Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Extramedullary Leukaemic Infiltration of the External Auditory Meatus: A Case Report and Literature Review

Extramedullary Leukaemic Infiltration of the External Auditory Meatus: A Case Report and Literature Review Introduction: Extramedullary spread of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia most commonly affects the liver, spleen, lymph nodes, central nervous system and skin. Leukaemic infiltration of the temporal bone is rare and may mimic otitis, further delaying appropriate treatment. Methods: Case report and literature review. Results: A sixty-year-old patient with known ‘Acute Myeloid Leukaemia with myelodysplasia-related changes’ (>33% blasts with normal female karyotype at bone marrow aspirate) that was not dependent on supportive transfusions of blood products, presented with a year-long history of left otorrhoea refractory to antibiotic therapy.
Liver Replacement Therapy

Abstract The realization of a support device able to effectively replace liver function in patients with hepatic failure has thus far been an elusive goal. The complexity of liver metabolic, synthetic, detoxifying, and excretory functions make artificial hepatic support extremely challenging. Currently, no specific treatment is available to reverse acute or acute-on-chronic liver failure, and morbidity and mortality of these syndromes are still high. Present management strategies are supportive, while waiting for spontaneous liver regeneration or liver transplant. Because of the scarcity of donor organs, liver support strategies are needed for patients with inadequate liver function until an appropriate organ becomes available for transplantation or until their liver recovers from injury. Currently available liver support systems comprise nonbiological systems (e.g., hemodiafiltration, albumin dialysis, and plasma exchange) and bioartificial systems utilizing viable liver cells. The role for these novel systems and their impact on survival or other clinically important outcomes are controversial. Development and use of bioartificial systems are limited by the inherent cost.
The contribution of behavioural science to primary care research: development and evaluation of behaviour change interventions

Behavioural science is concerned with predicting, explaining and changing behaviour. Taking a personal perspective, this article aims to show how behavioural science can contribute to primary care research, specifically in relation to the development and evaluation of interventions to change behaviour. After discussing the definition and measurement of behaviour, the principle of compatibility and theories of behaviour change, the article outlines two examples of behaviour change trials (one on medication adherence and the other on physical activity), which were part of a research programme on prevention of chronic disease and its consequences. The examples demonstrate how, in a multidisciplinary context, behavioural science can contribute to primary care research in several important ways, including posing relevant research questions, defining the target behaviour, understanding the psychological determinants of behaviour, developing behaviour change interventions and selection or development of measures. The article concludes with a number of recommendations: (i) whether the aim is prediction, explanation or change, defining the target behaviour is a crucial first step; (ii) interventions should be explicitly based on theories that specify the factors that need to be changed in order to produce the desired change in behaviour; (iii) intervention developers need to be aware of the differences between different theories and select a theory only after careful consideration of the alternatives assessed against relevant criteria; and (iv) developers need to be aware that interventions can never be entirely theory based.
Underexplored biodiversity of Eastern Mediterranean biota: systematics and evolutionary history of the genus Aubrieta (Brassicaceae)

Background and Aims Aubrieta is a taxonomically difficult genus from the Brassicaceae family with approximately 20 species centred in Turkey and Greece. Species boundaries and their evolutionary history are poorly understood. Therefore, we analysed bio- and phylogeographic relationships and evaluated morphological variation to study the evolution of this genus. Methods Phylogenetic analyses of DNA sequence variation of nuclear-encoded loci and plastid DNA were used to unravel phylogeographic patterns. Morphometric analyses were conducted to study species delimitation. DNA sequence-based mismatch distribution and climate-niche analyses were performed to explain various radiations in space and time during the last 2·5 million years. Key Results Species groups largely show non-overlapping distribution patterns in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. We recognized 20 species and provide evidence for overlooked species, thereby highlighting taxonomical difficulties but also demonstrating underexplored species diversity. The centre of origin of Aubrieta is probably Turkey, from which various clades expanded independently towards Asia Minor, south to Lebanon and west to Greece and the Balkans during the Pleistocene. Conclusions Pleistocene climatic fluctuations had a pronounced effect on Aubrieta speciation and radiation during the last 1·1 million years in the Eastern Mediterranean and Asia Minor. In contrast to many other Brassicaceae, speciation processes did not involve excessive formation of polyploids, but displayed formation of diploids with non-overlapping present-day distribution areas. Expansions from the Aubrieta centre of origin and primary centre of species diversity showed adaptation trends towards higher temperature and drier conditions. However, later expansion and diversification of taxa from within the second centre of species diversity in Greece started ∼0·19 Mya and were associated with a general transition of species adaptation towards milder temperatures and less dry conditions.
Preventive health program for nickel workers.

