Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of IGF-1 expression in the peripheral blood of women with recurrent breast cancer

Abstract Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women worldwide. The insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) gene encodes a protein responsible for a wide variety of physiological processes, including differentiation and cell proliferation. Despite several studies on tumor tissues, no study has evaluated IGF-1 expression in the peripheral blood of women with recurrent breast cancer. In this cross-sectional study, IGF-1 expression in the peripheral blood of 146 women with breast cancer treated approximately 5 years ago was quantified by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain. The women were divided into 2 groups: non-recurrence (n = 85) and recurrence (n = 61). Statistical analysis of the data was performed using ANOVA, Mann–Whitney, and Chi-squared tests (P < .05). The results showed no significant difference in IGF-1 expression between the non-recurrence and recurrence groups (P = .988). In the subgroups of patients with lymph node involvement, no statistically significant difference was observed in IGF-1 expression between women with recurrence and those non-recurrence (P = .113). In patients without lymph node metastases, IGF-1 messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression levels were significantly higher in the non-recurrence group than in the recurrence group (P = .019). Furthermore, using the median IGF-1 mRNA expression as the cutoff point, it was obtained a statistically significant difference in tumor histological grade among women with recurrent breast cancer (P = .042). These data showed significantly higher IGF-1 expression in women without lymph node metastases in the non-recurrence group compared with the recurrence group. In addition, a significant difference was observed in median IGF-1 mRNA expression in relation to tumor histological grade in women with recurrent breast cancer.
＜Editors’ Choice＞ Impact of maintenance of postoperative performance status on survival in elderly patients over 70 with high-grade astrocytoma

ABSTRACT This study aimed to identify the elderly generation with the worst prognoses for high-grade astrocytoma and find independent predictors of good outcomes. We conducted a retrospective analysis of 91 patients, ≥65 years old, with anaplastic astrocytoma or glioblastoma. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were calculated using the Kaplan–Meier method and compared using log-rank test or multivariate Cox regression analysis. We included 21 (23%) and 70 (77%) patients aged 65–69 years and ≥70 years. In the two generations, significant differences were found in the Charlson comorbidity index, extent of resection, chemoradiotherapy (CRT) as adjuvant therapy, and radiation dose (all P < 0.05). The median PFS was 9.9 and 6.9 months in patients aged 65–69 and ≥70 years (P = 0.10). The median OS was 22.8 and 11.6 months in patients aged 65–69 and ≥70 years (P = 0.009). In the multivariate analyzes in patients ≥70 years, only postoperative Karnofsky performance status (KPS) scores ≥70 were significantly related to prolonged PFS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.48, P = 0.04), and postoperative KPS, CRT as adjuvant therapy, and salvage therapy were significantly related to prolonged OS (HR: 0.45, P = 0.03, HR: 0.38, P = 0.002, and HR: 0.43, P = 0.01, respectively). In conclusion, in patients ≥70 with high-grade astrocytoma, OS was significantly shorter compared to those aged 65–69. Postoperative KPS score was significantly related to prolonged PFS and OS. Postoperative CRT and salvage therapy at recurrence may be effective in the selected elderly.
Nursing home residents’ ADL status, institution-dwelling and association with outdoor activity: a cross-sectional study

Introduction The Norwegian regulations for nursing homes consider access to meaningful activities to be an indicator for the quality of nursing homes. Activities of daily living (ADL) provide important basic self-care skills for nursing home residents. Due to the physical changes caused by ageing and comorbidities, nursing home residents may experience functional decline over time, which may affect their ability to perform meaningful ADL, such as outdoor activity, which is considered a valuable and meaningful activity in Norwegian culture. This study aimed to investigate the association between ADL status, institution-dwelling and outdoor activity among nursing home residents. Methods This cross-sectional study included 784 residents aged >67 years living in 21 nursing homes in 15 Norwegian municipalities between November 2016 and May 2018. The Barthel Index was used to assess the nursing home residents’ ADL status. Other variables collected were age, gender, body weight and height, visits per month, institution, ward, and participation in weekly outdoor activities. Descriptive statistics were used to provide an overview of the residents’ characteristics. A Poisson regression model was used to test the association between the outdoor activity level as the dependent variable and ADL score, institution, and other control variables as independent variables. Results More than half (57%) of the nursing home residents in this sample did not go outdoors. More than 50% of the residents had an ADL score <10, which indicates low performance status. Further, we found that residents’ ADL status, institution, ward, and number of visits had an impact on how often the residents went outdoors. Discussion The nursing home residents in this study rarely went outdoors, which is interesting because Norwegians appreciate this activity. Differences in the number of visits might explain why some residents went outdoors more often than other residents did. Our findings also highlight that the institutions impact the outdoor activity. How the institutions are organized and how important this activity is considered to be in the institutions determine how often the activity is performed. Conclusion The low frequency of the outdoor activities might be explained by a low ADL score. More than 50% of the residents had an ADL score <10, which indicates low performance status. Despite regulations for nursing home quality in Norway, this result suggests that organizational differences matter, which is an important implication for further research, health policy and practice.
Association between daytime napping duration and depression in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS)

