Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Algorithm to Stratify the Risk of Postoperative Emotional Distress in Cancer Patients with Advanced Metastatic Spinal Disease

Purpose We wish (1) to assess what variables are significantly associated with postoperative emotional distress in patients with the metastatic spinal disease after surgery and (2) to develop and validate an algorithm to stratify patients at risk of postoperative emotional distress. Patients and Methods We retrospectively enrolled 171 patients with the metastatic spinal disease treated with surgery. Twelve potential variables were used to analyze postoperative emotional distress. Postoperative emotional well-being was measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS). Significant variables were included in the algorithm and assigned scores based on odds ratios (ORs) from the multiple logistic regression analysis. The predictive performance of the risk algorithm was validated on the basis of discrimination and calibration. Results Twenty-six (15.20%) patients had a HADS of 19 points or more. Of all the 12 variables, age (P=0.06), marital status (P=0.02), primary cancer types (P=0.004), and physical well-being (P=0.006) were included in the algorithm. This algorithm ranged from 0 to 24. Higher scores represented higher rates of postoperative emotional distress. Patients were stratified into three risk groups: patients in the group A had scores of 0 to 9 and the rate of postoperative emotional distress was only 1.14%, patient in the group B had scores of 10 to 15 and the rate of postoperative emotional distress was 21.31%, and patient in the group C had scores of 16 to 24 and the rate of postoperative emotional distress was up to 54.55%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) for the algorithm was 0.84, and the correct classification rate was 81.3%. Conclusion Postoperative emotional distress is common in patients with the metastatic spinal disease after surgery. We propose and validate an algorithm that can be used as a potential screening tool to identify patients at high risk of postoperative emotional distress.
Outcome Measures After Shoulder Stabilization in the Athletic Population: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Patient-Reported Metrics

Background: Athletic endeavor can require the “athletic shoulder” to tolerate significant load through supraphysiological range and often under considerable repetition. Outcome measures are valuable when determining an athlete’s safe return to sport. Few data are available to guide a clinician’s choice from the variety of measures available. Purpose: To describe the use of quantifiable objective outcome measures and patient-reported outcome tools after glenohumeral joint stabilization, specifically in an athletic population. The secondary aim of our study was to assess whether the method of measurement used was clearly described and standardized to aid clinical interpretation. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science databases was performed in December 2018 based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. After the application of selection criteria, a full review of identified papers, and screening of reference lists, a total of 62 studies were included in the review. All studies were independently appraised for quality, predefined data fields were populated and cross-checked for accuracy, and results were then summarized from these data fields. Results: Of the 62 included studies, 94% used a quantifiable objective clinical outcome. A majority (85%) of the studies measured range of motion, 21% recorded muscle strength, 5% measured electromyographic activity, 5% examined shoulder kinematics, and 3% assessed joint proprioception after surgery. However, only 18% of the studies clearly described a standardized method of measuring the outcome. Nearly all (95%) of the studies used at least 1 patient-reported outcome measure. The Rowe score was most commonly used (35%). Conclusion: We must standardize and clearly describe the use of quantifiable objective outcome measures to aid clinical interpretation. A concerted effort should also be made to standardize the use of patient-reported outcome tools after shoulder stabilization in the athletic population.
Retracted: Exploring the microbiome and mindfulness connection

This article was retracted on the 7th of July 2020. This article has been retracted owing to substantial similarity to this article: Schnorr SL, Bachner HA. Integrative therapies in anxiety treatment with special emphasis on the gut microbiome. Yale J. Biol. Med. 89(3), 397–422 (2016). Please find the full text here.
Percutaneous Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion: A View From the UK

AF is associated with an increased risk of thromboembolic events, which is usually managed with oral anticoagulation therapy. However, despite a broad range of anticoagulant options and improved uptake in anticoagulation over the past decade, there are some limitations to this approach. Percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion has been shown to be an effective alternative in this setting, and population data suggest a clear demand for this procedure. Over the past decade, several important changes to the commissioning and delivery of this service have occurred in the UK. In this article, the authors describe the use of percutaneous left atrial appendage occlusion in the UK and discuss the challenges that lie ahead.
Long-Circulating Thermosensitive Liposomes for the Targeted Drug Delivery of Oxaliplatin