: The possible hazards of exposure to certain nickel compounds during nickel refining have been recognized for over 40 years. Much progress has been made in worker protection by cleaning up the process and by other protective means, and improved personal hygiene. The problem in the past has been determining those employees who are most exposed. This has been accomplished in this project by regular plasma and urine nickel determinations, demonstrating that nickel process workers absorb nickel which can be measured in plasma and urine. It was found that the highest plasma and urine nickel levels were seen in workers in those departments in which the greatest incidence of respiratory cancer occurs. Whether persistently elevated plasma nickel can be correlated with the eventual development of respiratory tract cancer is the subject for continued years of follow-up. It is not possible to conclude at this time that there is any association between the raised plasma and urine nickel and the incidence of cancer.
Integration of Theatre Activities in Cooking Workshops Improves Healthy Eating Attitudes Among Ethnically Diverse Adolescents A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study was to integrate theatre elements into interactive cooking workshops and assess if these experiences prompted attitude and awareness changes with adolescents about healthy eating. Over a 3-week period, 6 interactive cooking workshops were conducted by an artist-in-residence with a group of 21 low-income, predominantly Hispanic, high school sophomores. Social cognitive theory was used as a guide for lessons and outcomes assessment. Students prepared, discussed, and shared food, stories, and experiences about culture, health, and meals. Qualitative focus groups were conducted 4 weeks after the workshop series ended. The theatre-based cooking workshops elicited positive comments in attitudes about healthy eating, nutrition education, and enhanced cooking awareness among ethnically diverse youth. Results from preworkshop and postworkshop self-administered questionnaires showed positive shifts in healthy eating behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes. Qualitative statements supported .
Understanding the ways in which health visitors manage anxiety in cross-cultural work: a qualitative study

Aim This paper is a report of part of a study that explored the ways in which health visitors manage uncertainty and anxiety when working with clients across cultures. Background Internationally health care professionals are required to deliver a high standard of culturally appropriate care to increasingly diverse communities and yet problems persist. Research evidence informing cultural ‘competence’ is focused largely around student experience and consequently little is known about the day-to-day experiences of health professionals in diverse community settings. Anxiety and uncertainty are increasingly recognised as important emotions experienced by a variety of health care professionals when working across cultures and yet the ways in which anxiety and uncertainty is managed in practice is less well understood. Design Grounded theory methodology was used and 21 semi-structured interviews were conducted with participating health visitors in the North East of England between May 2008 and September 2009. All participants described themselves as white. Findings This study identified three different positions adopted by the health visitors to manage uncertainty and anxiety in their work across cultures. Identified as, ‘Fixing a culture’, ‘Reworking the equality agenda’ and ‘Asserting the professional self’, these strategies identify the ways in which health visitors try to manage the uncertainty and anxiety they feel when working in diverse communities. All of these strategies attempt in different ways to negate cultural difference and to render culture as static and known. Conclusion Given that health professionals report anxiety and uncertainty when working across diverse community settings, identification of the strategies used by health visitors to manage that anxiety is important for both policy and practice. New strategies need to be developed to help health professionals to manage uncertainty and anxiety in ways that promote both cultural safe care and health equity.
Understanding intraspecific variation of floral scent in light of evolutionary ecology.

Background and Aims Among the various floral traits involved in pollinator attraction and potentially under selection mediated by pollinators, floral scent/fragrance has been less investigated than other components of floral phenotype. Whether or not pollinator-mediated selection impacts floral scents depends on the heritability of scent/fragrance and the occurrence of some variation within species. Although most studies have investigated how scent varies among species, growing amounts of data are available on variation at the intraspecific level. Methods The results of 81 studies investigating intraspecific variation of floral scents in 132 taxa were reviewed. For each study, whether variation was found in either identity, proportion or absolute quantities of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was recorded, as well as information with the potential to explain variation, such as methodology, plant origin or pollination biology. Key Results Variation was found for almost all investigated species, both among individuals (among and sometimes within populations) and within individuals across different temporal scales. Cases in which such variation is a possible result of pollinator-mediated selection were analysed, by discussing separately selection related to variation in pollinator identity/behaviour among populations or across time, deceit pollination and sex-specific selection. Not surprisingly, in many cases, pollinator-mediated selection alone does not explain the observed variation in floral scent. This led us to review current knowledge on less investigated factors, such as selection mediated by natural enemies, genetic drift and gene flow, environmental constraints, phylogenetic inertia, or biochemical constraints that could be invoked to explain scent variation. Conclusions This review highlights the great potential of analysing floral scent variation and including it in integrated studies of floral phenotypes. We also have identified the current gaps in our understanding of this complex signal and we propose several methodological and conceptual future directions in this research area.
Experimenter Effects in Behavioral Research.

