Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pressure Ulcers Associated Mortality among Older Patients in a Large Teaching Hospital in Malaysia

Objective: Pressure ulcers are increasingly common with age, with 70% occurring in people aged ＞ 70years old. There are currently no published national data on the prevalence of pressure ulcers in Malaysia. The objective of this study is to evaluate the risk factors associated with mortality among patients with pressure ulcers. Methods: A prospective observational study was performed between Oct 2012 and May 2013. Patients with preexisting pressure ulcers on admission and those with hospital acquired pressure ulcers were recruited into the study. Information on patient demographics, functional status, nutritional level, stages of pressure ulcer and their complications were obtained. Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to assess the risk of death in all patients. Results: 76/684 (11.1%) patients had pre-existing pressure ulcers on admission and 30/684 (4.4%) developed pressure ulcers in hospital. These patients were frail individuals with multiple co-morbidities, poor functional status and malnourished. There were 68 (66%) deaths by the end of the median follow-up period of 12 (interquartile range 2.5 to 14) weeks. Factors associated with mortality included nursing home residence, pressure ulcer infection, stage IV pressure ulcer, urinary incontinence, being bedbound, scoring high risk on the Braden scale, hypoalbuminaemia and neutrophilia. Our Cox regression model revealed that nursing home residence (Hazard Ratio, HR= 2.33, 95% confidence interval, CI=1.30, 4.17; p=0.005), infected deep pressure ulcers (HR=2.21, 95% CI=1.26, 3.87; p=0.006) and neutrophilia (HR=1.76; 95% CI 1.05, 2.94; p=0.031) were independent predictors of mortality in our elderly patients with pressure ulcers. Conclusion: The prevalence of pressure ulcers in our setting is comparable to previously reported figures in Europe and North America. Mortality in patients with pressure ulcer was high, and was predicted by institutionalization and infection with high neutrophils count. This information is invaluable in informing healthcare decisions on life-prolonging treatment and end-of-life care in this group of extremely frailty and highly dependent individuals.
OZM Ball Drop Impact Tester (BIT‐132) vs. BAM Standard Method – a Comparative Investigation

Safety, performance, cost efficient synthesis and toxicity are the most important aspects of modern explosives. Sensitivity measurements are performed in accordance with different protocols all around the world. Sometimes the BAM drop hammer does not accurately reflect the sensitivity of an energetic material, in particular the sensitivity of primary explosives. Therefore, we present here preliminary results obtained using the novel ball drop tester (BIT‐132), manufactured by OZM research, following MIL‐STD‐1751 A (method 1016). The ball drop impact sensitivity tester is a device in which a free‐falling steel ball is dropped onto an unconfined sample, and is expected to produce more realistic results than the currently commonly used BAM method. The results obtained using the probit analysis were compared to those from the BAM drop hammer and friction tester. The following sensitive explosives were investigated: HMTD, TATP, TAT, Tetrazene, MTX‐1, KDNBF, KDNP, K2DNABT, Lead Styphnate Monohydrate, DBX‐1, Nickel(II) Hydrazine Nitrate, Silver Acetylide, AgN3, Pb(N3)2 RD‐1333, AgCNO, and Hg(CNO)2.
Prospective Cohort Studies of Vitamin B6 Intake and Colorectal Cancer Incidence: Modification by Time?

