prior pre-clinical research, and the NeoPalAna window study, identified high CCNE1 expression as a potential palbociclib resistance marker. We conducted large panel gene expression analysis of baseline tumor tissue to identify biomarkers (BMs) that predicted the relative benefit of palbociclib. METHODS: The PALOMA3 trial randomized 521 patients (pts) with endocrine-pretreated MBC to receive palbociclib + F or placebo (PBO) + F. All pts, except bone only or early relapse, provided FFPE tissue taken from recurrent disease. EdgeSeq Oncology BM Panel (HTG Molecular Diagnostics) was used for mRNA profiling, assessing 2534 cancer related genes. Primary objective was to evaluate the association of cell cycle pathway with palbociclib + F vs F alone treatment effect by using gene expression as a continuous variable or dichotomization by median level with Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: 302 pts had tumor tissue analyzed (194/347 [56%] palbociclib + F; 108/174 [62%] PBO+F). The BM and overall populations had similar treatment effect. Benefit from palbociclib was greater in patients with low tumor CCNE1 expression (median PFS: palbociclib + F 14.1 mo vs PBO+F 4.8 mo, HR 0.32) than high tumor CCNE1 expression (palbociclib + F 7.6 mo vs PBO+F 4.0 mo; HR 0.85) (interaction p=0.0024). Similar results were observed with CCNE1 as a continuous variable (interaction p=0.0008). Expression levels of CDK4, CDK6, cyclin D1 and RB1 did not associate with benefit from palbociclib, and both luminal A and B tumors derived benefit from palbociclib. In exploratory analysis, high E2F-regulon expression predicted for relative resistance to palbociclib. CONCLUSION: Higher expression of CCNE1 was associated with relative resistance to palbociclib, although all biomarker groups derived benefit from treatment. This data supports CDK2 as the key bypass kinase of CDK4/6 inhibition, and potential to target CDK2 to subvert resistance. Sponsor: Pfizer Citation Format: Nicholas C. Turner, Yuan Liu, Zhou Zhu, Sherene Loi, Marco Colleoni, Sibylle Loibl, Angela DeMichele, Nadia Harbeck, Fabrice Andre, Zhe Zhang, Carla Giorgetti, Cynthia Huang Bartlett, Massimo Cristofanilli. Cyclin E1 (CCNE1) expression associates with benefit from palbociclib in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) in the PALOMA3 trial [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT039.
Low Diastolic Blood Pressure and High Blood Pressure Variability are Risk Factors for Cognitive Decline in Elderly Adults: A Case-Control Study

Background This study investigated the association between visit-to-visit blood pressure (BP) variability and cognitive decline in elderly adults over a 4-month period. Methods All 94 elderly volunteers were recruited from a community center. Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) questionnaires were administered during the initial assessment and at 4 months after the service. The BP at each visit and the visit-to-visit BP variability were measured for 4 consecutive months. Results The middle-stage/moderate cognitive impairment (MMSE scores ≤ 21) group exhibited significantly lower minimum diastolic BP and higher diastolic coefficient of variation values than did the mild/no cognitive impairment (MMSE scores >21) group did. After adjustment for the effects of age, the minimum diastolic BP was significantly and positively associated with the MMSE scores (P=0.033). To further evaluate the effects of low diastolic BP (LDBP) on cognitive function, we compared the initial and 4-month MMSE scores between the LDBP group (minimum diastolic BP ≤ 50 mmHg) and the control group (minimum diastolic BP>50 mmHg). We divided the volunteers into the following 4 groups: (1) hypertension history with LDBP (HT-c-LDBP), (2) hypertension history without LDBP (HT-s-LDBP), (3) no hypertension history without LDBP (nHT-s-LDBP), and (4) no hypertension history with LDBP (nHT-c-LDBP). The cognitive function differed significantly among the four groups (MMSE scores: HT-c-LDBP=21.62 ± 2.87; HT-s-LDBP=25.20 ± 2.78; nHT-s-LDBP=26.12 ± 3.65; and nHT-c-LDBP=23.27 ± 3.16). Compared to the nHT-s-LDBP group, the data showed that the HT-c-LDBP group exhibited significantly worse cognitive function, followed by the nHT-c-LDBP group. Conclusions LDBP and high diastolic BP variability are risk factors for cognitive function decline in elderly adults.
Cardiothoracic ratio on chest radiographs as a predictor of hypertensive heart disease among adults with systemic hypertension

Background: Systemic hypertension is a worldwide epidemic and often called a silent killer. It is the commonest cardiovascular disease among Africans, and an acknowledged potential risk factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, hypertensive heart disease, hypertensive heart failure, and end organ damage of the brain, eyes, and kidneys. Hypertensive heart disease results in high cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), which is evident on a chest radiograph. This study was aimed at using CTR on chest radiographs to predict the occurrence of hypertensive heart disease among hypertensive adults in Zaria. Patients and Methods: The study was carried out in the Department of Radiology, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, Nigeria, using static conventional x-ray machine. Consecutive 305 hypertensive patients and equal number of normal individuals, age and sex matched (as controls), were recruited. The chest radiographs of the participants were taken according to standard technique, and required measurements such as CTR and aortic arch width were taken and documented. Results: The mean CTR for the hypertensive patients and controls were 0.52 ± 0.07 and 0.45 ± 0.04, respectively. There was significant relationship between CTR and hypertensive heart disease. Other variables such as blood pressure, age, and sex also correlated significantly with CTR. Conclusion: The CTR showed positive relationship with blood pressure and hypertensive heart disease and it could, therefore, be used to predict the occurrence of these conditions.
Stressors and coping strategies among physiotherapy students: Towards an integrated support structure

