Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gabapentin for uremic pruritus: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials

Uremic pruritus is one of the most prevalent and bothersome dermatologic symptoms in patients with end‐stage renal disease. Some studies suggest a possible neuropathic cause of uremic pruritus. Gabapentin, an anticonvulsant, may control pruritus with neuropathic origin. The objectives of this study were to assess the efficacy of gabapentin in reducing pruritus scores of patients with uremic pruritus and evaluate its safety among dialysis patients. Meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials, using gabapentin as treatment for uremic pruritus among hemodialysis patients was included and analyzed using Review Manager Version 5.1. 4 software. Seven out of 17 screened articles were included, with a total of 315 participants. Meta‐analysis of the incidence of improved pruritus scores after treatment from four studies (n = 171) showed that treatment with gabapentin decreased the severity of uremic pruritus as compared to the placebo (risk ratio = 0.18; 95% confidence interval: 0.09, 0.33; I2 = 4%: P =< 0.00001). Six studies (n = 290) presented with incidence of adverse drug events such as dizziness, drowsiness, and somnolence. In the pooled analysis, treatment with gabapentin was associated with a higher incidence of adverse drug events compared to the comparator drugs, but the results were not significant (risk ratio = 1.3, 95% confidence interval: 0.81, 2.11; P = 0.28, I2 = 37%). The results of this systematic review suggest that gabapentin is efficacious and safe in improving uremic pruritus among dialysis patients.
Nasalance in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Abstract Purpose: Listener judgments indicate atypical nasal resonance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); however, listener perceptions are susceptible to bias and may give unreliable information about a speaker’s production of nasal resonance. The current study used Nasometry to obtain an objective estimation of nasal resonance among adolescents with ASD and neurotypical controls. Method: The Nasometer II 6450 (PENTAX Medical, Lincoln Park, New Jersey) was used to collect nasalance from adolescents aged 15–17 years with ASD (n = 11) and matched controls (n = 11) across two separate speech tasks: (1) passage reading and (2) spontaneous speech. Result: Adolescents with ASD evidenced significantly higher nasalance scores compared to controls, particularly in the passage loaded with bilabial plosives and some nasals (Bobby) as well as non-nasal words extracted from spontaneous speech. In addition, adolescents with ASD had significantly higher nasalance ratios than controls. Significant group differences were driven by a subset of participants with ASD. Conclusion: Perceptual judgements of nasality noted in previous autism studies are quantified by an increase in nasal energy compared to oral energy. The current data suggest hypernasality is present in a subset of people with ASD rather than being a general feature of speech in autism.
Closed incision negative pressure therapy following abdominoplasty after breast reconstruction with deep inferior epigastric perforator flaps

Autologous breast reconstructions using deep inferior epigastric perforator (DIEP) flaps create a large incision, presenting an opportunity for surgical site complications. In this pilot study, we aimed to examine outcomes in DIEP donor site incisions managed with standard dressings (control; n = 5) or closed incision negative pressure therapy (ciNPT; n = 5). We observed no significant differences between group age, body mass index, and past medical history. Both treatment groups had a similar duration of hospital stay, the number of blood transfusions, and pain scores on postoperative day 2 (P > .05). There was a trend of higher drainage (P = .251) and shorter time to incision healing (P = .067) in the ciNPT group than the control though the difference was not statistically significant. We did observe a significant improvement in scar pigmentation, vascularity, and pliability at 3, 6, and 12 months post‐surgery in the ciNPT group compared with control (P < .05). No surgical site complications were reported in the ciNPT group within the follow‐up period. In the control group, one patient developed wound edge fat necrosis requiring reoperation. In conclusion, we report that ciNPT is a useful incision management system for DIEP flap donor site incisions and it facilitated improved scar quality over standard dressings in this small pilot study. Further clinical studies are required to assess the full advantages provided by ciNPT.
Therapeutic potential of triheptanoin in metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases

