Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oxidized Lipids in Persistent Pain States

Chemotherapy, nerve injuries, or diseases like multiple sclerosis can cause pathophysiological processes of persistent and neuropathic pain. Thereby, the activation threshold of ion channels is reduced in peripheral sensory neurons to normally noxious stimuli like heat, cold, acid, or mechanical due to sensitization processes. This leads to enhanced neuronal activity, which can result in mechanical allodynia, cold allodynia, thermal hyperalgesia, spontaneous pain, and may initiate persistent and neuropathic pain. The treatment options for persistent and neuropathic pain patients are limited; for about 50% of them, current medication is not efficient due to severe side effects or low response to the treatment. Therefore, it is of special interest to find additional treatment strategies. One approach is the control of neuronal sensitization processes. Herein, signaling lipids are crucial mediators and play an important role during the onset and maintenance of pain. As preclinical studies demonstrate, lipids may act as endogenous ligands or may sensitize transient receptor potential (TRP)-channels. Likewise, they can cause enhanced activity of sensory neurons by mechanisms involving G-protein coupled receptors and activation of intracellular protein kinases. In this regard, oxidized metabolites of the essential fatty acid linoleic acid, 9- and 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (HODE), their dihydroxy-metabolites (DiHOMEs), as well as epoxides of linoleic acid (EpOMEs) and of arachidonic acid (EETs), as well as lysophospholipids, sphingolipids, and specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs) have been reported to play distinct roles in pain transmission or inhibition. Here, we discuss the underlying molecular mechanisms of the oxidized linoleic acid metabolites and eicosanoids. Furthermore, we critically evaluate their role as potential targets for the development of novel analgesics and for the treatment of persistent or neuropathic pain.
Effects of body condition score and parity on oxidative stress indicators of periparturient Iranian dairy buffaloes

This experiment was carried out to investigate the effects of parity and body condition score (BCS) pre-calving on oxidative stress indices of 43 milking buffaloes in transition period. The experiment was performed based on completely randomized design with unequal replications, using 3*4 factorial experiments comprising four levels of BCS (2.5-2.99; 3-3.49; 3.5-3.99 and 44.5) at two weeks before calving and three groups of parity (1; 25 and >5). Blood samples were collected from experimental animals in three stages including: 14 days before parturition, parturition day and 14 days after parturition. The results showed that the serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities in the highest BCS (4-4.5) group were significantly higher than that of other BCS groups; while the serum gamma-glutamyl transaminase (GGT) activity was decreased with increasing BCS. In addition, blood glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the lowest level of BCS (2.5-3) were significantly lower than that of other groups. The higher serum catalase activity as well as total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was observed in the BCS of 3.5-3.99. At periparturient period, MDA level and GPx and catalase activities at calving day and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and AST at 14 days after calving were increased significantly. Moreover, it is observed that multiparous buffaloes have significantly higher oxidative stress indicators than primiparous animals. Based on the results of this study, activity of oxidative stress factors in dairy buffaloes with a higher BSC at parturition significantly increased in 14 days after calving, which indicates an increase in the metabolism of lipids and proteins in these conditions.
Combatting occupational deprivation and advancing occupational justice in institutional settings: Using a practice-based enquiry approach for service transformation

Introduction Occupational deprivation is a risk for residents of institutions. This is problematic at several levels: it can cause diminution of individual capacities; such environments pose philosophical and practical challenges for occupational therapists and the erosion of human rights can be an issue. Occupational therapists in an Australian forensic mental health setting ‘reclaimed’ occupation-centred practice, committed to occupational justice and tackled the experience of occupational deprivation of patients through utilising a practice-based enquiry approach. Method A community of practice scholars used a practice-based enquiry approach – a type of action methods research – involving iterative cycles of data collection, analysis, critique and implementation of practice innovations. Findings Through the practice-based enquiry process, participants’ practice became more occupation-centred, based and focused, resulting in: the creation of more opportunities for patients, which combatted occupational deprivation and increased potential for community reintegration; enhanced professional satisfaction and identity; and increased institutional ‘valuing’ of the occupational therapy service. Conclusion Ameliorating occupational deprivation can be achieved through becoming occupation-centred and embracing a stated commitment to occupational justice in the challenging practice setting of a forensic hospital. The use of the deeply reflective process of practice-based enquiry was pivotal to this shift in focus for the group of occupational therapists who participated in this study and also contributed to enhanced practitioner satisfaction, identity, autonomy and confidence.
The Association Between Neighborhood Socioeconomic Disadvantage and Readmissions for Patients Hospitalized With Sepsis

