Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Translation of the Chinese Version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire and Its Validation Among College Students: Factor Analysis

Background Nomophobia or phobia of no mobile phone is the fear of being without a mobile phone or being unable to contact others via a mobile phone. It is a newly emerging psychiatric disorder among mobile phone users. Objective There are no psychometric scales available in China for examining nomophobia, although China has become the largest mobile phone handset consumer market in the world. Therefore, this study aimed to translate the original English version of a psychometric scale into Chinese and further examine its reliability and validity among Chinese college students. Methods The original version of the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was first translated into Chinese using the backward and forward translation procedure. An exploratory factor analysis (a principal component analysis plus varimax rotation) and a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were performed to examine the underlying factor structure of the translated questionnaire. The internal consistency reliability of the scale was determined by computing the Cronbach alpha coefficient, the test-retest reliability, and the corrected item-total correlation. A multivariate regression analysis was used for examining associations between nomophobia and independent variables among the college students. Results A total of 2000 participants were included in the study. Their ages ranged from 16 to 25 years, with 51.95% (1039/2000) being male participants. The Chinese version of NMP-Q retained 18 items. The eigenvalues, total variance explained, and scree plot jointly support a 4-factor structure of the translated questionnaire. The CFA reached the adaptive standard, and the discriminant validity of the scale was good. The Cronbach alpha coefficient of this scale was . 925, and the Cronbach alpha coefficients of the subscales were . 882, . 843, . 895, and . 818. The test-retest reliability was 0.947. Corrected item-total correlation ranged from 0.539 to 0.663. The significant predictors for each of the dimensions of nomophobia and total score of the questionnaire were the average number of hours spent on a mobile phone daily and gender. Conclusions The Chinese version of the NMP-Q exhibited satisfactory psychometric properties.
Intermixed Dimethyl-Sulfoxide–Based Nonadhesive Liquid Embolic Agents Delivered Serially via the Same Microcatheter for Cerebral AVM Treatment

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Conventional nonadhesive liquid embolic agents currently are the criterion standard for endovascular embolization of cerebral AVMs. However, inadequate distal penetration into the nidus and unstable proximal plug formation are the major limitations of this approach and of the currently available embolic materials. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hypothetic efficacy of combining liquid embolic agents with different properties and viscosities for use in endovascular embolization of cerebral AVMs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2018 to March 2019, sixteen patients with cerebral AVMs (12 women, 4 men; age range, 33–61 years) underwent endovascular embolization with combined liquid embolic agents delivered serially via a single microcatheter. The procedure consists of initial embolization with PHIL 30%, followed by Menox 18 through the same microcatheter. According to the Spetzler-Martin scale, 11 (68.75%) AVMs were grades I–II, 4 (25%) were grade III, and 1 (6.25%) was grade IV. Angiographic, technical, and clinical outcomes were analyzed independently. RESULTS: Combined PHIL and Menox embolization through the same microcatheter via 21 pedicles was performed in these 16 patients. Once the length of the reflux reached approximately 2 cm, PHIL 30% was switched to Menox 18. Antegrade flow and distal penetration of the serially applied liquid embolic agents were observed in all 16 cases. The ability to completely control the flow of the materials and avoid any dangerous proximal reflux was noted in all performed embolizations. The estimated average size reduction of the treated AVMs was 85%, ranging from 50% to 100%. Complete embolization was achieved in 10/16 or 62.5% of the cases. There was no procedure-related complication during or after the embolization. No mortality or postprocedural clinical worsening was seen. Clinical success and complete obliteration were confirmed with at least 1 follow-up angiography in 10/16 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Serial delivery of nonadhesive liquid embolic agents via the same microcatheter was safe and effective in our study and may be a potential technique for routine AVM treatment. However, further investigations are required to validate the safety and the efficacy of the method.
Proton Pump Inhibitors Reduce Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Progression by Selectively Targeting H+, K+-ATPases in Pancreatic Cancer and Stellate Cells

