Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of preoperative smoking and smoke cessation on wound healing and infection in post‐surgery subjects: A meta‐analysis

A meta‐analysis was performed to evaluate the preoperative smoking and smoke cessation on wound healing and infection in post‐surgery subjects. A systematic literature search up to January 2022 incorporated 11 trials involving 218 567 subjects after post‐surgery at the beginning of the study; 176 670 were smoke cessation or non‐smokers, and 41 897 were smokers. Statistical tools like the dichotomous method were used within a random or fixed‐influence model to establish the odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the influence of preoperative smoking and smoke cessation on wound healing and infection in post‐surgery subjects. Smoke cessation or non‐smokers had significantly lower postoperative wound healing problems (OR, 0.59; 95% confidence interval, 0.43‐0.82, P < .001), and surgical site wound infection (OR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.63‐0.87, P < .001) compared with smokers in post‐surgery subjects. Smoke cessation or non‐smokers had significantly lower postoperative wound healing problems, and surgical site wound infection compared with smokers in post‐surgery subjects. Furthermore, evidence is needed to confirm the outcomes.
Oncoplastic breast reconstruction: Principles, current techniques, and future directions

Oncoplastic breast reconstruction has improved esthetic results after breast‐conserving surgery with low complication rates and stable oncologic outcomes. Basic principles can be applied across different volume displacement and replacement techniques including restoration of breast shape and symmetry through esthetic incisions while eliminating dead space. Technique selection is guided by several factors including breast size, resection‐to‐breast ratio, and patient desires. A surgeon familiar with all techniques will allow individualization of treatment and optimization of outcomes.
Association of Midday Napping with All-Cause Mortality in Chinese Adults: A 8-Year Nationwide Cohort Study

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the longitudinal association of estimated daytime nap duration with all-cause mortality in Chinese adults. We conceived a prospective cohort design using adult survey data of the baseline and four follow-up waves (2010–2019) from China Family Panel Studies. Cox frailty models with random intercepts for surveyed provinces were used to estimate risks of all-cause mortality associated with midday napping. Trend and subgroup analyses were also performed stratified by demographic, regional and behavioral factors. Compared with non-nappers, those who reported a long napping duration (≥60 min/day) had an increased risk of all-cause mortality, while shorter napping (<60 min) showed no association with mortality. We observed significant trends for greater risks of mortality associated with longer nap duration. Long nap-associated higher risk of all-cause mortality was seen in a group of nocturnal sleep duration ≥9 h. We identified stronger associations of long nap with mortality among adults aged over 50 years, those with lower BMI (<24 kg/m2), residents in rural regions and unregular exercisers. Long midday napping is independently associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality in Chinese adults.
Major determinants of prolonged remission in systemic lupus erythematosus: retrospective study over a 41-year period.

OBJECTIVES To investigate predictors of sustained complete remission (CR) for 3 and 5 years, minimum. METHODS Retrospective observational study from January 1978-december 2019, including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients who attended the Lupus Clinic in a tertiary hospital, for at least 3 years. We used the British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG) score and serological profile to classify patients into CR, serologically active clinically quiescent (SACQ) and serological remission (SR). Multivariable cox regression analysis was performed to investigate predictors of CR and Kaplan-Meier curves were obtained. RESULTS We included 564 patients; 15% achieved CR, 7% SACQ, 15% SR. 63% attained no remission. In the CR group, 73% sustained the remission for 5 or more years. Patients who did not reach any kind of sustained remission died significantly earlier (p< 0.001). Cumulative survival figures at 5, 10, 20 and 30 years were 100, 100, 94 and 90%, respectively, for CR patients and 96, 93, 77 and 58%, respectively, for patients in the no-remission group. Significant predictors of CR were white ethnicity, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.16 [95% ci 1.30-3.59] p= 0.003; older age at diagnosis (>32-years), HR 1.92 [1.24-2.97] p= 0.003; absence of renal involvement, HR 2.55 [1.39-4.67] p= 0.002; and of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), HR 4.92 [1.55-15.59] p= 0.007. CONCLUSION Patients not achieving any kind of sustained remission have a higher risk of early mortality. White ethnicity, older age at diagnosis, absence of renal involvement and of APS were significantly associated with CR. Predictors for sustained CR do not change whether a 3-year or 5-year period is applied.
‘Smiles and laughter and all those really great things’: Nurses' perceptions of good experiences of care for inpatient children and young people with intellectual disability

