Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Accuracy of Shear Wave Elastography in the Assessment of Placental Invasion in Women with Placenta Previa

Background: Placenta accreta spectrum is a term which describes abnormal invasion of the placenta into the uterine myometrium. The first line in diagnosis is ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging may complement the diagnosis. Aim: The aim of the work is to assess the accuracy of shear wave elastography in predication of placental invasion in women with placental previa.Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cohort study which was conducted in Ain Shams University on 50 women with a diagnosis of anterior placenta previa and history of previous cesarean section who were pregnant at 32 weeks or more and were planned for delivery by elective cesarean section. They were subjected to ultrasonography and elastography study and the diagnosis of placenta accreta spectrum was confirmed/ excluded intraoperatively.Results: Placental separation was normal in 36% of cases, delayed in 46 % of cases, partial in 6% of cases only whereas non separation occurred in 12% of cases. elastrgraphy had a sensitivity of 73.7%, specificity of 90.3%, positive predicting value of 82.4% and negative predictive value of 84.8% in diagnosing cases with abnormal placental invasion while sensitivity, specificity positive and negative predictive value of ultrasonography in diagnosing abnormal placental invasion was 89.5%, 96.8%, 94.4% and 93.8% respectively.Conclusion: Elastography is sensitive and specific but inferior to ultrasonography in evaluating women with suspected placenta accreta spectrum but it may be useful in diagnosis of focal invasion.
Pest kill rate as aggregate evaluation criterion to rank biological control agents: a case study with Neotropical predators of Tuta absoluta on tomato

Abstract Tuta absoluta (Meyrick), a key pest of tomato, is quickly spreading over the world and biological control is considered as one of the control options. Worldwide more than 160 species of natural enemies are associated with this pest, and an important challenge is to quickly find an effective biocontrol agent from this pool of candidate species. Evaluation criteria for control agents are presented, with the advantages they offer for separating potentially useful natural enemies from less promising ones. Next, an aggregate parameter for ranking agents is proposed: the pest kill rate km. We explain why the predator's intrinsic rate of increase cannot be used for comparing the control potential of predators or parasitoids, while km can be used to compare both types of natural enemies. As an example, kill rates for males, females and both sexes combined of three Neotropical mirid species (Campyloneuropsis infumatus (Carvalho), Engytatus varians (Distant) and Macrolophus basicornis (Stål)) were determined, taking all life-history data (developmental times, survival rates, total nymphal and adult predation, sex ratios and adult lifespan) into account. Based on the value for the intrinsic rate of increase (rm) for T. absoluta and for the kill rate km of the predators, we predict that all three predators are potentially able to control the pest, because their km values are all higher than the rm of the pest. Using only km values, we conclude that E. varians is the best candidate for control of T. absoluta on tomato, with C. infumatus ranking second and M. basicornis last.
Novel liquid-liquid extraction and self-emulsion methods for simplified isolation of extra-virgin olive oil phenolics with emphasis on (-)-oleocanthal and its oral anti-breast cancer activity

Epidemiological and clinical studies compellingly documented the ability of Mediterranean diet rich in extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO) to reduce breast and colon cancers incidence, cardiovascular diseases, and aging cognitive functions decline. (-)-Oleocanthal (OC) and other EVOO phenolics gain progressive research attention due to their documented biological effects against cancer, inflammations, and Alzheimer’s disease. There is no simple, reliable, and cost-effective isolation protocol for EVOO phenolics, which hinder their therapeutic applications. This study develops novel methods to isolate OC and other EVOO phenolics. This includes the use of ultra-freezing to eliminate most EVOO fats and the successful water capacity to efficiently extract OC and EVOO phenolics as self-emulsified nano-emulsion. Subsequent resin entrapment and size exclusion chromatography afforded individual EVOO phenolics in high purity. OC in vitro and in vivo oral anti-breast cancer (BC) activities validated its lead candidacy. Effective isolation of EVOO phenolics provided in this study will facilitate future preclinical and clinical investigations and stimulate the therapeutic development of these important bioactive natural products.
Neurological Diseases With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Role of ASD Risk Genes