Pancreatic duct cells are equipped with acid/base transporters important for exocrine secretion. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells may utilize such transporters to acidify extracellular tumor microenvironment, creating a niche favoring cell proliferation, fibrosis and resistance to chemotherapy—all contributing to the notoriously bad prognosis of this disease. Here, we report that gastric and non-gastric H+, K+-ATPases (coded by ATP4A and ATP12A) are overexpressed in human and murine pancreatic cancer and that we can target them specifically with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and potassium-competitive acid blockers (P-CABs) in in vitro models of PDAC. Focusing on pantoprazole, we show that it significantly reduced human cancer cell proliferation by inhibiting cellular H+ extrusion, increasing K+ conductance and promoting cyclin D1-dependent cell cycle arrest and preventing STAT3 activation. Pantoprazole also decreased collagen secretion from pancreatic stellate cells. Importantly, in vivo studies show that pantoprazole treatment of tumor-bearing mice reduced tumor size, fibrosis and expression of angiogenic markers. This work provides the first evidence that H+, K+-ATPases contribute to PDAC progression and that these can be targeted by inhibitors of these pumps, thus proving a promising therapeutic strategy.
Kolaviron Diminishes Diclofenac-Induced Liver and Kidney Toxicity in Wistar Rats Via Suppressing Inflammatory Events, Upregulating Antioxidant Defenses, and Improving Hematological Indices

Diclofenac (DF) is widely used in the treatment of pain and fever. Despite it therapeutic benefits, it triggered hepatorenal injury. Thus, the present study investigated the protective roles of kolaviron (KV) against DF-induced hepatic and renal toxicity in rats. The rats were allotted into groups: control group received propylene glycol and treatment groups received DF, which induced hepatorenal toxicity in rats and different doses of KV that prevented systemic toxicity of DF in rats. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, all the rats were killed. Pro-inflammatory levels, markers of liver and kidney functions, oxidative stress, hematological indices, and histopathological alterations were evaluated. Diclofenac caused significant increase in the plasma levels of creatinine and urea and activities of liver enzymes, including bilirubin level, pro-inflammatory markers, and plasma prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). It also caused significant alteration in renal and hepatic PGE2, antioxidants, lipid peroxidation (malondialdehyde), and hematological indices. These toxic effects were confirmed by histological studies and levels of inflammatory infiltration (myeloperoxidase). However, KV significantly prevented or reduced the adverse effects of DF in the plasma, liver, and kidney of the rats pretreated with KV before DF administration. This study showed the efficacy of KV as hepatic and renal protector in DF-induced hepatorenal toxicity through reduction of oxidative stress and suppression of inflammation.
The grease trap: uncovering the mechanism of the hydrophobic lid in Cutibacterium acnes lipase[S]

Acne is one of the most common dermatological conditions, but the details of its pathology are unclear, and current management regimens often have adverse effects. Cutibacterium acnes is known as a major acne-associated bacterium that derives energy from lipase-mediated sebum lipid degradation. C. acnes is commensal, but lipase activity has been observed to differ among C. acnes types. For example, higher populations of the type IA strains are present in acne lesions with higher lipase activity. In the present study, we examined a conserved lipase in types IB and II that was truncated in type IA C. acnes strains. Closed, blocked, and open structures of C. acnes ATCC11828 lipases were elucidated by X-ray crystallography at 1.6–2.4 Å. The closed crystal structure, which is the most common form in aqueous solution, revealed that a hydrophobic lid domain shields the active site. By comparing closed, blocked, and open structures, we found that the lid domain-opening mechanisms of C. acnes lipases (CAlipases) involve the lid-opening residues, Phe-179 and Phe-211. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first structure-function study of CAlipases, which may help to shed light on the mechanisms involved in acne development and may aid in future drug design.
Editorial Comment: A 16-yr Follow-up of the European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