Abstract Aim To understand what constitutes a good experience of care for inpatient children and young people with intellectual disability as perceived by nursing staff. Design Interpretive qualitative study. Methods Focus groups with clinical nursing staff from speciality neurological/neurosurgical and adolescent medicine wards across two specialist tertiary children's hospitals in Australia were conducted between March and May 2021. Data analysis followed interpretative analysis methods to develop themes and codes which were mapped to a conceptual model of safe care. Results Six focus groups with 29 nurses of varying experience levels were conducted over 3 months. Themes and codes were mapped to the six themes of the conceptual model: use rapport, know the child, negotiate roles, shared learning, build trust and relationships, and past experiences. The analysis revealed two new themes that extended the conceptual model to include; the unique role of a paediatric nurse, and joy and job satisfaction, with a third contextual theme, impacts of COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions. With the perspectives of paediatric nurses incorporated into the model we have enhanced our model of safe care specifically for inpatient paediatric nursing care of children and young people with intellectual disability. Conclusion Including perceptions of paediatric nurses confirmed the position of the child with intellectual disability being at the centre of safe care, where care is delivered as a partnership between nursing staff, child or young person and their parents/family and the hospital systems and processes. Impact The enhanced model offers a specialized framework for clinical staff and health managers to optimize the delivery of safe care for children and young people with intellectual disability in hospital.
Bereavement photography, volunteering, and posttraumatic growth: A mixed-methods investigation

Abstract Bereavement photography has been recognized as an important tool to create memories and as a support service for parents experiencing perinatal loss. This paper explores the impact of volunteering on posttraumatic growth among photographers working with parents impacted by stillbirth. Using a mixed-methods design, 141 Australian and New Zealand volunteer bereavement photographers were recruited. Higher number of losses experienced by photographers were correlated with a higher level of posttraumatic growth. Volunteering was associated with an enhanced understanding of loss, increased empathy for bereaved parents, developing effective coping skills and a renewed appreciation of photography. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Genome-wide studies reveal factors associated with circulating uromodulin and its relationships to complex diseases

Uromodulin (UMOD) is a major risk gene for monogenic and complex forms of kidney disease. The encoded kidney-specific protein uromodulin is highly abundant in urine and related to chronic kidney disease, hypertension, and pathogen defense. To gain insights into potential systemic roles, we performed genome-wide screens of circulating uromodulin using complementary antibody-based and aptamer-based assays. We detected 3 and 10 distinct significant loci, respectively. Integration of antibody-based results at the UMOD locus with functional genomics data (RNA-Seq, ATAC-Seq, Hi-C) of primary human kidney tissue highlighted an upstream variant with differential accessibility and transcription in uromodulin-synthesizing kidney cells as underlying the observed cis effect. Shared association patterns with complex traits, including chronic kidney disease and blood pressure, placed the PRKAG2 locus in the same pathway as UMOD. Experimental validation of the third antibody-based locus, B4GALNT2, showed that the p.Cys466Arg variant of the encoded N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase had a loss-of-function effect leading to higher serum uromodulin levels. Aptamer-based results pointed to enzymes writing glycan marks present on uromodulin and to their receptors in the circulation, suggesting that this assay permits investigating uromodulin’s complex glycosylation rather than its quantitative levels. Overall, our study provides insights into circulating uromodulin and its emerging functions.
Age-related brain deviations and aggression

Abstract Background Disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) are heterogeneous at the clinical and the biological level. Therefore, the aims were to dissect the heterogeneous neurodevelopmental deviations of the affective brain circuitry and provide an integration of these differences across modalities. Methods We combined two novel approaches. First, normative modeling to map deviations from the typical age-related pattern at the level of the individual of (i) activity during emotion matching and (ii) of anatomical images derived from DBD cases (n = 77) and controls (n = 52) aged 8–18 years from the EU-funded Aggressotype and MATRICS consortia. Second, linked independent component analysis to integrate subject-specific deviations from both modalities. Results While cases exhibited on average a higher activity than would be expected for their age during face processing in regions such as the amygdala when compared to controls these positive deviations were widespread at the individual level. A multimodal integration of all functional and anatomical deviations explained 23% of the variance in the clinical DBD phenotype. Most notably, the top marker, encompassing the default mode network (DMN) and subcortical regions such as the amygdala and the striatum, was related to aggression across the whole sample. Conclusions Overall increased age-related deviations in the amygdala in DBD suggest a maturational delay, which has to be further validated in future studies. Further, the integration of individual deviation patterns from multiple imaging modalities allowed to dissect some of the heterogeneity of DBD and identified the DMN, the striatum and the amygdala as neural signatures that were associated with aggression.
Effects of Cannabis‐Delivered THC on mood and negative attentional bias in the context of positive vs. neutral Alternatives—a pilot study

To assess: (1) the acute effects of smoked marijuana (MJ) on negative attentional bias (NAB), (2) moderation of these effects by positive versus neutral alternatives, and (3) the associations of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)‐induced changes in NAB with changes in affect.
Fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography scans in patients with alcohol use disorder scans in patients with alcohol use disorder.

