Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the impact of patient and public involvement initiatives on UK health services: A systematic review of the literature

This article reports on a systematic review of the patient and public involvement (PPI) literature in the UK that was undertaken in 2005 to support an evaluation of the Patient Advice and Liaison Services (PALS) in England.The general PPI literature has been extensively reviewed; here we focus on the relatively small empirically based evaluation literature.The research adopts the framework of realistic evaluation, which identifies contexts, mechanisms and outcomes that lead to favourable and unfavourable outcomes. The question guiding the review is therefore: 'What context and mechanism factors can be identified from empirical research that will lead to successful PPI outcomes? '. © The Policy Press.
Sodium triphosphate–capped silver nanoparticles on a decellularized scaffold-based polyurethane vascular patch for bacterial infection inhibition and rapid endothelialization

With increasing incidence rate of cardiovascular diseases and implant-related infections, there is growing demand for vascular patches that can promote endothelialization and resist bacterial infection. In this work, we immobilized sodium triphosphate–capped silver nanoparticles onto a polyurethane film to obtain a composite film and evaluated its in vitro biocompatibility. Subsequently, we anchored sodium triphosphate–capped silver nanoparticles onto a polyurethane-coated decellularized scaffold to prepare a vascular patch and investigated its in vivo performance in a mouse model. The prepared vascular patch demonstrated excellent biocompatibility and potent antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. It still maintained the surgical artery patency at 30 days after implantation. At the same time, the endothelialization at the surgical site was achieved, showing its ability to facilitate endothelialization. Therefore, it may be a promising candidate for combating bacterial infection and treating diseased blood vessels.
Normalized Thermodynamic Model for Intermittent Energy Systems and Application to Solar-Powered Adsorption Cooling Systems *

A new normalized model is developed to quantify and explore trends in coincidence of supply and demand in generic intermittent energy systems as key design and operating parameters are varied. This novel model is applied to seasonal-transient simulations for a solar-thermal powered adsorption system with and without heat recovery to investigate the coincidence between the solar-supplied cooling power and cooling load in terms of seasonal solar and loss fractions. Additionally, the system’s basic performance trends are investigated as a number of parameters are varied. Results for the conditions explored include the following. The solar fraction increases and the loss fraction decreases with increases in storage capacity, and both fractions decrease with increases in maximum bed temperature. The required evacuated tube collector area is smaller than the flat plate collector area while the required mass of adsorbent is independent of collector and adsorption cycle types. Simulation results also show the effects of operating conditions and several design parameters on the system’s COP.
Prevalence of gestational diabetes among pregnant women attending Erciyes University Medical Faculty.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of gestational diabetes at the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Erciyes University. Patients and Methods: All pregnant women admitted for routine pregnancy follow-up between November 2006 and February 2008 were included in the study. Each patient received a 100g oral glucose tolerance test between 24 to 28 weeks of gestation. Maternal age, number of previous pregnancies, parity, weight, height, family history of diabetes and whether they delivered a macrosomic baby (? 4000g) were recorded. Results: Mean maternal age was 28±5.5 (16-44) years. Mean parity was 1.1±1.2 (0-6); 171 patients (42%) were nullipara, 104 were primipara (26%) and 130 (32%) were multipara. The body mass index of the patients before pregnancy and at the time of 100g oral glucose tolerance test was 24.6±4.3 kg/m (16.6-40.7) and 27.8±4.3 kg/m (17.3-43.1), respectively. GDM prevalence of 405 patients according to the Carpanter-Coustan criteria was 11.4% (46 patients), whereas the prevalence according to the National Diabetes Data Group citeria was 6.2% (25 patients). Conclusion: The GDM prevalence at our institution according to the Carpanter-Coustan and National Diabetes Data Group criteria was 11.4% and 6.2%, respectively.
Comparison of short-term effects between subcutaneous and sublingual immunotherapies in children with house dust mite-sensitized allergic rhinitis and asthma