Introduction Oxaliplatin (L-OHP) is a well-known third-generation platinum anticancer drug with severe systemic- and neuro-toxicity. The main objective of the current research was to develop a targeted long-circulating thermosensitive smart-release liposome (LCTL) system for better therapeutic efficacy and less toxicity. Methods The reverse-phase evaporation method (REV) was used to prepare L-OHP loaded LCTL (L-OHP/LCTL). The physical characteristics were evaluated including encapsulation efficiency (EE), size, zeta potential and stability. The release behavior, cytotoxicity and in vivo evaluation were also carried out. Results EE of LCTL was around 25% with a uniform size distribution, and LCTL achieved almost complete release at 42°C while it was only 10% at 37°C. Moreover, the LCTL showed significantly higher cytotoxicity at 42°C than that at 37°C. The in vivo results indicated LCTL could target tumors and enhance retention for more than 24 h, thereby enhancing anti-tumor efficacy on 4T1-bearing mice. Discussion These results indicated that LCTL not only possessed a prolonged circulation time but it also enhanced accumulation and achieved selective release at the tumor sites. Conclusively, LCTL could serve as a promising carrier for oxaliplatin delivery to treat solid tumors.
Relationships between Brand Personality, Self-Congruity and Tourist Satisfaction of Theme Parks

DOI: 10.21276/sjebm.2018. 5.12. 12 Abstract: With the fierce promotion of the construction of theme parks in China, the industry competition has been intensely and upgraded from the product level to the brand level. However, the research of theme park brand has not yet attracted enough attention. Based on literature review, this paper constructs a relationship model between theme park brand personality, tourist self-congruity and tourist satisfaction, collects sample data in Guangzhou Chimelong Paradise and uses Mplus7.4 for analysis. The results show that: (1) the theme park brand personality has a significant positive impact on the tourist satisfaction; (2) the tourist self-congruity has a positive impact on the tourist satisfaction in the theme park experience too; (3) the tourist selfcongruity plays a partial mediation effect between theme park brand personality and tourist satisfaction. The research conclusions are intended to provide references for the theme park brand management work.
Evaluation of metabolic profiles of Saanen goats in the transition period

Healthy Saanen goats (n=30) in periparturient period were used in the present study. Blood samples were collected 21, 14 and 7 days before parturition, at the time of birth and postpartum days 7, 14 and 21. Non-esterifiedfatty acids (NEFA), betahydroxy butyric acid (BHBA), Total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine (CREA) aspartate amino transferase (AST), gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH), glucose (GLU), cholesterol (CHOL), triglyceride (TG), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and magnesium (Mg) levels were evaluated. During the study period, NEFA, SDH, CREA levels increased and CHOL and TG levels decreased at time of parturition. When the changes of parameters in prepartum and postpartum period were compared, the concentrations of NEFA, CHOL, GLU, TG, Ca were higher (p <0.001) in prepartum period;however BHBA, Mg, ALB, GGT, AST, TP, P, BUN, SDH and CREA concentrations were detected to be higher (p <0.001) in postpartum period. Metabolic Profile Test based on biochemical parameters evaluated in our study would be beneficial for diagnosis, prevention and control of diseases such as pregnancy toxemia, hypocalcemia, infertility in goats.
Almost optimal local well-posedness for modified Boussinesq equations

