Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symmetric Fully Homomorphic Encryption Scheme with Polynomials Operations

Feasible homomorphic encryption schemes are being proposed in literature regularly, yet the message space is very restricted or limited. This makes the existing schemes costly to adopt for practical use where data is too large. This paper proposes a homomorphic encryption scheme that has very large message space. Polynomials are used to assemble chunks of data and encrypt them. The coefficients of polynomials are the encrypted messages. Addition and multiplication of the polynomials are the homomorphic functions to achieve functions on messages. Decryption and Refresh Primitives consists of single mathematical operations, which makes them fast. This meets the requirement of a feasible FHE.
Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy Versus Elective Neck Dissection for Stage I to II Oral Cavity Cancer

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) has been shown to be an accurate technique for staging the neck in early‐stage oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) and has been incorporated in treatment guidelines as an option instead of elective neck dissection (END). However, utilization of SLNB in the United States remains unclear, and existing prospective studies did not directly compare survival between SLNB and END.
Pulsed radiofrequency of C2 dorsal root ganglion under ultrasound guidance for chronic migraine: a case report

Chronic migraine is common but difficult to treat. Most patients respond poorly to drugs. Occipital nerve block such as stellate ganglion block is an effective treatment without continuous effect for migraine. Pulsed radiofrequency (PRF) technique has been shown to be effective in relieving headache and prolonging the effect of nerve block. This case report is about a patient who suffered from chronic migraine with occipital pain and was successfully treated with PRF of C2 (axis) dorsal root ganglion (DRG) under ultrasound guidance confirmed by computed tomograpy scan. The patient did not feel headache after 1-year follow-up. This suggests that C2 DRG PRF might be considered as an alternative treatment for chronic migraine with occipital pain.
Is Early Complement Activation in Renal Transplantation Associated with Later Graft Outcome?

Background/Aims: Complement activation is important in post-transplantation renal injury, but data on its role as predictor of transplant outcome/complications when assessed in donor kidneys are lacking. Methods: In human renal transplant biopsies with delayed graft function (DGF, n=12), antibody mediated rejection (ABMR, n=8), T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR, n=11), 1 year protocol biopsies (control, n=10) and corresponding zero-biopsies we performed immunohistochemical analyses of 6 complement factors using FFPE sections and correlated the findings with kidney function, as assessed by serum creatinine, and morphological changes including interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (IF/TA). Results: In DGF, TCMR and ABMR significant complement deposition was observed, which was less pronounced in corresponding zero-biopsies. Zero-biopsies with subsequent ABMR showed glomerular complement factor D and C3c expression. Moreover, glomerular C3c and C9 and tubular MASP-2 and Collectin-11 expression in zero-biopsies significantly correlated with serum creatinine at diagnosis of DGF, TCMR or ABMR. Glomerular C1q was significantly increased in ABMR, but not in DGF and TCMR. In contrast, peritubular C1q was significantly enhanced in DGF and TCMR compared to zero-biopsies. Using C3d as a surrogate marker for complement activity we could confirm that stained complement factors are frequently associated with complement activity. Conclusion: Complement deposition strongly correlated with histopathological changes observed in renal transplants. All 3 complement pathways were operational in biopsies with DGF, TCMR and ABMR albeit with differential abundance and localization. Since complement deposition in zero-biopsies correlated with graft function and morphological changes, early specific complement inhibition in renal transplantation may be a new therapeutic option to prevent graft loss.
Baby Boomer’s Substance Abuse and Researcher Indifference