Purpose: There have been several studies on comparisons of efficacy between subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) and sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) in children with house dust mite (HDM)-sensitized allergic rhinitis (AR), without consistent results. This study was conducted to compare short-term effects between SCIT and SLIT in Korean children with HDM-sensitized AR. Methods: Fifty-three children (mean age, 11.15± 2.82 years) with HDM-sensitized AR and with/without asthma (SCIT group, n= 33; SLIT group, n= 20) were enrolled. Clinical symptom scores and skin prick test results were assessed before, and after 3, 6, and 12 months of immunotherapy. Blood tests, including eosinophils, total serum IgE, and HDM-specific IgE, and adenosine 5’-monophosphate, and methacholine bronchial challenge tests were performed before and after 12 months of immunotherapy. Results: In the SCIT group, the symptom scores improved after 3 months compared to those before immunotherapy, whereas they improved after 6 months in the SLIT group. Significant decreases in skin reactivity to HDM were observed after 3 months only in the SCIT group. Decreases in total eosinophil counts and improvements in methacholine bronchial provocation tests were observed after 12 months of immunotherapy only in the SCIT group. No difference in severe adverse reactions was noted in either group. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that SCIT may have more rapid effects on clinical symptoms and skin reactivity in children with AR, compared to SLIT. (Allergy Asthma Respir Dis 2015;3:180-186)
Glutamine synthetase facilitates cancer cells to recover from irradiation-induced G2/M arrest

ABSTRACT Resistance to radiation of cancer cells can be either intrinsic or acquired, leading to treatment failure. In response to DNA damage caused by IR, cancer cells are arrested in cell cycle showing limited proliferation and increased apoptosis. However, radiation-resistant cells are able to overcome the cell cycle block and proceed to proliferation, for which the detailed mechanism remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we showed that radioresistant cells exhibited a recoverable G2/M phase during prolonged cell cycle and manifested lower apoptosis rate and more colony formation. RNA-seq analysis revealed that glutamine synthetase (GS, GLUL) gene was highly expressed in radioresistant cancer cells in comparison with the parental cells, which was in accordance with the G2/M arrest after ionizing radiation. Knocking out of GS in radioresistant cells resulted in a delayed G2/M recovery and lowered proliferation rate after ionizing radiation treatment, which was accompanied with increased inhibitory phosphorylation of CDK1 at Y15 and downregulated Cdc25B, a dual specific phosphatase of CDK1. Moreover, there was an enhanced complex formation of CDK1 and Cyclin B1 when the cells were rescued by re-introducing GS. In vivo, knocking down of GS significantly sensitized CNE2-R xenografts to RT in mice. In this study, we demonstrate a novel role of glutamine synthetase independent of metabolic function in promoting recovery from G2/M arrest caused by ionizing radiation, thus, causing cancer cell resistance to radiotherapy.
Albumin-bioinspired iridium oxide nanoplatform with high photothermal conversion efficiency for synergistic chemo-photothermal of osteosarcoma

Abstract Protein-based nanocarriers with inherent biocompatibility have been widely served as building blocks to construct versatile therapeutic nanoplatforms. Herein, bovine serum albumin-iridium oxide nanoparticles (denoted BSA-IrO2 NPs) are successfully synthesized via one-step biomineralization approach. The BSA-IrO2 NPs exhibits uniform size (40 nm), superb biocompatibility and high drug loading capacity for doxorubicin (27.4 wt%). Under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation, the as-prepared BSA-IrO2 NPs exhibited high photothermal conversion ability (54.3%) and good photostability. The in vitro drug release experiments displayed pH and NIR laser -triggered DOX release profiles, which could enhance the therapeutic anticancer effect. By utilizing this DOX loaded nanoplatform, effective synergistic chemo-photothermal therapy against human osteosarcoma can be realized, which has been systematically verified both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, in vivo pharmacokinetics studies showed that BSA-IrO2@DOX had prolonged blood circulation time due to the BSA component can improve the stealthiness of the nanoparticles during the blood circulation. Meanwhile, in vitro and in vivo toxicity studies demonstrated that the BSA-IrO2 NPs can act as biocompatible agents for drug delivery and cancer therapy. Therefore, this work presents a biomineralized iridium-based NPs with remarkable features and be used as a very potential therapeutic nanoplatform for cancer treatment.
Autophagy Modulation as a Treatment of Amyloid Diseases