This is the 16 years follow-up of the European Randomized study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC) that was initiated in 1993 and previously published with 9, 11, and 13 years of follow-up (1-3). This trail try to elucidate the effect of regular prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening on prostate cancer (PCa) mortality. This paper shows that the absolute reduction in PCa mortality still increases with longer follow-up, while the relative risk reduction remains at 20% since the initial report (1-3). There is still a 41% excess incidence in the screening arm. The median follow-up from diagnosis is modest (8.8 years in the screening arm and 5.4 years in the control arm) given the natural course of PCa. The number needed to diagnose for averting one PCa death was 18 in this update paper and was much higher in the previous ones. This high level evidence publication shows that the absolute effect of screening on PCa mortality increases with longer follow-up. Vol. 46 (3): 465-466, May June, 2020
Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Radiologic Management of Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Emergency Setting

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of invasive cerebral angiography with CTA for active treatment of patients with suspected ischemic strokes has been increasing recently. This study aimed to identify the incidence of postcontrast acute kidney injury using baseline renal function when CTA and cerebral angiography were performed sequentially. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective observational study evaluated adults (18 years of age or older) with ischemic stroke who underwent CTA and cerebral angiography sequentially between 2010 and 2018. The incidence of postcontrast acute kidney injury was determined using the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate. The value of the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate at which the occurrence of postcontrast acute kidney injury increased was also determined. RESULTS: Postcontrast acute kidney injury occurred in 57/601 (9.5%) patients. Those with a baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate of <30 mL/min/1.73 m2 showed a higher incidence of acute kidney injury. Age, chronic kidney disease, medication (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, β blockers, statins, and insulin) use following contrast media exposure, and serum albumin affected the incidence of postcontrast acute kidney injury. The incidence of postcontrast acute kidney injury increased when the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate was <43 mL/min/1.73 m2. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with low baseline renal function had the highest incidence of postcontrast acute kidney injury after CTA and cerebral angiography, but no fatal adverse effects were documented. Thus, patients suspected of having a stroke should be actively managed with respect to neurovascular function.
Knowledge About Alzheimer’s Disease and Awareness of Alzheimer’s Disease–Related Services in Older Korean Americans: The Role of Social Capital

The purpose of the study was to investigate factors associated with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)-related knowledge and service awareness in older Korean Americans. Considering the importance of social resources in the lives of older immigrants, the focus was on exploring the role of social capital–related factors (e.g., prior exposure to AD, social network, activity participation, and community social cohesion) on AD knowledge and service awareness. Data were drawn from the Study of Older Korean Americans (SOKA; N = 2,150; Mage = 73.41, SD = 7.97). Findings highlight the critical roles of prior exposure to AD and social network influencing both AD knowledge and service awareness, with activity participation also being associated with the latter. Results suggest that particular attention should be paid to individuals who are culturally and socially isolated when considering interventions.
Pharmacogenetic—Whole blood and intracellular pharmacokinetic—Pharmacodynamic (PG-PK2-PD) relationship of tacrolimus in liver transplant recipients

Tacrolimus (TAC) is the cornerstone of immunosuppressive therapy in liver transplantation. This study aimed at elucidating the interplay between pharmacogenetic determinants of TAC whole blood and intracellular exposures as well as the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationship of TAC in both compartments. Complete pharmacokinetic profiles (Predose, and 20 min, 40 min, 1h, 2h, 3h, 4h, 6h, 8h, 12h post drug intake) of twice daily TAC in whole blood and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were collected in 32 liver transplanted patients in the first ten days post transplantation. A non-parametric population pharmacokinetic model was applied to explore TAC pharmacokinetics in blood and PBMC. Concurrently, calcineurin activity was measured in PBMC. Influence of donor and recipient genetic polymorphisms of ABCB1, CYP3A4 and CYP3A5 on TAC exposure was assessed. Recipient ABCB1 polymorphisms 1199G>A could influence TAC whole blood and intracellular exposure (p<0.05). No association was found between CYP3A4 or CYP3A5 genotypes and TAC whole blood or intracellular concentrations. Finally, intra-PBMC calcineurin activity appeared incompletely inhibited by TAC and less than 50% of patients were expected to achieve intracellular IC50 concentration (100 pg/millions of cells) at therapeutic whole blood concentration (i.e.: 4–10 ng/mL). Together, these data suggest that personalized medicine regarding TAC therapy might be optimized by ABCB1 pharmacogenetic biomarkers and by monitoring intracellular concentration whereas the relationship between intracellular TAC exposure and pharmacodynamics biomarkers more specific than calcineurin activity should be further investigated.
The treatment outcomes of epilepsy and its root causes in children attending at the University of Gondar teaching hospital: A retrospective cohort study, 2018