In the past 15 years the potential of triheptanoin for the treatment of several human diseases in the area of clinical nutrition has grown considerably. Use of this triglyceride of the odd‐chain fatty acid heptanoate has been proposed and applied for the treatment of several conditions in which the energy supply from citric acid cycle intermediates or fatty acid degradation are impaired. Neurological diseases due to disturbed glucose metabolism or metabolic diseases associated with impaired β‐oxidation of long chain fatty acid may especially take advantage of alternative substrate sources offered by the secondary metabolites of triheptanoin. Epilepsy due to deficiency of the GLUT1 transporter, as well as diseases associated with dysregulation of neuronal signalling, have been treated with triheptanoin supplementation, and very recently the advantages of this oil in long‐chain fatty acid oxidation disorders have been reported. The present review summarises the published literature on the metabolism of triheptanoin including clinical reports related to the use of triheptanoin.
Babo1, formerly Vop1 and Cop1/2, is no eyespot photoreceptor but a basal-body protein illuminating cell division in Volvox carteri.

In photosynthetic organisms many processes are light-dependent and sensing of light requires light-sensitive proteins. The supposed eyespot-photoreceptor protein Babo1 (formerly Vop1) has previously been classified as an opsin due to the capacity for binding retinal. Here, we analyze Babo1 and provide evidence that it is no opsin. Due to the localization at the basal bodies, the former Vop1 and Cop1/2 proteins were renamed V.c. Babo1 and C.r. Babo1. We reveal a large family of more than sixty Babo1-related proteins from a wide range of species. The detailed subcellular localization of fluorescence-tagged Babo1 shows that it accumulates at the basal apparatus. More precisely, it is located predominantly at the basal bodies and to a lesser extent at the four strands of rootlet microtubules. We trace Babo1 during basal body separation and cell division. Dynamic structural rearrangements of Babo1 particularly occur right before the first cell division. In four-celled embryos Babo1 was exclusively found at the oldest basal bodies of the embryo and on the corresponding d-roots. The unequal distribution of Babo1 in four-celled embryos could be an integral part of a geometrical system in early embryogenesis, which establishes the anterior-posterior polarity and influences the spatial arrangement of all embryonic structures and characteristics. Due to its retinal-binding capacity, Babo1 could also be responsible for the unequal distribution of retinoids, knowing that such concentration gradients of retinoids can be essential for the correct patterning during embryogenesis of more complex organisms. Thus, our findings push the Babo1 research in another direction.
Karate.: Càrregues de lactatémia en entrenament i en competició

espanolHem volgut valorar les carregues d'io lactat en sang, provocades per l'entrenament I la competicio del karate. Hem proposat dos protocols diferents d'entrenament en base a carregues de 4' d'una intensitat creixent i al final de cada carrega d'entrenament hem mesurat la lactatemia en 17 karatekes. Al final de cada sessio d'entrenament es feu combat de 2' de durada. Hem mesurat en total 13 carregues d'entrenament diferents en cada esportista. En competicio hem analitzat les lactatemies de 6 karatekes de l'equip nacional en 10 combats d'un campionat d'Espanya. Les carregues lactiques en l'entrenament assoliren valors de 4 a 12 mMol/l segons el treball i foren considerades com altes carregues lactiques. La competicio dona concentracions de 12,4 ± 3,59 mMol/l amb una important variabilitat individual en funcio de la tecnica i de les caracteristiques del combat. catalaHemos querido valorar las cargas de ion lactato en sangre provocadas por el entrenamiento y competicion del karate. Hemos propuesto dos diferentes protocolos de entrenamiento en base a cargas de 4' de una intensidad creciente. Y hemos medido al final de cada carga de entrenamiento la lactatemia en 17 karatekas. Al final de cada sesion de entrenamiento se realizaron combate de 2' de duracion. Hemos medido en total 13 cargas de entrenamiento diferentes en cada deportista.En competicion hemos analizado las lactatemias de 6 karatekas del equipo nacional en 10 combates de un Campeonato de Espana. Las cargas lacticas en el entrenamiento alcanzaron valores de 4 a 12 mMol/1 segun el trabajo, pudiendose considerar como de altas cargas lacticas. La competicion arrojo concentraciones de 12,4 ± 3,59 mMol/l. con una importante variabilidad individual en funcion de la tecnica de las caracteristicas del combate.
Molecular Medicine Reports