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is frequently comorbid with other neurological disorders such as intellectual disability (ID) or global development delay (GDD) and epilepsy. The pathogenesis of ASD is complex. So far, studies have identified more than 1000 ASD risk genes. Most of them were also reported to relate with other neurological diseases, and only several of them have been confirmed as pathogenic genes for autism. Little is known about the roles of these risk genes in neurological diseases with ASD. In the present study, we recruited a cohort of 158 neurological disorder probands with 163 variants of 48 ASD risk genes. Of these, 50 individuals (31.6%) were diagnosed with ASD. In the ASD patient subset, we identified several rarely reported candidate genes including DOLK, USH2A, and HUWE1. In a comparison of patients with neurological disorders with and without ASD, we found that ID/GDD was frequently comorbid with ASD whereas epilepsy was more common in the non-ASD group. Statistical analyses of all possible risk factors implicated that variants in synaptic genes, especially non-voltage-gated ion channel genes and in transcriptional and chromosome genes were related to ASD, but none of the investigated environmental factors was. Our results are useful for the future diagnosis and prognosis of patients with neurological disorders and emphasize the utility of genetic screening.
Evaluation of Uterosacral Ligament Involvement in Deep Endometriosis by Transvaginal Ultrasonography

This study was designed to conclude the ultrasonic characteristics of uterosacral ligament (USL) lesions involved by endometriosis and evaluated the value of transvaginal sonography (TVS) in diagnosing USL involvement in deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE). A total of one hundred and eighteen patients with DIE were included in the study and underwent surgery. All these patients were evaluated by transvaginal ultrasound examination by one trained examiner. The gold standard for diagnosis was surgery and histopathology. 85 patients with USL endometriosis were confirmed by surgical pathology. 84 patients were diagnosed USL endometriosis by TVS and 81 of which were confirmed by the gold standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV), and accuracy of TVS for diagnosing USL endometriosis were 95.3, 90.9, 96.4, 88.2, and 94.1%, respectively. According to the ultrasound characteristics of USL endometriosis, we summarized four types: Type I. thickened and stiff lesions, Type II. local nodules, Type III. irregular striped lesions, and Type IV. mixed lesions. The conclusion of the study was that TVS was a convenient, accurate and first-line diagnostic technique for USL endometriosis and the USL lesions could be summarized into four types according to the ultrasound morphological changes.
Sympathoexcitation and impaired arterial baroreflex sensitivity are linked to vascular inflammation in individuals with elevated resting blood pressure

Elevated Resting Blood Pressure (ERBP) in the prehypertensive range is associated with increased risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, the mechanisms of which remain unclear. Prior studies have suggested that ERBP may be associated with overactivation and dysregulation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). We hypothesized that compared to normotensives (≤120/80 mmHg), ERBP (120/80–139/89 mmHg) has higher SNS activity, impaired arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and increased vascular inflammation. Twenty‐nine participants were studied: 16 otherwise healthy individuals with ERBP (blood pressure (BP) 130 ± 2/85 ± 2 mmHg) and 13 matched normotensive controls (mean BP 114 ± 2/73 ± 2 mmHg). We measured muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), beat‐to‐beat BP, and continuous electrocardiogram at rest and during arterial BRS testing via the modified Oxford technique. Blood was analyzed for the following biomarkers of vascular inflammation: lipoprotein‐associated phospholipase A2 (Lp‐PLA2), E‐selectin, and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM‐1). Resting MSNA burst frequency (22 ± 2 vs. 16 ± 2 bursts/min, P = 0.036) and burst incidence (36 ± 3 vs. 25 ± 3 bursts/100 heart beats, P = 0.025) were higher in ERBP compared to controls. Cardiovagal BRS was blunted in ERBP compared to controls (13 ± 2 vs. 20 ± 3 msec/mmHg, P = 0.032), while there was no difference in sympathetic BRS between groups. Lp‐PLA2 (169 ± 8 vs. 142 ± 9 nmol/min/mL, P = 0.020) and E‐selectin (6.89 ± 0.6 vs. 4.45 ± 0.51 ng/mL, P = 0.004) were higher in ERBP versus controls. E‐selectin (r = 0.501, P = 0.011) and ICAM‐1 (r = 0.481, P = 0.015) were positively correlated with MSNA, while E‐selectin was negatively correlated with cardiovagal BRS (r = −0.427, P = 0.030). These findings demonstrate that individuals with ERBP have SNS overactivity and impaired arterial BRS that are linked to biomarkers of vascular inflammation.
SSRI co‐medication with NOAC or VKA does not increase hospitalisation for bleeding: A retrospective nationwide cohort study in Austria 2010‐2015