ABSTRACT The current older adult population is more likely to need and seek treatment for alcohol and drug abuse than previous cohorts of older adults, which necessitates the need for age-appropriate substance use treatment. Building on previous research that examined the lack of attention on substance use among older adults, this study examines articles addressing substance use disorders among older adults in leading gerontological and substance abuse journals and federal funding between 2011 and 2017. Publications were identified from ten leading gerontological and ten leading substance abuse journals using Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms. During this time-period, there were 68 and 44 articles published in gerontology and substance abuse journals respectively related to substance use disorders in older adults. Most (59.8%) addressed alcohol abuse and 7% involved intervention studies. In the 7-year period, there were 13 federal grants. A paucity of published or funded work exists in this area despite growing misuse and treatment seeking among older adults with substance use disorders. Effectively addressing substance abuse in older adults will require a coordinated effort between researchers and practitioners to establish and implement best practices for practitioners to rely on when working with substance abusing older adults.
The Effect of Statin Added to Systemic Anticancer Therapy: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized, Controlled Trials

Preclinical studies have demonstrated that statins have anticancer properties and act in an additive or synergistic way when combined with anticancer therapy. We conducted this meta-analysis of randomized, controlled phase II or III trials to evaluate the effect of statins added to systemic anticancer therapy in patients with solid cancer. A systematic literature search was performed to identify all randomized trials that were designed to investigate the effect of statins in patients with cancer using PubMed, EMBASE, Google Scholar, and Web of Science (up to August 2018). From eight randomized controlled trials, 1760 patients were included in the pooled analyses of odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for grade 3–5 adverse events (AEs) and overall response rate (ORR) and hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The addition of statin to anticancer agents did not significantly increase the incidence of grade 3–5 AEs (OR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.81–1.29, p = 0.78). However, the combination of statin and anticancer agents did not improve ORR (OR = 0.96, 95% CI: 0.77–1.20, p = 0.72) compared with that of anticancer therapy alone. In addition, statins added to systemic anticancer therapy failed to prolong PFS (HR = 0.99, 95% CI: 0.90–1.10, p = 0.92) and OS (HR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.76–1.11, p = 0.52). In conclusion, this meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials does not support clinical benefits of statins added to systemic anticancer therapy in patients with solid cancer.
Learning Goal-Oriented Visual Dialog via Tempered Policy Gradient

Learning goal-oriented dialogues by means of deep reinforcement learning has recently become a popular research topic. However, commonly used policy-based dialogue agents often end up focusing on simple utterances and suboptimal policies. To mitigate this problem, we propose a class of novel temperature-based extensions for policy gradient methods, which are referred to as Tempered Policy Gradients (TPGs). On a recent AI-testbed, i.e., the GuessWhat? game, we achieve significant improvements with two innovations. The first one is an extension of the state-of-the-art solutions with Seq2Seq and Memory Network structures that leads to an improvement of 7%. The second one is the application of our newly developed TPG methods, which improves the performance additionally by around 5% and, even more importantly, helps produce more convincing utterances.
Efficacy of preemptive analgesia on acute postoperative pain in children undergoing major orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities

Background Children undergoing major orthopedic surgery of the lower extremities can experience severe postoperative pain; yet, the ideal postoperative pain management strategy is unknown. Thus, in this patient population, we investigated the effect of intraoperative epidural infusion of local anesthetic on acute postoperative pain and analgesic consumption. Patients and methods Patients (N=50, 3–12 years) randomly received either ropivacaine 0.15% (preemptive group) or normal saline (control group) as an initial bolus of 0.2 mL/kg, followed by continuous infusion of 0.15 mL/kg/h throughout surgery. Following surgery, patient-controlled epidural analgesia with ropivacaine 0.1% was provided. The main study outcomes were the revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability pain scores, epidural ropivacaine consumption, and additional analgesic requirements during the first 48 hours postoperatively. Results Forty-seven patients completed the study, 23 in the preemptive group and 24 in the control group, respectively. The revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability pain scores were significantly lower in the preemptive group only at 30 minutes after postanesthesia care unit arrival and 6 hours after surgery (median difference −1.0, 95% CI −2.0 to −1.0, P=0.001 and median difference −2.0, 95% CI −3.0 to −1.0, P=0.005, respectively). However, they were not significantly different between the groups at 12, 24, and 48 hours postoperatively. Epidural ropivacaine consumption and additional analgesic requirements throughout 48 hours postoperatively were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion Intraoperative epidural infusion of ropivacaine did not demonstrate preemptive analgesic efficacy within 48 hours postoperatively in children undergoing extensive lower limb orthopedic surgery.
Structural and Synaptic Organization of the Adult Reeler Mouse Somatosensory Neocortex: A Comparative Fine-Scale Electron Microscopic Study of Reeler With Wild Type Mice