Background Stress is a major problem among university and, specifically, health care students, as it may influence academic performance and psychological well-being negatively. Aims To develop and implement a student support system based on the perceived stress, stressors and coping strategies of physiotherapy students. Methods A cross-sectional, descriptive study was undertaken, using a literature-based, self-compiled questionnaire and the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). Over a period of three years, 207 third- and fourth-year physiotherapy students at a South African university were included. Results Psychological distress was experienced by 61.8%–71.2% of participants. During the 3 months prior to the study, 6% of participants received psychological or psychiatric help and 9% of participants used some form of psychiatric medication. The main stressors identified during clinical training were the suffering and death of patients, academic pressure and tension during interaction with personnel. Participants indicated that they mainly coped with these stressors by talking to someone such as a family member or a friend. Conclusions Based on the findings of this study, a framework to identify and support students in pre-clinical and clinical training years was developed and implemented over five years. This proposed framework might positively contribute to the psychological well-being of health care students.
Quality of Life in Vestibular Schwannoma Patients: A Longitudinal Study

OBJECTIVE To examine differences in quality of life in patients with vestibular schwannoma following a single treatment modality: observation, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), or microsurgery. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review. SETTING Tertiary academic medical center. PATIENTS Patients diagnosed with sporadic vestibular schwannoma who had completed at least 2 Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality of Life (PANQOL) surveys. INTERVENTIONS Treatment via SRS, microsurgery, or observation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES PANQOL total survey and subdomain scores. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-four patients (94 observations, 24 SRS, 16 microsurgeries) were included. The mean number of PANQOL surveys completed was 2.8 (range 2-5). The total PANQOL scores were significantly lower in the SRS group, but not the microsurgery group, compared with observation at the time of diagnosis (observation 550.4 ± 58.4; SRS 471.4 ± 37.4; microsurgery 492.6 ± 40.7; p = 0.03). Over time, there were no significant differences in the change of PANQOL scores across the 3 groups (SRS PANQOL score worsened 6.8/year compared with observation, p = 0.3; microsurgery PANQOL score worsened 7.8/year compared with observation, p = 0.5). Anxiety was the only subdomain that significantly worsened over time in the microsurgery group (microsurgery PANQOL score worsened 3.8/year compared with observation; p = 0.009). CONCLUSION Despite differences in PANQOL scores at baseline, changes in total PANQOL score over time were not found to be statistically significant, regardless of the treatment group chosen. Overall, these results hold implications for patient counseling when considering treatment choice and quality of life predictions.
Perillyl alcohol and perillic acid enhanced the sensitivity of head and neck cancer cells to radiation treatment in vitro

Perillyl alcohol and perillic acid enhanced the sensitivity of head and neck cancer cells to radiation treatment in vitro by Daniel Samaila Dr. J. Abiodun Elegbede, Examination Committee Chair/Adviser Assistant Professor o f Biochemistry University o f Nevada, Las Vegas Limonene and perillyl alcohol are the naturally occurring monoterpenes found commonly in plant fruits and vegetables. Perillyl alcohol (POH) elicited anticarcinogenic effects in a number o f caneer models and pharmacokinetie studies in humans revealed that perillie acid (PA) is the major eireulating metabolite following POH administration. Effects o f these monoterpenes eombined with and without radiation on human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines (HNSCC) were measured using eytotoxicity and flow eytometry assays. HNSCC cells were pretreated with 1.0 mM PA or 0.5mM POH for 72 hr before exposure to IGy or 2Gy radiation dose. Pretreatment with l.OmM PA or 0.5mM POH sensitized the eells to radiation, causing growth inhibition in HTB-43 (50% and 71%), SCC-25 (55% and 68%) and BroTo (18% and 53%) cells, respectively. PA induced cell-cycle arrest in Gq/G i phase, caused cell death via apoptosis and a reduction in p53 protein in SCC-25 eells.
Local Reference of splenic volume in Healthy Sudanese Subjects Sonographically

This study was carried out to estimate normal linear dimensions and volume of the spleen in Sudanese using ultrasonography, and to keep it as standards reference for diagnostic purposes. This prospective study was done at Radiology Department, National Ribat University Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan, conducted on 108 volunteers ( 72 males and 36 females ) . All linear dimensions of spleen were measured, and splenic volume was calculated using ultrasonography. The splenic volume was then analyzed with age and body parameters using the Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results of this study revealed that the mean values of the age, height, weight of subjects, spleen length (SL), spleen width (SW), spleen thickness (ST) and spleen volume were calculated were found to be 38.74±18.898years,163.11±17.747mm,65.33±15.431kg,91.07±11.330mm,37.59±7.440mm, 37.78±8.085mm and 70.63±31.924cm 3 respectively. Age had no significant effect on spleen volume ( p =0. 684 ) . There was a significant positive correlation, using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, between the spleen volume, and other parameters ( height p =0.000, and weight p =0.002 . The present study concluded that a local reference of spleen dimensions was established with a different range of values reported previously.
Treatment options for periarticular knee fractures in geriatric patients

