Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visceral Adiposity Index Is Associated with Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Chinese Adults Aged 20-50

Background/Aims: Diabetes mellitus and pre-diabetes are closely associated with visceral obesity. Visceral adiposity index (VAI) is a novel sex-specific index, indirectly expressing visceral adipose function. Our aim was to determine the associations of VAI with dysglycemia (the combination of diabetes and pre-diabetes) and to compare the predictive ability for dysglycemia between VAI and traditional obesity indices. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the data of 2,754 Chinese community-dwelling people who participated in the health checkup. Sex-specific VAI tertile cut-off points were used as follows: 1.70, 2.77 in males and 0.98, 1.75 in females. Binary logistic regression models were performed to estimate the association of the higher values of all the obesity indices with pre-diabetes and diabetes. The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied to compare the predictive potential for dysglycemia among the obesity indices. Results: VAI was the only index significantly associated with both pre-diabetes and diabetes in both sexes after adjusting for potential confounders. The results of ROC analysis and AUC showed that VAI possessed the largest AUC, followed by other obesity indices. Conclusions: Higher VAI values are positively associated with the presence of pre-diabetes and diabetes in Chinese adults.
Chitosan-based biocompatible dressing for treatment of recalcitrant lesions of cutaneous leishmaniasis: A pilot clinical study

Background: Chitosan has a biocompatible, biodegradable and nontoxic nature. The effectiveness of nano-chitosan films in the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis has been confirmed previously in susceptible laboratory animals. Aims: The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a chitosan-based biocompatible dressing in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis who were either nonresponsive to or had medical contraindications for conventional treatments. Materials and Methods: A total of 10 eligible patients were included in this single arm, single center study. The sterile chitosan film was immersed in saline serum and was cautiously extended over the wound to avoid air occlusion. Sterile Vaseline gauze was then applied and the film was kept on the wound site for 7 days and was repeated every week until the healing was completed. Complete clinical response was defined as complete re-epithelialization of the skin lesion as well as microscopic negative results for amastigote forms of Leishmania sp. Results: All patients showed either significant (30%) or complete (70%) improvement after 8 weeks of therapy and at 16 weeks post treatment all cases were completely cured. It was well tolerated and there were no product-related adverse events such as allergic reaction or infection. Moreover, no recurrences were observed in any patients after 6 months follow-up. Limitations: The lack of a control group, relatively small sample size and failure to evaluate the histological and molecular effects of chitosan were the limitations of this study. Conclusion: Our findings confirmed that chitosan can be safely and effectively used for the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis. We were unable to find any previous clinical study in evaluating the efficacy of chitosan for cutaneous leishmaniasis on human subjects. Further studies are recommended to design a randomized, double-blinded clinical trial with more volunteers who infected with different species of Leishmania and various clinical forms of cutaneous leishmaniasis.
Serum Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor Levels Mirror Bone Mineral Density in Amenorrheic and Eumenorrheic Athletes

Abstract Amenorrhea and osteoporosis are strongly associated in female athletes. Amenorrheic women show lower serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) than eumenorrheic women. BDNF is known to regulate bone tissue development and remodeling; thus, athletes with low serum BDNF levels may show low bone mass. This study investigated the associations between serum BDNF, estradiol, and bone mineral density (BMD) in female athletes. This study included 160 elite female athletes (21.7±4.3 years). Serum levels of BDNF and estradiol were in 195 blood samples obtained from 132 eumenorrheic athletes (EA) and 63 amenorrheic athletes (AA). BMD was measured in the radius, lumbar spine, pelvis, and legs using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. AA showed significantly lower serum BDNF levels than EA (p=0.017). Serum BDNF levels were positively and significantly associated with both serum estradiol levels (p=0.0004) and the BMD measured at all sites (all p<0.05). 10 AA received transdermal estrogen therapy, and serum BDNF levels were measured at baseline and 6 months after therapy. Hormone-treated AA demonstrated a significant increase in serum BDNF levels after 6 months (p=0.022). Thus, serum BDNF levels may be associated with decreased BMD and serve as an indicator of the therapeutic effect of estradiol supplementation in female athletes with osteoporosis.
Web-based intensive therapeutic contact for eating disorders.

