Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lipoprotein apheresis and PCSK9 inhibitors for severe familial hypercholesterolaemia: Experience from Australia and New Zealand

Severe familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) causes premature disability and death due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and is refractory to standard lipid‐lowering therapies. Lipoprotein apheresis (LA) has long been a standard of care for patients with severe FH, but is invasive, expensive and time‐consuming for patients and their caregivers. Newer drug therapies, including the proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitors, may reduce the need for LA.
The association of healthy behaviors with cognitive health expectancy in Chinese older adults: a population-based cohort study

Objective: To examine how lifestyles and leisure activities are associated with cognitive health expectancy among older adults. Results: For young-old (aged 65), an absolute increase in life years without cognitive impairment was found among those with a healthy diet, engaging in mental activities and in social activities. For old-old (aged 85), an absolute increase was found for men engaging in physical activities besides those. Compared with counterparts in a high risk group, the young-old in a medium-low risk group had a smaller proportion of years without cognitive impairment. Old-old in a low risk group had a greater proportion. Conclusion: Extra years of life gained by a healthy dietary pattern, mental activities, and social activities are free of cognitive impairment for both sexes across ages. The beneficial impact of individual and combined modifiable factors on cognitive health is most prominent in old-old. Methods: Data come from The Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a population-based cohort study of 27,193 participants aged 65+ conducted between 2002 and 2014. Smoking status, alcohol consumption, dietary pattern, marital status, physical, mental, social, and productive activities were assessed at baseline. Cognitive status was measured using the Chinese version of the MMSE.
Why May COVID-19 Overwhelm Low-Income Countries Like Pakistan?

ABSTRACT Since the coronavirus disease 2019, called COVID-19, has overwhelmed the high-income countries with ample resources and established health-care system, we argue that there are plausible concerns why it may devastate the low-income countries like Pakistan. Focusing on Pakistan, we highlight the underlying reasons, eg, demographic features, ineffective health-care system, economic and political inequalities, corruption, and socio-cultural characteristics, that create fertile grounds for COVID-19 to overwhelm low-income countries. This study presents Pakistan’s brief profile to demonstrate these underlying structures that may make low-income countries like Pakistan more vulnerable in the face of an unceasing COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that the country may make appropriate and possibly effective short-term preparedness measures to halt or slow the transmission of the virus, and deal with its current implications as well as it may pay significant attention to long-term measures to deal effectively with COVID-19’s longer-term effects. These measures will help them, including Pakistan, to deal appropriately with a similar future critical event.
Sequence of therapy and survival in patients with advanced pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours.

Background Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (pnets) often present as advanced disease. The optimal sequence of therapy is unknown. Methods Sequential patients with advanced pnets referred to BC Cancer between 2000 and 2013 who received 1 or more treatment modalities were reviewed, and treatment patterns, progression-free survival (pfs), and overall survival (os) were characterized. Systemic treatments included chemotherapy, small-molecule therapy, and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. Results In 66 cases of advanced pnets, median patient age was 61.2 years (25%-75% interquartile range: 50.8-66.2 years), and men constituted 47% of the group. First-line therapies were surgery (36%), chemotherapy (33%), and somatostatin analogues (32%). Compared with first-line systemic therapy, surgery in the first line was associated with increased pfs and os (20.6 months vs. 6.3 months and 100.3 months vs. 30.5 months respectively, p < 0.05). In 42 patients (64%) who received more than 1 line of therapy, no difference in os or pfs between second-line therapies was observed. Conclusions Our results confirm the primary role of surgery for advanced pnets. New systemic treatments will further increase options.
PROTEIN REQUIREMENT OF WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWNS'

