Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usage of Probiotics and its Clinical Significance at Surgically Treated Patients Sufferig from Colorectal Carcinoma

Introduction: Colorectal Cancer (CRC) is the third most common malignant disease and the fourth most common cause of death associated with malignancy. Adenocarcinomas account for 95% of all cases of colon cancer. Treatment usually includes a surgical resection which is preceded or followed by chemotherapy and radiotherapy depending on the stage. There is constant interest in the microbiological ecosystem of the intestine, which is considered to be crucial for the onset and progression of the disease as well as the development of postoperative complications. Iatrogenic factors associated with the treatment of CRC may result in pronounced expression of virulence of the bacterial intestinal flora and fulminant inflammatory response of the host which ultimately leads to adverse treatment results. The modulation of intestinal microflora by probiotics seems to be an effective method of reducing complications in surgical patients. The question is whether ordering probiotics can lead to more favourable treatment outcomes for our patients who are operated due to colorectal adenocarcinoma, and whether this should become common practice. Aim: To demonstrate the clinical significance of probiotic administration in patients treated for colorectal adenocarcinoma and the results compared with relevant studies. Patients and Methods: In a randomized controlled prospective study conducted at the Clinic of General and Abdominal Surgery of the UCCS in the period of 01 January 2017 until 31 December 2017, there were a total of 78 patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma. Patients were divided into two groups: a group treated with oral probiotics (n = 39) according to the 2x1 scheme starting from the third postoperative day lasting for the next thirty days, followed by 1x1 lasting for two weeks in each subsequent month to one year, and the control group (n = 39) which was not routinely treated with probiotics. Results: A statistically significant difference in the benefit of using probiotics was found during postoperative hospitalization and the occurrence of fatal outcome in the first six months. All complications were more present in the group of patients untreated with probiotic, with statistical significance shown only in the case of ileus. Probiotic has a statistically significant reduction in postoperative complications in the localization of tumours on the rectum -33.3% and the ascending colon -16.7%. Conclusion: There is a significant benefit of administering probiotics in surgically treated patients for colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Matching Smolensky's correlation bound with majority

We show that there are degree-d polynomials over F2 with correlation Ω(d/ √ n) with the majority function on n bits. This matches the O(d/ √ n) bound by Smolensky. The “correlation” between two boolean functions f, g : {0, 1} → {0, 1}, when one function is balanced, can be defined as 2−n ∑
Benefits Of Timely Care In Pancreatic Cancer: A Systematic Review To Navigate Through The Contradictory Evidence

Abstract The evidence base of policies that improve the timeliness of cancer care is under ongoing debate. Pancreatic cancer is frequently diagnosed in a stage when curative therapy is not feasible; hence, it is an important target for timelier healthcare interventions. The objectives of our research were to identify all clinical studies on pancreatic cancer care delays via a systematic literature review, to assess the study methodologies for possible biases, to conclude on the available evidence, and to formulate research recommendations on evidence gaps. Nineteen studies were identified and eight reported multivariate analyses. Although many sources of bias shifted the results towards negative or paradoxical findings, a statistically significant association of shorter delays with better clinical outcomes was demonstrated in the majority of studies reporting multivariate analyses. Noninferiority analyses were not published. Further efforts to provide timely care for pancreatic cancer patients are encouraged, and studies on the associations of delay with patient experience and healthcare resource utilization are warranted.
‘Superbugs’: new antibacterials in the pipeline

‘Superbugs’ in the context discussed herein are Gram-positive pathogens that are multi-resistant to common antibiotic classes. Although many of these organisms were recently susceptible only to vancomycin, therapeutic options are now expanding with the recent approvals for the use of quinupristin-dalfopristin and linezolid against some of these pathogens. Compounds currently under development include cell-wall active agents, such as anti-MRSA cephalosporins, and the glycopeptide LY-333328 to treat resistant Gram-positive infections. More active topoisomerase inhibitors, such as gemifloxacin, sitafloxacin and non-fluoroquinolones, are being evaluated for treatment of multi-drug resistant streptococci, as is the penem faropenem. Novel protein synthesis inhibitors, such as new ketolides and the glycylcycline GAR-936, are also in development; in addition, the lipopeptides daptomycin and HMR-1043 are being evaluated. Safety and efficacy in the treatment of serious infections are two major issues that will determine the eventual success of these agents.
Review of different methods used for clinical recognition and assessment of pain in dogs and cats

