Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Polymorphisms in MTHFR (C677T, A1298C), MTR (A2756G) and MTRR (A66G) Genes Associated With Pathological Characteristics of Prostate Cancer in the Ecuadorian Population

Introduction:The methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), methionine synthase (MTR) and MTR reductase (MTRR) enzymes act in the folate metabolism, which is essential in methylation and synthesis of nucleic acids. The single nucleotide polymorphisms, MTHFR C677T, A1298C, MTR A2756G and MTRR A66G, cause alteration in the homocysteine levels and reduced enzymatic activity that generates deficiency in the assimilation of folates associated with DNA damage; that is, why it is important to know if the single nucleotide polymorphisms are associated with the pathological characteristics and development of prostate cancer, through a case-control retrospective study. Methods:DNA was extracted from 110 healthy and 104 affected men. The genotypes were determined by means of the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism and confirmed with genomic sequencing. Results:We found significant association between the genotypes of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism: C/T (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.3–3.9; P = 0.008) and C/T + T/T (OR = 2.2; 95% CI = 1.3–3.9; P = 0.009) with the risk of prostate cancer development, and a slight association with MTRR A66G. Regarding pathological characteristics, we found significant risk between the C/T + T/T genotypes and the Gleason score (7–10) of poorly differentiated carcinoma (OR = 5.2; 95% CI = 1.7–16.2; P = 0.007). On the other hand, a significant association between A1298C, A66G, and A2756G with the pathological characteristics was not found (P > 0.05). Conclusions:The MTHFR C677T polymorphism has significant effects on susceptibility to prostate cancer in Ecuadorian population, especially with the Gleason grade.
A Systematic Review on Harmful Alcohol Use Among Civilian Populations Affected by Armed Conflict in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

ABSTRACT Background: There are currently over 55 million refugees and internally displaced persons due to armed conflict. In addition, there are around 150 million more conflict-affected residents who remain in their home communities. Armed conflict poses a number of potential risks for harmful alcohol use. Objective: The objective of the study was to systematically examine evidence on harmful alcohol use among conflict-affected populations in low- and middle-income countries. Methods: A systematic review methodology was used following PRISMA guidelines. Quantitative studies were selected with outcomes relating to harmful alcohol use among conflict-affected populations in low- and middle-income countries. Seven bibliographic databases and a range of gray literature sources were searched. Descriptive analysis was applied and a quality assessment conducted using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. Results: The search yielded 10,037 references of which 22 studies met inclusion criteria. Twenty-one of the studies used a cross-sectional design, and 1 used a case series design. Evidence on risk factors for harmful alcohol use was weak overall. Factors associated with harmful alcohol use were male gender, older age, cumulative trauma event exposure, and depression. There were no studies on the effectiveness of interventions for harmful alcohol use. The strength of evidence was also limited by the generally moderate quality of the studies. Conclusions: Substantially more evidence is required to understand the scale of conflict-associated harmful alcohol use, key risk factors, association of alcohol use with physical and mental disorders, and effectiveness of interventions to address harmful alcohol use in conflict-affected populations.
The Interaction Between Punishment Sensitivity and Effortful Control for Emerging Adults' Substance Use Behaviors

ABSTRACT Background: Within the dual systems perspective, high reward sensitivity and low punishment sensitivity in conjunction with deficits in cognitive control may contribute to high levels of risk taking, such as substance use. Objective: The current study examined whether the individual components of effortful control (inhibitory control, attentional control, and activation control) serve as regulators and moderate the association between reward or punishment sensitivity and substance use behaviors. Method: A total of 1,808 emerging adults from a university setting (Mean age = 19.48; 72% female) completed self-report measures of reward and punishment sensitivity, effortful control, and substance use. Results: Findings indicated significant two-way interactions for punishment sensitivity and inhibitory control for alcohol and marijuana use. The form of these interactions revealed a significant negative association between punishment sensitivity and alcohol and marijuana use at low levels of inhibitory control. No significant interactions emerged for reward sensitivity or other components of effortful control. Conclusions: The current findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting the dual systems theorized to influence risk taking behavior interact to make joint contributions to health risk behaviors such as substance use in emerging adults.
Effectiveness of routine self monitoring of peak flow in patients with asthma

