Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk factors and outcomes of incidental parathyroidectomy in thyroidectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Postoperative hypocalcemia is the most common complication of thyroidectomy. Incidental parathyroidectomy (IP) was thought to be associated with postoperative hypocalcemia. However, according to previous studies, the risk factors and clinical outcomes of IP remain controversial. Methods Eligible studies were searched in databases including PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE from January 1990 to September 2017. Articles focusing on the relationship between IP and postoperative hypocalcemia were included. The risk of publication bias was assessed using Begg’s test and Egger’s regression asymmetry test. Pooled analysis was performed to evaluate the effect of IP on postoperative hypocalcemia and related risk factors. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted to test the stability of our results. The effects of hypocalcemia type, permanent definition, IP incidence, total thyroidectomy, and malignancy operation were also examined using a further subgroup analysis. Results Thirty-five studies were finally included in the analysis after an exhaustive literature review. Pathology data demonstrate that incidental parathyroidectomy occurred in various locations: intrathyroidal (2.2–50.0%), intracapsular (16.7–40.0%) and extracapsular (15.7–81.1%) regions. Overall, the analysis found that malignancy (RR = 1.60, 95% CI: 1.27 to 2.02; p< 0.0001), central neck dissection (RR = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.47 to 3.75; p = 0.0004), total thyroidectomy (RR = 1.42, 95% CI: 1.20 to 1.67; p< 0.0001) and reoperation (RR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.20 to 2.75; p = 0.005) were significant risk factors of IP in thyroid surgery. There was an obvious effect of IP on temporary/permanent (RR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.84; p< 0.0001) and permanent (RD = 0.0220, 95% CI: 0.0069 to 0.0370; p = 0.0042) postoperative hypocalcemia. Sensitivity analysis showed that these results were robust. The subgroup analysis found that IP played a significant role in both biochemical and clinical hypocalcemia in thyroidectomy (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0003, separately). The association of IP and permanent hypocalcemia using different definitions (6 months or more than 12 months) was also confirmed by the analysis. IP increased the incidence of temporary/permanent and permanent hypocalcemia for cases undergoing total thyroidectomy (40.4% vs 24.8% and 5.8% vs 1.4%, respectively). Thyroidectomy with IP was associated with more permanent hypocalcemia (RR = 3.10, 95% CI: 2.01 to 4.78; p< 0.0001) in malignant cases but was not associated with temporary/permanent hypocalcemia. Conclusions Malignancy, central neck dissection, total thyroidectomy and reoperation were found to be significant risk factors of IP. IP increases the risk of postoperative hypocalcemia after thyroidectomy. We recommend a more meticulous intraoperative identification of parathyroid gland in thyroidectomy to reduce IP, particularly for total thyroidectomy and malignancy cases.
Antiproliferative Activity of Combined Biochanin A and Ginsenoside Rh2 on MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. The antiproliferative activities of biochanin A (BA) and ginsenoside Rh2 were determined by evaluating their inhibitory effect on MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell proliferation. The combination of BA with Rh2 was also assessed. In MDA cells, combination treatment led to a decrease in the EC50 values of BA and Rh2 to 25.20 μM and 22.75 μM, respectively. In MCF-7 cells, the EC50 values of combined BA and Rh2 decreased to 27.68 μM and 25.41 μM, respectively. BA combined with Rh2 also improved the inhibition of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell migration and invasion compared to the individual compounds. Western blot analysis demonstrated upregulation in p-p53, p-p38, and p-ASK1 proteins while levels of TRAF2 were downregulated. These results suggest that BA combined with Rh2 exhibits synergistic effects against MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell proliferation.
Social Anhedonia in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychiatry Referrals

