Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
VITAMIN (E) PROTECTIVE ROLE AGAINST ROUNDUP TESTICULAR GENOTOXICITY IN MALE RATS

Round up, a worldwide herbicide has cellular and genotoxic effects. Round up’s genotoxicity was tested by detecting the expression of the steroidogenic acute regulatory, aromatase, estrogen and androgen receptor genes in testicular cells. Its cytotoxicity was examined by measuring caspase 3 gene expressions. Genes’ expressions were assessed by RT- PCR. Testicular lesions were detected by histopathological examination. We determined the role of vitamin E in reducing its toxic effects. Our study determined that Round up toxic doses caused endocrinal disruption through alteration of genes expression and effects on cellular integrity by increasing apoptosis. Administration of the vitamin E during exposure can reduce and protect against these endocrine cytogenotoxic effects.
Comorbid depression in sickle cell disease: An overview of determinants and need for early detection

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic illness, characterized by periods of painful crises, frequent hospitalizations, and multiorgan dysfunction; patients are frequently exposed to diverse psychological stressors and insults which adversely impact on overall quality of life (QOL) and survival. The following key words: “sickle cell disease,” “psychological dysfunction,”, “psychopathology,” “co-morbid depression,” “quality of life,” “disease severity,” “treatment,” and “clinical outcome” were used for literature search on PubMed, PubMed Central, Google Scholar, African Index Medicus, and Scopus database sources. No limitation as to the year of publication was applied and the oldest paper retrieved was published in 1989. The search was restricted to depression occurring in the background of SCD and publications in English language. The studies retrieved dealt mainly on the epidemiology, etiopathogenesis, and treatment of co-morbid depression in SCD, whereas papers dealing primarily with depression not related to SCD were rejected. All papers identified were assessed by the authors with a view to highlighting the prevalence and effect of depression on the clinical course of SCD. Comorbid depression was shown to constitute a significant burden in subjects living with SCD; the prevalence of which increases with increasing disease severity. In affected SCD patients, it has adverse effects on QOL and disease course. The need for early detection of comorbid depression in patients with SCD is hereby emphasized, with a view to instituting appropriate treatment geared toward ameliorating its adverse effect on disease morbidity.
A proof of concept kilovoltage intensity modulated radiotherapy platform for the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme

Purpose: To develop a compact, proof-of-concept kilovoltage intensity modulated radiotherapy platform to deliver contrast-enhanced radiotherapy (CERT). Methods: The proof-of-concept requirements were threefold: (i) develop a compact means to generate a kilovoltage x-ray broadbeam capable of targeting the K-edge of heavy metal contrast, (ii) investigate the potential clinical application of such a beam in silico, and (iii) construct a limited working prototype of the platform to identify weaknesses in the approach. The x-ray broadbeam was created with a standard kilovoltage x-ray tube heavily filtered with 0.156 mm tungsten. Depth dose and treatment characteristics of the beam were investigated using GEANT4 Monte Carlo framework. The working prototype included a miniaturized multi-rod collimator (MRC) constructed with tungsten carbide rods, 3D-printed gear rack, and an in-house GUI/microprocessor assembly. Measurements of simulated treatments were made with EBT3 radiochromic film. Results: Monte Carlo simulations of pseudo-clinical treatments on a homogeneous spherical Lucite phantom produced dose distributions that indicated surface dose was less than target dose. When simulated-bone was added to the calculations, dose-to-bone was found to be the probable limiting factor in clinical treatment. Nevertheless, when iodine contrast enhancement was accounted for, dose was escalated in the tumor compared to standard megavoltage treatments even with dose-to-bone limitations. Experimentally, after commissioning the MRC and calibrating the radiochromic film, surface dose was compared to maximum dose measured on each film. Surface dose measurements were higher than those in a megavoltage beam, but below the skin toxicity threshold. Dose at depth was reasonable despite increased beam attenuation at these energies from photoelectric interactions in bone. IMRT and non-coplanar dose falloffs around the target were steeper than kV 3D conformal dose falloff. Conclusions: The compact kilovoltage treatment platform presented here proved clinically feasible in both simulation and measurement. It is reasonable to pursue this modality further as a potential CERT platform.
Balance and Gait Improvements of Postoperative Rehabilitation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Treated with Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS)