Abstract Objective : To evaluate the effectiveness of routine self monitoring of peak flow for asthma outpatients. Design : Pragmatic randomised trial. Setting : Hospital outpatient clinics and general practices in north east Scotland. Main outcome measures : Use of bronchodilators and inhaled and oral steroids; number of general practice consultations and hospital admissions for asthma; sleep disturbance and other restrictions on normal activity; psychological aspects of health including perceived control of asthma. Results : After one year there were no significant differences between patients randomised between self monitoring of peak flow and conventional monitoring. However, those given a peak flow meter recorded an increase in general practice consultations that was nearly significant. Among patients whose asthma was judged on entry to be more severe, those allocated to self monitoring used more than twice as many oral steroids (2.2; 95% confidence interval 1.1 to 4.6). Patients who already possessed a peak flow meter at the start of the study recorded higher morbidity over the course of the year than those eligible for randomisation. Conclusion : Prescribing peak flow meters and giving self management guidelines to all asthma patients is unlikely to improve mortality or morbidity.Patients whose asthma is severe may benefit from such an intervention.
Agglomeration of celecoxib by quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method without stabilizer: effect of good solvent

Abstract Aim: The aim of the present research is to investigate the feasibility of agglomeration of crystals by the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method without using a stabilizer. Method: Two solvent systems comprising a solvent and an antisolvent (water) were used to prepare celecoxib agglomerates. To this end, seven solvents including propanol, methyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, butanol, ethyl acetate, isopropyl acetate, and pentanol were examined. The agglomerates were evaluated by micromeritic properties (e.g., size, density, flowability), yield, drug physical state, friability, and dissolution behavior. Results: In the present study the clear trend was observed experimentally in the agglomerate properties as a function of physical properties of the solvent such as miscibility with water. Solvents with high water miscibility (25% v/v) resulted in sticky and hollow particles, while solvents with low water miscibility (3%v/v) led to the formation of agglomerates with low strength. However, the agglomerates made from the solvents with intermediate water miscibility (10% v/v), may reflect a greater integrity of the agglomerates regarding yield and strength. Conclusion: Results of this study offer a useful starting point for a conceptual framework to guide the selection of solvent systems for the quasi-emulsion solvent diffusion method without using a stabilizer.
Formulation development and process analysis of drug-loaded filaments manufactured via hot-melt extrusion for 3D-printing of medicines

Abstract Three dimensional(3D)-printing via fused deposition modeling (FDM) allows the production of individualized solid dosage forms. However, for bringing this benefit to the patient, active pharmaceutical ingredient (API)-loaded filaments of pharmaceutical grade excipients are necessary as feedstock and have to be produced industrially. As large-scale production of API-loaded filaments has not been described in literature, this study presents a development of 3D-printable filaments, which can continuously be produced via hot-melt extrusion. Further, a combination of testing methods for mechanical resilience of filaments was applied to improve the prediction of their printability. Eudragit RL was chosen as a sustained release polymer and theophylline (30%) as thermally stable model drug. Stearic acid (7%) and polyethylene glycol 4000 (10%), were evaluated as suitable plasticizers for producing 3D-printable filaments. The two formulations were printed into solid dosage forms and analyzed regarding their dissolution profiles. This revealed that stearic acid maintained sustained release properties of the matrix whereas polyethylene glycol 4000 did not. Analysis of the continuous extrusion process was done using a design of experiments. It showed that powder feed rate and speed of the stretching device used after extrusion predominantly determine the diameter of the filament and thereby the mechanical resilience of a filament.
Noninvasive Measurements of the Mitral Annulus Geometry by Newly-developed Quantitation Software With Real-time Three-dimensional Echocardiography: A Validation Study