Amyloids are fibrous proteins aggregated into toxic forms that are implicated in several chronic disorders. More than 30 diseases show deposition of fibrous amyloid proteins associated with cell loss and degeneration in the affected tissues. Evidence demonstrates that amyloid diseases result from protein aggregation or impaired amyloid clearance, but the connection between amyloid accumulation and tissue degeneration is not clear. Common examples of amyloid diseases are Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and tauopathies, which are the most common forms of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as polyglutamine disorders and certain peripheral metabolic diseases. In these diseases, increased accumulation of toxic amyloid proteins is suspected to be one of the main causative factors in the disease pathogenesis. It is therefore important to more clearly understand how these toxic amyloid proteins accumulate as this will aide in the development of more effective preventive and therapeutic strategies. Protein homeostasis, or proteostasis, is maintained by multiple cellular pathways—including protein synthesis, quality control, and clearance—which are collectively responsible for preventing protein misfolding or aggregation. Modulating protein degradation is a very complex but attractive treatment strategy used to remove amyloid and improve cell survival. This review will focus on autophagy, an important clearance pathway of amyloid proteins, and strategies for using it as a potential therapeutic target for amyloid diseases. The physiological role of autophagy in cells, pathways for its modulation, its connection with apoptosis, cell models and caveats in developing autophagy as a treatment and as a biomarker is discussed.
The role of endogenous bromotyrosine in health and disease

Abstract Bromotyrosine is a stable by-product of eosinophil peroxidase activity, a result of eosinophil activation during an inflammatory immune response. The elevated presence of bromotyrosine in tissue, blood, and urine in medical conditions involving eosinophil activation has highlighted the potential role of bromotyrosine as a medical biomarker. This is highly beneficial in a paediatric setting as a urinary noninvasive biomarker. However, bromotyrosine and its derivatives may exert biological effects, such as protective effects in the brain and pathogenic effects in the thyroid. Understanding these pathways may yield therapeutic advancements in medicine. In this review, we summarize the existing evidence present in literature relating to bromotyrosine formation and metabolism, identify the biological actions of bromotyrosine and evaluate the feasibility of bromotyrosine as a medical biomarker.
Transcriptional Regulation and Mechanism of SigN (ZpdN), a pBS32-Encoded Sigma Factor in Bacillus subtilis

Sigma factors are utilized by bacteria to control and regulate gene expression. Some sigma factors are activated during times of stress to ensure the survival of the bacterium. Here, we report the presence of a sigma factor that is encoded on a plasmid that leads to cellular death after DNA damage. ABSTRACT Laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis encode many alternative sigma factors, each dedicated to expressing a unique regulon such as those involved in stress resistance, sporulation, and motility. The ancestral strain of B. subtilis also encodes an additional sigma factor homolog, ZpdN, not found in lab strains due to being encoded on the large, low-copy-number plasmid pBS32, which was lost during domestication. DNA damage triggers pBS32 hyperreplication and cell death in a manner that depends on ZpdN, but how ZpdN mediates these effects is unknown. Here, we show that ZpdN is a bona fide sigma factor that can direct RNA polymerase to transcribe ZpdN-dependent genes, and we rename ZpdN SigN accordingly. Rend-seq (end-enriched transcriptome sequencing) analysis was used to determine the SigN regulon on pBS32, and the 5′ ends of transcripts were used to predict the SigN consensus sequence. Finally, we characterize the regulation of SigN itself and show that it is transcribed by at least three promoters: PsigN1, a strong SigA-dependent LexA-repressed promoter; PsigN2, a weak SigA-dependent constitutive promoter; and PsigN3, a SigN-dependent promoter. Thus, in response to DNA damage SigN is derepressed and then experiences positive feedback. How cells die in a pBS32-dependent manner remains unknown, but we predict that death is the product of expressing one or more genes in the SigN regulon. IMPORTANCE Sigma factors are utilized by bacteria to control and regulate gene expression. Some sigma factors are activated during times of stress to ensure the survival of the bacterium. Here, we report the presence of a sigma factor that is encoded on a plasmid that leads to cellular death after DNA damage.
Force-induced recruitment of cten along keratin network in epithelial cells

