Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Usefulness of Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) for the Treatment of Vitiligo: State of the Art and Review

Introduction Vitiligo is an acquired, idiopathic disorder clinically characterized by amelanotic lesions on the skin which cause significant impairment of patients’ quality of life. A variety of treatments have been proposed, with inconsistent results. In the last decades, the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is receiving increasing interest as a potential effective technique in the treatment of several dermatological diseases, including vitiligo. Objective We conducted a review with the aim to identify studies that documented the use of PRP for vitiligo. Materials and Methods Electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) from inception to November 2019 have been searched using different combinations of the following terms: “platelet-rich plasma”, “platelet gel”, “platelet-rich fibrin”, “PRP” and “vitiligo”. Results We identified 6 clinical studies consistent with our research, with a total of 253 patients, listing and discussing the obtained results. In all reports, all treated patients showed a stable vitiligo, and a significantly higher improvement in the PRP groups was always observed compared to control groups. Regarding the side effects, PRP in vitiligo patients is useful and without important side effects. Conclusion PRP is a promising treatment for stable vitiligo lesions in different body sites. The possible use of PRP in combination with traditional therapeutic options and the standardization of processing protocols represents a very fertile field for future research. Larger clinical trials with longer time of observation would provide solid evidence regarding the effectiveness of PRP for the treatment of vitiligo.
Development and Functions of the Infant Gut Microflora: Western vs. Indian Infants

The human gut is colonized by trillions of bacteria as well as other microorganisms, collectively referred to as the “gut microflora. ” This microflora plays an important role in metabolism as well as immunity, and alterations in its normal composition and pattern of colonization can disturb the development and functioning of the immune system, predisposing the individual to several diseases. Neonates acquire their gut microflora from the mother as well as the surroundings, and as the infant grows, the gut microflora undergoes several changes, ultimately acquiring an adult-like composition. Characterization of the gut microflora of healthy infants is important to protect infants from infectious diseases. Furthermore, formulation of prebiotics and probiotics for boosting infant immunity in a specific population also requires prior knowledge of the normal gut microflora in a healthy infant in that population. To this end, several studies have been performed on Western infants; however, the gut microflora of Indian infants is as yet insufficiently studied. Moreover, there has been no comparative analysis of the development and characteristics of the infant gut microflora between the two populations. In this review, we discuss the development and maturation of the infant gut microflora and its effect on immunity, as well as the factors affecting the patterns of colonization. In addition, we compare the patterns of colonization of gut microflora between Western and Indian infants based on the available literature in an attempt to identify the extent of similarity or difference between the two populations.
Budget Impact Analysis of the Introduction of Injectable Prolonged-Release Buprenorphine on Opioid Use Disorder Care Resource Requirements

Objective To assess budget impact of the introduction of prolonged-release buprenorphine (PRB) for care of opioid use disorder (OUD) over 1 year in a defined population. Materials and Methods A healthcare perspective, decision-tree model analysis of the cost of OUD care for a standard population was prepared to compare two scenarios: treatment of a population under the existing standard of care, or with the addition of PRB. The model assessed OUD-related direct costs (medication, delivery, psychosocial treatment), other services costs (harm reduction, general healthcare, social and justice services) and the impact of behaviors such as engaging with treatment and electing to use additional opioids “on top” of treatment regimens, and “dropping out” from treatment. Results Standard population definition (persons offered OUD care services) is based on a typical administrative region in England with general population of 400,000 citizens, 1,777 high-risk opioid users requiring treatment and 909 patients initiating treatment in a year. The cost to provide OUD care for 1 year under the current scenario (70% treated with methadone, 30% sublingual buprenorphine) is £19.7M. In scenarios with increased PRB adoption/reduced sublingual buprenorphine or oral methadone use, the cost reduction ranges from £0.2M to 0.7M. Conclusion The assessment showed a reduction of overall costs after introduction of PRB.
GROSS MORPHOMETRIC RELATIONSHIPS AND GROWTH IN THE MEDITERRANEAN GORGONIANPARAMURICEA CLAVATA

Abstract Gross morphometric parameters in the Mediterranean gorgonian Paramuricea clavata have been considered with an aim to describe their intraspecific relationships. Bertalanffian growth curves have been calculated, as well as regression equations between parameters. Basal diameter proved to be the best parameter for describing growth of the species.
Clinical Characteristics of COVID-19 Infection in Newborns and Pediatrics: A Systematic Review