In this article, we investigate a class of modified Boussinesq equations, for which we provide first an alternate proof of local well-posedness in the space \((H^s\cap L^\infty)\times (H^s\cap L^\infty)(\mathbb{R})\) (\(s\geq 0\)) to the one obtained by Constantin and Molinet [7]. Secondly, we show that the associated flow map is not smooth when considered from \(H^s\times H^s(\mathbb{R})\) into \(H^s(\mathbb{R})\) for s<0, thus providing a threshold for the regularity needed to perform a Picard iteration for these equations. For more information see https://ejde.math.txstate.edu/Volumes/2020/24/abstr.html
The effect of process conditions on productivity and glycosylation of cystatin C in P. pastoris and DNA microarray analysis of amino acid limitations in S. cerevisiae culture

Human cystatin C is a cysteine-proteinase inhibitor with several potential therapeutic applications. A recombinant variant of cystatin C with two potential sites for N-linked glycosylation (Nakamura, Ogawa et al. 2000) was selected for expression in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Glycosylation has been shown to significantly improve the heat stability and activity of recombinant cystatin C (Nakamura, Ogawa et al. 1998). When using standard fermentation protocols however, most cystatin C is not glycosylated. Thus, the effects of induction pH, temperature, and nitrogen sources on cystatin C productivity and glycosylation were examined in 250 mL shake flasks and 2-litre bioreactors. The pH and temperature were studied over the ranges of 5.2 6.8, and 21 35°C respectively. Nitrogen sources examined include ammonium hydroxide, peptone and amino acid supplements. Nitrogen source was the most significant parameter. The maximum cystatin C productivity and glycosylation was obtained under conditions of 20 g-L' peptone, 20 g-L" amino acid mix, and 0 g-L' ammonium hydroxide resulting in 13.6 nmol-gDCW'h" cystatin C with 30% glycosylated species, a five-fold increase from standard fermentation conditions. In a separate study using S. cerevisiae, DNA microarray analysis was used to monitor gene expression changes resulting from amino acid limitations in fermentation media. Experiments were performed to examine leucine and glutamine limitations imposed on batch cultures. Recent literature results from Gasch (Gasch, Spellman et al. 2000) and Natarajan (Natarajan, Meyer et al. 2001) were also re-analyzed. The results show that both leucine and glutamine biosynthesis genes were differentially expressed as much as 13-fold under complete amino acid starvation and genes involved in leucine and histidine biosynthesis were significantly up-regulated under mild leucine limitation and histidine starvation with 3AT (3-aminotriazol). Additional amino acid starvation experiments revealed that leucine starvation resulted in a 2-fold up-regulation of the leucine biosynthesis genes LEU1, LEU2 and LEU4. However, changes in gene expression for glutamate biosynthesis genes under glutamic acid starvation resulted in no distinguishable trends.
Implications of Bed Rest for Patients with Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis: A Qualitative Study

Background/Objective The recommendation of bed rest for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) patients has changed during the last 20 years, and it has become a concern for researchers. The existing researches on potentially harmful treatment of bed rest for DVT patients focus only on physiological outcomes. This qualitative study explored the implications of bed rest from the perspective of patients with acute DVT. Understanding these implications will provide more evidence on whether bed rest should be used as a medical treatment of acute DVT. Patients and Methods For data collection, a descriptive qualitative design utilizing semi-structured, in-depth, face-to-face interviews with nine patients with acute DVT was conducted. In order to find the themes and subthemes emerging from the interviews for data analysis, the Colaizzi method, which was suggested by phenomenological methodology, was used. Results The four major themes found were physical effects, psychological effects, social effects, and post-trauma growth. These themes illustrated the bed rest experiences of patients and it has a negative impact on the quality of life (QOL) amidst acute DVT. Conclusion Bed rest for patients with acute DVT is a physically, emotionally, and socially distressing phenomenon that simultaneously affects QOL and induces post-traumatic growth. We believe that bed rest is not beneficial to the physical and mental health of patients with acute DVT. This study adds to the available evidence on the harmful effect of bed rest as a treatment from the perspective of patients with acute DVT. Further quantitative studies should compare the quality of life and psychosocial status of patients with and without bed rest amidst acute DVT.
Oridonin Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma to the Anticancer Effect of Sorafenib by Targeting the Akt Pathway