Objectives: To evaluate associations between a readily availvable composite measurement of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage (the area deprivation index) and 30-day readmissions for patients who were previously hospitalized with sepsis. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: An urban, academic medical institution. Patients: The authors conducted a manual audit for adult patients (18 yr old or older) discharged with an International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition code of sepsis during the 2017 fiscal year to confirm that they met SEP-3 criteria. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: The area deprivation index is a publicly available composite score constructed from socioeconomic components (e.g., income, poverty, education, housing characteristics) based on census block level, where higher scores are associated with more disadvantaged areas (range, 1–100). Using discharge data from the hospital population health database, residential addresses were geocoded and linked to their respective area deprivation index. Patient characteristics, contextual-level variables, and readmissions were compared by t tests for continuous variables and Fisher exact test for categorical variables. The associations between readmissions and area deprivation index were explored using logistic regression models. A total of 647 patients had an International Classification of Diseases, 10th edition diagnosis code of sepsis. Of these 647, 116 (17.9%) either died in hospital or were discharged to hospice and were excluded from our analysis. Of the remaining 531 patients, the mean age was 61.0 years (± 17.6 yr), 281 were females (52.9%), and 164 (30.9%) were active smokers. The mean length of stay was 6.9 days (± 5.6 d) with the mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score 4.9 (± 2.5). The mean area deprivation index was 54.2 (± 23.8). The mean area deprivation index of patients who were readmitted was 62.5 (± 27.4), which was significantly larger than the area deprivation index of patients not readmitted (51.8 [± 22.2]) (p < 0.001). In adjusted logistic regression models, a greater area deprivation index was significantly associated with readmissions (β, 0.03; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients who reside in more disadvantaged neighborhoods have a significantly higher risk for 30-day readmission following a hospitalization for sepsis. The insight provided by neighborhood disadvantage scores, such as the area deprivation index, may help to better understand how contextual-level socioeconomic status affects the burden of sepsis-related morbidity.
Detection of Vasodilators From Herbal Components by a Transcriptome-Based Functional Gene Module Reference Approach

Vasodilatation is one of the key therapeutic strategies for the treatment of various cardiovascular diseases with high blood pressure. Therefore, development of drugs assisting blood vessel dilation is promising. It has been proven that many drugs display definite vasorelaxant effects. However, there are very few studies that systemically explore the effective vasodilators. In this work, we build a transcriptome-based functional gene module reference approach for systematic pursuit of agents with vasorelaxant effects. We firstly curate two functional gene modules that are specifically involved in positive and negative regulation of vascular diameter based on the known gene functional interaction knowledge. Secondly, a collection of gene expression profiles following herbal component treatment are collected from a public gene expression database. Then, the correlation of the gene modules is evaluated in each herbal component–induced gene expression profile by gene set enrichment analysis. The vasorelaxant effects of the candidate compounds can be predicted and ordered by the values of a defined index. Finally, the top 10 candidate compounds are experimentally tested for their vasorelaxant effects on vessel contraction induced by Phe in aortic rings. This strategy integrating different types of technologies is expected to help to create new opportunities for the development of novel vasodilators.
Evaluation of the results of pulse oximetry screening for detection congenital heart disease in Konya region, Turkey; Is it cost effective?

Aim: Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common congenital anomalies. It is known that early detection of the critical lesions without symtomatic improves the prognosis of patients in the long term. In our study, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy and cost of pulse oximetry screening for detection of CHD in Konya region. Material and Methods: In our study, we analyzed the results of pulse oximetry screening of infants born between 2016 and 2018 in Selcuk University and Saglik Bilimleri University Konya Training and Research Hospital. Positive screening test results and their costs was evaluated. Results: Pulse oximetry was performed on a total of 3440 infants for screening congenital heart disease at two different centers. 2003 (58.2%) of the cases were female and 1437 (41.8%) were male. The mean timing of screening was 24.7±13.1 (4-100) hours (mean ± SD (min-max). 292 (8.48%) infants were tested positive. Echocardiographic examination was performed in the positive cases. The prevalence of CHD was found to be 27.6 ‰. The prevalence of critical CHD was 1.16 per 1000 live births. The false-positive screen rate was found to be 197 (5.7%). Among the cases who were screened, the most common CHD was the secundum ASD. The total cost of probes was 2622 ₺ ($497.91). The cost of echocardiography for 292 babies was approximately 13181 ₺ ($2503). Conclusion: Screening for heart disease can be used effectively in the early diagnosis of serious and life-threatening diseases in newborn and the cost is unneglectable in the early screening of patients. This study, the total cost of each infant screening is approximately 4.5 ₺ ($0.85) which appears to be a quite cheap and effective screening compared to the other countries.
Decreased Serum microRNA-21, microRNA-25, microRNA-146a, and microRNA-181a in Autoimmune Diabetes: Potential Biomarkers for Diagnosis and Possible Involvement in Pathogenesis

