Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Incidence and Management Outcome of Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM) in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) complicates 3-8 percent of pregnancies and leads to one third of preterm deliveries. It results in increased risk of prematurity and leads to perinatal and neonatal complications with risk of fetal death. This article aims to determine the incidence and management outcome of PPROM in Enugu, Nigeria over a ten year period. This was a retrospective review of management outcome of PPROM at the UNTH Enugu from January 1 1999 to December 31, 2008. The frequency of 3.3% for PPROM and 7% perinatal death were recorded over the period. Preterm PROM is a major complication of pregnancies. Currently, there is no effective way of preventing spontaneous rupture of fetal membranes due to ignorance of its aetiology, with consequent inability to control its incidence. However, it is important that women be well informed regarding maternal, fetal and neonatal complications regardless of controversies of its management.
Supplementation of Gluten-Free Bread with Some Germinated Legumes Flour

Legume flours, due to their amino acid composition and fiber content are ideal ingredients for improving the nutritional value of gluten-free bread. In this study, the influence of the partial replacement of corn-rice flour by chickpea and sweet lupine flours on the quality characteristics of gluten-free bread was analyzed. The content of nutrients (protein, lipids, ash, dietary fiber and minerals content), amino acid composition, and antinutritional components (tannin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor's) were determined in control, germinated and dehulled chickpea and sweet lupine flours. Germination caused increase in crude protein, total dietary fiber, soluble dietary fiber, insoluble dietary fiber and amino acid contents of all the legume samples. Further increase in mentioned parameters was observed after dehulling the germinated legumes. Tannin, phytic acid and trypsin inhibitor's were reduced on germination and more reduction was observed in dehulled over germinated samples. Addition of chickpea or sweet lupine flour to corn-rice flour at 20% level somewhat retarded the increase in the rate of retrogradation (staling) of gluten-free bread. This point was considered very important because of the major economic losses that stale gluten-free bread may entail. The sensory evaluation data demonstrated that, the chickpea or sweet lupine flour can successfully replace corn-rice flour in gluten-free bread up to 20%. [Yousif, M.R. G. and Safaa, M. Faid. Supplementation of Gluten-Free Bread with Some Germinated Legumes Flour. J Am Sci 2014;10(3):84-93]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience. org. 11
Exploring the effect of hypertension on retinal microvasculature using deep learning on East Asian population

Hypertension is the leading risk factor of cardiovascular disease and has profound effects on both the structure and function of the microvasculature. Abnormalities of the retinal vasculature may reflect the degree of microvascular damage due to hypertension, and these changes can be detected with fundus photographs. This study aimed to use deep learning technique that can detect subclinical features appearing below the threshold of a human observer to explore the effect of hypertension on morphological features of retinal microvasculature. We collected 2012 retinal photographs which included 1007 from patients with a diagnosis of hypertension and 1005 from normotensive control. By method of vessel segmentation, we removed interference information other than retinal vasculature and contained only morphological information about blood vessels. Using these segmented images, we trained a small convolutional neural networks (CNN) classification model and used a deep learning technique called Gradient-weighted Class Activation Mapping (Grad-CAM) to generate heat maps for the class “hypertension”. Our model achieved an accuracy of 60.94%, a specificity of 51.54%, a precision of 59.27%, and a recall of 70.48%. The AUC was 0.6506. In the heat maps for the class “hypertension”, red patchy areas were mainly distributed on or around arterial/venous bifurcations. This indicated that the model has identified these regions as being the most important for predicting hypertension. Our study suggested that the effect of hypertension on retinal microvascular morphology mainly occurred at branching of vessels. The change of the branching pattern of retinal vessels was probably the most significant in response to elevated blood pressure.
Fetuin-A in Metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective Fetuin-A has been associated with the progression of metabolic syndrome, but previous studies found inconsistent results on the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the concentration of fetuin-A. The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to summarize previous findings on this relationship. Method This study was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews PROSPERO (CRD42019129566). Studies examining the relationship between metabolic syndrome and the concentration of circulating fetuin-A were identified using a systematic search in the electronic databases of Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library before March 2019. A random effects model was used to summarize the effect size of the association in terms of the standardized mean difference (SMD). Results Fourteen eligible studies compared fetuin-A concentrations between 4,551 metabolic syndrome patients and 8,805 controls. The circulating fetuin-A concentration was significantly higher in the metabolic syndrome patients than in the controls (SMD = 0.65, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48 to 0.83, Z = 7.18, p<0.001). Besides, circulating fetuin-A was a risk factor for metabolic syndrome (odds ratio 1.23, 95% CI: 1.08 to 1.40). Conclusion These findings suggest that fetuin-A may be an important indicator for metabolic syndrome, in which case this may lead to new perspectives in early diagnosis, identification of novel biomarkers, and providing novel targets for pharmacological interventions.
Abstract S3-01: IMENEO: International MEta-analysis of circulating tumor cell detection in early breast cancer patients treated by NEOadjuvant chemotherapy

