Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of efficacy of thoracic paravertebral block with oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane block in open cholecystectomy

Background and Aims: Sensory afferent nerve branches of lower six thoracic and upper lumbar nerves innervate the anterior abdominal wall and are the therapeutic focus of local anesthetics to provide analgesia for the abdominal surgical incision. Central neuraxial and regional analgesia can provide better control of pain due to right subcostal incision used in open cholecystectomy and attenuate the need for opioids. The earlier studies which showed the benefit of the thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) for analgesia after upper abdominal surgeries did not compare TPVB with oblique subcostal transversus abdominis plane (OSTAP) block. Therefore, the current study compares the analgesic efficacy of TPVB and OSTAP block in open cholecystectomy. Material and Methods: Seventy consenting adults scheduled for open cholecystectomy were allocated to one of the two groups: ultrasound-guided TPVB (Group I) and ultrasound-guided OSTAP block (Group II). The primary objective of this study is to assess and compare tramadol consumption in 48 h in both the groups along with VAS in post anesthesia care unit, and then at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 24, and 48 h. The secondary objective of the study is to assess the incidence of PONV. Results: The number of doses of rescue analgesia required was less in Group I when compared with Group II (P < 0.001). Patients in Group I had significantly lower pain scores than Group II. Although in the initial 8 h, both groups had comparable pain scores, after 8 h, these scores were significantly lower in patients in Group I. Less postoperative nausea and vomiting was seen in Group I patients (11.7%) in comparison to Group II (18.1%). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided TPVB is superior to OSTAP block because of its association with decreased postoperative opioid consumption, lower VAS score, and reduction in opioid-related side effects. Thus, it should be strongly considered as a part of multimodal analgesia regimen in upper abdominal surgeries.
Acceptability of silver diamine fluoride as interim measure towards untreated dental caries and its impact on ohrqol among children with HIV: Pilot study

Background: Children with HIV are a special group with limited access to care and high prevalence of dental caries. Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF) is approved universally for the management of asymptomatic carious lesions but research on the psychological impact of black staining is scarce. Aims: Effect of silver diamine fluoride (SDF) application as an interim caries management on the child's oral health-related quality of life of children with HIV over a period of 4 months until definitive care was provided. Settings and Design: A pilot study conducted among children with HIV in a care home. It was a pilot trial to check the acceptability of SDF among these children. Methods and Material: Forty-two children (12.3 ± 3.5 years) participated in this pilot study. Prevalence of caries (DMFT), candidiasis, gingival inflammation, and cervical lymphadenitis was evaluated. OHRQoL inventory (COHIP-SF) was completed by the students at baseline, immediately, 4 months after SDF application. Statistical Analysis Used: One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey HSD test. Results and Conclusion: Poor oral hygiene was universal and mean DMFT was 3.2 ± 2.5. OHRQoL was not significantly affected at baseline (26.2 ± 6.4), but immediately following SDF application, OHRQoL was significantly poor (48.7 ± 8.2), remained poor even after 4 months (42.6 ± 6.1). Emotional wellbeing was significantly impacted negatively following SDF application (p < 0.001); whereas oral health, functional wellbeing dimensions were not impacted. SDF should be used with caution among special children as the black discoloration of the teeth can cause emotional trauma and negatively impacting their OHRQoL while trying to improve the same.
Anesthesia and Alzheimer's: A review

As early as 1955, it was Bedford who provided description of cognitive changes in elderly patients following anesthesia and surgery. Reports of individuals with catastrophic, non-stroke-related decline in cognitive functions following anesthesia and surgery lead to a perception in the lay population that anesthesia and surgery have the potential to greatly exaggerate the progression of dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD). There is a concern that anesthesia and surgery could cause irreversible impairment, leading to AD. This could also explain the accelerated decline in patients with mild cognitive impairment. We seek to explore the relevant literature to determine whether a correlation exists and then propose a possible pathophysiologic mechanism.
Applications of electromotive drug administration in urology