Abstract The effect of the afternoon napping duration on the risk of depression has not been well established, particularly with regard to sex and age differences. The present study examines the association between afternoon napping duration and depression stratified by sex and age among Chinese adults aged 45 years or older. The 2011 to 2012 survey of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was utilized, including 5746 participants. We conducted logistic regression with the overall sample and subjects stratified by sex and age. Elderly men with short napping (<30 minutes) had lower odds of having depression symptoms compared with those with no napping group (OR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.44–0.97). In addition, the finding indicated that middle-aged women with long napping (≥90 min) had a marginally significant difference than those in reference, which showed a negative effect on depression (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.51–1.01). Our findings revealed that extended daytime napping duration can decrease the risk of depression status among middle and elderly people. Moreover, relevant promotion measures should be adopted, such as a suitable rest environment and regular napping habits. The potential mechanism should be clarified by a longitudinal survey to examine the specific causality.
Relationships between white blood cell count and insulin resistance, glucose effectiveness, and first- and second-phase insulin secretion in young adults

Abstract The Increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been observed in younger adults. Insulin resistance [IR], decreased first-, second-phase insulin secretion, and glucose effectiveness (GE) (IR, first phase insulin secretion [FPIS], second phase insulin secretion [SPIS], and GE), denoted as diabetes factors (DF), are core for developing T2DM. A body of evidence has shown that inflammation contributes to the development of diabetes. In the present study, our goals were first, evaluate the relationships between white blood cell (WBC) count and, second, examine the relative tightness between the 4 DFs to WBC count. Thus, the pathophysiology of T2DM in Chinese young men could be more understood. 21112 non-obese males between 18 to 27 years old were recruited (mean age: 24.3 ± 0.017), including 1745 subjects with metabolic syndrome. DFs were calculated by the published equations by our groups as follows: IR = log (1.439 + 0.018 × sex - 0.003 × age + 0.029 × body mass index [BMI]- 0.001 × systolic blood pressure [SBP] + 0.006 × diastolic blood pressure + 0.049 × triglycerides [TG] - 0.046 × high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDLC] - 0.0116 × fasting plasma glucose [FPG]) × 10 3.3331 FPIS = 10 [1.477 - 0.119 × FPG + 0.079 × BMI - 0.523 × HDLC] 2 SPIS = 10 [-2.4 - 0.088 × FPG + 0.072 × BMI] GE = (29.196 - 0.103 × age - 2.722 × TG - 0.592 × FPG) ×10 −33 The association between DFs and WBC count was analyzed using a simple correlation. The r-values of the simple correlation are regarded as the tightness of the relationships. Higher WBC, FPIS, SPIS, IR, age, BMI, blood pressure, FPG, TG, Cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and lower HDL-C and GE were observed in subjects with metabolic syndrome. A similar trend was seen across the quartiles of WBC levels. Among the 4 DFs, GE has the highest r-value (r = -0.093, P < .001), followed by IR (r = 0.067, P < .001), SPIS (r = 0.029, P < .001) and FPIS (r = 0.027, P < .001). Elevated WBC count is significantly associated with all the 4 DFs and the relative order of the tightness, from the highest to the lowest, are GE, IR, SPIS, and FPIS in Chinese young men.
Continuous adductor canal block provides better performance after total knee arthroplasty compared with the single-shot adductor canal block?

Abstract Background: Adductor canal block (ACB) has emerged as an attractive alternative for femoral nerve blocks (FNB) as the peripheral nerve block of choice for total knee arthroplasty (TKA), preserving quadriceps motor function while providing analgesia comparable to FNB. However, its optimal application for TKA remains controversial. The objective of this meta-analysis was to compare continuous-injection ACB (CACB) vs single-injection ACB (SACB) for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing TKA. Methods: This study attempts to identify the available and relevant randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding the analgesic effects of CACB compared to SACB in patients undergoing TKA according to electronic databases, including PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, EMbase, and the Cochrane Library, up to September 2019. Primary outcomes in this regard included the use of a visual analogue scale (VAS) pain score with rest or activity, while secondary outcomes were cumulative opioid consumption, length of hospital stay (LOS), complications of vomiting and nausea, and rescue analgesia. The corresponding data were analyzed using RevMan v5.3. Ethical review: Because all of the data used in this systematic review and meta-analysis has been published, the ethical approval was not necessary Results: This research included 9 studies comprised of 739 patients. The analyzed outcomes demonstrated that patients who received CACB had a better at rest-VAS scores at 4 hours (P = .007), 8 hors (P < .0001), 12 hours (P < .0001), 24 hours (P = .02), mobilization-VAS score at 48 hours (P < .0001), and rescue analgesia (P = .03) than those who underwent SACB. Nevertheless, no significant differences were present between the 2 strategies in terms of pain VAS scores 48 hours at rest (P = .23) and 24 hours at mobilization (P = .10), complications of vomiting and nausea (P = .42), and length of hospital stay (P = .09). Conclusion: This meta-analysis indicated that CACB is superior to SACB in regard to analgesic effect following TKA. However, due to the variation of the included studies, no firm conclusions can be drawn. Further investigations into RCT are required for verification.
Prevalence of E. coli ST131 among Uropathogenic E. coli Isolates from Iraqi Patients in Wasit Province, Iraq