The cytoskeleton provides structural integrity to cells and serves as a key component in mechanotransduction. Tensins are thought to provide a force-bearing linkage between integrins and the actin cytoskeleton; yet, direct evidence of tensin’s role in mechanotransduction is lacking. We here report that local force application to epithelial cells using a micrometer-sized needle leads to rapid accumulation of cten (tensin 4), but not tensin 1, along a fibrous intracellular network. Surprisingly, cten-positive fibers are not actin fibers; instead, these fibers are keratin intermediate filaments. The dissociation of cten from tension-free keratin fibers depends on the duration of cell stretch, demonstrating that the external force favors maturation of cten−keratin network interactions over time and that keratin fibers retain remarkable structural memory of a cell’s force-bearing state. These results establish the keratin network as an integral part of force-sensing elements recruiting distinct proteins like cten and suggest the existence of a mechanotransduction pathway via keratin network.
Educating hospital patients to prevent falls: protocol for a scoping review

Introduction Falls prevention in hospitals is an ongoing challenge worldwide. Despite a wide variety of recommended falls mitigation strategies, few have strong evidence for effectiveness in reducing falls and accompanying injuries. Patient education programmes that promote engagement and enable people to understand their heightened falls risk while hospitalised are one approach. The aim of this scoping review is to examine the content, design and outcomes of patient education approaches to hospital falls prevention. As well as critiquing the role of patient education in hospital falls prevention, strategies that can be used in clinical practice shall be recommended. Methods and analysis The analysis will apply the methodological framework developed by Arksey and O’Malley and refined by the Joanna Briggs Institute. An initial limited search of Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PubMed will be completed to identify keywords and index terms. A developed search strategy of Medical Subject Headings and text words will be conducted of PubMed, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, PsychINFO, Education Resources Information Center and grey literature databases from January 2008 to current. The reference lists of included articles will be hand searched for additional studies. Two reviewers will screen the titles and abstracts independently and analyse the full text of potential articles based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The data will be extracted using a structured data form. Thematic analysis and numerical synthesis of the data will be conducted, and key themes will be identified. Ethics and dissemination Results of this scoping review will illuminate the designs and outcomes of patient education research for hospital falls prevention in the current literature. It is anticipated that the findings will highlight best-practice educational design to inform the development of future patient-focused education for falls prevention. Study findings will be presented at relevant conferences and public forums, and published in peer-reviewed journals. Ethics approval is not required.
Depression, sexual behavior, and HIV treatment outcomes among transgender women, cisgender women and men who have sex with men living with HIV in Brazil and Thailand: a short report

ABSTRACT One in five transgender women (TW) are living with HIV, yet little has been published about their health outcomes. We analyzed data from TW (n = 37), cisgender women (CW, n = 165), and cisgender men who have sex with men (MSM, n = 151) in Thailand and Brazil. We hypothesized: (1) TW will have higher odds of depressive symptoms, lower odds of condom use and greater odds of a detectable viral load compared to MSM and CW; and (2) TW will have lower odds of condom use and higher odds of detectable viral load. We found that TW had higher odds of depression (OR 2.2, 95%CI: 1.0, 4.8, p = 0.04) and were less likely than MSM (22% v. 42%, p = 0.01) to use condoms with partners of unknown serostatus. In multivariable models, TW had lower odds than MSM of using condoms with partners with unknown serostatus (OR 0.38, 95%CI: 0.15, 0.90) and CW had lower odds than MSM of using condoms with HIV-negative partners (0.60 [0.38, 0.95], p = 0.029). We found no significant differences in detectable viral load. Disaggregating data by gender is important to understand factors that contribute to viral suppression and HIV transmission risk among people living with HIV.
Role of Adipokine Zinc-α-2-glycoprotein in Coronary Heart Disease.