This monthly, peer-reviewed journal includes studies devoted to molecular medicine, underscoring aspects including pharmacology, pathology, genetics, neurosciences, infectious diseases, molecular cardiology and molecular surgery. In vitro and in vivo studies of experimental model systems pertaining to the mechanisms of a variety of diseases offer researchers the necessary tools and knowledge with which to aid the diagnosis and treatment of human diseases.
Level of Consciousness Is Dissociable from Electroencephalographic Measures of Cortical Connectivity, Slow Oscillations, and Complexity

Leading neuroscientific theories posit a central role for the functional integration of cortical areas in conscious states. Considerable evidence supporting this hypothesis is based on network changes during anesthesia, but it is unclear whether these changes represent state-related (conscious vs unconscious) or drug-related (anesthetic vs no anesthetic) effects. We recently demonstrated that carbachol delivery to prefrontal cortex (PFC) restored wakefulness despite continuous administration of the general anesthetic sevoflurane. By contrast, carbachol delivery to parietal cortex, or noradrenaline delivery to either prefrontal or parietal cortices, failed to restore wakefulness. Thus, carbachol-induced reversal of sevoflurane anesthesia represents a unique state that combines wakefulness with clinically relevant anesthetic concentrations in the brain. To differentiate the state-related and drug-related associations of cortical connectivity and dynamics, we analyzed the electroencephalographic data gathered from adult male Sprague Dawley rats during the aforementioned experiments for changes in functional cortical gamma connectivity (25–155 Hz), slow oscillations (0.5–1 Hz), and complexity (<175 Hz). We show that higher gamma (85–155 Hz) connectivity is decreased (p ≤ 0.02) during sevoflurane anesthesia, an expected finding, but was not restored during wakefulness induced by carbachol delivery to PFC. Conversely, for rats in which wakefulness was not restored, the functional gamma connectivity remained reduced, but there was a significant decrease (p < 0.001) in the power of slow oscillations and increase (p < 0.001) in cortical complexity, which was similar to that observed during wakefulness induced after carbachol delivery to PFC. We conclude that the level of consciousness can be dissociated from cortical connectivity, oscillations, and dynamics. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Numerous theories of consciousness suggest that functional connectivity across the cortex is characteristic of the conscious state and is reduced during anesthesia. However, it is unknown whether the observed changes are state-related (conscious vs unconscious) or drug-related (drug vs no drug). We used a novel rat model in which cholinergic stimulation of PFC produced wakefulness despite continuous exposure to a general anesthetic. We demonstrate that, as expected, general anesthesia reduces connectivity. Surprisingly, the connectivity remains suppressed despite pharmacologically induced wakefulness in the presence of anesthetic, with restoration occurring only after the anesthetic is discontinued. Thus, whether an animal exhibits wakefulness or not can be dissociated from cortical connectivity, prompting a reevaluation of the role of connectivity in level of consciousness.
Kin discrimination and outer membrane exchange in Myxococcus xanthus: Experimental analysis of a natural population