Background. Three-dimensional (3D) quantitative assessment of mitral apparatus geometry has been required to eval-uate its unique and complicated morphology. Recently, we have developed a novel software, REAL VIEW ○ R , which allows us 3D visualization and quantitation of mitral leaflets and annulus geometry by using transthoracic real-time 3D echocardiography. In the present study, we sought to investigate the accuracy of 3D measurement using REAL VIEW. Methods. Our in vitro study was carried out with annuloplasty rings (Carpentier-Edwards Physio ring ○ R ) and a phantom rubber model with a conical shape in a water bath. By using real-time 3D echocardiographic data, 3D images of the phantom models were reconstructed by utilizing REAL VIEW. Ring diameters, circumferences and volume of the model were calculated from the 3D datasets. Results. Ring diameters and circumferences measured by REAL VIEW showed good agreements with known size of the annuloplasty rings (y=0.97x+1.21, r=0.99, y=1.01x+0.55, r=0.98). Volume of the phantom model measured by REAL VIEW showed good agreement with the actual volume of the conic balloon (y=1.00x-0.16, r=0.99). Conclusions. We could measure the annuloplasty ring size and phantom model volume precisely by using REAL VIEW. This software should be useful in various investigations of mitral valve diseases.
An Online Database to Improve Clinical Operations and Scientific Data Collection in a Pediatric Hearing Loss Practice

Objective To establish a pediatric hearing loss database that improves scientific data collection and clinical workflow in a large pediatric hearing loss and cochlear implant practice and incentivizes users to maintain careful scientific data collection and entry. Patients All children with hearing loss referred to the study institution. Intervention A multiuser multistation database was designed using a commercial database solution. Electronic data previously available were imported and verified. Various groups of professionals were educated on proper data entry methods. The database incorporated clinical information used in daily practice to ensure routine data entry and verification. Main Outcome Measures Number of children entered into the database; user feedback on database feasibility; longitudinal speech perception performance in implanted children. Results Data import proved labor intensive but feasible. New data entry was facilitated by the instrument’s usefulness in daily practice, which was readily accepted by the team involved in the management of pediatric hearing loss. Currently, the database includes more than 2,900 pediatric patients with hearing im pairment, of which 1,034 have cochlear implants. Files contain audiometric, speech, anatomic, and surgical data. Speech perception performance increased with increasing age and duration of cochlear implant use for 478 children with speech perception data. Conclusion The present database offers a powerful tool for scientific data collection and was easily integrated into the institution’s busy clinical practice as a minimally time-consuming task. Database use facilitated querying for easy application to a number of clinical studies from this institution.
Nutritional Supplements During Breastfeeding

Women who are breastfeeding have increased requirements for energy and nutrients. Nutritional requirements for lactation have been the subject of several international reports and are included in general nutrient requirements documents, including those of the USA, Australia, European Union and WHO. Recommendations are made for all pregnant women to take folic acid prior to becoming pregnant and during the first trimester of the pregnancy and iodine supplementation is recommended in Australia and many other countries during pregnancy and lactation. The current WHO/ICCIDD/UNICEF recommendation for daily iodine intake (250 µg for lactating mothers) has been selected to ensure that iodine deficiency does not occur in the postpartum period and that the iodine content of the milk is sufficient for the infant's iodine requirement. While recommendations for nutritional supplements during pregnancy are specific, recommendations are usually less specific for lactation. The aim of this study was to review the use of supplements during lactation and to document the use of nutritional supplements in a cohort of mothers who are breastfeeding in Perth, Western Australia. A literature search was undertaken of reviews published between January 2000 and May 2011 and further analysis was undertaken of supplement usage in the Perth Infant Feeding Survey. In the USA the limited data that is available suggest that supplement use during lactation is dependent on demographic, sociologic, and economic factors and that more women take supplements during pregnancy than during lactation. Data from the NHANES III study show that ethnicity and income predicted iron supplementation during lactation, with 77% of non-Hispanic white women reporting supplement use compared with 41% of non-Hispanic black or Mexican American women. Multivitamin-multimineral use was the most frequently reported dietary supplement (33%). In a cohort study of postpartum mothers in Australia the use of supplements fluctuated between 40% to 30%, with 35% still taking supplements a year after birth. During their pregnancy 78% of mothers took a folic acid supplement and 21 % took an iron supplement. Mothers who took supplements were more likely to continue breastfeeding. More studies are needed to document supplement use by lactating mothers in different cultures and countries.
Exposure to Community Violence and Daily Feeling States Among Urban African American Youth