Objective Previous studies have revealed dysregulated circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D). Here, we explored the serum levels of miR-21, miR-25, miR-146a, and miR-181a in patients with autoimmune diabetes (T1D and latent autoimmune diabetes of adults (LADA)) compared with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and nondiabetic individuals. Design, patients, and measurements The serum levels of miR-21, miR-25, miR-146a, and miR-181a in patients with T1D (n = 29), LADA (n = 16), and T2D (n = 31) and in nondiabetic individuals (n = 19) were determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curves were evaluated to determine the discriminatory performances of these four miRNAs. Furthermore, target genes and pathways potentially modulated by these four miRNAs were predicted by bioinformatics analysis to investigate the possible functions of these miRNAs in autoimmune diabetes. Subsequently, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors for autoimmune diabetes, and a nomogram was established. Results miR-21, miR-25, miR-146a, and miR-181a were significantly downregulated in the serum of patients with autoimmune diabetes compared with those in T2D patients and nondiabetic individuals (p < 0.001). The areas under the ROC curves of these four miRNAs were greater than 0.80 (p < 0.001). Bioinformatics analysis suggested that miR-21, miR-25, miR-146a, and miR-181a regulated multiple genes in pathways associated with immunity, inflammatory responses, hyperglycemia, and metabolism, which are involved in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes. Multiple logistic regression analysis identified miR-25 (odds ratio (OR): 0.001, p < 0.05), miR-146a (OR: 0.136, p < 0.05), and fasting C-peptide levels (OR: 0.064, p < 0.05) as independent predictors of autoimmune diabetes. Conclusions miR-25 and miR-146a may serve as potential circulating biomarkers and provide insights into the pathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes.
Enhancing Self efficacy of Patients with Neck Functional Disability

Background: Self-efficacy is of particular importance in conditions that need rehabilitationsuch as neck pain. Aim: the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of enhancing theself-efficacy of patients with neck pain on their functional disability. Setting & sample: thestudy was conducted at the inpatient and outpatient sections in Al-kasr Al-Aini Hospital,affiliated to Cairo University using a quasi-experimental design with pre-post assessment on40 adults having non-traumatic neck pain. Tools: the data were collected using a selfadministeredquestionnaire that included Copenhagen Neck Functional Disability Scale andthe Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale. The nursing intervention consisted of individualizededucational sessions about proper body mechanics, isometric exercise, hot and coldapplication. The effect of the intervention was evaluated by the same questionnaire. Thefieldwork started in May and ended in November 2010. The results demonstrated significantimprovements in the scores of Copenhagen scale after the intervention; the median total scoredecreased from 21 to 12 (p<0.001). Self-efficacy scores also improved; the median total scoreincreased from 31.0 to 57.7 (p<0.001). Regression analysis identified self-efficacy score as anindependent statistically significant negative predictor of Copenhagen score, indicating lessdisability. Conclusion: study findings lead to the conclusion that a nursing educationalprogram focused on improving the self-efficacy of the patients with neck pain led toimprovement in their functional disability. Recommendations: The study recommendsfurther confirmation of the study findings through a randomized clinical trial. Moreover,validation of the tool in the local context is proposed.
High Coping Self-Efficacy Associated With Lower Sweat Inflammatory Cytokines in Adults: A Pilot Study

Introduction/Background: Chronic diseases, like diabetes and heart disease, are considered inflammatory conditions with elevated levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10). Disease progression is not consistent from person to person. Psychosocial factors are hypothesized to play a modifying role. Self-efficacy, the confidence in one’s ability to perform well in a specific life domain or at a specific task, is associated with better health outcomes. Coping self-efficacy is confidence in one’s ability to handle life’s problems through emotional regulation, problem-solving, and social support. Little is known about associations between coping self-efficacy and inflammation. Aim: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine associations between coping self-efficacy and IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels. Method: This was a cross-sectional study conducted over two visits. Sociodemographic variables, chronic disease count, body mass index (BMI), and coping self-efficacy were collected. Inflammatory markers were collected via sweat using the sweat patch, a noninvasive collection device. Results: Higher TNF-α and IL-10 levels were significantly associated with low coping self-efficacy (β = −.03, p = .028; β = −.017, p = .007, respectively) after adjustment for age, sex, race, BMI, and chronic disease count. IL-6 trended toward significance after adjustment as well (β = −.22, p = .054). Conclusions: This pilot study showed that high coping self-efficacy was associated with lower IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α levels, indicating a potential buffering effect of high coping self-efficacy. Further longitudinal research with larger sample sizes is needed.
Psychosis with lacosamide: a case report