ABSTRACT In light of the need to perform surgical techniques and the importance of animal welfare because of acute pain, the objectives of the veterinary anaesthetists are to manage muscle relaxation and adequate analgesia in order to conserve a balance in the autonomic nervous system, enhance the action of the parasympathetic system in the face of the emerging action of the sympathetic portion provoked by the surgeon, and maintain a balance among them. The aim of the present review is to describe different evaluation criteria for acute pain using unidimensional and multidimensional scales, correlating these findings to parasympathetic tone activity (PTA) and bispectral index (BIS) assessment, to conduct an objective evaluation of pain that patients (dog or cat) perceives, in order to administrate an adequate analgesic treatment in each case. In conclusion, this integral, objective evaluation will allow veterinarians – especially anaesthesiologists – to improve the management of pain in the patients.
Relationship Between Structure And Antimicrobial Activity Of Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: An Overview

Abstract The inappropriate use of antimicrobials has resulted in the selection of resistant strains. Thus, a great number of studies have focused on the investigation of new antimicrobial agents. The use of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) to optimise the fight against microbial resistance has been receiving increased attention due to the non-specific activity of inorganic antimicrobial agents. The small particle size and the high surface area of ZnO NPs can enhance antimicrobial activity, causing an improvement in surface reactivity. In addition, surface modifiers covering ZnO NPs can play a role in mediating antimicrobial activity since the surface properties of nanomaterials alter their interactions with cells; this may interfere with the antimicrobial effect of ZnO NPs. The possibility of using surface modifiers with groups toxic to microorganisms can improve the antimicrobial activity of ZnO NPs. Understanding the exact toxicity mechanisms is crucial to elucidating the antimicrobial activity of ZnO NPs in bacteria and fungi. Therefore, this review aims to describe the mechanisms of ZnO NPs toxicity against fungi and bacteria and how the different structural and physical-chemical characteristics of ZnO NPs can interfere in their antimicrobial activity.
Time dependent screening of antibiotic residues in milk of antibiotics treated cows

Objective: To analyze the presence of selective antibiotic residues (oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin) in milk during the antibiotic treatment course, and to evaluate the thermal effect on antibiotics residual status in milk of antibiotic-treated cows. Materials and Methods: The raw fresh milk was collected from 18 lactating cows before antibiotics treatment, which were brought to the veterinary hospital and suffered from either mastitis, foot and mouth disease, fever, local wound, or non-specific diarrhea, and so on. Out of the 18 lactating cows, six were treated with oxytetracycline, six were treated with amoxicillin, and six were treated with ciprofloxacin parenterally. Milk samples were also collected at 2nd day during treatment and final collection was done after maintaining the withdrawal period. Since milk is heated before consumption, it was boiled at 100°C for 20 min to evaluate the thermal effect on antibiotics residual status. Thin-layer chromatography was done for screening of antibiotics residue before and after boiling of the milk. Results: At day 0 (before antibiotic treatment), no antibiotics (oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin and amoxicillin) residue was detected in raw milk of antibiotic treated cows. In contrast, on day 2 (during antibiotic treatment), 100% raw milk samples showed positive for antibiotics residue. After boiling, all milk samples showed positive for such specific antibiotics residue. On the other hand, no antibiotics residues were detected on day 9, which indicates the completion of the withdrawal period of the respective antibiotic. The intensities of bands for antibiotic on thin-layer chromatography plate of antibiotic residues in milk samples (oxytetracycline, amoxicillin, and ciprofloxacin) expressed that the respective antibiotic residual status was higher in the boiled milk compare to the raw milk. Conclusion: Proper maintenance of withdrawal period after antibiotic treatment would minimize the risk of antibiotic residues in milk, and boiling does not change these specific antibiotics residual status in milk. Therefore, awareness regarding the proper maintenance of withdrawal period after antibiotic treatment in lactating cows is one of the best strategies that may positively reduce the risk of antimicrobial drugs residue in milk.
Deep Learning Algorithm for Automated Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity Plus Disease