Introduction: World Health Organization has declared COVID-19 a pandemic and a global health emergency. Thus, it is necessary to clearly characterize clinical manifestations and management of COVID-19 infection in children to provide accurate information for healthcare workers. Accordingly, the present study was designed to review articles published on clinical manifestations and characteristics of children and infants with COVID-19. Methods: In this systematic review, medical databases including Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, SID, Medline, WHO and LitCovid were searched using English and Persian keywords including COVID-19, Pediatrics, Newborn, Coronavirus 2019, 2019-nCoV, SARS-CoV-2. Finally, data of 14 related articles were included in the study. Results: A total of 2228 children, newborns and infants were studied. Clinical manifestation in children may be mild (72%), moderate (22%) or severe (6%), and the most common symptoms include dry cough (91%) and fever (96%). According to the included articles, two children had died, one of which was a 14-year-old boy and his exposure history and underlying disease were unclear, and the other was a male newborn with gestational age of 35 weeks and 5 days, birth weight of 2200, Apgar score of 8, 8 (1 min and 5 min) and his first symptom was increased heart rate. No differences were found between male and female children regarding infection with COVID-19. Conclusion: Most pediatrics were infected with COVID-19 due to family cluster or history of close contact. Infected children have relatively milder clinical symptoms compared to infected adults. We should pay special attention to early diagnosis and early treatment in children infected with COVID-19.
Accessory Maxillary Ostia: Prevalence of an Anatomical Variant and Association with Chronic Sinusitis

Introduction The role of the accessory maxillary ostium, a common anatomical variant, in the development of chronic sinusitis remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between chronic sinusitis and presence of an accessory maxillary ostium using computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinuses. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of 1188 paranasal sinus CT scans performed in a major tertiary medical center between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016. Axial and coronal and views were reviewed to evaluate the presence of accessory maxillary ostia and maxillary and ethmoid sinusitis. Results Nine hundred twenty-eight patients were included for analysis. A 52.8% were male. Mean patient age was 33.8 years. A right accessory maxillary ostium was detected in 274 patients (29.5%), which was the same number of patients with a left accessory maxillary ostium. Bilateral accessory maxillary ostia were found in 172. The presence of right maxillary sinusitis was significantly associated with male gender and the presence of a right accessory maxillary ostium. Male gender was the only factor significantly associated with the presence of left sinusitis. Left or right ethmoidal sinusitis was significantly associated with male gender and the presence of left or right maxillary sinusitis, respectively. Conclusion The presence of an accessory maxillary ostium may contribute to the development of maxillary and ethmoidal sinusitis. Further studies are needed to elucidate this association and determine indications for incorporating the natural and accessory ostia when performing middle meatus antrostomy during endoscopic sinus surgery.
Biotinidase Deficiency: Prevalence, Impact And Management Strategies

Abstract Biotinidase deficiency is an autosomal recessive inherited neurocutaneous disorder. Clinically untreated patients with BD can present with variable neurological and dermatological signs, such as seizures, hypotonia, feeding problems, developmental delay, hearing loss, optic atrophy ataxia, alopecia, and skin rash. Clinical findings of patients with partial BD reported in the literature show that it can occur from infancy to adulthood. Outcomes of newborn screening programs support the fact that biotin treatment started after birth prevents patients with biotinidase deficiency from developing symptoms. Presence of late-onset cases with different clinical findings indicates that there is still much to learn about BD.
Pre-sowing control of house mice (Mus domesticus) using zinc phosphide: efficacy and potential non-target effects

Zinc phosphide was tested on populations of house mice in cereal stubble and pasture paddocks in the Central Mallee region of Victoria, in Autumn 1997. There were three replicates of two application methods: aerial and ground (perimeter) baiting. The response of mouse populations to baiting was monitored by live-trapping; estimates of population size and survivorship were compared between baited and unbaited sites (n = 3) taking prebaiting population sizes into account. Zinc phosphide was effective in decreasing the abundance (adjusted trap success) of mice on aerially baited sites (by 51%), but the reduction observed on ground-baited sites (24%) was not significant. There was no change in abundance on the untreated sites. There was a significant reduction in the survivorship of mice on both aerially and ground-baited sites compared with unbaited sites. Non-target species were monitored before and after baiting. Only four bird deaths were recorded as a result of the baiting program. Given that birds are highly mobile, with deaths possible many kilometres from the bait sitesit was difficult to fully assess the impact of poisoning on bird species in the area without more rigorous searching of vegetated areas further from baited paddocks.
Structure-Antifungal Activity Relationships among Volatile C6 and C9 Aliphatic Aldehydes, Ketones, and Alcohols