This longitudinal study examined the relationships between exposure to community violence and daily feeling states among 175 6th- through 8th-grade African American students. The relationships were tested both cross-sectionally and longitudinally over the 3-year span. Four daily feeling state subscales: contented, hostile, anxious, and dysphoric were developed from a factor analysis of the 30 Experience Sampling Method (ESM) feeling states. Cross-sectionally, regression analyses indicated that exposure to violence individually predicted most feeling states and more variability in most feeling states in 7th and 8th grades. When feeling states were entered into regressions together, fewer predicted violence exposure. Longitudinally, regression analyses revealed that more variability in dysphoric feelings in 6th grade predicted exposure to violence in 7th grade, while 6th-grade hostile and anxious feelings predicted 8th-grade exposure change. Longitudinal analyses did not indicate that exposure to community violence predicted later daily feeling states. Preventive and intervention implications are addressed.
Radiofrequency techniques: Complications and troubleshooting

Radiofrequency (RF) is a minimally invasive, target-selective technique that has demonstrated success in reducing pain in several chronic pain conditions. The lack of standard continuous RF ablation protocols for specific targets makes it difficult to compare the percentage of complications of RF between different studies addressing the same pain syndrome. The present article reviews the most frequent complications associated with the most widely used percutaneous continuous RF techniques in pain treatment, and the strategies used to minimize such complications.
Improvements in Gait With Hearing Aids and Cochlear Implants.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate whether wearing auditory assistive devices can improve gait and dynamic balance. PATIENTS Three adult users of bilateral hearing assistive devices: one with cytomegalovirus exposure wearing cochlear implants, one with Ménière's disease wearing hearing aids, and one with presbystasis wearing hearing aids. INTERVENTION Rehabilitative intervention involved participants performing gait and dynamic posture tasks with and without their hearing assistive devices. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Gait velocity and Mini-BESTest score. RESULTS The participant with Ménière's disease showed a clinically significant improvement in gait in the aided versus the unaided condition (20.5 cm/s higher velocity and five point better Mini-BESTest score). The other two participants also improved with augmented audition, but to a lesser degree. CONCLUSIONS Bilateral hearing augmentation may promote clinically significant improvements in gait, although the effects are not uniform among patients. Hearing aids or cochlear implants may be important interventions for improving stability during walking in some people with hearing loss.
Cardiac Myxomas: Experience Over One Decade

Abstract Background: This single‐center study reviews our experience with cardiac myxomas over the past decade. Methods: Sixty‐two patients (23 male) with median age 38 years (range: 8 to 69 years) underwent excision of primary or recurrent cardiac myxomas between 2000 and 2009. Patients were evaluated with echocardiography preoperatively and annually postoperatively. Follow‐up is current for all survivors (range 13 months to 10 years). Results: Fifty‐two patients had left atrial myxomas, seven right atrial, two biatrial, and one right ventricular. Three cases were familial. Maximum number of myxomas in a single patient was four. Symptom duration ranged from two to eight months. Two early deaths were due to low cardiac output and embolic cerebrovascular accident; one late death was due to a noncardiac cause. Actuarial survival was 96.8 ± 1.8% at 10 years. Most patients were asymptomatic following surgery. No sporadic, multiple, or biatrial myxomas recurred. Recurrence occurred in two familial cases, both with single, left atrial myxoma. Freedom from reoperation was 98.4 ± 1.3% at five years and 96.8 ± 1.8% at 10 years. Conclusions: Biatrial involvement or multiplicity of myxomas does not mandate recurrence. Surgical excision has excellent overall survival and freedom from reoperation rates, but annual follow‐up including echocardiographic surveillance is recommended as familial cases tend to recur. (J Card Surg 2011;26:355‐359)
LBP-1.08 Preliminary report on experience with point of care syphilis and HIV testing in hard-to-reach populations in outreach settings in Edmonton, Canada