Purpose This study describes the initial development of a deep learning algorithm, ROP.AI, to automatically diagnose retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) plus disease in fundal images. Methods ROP.AI was trained using 6974 fundal images from Australasian image databases. Each image was given a diagnosis as part of real-world routine ROP screening and classified as normal or plus disease. The algorithm was trained using 80% of the images and validated against the remaining 20% within a hold-out test set. Performance in diagnosing plus disease was evaluated against an external set of 90 images. Performance in detecting pre-plus disease was also tested. As a screening tool, the algorithm's operating point was optimized for sensitivity and negative predictive value, and its performance reevaluated. Results For plus disease diagnosis within the 20% hold-out test set, the algorithm achieved a 96.6% sensitivity, 98.0% specificity, and 97.3% ± 0.7% accuracy. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.993. Within the independent test set, the algorithm achieved a 93.9% sensitivity, 80.7% specificity, and 95.8% negative predictive value. For detection of pre-plus and plus disease, the algorithm achieved 81.4% sensitivity, 80.7% specificity, and 80.7% negative predictive value. Following the identification of an optimized operating point, the algorithm diagnosed plus disease with a 97.0% sensitivity and 97.8% negative predictive value. Conclusions ROP.AI is a deep learning algorithm able to automatically diagnose ROP plus disease with high sensitivity and negative predictive value. Translational Relevance In the context of increasing global disease burden, future development may improve access to ROP diagnosis and care.
Sift: resource-efficient consensus with RDMA

Sift is a new consensus protocol for replicating state machines. It disaggregates CPU and memory consumption by creating a novel system architecture enabled by one-sided RDMA operations. We show that this system architecture allows us to develop a consensus protocol which centralizes the replication logic. The result is a simplified protocol design with less complex interactions between the participants of the consensus group compared to traditional protocols. The dissaggregated design also enables Sift to reduce deployment costs by sharing backup computational nodes across consensus groups deployed within the same cloud environment. The required storage resources can be further reduced by integrating erasure codes without making significant changes to our protocol. Evaluation results show that in a cloud environment with 100 groups where each group can support up to 2 simultaneous failures, Sift can reduce the cost by 56% compared to an RDMA-based Raft deployment.
Cephalometric Measurements Of Non-Syndromic Oligodontia In Early Dental Age In A Japanese Population

Purpose Oligodontia significantly affects oral function and esthetics. Recognition of skeletal and dental patterns may aid in proper diagnosis and development of appropriate interventions. The aim of this study was to analyze skeletal and dental patterns for pre-adolescent patients with a diagnosis of oligodontia. Patients and methods This study included 19 oligodontia patients (age: 9.5±1.3, Hellman’s developmental stage IIIA~IIIB) along with a control group that comprised of 19 participants (age: 9.9±1.6) without any skeletal disharmony or congenitally missing teeth, with an Angle class I relationship and general crowding. Average cephalometric measurements among the oligodontia group were compared to the control group. The correlation between number of congenitally missing teeth (CMT) and each measurement was investigated. Skeletal measurements for both male and female patients in the oligodontia group and the control group were also compared. Results No significant difference between the experimental and the control group was observed with respect to skeletal angular and linear measurements, except the gonial angle. Differences in dental pattern measurements were observed. The oligodontia group had significantly smaller Mo-Ms and Is-Mo than the control group (p<0.01). No correlation was detected between severity of oligodontia (number of CMT) and skeletal measurement except for SNB (R=−0.4). For females with oligodontia, Mo-Ms (eruption of maxillary first molar) and Is-Mo (mesial location of maxillary first molar) significantly differed from females in the control group (p<0.01). In contrast, no differences in Mo-Ms or Is-Mo were detected for male patients when oligodontia and control group were compared. Conclusion Among pre-adolescent Japanese patients with oligodontia in Hellman’s developmental age IIIA~IIIB, no significant differences in skeletal characteristics were established when compared to the control group. However, tooth position of maxillary first molars indicated smaller vertical descent and mesial shift, which may suggest weak maxillary vertical development.
IMPACT OF FREE SECONDARY EDUCATION POLICY ON INTERNAL EFFICIENCY OF DAY SCHOOLS IN GATANGA DISTRICT, MURANG'A COUNTY, KENYA.