Background We performed an international meta-analysis of individual patient data to assess the clinical validity of circulating tumor cell (CTC) count in non-metastatic breast cancer (BC) patients (pts) treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT). Methods A protocol pre-specified the study objectives. We performed a literature & abstracts search up to Dec 2014, then contacted all centers deemed to have eligible data (published or not): early BC pts treated with NCT with CTC count by CellSearch®. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS); secondary endpoints included distant disease-free survival (DDFS), locoregional relapse-free interval (LRFI) and pathological complete response (pCR). Non-overlapping CTC time points were: baseline (5-0 weeks before NCT), 1-8 weeks after NCT start, 5-0 weeks before surgery and 1-52 weeks after surgery. We used Cox regression models, stratified by study, and the landmark method to establish the prognostic value of CTC count/changes during treatment and survival. Results We collected 2,156 individual pt data from 21 studies and 16 centers worldwide. With ≥1/≥2/≥5 CTC/7.5ml as thresholds, CTC positivity rate was 25/13/6% at baseline, 17/6/3% after NCT start, 15/5/1% before surgery and 11/4/1% after surgery (decrease, p 301, 418 and 157 events were reported for OS, DDFS and LRFI, respectively. In univariate analyses, ≥1 CTC at baseline was a prognostic factor for OS (HR=2.6 [1.9-3.4], p Finally, in multivariate analyses, baseline CTC detection (whatever the CTC threshold used : ≥1/≥2/≥5 CTC) was an independent prognostic factor for OS, DDFS and LRFI, together with pCR, cT, cN and tumor subtype, (e.g. for OS: CTC≥2 HR=4.2 [3.0-5.9] p Conclusions Our study demonstrates with the highest level of evidence that CTCs are a prognostic biomarker in early BC treated by NCT. This impact was independent to that of pCR and was observed on OS, DDFS and also -for the first time- on LRFI. CTC count can usefully complement standard prognostic factors and pCR to improve the prognostication of early BC pts. Citation Format: Bidard F-C, Michiels S, Mueller V, Riethdorf S, Esserman LJ, Lucci A, Naume B, Horiguchi J, Gisbert-Criado R, Sleijfer S, Toi M, Garcia-Saenz JA, Hartkopf A, Generali D, Rothe F, Smerage J, Muinelo L, Stebbing J, Viens P, Magbanua M, Hall CS, Engebratenm O, Takata D, Vidal-Martinez J, Onstenk W, Fujisawa N, Diaz-Rubio E, Taran F-A, Cappelletti MR, Ignatiadis M, Name N, Proudhon C, Wolf D, Bowman Bauldry J, Borgen E, Nagaoka R, Caranana V, Kraan J, Maestro M, Brucker SY, Weber K, Reyal F, Amara D, Gopalkrishna Karhade M, Ruud Mathiesen R, Tokiniwa H, Llombart-Cussac A, D9Hollander K, Cottu P, Park JW, Loibl S, Pierga J-Y, Pantel K. IMENEO: International MEta-analysis of circulating tumor cell detection in early breast cancer patients treated by NEOadjuvant chemotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2016 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2016 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(4 Suppl):Abstract nr S3-01.
Ureaplasma species and preterm birth: current perspectives