The reeler mouse has been widely used to study various aspects of cortico- and synaptogenesis, but also as a model for several neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. In contrast to development, comparably little is known about the neuronal composition and synaptic organization of the adult reeler mouse neocortex, in particular at the fine-scale electron microscopic level, which was investigated here and compared with wild type (WT) mice. In this study, the “barrel field” of the adult reeler and WT mouse somatosensory neocortex is used as a model system. In reeler the characteristic six-layered structure is no longer existent, but replaced by a conglomerate of neurons organized in homologous clusters with maintained morphological identity and heterologous clusters between neurons and/or oligodendrocytes. These clusters are loosely scattered throughout the neocortical mass between the pial surface and the white matter. In contrast to WT, layer 1 (L1), if existent, seems to be diluted into the volume of the neocortical mass with no clear boundary. L1 also contains clusters of migrated or persistent neurons, oligodendro- and astrocytes. As in WT, myelinated and unmyelinated axons were found throughout the neocortical mass, but in reeler they were organized in massive fiber bundles with a high fiber packing density. A prominent and massive thalamocortical projection traverses through the neocortical mass, always accompanied by numerous “active” oligodendrocytes whereas in WT no such projections were found and “silent” oligodendrocytes were restricted to the white matter. In the adult reeler mouse neocortex, synaptic boutons terminate on somata, dendritic shafts, spines of different types and axon initial segments with no signs of structural distortion and/or degeneration, indicating a “normal” postsynaptic innervation pattern of neurons. In addition, synaptic complexes between boutons and their postsynaptic targets are tightly ensheathed by fine astrocytic processes, as in WT. In conclusion, the neuronal clusters may represent a possible alternative organization principle in adult reeler mice “replacing” layer formation. If so, these homologous clusters may represent individual “functional units” where neurons are highly interconnected and may function as the equivalent of neurons integrated in a cortical layer. The structural composition and postsynaptic innervation pattern of neurons by synaptic boutons provide the structural basis for the establishment of a functional although altered cortical network in the adult reeler mouse.
Organic Dissemination and Real-World Implementation of Patient Decision Aids for Left Ventricular Assist Device

Background. Although patient decision aids (PtDAs) have been shown to improve patient knowledge and satisfaction, they are infrequently used in the real world. We aimed to understand how our publicly available PtDAs developed for destination therapy left ventricular assist device (DT LVAD) were implemented in clinical practice and characterize factors influencing adoption. Methods. We contacted 39 people, 31 who had independently emailed inquiring about our DT LVAD PtDAs and 8 identified through snowball sampling. Thirty people from 23 programs participated in semistructured interviews, which were analyzed using normalization process theory. Results. Eleven programs currently use the PtDAs, 5 plan to use them but have not yet, and 7 do not currently use them nor have active plans to use them. Due to major tradeoffs and preference sensitivity of the DT LVAD decision, participants recognized a role for shared decision making and a need for significant information transfer. Due to a relative lack of resources, participants saw the PtDAs as a way to help facilitate a higher quality decision-making process. Limited time, lack of personnel, and perceived burden to implementing system-level change were cited as barriers to use. Initial implementation was accomplished by a champion of the PtDAs. Actual use of the PtDAs most commonly occurred through LVAD coordinators at the start of formal patient teaching sessions, where the PtDAs could be integrated into the existing LVAD consent and education structure. Conclusion. Interest in and implementation of PtDAs occurred independently at several LVAD programs due to a favorable decisional context, including a perceived role for shared decision making in the high-stakes decision around DT LVAD, unmet informational needs, preexisting education sessions, and invested clinical champions.
Practice of informed consent in Guangdong, China: a qualitative study from the perspective of in-hospital patients