Social anhedonia (SA) is a widely accepted symptom phenotype in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), depression, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder; nevertheless, its clinical implications are relatively unstudied in populations of clinic-referred youth with and without ASD. Youth with ASD (n = 268) and nonASD psychiatry referrals (n = 641) between 6 and 18 years of age were evaluated for SA, ASD severity, co-occurring psychiatric symptom severity, and a wide range of common clinical correlates. Participants were parsed into youth with and without parent-defined SA, and the latter were further subdivided into youth with (SA+ alone) and without (SA/−alone) a preference for being alone. Two thirds of the ASD group met criteria for SA compared with one fourth of psychiatry referrals. SA was associated with higher rates of ASD social skill deficits, social anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia symptoms in both clinic samples. SA+ alone had the highest rates of social anxiety. Among the ASD sample, severity of social anxiety and ASD social skills deficits were relatively small predictors of SA. There was little evidence of divergence between youth with and without SA for a wide range of commonly studied biopsychosocial clinical correlates, for example, youth, family, medical, and treatment characteristics. Although factors associated with the ASD diathesis contribute to an increased risk of SA, they do not in and of themselves explain our results. Lack of syndrome specificity supports the notion that SA is a useful transdiagnostic symptom phenotype in referred youth and challenges traditional conceptualizations of ASD as a categorical clinical phenotype.
Heterotopic ossification following anterior shoulder dislocation

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the abnormal growth of extraskeletal bone. Joint involvement may result in chronic stiffness and pain causing considerable functional impairment and the inability to perform the activities of daily living. HO affecting the shoulder joint is rare and little is known about its clinical course or treatment. Here, we describe the first reported case of glenohumeral HO following anterior dislocation. This occurred in a 70-year-old man following a fall onto outstretched hand. Due to persistent stiffness and pain at 8 months from initial injury, he underwent plain radiographs and MRI scans that confirmed rotator cuff tear and HO. He was managed conservatively with physiotherapy and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. At 1-year follow-up, the patient maintains a good functional outcome.
Rapid k-d Tree Construction for Sparse Volume Data

While k-d trees are known to be effective for spatial indexing of sparse 3-D volume data, full reconstruction, e.g. due to changes to the alpha transfer function during rendering, is usually a costly operation with this hierarchical data structure. We pick a serial state of the art implementation that is based on summed-volume tables and propose a parallel version of the construction algorithm for multi-core CPUs. Our parallel k-d tree construction algorithm can be used to rapidly perform full hierarchy rebuilds for moderately sized to large volume data sets. We reformulate the original, highly serial construction algorithm by replacing the summed-volume table (SVT) that is used to perform fast occupancy queries with a list of partial summed-volume tables. This gives rise to parallelism at several stages of the algorithm. We show how to achieve high scalability with a carefully crafted parallelization scheme. As a side effect, our construction algorithm also relaxes the tremendous memory overhead imposed by full SVTs. For our scalability study, we have integrated the parallel k-d tree implementation into a ray casting volume rendering pipeline. We present comparisons for various sparse 3-D volumetric data sets where k-d trees are ﬁrst built interactively and then later used to skip over empty space.
Exploring IoT platform with technologically agnostic processing-in-memory framework

Since modern Internet of Things (IoT) applications generate massive amounts of data, they either stress the communication mechanism or need extra resources to treat the data locally. The massive volume of data is commonly collected by sensors, and it needs to be stored and processed before being sent through the Internet. This gathering and processing operations demand a significant computational power and time consumption, which are key design constraints in embedded systems. At the same time, Processing-in-Memory (PIM) has emerged as a solution for efficiently processing big data, which can be applied to the IoT data management problem. By using PIM, the generated data can be processed directly in the storage component that keeps the data. However, simulating new architectures is an essential step within a project design life-cycle to analyze and improve new features. Also, the ability to support software development for these new technologies is crucial to make possible the exploitation of experimental designs, reducing design time and costs. In this work, we propose a framework for simulating a state-of-art PIM mechanism, and automatically compile and generate binary code for the target PIM. We demonstrate that the framework can become technologically agnostic by simply adjusting constraints related to the target memory technology. Also, we show how IoT devices can be connected and efficiently make use of the PIM mechanism.
An Ovol2‐Zeb1 transcriptional circuit regulates epithelial directional migration and proliferation