Abstract Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, and the human Ureaplasma species are most frequently isolated from the amniotic fluid and placenta in these cases. Ureaplasma colonisation is associated with infertility, stillbirth, histologic chorioamnionitis, and neonatal morbidities, including congenital pneumonia, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, meningitis and perinatal death. The human Ureaplasma spp. are separated into Ureaplasma urealyticum and Ureaplasma parvum with 14 known serotypes. The small genome has several genes, which code for surface proteins; most significantly the Multiple Banded Antigen (MBA) where an antigenic C-terminal domain elicits a host antibody response. Other genes code for various virulence factors such as IgA protease and urease. Ureaplasma spp. infection is diagnosed by culture and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and commercial assays are available to improve turnaround time. Microbroth dilution assays are routinely used to test antimicrobial susceptibility of clinical Ureaplasma spp. especially against doxycycline, azithromycin, ofloxacin and josamycin. Resistance to macrolides, fluoroquinolones and tetracyclines has been reported. A concise review of Ureaplasma spp. and their role in pregnancy outcomes, especially preterm birth, offers insight into the early diagnosis and appropriate antibiotic therapy to prevent long-term complications of Ureaplasma spp. infections.
Visualizing Oxidation Mechanisms in Few-Layered Black Phosphorus via in-situ Transmission Electron Microscopy.

Layered two-dimensional (2D) black phosphorous (BP) exhibits novel semi-conducting properties including a tunable bandgap and high electron mobility.1-5 However, the poor stability of BP in ambient environment severely limits potential for application in future electronic and optoelectronic devices.6-9 While passivation or encapsulation of BP using inert materials has emerged as a plausible solution, a detailed fundamental understanding of BP's reaction with oxygen is imperative to rationally advance its use in applications.10-12 Here, we use in-situ environmental transmission electron microscopy (ETEM) to elucidate atomistic structural changes in mechanically exfoliated few-layered BP during exposure to varying partial pressures of oxygen. An amorphous oxide layer is seen on the actively etching BP edges and the thickness of this layer increases with increasing oxygen partial pressure, indicating that oxidation proceeds via initial formation of amorphous PxOy species which sublime to result in the etching of the BP crystal. We observe that while few-layered BP is stable under the 80 kV electron beam (e-beam) in vacuum, the lattice oxidizes and degrades at room temperature in the presence of oxygen only in the region under the e-beam. The oxidative etch rate also increases with increasing e-beam dosage, suggesting the presence of an energy barrier for the oxidation reaction. Preferential oxidative etching along the [0 0 1] and [0 0 1 ̅] crystallographic directions is observed, in good agreement with Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations showing favorable thermodynamic stability of the oxidized BP (0 0 1) planes compared to the (1 0 0) planes. We expect the atomistic insights and fundamental understanding obtained here to aid in the development of novel approaches to integrate BP in future applications.
Transcutaneous Electrical Acupoints Stimulation Attenuates Inflammatory Pain in Rats

Background: Electroacupuncture (EA) has been observed to exerts in inflammatory pain. However, the invasiveness of EA may bring risk of infection. Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS)with similar parameters as EA without the risk of infection. Previous studies have shown that TEAS treatment can alleviate postoperative pain. However, its analgesic role in inflammatory pain has not been investigated. Methods: Complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)was injected into the male Sprague‐Dawley of rats to generate an inflammatory model. EA or TEAS treatment at the Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) acupoints was given 4 days of CFA injection of mechanical and thermal sensitivity were determined. Microdialysis was performed before and after EA or TEAS. Adenosine concentration of dialysates as measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Results: TEAS treatment showed similar analgesic effects to EA treatment as assessed of rat’s paw withdrawal latency in response to mechanical and thermal stimulation. EA treatment significantly elevated adenosine concentration for at least 30 minutes, while TEAS induced a significant adenosine increase with similar amplitude over 60 minutes. Conclusion: TEAS may be a more convenient and more effective substitute for EA in inflammatory pain treatment.
Congruent release of drug and polymer from amorphous solid dispersions: insights into the role of drug-polymer hydrogen bonding, surface crystallization and glass transition.