Objective This study aimed to investigate the practice of informed consent in China from the perspective of patients. Design A qualitative study using in-depth interviews with in-hospital patients focusing on personal experience with informed consent. Setting Guangdong Province, China. Participants 71 in-hospital patients in rehabilitation after surgical operations were included. Results Medical information is not actively conveyed by doctors nor effectively received by patients. Without complete and understandable information, patients are unable to make an autonomous clinical decision but must sign an informed consent form following the doctor’s medical arrangement. Three barriers to accessing medical information by patients were identified: (1) medical information received by patients was insufficient to support their decision-making, (2) patients lacked medical knowledge to understand the perceptions of doctors and (3) patient–doctor interactions were insufficient in clinical settings. Conclusions Informed consent is implemented as an administrative procedure at the hospital level in China. However, it has not been embedded in doctors’ clinical practices because, from the perspective of patients, doctors do not fulfil the obligation of medical information provision. As a result, the informed part of informed consent was neglected by individual doctors in China. Reforming medical education, monitoring the process of informed consent in clinical settings and redesigning medical institutional arrangements are pathways to restoring the practice of informed consent and patient-centred models in China.
Ubiquitin Associated and SH3 Domain Containing B (UBASH3B) Gene Association with Behcet’s Disease in Iranian Population

ABSTRACT Purpose: To evaluate the possible association of UBASH3B gene rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism with Behcet’s disease (BD) and posterior uveitis in BD. Materials and Methods: One hundred and thirty-one patients with BD (51 Behcet’s posterior uveitis and 80 non-ocular Behcet’s patients) and 61 unrelated age-matched healthy individuals as a control group without any inflammatory disease were selected. All BD cases were under follow-up and treatment in uveitis or rheumatology clinics for at least 5 years. All research subjects, including control individuals, received a comprehensive rheumatologic evaluation. All patients and controls were genotyped for UBASH3B rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism by PCR-RFLP technique. Results: The observed frequencies of genotypes were significantly different among patients and controls (19.7% versus 30.5% for TT, OR = 2.9, P = 0.011 and 36.1% versus 45.8% for CT, OR = 2.38, P = 0.017). Frequencies of T allele showed significantly higher values in Behcet’s patients (OR = 1.9, P = 0.004). Subgroup genotypic and allelic analyses disclosed no significant difference between Behcet’s posterior uveitis and control groups, neither between Behcet’s posterior uveitis and non-ocular BD groups. However, genotypic and allelic analyses between non-ocular BD and control groups revealed statistically significant difference (36.3% versus 19.7% for TT, OR = 4.08, P = 0.003 and 43.8% versus 36.1% for CT, OR = 2.68, P = 0.018, 58.1% versus 37.7% for T allele, OR = 2.29, P = 0.001). Individuals carrying the TT genotype for UBASH3B were four times more likely to develop non-ocular BD than unaffected, control individuals. Conclusion: Our results showed that the UBASH3B gene rs4936742 (T > C) polymorphism is associated with an increased risk of Behcet’s disease, especially non-ocular BD, in Iranian population. We could not find any susceptibility role of this genetic locus for posterior uveitis in Behcet’s disease.
Renal replacement therapy in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a single-center retrospective study

