Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding the dandruff scalp before and after treatment: an in vivo Raman spectroscopic study

To study and characterize the stratum corneum (SC) of dandruff scalp using in vivo Raman spectroscopy, to study how it compares with the non‐dandruff scalp and to see the effect of treatment with a zinc pyrithione (ZnPTO)‐based anti‐dandruff shampoo.
Transcriptome Analysis of the Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) Integument

Abstract The insect integument, formed by the cuticle and the underlying epidermis, is essential for insect fitness, regulation of lipid biosynthesis and storage, insect growth and feeding, together with development progress. Its participation in insecticide resistance has also been outlined. Triatoma infestans Klug (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) is one of the major vectors of Chagas disease in South America; however, genomic data are scarce. In this study, we performed a transcriptome analysis of the nymph integument in order to identify which genes are expressed and their putative role. Using the 454 GS-FLX sequencing platform, we obtained approximately 144,620 reads from the integument tissue. These reads were assembled into 6,495 isotigs and 8,504 singletons. Based on BLAST similarity searches, about 8,000 transcripts were annotated with known genes, conserved domains, and/or Gene Ontology terms. The most abundant transcripts corresponded to transcription factors and nucleic acid metabolism, membrane receptors, cell signaling, and proteins related to cytoskeleton, transport, and cell energy processes, among others. More than 10% of the transcripts-encoded proteins putatively involved in the metabolism of fatty acids and related components (fatty acid synthases, elongases, desaturases, fatty alcohol reductases), structural integument proteins, and the insecticide detoxification system (among them, cytochrome P450s, esterases, and glutathione transferases). Real-time qPCR assays were used to investigate their putative participation in the resistance mechanism. This preliminary study is the first transcriptome analysis of a triatomine integument, and together with prior biochemical information, will help further understandthe role of the integument in a wide array of mechanisms.
Omega-3 fatty acids for bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND Bipolar disorder is a complex psychiatric disorder and is amongst the top thirty causes of worldwide disability. Mood stabilisers are the primary pharmacological intervention, both in the treatment of acute episodes and in prophylaxis. There is, however, mounting evidence that dietary supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids may be beneficial in psychiatric conditions, particularly those involving disturbances of mood. OBJECTIVES To review the efficacy of omega-3 fatty acids as either a monotherapy or an adjunctive treatment for bipolar disorder. SEARCH STRATEGY Electronic searches of the following databases were performed: CCDANCTR-Studies and CCDANCTR-References were searched on 12/2/2008, Supplementary searches were carried out on Biological Abstracts, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library, CCDAN Register, EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. The search strategy also included cited reference searching, personal contact with all authors of studies initially included and contact with the omega-3 producing pharmaceutical companies. SELECTION CRITERIA All relevant randomised controlled trials were included in the review. Studies involving males and females of all ages with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder qualified for inclusion. Studies using any type or dose of omega-3 fatty acid treatment as monotherapy or in addition to standard pharmacotherapy were eligible. The primary outcome was symptom severity; and secondary outcomes were adverse effects, dropout and satisfaction with treatment. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently inspected the citations identified from the search. Potentially relevant abstracts were identified and full papers ordered and reassessed for inclusion and methodological quality. All relevant data were extracted. The weighted mean difference (WMD) was used for continuous outcome data, with 95% confidence intervals (CI). MAIN RESULTS Five studies met inclusion criteria for the review, however, methodological quality was highly variable. Only one study, involving 75 participants, provided data for analysis, and showed a benefit of active treatment over control for depression symptom levels (WMD -3.93, 95% CI -7.00 to -0.86)and Clinical Global Impression scores (WMD -0.75, 95% CI -1.33 to -0.17) but not for mania (WMD -2.81, 95% CI -7.68 to 1.90). No serious adverse effects were reported in the five studies. The pattern of dropout was highly variable between studies. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Results from one study showed positive effects of omega-3 as an adjunctive treatment for depressive but not manic symptoms in bipolar disorder. These findings must be regarded with caution owing to the limited data available. There is an acute need for well-designed and executed randomised controlled trials in this field.
Molecular Characterization of the 2016 New World Screwworm (Diptera: Calliphoridae) Outbreak in the Florida Keys