Antifungal potentials of volatile oxygenated alkyl compounds were determined by bioassay of Alternaria alternata germ tube growth. Compounds were naturally occurring lipoxygenase enzyme system products or related to them chemically. Results were based on headspace concentrations of test compounds. Among six- and nine-carbon aldehydes and ketones related to hexanal, nonanal, 3-hexanone, and 2-nonanone, respectively, the presence of an α,β-unsaturated bond adjacent to the carbonyl moiety generally enhanced antifungal activity. Among six-carbon alcohols related to 1-hexanol, however, an α,β-unsaturated bond enhanced antifungal activity only slightly. Abundant, naturally occurring (E)-2-hexenal that higher plants emit as a response to wounding tested negatively for mutagenicity; a volatile compound modification of the Ames test with several strains of Salmonella typhimurium was used
Potential distribution of alien parakeets in Tuscany (Central Italy): a bioclimatic model approach

Psittaciformes play a predominant role among the exotic species deliberately imported by humans all over the world, being the most popular bird pets. When released, they often establish naturalized populations, as they present a wide ecological plasticity and synanthropy. As for Tuscany, eight species have been reported (42.11% of those reported for the whole Italy), often near urban centers. Among those, two are possibly established and expanding: the rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). This work aims to statistically reconstruct the actual extent of occurrence (EOO) of these two species through a fixed kernel method and their potential distribution through a bioclimatic envelope (BIOCLIM), using variables selected from the WORLDCLIM database, selected according to the ecological requirements of these species. BIOCLIM analysis suggests a possible expansion risk for monk parakeet and rose-ringed parakeet in Tuscany, as both species are presented with a huge amount of suitable but not occupied habitat. In particular, rose-ringed parakeet may colonize the inner part of the region, while the southern part of the region may be exposed to a possible range expansion of monk parakeet.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF WHITEFLIES WITH ENTOMOPATHOGENIC FUNGI

This paper is a review of 3 fungi (Aschersonia aleyrodis Webber, Verticillium lecanii (Zimmerman) Viegas and Paecilomyces fumosoroseus (Wize) Brown & Smith that are being evaluated for the management of injurious polyphagous whiteflies and was presented as part of a conference on the potential for biological control in the Caribbean. The prospect for the utilization of biopesticides based on entomopathogenic fungi is promising. The need to develop alternatives to conventional pesticides has become apparent in recent years because two of the major whitefly pest species, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), have developed resistance to many of the insecticides used for their control.
PROFILE ANALYSIS OF THE CELL‐CYCLE PARAMETERS IN SCALE DEVELOPMENT

Analysis of the Epidermal Development of a Chick Embryo Increasing evidence supports the view that the duration of the cell-cycle parameters alters in the course of embryonic development. Yet no definitive rule has been established concerning the developmental changes of the cell cycle. In an attempt to establish a rule possibly governing cell-cycle alterations in development, the durations of the generation time and individual cell-cycle parameters were determined in the germinative cells of the outer-scale epidermis, ranging from 12 to 19 days the period during which the main events of the scale development are completed (Y. KATO and S. TANAKA, unpublished). A statistical analysis has shown that a definitive correlation does exist between the developmental changes of a given cell-cycle parameter ( T G ~ , T s , T G ~ , TM) and those of the total generation time, T w . Such a correlation can be expressed by a regression equation, Y = a + bX, where X stands for TGC; Y , for the duration of an individual phase, a, for the intercept, and b, for the regression coefficient. The analysis was further extended to examples of the cell cycle alteration in other developmental systems reported by other investigators. The resulti show that the same rule is applicable to other systems. The existence of such a correlation between individual parameters and TGC is possible only if individual cell-cycle phases mutually “cooperate” when they change during the course of development. The controlling factors of such a coordination of the cell-cycle parameters are presently being sought.
Systematics of Arvicanthis (Rodentia, Muridae) from the Horn of Africa: a geometric morphometrics evaluation

Abstract Changes in size and shape in the skull of five species of the African rodent genus Arvicanthis were studied using Geometric Morphometrics, in an attempt to evaluate their systematics and taxonomy which is still confused. Four species endemic to the Horn of Africa (A abyssinicus, A. dembeensis, A. blicki and A. somalicus) and a population of the ’A. niloticus’ complex from West Africa (Benin) were investigated. These species are widespread with ranges at very different altitudes, from arid grasslands up to the alpine moorlands at 4300 m a.s. l. , and represent one of the major pests in croplands. Size and shape differences between species were compared with phylogeny (deduced from karyotype rearrangements), time of divergence (allozymes) and altitude. Morphometric divergence does not reflect any cladogenetic sequence and neither any association with altitude, but rather adaptive patterns that are unique to each species.
CNN study of convolutional neural networks in classification and feature extraction applications