Background Patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who develop acute kidney injury have increased mortality and frequently require renal replacement therapy (RRT). The optimal timing for initiation of RRT after onset of ARDS to improve survival is not known. Methods We retrospectively reviewed clinical data on patients admitted to our health system over a 2-year period. Individual charts were carefully reviewed to ascertain that patients met the Berlin criteria for ARDS and to categorize RRT utilization. The Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted to compare early (£48 hours postintubation) versus late (>48 hours postintubation) initiation of RRT. Associations between RRT initiation and mortality were evaluated using Cox proportional hazards regression. Results A total of 75 patients were identified with ARDS, 95% of whom received RRT. Mortality of patients who required RRT was 56%. The main indications for RRT initiation were fluid overload (75%), metabolic acidosis (64%), and hyperkalemia (33%). The Kaplan–Meier analysis comparing early initiation of RRT to late initiation of RRT showed no survival benefit. Cox proportional hazard models testing the association between timing of RRT initiation with survival and adjusting for sex, race, ethnicity, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score did not reach statistical significance (HR=0.94, 95% CI=0.48–1.86). Conclusion Timing of RRT initiation was not associated with a survival benefit. Prospective study in the utilization and outcomes of RRT in ARDS could assist in optimizing its usage in this population.
CSGID Solves Structures and Identifies Phenotypes for Five Enzymes in Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasma gondii, an Apicomplexan parasite, causes significant morbidity and mortality, including severe disease in immunocompromised hosts and devastating congenital disease, with no effective treatment for the bradyzoite stage. To address this, we used the Tropical Disease Research database, crystallography, molecular modeling, and antisense to identify and characterize a range of potential therapeutic targets for toxoplasmosis. Phosphoglycerate mutase II (PGMII), nucleoside diphosphate kinase (NDK), ribulose phosphate 3-epimerase (RPE), ribose-5-phosphate isomerase (RPI), and ornithine aminotransferase (OAT) were structurally characterized. Crystallography revealed insights into the overall structure, protein oligomeric states and molecular details of active sites important for ligand recognition. Literature and molecular modeling suggested potential inhibitors and druggability. The targets were further studied with vivoPMO to interrupt enzyme synthesis, identifying the targets as potentially important to parasitic replication and, therefore, of therapeutic interest. Targeted vivoPMO resulted in statistically significant perturbation of parasite replication without concomitant host cell toxicity, consistent with a previous CRISPR/Cas9 screen showing PGM, RPE, and RPI contribute to parasite fitness. PGM, RPE, and RPI have the greatest promise for affecting replication in tachyzoites. These targets are shared between other medically important parasites and may have wider therapeutic potential.
All-trans retinoic acid-encapsulated, CD20 antibody-conjugated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles effectively target and eliminate melanoma-initiating cells in vitro

Purpose Melanoma, which is initiated from melanocytes, is the most fatal type of skin cancer. Melanoma-initiating cells significantly contribute to the initiation, metastasis, and recurrence of melanoma, and CD20 is a marker of melanoma-initiating cells. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) has been demonstrated to induce differentiation, inhibit proliferation, and promote the apoptosis of cancer cells and cancer-initiating cells (CICs). However, there has been no report on ATRA activity against melanoma-initiating cells. In this study, we examined the activity of ATRA against melanoma-initiating cells and developed ATRA-encapsulated poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles, which were conjugated with a CD20 antibody (ATRA-PNP-CD20) for targeted delivery of ATRA to CD20+ melanoma-initiating cells. Materials and methods The effects of ATRA and ATRA-PNP-CD20 against melanoma-initiating cells were investigated using a cytotoxicity assay, tumorsphere formation assay, and flow cytometry. Results ATRA-PNP-CD20 had a size of 126.9 nm and a negative zeta potential. The drug-loading capacity of ATRA-PNP-CD20 was 8.7%, and ATRA-PNP-CD20 displayed a sustained release of ATRA for 144 hours. The results showed that ATRA-PNP-CD20 could effectively and specifically deliver ATRA to CD20+ melanoma-initiating cells, achieving superior inhibitory effects against CD20+ melanoma-initiating cells compared with those of free ATRA and nontargeted nanoparticles. To the best of our knowledge, we report for the first time a potent activity of ATRA against CD20+ melanoma-initiating cells, targeted drug delivery of ATRA via nanoparticles to melanoma-initiating cells, and the achievement of a superior inhibitory effect against melanoma-initiating cells by using a CD20 antibody. Conclusion ATRA-PNP-CD20 represents a promising tool for eliminating melanoma-initiating cells and shows a potential for the therapy of melanoma.