An association between epilepsy and psychosis has been demonstrated in various reviews, and it has been estimated that psychosis in the form of schizophrenia affects between 3% and 7% of all epileptic patients. Lacosamide an anti-epileptic was synthesised and used for treatment of epilepsy as well as neuropathic pain. Psychosis is not included as a common adverse effect of the drug. The mechanism by which psychosis is associated with lacosamide is not yet known and is not known to modulate serotonin or dopamine systems. Literature review shows only a few cases reported with similar presentations. We present here a case of a 38 year old male; with Lacosamide induced psychosis.
Effect of Kinesiotape as an Adjunct to Oral Motor Therapy on Drooling in Children with Neurological Impairment

Objective: To investigate whether application of kinesio taping as an adjunct to oral motor therapy is beneficial and time efficient in reducing drooling and enhancing mouth closure inspite of oral motor therapy alone and to investigate the social stigma associated with drooling.Background: As the child grows, the rate of drooling decreases due to the maturation of Oral Motor-Sensory functions and will lead saliva control. However, if the drooling continues after 4 years of age in the awake state is considered abnormal. Oral Motor Therapy includes active and passive exercises, and sensory stimulation. Kinesio tape in pediatrics is an emerging field with various studies conducted on its use in children with cerebral palsy in improving motor function and motor impairment.Materials and methods: Experimental trial in which 30 neurologically impaired children with drooling were randomly allocated to Oral Motor therapy alone (Group A) and in kinesio tape and oral motor therapy intervention (Group B). Primary outcome measures were Drooling Impact Scale, Thomas-Stonell Drooling scale and Lip closure measurement. RESULT: Both the groups were found to be significantly effective in reducing drooling but the combination of kinesio taping with oral motor facilitation in group A was found to be more effective in enhancing mouth closure and reducing frequency and severity of drooling. Conclusion: Oral Motor stimulation was proved to be significantly beneficial in reducing the frequency and severity of drooling in neurologically impaired children. Time efficient treatment for the controlling drooling was statistically significant in intervention using kinesiotaping and oral motor therapy. Also, the quality of life of the children was also improved with the above intervention protocol.
Organisation and drop-out rates in distance education: A preliminary study of the Fiji Centre of USP's extension services

Any distance education institution seeks to provide education for a wider community beyond those who are able to attend the institution in person. The distinguishing elements of distance education, and its growing importance, particularly in the provision of post-school education, have been presented elsewhere (see for example Keegan 1980; Holmberg 1982). Such formulations have evolved in the contexts of European cultures and situations where there are many institutions that provide various programmes through the distance mode. They are, nevertheless, readily applicable to our region, where there is a single university, the University of the South Pacific (USP), catering for eleven countries, with a twelfth, the Federated States of Micronesia, also negotiating with the University for access to its services.
Endometriosis Dari Aspek teori sampai penanganan klinis

Nyeri dan Infertilitas adalah dua gejala klinis yang menjadi keluhan utama penderita endometriosis. Kedua keluhan tersebut saling terkait dan bila tidak ditangani dengan baik akan sangat merugikan penderita. Apabila dihubungkan dengan gangguan organ reproduksi perempuan, sejauh ini masih banyak yang belum terungkap pada kedua keluhan tersebut. Endometriosis merupakan penyakit ginekologi yang memberikan keluhan nyeri dan infertilitas, sering dijumpai pada perempuan usia reproduksi, sulit disembuhkan dan pada gilirannya nanti dapat menyebabkan penurunan kualitas hidup. Berdasarkan pengamatan penulis di Klinik Fertilitas Graha Amerta bila keluhan nyeri dan infertilitas muncul bersama akan menyebabkan penanganan endometriosis menjadi lebih sulit karena target pengobatan yang berbeda. Pengobatan nyeri yang adekuat akan menekan fertilitas penderita sehingga prioritas terapi menjadi bermasalah.