The emergence of Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (E. coli ST131) clone represents a major challenge to public health globally, since this clone is reported as highly virulent and multidrug-resistant, thus making it successfully disseminated worldwide. In Iraq, there is no previous study dealing with this important clone, so this project was suggested to investigate its presence within uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) from Iraqi patients in Wasit Province. A total of 112 UPEC isolates from cases of acute urinary tract infection (UTI) were analysed for phylogenetic groups by quadruplex PCR; then, these isolates were investigated for E. coli ST131 clone by both conventional and real-time PCR procedures. The antibiotic susceptibility test was performed by the disk diffusion method. The results revealed that, out of 112 UPEC isolates, 38 (33.9%) belonged to phylogroup B2. For conventional PCR, 92.1% (35/38) of B2 E. coli isolates were positive for E. coli ST131, of which 34 were O25b-ST131 strain and 1 was O16-ST131 strain. However, serogroups O25b and O16 represented 17.1% and 2.8%, respectively. By RT-PCR assay, 15.1% (17/112) and 44.7% (17/38) of total and B2 E. coli isolates were confirmed as being E. coli ST131, respectively. The highest resistance rates of E. coli ST131 isolates were against the β-lactams, while low resistance rates were against amikacin, nitrofurantoin, and gentamicin. Fortunately, all isolates were susceptible to carbapenems. Moreover, 52.9% (9 out of 17) of E. coli ST131 isolates were MDR. In conclusion, the presence of E. coli ST131 among UPEC isolates from Iraqi patients is confirmed with high resistance to most antimicrobials included in this study.
Blunt vascular trauma in a patient with peripheral arterial disease: a case report and review of the literature

Abstract Blunt vascular trauma is rare and challenging in management. Trauma victims who are elderly and have medical comorbidities are still uncommon, but their proportion is expected to increase, as life expectancy has been rising worldwide. A case of blunt vascular trauma to the lower extremity in a 70-year-old patient is reported. During the procedure, a contusion of the superficial femoral artery with thrombosis was identified. Besides, the artery was found to be affected by atherosclerosis. Thrombectomy with resection of the artery and end-to-end anastomosis was performed. Good early clinical outcome was achieved. Nonsystematic review of the available literature is also presented.
The Japanese Extracted Herbal Medicine Daikenchuto Increases the Contractile Activity of the Internal Anal Sphincter Muscle in Conscious Dogs

Objectives: This study aimed to elucidate the effect of the extract of daikenchuto (DKT), a Japanese Kampo medicine, on the contractile activity of the internal anal sphincter in conscious dogs. Methods: Force transducers were attached to the serosal surface of the rectum and the internal anal sphincter of male beagle dogs. In addition, the contractile activity of the rectum and the internal anal sphincter was continuously measured until 6 h after DKT administration via telemetry in the conscious state. The DKT dose was 1.5 g/body, and the administration route was intrarectal in the expectation of a direct effect on the rectoanal region. DKT was re-administered to the same animal after drug withdrawal, and the plasma concentrations of hydroxy-α-sanshool (HAS) and hydroxy-β-sanshool (HBS) before and after administration were measured. Results: After DKT administration, the contractile activity of the internal anal sphincter immediately increased, peaked at 10 min, continued for ≥1 h, and had almost disappeared after 4 h. Rectal contraction differed from that of the internal anal sphincter, with no significant contraction observed. HAS and HBS were found in the plasma of animals administered with DKT and persisted up to 2 h after the administration. Conclusions: This is the first report on in vivo telemetry demonstrating that DKT exhibited contractile effects on the dog's internal anal sphincter. The increased anal pressure and improvement of fecal incontinence symptoms observed in previous clinical studies may have been based on this sphincter contraction.
The COVID-19 research landscape