To review all published evidence regarding the use of Electromotive Drug Administration (EMDA) for the management of urological conditions, focusing on efficacy and safety, and highlighting areas that require further study. The PubMed and Medline databases were searched up to July 23, 2019. All studies reporting the use of EMDA to enhance the intravesical administration of therapeutic drugs for urological conditions were included. Two reviewers independently screened all articles, searched the reference lists of retrieved articles, and performed the data extraction. Thirty-two studies were included. The use of EMDA has been reported in the following urological conditions: (1) nonmuscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC); (2) overactive bladder; (3) bladder pain syndrome; (4) radiation cystitis; (5) detrusor acontractility; and (6) for analgesia prior to transurethral procedures. Overall, most studies are nonrandomized trials with small numbers of patients. The use of EMDA is reported to be safe and effective in all these conditions, with the highest level of evidence in NMIBC in the neoadjuvant and adjuvant setting. However, the low overall quality of evidence limits the conclusions that can be reached. The use of EMDA to improve the efficacy of intravesical treatments is promising, but the low overall quality of the evidence base has limited its widespread use. Future studies should compare EMDA to passive diffusion and current standard of care in large, randomized, and long-term studies to determine the efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of this modality.
Performance and Durability of Thread Antennas as Stretchable Epidermal UHF RFID Tags

Epidermal sensors based on battery-less Radiofrequency Identification (RFID) aim at collecting biophysical parameters with a high level of comfort for the user. This paper investigates the performance and durability of epidermal RFID tags, equipped with a self-tuning RFID IC, that are based either on copper wires or conductive yarns. The tags are deployed onto an ultra-thin stretchable and transparent substrate to achieve comformability to body discontinuities. A statistical analysis on volunteers showed that, in the whole UHF band (860-960 MHz), reliable read ranges of 1 m are easily achieved while up to 2 m can be reached in some favorable configurations. Both tags withstand wear, mechanical stress due to the movements of the body, sweating, and water. In particular, the tag made of conductive yarn lasts for more than 20 days. This new family of epidermal tags is moreover suitable for low-cost and large-scale manufacturing through the widely available machines used for wire-laying, bending, and shaping.
Temporal expectation modulates cortical dynamics of sensory memory

Increased memory load is often signified by enhanced neural oscillatory power in the alpha range (8–13 Hz), taken to reflect inhibition of task-irrelevant brain regions. The corresponding neural correlates of memory decay, however, are not yet well-understood. Here, we investigated auditory sensory memory decay using a delayed matching-to-sample task with pure-tone sequences. First, in a behavioral experiment we modeled memory behavior over six different delay-phase durations. Second, in a magnetoencephalography (MEG) experiment, we assessed alpha-power modulations over three different delay-phase durations. In both experiments, the temporal expectation for the to-be-remembered sound was manipulated, so that it was either temporally expected or not. In both studies, memory performance declined over time but this decline was less strong under a more precise temporal expectation. Similarly, patterns of alpha power in and alpha-tuned connectivity between sensory cortices changed parametrically with delay duration (i.e., decrease in occipito-parietal regions, increase in temporal regions). Notably, temporal expectation counteracted alpha-power decline in heteromodal brain areas (i.e., supramarginal gyrus), in line with its memory-decay counteracting effect on performance. Correspondingly, temporal expectation also boosted alpha connectivity within attention networks known to play an active role during memory maintenance. The present data outline how patterns of alpha power orchestrate sensory memory decay, and encourage a refined perspective on alpha power and its inhibitory role across brain space and time. Significance Statement Our sensory memories of the physical world fade quickly. We show here that this decay of sensory memory can be counteracted by so-called temporal expectation, that is, knowledge of when to expect the to-be-remembered sensory event (here, brief sound patterns). We also show that distinct patterns and modulations of neural oscillations in the “alpha” (8–13 Hz) range index both, the degree of memory decay, and any benefit from temporal expectation, both of which affect memory performance. Critically, spatially distributed cortical patterns of alpha power, with opposing effects in auditory vs. visual sensory cortices and alpha-tuned connectivity changes within supramodal attention networks, reflect the allocation of neural resources as sensory memory representations fade.
Assessment of the single-ensemble method applied to hydrodynamic simulations