Directional migration is inherently important for epithelial tissue regeneration and repair, but how it is precisely controlled and coordinated with cell proliferation is unclear. Here, we report that Ovol2, a transcriptional repressor that inhibits epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), plays a crucial role in adult skin epithelial regeneration and repair. Ovol2‐deficient mice show compromised wound healing characterized by aberrant epidermal cell migration and proliferation, as well as delayed anagen progression characterized by defects in hair follicle matrix cell proliferation and subsequent differentiation. Epidermal keratinocytes and bulge hair follicle stem cells (Bu‐HFSCs) lacking Ovol2 fail to expand in culture and display molecular alterations consistent with enhanced EMT and reduced proliferation. Live imaging of wound explants and Bu‐HFSCs reveals increased migration speed but reduced directionality, and post‐mitotic cell cycle arrest. Remarkably, simultaneous deletion of Zeb1 encoding an EMT‐promoting factor restores directional migration to Ovol2‐deficient Bu‐HFSCs. Taken together, our findings highlight the important function of an Ovol2‐Zeb1 EMT‐regulatory circuit in controlling the directional migration of epithelial stem and progenitor cells to facilitate adult skin epithelial regeneration and repair.
Comparison of the Cervex‐Brush alone to Cytobrush plus Cervex‐Brush for detection of cervical dysplasia in women with a transformation zone type 3

Twenty percent of colposcopic assessments are inadequate due to a type 3 transformation zone (TZ3). In the absence of colposcopic or histological assessment, subsequent management is guided by the referral screening test. In the UK, routine cervical screening is completed by a Cervex‐Brush alone. This study examines the effectiveness of a Cytobrush in addition to a standard Cervex‐Brush when used in TZ3 assessment.
Psoriasis in a cohort of patients with common variable immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is the most common symptomatic primary immunodeficiency in adults. CVID is characterized by reduced serum levels of IgG, IgA, and/or IgM, recurrent bacterial infections, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases and malignancies. According to literature, autoimmune diseases occur in 20-30% of CVID patients. Dermatological involvement has occasionally been reported in CVID and includes alopecia totalis, lichen planus, and vitiligo. Data regarding the frequency and features of psoriasis in CVID are scant. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Fog vs. cloud computing: should i stay or should i go?

In this paper, we try to address the question "is it worth processing a data stream on the device that collected it or should we send it somewhere else? ". As it is often the case in Computer Science, the response is "it depends". To find out the cases where it is more profitable to stay in the device (which is part of the fog) or to go to a different one (for example, a device in the cloud), we propose two models that intend to help the user evaluate the cost of performing a certain computation on the fog or sending all the data to the cloud. In our generic mathematical model, the user can define a cost type (e.g., number of instructions, execution time, energy consumed) and plug in values to analyze test cases. As filters have a very important role in the future of the Internet of Things and can be implemented as lightweight programs capable of running on resource-constrained devices, this kind of procedure is the main focus of our investigation. Furthermore, our visual model guides the user in their decision by aiding the visualization of the proposed linear equations and their slope, which allows them to find if either fog or cloud computing is more profitable for their specific scenario.
Development of Diagnostic SCAR Markers for Meloidogyne graminicola, M. oryzae, and M. salasi Associated with Irrigated Rice Fields in Americas.

Root-knot nematodes (RKN) cause important production losses of rice (Oryza sativa L.) in the world. Together with Meloidogyne graminicola Golden and Birchfield 1965, M. oryzae Maas, Sanders and Dede, 1978 and M. salasi López, 1984 have been causing damages in irrigated rice fields in Central and South America. In addition, six other RKN species may occur in rice fields in other regions of the world. Correct identification of Meloidogyne spp. is difficult but essential for the management of rice RKNs. The objective of this study was to develop some species-specific molecular markers for the diagnosis of South American RKN rice-related species. Isozyme phenotypes indicated the occurrence of some RKN species in the Brazilian samples, namely M. graminicola, M. oryzae, M. javanica, and two cryptic species designated as Meloidogyne sp. 2 and Meloidogyne sp. 3. Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis of 16 isolates revealed interspecific genetic polymorphism between Meloidogyne spp. , but isolates belonging to the same species (i.e., sharing the same esterase phenotype) always clustered together, whatever the species considered. Specific SCAR markers of 230, 120, and 160 bp were developed for M. graminicola, M. oryzae, and M. salasi, respectively. These SCAR markers may be potential molecular tools for application in routine diagnostic procedures subject to their validation with other rice RKN field populations in the world.
Einfluss des Legierungsgehaltes und der Temperatur auf das Verformungsverhalten von nanokristallinen PdAu-Legierungen