Background Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus (STN-DBS) is a surgical treatment to reduce the “off” state motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Postural instability is one of the major impairments, which induces disabilities of activities of daily living (ADLs). The effectiveness of STN-DBS for postural instability is unclear, and the effect of rehabilitation following STN-DBS has remained uncertain. Objective The purpose of this study was to examine changes in balance ability, gait function, motor performance, and ADLs following 2 weeks of postoperative rehabilitation in PD patients treated with STN-DBS. Methods Sixteen patients were reviewed retrospectively from February 2016 to March 2017. All patients were tested in their “on” medication state for balance and gait performance using the Mini-Balance Evaluation Systems Test (Mini-BESTest) and the Timed “Up and Go” (TUG) test before the operation, after the operation, and during the discharge period. The UPDRS motor score (UPDRS-III) and Barthel Index (BI) were assessed before the operation and during the discharge period. Rehabilitation focused on muscle strengthening with stretching and proactive balance training. Friedman's test and the post hoc Wilcoxon's signed-rank test were used to analyze the balance assessments, and ANOVA and the post hoc Tukey's test were used to analyze gait performance. The significance level was p < 0.05. Results During the discharge period, the Mini-BESTest and TUG were significantly improved compared with the preoperative and postoperative periods (p < 0.05). There were no differences between preoperative and postoperative periods in the Mini-BESTest (p=0.12) and TUG (p=0.91). The BI and motor sections of the UPDRS did not differ significantly between the preoperative and postoperative periods (p=0.45, p=0.22). Conclusion The results of this study suggest that postoperative rehabilitation improves balance and gait ability in patients with PD treated with STN-DBS.
3.2.2 Traceable Engineering of Fault‐Tolerant SoSs

Systems of systems (SoSs) are characterised by a challenging combination of continuous evolution, emergent behaviour and distributed, autonomous and independent constituents. The development of SoSs that can tolerate faults and harmful events is hampered by these and other complexities. Currently there is little in the way of methods or tools to help SoS developers to design fault‐tolerant SoSs. In this paper we present a structured approach for capturing requirements for a fault‐tolerant SoS and a fault modelling architectural framework (FMAF) that supports disciplined and reusable development of fault‐tolerant architectures. We also provide a traceable mapping of the fault‐tolerant requirements into SoS architectural designs. Finally we apply our techniques to a real‐world SoS case study.
Spectral Analysis of Heart Rate Variability in Time-Varying Conditions and in the Presence of Confounding Factors