In 2008, the Kenyan government introduced the free secondary education (FSE) programme with the aim of expanding access to secondary education to children from poor households who may fail to enroll because the parents are unable to pay. The government is seeking to expand secondary education while constrained by resources and strategies should therefore be put in place to ensure that the FSE programme is sustainable and that it yields meaningful gains. One such strategy would be to improve the internal efficiency of the education system and of individual institutions. This study sought to analyze the internal efficiency of day schools in Gatanga district under FSE. In particular the study sought to establish the status of repetition, performance in exams and enrolment/school sizes under FSE. The study adopted the survey design. The target population included 23 day secondary schools, 23 principals and 245 teachers. Simple random sampling was used to select a sample consisting of 8 schools and 8 principals and purposive sampling was used to select the 48 teachers who were included in the sample. Questionnaires and interview schedules were used to collect data from teachers and principals respectively. Data on performance, repeaters and enrolment was collected through document analysis. Content validity of the instruments was determined through consultations with supervisors and their reliability was tested by piloting the instruments. Data was edited, coded and punched into a computer. Quantitative data was tabulated and analyzed using measures of central tendency and percentages, by means of Excel computer program. The data is presented in tables and bar graphs. Qualitative data was subjected to thematic analysis. The study found that in the period between 2008 and 2011 performance of day schools in KCSE improved, repeater rates greatly increased and enrolment had a marginal increase. It was concluded that the FSE policy had contributed both positively and negatively to internal efficiency of day schools; positively through improved performance in national exams and enrolment (although schools were still under enrolled) and negatively through increased repeater rates. It was recommended that there was need to put in place clear guidelines on class size so as to address the problem of screening as a cause of under enrolment. Another recommendation was that strict guidelines on repetition should be put in place so as to avoid wastage of resources allocated to schools and to the education sector. Textbooks and an equipped science laboratory are instrumental in improving performance of learners. It was therefore recommended that the ministry of education officials should occasionally inspect schools to ensure that the textbook fund and other such funds which directly improve learners’ achievement are not diverted to other school projects. Recommendations for further research were also made.
Conversion From The Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire To The Informant Questionnaire On Cognitive Decline In The Elderly

Purpose The ability to convert scores between cognitive measurements would facilitate the longitudinal assessment of cognition in clinical practice and the comparison and synthesis of cognitive data from international, multicenter, or longitudinal studies. The primary aim of this study was to apply a simple and reliable method for converting scores from the Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire (KDSQ) to those of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline in the Elderly (IQCODE). Patients and methods A total of 627 participants, with and without cognitive dysfunction, received both the KDSQ and the IQCODE at the same visit. The scores of both tools were calculated, and equipercentile equating was used to create a method for converting scores from the KDSQ to the IQCODE. Results KDSQ scores were highly correlated with IQCODE scores (Pearson r = 0.905, P < 0.01). We developed scores for converting the KDSQ to the IQCODE using equipercentile equating and log-linear smoothing. We provide an easy-to-use table that enables the conversion of KDSQ scores to IQCODE scores. Conclusion We delivered a simple and reliable method for converting scores from the KDSQ to the IQCODE. The conversion score table reported here enables direct and easy comparison of these cognitive measurements in older adults.
Histology of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Association with Clinical Features, Radiological Findings, and Locoregional Therapy Outcomes