Abstract New World screwworm (NWS), Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel 1858) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), is a myiasis-causing fly that can be a serious threat to the health of livestock, wildlife, and humans. Its progressive eradication from the southern United States, Mexico, and Central America from the 1950s to 2000s is an excellent example of successful pest management using sterile insect technique (SIT). In late 2016, autochthonous NWS were detected in the Florida Keys, representing this lspecies' first invasion in the United States in >30 yr. Rapid use of quarantine and SIT was successful in eliminating the infestation by early 2017; however, the geographic source of this infestation remains unknown. Here, we use amplicon sequencing to generate mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data representing all confirmed cases of NWS from this infestation, and compare these sequences to preexisting data sets sampling the native distribution of NWS. We ask two questions regarding the FL Keys outbreak. First, is this infestation the result of a single invasion from one source, or multiple invasions from different sources? And second, what is the geographic origin of this invasion? We found virtually no sequence variation between specimens collected from the FL Keys outbreak, which is consistent with a single source of introduction. However, we also found very little geographic resolution in any of the data sets, which precludes identification of the source of this outbreak. Our lack of success in answering our second question speaks to the need for finer-scale genetic or genomic assessments of NWS population structure, which would facilitate source determination of potential future outbreaks.
Neurology®

In this brief editorial, I review how we are doing and what we are planning for the remainder of this first year as your editorial team. In our first term, the new editorial team has opened a second office in “the other Rochester,” converted to a weekly journal, and orchestrated a comprehensive redesign of the journal. Though new in my role as editor-in-chief, I have learned the value of developing and implementing a strategic plan from experience at my home institution, and we have instituted a strategic plan outline for Neurology ® that is readily understood and easily monitored for success with clear metrics (figure). This plan has largely served to guide the Managing Editor, Patty Baskin, and myself in a series of strategic decisions in these early days. Figure Strategic plan for Neurology ®. This plan, like any strategic plan, can be distilled into three parts: people, processes, and outcomes. Recruiting and retaining the best people is always the foundation of any successful organization. In the world of scientific publishing, these people comprise the editorial office staffs in the two Rochesters, the Editorial Board and Associate Editors, and a growing group of reviewers both from abroad and from the next generation. Many key processes must function well to get the work done and these have been revised to facilitate the daily operations of the journal. We now operate in an entirely electronic environment, superbly supported by the American Academy of Neurology (AAN). The quality of these processes ensures that our objectives will be met. At this time, we have determined that our goals should be to satisfy both our readers and authors and to achieve mission-advancing financial performance to support the Academy. In future editorials, I will share information about our progress toward these outcomes in detail. As noted …
Crisis, Trauma and Loss: An Exploratory Study into Those Who ‘Come to Notice’ to Police and Health Services and Subsequently Abscond

This article considers a phenomenon of which the prevalence, as well as the causes are quite unclear. It refers to individuals who contact the police, or check into hospital (or who are found by members of the public) with real or imagined emergencies only to leave or abscond before any intervention can be implemented. These individuals frequently refuse to give their name or use aliases. They tend to engage repeatedly in this behaviour. This article reports on a thematic analysis of the case notes that are kept in the UK Missing Persons Bureau database, in order to shed light on the question of what it is that brings these people to ‘come to notice’ (in police jargon) and why they subsequently seek to evade the attentions of health care and criminal justice agencies. Some thoughts on the reporting and recording and on successful interventions are discussed.
Are CVD Patients Under Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress has long been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Abuja & Albertini, 2001; Halliwell & Gutteridge, 1990; Parthasarathy et al., 2001; Steinbrecher et al., 1984). It was even assumed that the prevalence of CVD alone indicates the prevalence of oxidative stress (Witztum, 1994). Moreover, cross-sectional studies indicated that supplementation of low molecular weight antioxidants is associated with a relatively low incidence of CVD (Jha et al., 1995). By contrast, in most of the interventional studies the antioxidant supplementation did not prevent the progression of CVD nor did it improve any of the many clinical endpoints (Shekelle et al., 2004; Vivekananthan et al., 2003; Miller 2005; Bjelakovic, 2007; Dotan, 2009a; Dotan, 2009b). Based on these findings, Witztum (Witztum, 1998) and Morrow (Morrow, 2003) hypothesized that only individuals under oxidative stress may benefit from antioxidant supplementation. This, of course, implies that only people under oxidative stress should be treated with antioxidants. This, in turn, means that a criterion must be established for the ill-defined, intuitively understood term “oxidative stress”. This issue is of special importance in light of our previous study that demonstrated that no single index can be used as a universal criterion, indicating that there are several types of oxidative stress (Dotan et al., 2004). Hence, the question remains which criterion (or criteria) can be used to identify who is likely to benefit from antioxidant supplementation. The answer to this question can, theoretically, be based either on a criterion for the relevant type of oxidative stress (e.g. lipid peroxidation, as assessed by the concentrations of MDA or isoprostanes) or/and on diagnosis of specific diseases for which there is sufficient evidence for benefit of antioxidant supplementation. In the current study, we present the results of a meta-analysis of case-control studies used to assess the association between CVD and oxidative stress, as evaluated on the basis of different criteria. Unlike previous meta-analyses, we analyzed the association between CVD and criteria for each of the types of OS. We hope that eventually this analysis will enable us to define threshold values of relevant indices of the relevant type of oxidative stress for treatment with antioxidants (Deeks, 2001; Deeks & Altman, 2004).
Surgery for rotator cuff disease.