Non‐vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) or vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) are used for the prophylaxis and treatment of thromboembolic events. A potential drug–drug interaction and increased bleeding events have been reported with co‐medication of selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) and VKA. The aim of this study was to investigate the bleeding risk of a coprescription of NOAC or VKA with SSRI.
Fluorine‐contained hydroxyapatite suppresses bone resorption through inhibiting osteoclasts differentiation and function in vitro and in vivo

Fluorine, an organic trace element, has been shown to unfavourably effect osteoclasts function at a low dose. Use of hydroxyapatite (HA) has been effective in exploring its roles in promoting bone repair. In this study, we used HA modified with fluorine to investigate whether it could influence osteoclastic activity in vitro and ovariectomy‐induced osteoclasts hyperfunction in vivo.
Influence of Selective Laser Melting Machine Source on the Dynamic Properties of AlSi10Mg Alloy

Selective laser melting (SLM) AlSi10Mg alloy has been thoroughly investigated in terms of its microstructure and quasi-static properties, owing to its broad industrial applications. However, the effects of the SLM process on the dynamic behavior under impact conditions remain to be established. This research deals with the influences of manufacturing process parameters on the dynamic response of the SLM on AlSi10Mg at a high strain rate of 700 to 6700 s−1 by using a split Hopkinson pressure bar apparatus. Examinations were performed on vertically and horizontally built samples, processed individually by two manufacturers using a different laser scanning technique on the same powder composition. It was concluded that the fabrication technique does not influence the true stress–true strain dependency at strain rates of 700 to 2800 s−1. However, at higher strain rates (4000 to 6700 s−1), this study revealed different plastic behavior, which was associated only with the horizontally built samples. Moreover, this study found different failure demeanors at true strains exceeding 0.8. The dynamic response was correlated with the as-built microstructure and crystallographic texture, characterized using the electron backscattered diffraction technique.
Novel Contribution of Secreted Amyloid-β Precursor Protein to White Matter Brain Enlargement in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The most replicated neuroanatomical finding in autism is the tendency toward brain overgrowth, especially in younger children. Research shows that both gray and white matter are enlarged. Proposed mechanisms underlying brain enlargement include abnormal inflammatory and neurotrophic signals that lead to excessive, aberrant dendritic connectivity via disrupted pruning and cell adhesion, and enlargement of white matter due to excessive gliogenesis and increased myelination. Amyloid-β protein precursor (βAPP) and its metabolites, more commonly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), are also dysregulated in autism plasma and brain tissue samples. This review highlights findings that demonstrate how one βAPP metabolite, secreted APPα, and the ADAM family α-secretases, may lead to increased brain matter, with emphasis on increased white matter as seen in autism. sAPPα and the ADAM family α-secretases contribute to the anabolic, non-amyloidogenic pathway, which is in contrast to the amyloid (catabolic) pathway known to contribute to Alzheimer disease. The non-amyloidogenic pathway could produce brain enlargement via genetic mechanisms affecting mRNA translation and polygenic factors that converge on molecular pathways (mitogen-activated protein kinase/MAPK and mechanistic target of rapamycin/mTOR), promoting neuroinflammation. A novel mechanism linking the non-amyloidogenic pathway to white matter enlargement is proposed: α-secretase and/or sAPPα, activated by ERK receptor signaling activates P13K/AKt/mTOR and then Rho GTPases favoring myelination via oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) activation of cofilin. Applying known pathways in AD to autism should allow further understanding and provide options for new drug targets.
Exploring the Role of Meditation and Dispositional Mindfulness on Social Cognition Domains: A Controlled Study