The tools for spectrally analyzing heart rate variability (HRV) has in recent years grown considerably, with emphasis on the handling of time-varying conditions and confounding factors. Time–frequency analysis holds since long an important position in HRV analysis, however, this technique cannot alone handle a mean heart rate or a respiratory frequency which vary over time. Overlapping frequency bands represents another critical condition which needs to be dealt with to produce accurate spectral measurements. The present survey offers a comprehensive account of techniques designed to handle such conditions and factors by providing a brief description of the main principles of the different methods. Several methods derive from a mathematical/statistical model, suggesting that the model can be used to simulate data used for performance evaluation. The inclusion of a respiratory signal, whether measured or derived, is another feature of many recent methods, e.g., used to guide the decomposition of the HRV signal so that signals related as well as unrelated to respiration can be analyzed. It is concluded that the development of new approaches to handling time-varying scenarios are warranted, as is benchmarking of performance evaluated in technical as well as in physiological/clinical terms.
Novel prion mutation (p.Tyr225Cys) in a Korean patient with atypical Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Background: A novel prion variant, PRNP p.Tyr225Cys (c.674A>G; p.Y225C), was identified in an atypical Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) patient. The patient had a 5-year history of progressive cognitive impairment with speech and gait disturbances. From the basic neurological examination at his first hospital visit, rigidity and myoclonic jerks in all limbs were observed without focal weakness. Electroencephalogram showed the diffuse slow continuous delta activity in the bilateral cerebral hemisphere. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed abnormalities in the brain, such as cortical signal changes and edema in the frontotemporoparietal lobes and the basal ganglia. Cerebrospinal fluid 14–3-3 protein analysis showed a weakly positive signal. Family history remained unclear, but the patient’s mother and sister were diagnosed with cognitive impairment but both refused genetic testing. Methods: Targeted next generation sequencing (NGS) was performed on 50 genes, involved in different neurodegeneratives diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, frontotemporal dementia or prion diseases. In silico analyses and structure predictions were performed on the potential patohgenic mutations. Results: NGS and standard sequencing revealed the novel PRNP p.Tyr225Cys mutation in the patient. Structure predictions revealed that this may make the helix more flexible. In addition, the extra cysteine residue in TM-III of prion protein may result in disturbances of natural disulfide bond. Conclusion: Hence, the pathogenicity of PRNP p.Tyr225Cys was not fully confirmed at present, and its penetrance was suggested to be low. However, its possible pathogenic nature in prion diseases cannot be ignored, since Tyr/Cys exchange could disturb the helix dynamics and contribute to conformational alteration and disease progression.
The Lysine Demethylase KDM5B Regulates Islet Function and Glucose Homeostasis

Aims Posttranslational modifications of histones and transcription factors regulate gene expression and are implicated in beta-cell failure and diabetes. We have recently shown that preserving H3K27 and H3K4 methylation using the lysine demethylase inhibitor GSK-J4 reduces cytokine-induced destruction of beta-cells and improves beta-cell function. Here, we investigate the therapeutic potential of GSK-J4 to prevent diabetes development and examine the importance of H3K4 methylation for islet function. Materials and Methods We used two mouse models of diabetes to investigate the therapeutic potential of GSK-J4. To clarify the importance of H3K4 methylation, we characterized a mouse strain with knockout (KO) of the H3K4 demethylase KDM5B. Results GSK-J4 administration failed to prevent the development of experimental diabetes induced by multiple low-dose streptozotocin or adoptive transfer of splenocytes from acutely diabetic NOD to NODscid mice. KDM5B-KO mice were growth retarded with altered body composition, had low IGF-1 levels, and exhibited reduced insulin secretion. Interestingly, despite secreting less insulin, KDM5B-KO mice were able to maintain normoglycemia following oral glucose tolerance test, likely via improved insulin sensitivity, as suggested by insulin tolerance testing and phosphorylation of proteins belonging to the insulin signaling pathway. When challenged with high-fat diet, KDM5B-deficient mice displayed similar weight gain and insulin sensitivity as wild-type mice. Conclusion Our results show a novel role of KDM5B in metabolism, as KDM5B-KO mice display growth retardation and improved insulin sensitivity.
Individualised Approaches for Catheter Ablation of AF: Patient Selection and Procedural Endpoints

Pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) is the cornerstone of AF ablation, but studies have reported improved efficacy with high rates of repeat procedures. Because of the large interindividual variability in the underlying electrical and anatomical substrate, achieving optimal outcomes requires an individualised approach. This includes optimal candidate selection as well as defined ablation strategies with objective procedure endpoints beyond PVI. Candidate selection is traditionally based on coarse and sometimes arbitrary clinical stratification such as AF type, but finer predictors of treatment efficacy including biomarkers, advanced imaging and electrocardiographic parameters have shown promise. Numerous ancillary ablation strategies beyond PVI have been investigated, but the absence of a clear mechanistic and evidence-based endpoint, unlike in other arrhythmias, has remained a universal limitation. Potential endpoints include functional ones such as AF termination or non-inducibility and substrate-based endpoints such as isolation of low-voltage areas. This review summarises the relevant literature and proposes guidance for clinical practice and future research.
Evaluation of depression, anxiety, and stress status in parents of patient with congenital clubfoot treated with Ponseti method: A prospective study