espanolPara mejorar las estimaciones de los modelos ambientales, se ha sugerido la utilizacion de la media de las simulaciones de diferentes modelos y/o de diferentes realizaciones de un modelo, especialmente en meteorologia y ciencias del clima. En este estudio aplicamos la modelizacion de conjuntos para estudiar el comportamiento termico e hidrodinamico del embalse mediterraneo de Bimont (Francia). Utilizamos un conjunto unimodelo formado por tres realizaciones de un mismo modelo hidrodinamico (DYRESM) con diferentes valores de los parametros de calibracion: 1) valores de los parametros por defecto, 2) valores de los parametros obtenidos por calibracion manual, y 3) valores de los parametros correspondientes al miembro mas eficiente de un conjunto de combinaciones aceptables de parametros obtenido utilizando la tecnica GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation). Los resultados confirman el buen comportamiento de la media de conjunto a la hora de estimar la temperatura del agua en masas de agua continentales. Se dio una cierta perdida de la senal a causa del suavizado inducido por el promediado de los diferentes miembros del conjunto, especialmente para el caso de la simulacion de la temperatura superficial. Los modelos de conjuntos son una buena alternativa para obtener resultados de las simulaciones consistentemente mejores, asi como para obtener una estimacion qualitativa de su incertidumbre. Sin embargo, es necesario ser conscientes de las limitaciones del metodo al interpretar los resultados. EnglishAveraging the results of different models and/or model realizations has been suggested as a way to improve the estimations of environmental models, especially in meteorology and climate sciences. We applied ensemble modelling to study the hydrodynamic and thermal behaviour of the Mediterranean reservoir of Bimont (France). We used a single-model ensemble composed of three realizations of the same hydrodynamic model (Dynamic Reservoir Simulation Model, DYRESM) with different calibration parameter values as follows: 1) default parameter values, 2) parameter values obtained by manual calibration, and 3) parameter values corresponding to the best performing member of a set of behavioural parameter sets obtained using the GLUE (Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation) method. The results confirmed the good performance of the ensemble average for lake water temperature simulations. A loss of signal was present because of the smoothing induced by model averaging, especially for the simulation of surface temperature. Single ensembles are a good alternative to obtain consistently better simulation results in hydrodynamic simulations, as well as providing a qualitative estimation of uncertainty. However, awareness of its limitations is necessary when interpreting the results.
Study of Risk Factors, Clinical Spectrum, and Outcome for Head Injury in Pediatric Age Group in Western India

Aim: To study various risk factors which leads to head injury, severity of head injury and to compare survival as predicted by the Revised Trauma Score (RTS) and Pediatric Trauma Score (PTS) in pediatric patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital. Methods: 300 consecutive pediatric patients below 12 years of age with head injury admitted in our institute were analysed as per a set proforma. Data pertaining to patient's demographic details, mode of injury, computed tomography (CT) findings, type of management, severity of head injury, and outcome were recorded. The results were tabulated and analyzed. RTS and PTS scores were calculated to predict the survival of an individual patient. Results: The most commonly affected age group was 1–5 years. Boys outnumbered girls in the incidence. Fall was the most common injury, with road traffic accident being the most common cause of mortality. Skull fracture was the most common CT scan finding. Most of the patients presented with mild head injury (Glasgow Coma Scale 13–15), and they improved with conservative management only. RTS and PTS scores were calculated and were equally effective in predicting the outcome for a particular patient. Conclusion: Head injury occurs more commonly in 1–5 years' age group due to fall from unprotected roof tops. The overall prognosis in majority of the cases is excellent. However, road traffic accident shows the highest mortality and hence, we propose to include mode of injury as a variable for designing future predictive outcome models.
Diagnostic Valuation of Serum miR-184 and miR-191 in Patients With Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer

Objective: This study aims to determine the diagnosis and prediction value of serum miR-184 and miR-191 levels in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: One hundred patients with NSCLC were enrolled (NSCLC group) and treated with gefitinib. In addition, 59 pneumonia cases (pneumonia group) and 51 healthy cases in the corresponding period (normal group) were included. Serum miR-184 and miR-191 expressions were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Furthermore, the relationships between serum miR-184 and miR-191 expressions and clinicopathological parameters were analyzed. The use of serum miR-184 and miR-191 levels in the diagnosis of NSCLC and the prediction of treatment effectiveness and 3-year overall survival (OS) were assessed by the receiver operating characteristic curve. Hazard factors affecting the efficacy of treatment in patients with NSCLC were determined by logistic regression. Results: The serum levels of miR-184 in the NSCLC group were significantly lower than those in the pneumonia group and normal group, whereas miR-191 expression was significantly higher in the NSCLC group. Serum miR-184 and miR-191 levels were closely correlated with smoking history, the tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage, and the degree of pathological differentiation. The area under curve (AUC) of serum miR-184 combined with miR-191 in the diagnosis of patients in the NSCLC group and normal group, NSCLC group and pneumonia group, and the efficacy of treatment in patients with NSCLC was 0.925, 0.929, and 0.916, respectively. The AUC of serum miR-184 and miR-191 for the 3-year OS in patients with NSCLC was 0.869 and 0.879, respectively. Smoking history, the degree of pathological differentiation, local treatment, miR-184, and miR-191 were independent risk factors that affected treatment efficacy. Conclusion: Serum miR-184 and miR-191 levels can potentially be used as molecular markers to diagnose and predict the curative effect of treatment in patients with NSCLC.
Timing and Management of Surgical Site Infections in Patients with Open Fracture Wounds: A Fluid Lavage of Open Wounds (FLOW) Cohort Secondary Analysis.

BACKGROUND Many studies report on the incidence or prevalence of fracture-related surgical site infections (SSIs) following open fractures; however, few studies report on their timing, and management outcomes. To address this gap, we used data from the FLOW trial to determine timing of diagnosis, management, and resolution of SSIs. METHODS All participants included in this analysis had an SSI after an open fracture. Participants were assigned to a group based on the type of SSI: 1) those who developed a superficial SSI; and 2) those who had either a deep or organ/space SSI. Descriptive statistics characterized the type, timing, and management of each SSI. RESULTS Of the 2,445 participants in the FLOW trial, 325 (13.3%) had an SSI. Superficial SSIs were diagnosed significantly earlier (26.5 days, interquartile range (IQR) 12-48) than deep or organ/space SSIs (53 days, IQR 15-119). Of the 325 patients with SSIs, 174 required operative management and 151 were treated non-operatively. For SSIs managed operatively, median time for infection resolution was 73 days (IQR 28-165) and on average, 1.73 surgeries (95% CI 1.58-1.88) were needed during the 12 months follow-up. There were 24 cases whose SSIs were not resolved at the time of the final follow-up visit (12 months). CONCLUSIONS Based on this study's findings, and in contra-distinction to the CDC guidelines, after an open fracture, superficial SSIs were diagnosed at one month, and deep/organ/space SSIs at two months. This information can allow for earlier infection detection. In addition, the knowledge that approximately 50% of the SSIs in our study required a re-operation and three months at a minimum to resolve, will assist orthopaedic surgeons when counseling their patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation Nutrition and Markers of Disease Severity in Patients With Bronchiectasis