Although many people suffer from eating disorders, which have high mortality and severe morbidity, only a small number of affected people in the Netherlands are treated by mental health professionals. Eating disorders are often not recognized. Many patients do not ask for help because of shame, a lack of awareness, or denial of the disorder. Even when the disorder is recognized, it is difficult to motivate patients to seek help. As a result, many patients are in urgent need of help.
Prevalence and nonsexual transmission of human papilloma virus (HPV) in the adolescence girls from rural area of Maharashtra state, India.

OBJECTIVE To find out the prevalence of human papilloma virus (HPV) in adolescent girls and to access the nonsexual transmission of HPV from their mother by using the same old cloth used by their mother. METHOD Menstrual pads were collected from the women of age group years to find out the presence of HPV and whether it can be used as a cervical cancer screening tool. The results of the said study have been published in the European Journal of Cancer Prevention. During this study, menstrual pads of the daughters of participating women were collected to see the nonsexual transmission of HPV. After conducting the health education and obtaining the informed consent, we interviewed 57 mothers (age group 30-50, married, sexually active) and daughters [age group 12-18, unmarried (not exposed to sex)] from the rural area of Pune district of Maharashtra state, India. The menstrual pads were collected and transported to Mumbai for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing. HPV testing was carried out by PCR. RESULTS Out of 57, 28 (49%) daughters and 23 (40.4%) mothers provided menstrual pad. Out of 23 mothers, one was HPV positive [4.3%: 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.2-23.0] and out of 28 girls, 3 (10.7%: 95% CI 2.0-33.0) were HPV positive. The daughter, whose mother was HPV positive, had negative result for HPV. CONCLUSION The HPV prevalence in adolescence girls was 10.7%. There may be other nonsexual medium that might have caused HPV in adolescence girls, which needs further research.
Early-Life Microbiota Exposure Restricts Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cell–Driven Colonic Tumorigenesis

Mice with altered colon microbiota early in life exhibit augmented inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression in the colon. This led to an increased susceptibility to colitis-associated cancer later in adulthood, demonstrating the microbiota's impact on colon homeostasis. Gut microbiota and their metabolites are instrumental in regulating homeostasis at intestinal and extraintestinal sites. However, the complex effects of prenatal and early postnatal microbial exposure on adult health and disease outcomes remain incompletely understood. Here, we showed that mice raised under germ-free conditions until weaning and then transferred to specific pathogen-free (SPF) conditions harbored altered microbiota composition, augmented inflammatory cytokine and chemokine expression, and were hyper-susceptible to colitis-associated tumorigenesis later in adulthood. Increased number and size of colon tumors and intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in recolonized germ-free mice were associated with augmented intratumoral CXCL1, CXCL2, and CXCL5 expression and granulocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cell (G-MDSC) accumulation. Consistent with these findings, CXCR2 neutralization in recolonized germ-free mice completely reversed the exacerbated susceptibility to colitis-associated tumorigenesis. Collectively, our findings highlight a crucial role for early-life microbial exposure in establishing intestinal homeostasis that restrains colon cancer in adulthood.
Dissipation and the effects of thidiazuron on antioxidant enzyme activity and malondialdehyde content in strawberry.