Abstract Objectives: The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused heavy burdens and brought tremendous challenges to global public health. This study aimed to investigate collaboration relationships, research topics, and research trends on COVID-19 using scientific literature. Method: COVID-19-related articles published from January 1 to July 1, 2020 were retrieved from PubMed database. A total of 27,370 articles were included. Excel 2010, Medical Text Indexer (MTI), VOSviewer, and D3.js were used to summarize bibliometric features. Results: The number of the COVID-19 research publications has been continuously increasing after its break. United States was the most productive and active country for COVID-19 research, with the largest number of publications and collaboration relationships. Huazhong University of Science and Technology from China was the most productive institute on the number of publications, and University of Toronto from Canada ranked as Top 1 institute for global research collaboration. Four key research topics were identified, of which the topic of epidemiology and public health interventions has gathered highest attentions. Topic of virus infection and immunity has been more focused during the early stage of COVID-19 outbreak compared with later stage. The topic popularity of clinical symptoms and diagnosis has been steady. Conclusions: Our topic analysis results revealed that the study of drug treatment was insufficient. To achieve critical breakthroughs of this research area, more interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and global research collaborations are needed.
Analgesic and Anti-inflammatory Activities of the Residual Aqueous Fraction of Carissa edulis Root Bark (Vahl) in Experimental Animals

Background : Carissa edulis is a spiny evergreen shrub that may reach a height of 5 feet and an equal breadth. The bark is grey and smooth with straight woody double-pronged spine often in pairs. The plant is a native of South Africa. It grows in tropical African region and Arabia. It has been used in the traditional treatment of malaria, headache, glandular inflammation, rheumatism and chest complaints among others for many years and their efficacy is widely acclaimed among the Hausa communities of northern Nigeria. Hence, there need for verification of these folkloric claims. Objectives : The current study aimed at evaluating the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of the residual aqueous fraction of the ethanol root bark extract of C edulis in mice and rat models. Methodology : Acetic acid-induced writhing and tail immersion test in mice were used to assess analgesic properties, while anti-inflammatory effect was tested using carrageenan-induced paw oedema in rats. Results: The fraction (150, 300 and 600 mg/kg) and standard drugs significantly (p<0.05) reduced the number of writhes and prolonged the pain reaction time, in acetic acid-induced writhing and tail immersion models respectively. Similarly, the fraction (300 and 600 mg/kg) and ketoprofen (10 mg/kg) exhibited significant (p<0.05) decrease in the paw oedema at 1, 2, 3 and 4 hour intervals, while at 150 mg/kg, the decrease was significant at only third hour. Discussion : The study has shown that the residual aqueous fraction of C. edulis possesses analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity, thus, justified the traditional use of the plant in pain and inflammatory conditions. Keywords : Carissa edulis, writhes, inflammation, analgesic, fraction
Sensitivity of snow models to the accuracy of meteorological forcings in mountain environments

Abstract. Snow models are usually evaluated at sites providing high-quality meteorological data, so that the uncertainty in the meteorological input data can be neglected when assessing model performances. However, high-quality input data are rarely available in mountain areas and, in practical applications, the meteorological forcing used to drive snow models is typically derived from spatial interpolation of the available in situ data or from reanalyses, whose accuracy can be considerably lower. In order to fully characterize the performances of a snow model, the model sensitivity to errors in the input data should be quantified. In this study we test the ability of six snow models to reproduce snow water equivalent, snow density and snow depth when they are forced by meteorological input data with gradually lower accuracy. The SNOWPACK, GEOTOP, HTESSEL, UTOPIA, SMASH and S3M snow models are forced, first, with high-quality measurements performed at the experimental site of Torgnon, located at 2160 m a.s. l. in the Italian Alps (control run). Then, the models are forced by data at gradually lower temporal and/or spatial resolution, obtained by (i) sampling the original Torgnon 30 min time series at 3, 6, and 12 h, (ii) spatially interpolating neighbouring in situ station measurements and (iii) extracting information from GLDAS, ERA5 and ERA-Interim reanalyses at the grid point closest to the Torgnon site. Since the selected models are characterized by different degrees of complexity, from highly sophisticated multi-layer snow models to simple, empirical, single-layer snow schemes, we also discuss the results of these experiments in relation to the model complexity. The results show that, when forced by accurate 30 min resolution weather station data, the single-layer, intermediate-complexity snow models HTESSEL and UTOPIA provide similar skills to the more sophisticated multi-layer model SNOWPACK, and these three models show better agreement with observations and more robust performances over different seasons compared to the lower-complexity models SMASH and S3M. All models forced by 3-hourly data provide similar skills to the control run, while the use of 6- and 12-hourly temporal resolution forcings may lead to a reduction in model performances if the incoming shortwave radiation is not properly represented. The SMASH model generally shows low sensitivity to the temporal degradation of the input data. Spatially interpolated data from neighbouring stations and reanalyses are found to be adequate forcings, provided that temperature and precipitation variables are not affected by large biases over the considered period. However, a simple bias-adjustment technique applied to ERA-Interim temperatures allowed all models to achieve similar performances to the control run. Regardless of their complexity, all models show weaknesses in the representation of the snow density.