Background Edmonton is in the midst of a syphilis outbreak occurring largely in high risk and hard-to-reach populations. Point of care (POC) testing for syphilis and HIV offers the opportunity for immediate and rapid access to testing, and in the case of syphilis, immediate treatment. POC syphilis tests have not been previously evaluated in clinical settings in Canada. Methods Since 14 February 2011, treponemal syphilis (Bioline Syphilis 3.0) and HIV (INSTI HIV-1/HIV-2 Antibody Test) POC testing, using whole blood from a finger prick specimen, has been offered to outreach clients in Edmonton. POC results were compared to standard testing from simultaneously collected serum specimens. Baseline demographics, sexual and drug use risk behaviour information were collected. Age and gender were collected on individuals who refused POC testing. A descriptive analysis was performed on the characteristics and outcomes of participants and those who refused. Results As of 15 April 2011, 146 individuals had been offered POC testing; 85.6% (n=125) consented. Among participants, 59.2% (74) were male [vs 66.7% (14) of non-participants, p=0.5)] and the median age was 29 yrs (IQR 24–36 yrs) [vs non-participants median age 29 yrs (IQR 25–45 yrs), p=0.2)]. The majority of participants (83.2%; 104) were heterosexual, 59.2% (69) were Aboriginal, and 30.4% (38) reported injection drug use. Among females, 62.7% (32) reported sex trade involvement, while among males, 21.6% (16) reported sex with a sex trade worker. Of 121 syphilis treponemal POC tests, 5 (4.1%) were positive, all in old treated cases of syphilis that were asymptomatic for infectious syphilis at the time of testing. Two syphilis POC (1.7%) tests were falsely negative when compared to the standard screening test (Architect Syphilis TP Microparticles, Abbott Laboratories, Illinois, USA); both were in individuals previously treated for syphilis. Of 123 HIV POC tests, 2 (1.6%) were reactive, both newly diagnosed cases as confirmed by GS HIV-1 Western Blot (BioRad Laboratories, California, USA); both were negative by syphilis POC tests. Conclusion Preliminary results from Edmonton suggest that POC testing for syphilis and HIV is well accepted among high-risk populations in outreach settings in Edmonton. This ongoing study will assess the utility of these tests in mitigating the further spread of both syphilis and HIV through POC testing, and in the case of syphilis, POC treatment.
Hair cortisol concentrations in higher- and lower-stress mother-daughter dyads: A pilot study of associations and moderators.

Hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) are receiving increased attention as a novel biomarker of psychophysiological responses to chronic stress, with potential relevance for psychopathology risk research. We examined the validity of HCC as a marker of psychosocial stress in mother (M(age) = 37.87 years)-daughter (M(age) = 7.62 years) dyads characterized by higher (n = 30) or lower (n = 30) maternal chronic stress. Additionally, we examined whether early care moderated similarity of HCC levels within dyads. Higher-stress mothers had significantly lower HCC compared to lower-stress mothers, consistent with other research showing that chronic stress leads to blunted HPA axis activity over time. Further, HCC in daughters were significantly and positively associated with previously assessed salivary cortisol stress reactivity. Finally, mother-daughter HCC associations were significantly moderated by negative parenting styles, such that associations became stronger as quality of parenting decreased. Findings overall indicate that HCC may be a useful marker of cortisol responses to chronic stress.