BACKGROUND Increasing numbers of fruit swelling agents have been used to improve the fruit rate and production yield of strawberries in recent years. The abuse of fruit swelling agents could lead to an increase in the deformation rate and abnormal coloration of strawberry and a decrease in quality at harvest. Therefore, understanding the harmful effects of fruit swelling agents on strawberry will provide guidance for their reasonable use. RESULTS The residual determination method for measuring thidiazuron (TDZ) in strawberry was developed and validated by liquid chromatography and tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The recoveries of TDZ in strawberry were 97.9-108.5% with relative standard deviations of 0.9% to 5.3%. The dissipation rates of TDZ were different in strawberries cultivated under field and indoor conditions due to the differences in temperature and humidity. The ascorbic acid content increased when TDZ was applied at 2 mg kg-1 . The SOD (superoxide dismutase), POD (peroxidase) and CAT (catalase) activities of strawberry tended to decrease and subsequently increase following the application of TDZ, and the opposite changes occurred on the malondialdehyde (MDA) content of TDZ-treated strawberry. CONCLUSIONS The analytical method for measuring TDZ in strawberry that was developed was suitable for dissipation studies on this compound. Antioxidant enzyme activities and the MDA content of strawberry were altered, and some reverse effects, such as membrane damage, were inhibited when TDZ was applied. The data obtained in this study might provide suggestions to reduce the adverse effects of TDZ on strawberry and may help to guide the safe and proper use of TDZ in strawberry. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.
Implementation of an ERAS Pathway in Colorectal Surgery

Abstract Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) protocols have been demonstrated to improve hospital length of stay and outcomes in patients undergoing colorectal surgery. This article presents the specific components of an ERAS protocol implemented at the authors' institution. In particular, details of both surgical and anesthetic ERAS pathways are provided with explanation of all aspects of preoperative, perioperative, and postoperative care. Evidence supporting inclusion of various aspects within the ERAS protocol is briefly reviewed. The ERAS protocol described has significantly benefitted postoperative outcomes in colorectal patients and can be employed at other institutions wishing to develop an ERAS pathway for colorectal patients. A checklist is provided for clinicians to easily reference and facilitate implementation of a standardized protocol.
Radiomics of Multiparametric MRI for Pretreatment Prediction of Pathologic Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: A Multicenter Study

Purpose: We evaluated the performance of the newly proposed radiomics of multiparametric MRI (RMM), developed and validated based on a multicenter dataset adopting a radiomic strategy, for pretreatment prediction of pathologic complete response (pCR) to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in breast cancer. Experimental Design: A total of 586 potentially eligible patients were retrospectively enrolled from four hospitals (primary cohort and external validation cohort 1–3). Quantitative imaging features were extracted from T2-weighted imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging, and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted imaging before NAC for each patient. With features selected using a coarse to fine feature selection strategy, four radiomic signatures were constructed based on each of the three MRI sequences and their combination. RMM was developed based on the best radiomic signature incorporating with independent clinicopathologic risk factors. The performance of RMM was assessed with respect to its discrimination and clinical usefulness, and compared with that of clinical information–based prediction model. Results: Radiomic signature combining multiparametric MRI achieved an AUC of 0.79 (the highest among the four radiomic signatures). The signature further achieved good performances in hormone receptor–positive and HER2-negative group and triple-negative group. RMM yielded an AUC of 0.86, which was significantly higher than that of clinical model in two of the three external validation cohorts. Conclusions: The study suggested a possibility that RMM provided a potential tool to develop a model for predicting pCR to NAC in breast cancer.
Tph2 Genetic Ablation Contributes to Senile Plaque Load and Astrogliosis in APP/PS1 Mice.

BACKGROUND Amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) lesions. Deficiency of Serotonin signaling recently has been linked to the increased Aβ level in transgenic mice and humans. In addition, tryptophan hydroxylase-2 (Tph2), a second tryptophan hydroxylase isoform, controls brain serotonin synthesis. However, it remains to be determined that whether Tph2 deficient APP/PS1mice affect the formation of Aβ plaques in vivo. METHODS Both quantitative and qualitative immunochemistry methods, as well as Congo red staining were used to evaluate the Aβ load and astrogliosis in these animals. RESULTS we studied alterations of cortex and hippocampus in astrocytes and senile plaques by Tph2 conditional knockout (Tph2 CKO) AD mice from 6-10 months of age. Using Congo red staining and immunostained with Aβ antibody, we showed that plaques load or plaques numbers significantly increased in Tph2 CKO experimental groups at 8 to 10 months old, compared to wild type (WT) group, respectively. Using GFAP+ astrocytes immunofluorescence method, we found that the density of GFAP+ astrocytes markedly enhanced in Tph2 CKO at 10 months. We showed Aβ plaques co-localized autophagic markers LC3 and p62. Nevertheless, we did not observe any co-localization between GFAP+ astrocytes and autophagic markers, but detected the co-localization between βIII-tubulin+ neurons and autophagic markers. CONCLUSION Overall, our work provides the preliminary evidence in vivo that Tph2 plays a role in amyloid plaques generation.
Diverse tumour susceptibility in Collaborative Cross mice: identification of a new mouse model for human gastric tumourigenesis