Nutrition and Markers of Disease Severity in Patients With Bronchiectasis Katherine A. Despotes, MD1 Radmila Choate, PhD, MPH2,3 Doreen Addrizzo-Harris, MD4 Timothy R. Aksamit, MD5 Alan Barker, MD6 Ashwin Basavaraj, MD4 Charles L. Daley, MD7 Edward Eden, MD8 Angela DiMango, MD9 Kevin Fennelly, MD10 Julie Philley, MD11 Margaret M. Johnson, MD12 Pamela J. McShane, MD13 Mark L. Metersky, MD14 Anne E. O’Donnell, MD15 Kenneth N. Olivier, MD, MPH10 Matthias A. Salathe, MD16 Andreas Schmid, MD16 Byron Thomashow, MD9 Gregory Tino, MD17 Kevin L. Winthrop, MD, MPH6,18 Michael R. Knowles, MD1 Mary Leigh Anne Daniels, MD, MPH1 Peadar G. Noone, MD1 Original Research
Sandhill crane roost selection, human disturbance, and forage resources

Sites used for roosting represent a key habitat requirement for many species of birds because availability and quality of roost sites can influence individual fitness. Birds select roost sites based on numerous factors, requirements, and motivations, and selection of roosts can be dynamic in time and space because of various ecological and environmental influences. For sandhill cranes (Antigone canadensis) at their main spring-staging area along the Platte River in south-central Nebraska, USA, past investigations of roosting cranes focused on physical channel characteristics related to perceived security as motivating roost distribution. We used 6,310 roost sites selected by 313 sandhill cranes over 5 spring migration seasons (2003–2007) to quantify resource selection functions of roost sites on the central Platte River using a discrete choice analysis. Sandhill cranes generally showed stronger selection for wider channels with shorter bank vegetation situated farther from potential human disturbance features such as roads, bridges, and dwellings. Furthermore, selection for roost sites with preferable physical characteristics (wide channels with short bank vegetation) was more resilient to nearby disturbance features than more narrow channels with taller bank vegetation. The amount of cornfields surrounding sandhill crane roost sites positively influenced relative probability of use but only for more narrow channels <100 m and those with shorter bank vegetation. We confirmed key resource features that sandhill cranes selected at river channels along the Platte River, and after incorporating spatial variation due to human disturbance, our understanding of roost site selection was more robust, providing insights on how disturbance may interact with physical habitat features. Managers can use information on roost-site selection when developing plans to increase probability of crane use at existing roost sites and to identify new areas for potential use if existing sites become limited. © 2016 The Wildlife Society.
Altered DNA Repair, Antioxidant and Cellular Proliferation Status as Determinants of Susceptibility to Methylmercury Toxicity in Vitro

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a pervasive environmental contaminant with potent neurotoxic, teratogenic and likely carcinogenic activity, for which the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unclear. Base excision repair (BER) is important in mitigating the pathogenic effects of oxidative stress, which has also been implicated in the mechanism of MeHg toxicity, however the importance of BER in MeHg toxicity is currently unknown. Accordingly, we addressed this question using: (1) spontaneouslyand Simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigenimmortalized oxoguanine glycosylase 1-null (Ogg1) murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs); and, (2) human Ogg1 (hOgg1)or formamidopyrimidine glycosylase (Fpg)-expressing human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells; reciprocal in vitro cellular models with deficient and enhanced ability to repair oxidatively damaged DNA respectively. When spontaneously-immortalized wild-type and Ogg1 MEFs were exposed to environmentally relevant, low micromolar concentrations of MeHg, both underwent cell cycle arrest but Ogg1 cells exhibited a greater sensitivity to MeHg than wild-type controls with reduced clonogenic survival and increased apoptosis, DNA damage and DNA damage response activation. Antioxidative catalase alleviated the MeHg-initiated DNA damage in both wild-type and Ogg1 cells, but failed to block MeHgmediated apoptosis at micromolar concentrations. As in spontaneously immortalized MEFs, MeHg induced cell cycle arrest in SV40 large T antigen-immortalized MEFs, with increased