Drug loading is an important parameter known to impact the release rate of a poorly soluble drug from an amorphous solid dispersion (ASD). Recent studies have shown that small increases in drug loading can dramatically reduce the drug release rate from ASDs prepared with poly (vinylpyrrolidone-co-vinyl acetate) (PVPVA). However, the link between drug physicochemical properties and the drug loading where release is abruptly compromised is not well understood. This study probes the role of three different factors on the relative dissolution rates of drug and polymer from PVPVA-based ASDs as a function of drug loading: 1) the impact of drug-polymer hydrogen bonding interactions on the initial dissolution rate of ASDs, investigated using two structural analogues, indomethacin (IND) and indomethacin methyl ester (INDester), 2) the influence of surface drug crystallization, observed for INDester ASDs, and 3) by changing temperature, the impact of 'wet' glass transition temperature (Tg). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), with or without energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) were utilized to study the solid-state phase behavior and/or drug enrichment on the partially dissolved ASD tablet surfaces. Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) was utilized to study the solution-state phase behavior. It was found that, contrary to expectations, ASDs with drug-polymer hydrogen bonding exhibited poorer initial release at moderate drug loadings (15-25%) as compared to the non-hydrogen bonding analog ASDs. In line with expectations, surface crystallization led to deterioration of dissolution performance. Lastly, Tg was also found to play a role in the observed dissolution behavior as a function of drug loading. These findings shed light on mechanisms governing ASD dissolution performance and will aid in the development of optimized ASD formulations with enhanced dissolution performance.
An alpha-fetoprotein-negative hepatoid adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder with squamous differentiation.

During a routine health examination, a 61-year-old male was incidentally found to have a neoplasm spreading beyond the gallbladder and into the liver on abdominal ultrasound. The ultrasound demonstrated a mixed- echo mass, measuring 7.6 cm × 4.8 cm in diameter, within the capsuled wall of the gallbladder and adhering to the liver. The patient was subsequently admitted to our hospital.
Vibration acceleration promotes endochondral formation during fracture healing through cellular chondrogenic differentiation

Vibration acceleration through whole body vibration has been reported to promote fracture healing. However, the mechanism responsible for this effect remains unclear. Purpose of this study was to determine whether vibration acceleration directly affects cells around the fracture site and promotes endochondral ossification. Four-week-old female Wistar Hannover rats were divided into two groups (vibration [V group] and control [C group]). The eighth ribs on both sides were cut vertically using scissors. From postoperative day 3 to 11, vibration acceleration using Power Plate® (30 Hz, low amplitude [30-Low], 10 min/day) was applied in the V group. Mature calluses appeared earlier in the V group than in the C group by histological analysis. The GAG content in the fracture callus on day 6 was significantly higher in the V group than in the C group. The mRNA expressions of SOX-9, aggrecan, and Col-II in the fracture callus on day 6 and Col-X on day 9 were significantly higher in the V group than in the C group. For in vitro analysis, four different conditions of vibration acceleration (30 or 50 Hz with low or high amplitude [30-Low, 30-High, 50-Low, and 50-High], 10 min/day) were applied to a prechondrogenic cell (ATDC5) and an undifferentiated cell (C3H10T1/2). There was no significant difference in cell proliferation between the control and any of the four vibration conditions for both cell lines. For both cell lines, alcian blue staining was greater under 30-Low and 50-Low conditions than under control as well as 30-High and 50-High conditions on days 7 and 14. Vibration acceleration under 30-L condition upregulated chondrogenic gene expressions of SOX-9, aggrecan, Col-II, and Col-X. Low-amplitude vibration acceleration can promote endochondral ossification in the fracture healing in vivo and chondrogenic differentiation in vitro.
Determination of Metals Content of Alcohol and Non-alcoholic Canned Drinks Consumed at Idiroko Border Town Ogun State Nigeria