Objective The Collaborative Cross (CC) is a mouse population model with diverse and reproducible genetic backgrounds used to identify novel disease models and genes that contribute to human disease. Since spontaneous tumour susceptibility in CC mice remains unexplored, we assessed tumour incidence and spectrum. Design We monitored 293 mice from 18 CC strains for tumour development. Genetic association analysis and RNA sequencing were used to identify susceptibility loci and candidate genes. We analysed genomes of patients with gastric cancer to evaluate the relevance of genes identified in the CC mouse model and measured the expression levels of ISG15 by immunohistochemical staining using a gastric adenocarcinoma tissue microarray. Association of gene expression with overall survival (OS) was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results CC mice displayed a wide range in the incidence and types of spontaneous tumours. More than 40% of CC036 mice developed gastric tumours within 1 year. Genetic association analysis identified Nfκb1 as a candidate susceptibility gene, while RNA sequencing analysis of non-tumour gastric tissues from CC036 mice showed significantly higher expression of inflammatory response genes. In human gastric cancers, the majority of human orthologues of the 166 mouse genes were preferentially altered by amplification or deletion and were significantly associated with OS. Higher expression of the CC036 inflammatory response gene signature is associated with poor OS. Finally, ISG15 protein is elevated in gastric adenocarcinomas and correlated with shortened patient OS. Conclusions CC strains exhibit tremendous variation in tumour susceptibility, and we present CC036 as a spontaneous laboratory mouse model for studying human gastric tumourigenesis.
Shoulder Surgeons' Perceptions of Interscalene Nerve Blocks and a Review of Complications Rates in the Literature

Abstract Background: Interscalene nerve blocks (ISBs) have been shown to be an effective option for regional anesthesia in shoulder surgery. Our study presents survey results of shoulder surgeons' perceptions of ISBs and a literature summary of complications rates with ISB use. Methods: A survey addressing demographics, preferences, treatment patterns, risks/benefits, and patient recommendations regarding the use of ISBs was created. Respondents were also asked whether they would elect an ISB if personally undergoing shoulder surgery, and results of other questions were stratified based on this personal preference. The survey was administered electronically to all members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. A literature review of ISB-related complication rates was compiled from 13 studies of shoulder surgery using ISB. Results: Of all respondents, 58.7% would elect a single-shot ISB, 15.0% would elect a continuous catheter, and 26.3% would not elect the use of an ISB if undergoing shoulder surgery. Respondents from a university hospital were 1.44 times more likely to elect any ISB than respondents from a non-university hospital. Improved post-operative pain control was considered the greatest benefit, whereas persistent neuropathy was considered the greatest risk of ISB use. Of the respondents, 76.1% would recommend use of ISB to their patients undergoing shoulder surgery. Our literature review yielded 13 applicable studies that utilized a total of 6243 ISBs, with data resulting in a 0.35% major complication rate and an 11.32% minor complication rate in patients. Conclusion: The majority of shoulder surgeons surveyed in our study would elect to have a single-shot interscalene nerve block if undergoing shoulder surgery themselves, indicating that ISB use is considered a safe and effective anesthetic option among shoulder surgeon specialists.
SUMOylation of the nuclear pore complex basket is involved in sensing cellular stresses