Congenital diseases have been reported to increase the incidence of depression, anxiety, and stress among parents. In this study, we aimed to investigate the depression, anxiety, and stress status in parents of patients with congenital clubfoot before and after treatment with the Ponseti method. A total of 20 patients diagnosed with congenital clubfoot at our clinic and treated with the Ponseti method were included in this study. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) was used to evaluate the depression, anxiety, and stress status of the parents before and after treatment. We considered the following parameters to investigate the effects of these on the parents: the educational level of the parents; economic status of the family; gender; birth order of the child in the family; time of diagnosis (prenatal or postnatal). The mean DASS and subdomain scores after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P < .05). Moreover, there was a significant difference in the pre- and posttreatment mean DASS and depression scores of the participants in terms of the education level (P < .05). The pre- and posttreatment DASS and depression scores of the participants with an education level of primary school and below were lower than those of the participants with an education level of secondary and high school. Parents may be less concerned during this process if they are fully informed by the orthopedic surgeons about the treatment protocol and the near-perfect results of the Ponseti method as well as are counseled by healthcare professionals.
Cost-effectiveness of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP)-inhibitors for the maintenance treatment after responding to first- and second-line chemotherapy in advanced ovarian cancer

The introduction of inhibitors of poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) for the treatment of women with epithelial ovarian cancers (EOC) has radically changed the treatment in maintenance setting after responding to first- and second-line chemotherapy. The aim of this paper was to assess the pharmacological costs of PARP inhibitors (olaparib, niraparib, rucaparib and veliparib) in maintenance treatment after responding to first-line chemotherapy in EOC. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated as the ratio between the difference of the costs in the intervention and in the control groups (pharmacy costs) and the difference between the effect in the intervention and in the control groups (progression-free survival (PFS)). We have considered the pivotal phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Three different populations were considered: the overall population, patients with germline BRCA mutation (gBRCA) and homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) patients non-gBRCA mutation. Three thousand four hundred and twenty patients and 1209 patients were considered in maintenance treatment after responding to first- and second-line chemotherapy in EOC, respectively. At the actual price, the treatment with PARP inhibitors is not cost-effective in maintenance treatment after responding to first-line and second-line chemotherapy in EOC. A reduction in pharmacological costs is mandatory.
PREDICTION OF PRETERM DELIVERY IN PREGNANT WOMEN WITH THREATENED PRETERM LABOR USING TRANSVAGINAL ULTRASOUND AND NEUTROPHILS TO LYMPHOCYTES RATIO

Accept Date 2019-07-13 ABSTRACT Background: Preterm labor is defined as regular contractions of the uterus resulting in changes in the cervix that start before 37 weeks of pregnancy. It contributes directly to estimated one million neonatal deaths annually and is a significant contributor to childhood morbidity. Prediction of preterm labor could contribute to reduction in neonatal morbidity and mortality. Aim of the work: The aim of this study is to compare the level of neutrophil/leucocyte ratio (NLR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) between preterm and term patients and to show whether those inflammatory markers either alone or in combination with cervical length via transvaginal ultrasound are useful for prediction of spontaneous preterm delivery in patients with threatened preterm labor. Patients and methods: This is a prospective study that was conducted at Zagazig University Hospitals. It included 90 women, 60 with threatened preterm labor, and 30 healthy pregnant women at term. Results: Markers combination (neutrophil/leucocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP) and cervical length by transvaginal sonography) is the best predictor for preterm labor in patients with threatened preterm labor with sensitivity and specificity (94.7 and 86.7; respectively) with high accuracy (95.5%). Conclusion: Findings of this study demonstrated that the combined marker is more sensitive & specific for predicting spontaneous preterm delivery in pregnant women with threatened preterm labor in comparison with cervix length, NLR, CRP alone. The combined marker is cost-effective test as it is based on leucocyte counts & cervical length which already investigated in patients with threatened preterm labor.
Analytical evaluation of Radiometer ABL90 FLEX PLUS enzymatic creatinine assay