Objective: The objective of the study was to investigate whether hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) histology is associated with clinical and computed tomographic/magnetic resonance imaging features and locoregional therapy (LRT) outcomes. Subjects and Methods: This single-center retrospective study included 124 consecutive patients (92 men, median age 59 years) with 132 HCC diagnosed by biopsy between 2008 and 2017 before LRT. Patients underwent chemoembolization (n = 51, 41%), ablation (n = 41, 33%), yttrium-90 radioembolization (n = 17, 13%), and chemoembolization/ablation (n = 15, 12%). Barcelona clinic liver cancer (BCLC) stage was 0/A (n = 48, 38%), B (n = 33, 26%), C (n = 27, 22%), and D (n = 16, 13%). Edmondson-Steiner (ES) grade and cytology were correlated with baseline features and radiologic response using logistic regression. Time to progression (TTP) and transplant-free survival (TFS) were analyzed using Cox proportional hazard models. Results: High ES grade was associated with α-fetoprotein (AFP) >50 ng/ml (odds ratio [OR] 4.6, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5–13.9; P < 0.01), tumor diameter >5 cm (OR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1–9.0; P < 0.05), infiltrative appearance (OR 5.0, 95% CI: 1.5–16.2; P < 0.01), and BCLC Stage C (OR 4.5, 95% CI: 1.3–16.4; P = 0.02). Clear-cell subtype was associated with non-viral cirrhosis (OR 5.3, 95% CI: 1.6–17.2; P < 0.01) and atypical enhancement (OR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.0–9.3; P < 0.05). AFP, BCLC Stage B, and diameter were associated with reduced TTP and TFS (P < 0.05). Neither ES grade nor clear-cell subtype was associated with objective response (OR 2.3, 95% CI: 0.7– 7.4; P = 0.15 and OR 1.1, 95% CI: 0.4–3.4; P = 0.87, respectively), TTP (P > 0.20), or TFS (P > 0.90) on univariate or stratified analysis. Conclusion: Histologic grade is associated with aggressive tumor features, while clear-cell HCC is associated with non-viral cirrhosis and atypical enhancement. Unlike AFP, BCLC stage, and tumor size, histologic features were not associated with LRT outcomes, supporting biopsy deferral for imaging diagnosed HCC.
Body Composition of Filipino Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Patients in Relation to Their Lung Function, Exercise Capacity and Quality of Life

Background and objectives The loss of muscle or fat free mass (FFM) as a result of systemic inflammation and poor nutrition in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), is recognized as an important factor that influences symptoms and disease-related outcomes. To date, there are no data on body composition among Filipino COPD patients and how it impacts COPD disease severity. This paper examined the relationship of Fat Free Mass Index (FFMI = FFM/height) and sarcopenia with COPD disease severity variables. Methods This was a cross-sectional analytic study comparing low and normal FFMI, sarcopenic and nonsarcopenic COPD patients, in terms of lung function, exercise capacity, and quality of life score. Filipino COPD patients older than 40 years were included. Patients performed six minute walking distance (6MWD), handgrip strength (HGS), and quality of life status evaluation using Filipino version of COPD Assessment Test (CAT). Body composition was measured using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Results A total of 41 patients were included. The mean age was 69.22 years. The prevalence of being underweight and having sarcopenia was 32% and 46%, respectively. Point biserial correlation showed that COPD patients with low FFMI had a statistically significant reduction in peak inspiratory flow (r= −0.5791, P value 0.0002), peak expiratory flow (r= −0.4475, P value 0.0055), and handgrip strength (r= −0.4560, P value 0.0027); and lower CAT score (r= −0.3422, P value 0.0285). Similar findings were observed among sarcopenic COPD patients. Conclusion The prevalence of being underweight and having sarcopenia was high. Low FFMI results in reduction of lung function and upper limb muscle strength among Filipino COPD patients.