Nanokristalline Metalle (Korngrose D < 100 nm) sind durch ihre gesteigerte mechanische Festigkeit eine attraktive Alternative fur konventionelle metallische Werkstoffe. Um diese Eigenschaft nutzen zu konnen, ist das Verstandnis der bei der Verformung aktivierten Mechanismen notwendig. Die Steigerung der mechanischen Festigkeit wird aufgrund der durch die reduzierte Korngrose behinderten konventionellen Versetzungsplastizitat bewirkt. Demzufolge werden andere Verformungsmechanismen dominant. In der Literatur werden Mechanismen wie das Korngrenzgleiten, die Kornrotation und Kornausrichtung, das spannungsinduzierte Kornwachstum, die Zwillingsbildung sowie komplexe Korngrenzen und Versetzungsinteraktion diskutiert. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde das Verformungsverhalten von nanokristallinen PdAu-Legierungen mit einer mittleren Korngrose von ca. 30 nm untersucht. Es wurde der Einfluss der Dehnrate, des Legierungsgehaltes sowie der Temperatur betrachtet. Hierzu wurden die mechanischen Eigenschaften mittels Nanoindentation und Mikrodruckversuchen untersucht. Die mikrostrukturellen Anderungen wahrend der Verformung wurden an Transmissionselektronenmikroskop-Aufnahmen von Probenquerschnitten, die mit dem Ionenstrahlmikroskop prapariert wurden, analysiert. Hierbei konnte fur die nanokristallinen PdAu-Legierungen eine ausgepragte Dehnratensensitivitat beobachtet werden. Der Legierungsgehalt und die Temperatur zeigen jeweils einen Einfluss auf die Harte, jedoch nicht auf die Dehnratensensitivitat. Bei der Mikrostruktur kam es zum Auflosen der in den Proben ausgepragten (111) Texturen sowie eine Anderung der Korngrose und Kornform. Dies weist auf einen Verformungsmechanismus auf Basis von Versetzungsbewegungen und die Interaktion zwischen Korngrenzen und Versetzung hin. Fur grosere Verformungsgrade kommt es zu spannungsinduziertem Kornwachstum, welches zu einem entfestigenden Materialverhalten fuhrt.
Themis-associated phosphatase activity controls signaling in T cell development

Significance Thymocyte-expressed molecule involved in selection (Themis) regulates T cell selection. Absence of Themis leads to severely reduced numbers of CD4 and CD8 T cells, indicating a defect in T cell selection. The molecular mechanism of Themis involvement is not clear. Themis was shown to bind to Src-homology domain containing phosphatase-1 (Shp1), which is a known negative regulator of T cell receptor signaling. Here, using a very sensitive technique to measure phosphatase activity from immunoprecipitated proteins, we find that Themis positively regulates Shp1 phosphatase activity in thymocytes. Shp1 activity is reduced in the absence of Themis, thus providing an explanation for why Themis-deficient thymocytes respond more strongly to positive-selecting ligands, resulting in fewer thymocytes reaching maturity. Thymocyte-expressed molecule involved in selection (Themis) has been shown to be important for T cell selection by setting the threshold for positive versus negative selection. Themis interacts with the protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP) Src-homology domain containing phosphatase-1 (Shp1), a negative regulator of the T cell receptor (TCR) signaling cascade. However, how Themis regulates Shp1 is still not clear. Here, using a very sensitive phosphatase assay on ex vivo thymocytes, we have found that Themis enhances Shp1 phosphatase activity by increasing its phosphorylation. This positive regulation of Shp1 activity by Themis is found in thymocytes, but not in peripheral T cells. Shp1 activity is modulated by different affinity peptide MHC ligand binding in thymocytes. Themis is also associated with phosphatase activity, due to its constitutive interaction with Shp1. In the absence of Shp1 in thymocytes, Themis interacts with Shp2, which leads to almost normal thymic development in Shp1 conditional knockout (cKO) mice. Double deletion of both Themis and Shp1 leads to a thymic phenotype similar to that of Themis KO. These findings demonstrate unequivocally that Themis positively regulates Shp1 phosphatase activity in TCR-mediated signaling in developing thymocytes.
Next‐generation amplicon TRB locus sequencing can overcome limitations of flow‐cytometric Vβ expression analysis and confirms clonality in all T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia cases