An expected increase in the volume of geriatric patients mandates a close examination of the treatment options, outcomes, and complications associated with distal femoral and tibial plateau fractures. These fractures can notoriously occur after low-energy trauma and may lead to devastating outcomes. An array of operative treatments for fractures of the distal femur has shown a decrease in morbidity while leading to satisfactory fracture healing. Recent evidence reveals that primary arthroplasty may eventually show promise as a mainstay of treatment options, particularly in patients with significant preexisting degenerative changes. Various external fixation and internal fixation modalities with locking constructs have been shown to be effective in tibial plateau fractures with significant comminution and osteoporotic bone, respectively. Treatment goals should focus on preventing complications while returning the patient to optimal functional status in light of these often-severe injuries. Given the wide variety of treatment options, larger studies of higher-level evidence are required to establish a standard of care for these pathologies in the geriatric population.
ASSESSMENT OF SERUM AND URINE URIC ACID LEVEL IN RELATION WITH ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES IN OVERWEIGHT AND OBESE UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS

Objectives: Elevated uric acid level is related to a variety of adverse metabolic conditions including gout, obesity, and risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. This prospective study designed to assess the serum and urine uric acid level in relation with anthropometric indices in overweight and obese undergraduate students at NAU, Nnewi, Nigeria.Methods: A total of 302 undergraduate students aged between 18 and 40 years were randomly recruited for the present study. They were grouped based on their body mass index (BMI) as overweight, obese, and control participants. 132 participants were males, of which 21 were obese, 34 were overweight while 77 were normal (control) males. 170 participants were females, of which 56 were obese, 62 were overweight while the remaining 52 were normal (control) females. Fasting blood and 24 h urine sample were aseptically collected from all the participants for determination of serum and urine uric acid.Results: The study observed significantly higher serum uric acid level in obese and overweight males than female and control counterparts (p=0.000, respectively). Urine uric acid level was significantly higher in obese males and females than in their overweight and control counterparts (p=0.000). This shows increase production and accumulation of monosodium urate with decreased uric acid excretion which may result in hyperuricemia and hyperuricosuria which may result in gout. Serum and urine uric acid levels were significantly higher among age range (26–32) and (33–40) years compared with those among age range (18–25) (p<0.05) signifying that uric acid level increases with age. Serum and urine uric acid were significantly positively correlated with BMI, waist circumference, and waist hip ratio (p<0.05). Conclusions: High serum uric acid is a prerequisite for gout and also associated with the metabolic syndrome and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Proper awareness of the implication of hyperuricemia among undergraduate students is necessary.
The Early Jurassic male ginkgoalean inflorescence Stachyopitys preslii Schenk and its in situ pollen

An early Liassic male inflorescence of Stachyopitys preslii with in situ pollen is described from a clay lens in the sandpit Kufner near Pechgraben, Bavaria, Germany. These male inflorescences have been known since the 19th century and are rather common in the early Liassic floras of Bavaria, but in situ pollen was hitherto unknown. Stachyopitys preslii is always found in association with the leaves and the female fructifications of Schmeissneria microstachys. The in situ pollen proved to be monosulcate, a pollen type commonly occurring in the Cycadophyta and Ginkgophyta. This strengthens the possible attribution of the parent plant of S. preslii (Schmeissneria microstachys) to the Ginkgoales.
Proton spin relaxation study of the germination of barley grains

The time-evolution of the spin relaxation of water protons during the germination of barley grains in-situ, supplied continuously by water, was investigated using a "home-made" permanent-magnet NMR relaxometer, working at 25 MHz. It was found that the values of the spin-lattice time, T1, are higher in germinating than in "killed" grains.
Comparing the Effects of Epley Maneuver and Cinnarizine on Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo; A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The fastest and safest treatment method of BPPV is repositioning maneuvers. In Iran, this methods are not widely used, and many physicians use medical therapy, despite their side effects, for management of BPPV. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial patients with BPPV were randomly allocated to Epley repositioning maneuver or Cinnarizine (25mg every 8 hours) for two weeks. The patients were evaluated for symptoms using visual analogue scale (VAS) scoring system before intervention, first and second weeks after intervention. In the second and third visitd the results of hallpike test was recorded for both groups. Results: 43 patients with a mean age of 46.88±11.08 years in two Epley and Cinnarizine group underwent analysis. The mean VAS score for improvement of symptoms after intervention was 1.66±1.06 in Epley and 1.50±0.91 in Cinnarizine group (P=0.57). Conclusion: we found that there is no significant difference between Epley maneuver and Cinnarizine for treatment and controlling symptoms of BPPV.