Aims: The study was carried at the Idiroko Border Town in Ogun Southwestern Nigeria, a popular border known for movement of goods and service, an international border town a gateway for many ECOWAS countries is chosen known for movement of smuggled goods and services. The study was aimed at the proliferation of canned alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and their qualities were determined for public health concern. Therefore, a total of 28 canned alcoholic (Harp, 33, Star, Original Research Article Salako et al.; BJAST, 12(6): 1-8, 2016; Article no.BJAST. 19163 2 Gulder, Guinness, Heinken, Turbo, Smirnoff and Red Bull) and 31 canned non-alcoholic (Farouz, Snappes, Cocacola, Sprite, Amstel Malta, Fanta, Malta Guinness and Maltina) samples were collected from Idiroko border area of Ogun State, Nigeria to determine levels of essential and toxic metals detected in these consumed products. Methods: The numbers of samples as shown in the methodology were prepared with standard wet digestion procedure, while the metals were analysed using the Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (Buck 210) techniques and the results were then compared with WHO standards. Results: The metal concentrations ranges from 0-3.25 mg/l, 20.08-133.20 mg/l, 0.97-2.45 mg/l, 00.44 mg/l, 0-0.26 mg/l, 0-0.30 mg/l, 0-0.14 mg/l, 0.11-7.38 mg/l, 0-0.02 mg/l for Cu, Mg, Fe, Pb, Cd, Ni, As, Zn, and Cr respectively. High concentration of toxic metals such as Pb, Cd, and Ni above WHO recommended limit were recorded from some non alcoholic samples but all the alcoholic samples revealed low concentration of Cd. The samples were rich in essential metals such as Zn, Mg and Fe. It is essential that proliferation of alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks through the border should be controlled to prevent incidences of health risk due to ingestion of toxic metals and the study recommended that the port health services and security personnel should be strict in maintaining in-flow of standard and non-expiry goods.
EFFECTS OF WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION DURING WHEELCHAIR PROPULSION IN INDIVIDUALS WITH COMPLETE SPINAL CORD INJURY

Background : Push the manual wheelchair is one of the most important activities to the wheelchair users like individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). The excessive or bad use of the upper limb would lead to biomechanical issues and pain. Whole-body vibration applied by vibratory platform (WBV) has been showing great results increasing muscular performance of the upper limb. Although researches regarding the influence of WBV on activity of the upper limb muscles are unclear due to contradictory findings and dissimilar protocols. Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of one single session of WBV increasing muscular performance during the propulsion of the wheelchair in SCI. Methods : Fifteen complete SCI were recruited and performed wheelchair propulsion test that consists in to push the manual wheelchair in a 10 meters path as fast as possible. Average speed, push frequency (cadence) and time of displacement were measured before and after WBV intervention. WBV consisted in 5 sets of 30 second vibration with 60 second rest between. The positioning on the platform consisted in supporting the elbows and forearms. Results : Results show a significant increase in average speed and time of displacement. There was no significant difference in push frequency. Conclusion : In conclusion, WBV is an effective tool increasing upper limb performance during propulsion of the wheelchair and it can be useful during the treatment of SCI individuals. Article visualizations:
G Protein–Coupled Receptor 30 Mediates the Anticancer Effects Induced by Eicosapentaenoic Acid in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Purpose While numerous epidemiological studies have indicated that omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have anticancer properties in various cancers, the effects and mechanisms of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in ovarian cancer cell growth are poorly understood. Materials and Methods ES2 ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells and SKOV3 adenocarcinoma cells were treated with palmitic acid or EPA, followed by flow cytometry and cell counting to measure apoptosis and proliferation, respectively. A modified protein lipid overlay assay was used to further verify whether EPA was a ligand of G protein–coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) in ES2 cells. The levels of apoptosis-related genes, phosphorylated AKT, and phosphorylated ERK1/2 were detected to explore the underlying mechanism. Finally, inhibitory effect of EPA on tumor growth via GPR30 was determined in vitro and in vivo. Results EPA suppressed ES2 ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells growth via GPR30, a novel EPA receptor, by inducing apoptosis. As a ligand of GPR30, EPA activated the GPR30-cAMP–protein kinase A signaling pathway. When GPR30 was suppressed by siRNA or its inhibitor G15, the antiproliferative action of EPA was impaired. Furthermore, EPA inhibited tumor growth by blocking the activation of AKT and ERK. In the mouse xenograft model, EPA decreased tumor volume and weight through GPR30 by blocking tumor cell proliferation. Conclusion These results confirm that EPA is a tumor suppressor in human ovarian clear cell carcinoma cells and functions through a novel fatty acid receptor, GPR30, indicating a mechanistic linkage between omega-3 fatty acids and cancers.