Background: The diagnosis of kidney disease strongly relies on accurate and reproducible measurements of creatinine, even when performed with point of care testing (POCT) devices. Therefore, this study aimed at performing a comprehensive evaluation of the analytical performance of a creatinine enzymatic assay on the Radiometer ABL90 FLEX PLUS. Methods: This analytical evaluation encompassed the assessment of intra-assay, inter-assay and total imprecision, along with linearity on routine lithium-heparin plasma samples. Method comparison was also carried out using results generated with Radiometer ABL90 FLEX PLUS in heparinized whole blood and those obtained in paired heparinized plasma with a reference enzymatic creatinine assay and a Jaffe method, both assayed on Roche Cobas c702. Results: The intra-assay imprecision of Radiometer ABL90 FLEX PLUS creatinine enzymatic assay was between 0.33–1.26%, the inter-assay imprecision between 0.64–1.78%, thus yielding a total imprecision of 0.79–1.99%. The linearity of the assay was excellent (r=1.000; P Conclusions: The results of this analytical evaluation confirm that Radiometer ABL90 FLEX PLUS creatinine enzymatic assay is at least as suitable as a conventional clinical chemistry enzymatic technique for routine and urgent diagnosis of kidney diseases.
Abruptio placenta and its maternal and fetal outcome

Background: Abruptio placenta is one of the common cause of antepartum haemorrhage and is defined as premature separation of normally implanted placenta. It is more common in second half of pregnancy. Abruptio placenta is serious complication of pregnancy and causes high maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.Methods: This retrospective study of abruptio and its maternal and perinatal outcome was carried out between July 2016 and October 2017 at Rama Medical College Hospital and research centre.Results: Incidence of Abruptio placenta is 1.6%. It is most common in the women of age group 30-35 years. 75% of cases were associated with severe pre-eclampsia. Live births were 75% while stillbirths were 25%. PPH occurred in 30% of cases. DIC accounts for 25% of the complication.Conclusions: Abruptio placenta is life threatening complication of pregnancy and it is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcome if not managed appropriately. Hence early diagnosis and prompt resuscitative measures would prevent both perinatal and maternal mortality and morbidity.
Musculoskeletal Modeling of the Hand and Contact Object in Modelica

The paper's primary goal is to develop a mathematical model that could be used towards the development and improvement of orthotic assist gloves. The model is constructed using component based modeling in the object-oriented declarative language Modelica, specifically the MultiBody Modelica library. Multiple hand models currently do exist; however, they are mainly causal, and require separate development and validation of mathematical solvers before use. By using Modelica, the model is constructed from the system’s physical equations, thereby relieving issues regarding validity of the model’s computational equations; the acausality inherent in Modelica allows for model development that more closely mirrors relations in the physical world. The model is scoped to be able to model the kinematics and dynamics of the hand when grasping a spherical object – both bone structure and muscle geometry and actuation are simplifications based off anatomy literature. The contact model is developed as a separate component from the hand system. The main design goal of the contact model is to represent the characteristics of a relatively rigid object that still maintains a degree of friction and pliability on the surface layer. The main two grasps tested in the paper are the prehensile and precision grasps (powerful and dexterous grasps). The muscle actuation profiles per each finger are adjusted until the desired dynamic profile is achieved for each type of grasp. The main data points of interests are the joint angles and contact forces for each finger. Further verification of the model is done using the animation automatically generated by the tool. Simulation testing results indicate that the model can successfully simulate contractions at all levels of abstraction of the hand’s components (basic bone-joint components, finger components, and the overall hand system). The results also indicate that both prehensile and precision grasps are possible, given appropriate muscle actuation and finger orientation parameter values. Keywords—musculoskeletal model of hand; Modelica; grasp model; orthotic gloves