Research suggests that mindfulness can induce changes in the social domain, such as enhancing emotional connection to others, prosocial behavior, and empathy. However, despite growing interest in mindfulness in social psychology, very little is known about the effects of mindfulness on social cognition. Consequently, the aim of this study was to explore the relationship between mindfulness and social cognition by comparing meditators with non-meditators on several social cognition measures. A total of 60 participants (meditators, n = 30; non-meditators, n = 30) were matched on sex, age, and ethnic group, and then asked to complete the following assessment measures: Mindful Awareness Attention Scale (MAAS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire Short Form (FFMQ-SF), Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI), Revised Eyes Test, Hinting Task, Ambiguous Intentions and Hostility Questionnaire (AIHQ), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Screening for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). The results showed that meditators reported higher empathy (except for the personal distress subscale), higher emotional recognition, higher theory of mind (ToM), and lower hostile attributional style/bias. The findings also demonstrated that dispositional mindfulness (both total score assessed with MAAS and mindfulness facets using the FFMQ) was associated with social cognition, although it was not equally correlated with all social cognition outcomes, and correlation patterns differ when analyses were conducted separately for meditators and non-meditators. In addition, results showed potential predictors for each social cognition variable, highlighting non-reactivity to inner experience as a key component of mindfulness in order to explain social cognition performance. In summary, the findings indicated that the meditator sample performed better on certain qualities (i.e., empathy, emotional recognition, ToM, hostile attributional style/bias) in comparison to non-meditators and, furthermore, support the notion that mindfulness is related to social cognition, which may have implications for the design of mindfulness-based approaches for use in clinical and non-clinical settings.
Natural history, with clinical, biochemical, and molecular characterization of classical homocystinuria in the Qatari population

Classical homocystinuria (HCU) is the most common inborn error of metabolism in Qatar, with an incidence of 1:1800, and is caused by the Qatari founder p.R336C mutation in the CBS gene. This study describes the natural history and clinical manifestations of HCU in the Qatari population. A single center study was performed between 2016 and 2017 in 126 Qatari patients, from 82 families. Detailed clinical and biochemical data were collected, and Stanford‐Binet intelligence, quality of life and adherence to treatment assessments were conducted prospectively. Patients were assigned to one of three groups, according to the mode of diagnosis: (a) late diagnosis group (LDG), (b) family screening group (FSG), and (c) newborn screening group (NSG). Of the 126 patients, 69 (55%) were in the LDG, 44 (35%) in the NSG, and 13 (10%) in the FSG. The leading factors for diagnosis in the LDG were ocular manifestations (49%), neurological manifestations (45%), thromboembolic events (4%), and hyperactivity and behavioral changes (1%). Both FSG and NSG groups were asymptomatic at time of diagnosis.
Improving the Detection of Urine Sediment with a Modified Urinalysis Review Procedure.