Eight hand-reared white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) fawns were randomly paired and pairs were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 isocaloric diets containing 11, 15, 20, and 25 percent crude protein (dry matter basis) to study their protein requirement. Thirty-two complete digestibility, nitro- gen balance, and energy balance trials were carried out. Partition of dietary energy was not signifi- cantly affected by protein level in the diet, except that proportion of energy lost in urine, presumably ketones, increased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing dietary crude protein. Apparent digestibility of protein increased significantly up to 20 percent ration crude protein, but most of this difference was attributable to decreasing proportion of metabolic nitrogen (0.37 g/100 g diet dry matter) in feces; proportion of ingested nitrogen lost in urine increased with increasing nitrogen intake. The fawn's re- quirement for maximum growth (body retention of dietary protein), estimated by regression analysis, was 19 g digestible crude protein per kilogram of metabolic body weight (W075) daily. J. WILDL. MANAGE. 39(3):582-589 White-tailed deer, an aesthetically and economically valuable resource, are increas- ingly threatened by the effects of urban- ization in many areas. Their survival in optimum quantity and quality will depend largely on intensive management based on biologically sound principles. Deer man- agers will need information on the nutri- tional requirements of different age classes of deer throughout the year, and on the value of natural foods in meeting these re- quirements. Fawns probably are the age class most vulnerable to undernutrition during the winter. Certainly the food consumed dur- ing the preceding fall contributes greatly to winter survival. Thompson et al. (1973: 307) reported that the metabolizable energy required for maintenance of fawns is higher (38 percent, our calculation) during pe- riods of weight gain than in winter. They also found that the component of growth described by deposition of body protein may continue despite body weight loss and negative energy balance during the winter. Although energy generally is the most crit- ical factor in deer nutrition, the work of Murphy and Coates (1966) suggested that low protein content of foods may account for low productivity and suboptimum phys- ical development as in most other species.
A Danish version of the oral health impact profile-14 (OHIP-14): translation and cross-cultural adaptation

Background The Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire assesses quality of life related to people’s perception of oral disorders on their well-being. However, a translated and validated Danish version of OHIP-14 is not yet available. The purpose of this pilot study was to translate and cross-culturally adapt the English version of the OHIP-14 into Danish (OHIP-14-DK). In addition, to assess its content and face validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Methods The English version of OHIP-14 was translated into Danish following a standard protocol of cross-cultural adaptation. Stages I-IV: translation phase to generate a pre-final version “OHIP-14-DK”. Stage V: pre-testing phase. A random sample of 22 orthodontic patients (mean age 24.7 years, SD ±14.8; 14 females, 8 males) were selected at the Section of Orthodontics, Aarhus University, Denmark. All patients self-completed the OHIP-14-DK and were then interviewed to assess its content and face validity. Internal consistency was assessed with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients. All patients completed the same questionnaire again at a one-week interval. Test-retest reliability was assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient and intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). Results The initial and back translations were very similar: the OHIP-14-DK proved to have a good level of equivalence with no translation errors or deviations. Furthermore, the OHIP-14-DK seemed well-adapted to Danish culture and was understood by individuals down to 12 years of age. Pre-testing demonstrated good face and content validity; interviews had a response rate of 100% and confirmed that each item was understandable without inducing reluctance or hesitation. Thus, responses were related to their corresponding item. Therefore, no final adjustments were required for the pre-tested version. Cronbach’s alpha for the OHIP-14-DK subscales fell in the 0.75–0.84 range, indicating an adequate-to-good internal consistency. Spearman’s correlation coefficient for the OHIP-14-DK total score was 0.77. The ICC for the OHIP-14-DK total score was 0.91. Conclusions The OHIP-14-DK seems well adapted to Danish culture, proved to be face and content valid and also showed good internal consistency and excellent reliability. However, its psychometric properties still need to be tested. Study registration Not applicable
Preventing and Managing Urinary Tract Infections: Enhancing the Role of Community Pharmacists—A Mixed Methods Study

Background: Community pharmacists are involved in antimicrobial stewardship through self-care advice and delivering medications for uncomplicated infections. Objectives: This mixed methods study aimed to identify opportunities to enhance the role of community pharmacists in the management of service users with suspected or confirmed urinary tract infection (UTI). Methods: Data collection was through a service user survey (n = 51) and pharmacist surveys and semi-structured interviews before (16 interviews, 22 questionnaires) and after (15 interviews, 16 questionnaires) trialing UTI leaflets designed to be shared with service users. Data were analysed inductively using thematic analysis and descriptive tabulation of quantitative data. Results: Twenty-five percent (n = 13/51) of service users with urinary symptoms sought help from a pharmacist first and 65% (n = 33/51) were comfortable discussing their urinary symptoms with a pharmacist in a private space. Community pharmacists were confident as the first professional contact for service users with uncomplicated UTI (n = 13/16, 81%), but indicated the lack of a specific patient referral pathway (n = 16/16, 100%), the need for additional funding and staff (n = 10/16, 62%), and the importance of developing prescription options for pharmacists (5/16, 31%). All community pharmacists reported playing a daily role in controlling antimicrobial resistance by educating service users about viral and bacterial infections and promoting a healthy lifestyle. Enhancing their role will need greater integrated working with general practices and more prescribers based in community pharmacy. Conclusion: This study suggests that community pharmacists could play a greater role in the management of uncomplicated UTI. The current reconfiguration of primary care in England with primary care networks and integrated care systems could provide a real opportunity for this collaborative working with potential learning for international initiatives.
State-level income inequality and the odds for meeting fruit and vegetable recommendations among US adults