ABSTRACT The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is the major conduit for nucleocytoplasmic transport and serves as a platform for gene regulation and DNA repair. Several nucleoporins undergo ubiquitylation and SUMOylation, and these modifications play an important role in nuclear pore dynamics and plasticity. Here, we perform a detailed analysis of these post-translational modifications of yeast nuclear basket proteins under normal growth conditions as well as upon cellular stresses, with a focus on SUMOylation. We find that the balance between the dynamics of SUMOylation and deSUMOylation of Nup60 and Nup2 at the NPC differs substantially, particularly in G1 and S phase. While Nup60 is the unique target of genotoxic stress within the nuclear basket that probably belongs to the SUMO-mediated DNA damage response pathway, both Nup2 and Nup60 show a dramatic increase in SUMOylation upon osmotic stress, with Nup2 SUMOylation being enhanced in Nup60 SUMO-deficient mutant yeast strains. Taken together, our data reveal that there are several levels of crosstalk between nucleoporins, and that the post-translational modifications of the NPC serve in sensing cellular stress signals. Summary: Post-translational modifications, and in particular SUMOylation, of the nuclear basket subcomplex of the nuclear pore complex serve in its function as a sensor for mediating cellular stress signals.
Association between hereditary predisposition to common cancers and congenital multimalformations

In a previous article we reported that mutations favoring cancer at adulthood seemed to improve fertility and limit miscarriages. Because spontaneous abortion may result from anomalies in embryo, we questioned if an increased frequency of congenital malformation could be evidenced among cancer‐prone families. Oncogenetics database (≈193 000 members) of the comprehensive cancer center Jean Perrin was crossed with regional registry of congenital malformations (≈10 000). Among children born between 1986 and 2011, 176 children with malformation matched in both databases. In breast/ovaries cancer‐prone families, the risk for malformations was multiplied by 2.4 [1.2‐4.5] in case of a BRCA1 mutation. Frequencies of malformation in BRCA2 and MMR mutated families were similar to families without a cancer syndrome. In comparison to malformations concerning a unique anatomical system, multimalformations were significantly more frequent in case of BRCA or MMR mutations: compared to families without cancer syndrome, the risk of multimalformations was multiplied by 4.1 [0.8‐21.7] for cancer‐prone families but with no known deleterious mutation, by 6.9 [1.2‐38.6] in families with a known mutation but an unknown parental mutational status and by 10.4 [2.3‐46.0] when one parent carried the familial mutation. No association with the type of anatomical system was found, nor with multiple births. These results suggest that BRCA and MMR genes play an important role in human embryogenesis and that if their function is lowered because of heterozygote mutations, congenital malformations are either more likely (BRCA1 mutations) and/or more susceptible to concern several anatomical systems.
A standard operating procedure for King’s ALS clinical staging

Abstract Objective: Clinical stages in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be measured using a simple system based on the number of CNS regions involved and requirement for gastrostomy or noninvasive ventilation (NIV). We aimed to design a standard operating procedure (SOP) to define the standardized use and application of the King’s staging system. Methods: We designed a SOP for the King’s staging system. We wrote case vignettes representative of ALS patients at different disease stages. During two workshops, we taught health care professionals how to use the SOP, then asked them to stage the vignettes using the SOP. We measured the extent to which SOP staging corresponded with correct clinical stage. Results: The reliability of staging using the SOP was excellent, with a Spearman’s Rank coefficient of 0.95 (p < 0.001), and was high for different groups of health care professionals, and for those with different levels of experience in ALS. The limits of agreement between SOP staging and actual clinical stage lie within a single stage, confirming that there is a clinically acceptable level of agreement between staging using the SOP and actual King’s clinical stage. There were also no systematic biases of the SOP over the range of stages, either for over-staging or under-staging. Conclusions: We have demonstrated that the staging SOP provides a reliable method of calculating clinical stages in ALS patients and can be used prospectively by a range of health care professionals with different levels of experience, as for example may be the case in multicentre clinical trials.