T‐cell receptor (TCR) β repertoire analysis can distinguish monoclonal from polyclonal T‐cell proliferations and crucially aid in the diagnosis of T‐cell malignancies. TCR repertoire can be assessed either by flow cytometry (FCM), or by molecular genetic techniques. We compared the results of parallel analyses of Vβ expression by FCM and TRB rearrangements by DNA‐based next‐generation sequencing (NGS) in 80 diagnostic peripheral blood samples of patients with T‐cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T‐PLL) for (1) the diagnosis of clonality and (2) the assessment of dominant Vβ usage. FCM‐based analysis of the surface expression was performed using the IOTest Beta Mark kit. The NGS‐based analysis employed the multiplex Biomed‐2 VB‐JB primers. In all the samples, one or two clonal TRB rearrangements were detected by NGS. Although a dominant Vβ domain usage was detected by FCM in only 41/80 (51%) samples, clonality was suspected in all of them. In a total of 12 cases, the FCM missed the clone detected by NGS, despite theoretical coverage by the antibodies, the functionality of the rearrangement, and the expression of TCRαβ on the cell surface. Partly overlapping with those cases, FCM discovered predominant Vβ usage in the T‐PLL population that differed from the one detected by NGS in 10 cases. Overall, the concordant NGS and FCM results were obtained on 61/80 (76%) of samples. We conclude that NGS‐based TRB analysis can overcome certain limitations of FCM‐based analysis by the identification of both productive and nonproductive rearrangements and by covering the whole Vβ spectrum. Currently available FCM analysis of Vβ expression lacks this breadth but has advantages, such as parallel immunophenotyping and a more accurate quantification of the Vβ usage. © 2018 International Society for Advancement of Cytometry
Differential expression of VGLUT3 in laboratory mouse strains: Impact on drug‐induced hyperlocomotion and anxiety‐related behaviors

The atypical vesicular glutamate transporter VGLUT3 is present in subpopulations of GABAergic interneurons in the cortex and the hippocampus, in subgroups of serotoninergic neurons in raphe nuclei, and in cholinergic interneurons in the striatum. C56BL/6N mice that no longer express VGLUT3 (VGLUT3−/−) display anxiety‐associated phenotype, increased spontaneous and cocaine‐induced locomotor activity and decreased haloperidol‐induced catalepsy. Inbred mouse strains differ markedly in their sensitivity to anxiety and behavioral responses elicited by drugs. The purpose of this study was to investigate strain differences in VGLUT3 expression levels and its potential correlates with anxiety and reward‐guided behaviors. Five inbred mouse lines were chosen according to their contrasted anxiety and drugs sensitivity: C57BL/6N, C3H/HeN, DBA/2J, 129/Sv, and BALB/c. VGLUT3 protein expression was measured in different brain areas involved in reward or mood regulation (such as the striatum, the hippocampus, and raphe nuclei) and genetic variations in Slc17a8, the gene encoding for VGLUT3, have been explored. These five inbred mouse strains express very different levels of VGLUT3, which cannot be attributed to the genetic variation of the Slc17a8 locus. Furthermore, mice behavior in the open field, elevated plus maze, spontaneous‐ and cocaine‐induced locomotor was highly heterogeneous and only partially correlated to VGLUT3 levels. These data highlight the fact that one single gene polymorphism could not account for VGLUT3 expression variations, and that region specific VGLUT3 expression level variations might play a key role in the modulation of discrete behaviors.