Background: Vitamin B6 may influence colorectal carcinogenesis through its role in one-carbon metabolism related DNA synthesis and methylation. However, observational studies have been inconclusive and no studies have investigated when in the natural history vitamin B6 intake may prevent colorectal cancer. Method: We followed 86,440 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 44,410 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study for up to 28 years. We assessed vitamin B6 intake every 4 years using validated food frequency questionnaires. We evaluated whether higher vitamin B6 intake in the remote past is strongly associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer than intake in the recent past. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate multivariable relative risks (MV RRs, 95%CIs). Results: Comparing top with bottom quintiles of total vitamin B6 intake, the mean plasma pyridoxal 5–phosphate (PLP, the active form of vitamin B6) levels were 98.3 pmol/mL and 38.9 pmol/mL in women and were 183.2 pmol/mL and 66.0 pmol/mL in men. Total vitamin B6 intake was significantly associated with an approximately 20–30% lower risk of colorectal cancer in age-adjusted results but these significant associations became attenuated and non-significant after adjustment for other colorectal cancer risk factors. Compared extreme quintiles of cumulative intake of total vitamin B6, the MV RRs (95%CIs) for colorectal cancer were 0.98 (0.80, 1.22; P trend = 0.79) in women and 0.98 (0.76, 1.26; P trend = 0.60) in men. For the same comparison, the MV RRs were 0.92 (0.73, 1.16) for total vitamin B6 intake 0–4 year before diagnosis, 0.99 (0.78, 1.26) for intake 4–8 year before diagnosis, 0.93 (0.71, 1.21) for intake 8–12 year before diagnosis, and 0.93 (0.69, 1.26) for intake 12–16 years before diagnosis. The corresponding MV RRs for men were 0.85 (0.63, 1.16), 0.98 (0.70, 1.37), 0.90 (0.63, 1.28), and 1.19 (0.78, 1.83), respectively. Additionally, results did not differ by cancer sub-site, sources of vitamin B6 (food or supplement), or intake of alcohol and folate. Conclusion: Although a small effect cannot be excluded, our results do not support a strong role of vitamin B6 intake in adulthood in colorectal carcinogenesis among middle-aged U.S. health professionals.
Flow Cytometric Diagnosis of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria: Pearls and Pitfalls – A Critical Review Article

Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare blood disorder characterized by chronic intravascular hemolysis, thromboses in unusual sites and cytopenias related to bone marrow failure. The diagnosis is based on the Flow Cytometric (FCM) detection of peripheral blood cell clones lacking the surface molecules linked to the GPI anchor, which is altered by mutations. Consensus studies have developed standardized and robust multicolor FCM assays to disclose PNH clones among red cells, neutrophils and monocytes at a high level of sensitivity and accuracy. High-resolution procedures have been also established to detect small PNH clones at a sensitivity level of around 0.01% in red cells and neutrophils. Cell clone type and size have been put into correlation with the clinical presentations of the associated diseases, and recommendations for the clinical follow-up have been established. The recent advent of the therapeutic monoclonal antibody Eculizumab has dramatically improved both the quality of life and the life expectancy of the affected patients, further increasing the importance of an accurate FCM detection and monitoring of the clones. The technical features of the FCM diagnostic workup and the many critical aspects of the analytical process are discussed here.
Texture analysis on gadoxetic acid enhanced-MRI for predicting Ki-67 status in hepatocellular carcinoma: A prospective study

Objective To investigate the value of whole-lesion texture analysis on preoperative gadoxetic acid enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for predicting tumor Ki-67 status after curative resection in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods This study consisted of 89 consecutive patients with surgically confirmed HCC. Texture features were extracted from multiparametric MRI based on whole-lesion regions of interest. The Ki-67 status was immunohistochemical determined and classified into low Ki-67 (labeling index ≤15%) and high Ki-67 (labeling index >15%) groups. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate logistic regression were applied for generating the texture signature, clinical nomogram and combined nomogram. The discrimination power, calibration and clinical usefulness of the three models were evaluated accordingly. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) rates after curative hepatectomy were also compared between groups. Results A total of 13 texture features were selected to construct a texture signature for predicting Ki-67 status in HCC patients (C-index: 0.878, 95% confidence interval: 0.791−0.937). After incorporating texture signature to the clinical nomogram which included significant clinical variates (AFP, BCLC-stage, capsule integrity, tumor margin, enhancing capsule), the combined nomogram showed higher discrimination ability (C-index: 0.936vs. 0.795, P<0.001), good calibration (P>0.05 in Hosmer-Lemeshow test) and higher clinical usefulness by decision curve analysis. RFS rate was significantly lower in the high Ki-67 group compared with the low Ki-67 group after curative surgery (63.27%vs. 85.00%, P<0.05). Conclusions Texture analysis on gadoxetic acid enhanced MRI can serve as a noninvasive approach to preoperatively predict Ki-67 status of HCC after curative resection. The combination of texture signature and clinical factors demonstrated the potential to further improve the prediction performance.
Research article STUDY ON CROSSING ABILITY OF ANNUAL CHRYSANTHEMUM GENOTYPES