BACKGROUND Diminished uptake of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) has been observed in patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) but little statistical contrast of the regional brain deficits has been undertaken. This study examined prefrontal cortex inter-regional Brodmann area differences to delineate patterns associated with behavioral, neurotransmitter, and general toxicity hypotheses of cerebral involvement in AUD. METHODS We obtained FDG positron emission tomography and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 87 patients with AUD and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. Patients were alcohol dependent and had negative breathalyzer tests at the time of imaging. They were assessed with the Beck Depression Inventory, Alcohol Urge Questionnaire, Obsessive Compulsive Drinking Scale, Spielberger State/Trait/Anxiety Scale, Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, and the Drinker Inventory of Consequences (DRINC). PET images were co-registered to MRI and both voxel×voxel statistical mapping and stereotaxic regions of interest were obtained. RESULTS Compared with healthy volunteers, patients with AUD had reduced relative metabolic rates in the frontal, temporal and parietal lobes, localizable most prominently to the dorsolateral and nearly all orbital prefrontal cortex, superior temporal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule. In contrast, metabolic rates in the medial orbitofrontal and anterior cingulate cortex, as well as the subcortical structures (thalamus, cerebellum, ventral striatum, and the dorsal raphe nucleus) in patients were significantly increased. Severity of drinking as assessed by the Drinker Inventory of Consequences scale was most highly associated with lower metabolism in the caudate, dorsolateral prefrontal, frontopolar, and anteroposterior cingulate cortex. CONCLUSIONS Despite the widespread metabolic abnormalities, decreases in AUD were most marked in frontal executive areas, consistent with diminished impulse control, and increases were most prominent in the striatum and cingulate areas, consistent with a suppressed reward system.
When the Partner’s Reality Bites: Associations Between Self- and Partner Ratings of Psychopathic Traits, Relationship Quality and Conflict Tactics

The present study examined associations of self- and partner-reported psychopathic traits, as well as the level of agreement between these reports (perceptual accuracy), with relationship quality, and the moderating role of violent and non-violent conflict tactics. Participants were 259 heterosexual couples from the community. Results indicated that, despite moderate convergence between self- and partner-reports, the female partners tended to underreport the levels of psychopathic traits in their male partner. Relationship quality was negatively associated with partner-reported and, albeit to a lesser extent, self-reported psychopathic traits. Contrary to expectations, perceptual accuracy was barely associated with relationship quality. Whereas no evidence was found for the moderating role of aggressive conflict tactics, non-violent negotiation seemed to buffer the effect of psychopathic traits on relationship quality. The study highlights the importance of considering the partner’s perceptions as well as constructive conflict tactics when examining psychopathic traits in intimate relationships.
Serious Mental Illness and Sexual Offending in Forensic Psychiatric Patients

The role of serious mental illness among those who sexually offend is not well understood. We investigated clinical and risk-related areas of difference between male forensic psychiatric patients with (n = 86) and without (n = 245) a sexual offense history, including the age at which indications of mental disorder and criminal offending first emerged, from a registry of Ontario patients adjudicated Not Criminally Responsible on account of Mental Disorder (NCRMD) from 1999–2012. We further explored motivations for offending among a subset of patients deemed NCRMD for a sexual offense specifically (n = 41). While no differences were found in the age onset of illness or offending across those with and without a sexual offending history, the former group was rated as having higher levels of historical/static risk for violence. Forensic patients with a sexual offense history were also more likely to offend against a stranger, and less likely to offend against a family member. Sexual index offenses were psychotically-motivated in the majority of cases, but with a meaningful proportion appearing to reflect criminogenic motivations, especially substance use and paraphilic interests. Results suggest greater similarity than difference among forensic patients with and without a sexual offense history, but also highlight an important divergence from the literature showing that victims of sexual offenses are frequently known to the individual committing them.
Pathological and immunological evaluation of different regimens of praziquantel treatment in a mouse model of Schistosoma mansoni infection