Background Oridonin is the core bioactive component of Rabdosia rubescens, a traditional Chinese herbal medicine used in the treatment of hepatoma. Sorafenib, a targeted therapeutic agent for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), has recently been shown to exert limited clinical effects. However, few studies have focused on the synergistic effect of these two drugs on hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods We treated different HCC cell lines with different concentrations of oridonin and sorafenib and assessed the viability by using MTT assays and examined proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis after cotreatment of HepG2 cells with 20 μM oridonin and 5 μM sorafenib via colony formation assays, Transwell assays and flow cytometry. Regulatory effects were measured by Western blotting. The in vivo synergistic effect was confirmed through xenograft tumor models, and tumor tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Results The inhibitory effects of oridonin and sorafenib cotreatment on HCC cells were stronger than those of either drug alone. In addition, combined treatment with the two drugs synergistically inhibited epithelial–mesenchymal transition and the Akt pathway but not NF-κB or MAPK signaling. Akt phosphorylation by SC79 reversed the inhibitory effects of the combined treatment. Synergistic inhibition was equally observed in vivo. Conclusion Oridonin combined with sorafenib synergistically inhibited proliferation, migration, invasion, and epithelial–mesenchymal transition and induced apoptosis by targeting the Akt pathway but not NF-κB or MAPK signaling.
HSPA12B Secreted by Tumor-Associated Endothelial Cells Might Induce M2 Polarization of Macrophages via Activating PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling

Purpose The intratumoral microenvironment of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) is highly immunosuppressive. In this study, we explored the potential functional role of HSPA12B secreted by tumor-associated endothelial cells (TECs) in M2 polarization of macrophages. Materials and Methods Bulk-seq data from TCGA-HNSC and single-cell RNA-seq data from GSE103322 (with over 5000 cells from 18 primary HNSC cases) were used for bioinformatic analysis. RAW264.7 cell line was used for in vitro studies. Results TECs in HNSC had significantly higher expression and secretion of HSPA12B, compared to normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Exogenous HSPA12B treatment increased the expression of M2 macrophage marker CD163 and CD206 on RAW264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner but had no significant influence on CD86, an M1 macrophage marker. OLR1, a known receptor of HSP70 proteins, was specifically expressed in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in HNSC. OLR1 knockdown significantly impaired HSPA12B uptake by RAW264.7 cells and weakened HSPA12B-induced CD163 and CD206 upregulation. HSPA12B treatment increased the expression of p-PI3K, p-Akt and p-mTOR in a dose-dependent manner in RAW264.7 cells. OLR1 inhibition and LY294002 treatment significantly weakened the effects HSPA12B on activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and M2 marker expression. Conclusion Based on these findings, we speculated that aberrantly expressed and secreted HSPA12B by TECs could be taken by macrophages partly via OLR1, leading to subsequent activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway and elevated expression of M2 markers. This mechanism shows a novel cross-talk between TECs and TAMs, which contributes to the intratumoral immunosuppressive microenvironment.
The Human Atrioventricular Node: Oedipus and the Riddle of the Sphinx

Cardiac pathologists and electrophysiologists have studied the atrioventricular (AV) node for more than 100 years, since 1906, when Tawara first described the inferior extensions of the AV node in the human heart. Still, this important cardiac structure remains “a riddle wrapped up in a mystery, inside an enigma”, to recall the famous Churchill quotation. Perhaps the same can be said about atrioventricular nodal re-entrant tachycardia (AVNRT): it represents the most common regular tachycardia in humans; since 1973 it has been associated with re-entry within or around the node; and still, its exact circuit remains elusive.
Prevalence and Risk Factors of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Among Agriculturists in a Rural Community, Central Thailand