Background Previous research indicates that income inequality is associated with risk for mortality, self-rated health status, chronic conditions, and health behavior, such as physical activity. However, little is known about the relationship between income inequality and dietary intake, which is a major risk factor for common chronic diseases including heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and certain types of cancers. The objective of this study is to determine the association between US state income inequality and fruit and vegetable consumption among adults. Methods Cross-sectional data on 270,612 U.S. adults from the U.S. 2013 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System was used. Fruit and vegetable consumption was assessed from the six-item fruit and vegetable frequency questionnaire, which is part of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Multilevel modeling was used to determine whether US state-level income inequality (measured by the z-transformation of the Gini coefficient) was associated with fruit and vegetable consumption adjusting for individual-level and state-level covariates. Results In comparison to men, women were more likely to consume fruits and vegetables ≥5 times daily, fruits ≥2 times daily, vegetables ≥3 times of daily, and less likely to consume fruit juice daily. Among both men and women, a standard deviation increase in Gini coefficient was associated with an increase in consuming fruit juice daily (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.03, 1.11). However, among women, a standard deviation increase in Gini coefficient was associated with a decreased likelihood in meeting daily recommended levels of both fruits and vegetables (OR = 0.93; 0.87–0.99), fruits only (OR = 0.95; 95% CI, 0.92–0.99) and vegetables only (OR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.89–0.96). Conclusions This study is one of the first to show the relationship between income inequality and fruit and vegetable consumption among U.S. adults empirically. Women’s health is more likely to be detrimentally affected when living in a state with higher income inequality.
Revisiting same day administration of pegfilgrastim in the age of biosimilars: A review of literature

Purpose Since 2018, several pegfilgrastim biosimilars were approved, which may affect insurance reimbursement. Guidelines recommend pegfilgrastim be administered the days following chemotherapy to prevent hematopoietic toxicity. To date, only the reference pegfilgrastim product has an available autoinjector-device. This has contributed to logistical issues in administering biosimilar agents per guideline recommendations. Administration on the same day as chemotherapy may be a potential alternative when logistical issues are present. This review will assess current evidence on this practice to inform clinical decisions. Data sources: A comprehensive literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline for studies examining the administration of pegfilgrastim on the same day as chemotherapy. Data summary: Several studies were identified, including a systematic review, retrospective reviews, and insurance claim data. Studies had significant limitations, and chemotherapy regimens and cancer types varied among studies. Studies showed inconsistent results in terms of incidence, duration, and severity of febrile neutropenia. In studies with patients with head and neck, urothelial, gynecologic, gastrointestinal, and prostate cancer, no difference in outcomes was detected or outcomes supported the feasibility of same-day administration. In patients with breast cancer, outcomes were worse with same-day administration. Outcomes were mixed in studies with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-small cell lung cancer, and various solid tumors. Conclusion Administration of pegfilgrastim on the same day as chemotherapy may be safe and an acceptable alternative, if logistics prohibit a patient from receiving administration the days after chemotherapy. Clinicians should consider patient risk factors and prescribed chemotherapy regimens, along with available evidence when contemplating administration of same-day pegfilgrastim.
LNK deficiency decreases obesity-induced insulin resistance by regulating GLUT4 through the PI3K-Akt-AS160 pathway in adipose tissue

In recent years, LNK, an adapter protein, has been found to be associated with metabolic diseases, including hypertension and diabetes. We found that the expression of LNK in human adipose tissue was positively correlated with serum glucose and insulin in obese people. We examined the role of LNK in insulin resistance and systemic energy metabolism using LNK-deficient mice (LNK-/-). With consumption of a high-fat diet, wild type (WT) mice accumulated more intrahepatic triglyceride, higher serum triglyceride (TG), free fatty acid (FFA) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) compared with LNK-/- mice. However, there was no significant difference between LNK-/- and WT mice under normal chow diet. Meanwhile, glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) expression in adipose tissue and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake in adipocytes were increased in LNK-/- mice. LNK-/- adipose tissue showed activated reactivity for IRS1/PI3K/Akt/AS160 signaling, and administration of a PI3K inhibitor impaired glucose uptake. In conclusion, LNK plays a pivotal role in adipose glucose transport by regulating insulin-mediated IRS1/PI3K/Akt/AS160 signaling.
Green Synthesis and Catalytic Activity of Silver Nanoparticles Based on Piper chaba Stem Extracts