Background Epilepsy is the most common chronic neurologic disorder which affects an estimated 10.5 million children worldwide. Despite the burden, the scarcity of study held in Ethiopia. Hence, the aim of this study was to assess the treatment outcomes of epilepsy and its root causes in children with epilepsy. Methods A hospital-based retrospective cohort study was conducted from October 10/2017 up to October 10/2018. A total of 210 study participants who fulfilled the eligibility criteria were included in the study. A structured interviewer-administered questionnaire with a document review was used to collect data. The data were entered into Epi Info version 7.2. 1 and analyzed using SPSS version 21. Descriptive statistics were computed. Simple logistic analysis was run (at 95% CI and p-value < 0.05) to identify factors associated with treatment outcome. Result 210 eligible patients with epilepsy were recruited for the study. About half of the respondents were females and the majority was within the age group of 5–10 years. Phenobarbital has been the most frequently prescribed drugs and thirteen percent of patients were in the escalation phase of treatment. Eight percent of the study participants had poor adherence to the treatment regimen. About six percent of the study subjects were suffering from an uncontrolled seizure. Being a female child (AOR = 2. 21; 95%CI: 1.11, 4.41) and excellent adherence to anti-epilepsy treatment (AOR = 4. 51; 95%CI: 1.53, 13.42) were significantly associated with treatment outcome. Conclusion This study revealed that many children were suffering from uncontrolled seizure and escalation therapy is being exercised. Being a female child and adherence to anti-epilepsy treatment were significantly associated with treatment outcome. Therefore, attention should be given to adherence counseling to convey a better treatment outcome.
Liver Tumor Segmentation in CT Scans Using Modified SegNet

The main cause of death related to cancer worldwide is from hepatic cancer. Detection of hepatic cancer early using computed tomography (CT) could prevent millions of patients’ death every year. However, reading hundreds or even tens of those CT scans is an enormous burden for radiologists. Therefore, there is an immediate need is to read, detect, and evaluate CT scans automatically, quickly, and accurately. However, liver segmentation and extraction from the CT scans is a bottleneck for any system, and is still a challenging problem. In this work, a deep learning-based technique that was proposed for semantic pixel-wise classification of road scenes is adopted and modified to fit liver CT segmentation and classification. The architecture of the deep convolutional encoder–decoder is named SegNet, and consists of a hierarchical correspondence of encode–decoder layers. The proposed architecture was tested on a standard dataset for liver CT scans and achieved tumor accuracy of up to 99.9% in the training phase.
Malignancy Grade-Dependent Mapping of Metabolic Landscapes in Human Urothelial Bladder Cancer: Identification of Novel, Diagnostic, and Druggable Biomarkers

Background: Urothelial bladder cancer (UBC) is one of the cancers with the highest mortality rate and prevalence worldwide; however, the clinical management of the disease remains challenging. Metabolomics has emerged as a powerful tool with beneficial applications in cancer biology and thus can provide new insights on the underlying mechanisms of UBC progression and/or reveal novel diagnostic and therapeutic schemes. Methods: A collection of four human UBC cell lines that critically reflect the different malignancy grades of UBC was employed; RT4 (grade I), RT112 (grade II), T24 (grade III), and TCCSUP (grade IV). They were examined using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Mass Spectrometry, and advanced statistical approaches, with the goal of creating new metabolic profiles that are mechanistically associated with UBC progression toward metastasis. Results: Distinct metabolic profiles were observed for each cell line group, with T24 (grade III) cells exhibiting the most abundant metabolite contents. AMP and creatine phosphate were highly increased in the T24 cell line compared to the RT4 (grade I) cell line, indicating the major energetic transformation to which UBC cells are being subjected during metastasis. Thymosin β4 and β10 were also profiled with grade-specific patterns of expression, strongly suggesting the importance of actin-cytoskeleton dynamics for UBC advancement to metastatic and drug-tolerant forms. Conclusions: The present study unveils a novel and putatively druggable metabolic signature that holds strong promise for early diagnosis and the successful chemotherapy of UBC disease.
Improvement of Alcohol-Poisoning Symptoms in Mice by the Oral Administration of Live Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T Cells