BACKGROUND This review is one in a series of Cochrane reviews of interventions for shoulder disorders. OBJECTIVES To determine the effectiveness and safety of surgery for rotator cuff disease. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, (The Cochrane Library Issue 1, 2006), MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Sports Discus, Science Citation Index (Web of Science) in March 2006 unrestricted by date or language. SELECTION CRITERIA Only studies described as randomised or quasi-randomised clinical trials (RCTs) studying participants with rotator cuff disease and surgical interventions compared to placebo, no treatment, or any other treatment were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two independent review authors assessed methodological quality of each included trial and extracted data. MAIN RESULTS We included 14 RCTs involving 829 participants. Eleven trials included participants with impingement, two trials included participants with rotator cuff tear and one trial included participants with calcific tendinitis. No study met all methodological quality criteria and minimal pooling could be performed. Three trials compared either open or arthroscopic subacromial decompression with active non operative treatment (exercise programme, physiotherapy regimen of exercise and education, or graded physiotherapy strengthening program). No differences in outcome between these treatment groups were reported in any of these trials. One trial which also included a placebo arm (12 sessions detuned soft laser) reported that the Neer score of participants in both active treatment arms improved significantly more than those who received placebo at six months. Six trials that compared arthroscopic with open subacromial decompression reported no significant differences in outcome between groups at any time point although four trials reported a quicker recovery and/or return to work with arthroscopic decompression. Adverse events, which occurred in three trials and included infection, capsulitis, pain, deltoid atrophy, and reoperation, did not differ between surgical groups. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Based upon our review of 14 trials examining heterogeneous interventions and all susceptible to bias, we cannot draw firm conclusions about the effectiveness or safety of surgery for rotator cuff disease. There is "Silver" (www.cochranemsk.org) level evidence from three trials that there are no significant differences in outcome between open or arthroscopic subacromial decompression and active non-operative treatment for impingement. There is also "Silver" level evidence from six trials that there are no significant differences in outcome between arthroscopic and open subacromial decompression although four trials reported earlier recovery with arthroscopic decompression.
Comparison of clinical periodontal status among habitual smokeless-tobacco users and cigarette smokers.

AIM Investigating the comparative effect of cigarette smoking and smokeless-tobacco use on periodontal health. BACKGROUND There is a dearth of studies comparing the effects of smoking and smokeless tobacco on periodontal health. Smokeless tobacco is emerging as a major public health hazard, but is often neglected as a risk factor by many clinicians. MATERIALS AND METHODS A cross-sectional study of 286 subjects was conducted. The participants were divided into mutually exclusive groups (i.e. any subject who had the habit of both smoking as well as smokeless tobacco usage was excluded from the study), as follows: a smoking group (SG; n=121); a smokeless-tobacco group (ST; n=81); and a non-tobacco-consuming group (NT; n=84). Data were obtained using a questionnaire and by clinical examination. The Periodontal Disease Index (PDI) and Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S) were used to clinically evaluate the periodontal and dental health status of the subjects. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify statistical correlations. RESULTS The Plaque Index was higher in the ST group than in the SG group and was statistically significantly higher in the ST group than in the NT group. Probing depth and gingival inflammation (components of the PDI) were also higher in the ST group than in the SG and NT groups, but this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS Within the limits of the study, and for this study population, the impact on the periodontium as a result of smokeless tobacco use appeared to be comparable with that of smoking tobacco. The results of this study affirm the need to consider smokeless tobacco as a possible contributory factor to periodontal disease, in addition to smoking, and to counsel patients accordingly. Further randomised clinical trials are necessary to validate the long-term impact of smokeless tobacco on periodontal disease.
Chronic disease risk management: Combining genetic testing with medical and nutrition therapy

Abstract Overwhelming evidence indicates that diet is a key environmental factor affecting the incidence of many chronic diseases treated by medical practitioners on a daily basis. Information available in public gene databases, combined with advanced molecular technologies and nutrition research, provides the opportunity for the development of a new set of treatment and prevention strategies based partly on nutritional genomics. Nutrigenetics has been used for decades to prevent rare monogenic disorders such as phenylketonuria. Gene-diet interaction can now also be targeted to prevent or reduce the risk of many chronic conditions long before clinical manifestation. This multidisciplinary approach unites conventional medicine with genetics and lifestyle intervention for optimal health management.
Professional Supervision as Storied Experience: Narrative Analysis Findings for Australian-Based Registered Music Therapists