The experiment comprised of six genotypes viz., NAC-01-10, NAC-02-10, NAC-03-10, NAC-04-10, NAC-05-10, NAC-06-10 selected for petal colour and number of layers of petals to estimate pollen viability, in-vitro pollen germination, stigma receptivity and crossed seed set percentage to find out the crossing ability of genotypes. The present experiment was laid out at the experimental field of Horticulture Section, College of Agriculture, Nagpur, during 2010-11. Pollen viability of six genotypes of annual chrysanthemum showed a range of 69.69% to 86.66% viability, Percentage of germination on the day of anthesis ranged from 22.72% (NAC-06-10) to 66.66% (NAC-01-10). First day pollen pollinated on first day stigma showed 100% stigma receptivity in all six genotypes and the crossed seed set ranged from 61.60% (NAC-04-10 × NAC-05-10) to 92.00% (NAC-01-10 × NAC-04-10) among direct crosses whereas, the percentage ranged from 42.00% (NAC-04-10 × NAC-02-10) to 90.00% (NAC-05-10 × NAC-01-10) among the reciprocal crosses. All the six genotypes are highly suitable for their use as parents in crossing program.
Knowledge and attitude of Babcock University students on risk behaviours of HIV/AIDS

The rate of HIV/AIDS transmission is alarming and Nigerian youth are at risk because of their sexual tendencies. The objective of this study was to identify the level of knowledge and the kind of attitude that 100 level students at Babcock University have towards risk behaviors that promote the transmission of HIV/AIDS and also to identify the differences between these parameters in the male and female 100 level students of the university. It provides data that will be useful to health workers generally, also health care providers for the university, student hall administrators, the university counselors, and administration will find the results from this very useful as they work with and provide education for the students of the university. A descriptive survey design was utilized and a sample size of 206 respondents was drawn from the population using a purposive sampling technique. The research instrument was a self structured questionnaire that had sessions that measured the level of knowledge and kind of attitude towards risk behaviors that promote HIV transmission. Data analysis was by table presentation and a t-test was used to test the hypothesis. The results showed that the respondents have adequate knowledge of risk behaviors that promote HIV/AIDS transmission, with a significant difference in the level of knowledge between male and female respondents It is recommended that awareness strategies through seminars and workshops be organized by the health care providers.
Relationship of high sensitivity c-reactive protein and fibrinogen between periodontitis and coronary heart diseases

AIM: To explore the relationship between periodontitis and coronary heart diseases(CHD) and compared the levels of high sensitivity c-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and fibrinogen(Fg) in serum among four groups.METHODS:40 subjects were divided into 4 groups according to the diagnostic angiography and periodontal examination as Group CP,Group C,Group P and Group H.Group CP was made up of 10 CHD patients with moderate to advanced periodontitis.10 CHD patients without periodontitis were as Group C.Group P was made up of 10 patients suffering moderate to advanced periodontitis.Group H was 10 healthy volunteers.The general informations and periodontal status of all the subjects were recorded and blood samples were withdrawed.The hs-crp level and Fg level were detected by immunoturbidimetry.RESULTS: The general informations including age,sex,body mass index(BMI) and smoking history had no significant differences(P0.05),but the hypertension history had significant differences among four groups(P0.05). One way analysis of variance showed that the level of hs-crp and Fg in serum from the patients of CP,C and P groups were higher than the Group H(P0.000～0.032);The results of Spearson correlation analysis showed that the level of hs-crp and Fg in serum had significantly positive correations with bleeding index(BI) and calculas index(CI). And so was between the pocket depth and hs-crp(P0.003～0.030). CONCLUSION: Inflammation of periodontal tissues can increase the level of hs-crp and Fg which may be the risk facters of coronary heart diseases.It indicated that the periodontitis may be another risk factor for coronary heart disease.
Assessment of essential oils from five Santalum species using ATR-fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy and GC-MS combined with chemometric analysis