A clinical study carried out previously by our group has demonstrated that yogurt manufactured with a plant-derived lactic acid bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum SN13T, significantly reduces the γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GTP) level as a liver-function parameter. In the present study, we show that with the oral administration of live SN13T cells, alcohol-poisoning symptoms in mice are improved, and the condition does not become fatal. However, prior to the simultaneous administration with ethanol, when the cells were heat-killed or sonicated, the improvement was not observed, and almost all of the mice died. In addition, the dysbiosis of the intestinal microbiota observed in the mice administered with ethanol was restored by simultaneous administration with live SN13T cells. Furthermore, by analyzing the metabolites detected in contents from the mouse cecum, it was demonstrated that the increase in nonvolatile putrefactive amines observed in the ethanol-administration group was reduced by simultaneous administration with live SN13T cells. Judging from these results, the lactic acid bacterial cells capable of reaching the living bowels prevent ethanol-induced poisoning and restore the intestinal microbiota.
Grain Yield Response of Corn (Zea mays L.) to Nitrogen Management Practices and Flooding

Flooding can reduce corn growth and yield, but nitrogen (N) management practices may alter the degree to which plants are negatively impacted. Damage caused by flooded conditions may also affect the utilization of a post-flood N application to increase yield. The objectives of this study were to evaluate how pre-plant and pre-plant plus post-flood N applications contribute to corn growth and yield following flood conditions and to quantify the partial return of employing different N management strategies in the event of a flood. A field study was conducted in Ohio using four flood durations (FD; 0, 2, 4, or 6 days initiated at V4 to V5) and three N management practices (0 kg N ha−1, 134 kg N ha−1 applied pre-plant, and 134 pre-plant + 67 kg N ha−1 applied post-flooding). Application of 134 kg N ha−1 increased yield compared to 0 kg N ha−1 by 65%, 68%, 43% and 16% for 0 d, 2 d, 4 d, and 6 d FD, respectively; the application of 134 + 67 kg N ha−1 increased grain yield compared to 134 kg N ha−1 by 7%, 27%, 70%, or 55% for 0 d, 2 d, 4 d, or 6 d FD, respectively. Partial return analysis produced similar results to those for grain yield. Results suggest that in regions prone to early-season flooding, additional N applied post-flood can improve yield and partial return compared to the application of pre-plant alone at a lower rate or no N. Results indicate that total soil nitrate-N levels two weeks after flood initiation may serve as a good predictor of yield.
Atypical Hepatic Hemangioma: A Case Study

Hemangiomas are benign vascular tumors caused by an increase of blood vessels lined with endothelium. Diagnostic imaging such as sonography, computed tomography (CT), and contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) can be used to detect hepatic hemangiomas, which are typically noted as incidental findings. However, in cases where hepatic hemangiomas demonstrate atypical appearances, this may suggest a possible malignancy. In such instances, a liver biopsy may be necessary for pathologic confirmation. A case is provided of a large hepatic mass that was initially detected on CT and further evaluated with sonography. Sonographic evaluation revealed characteristics suspicious for possible malignancy, including highly enlarged size, heterogeneous echotexture, and lobular contour. A biopsy ultimately determined the mass to be a cavernous hepatic hemangioma. The atypical sonographic appearance of the hepatic hemangioma in this case is worthy of consideration such that sonographers and the interpreting physician are aware of various presentations of this pathology.