Zinc-α-2-glycoprotein (AZGP1), is a newly identified adipokine that is associated with lipid metabolism and vascular fibrosis. Although adipokines contribute to lipid dysfunction and its related diseases, including stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD), the role of AZGP1 remains unclear. In this study, the role of AZGP1 in atherosclerosis and CHD was investigated. Serum AZGP1 levels from control (n=84) and CHD (n=91) patients were examined by ELISA and its relationship with various clinical parameters was analyzed. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence were used to detect the expression of AZGP1 and its receptor in coronary atherosclerotic arteries. THP-1 and HEK293 cells were used to verify its anti-inflammatory role in atherosclerosis. Serum AZGP1 levels in CHD patients were lower than controls (P < 0.01) and independently associated with CHD prevalence (P= 0.021). AZGP1 levels also inversely correlated with the Gensini score. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence showed that AZGP1 and its receptor β3-adrenoceptor (β3-AR) co-localized in lipid-rich areas of atherosclerotic plaques, particularly around macrophages. In vitro, AZGP1 had no effect on foam cell formation but showed anti-inflammatory effects through its regulation of JNK/AP-1 signaling. In summary, AZGP1 is an anti-inflammatory agent that can be targeted for CHD treatment.
Experiences of Young Children With Cancer and Their Parents With Nurses’ Caring Practices During the Cancer Trajectory

Children with cancer require repeated hospitalizations and the family’s everyday life and routines undergo change. Concrete descriptions of how nurses act when caring for children with cancer throughout the various phases of care and treatment are sparsely highlighted in the literature. The aim of this study was to describe young children with cancer and their parents’ experiences of nurses’ caring practices over a 3-year period, from diagnosis to follow-up. This study is based on semistructured interviews with 25 children newly diagnosed with cancer, aged 1 to 6 years, and their parents, connected to a pediatric oncology unit in Sweden. Child and parent data were analyzed with a deductive content analysis using Swanson’s theory of caring. The result shows that nurse care practices directed toward young children with cancer and their parents are to some extent similar across a 3-year period from diagnosis to follow-up but also differ in some ways. Nurses’ caring practices aim to support children and parents in the transition to a “new normal. ” Child- and family-friendly care processes include the following: creating hope and a trustful relationship, asking rather than assuming, providing knowledge and information, performing tasks skillfully, displaying an interest in the child’s and parents’ life outside the hospital, and helping the family to trust in the future and other health care providers. Based on these results, we recommend the development of a standardized and structured nursing care plan or clinical guideline with detailed information on how to carry out clinical nurse care practices in the different phases.
IDH2 reprograms mitochondrial dynamics in cancer through a HIF‐1α‐regulated pseudohypoxic state

The role of mitochondria in cancer continues to be debated and paradoxically implicated in opposing functions in tumor growth and tumor suppression. To understand this dichotomy, we explored the function of mitochondrial isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH)2, a tricarboxylic acid cycle enzyme mutated in subsets of acute leukemias and gliomas, in cancer. Silencing of IDH2 in prostate cancer cells impaired oxidative bioenergetics, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and promoted exaggerated mitochondrial dynamics. This was associated with increased subcellular mitochondrial trafficking, turnover of membrane focal adhesion complexes, and enhanced tumor cell migration and invasion, without changes in cell cycle progression. Mechanistically, loss of IDH2 caused ROS‐dependent stabilization of hypoxia‐inducible factor‐1α in normoxia, which was required for increased mitochondrial trafficking and tumor cell movements. Therefore, IDH2 is a dual regulator of cancer bioenergetics and tumor cell motility. This pathway may reprogram mitochondrial dynamics to differentially adjust energy production or promote tumor cell invasion in response to microenvironment conditions. —Wang, Y. , Agarwal, E. , Bertolini, I. , Ghosh, J. C. , Seo, J. H. , Altieri, D. C. IDH2 reprograms mitochondrial dynamics in cancer through a HIF‐1α‐regulated pseudohypoxic state. FASEB J. 33, 13398–13411 (2019). www.fasebj. org