ABSTRACT The essential oils from Santalum album heartwood is known as East Indian sandalwood oil and has been approved for daily intake as food recently. In order to develop a quick authentication method for East Indian sandalwood oil, the essential oils are hydro distillated from trunks of five Santalum species (Santalum album, Santalum lanceolatum, Santalum spicatum, Santalum austrocaledonicum, and Santalum yasi) and assessed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform mid-infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The mid-red spectra obtained from essential oils from all five Santalum species are similar and assigned to chemicals with the same functional groups. Most essential oils from other four Santalum species can be discriminated from those from Santalum album by principal component analysis (PCA). In addition, the results of partial least square (PLS) models suggested the strong correlations between santalols proportions quantified by GC-MS and ATR-FTIR spectra of essential oils, which suggests that FTIR combined with chemometric analysis might be a rapid analytical technique for sandalwood oil quality assessments.
Association of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha-308 Gene Polymorphism with Primary Open Angle Glaucoma in Chinese

Purpose: Genetic factors are known to play a role in the etiology of glaucoma, and in particular the role of immune system is highly suspected. In this study, we evaluated the association between tumor necrosis factor alpha-308 (TNF a-308) and primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Methods: Sixty POAG patients and one hundred and three healthy volunteers as control group were enrolled in this case controlled study. Furthermore, we used polymerase chain reaction based analysis to resolve the TNF a-308 polymorphism. Statistical analysis for the relative risk of TNF a -308 polymorphism was compared by the chi-square test Results: There were significant differences in the distribution of the polymorphism between the POAG patients and the control subjects (p=0.00016; p
Instrumentation for direct measurements of wave‐driven flow over a fringing reef crest

Shallow dynamic flows are very important processes in environmental systems, yet they are notoriously difficult to measure. For example, on coral reefs, shallow flows over the reef crest typically range from 0 to 1 m depth and velocity up to 1–2 m s−1 including oscillatory motion of waves. To directly measure depth and velocity in this challenging environment, we retrofitted a vertical acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP, Teledyne, RDI) designed for streams into a new shallow water acoustic Doppler current profiler system (SW‐ADCP) to expand memory and power limitations and allow for deployment in wave‐dominated environments. We captured variations in shallow reef crest depth and flow over a period of 3 weeks in the reef/lagoon system of Ofu Island, American Samoa. The new SW‐ADCPs recorded water depth and three‐dimensional velocity in 3 cm bins every 3 s. We then used velocity profiles to estimate volumetric flow and drag coefficients and verified these estimates using boundary layer theory. We observe that the mean velocity profile is well approximated by a log‐layer formulation with z0 of 3.5 cm, despite the shallow depths, strong flows, and breaking waves. Our observations validated the use of SW‐ADCPs as a tool for measuring flows in shallow (0.1–1 m), dynamic coastal marine environments.
Morphological Evaluation of Head and Face Shapes in a North - Eastern Nigerian Population

Anthropometric measurements such as cranial and facial forms provide important results that are important in orofacial surgery and in diagnostic comprehension between patient and normal populations. There is no published literature about the types of head and face shapes in the adult north eastern Nigerian population, hence, this study was undertaken to document the various cranial and facial forms of adult Nigerians of north eastern origin resident in Maiduguri metropolis. Head length, head width, head circumference, face length and face width were measured and the prosopic and cephalic indices calculated in a total of 343 subjects (200 males and 143 females). The mean cephalic index in males and females were 71.90% and 73.92% respectively while the mean prosopic index in males and females were 99.39% and 97.54% respectively. Based on international classification, the dominant and rarest head shapes were the dolicocephalic and hyperbrachycephalic type in males and females while the dominant and rarest face type were the hyperleptoprosopic and hypereuriprosopic type in both the male and female population respectively. The result obtained from this study showed that there was no significant difference between the dominant and rare head types in both genders thus the data obtained from this study can be used as local standards for diagnostic and anthropometric evaluation.
Kinetics and pathways of diclofenac degradation by heat-activated persulfate

In this study, the degradation of diclofenac (DCF) by heat-activated persulfate (HAP) was investigated. It was found that DCF could be degraded efficiently by HAP. The degradation of DCF followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model, and the highest observed degradation rate constant (kobs) was obtained at pH 3. The sulfate radical was mainly responsible for DCF removal at pH < 7, whereas it was the hydroxyl radical at high pH. The elimination of DCF was enhanced with the increase in temperature or initial dosage of persulfate. Presence of Cu2+ and CO32− could improve DCF degradation, while an inhibition effect was observed in the presence of natural organic matter. According to the identified nine transformation products, the potential DCF degradation mechanism was proposed revealing five different reaction pathways, including hydroxylation, decarboxylation, formylation, dehydrogenation and C–N bond cleavage. This study indicates that HAP can effectively oxidize and degrade DCF, especially under acidic conditions.
Bioactive compounds from the seeds of Amomum tsaoko Crevost et Lemaire, a Chinese spice as inhibitors of sphingosine kinases, SPHK1/2