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) become very useful tools in classification and feature extraction applications. In this research, we present a comparable study of several commonly-used CNNs in terms of performance. Most recently developed CNNs are selected in our study, which include NASNet-Large, Inception-Resnet-v2, DenseNet201, NASNet- Mobile, MovileNet-v2 as well as well-known ResNet50 and VGG19 for comparisons. In our classification experiments there are eight different geometrical shapes, each of which includes 486 to 620 computer-generated images. Two basic shapes, triangle and square, vary with solid or hollow shapes, and then overlapping with or without three-disk distractors. CNNs training and testing both can use the shape images as the experiments conducted on the ImageNet. On the other hand, we can use the pretrained CNNs on ImageNet to extract features, then train a multiclass support vector machine (SVM) to do classification. Training images may include four shapes or two categories (solid or hollow), while testing images are four shapes or two categories with distractors. The performance of CNNs includes classification accuracies and time costs in training and testing. The experimental results will provide guidance in selecting CNN models.
Fine-scale habitat selection by adult female swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor)

Animals typically use habitat in a non-random way, but the factors influencing habitat selection may change throughout the 24-h cycle. In this study, we quantified resources at used and available locations to test two predictions about the fine-scale habitat selection of seven adult female swamp wallabies (Wallabia bicolor). We predicted that selection would be (i) non-random and (ii) differ between diurnal and nocturnal periods with respect to both food and shelter. Variables quantifying food abundance and lateral cover were recorded at 56 diurnal, 17 nocturnal and 143 randomly selected available locations. Logistic regression indicated that diurnal habitat selection was positively correlated with lateral cover, and the cover of trees, shrubs and forbs, whereas nocturnal selection was positively correlated with forb cover only. Diurnal locations had more lateral cover than nocturnal locations. The data were consistent with our first prediction, but only partially supported our second. At a fine scale, diurnal habitat selection was influenced by the co-availability of shelter and food resources, whereas nocturnal selection was influenced by food availability only, indicating that factors influencing habitat selection changed throughout the 24-h cycle.
Settlement preferences in coral-reef fishes: Effects on patterns of adult and juvenile distributions, individual fitness and population structure

Coral-reef fishes exhibit a wide range of habitat preferences at settlement. However, the consequences of these preferences to fitness and population dynamics are poorly known. We critically evaluate evidence for these consequences from recent studies of settlement preferences, and note that most studies have concentrated on only a few common taxa. We recommend that this taxonomic base be broadened, and that settlement preferences be incorporated into future studies of the link between larval supply and population dynamics of reef fishes.
Engage for Equity: A Long-Term Study of Community-Based Participatory Research and Community-Engaged Research Practices and Outcomes

Community-based participatory research (CBPR) and community-engaged research have been established in the past 25 years as valued research approaches within health education, public health, and other health and social sciences for their effectiveness in reducing inequities. While early literature focused on partnering principles and processes, within the past decade, individual studies, as well as systematic reviews, have increasingly documented outcomes in community support and empowerment, sustained partnerships, healthier behaviors, policy changes, and health improvements. Despite enhanced focus on research and health outcomes, the science lags behind the practice. CBPR partnering pathways that result in outcomes remain little understood, with few studies documenting best practices. Since 2006, the University of New Mexico Center for Participatory Research with the University of Washington’s Indigenous Wellness Research Institute and partners across the country has engaged in targeted investigations to fill this gap in the science. Our inquiry, spanning three stages of National Institutes of Health funding, has sought to identify which partnering practices, under which contexts and conditions, have capacity to contribute to health, research, and community outcomes. This article presents the research design of our current grant, Engage for Equity, including its history, social justice principles, theoretical bases, measures, intervention tools and resources, and preliminary findings about collective empowerment as our middle range theory of change. We end with lessons learned and recommendations for partnerships to engage in collective reflexive practice to strengthen internal power-sharing and capacity to reach health and social equity outcomes.
Nutritional ecology, functional ecology and Functional Ecology

‘Nutritional ecology’ is a bit like ‘art’: easy to recognize but difficult to define. We believe that this is, in part, because the field has progressed on a broad (even diffuse) front, and has lacked cohesion or commonality of purpose. Our aim in this special feature is to bring together leading researchers drawn from across this spectrum and have them review what they consider to be the key issues in their respective research areas. The mandate for invited authors was broad, with invitations that were no more specific than: ‘contribute a paper that provides an overview of the achievements, opportunities and limitations of nutritional ecology studies of [respective taxon/ thematic research area]’. The special feature, we hope, will provide a lens that focuses attention on similarities and highlights disparities across the field. In this introduction we will attempt to define nutritional ecology and its relationship to functional ecology, justify why it warrants a special issue, and summarise the scope of the issue.