In some species of myxobacteria, adjacent cells sufficiently similar at the adhesin protein TraA can exchange components of their outer membranes. The primary benefits of such outer membrane exchange (OME) in natural populations are unclear, but in some OME interactions, transferred OM content can include SitA toxins that kill OME participants lacking an appropriate immunity gene. Such OME-dependent toxin transfer across Myxococcus xanthus strains that differ only in their sitBAI toxin/antitoxin cassette can mediate inter-strain killing and generate colony-merger incompatibilities (CMIs)–inter-colony border phenotypes between distinct genotypes that differ from respective self-self colony interfaces. Here we ask whether OME-dependent toxin transfer is a common cause of prevalent CMIs and antagonisms between M. xanthus natural isolates identical at TraA. We disrupted traA in eleven isolates from a cm-scale soil population and assayed whether traA disruption eliminated or reduced CMIs between swarming colonies or antagonisms between strains in mixed cultures. Among 33 isolate pairs identical at traA that form clear CMIs, in no case did functional disruption of traA in one partner detectably alter CMI phenotypes. Further, traA disruption did not alleviate strong antagonisms observed during starvation-induced fruiting-body development in seven pairs of strains identical at traA. Collectively, our results suggest that most mechanisms of interference competition and inter-colony kin discrimination in natural populations of myxobacteria do not require OME. Finally, our experiments also indicate that several closely related laboratory reference strains kill some natural isolates by toxins delivered by a shared, OME-independent type VI secretion system (T6SS), suggesting that some antagonisms between sympatric natural isolates may also involve T6SS toxins.
Probiotic Effects of a Novel Strain, Acinetobacter KU011TH, on the Growth Performance, Immune Responses, and Resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila of Bighead Catfish (Clarias macrocephalus Günther, 1864)

In the present study, the novel probiotic strain Acinetobacter KU011TH with an evident lack of pathogenicity in catfish was experimented. Three practical administration routes, namely, feed additive (FD), water-soluble additive (SOL), and a combination route (FD+SOL), were applied in two sizes of catfish. After 120 days of FD+SOL administration, catfish fingerlings (15 g) exhibited a significant improvement in all tested growth performance parameters. For 15- and 30-day applications at the juvenile stage (150 g), phagocytic activity, phagocytic index, lysozyme activity, respiratory burst activity, alternative complement pathway, and bactericidal activity were significantly increased. Furthermore, probiotic-administered bighead catfish exhibited an upregulated expression of several immune-related genes in tested organs. Significant colonization by Acinetobacter KU011TH in rearing water and on skin and gills was observed among experimental groups. Histological analysis clearly indicated enhanced physical characteristics of skin mucosal immunity in the treated groups. No histopathological changes in the gills, skin, intestine or liver were observed among the fish groups. Interestingly, after challenge with Aeromonas hydrophila, the survival rates of the treated groups were significantly higher than those of the controls. In conclusion, the novel probiont Acinetobacter KU011TH provides a potent strategy for improvement in growth and disease resistance, which is an important steppingstone for sustaining catfish aquaculture.
Predicting Factors Affecting Adolescent Obesity Using General Bayesian Network and What-If Analysis

With the remarkable improvement in people’s socioeconomic living standards around the world, adolescent obesity has increasingly become an important public health issue that cannot be ignored. Thus, we have implemented its use in an attempt to explore the viability of scenario-based simulations through the use of a data mining approach. In doing so, we wanted to explore the merits of using a General Bayesian Network (GBN) with What-If analysis while exploring how it can be utilized in other areas of public health. We analyzed data from the 2017 Korean Youth Health Behavior Survey conducted directly by the Korea Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, including 19 attributes and 11,206 individual data points. Our simulations found that by manipulating the amount of pocket money-between $60 and $80-coupled with a low-income background, it has a high potential to increase obesity compared with other simulated factors. Additionally, when we manipulated an increase in studying time with a mediocre academic performance, it was found to potentially increase pressure on adolescents, which subsequently led to an increased obesity outcome. Lastly, we found that when we manipulated an increase in a father’s education level while manipulating a decrease in mother’s education level, this had a large effect on the potential adolescent obesity level. Although obesity was the chosen case, this paper acts more as a proof of concept in analyzing public health through GBN and What-If analysis. Therefore, it aims to guide health professionals into potentially expanding their ability to simulate certain outcomes based on predicted changes in certain factors concerning future public health issues.
Specific Anchoring and Local Translation of Poxviral ATI mRNA at Cytoplasmic Inclusion Bodies