Amomum tsaoko Crevost et Lemaire (Zingiberaceae), a traditional Chinese spice also known as “Caoguo” or “tsao-ko,” has been considered to have many health benefits. As part of our continuous efforts to screen natural resources exhibiting potential bioactivity, we examined the seeds of A. tsaoko and found that its EtOH extract inhibited sphingosine kinases 1 and 2 (SPHK1/2). Bioactivity-based analysis and chemical investigation of the EtOH extract led to the isolation and identification of four aliphatic alcohols (1–4), five fatty acids (5–9), 12 phenolics (10–21), and four terpenoids (22–25), including four new compounds, an acetylated aliphatic alcohol (2), a fatty acid (5), and two phenolics (10–11). In addition, compound 1 was isolated for the first time from natural sources in this study. The structures of all compounds were elucidated based on spectroscopic analysis, including 1D and/or 2D NMR and HR-ESIMS as well as LC/MS analysis. A recently developed method using competing enantioselective acylation (CEA) coupled with LC/MS analysis was applied for the assignment of absolute configuration of compound 5. The absolute configurations of compounds 10 and 11 were determined using ECD calculations. All of the compounds (1–25) isolated from the active fraction were evaluated for their SPHK1/2 inhibitory effects at the concentration of 10 μM. Aliphatic alcohols 2–4, fatty acids 7 and 9, and phenolic compounds 13–15 and 21 showed inhibition against the activity of SPHK1 up to 20% and aliphatic alcohols 2 and 4, fatty acid 8, and phenolic compounds 10, 11, 18, and 22 showed inhibition against the activity of SPHK2 up to 40% compared with the control. Compound 2 showed the highest potency to inhibit SPHK1 enzymatic activity, by 59.75%, and compound 22 showed the highest potency in inhibiting the activity of SPHK2, by 22.75%, in comparison with the control, where both exhibited higher inhibition compared to those of positive controls. Docking modeling studies were conducted to suggest the binding mode of 2 and 22 in the substrate-binding pocket of SPHK1 and SPHK2, respectively.
Using mass spectrometry to quantify changes in histone post-translational modifications as a result of DNA double-strand breaks

The structure of DNA is under constant threat from both extracellular and intracellular sources, causing mutations that could result in the reduced viability of the cell. In the nucleus of eukaryotes, DNA wraps around histone proteins 1.67 times. Two copies of Histone H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 congregate to form an octomer: along with the DNA strand together make the nucleosome. It has been shown that via histone post-translational modifications (HPTM), the nucleosome will signal to recruit biological machinery to process DNA such as during transcription or repair. One of the most characterised HPTM is phosphorylation of serine 139 of H2AX (γH2AX), which is indicative of a DNA strand break — single or double. Subsequent to the phosphorylation, the cell’s DNA damage response (DDR) will proceed to recruit proteins that repair the damage. Recent studies have implicated a myriad of HPTMs in the DDR. However, many of the putative DDR HPTM were described with various immunoassays such as western blot and immunofluorescence. Immunoassays are notorious for reproducibility issues and experimental design biases. Comparatively, mass spectrometry is renowned for its precision and its ability to accommodate high throughput analysis of many datasets in an unbiased manner. We utilise MS to quantify γH2AX changes after DNA damage and show that H2AX tyrosine 142 phosphorylation is not as abundant as previously shown. We also developed a method for simultaneously quantifying many HPTMs changes that occur as a result of the DDR at both proximal to the site of damage and a genomic scale. The developed method of quantifying DDR HPTM accommodates future experiments such as determining whether DDR HPTMs are old or new (with SILAC) or be adapted to analyse HPTMs as a result of transcription, translation or development. A translational aspect would be to quantify the epigenetic marks of cancer patients before and post-treatment.