Purpose The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and risk factors of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among agriculturists in a remote rural community in central Thailand. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in January 2020. Face-to-face interviews were conducted using standardized questionnaires to determine demographic characteristics and risk behaviors. COPD was defined by the spirometric criterion for airflow limitation constituting a postbronchodilator fixed ratio of FEV1/FVC <0.70 following the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines 2019. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the risk factors for COPD, and the magnitude of association was presented as adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI). Results A total of 546 agriculturists were enrolled in the study. The overall prevalence of COPD was 5.5% (95% CI: 3.6–7.4). The prevalence of COPD among males was 8.0% (95% CI: 4.7–11.3), and 3.2% (95% CI: 1.1–5.2) among females. The risk factors of COPD included age ≥60 years old (AOR 2.7, 95% CI: 1.1–7.0), higher intensity of smoking (AOR 1.1, 95% CI: 1.0–1.1), swine farm worker (AOR 4.1, 95% CI: 1.7–10.3), cattle farm worker (AOR 3.3, 95% CI: 1.4–8.2) and home cooking (AOR 2.7, 95% CI: 0.8–9.7). Conclusion Our data emphasized that COPD was one of the significant health problems among agriculturists in a rural community. Agricultural jobs such as animal farmers and behavioral factors such as smoking were associated with COPD. Effective public health interventions, especially, modifying risk behaviors, should be promoted in remote rural areas to prevent the disease and reduce its morbidity and mortality.
Effects of Growth Factors and the MicroRNA-183 Family on Differentiation of Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Towards Auditory Neuron-Like Cells

Introduction Hearing Loss (HL) is known as the most common sensory processing disorder across the world. An effective treatment which has been currently used for patients suffering from this condition is cochlear implant (CI). The major limitation of this treatment is the need for a healthy auditory neuron (AN). Accordingly, mesenchymal cells (MCs) are regarded as good candidates for cell-based therapeutic approaches. The present study aimed to investigate the potentials of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBM-MSCs) for differentiation towards ANs along with using treatments with growth factors and microRNA (miRNA) transfection in vitro. Methods To this end, neurospheres derived from hBM-MSCs were treated via basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as growth factors N2 and B27 supplements, as well as miRNA-96, -182, -183 transfected into hBM-MSCs in order to evaluate the differentiation of such cells into ANs. Results Treatments with growth factors demonstrated a significant increase in neurogenin 1 (Ngn1) and sex determining region Y-box 2 (SOX2) markers; but tubulin, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), and GATA binding protein 3 (GATA3) markers were not statistically significant. The findings also revealed that miRNA-182 expression in miRNA-183 family could boost the expressions of some AN marker (ie, Ngn1, SOX2, peripherin, and nestin) in vitro. Discussion It can be concluded that miRNA is probably a good substitute for growth factors used in differentiating into ANs. Transdifferentiation of hBM-MSCs into ANs, which does not occur under normal conditions, may be thus facilitated by miRNAs, especially miRNA-182, or via a combination of miRNA and growth factors.
Voluntary Feed Intake and Nutrient Utilization in Buffalo Bullocks Fed Untreated and Urea (Ammonia) Treated Berseem and Oat Straws

Oat (Avena sativa) and berseem (Trifolium alexandrium) straws were treated with urea (4% w/w, moisture 40% and ensiled for four weeks) were given ad lib to sixteen Murrah buffalo bullocks(about335kgb.wt.)infour groups of four each viz: untreated berseem straw (BS); urea (ammonia) treated berseem straw (TBS); untreated oat straw (OS) and urea (ammonia) treated oat straw (TOS). Voluntary feed intakes of the animals were 4.43,5.85,4.79 and 6.43 kg, respectively in BS, TBS, OS and TOS groups. Apparent digestiblities (% on respective treatments) of dry matter (45.24,48.70,48.60 and 55.62); CP (36.28, 54.14,37.18 and 65.69)5 CF (45.19, 48.58, 46.50 and 51.26) and NFE (53.50, 55.31, 52.57 and 57.36) were more for treated than untreated straws. Live weight changes, feed intake and nitrogen retention data showed that feeding urea (ammonia) treated berseem or oat straw ad lib can satisfactorily meet the maintenance requirements of buffalo bullocks.