BACKGROUND Currently, numerous review procedures are applied to perform the urine sediment examination. Clinical technologists and nephrologists use different procedures for the determination of specimen concentration and for particle counting. These techniques may underestimate the formed elements such as pathological casts (CASTs) and renal tubular epithelial (RTE) cells and might interfere with clinical diagnosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate a modified review procedure for urinary analysis and to narrow the gap between nephrologists and technologists by increasing the detection positivity rate for pathological formed elements. METHODS We implemented a modified urinalysis procedure between October 2016 and January 2017 based on strict manual microscopic criteria and the currently available equipment. We confirmed the agreement between methods using a review procedure and Sysmex UF-1000i urinary flow cytometer (Pairwise Agreement > 0.88 for WBCs, RBCs, CASTs, and SRCs). Then we derived the review procedure that was based on the optimal sensitivity and specificity as follows: RBC > 26.1/µL, WBC > 37.0/µL, CAST > 1.0/µL, SRC > 8.2/µL, XTAL > 1.5/µL, YLC > 10.0/µL, BACT > 287.5/µL. RESULTS Of the 317 specimens investigated, 17.4% (26/149) and 31.5% (39/124) of the specimens for RTEs and Path. CASTs, respectively, were correctly detected using the proposed review procedure. Sensitivity and specificity for this procedure was 96.9% and 46.2%, respectively. In addition, we verified the ability of the procedure to detect the pathological elements with technologists and nephrologists and the agreement was satisfactory. CONCLUSIONS This modified review procedure can significantly improve the quality of urinalysis and reduce the risk of underestimating the detection of pathological particles.
Chronic pain among the hospitalized patients after the 22 July 2011 terror attacks in Oslo and at Utøya Island

On 22 July 2011, 48 people were hospitalized due to physical injuries from gun shots or explosion, following 2 terror attacks in the Oslo area, Norway. In this study, we have investigated the occurrence of chronic pain, the severity and consequences of chronic pain in these patients, 3 to 4 years after the incidents.
The rivaroxaban-adjusted normalized ratio: use of the prothrombin time to monitor the therapeutic effect of rivaroxaban

ABSTRACT Background: The prothrombin time may be used to monitor the plasma concentration of rivaroxaban. However, there is variability in the responsiveness of rivaroxaban to different thromboplastins. We aimed to develop a rivaroxaban-monitoring method using the prothrombin time to reduce the differences in the sensitivity among reagents. Methods: Rivaroxaban-spiked pooled normal plasma at a 0–1000 ng/ml concentration was used to generate a rivaroxaban-adjusted sensitivity index (SI) values, and was tested with three thromboplastins. The warfarin-adjusted international sensitivity index (ISI-warfarin), rivaroxaban-adjusted sensitivity index (SI-rivaroxaban), international normalized ratio (INR) calculated with ISI-warfarin, normalized ratio (NR) calculated with SI-rivaroxaban, and their coefficient of variances (CVs) were compared. The NR-rivaroxaban value was compared with the results of an anti-Xa assay. Results: The ISI-warfarin and SI-rivaroxaban using different thromboplastins were 1.02 and 1.88, respectively, with Thromborel S, 0.90 and 1.00 using Recombiplastin 2G, and 1.30 and 1.15 using Neoplastin CI-plus. Between-thromboplastin variability expressed as CV were 6.3%–25.1% when expressed as INR-warfarin and 1.7%–4.7% when expressed as NR-rivaroxaban. CVs for the NR-rivaroxaban with another laboratory were significantly lower than those for INR-warfarin. Anti-Xa assay v NR-rivaroxaban correlation coefficients were 0.97–0.99. Conclusion: Using a rivaroxaban-specific NR effectively minimises inter-thromboplastin variability. By utilizing a NR-rivaroxaban, standardized prothrombin time results could be rapidly obtained, especially useful in standardizing the therapeutic effect of rivaroxaban.
Whither Occupational Class Health Gradients?: Why We Need More Social Class Theory, Mechanisms, Indicators, and Scientific Realism.

Epidemiology • Volume 30, Number 3, May 2019 www.epidem. com | 445 Editor’s Note: A related article appears on p. 435. The authors report no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Carles Muntaner, Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing and Division of Social and Behavioral Health Sciences, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, 155 College Street, Toronto, ON M4W 2C7, Canada. E-mail: Carles.muntaner@utoronto.ca.