Background One of the considerable challenges of schistosomiasis chemotherapy is the inefficacy of praziquantel (PZQ) at the initial phase of the infection. Immature schistosomes are not susceptible to PZQ at the curative dose. Here, we investigated the efficacy of different PZQ regimens administered during the initial stage of Schistosoma mansoni infection in mice. Methodology/Principal findings Two months-old mice were individually infected with 80 S. mansoni cercariae and divided into one infected-untreated control group (IC) and four PZQ-treated groups: PZQ at 100 mg/kg/day for five consecutive days (group PZQ1), PZQ at 100 mg/kg/day for 28 days (group PZQ2), PZQ at 18 mg/kg/day for 28 days (group PZQ3) and a single dose of PZQ at 500 mg/kg (group PZQ4). The treatment started on day one post-infection (p.i), and each group of mice was divided into two subgroups euthanized on day 36 or 56 p.i, respectively. We determined the mortality rate, the parasitological burden, the hepatic and intestinal granulomas, the serum levels of Th-1, Th-2, and Th-17 cytokines, and gene expression. The treatment led to a significant (p < 0.001) reduction of worm burden and egg counts in the intestine and liver in groups PZQ2 and PZQ3. On 56th day p.i, there was a significant reduction (p < 0.001) of the number and volume of the hepatic granulomas in groups PZQ2 and PZQ3 compared to group PZQ1 or PZQ4. Moreover, in group PZQ3, the serum levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-13, and IL-17 and their liver mRNA expressions were significantly reduced while IL-10 and TGF-β gene expression significantly increased. The highest mortality rate (81.25%) was recorded in group PZQ2. Conclusion/Significance This study revealed that the administration of PZQ at 18 mg/kg/day for 28 consecutive days was the optimal effective posology for treating S. mansoni infection at the initial stage in a murine model.
Multi-strategic approaches for enhancing active transportation using self-emulsifying drug delivery system

Abstract Oral delivery is the most desired route of drug administration and it can be more beneficial for patients suffering from chronic diseases wherein frequent parenteral administration of proteins such as insulin and calcitonin is required. The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) class II drugs show low aqueous solubility and high permeability whereas BCS class IV drugs suffer from low aqueous solubility and low permeability. Additionally, biologic drugs are highly sensitive to presence of bioenzymes and bile salts when administered orally. Self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) is a thermodynamically stable lipid formulation that enhances oral absorption of active ingredients via the opening of tight junctions, increasing the membrane fluidity and thus overcomes the physiological barriers like viscous mucus layer, strong acid conditions and enzymatic degradation. An understanding of different theories that govern SEDDS formation and drug release can help in formulating a highly stable and effective drug delivery system. Poorly permeable drugs such as chlorpromazine require modification using methods like hydrophobic ion pairing, complexation with phospholipids, etc. to enable high entrapment efficiency, which is discussed in the article. Additionally, the article gives an overview of the influence of polymers, length of fatty acids chain and zeta potential in enhancing permeation across the intestinal membrane.
Theoretical Framework to Predict Generalized Contrast-to-Noise Ratios of Photoacoustic Images With Applications to Computer Vision

The successful integration of computer vision, robotic actuation, and photoacoustic imaging to find and follow targets of interest during surgical and interventional procedures requires accurate photoacoustic target detectability. This detectability has traditionally been assessed with image quality metrics, such as contrast, contrast-to-noise ratio, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, predicting target tracking performance expectations when using these traditional metrics is difficult due to unbounded values and sensitivity to image manipulation techniques like thresholding. The generalized contrast-to-noise ratio (gCNR) is a recently introduced alternative target detectability metric, with previous work dedicated to empirical demonstrations of applicability to photoacoustic images. In this article, we present theoretical approaches to model and predict the gCNR of photoacoustic images with an associated theoretical framework to analyze relationships between imaging system parameters and computer vision task performance. Our theoretical gCNR predictions are validated with histogram-based gCNR measurements from simulated, experimental phantom, <italic>ex vivo</italic>, and <italic>in vivo</italic> datasets. The mean absolute errors between predicted and measured gCNR values ranged from <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${3.2} \times {10}^{-{3}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${2.3} \times {10}^{-{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for each dataset, with channel SNRs ranging −40 to 40 dB and laser energies ranging 0.07 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{J}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> to 68 mJ. Relationships among gCNR, laser energy, target and background image parameters, target segmentation, and threshold levels were also investigated. Results provide a promising foundation to enable predictions of photoacoustic gCNR and visual servoing segmentation accuracy. The efficiency of precursory surgical and interventional tasks (e.g., energy selection for photoacoustic-guided surgeries) may also be improved with the proposed framework.
Inactivation kinetics of pathogenic bacteria in persimmon using the combination of thermosonication and formic acid

Four models (Baranyi, modified Gompertz, log-logistic and Weibull models) were applied to examine the performance of thermosonication (TS) and formic acid (FA), individually and in combination, at three temperatures (40, 50, and 60 °C) for the inactivation of pathogens inoculated on persimmon. Results indicated that all nonlinear kinetic models provided a good fit to data; however, the Baranyi showed the best performance in fitting data. The combined treatment of FA and TS had a higher negative impact on the microbial population compared to each treatment alone. The highest lethal impact was observed at 60 °C and in TS-3%FA treatment, which reduced the initial population of Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica, and Listeria monocytogenes (8.1 log CFU/mL) to 2.2, 1.6, and 1.3 log CFU/mL, respectively. Hence, the obtained models can be used to predict the inactivation of pathogens in a food model subjected to the combined treatment of thermosonication and FA.