Background Limited research exists to inform a music therapist's supervision story from their pre-professional training to their practice as a professional. Evidence is needed to understand the complex nature of supervision experiences and their impact on professional practice. Objective This qualitative study explored the supervisory experiences of Australian-based Registered Music Therapists, according to the: 1) themes that characterize their experiences, 2) influences of the supervisor's professional background, 3) outcomes of supervision, and 4) roles of the employer, the professional music therapy association, and the university in supervision standards and practice. Methods Seven professionals were interviewed for this study. Five stages of narrative analysis were used to create their supervision stories: a life course graph, narrative psychological analysis, component story framework and narrative analysis, analysis of narratives, and final integration of the seven narrative summaries. Results Findings revealed that supervision practice is influenced by a supervisee's personal and professional needs. A range of supervision models or approaches is recommended, including the access of supervisors from different professional backgrounds to support each stage of learning and development. A quality supervisory experience facilitates shifts in awareness and insight, which results in improved or increased skills, confidence, and accountability of practice. Participants' concern about stakeholders included a limited understanding of the role of the supervisor, a lack of clarity about accountability of supervisory practice, and minimal guidelines, which monitor professional competencies. Conclusions The benefits of supervision in music therapy depend on the quality of the supervision provided, and clarity about the roles of those involved. Research and guidelines are recommended to target these areas.
Dietary glycemic index and obesity.

Obesity is among the most important medical problems in America today. Currently, approximately 1 in 4 children and 1 in 2 adults are overweight, prevalence rates that have increased by 50% since the 1960s. In an attempt to combat this problem, the Federal government and various official medical agencies have advocated decreasing intake of total fat and sugar, while increasing consumption of "complex carbohydrate. " Despite a recent reduction in fat consumption to near the recommended 30% of total energy, rates of obesity have continued to rise, suggesting that other dietary factors may play a critical role in body weight regulation. One such factor may be glycemic index. This review examines the physiologic effects of glycemic index and argues for the need for controlled clinical trials of a low glycemic index diet in the treatment of obesity.
Kinetics of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β and phosphorylated GSK3β (Ser 9) expression in experimentally induced periapical lesions.

AIM To investigate the kinetics of GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser 9) expression in experimentally induced rat periapical lesions and to explore their possible functions in the pathogenesis of periapical lesions. METHODOLOGY Periapical lesions were established in Wistar rats by occlusal pulp exposure in mandibular first molar teeth. The animals were killed on days 0, 7, 14, 21 and 28. Micro-computed tomographic, histological and enzyme histochemical analyses were performed to detect the progression of periapical lesions. Immunohistochemistry, double-dye immunofluorescence and Western blot were performed to determine the expression of GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser 9) in periapical tissues. RESULTS From day 0 to day 28, the lesion volume and area gradually expanded, and the GSK3β-positive cells gradually ascended. A few p-GSK3β (Ser 9)-positive cells and osteoclasts appeared on day 7 and then climaxed on day 14. The numbers then simultaneously decreased from day 21 to day 28. Western blot analysis revealed that p-GSK3β (Ser 9) and GSK3β proteins were expressed at all time-points. The positive cells and protein expression ratio of p-GSK3β (Ser 9) against GSK3β increased from day 0 to day 14 and then decreased from day 14 to day 28. Finally, double-dye immunofluorescence assay revealed that p-GSK3β (Ser 9)-positive and RANKL-positive cells were co-localized around periapical lesions on days 14 and 28. CONCLUSIONS GSK3β and p-GSK3β (Ser 9) can be observed and may be involved in alveolar bone resorption and inflammatory response in periapical lesions, as well as associated with periapical lesion pathogenesis.
Consequences of revised estimates of carotenoid bioefficacy for dietary control of vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

According to existing recommendations of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO), the amount of provitamin A in a mixed diet having the same vitamin A activity as 1 microg of retinol is 6 microg of beta-carotene or 12 microg of other provitamin A carotenoids. The efficiency of this conversion is referred to as bioefficacy. Recently, using data from healthy people in developed countries and based on a two-step process, the U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) derived new conversion factors. The first step established the bioefficacy of beta-carotene in oil at 2 microg having the same vitamin A activity as 1 microg of retinol; the second step established the bioavailability of beta-carotene in foods relative to that of beta-carotene in oil at 1:6. Thus, 2 microg of beta-carotene in oil or 12 microg of beta-carotene in mixed foods has the same vitamin A activity as 1 microg of retinol. Based on existing FAO food balance sheets and the FAO/WHO conversion rates, all populations should be able to meet their vitamin A requirements from existing dietary sources. However, using the new IOM conversion rates, populations in developing countries could not achieve adequacy. Additionally, field studies suggest that, instead of 12 microg, 21 microg of beta-carotene has the same vitamin A activity as 1 microg of retinol, which implies that effective vitamin A intake is even lower. Therefore, controlling vitamin A deficiency in developing countries requires not only vitamin A supplementation but also food-based approaches, including food fortification, and possibly the introduction of new strains of plants with enhanced vitamin A activity.