A green synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was conducted using the stem extract of Piper chaba, which is a plant abundantly growing in South and Southeast Asia. The synthesis was carried out at different reaction conditions, i.e., reaction temperature, concentrations of the extract and silver nitrate, reaction time, and pH. The synthesized AgNPs were characterized by visual observation, ultraviolet–visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive x-ray (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The characterization results revealed that AgNPs were uniformly dispersed and exhibited a moderate size distribution. They were mostly spherical crystals with face-centered cubic structures and an average size of 19 nm. The FTIR spectroscopy and DLS analysis indicated that the phytochemicals capping the surface of AgNPs stabilize the dispersion through anionic repulsion. The synthesized AgNPs effectively catalyzed the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and degradation of methylene blue (MB) in the presence of sodium borohydride.
Measurements of buccal gingival and alveolar crest thicknesses of premolars using a noninvasive method.

AIMS Knowledge of gingival thickness (GT) and alveolar crest thickness (ACT) is essential for performing various surgical and non-surgical procedures in oral healthcare. However, a noninvasive, no-radiation and reproducible method for measuring GT and ACT is not yet determined. This study aimed to measure the buccal GT and ACT of premolars using 15-MHz B-mode ultrasonography (US) and to explore the relationship between GT and ACT. MATERIAL AND METHODS The GT in four swine mandibles was measured using15-MHz B-mode US and using K-file needles to gauge the accuracy of US. B-mode US at 15 MHz was also used to measure periodontal tissue structures including buccal GT3 (3 mm apical to the gingival margin) and ACT in 400 premolars of 50 human participants with healthy periodontium. RESULTS There was a strong positive correlation between US and invasive K-file needle measurements of GT in swine mandibles (p<0.05). The correlation between buccal GT3 and ACT of premolars was moderately positive (p<0.05). The gingiva of the maxillary premolars and ACT of the maxillary first premolars were thicker in men than in women (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS B-mode US at 15 MHz is a valid and reliable method for measuring GT and ACT and for evaluating their relationship.
Efficient and Accurate 3D Finger Knuckle Matching Using Surface Key Points

Contactless 3D finger knuckle is a new biometric identifier which can offer an accurate, efficient and convenient alternative for the personal identification. The current 3D finger knuckle recognition methods are limited by computationally complex or inefficient matching algorithms, which attempt to compute the matching scores from all possible translational and rotational parameters for matching a pair of templates. The strength of such approach lies in its simplicity and reliability for accurately matching intra-class samples, but expensive computational time is required. Furthermore, attempting on excessive numbers of translational and rotational parameters can also degrade the overall recognition accuracy because the imposter matches can be increased. In fact, this conventional matching approach is commonly adopted in many biometric studies, but its drawbacks have not received adequate attention. This article addresses such 3D finger knuckle recognition problem by developing a more efficient matching approach using surface key points extracted from 3D finger knuckle surfaces. Our comparative experimental results with the state-of-the art method on a publicly available 3D finger knuckle database indicates that our approach can offer over 23 times faster with performance improvement on the accuracy. Although the focus of our work is on 3D finger knuckle recognition, we also present the performance of our method on other publicly available databases with similar 3D biometric patterns including 3D palmprint and 3D fingerprint, to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Tupaia MAVS Is a Dual Target during Hepatitis C Virus Infection for Innate Immune Evasion and Viral Replication via NF-κB

Key Points Tupaia MAVS can be cleaved by HCV NS3/4A. tMAVS impaired the IRF3-mediated, but not NF-κB–mediated, antiviral signaling. The activation of NF-κB inhibited HCV replication and persistent infection. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the cause of severe liver disease in many people. The restricted species tropism of HCV hinders the research and development of drugs and vaccines. The Chinese tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) is a close relative of primates and can be infected by HCV, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. In this study, we have characterized the functions of tree shrew MAVS (tMAVS) in response to HCV infection and defined the capacity of HCV replication. HCV was shown to be colocalized with tMAVS in primary tree shrew hepatocytes and cleaved tMAVS at site Cys508 via its NS3/4A protease, with a modulating effect by site Glu506 of tMAVS. The tMAVS cleavage by HCV NS3/4A impaired the IRF3-mediated induction of IFN-β but maintained the activated NF-κB signaling in the tree shrew primary cells. Activation of the tMAVS-dependent NF-κB signaling inversely inhibited HCV replication and might limit the establishment of persistent infection. Overall, our study has revealed an elegant example of the balance between the host defenses and HCV infection via the MAVS-mediated antiviral signaling and has provided an insight into the mechanisms underpinning HCV infection in the Chinese tree shrew.