Poxvirus genome replication, transcription, translation, and virion assembly occur at sites within the cytoplasm known as factories. Some poxviruses sequester infectious virions outside of the factories in inclusion bodies comprised of numerous copies of the 150-kDa ATI protein, which can provide stability and protection in the environment. We provide evidence that ATI mRNA is anchored by nascent peptides and translated at the inclusion sites rather than in virus factories. Association of ATI mRNA with inclusion bodies allows multiple rounds of local translation and prevents premature ATI protein aggregation and trapping of virions within the factory. ABSTRACT On-site translation of mRNAs provides an efficient means of subcellular protein localization. In eukaryotic cells, the transport of cellular mRNAs to membraneless sites usually occurs prior to translation and involves specific sequences known as zipcodes that interact with RNA binding and motor proteins. Poxviruses replicate in specialized cytoplasmic factory regions where DNA synthesis, transcription, translation, and virion assembly occur. Some poxviruses embed infectious virus particles outside of factories in membraneless protein bodies with liquid gel-like properties known as A-type inclusions (ATIs) that are comprised of numerous copies of the viral 150-kDa ATI protein. Here, we demonstrate by fluorescent in situ hybridization that these inclusions are decorated with ATI mRNA. On-site translation is supported by the localization of a translation initiation factor eIF4E and by ribosome-bound nascent chain ribopuromycylation. Nascent peptide-mediated anchoring of ribosome-mRNA translation complexes to the inclusions is suggested by release of the mRNA by puromycin, a peptide chain terminator. Following puromycin washout, relocalization of ATI mRNA at inclusions depends on RNA and protein synthesis but requires neither microtubules nor actin polymerization. Further studies show that the ATI mRNAs remain near the sites of transcription in the factory regions when stop codons are introduced near the N terminus of the ATI or large truncations are made at the N or C termini. Instead of using a zipcode, we propose that ATI mRNA localization is mediated by ribosome-bound nascent ATI polypeptides that interact with ATI protein in inclusions and thereby anchor the complex for multiple rounds of mRNA translation. IMPORTANCE Poxvirus genome replication, transcription, translation, and virion assembly occur at sites within the cytoplasm known as factories. Some poxviruses sequester infectious virions outside of the factories in inclusion bodies comprised of numerous copies of the 150-kDa ATI protein, which can provide stability and protection in the environment. We provide evidence that ATI mRNA is anchored by nascent peptides and translated at the inclusion sites rather than in virus factories. Association of ATI mRNA with inclusion bodies allows multiple rounds of local translation and prevents premature ATI protein aggregation and trapping of virions within the factory.
Randomized comparison of every-two-week v. every-three-week chemotherapy in Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFT)

10504 Background: Chemotherapy with alternating cycles of vincristine-doxorubicin-cyclophosphamide and ifosfamide-etoposide, and primary tumor treatment with surgery and/or radiation therapy, is the usual approach to localized ESFT in North America. We conducted a trial asking whether chemotherapy intensification through interval compression could improve outcome. Methods: This was a prospective randomized-controlled trial for patients less than 50 y old with extra-dural ESFT, without distant metastases or prior chemotherapy or radiation therapy; and with adequate renal, cardiac, and hepatic function. Patients were treated with vincristine (2 mg/sq.m, max. 2 mg), doxorubicin (75 mg/sq.m) and cyclophosphamide (1.2 g/sq.m) alternating with ifosfamide (9 g/sq.m) and etoposide (100 mg/sq.m/), for 14 cycles, with filgrastim (5 mg/kg/day, maximum 300 mg) between cycles. Patients assigned to Regimen A were scheduled to begin chemotherapy cycles every 21 days, and patients assigned to Regimen B were scheduled to .