Has everyone heard of "Clever Hans," the mathematical horse owned by an apparently ingenuous German schoolmaster in the early 1900's? (For those who like to know such things there was "Rosa," the mare of Berlin, the dog of Utrecht, and the reading pig of Virginia, but these were cleverly cued vaudevillians.) Anyway, this horse could add, subtract, multiply, divide, read, spell, and solve problems of musical harmony, communicating his answers by tapping his foot. How? The schoolmaster was not a showman, and he made no profit from his marvelous horse. He permitted scores of investigators to look into the talents of his animal. None could explain the phenomenon until O. Pfungst observed that others had been misled by "looking for in the horse, what should have been sought in the man. " He found in the man, by some careful experiments, that he unconsciously and very subtly, cued the horse. The
Seasonal influenza among children diagnosed by their guardians: a small pilot study in Japan

Abstract Aim We aimed to elucidate the accuracy and optimal cut-off point of the self-diagnosis of influenza and the associated clinical symptoms of children by their guardians, compared with those of the rapid influenza diagnostic test (RIDT). Background Seasonal influenza is a common outpatient problem during the winter season. A paediatric influenza epidemic has socio-economic impacts like temporary school closure, school event cancellations, and unscheduled work absences among parents. Hence, early identification and assessment of influenza to prevent its spread is important from a societal perspective. Method We performed a cross-sectional observational study in a rural clinic in Japan every winter season from December 2013 to March 2016. We retrospectively extracted information from the medical records and pre-examination checklists of 24 patients aged <12 years (mean age, 5.4 years; men, 54.2%). The data extracted from the medical records and pre-examination checklist included the baseline characteristics (age, sex and past medical history of influenza), clinical signs and symptoms, diagnosis by guardians (%) and RIDT results. Findings The optimal cut-off point of the self-diagnosis of influenza by guardians was 80%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 63.6% (95% confidence interval: 30.8–89.1) and 92.3% (64.0–99.8). At a 50% cut-off point, the sensitivity and specificity were 90.9% (58.7–99.8) and 53.8% (25.1−80.8). The accuracy of feeling severely sick, as estimated by the guardians showed a sensitivity and specificity of 90.9% (58.7–99.8) and 69.2% (38.6–90.9). Our study indicates that the diagnosis of seasonal influenza by guardians to their children would be useful in the establishment of both confirmatory diagnoses when it has high probability above the optimal cut-off point (80%), and exclusion diagnosis when it has low probability (50%). Not feeling severely sick, estimated by the guardians might be a useful indicator for the exclusion of paediatric influenza.
The importance of SERINE DECARBOXYLASE1 (SDC1) and ethanolamine biosynthesis during embryogenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana.

In plants, ethanolamine is considered a precursor for the synthesis of choline, which is an essential dietary nutrient for animals. An enzyme serine decarboxylase (SDC) has been identified and characterized in Arabidopsis, which directly converts serine to ethanolamine, a precursor to phosphorylethanolamine and its subsequent metabolites in plants. However, the importance of SDC and ethanolamine production in plant growth and development remains unclear. Here, we show that SDC is required for ethanolamine biosynthesis in vivo and essential in plant embryogenesis in Arabidopsis. The knockout of SDC1 caused an embryonic lethal defect due to the developmental arrest of the embryos at the heart stage. During embryo development, the expression was observed at the later stages, at which developmental defect occurred in the knockout mutant. Overexpression of SDC1 in planta increased levels of ethanolamine, phosphatidylethanolamine, and phosphatidylcholine both in leaves and siliques. These results suggest that SDC1 plays an essential role in ethanolamine biosynthesis during the embryogenesis in Arabidopsis.
Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis in Texas: Observations on ethnicity and race

Early recognition and aggressive treatment of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) has changed a uniformly fatal disease to one 55% survive. We examined the diagnosis and treatment of pediatric patients with HLH from the three largest academic medical centers in Texas for information on modern non‐study treatment and survival. In contrast with previously reported series, the racial and ethnic composition of Texas provided a unique opportunity to evaluate the impact of race and ethnicity on survival with HLH.
Metabolic switching of astringent and beneficial triterpenoid saponins in soybean is achieved by a loss‐of‐function mutation in cytochrome P450 72A69

&NA; Triterpenoid saponins are major components of secondary metabolites in soybean seeds and are divided into two groups: group A saponins, and 2,3‐dihydro‐2,5‐dihydroxy‐6‐methyl‐4H‐pyran‐4‐one (DDMP) saponins. The aglycone moiety of group A saponins consists of soyasapogenol A (SA), which is an oxidized &bgr;‐amyrin product, and the aglycone moiety of the DDMP saponins consists of soyasapogenol B (SB). Group A saponins produce a bitter and astringent aftertaste in soy products, whereas DDMP saponins have known health benefits for humans. We completed map‐based cloning and characterization of the gene Sg‐5, which is responsible for SA biosynthesis. The naturally occurring sg‐5 mutant lacks group A saponins and has a loss‐of‐function mutation (L164*) in Glyma15g39090, which encodes the cytochrome P450 enzyme, CYP72A69. An enzyme assay indicated the hydroxylase activity of recombinant CYP72A69 against SB, which also suggested the production of SA. Additionally, induced Glyma15g39090 mutants (R44* or S348P) lacked group A saponins similar to the sg‐5 mutant, indicating that Glyma15g39090 corresponds to Sg‐5. Endogenous levels of DDMP saponins were higher in the sg‐5 mutant than in the wild‐type lines due to the loss of the enzyme activity that converts SB to SA. Interestingly, the genomes of palaeopolyploid soybean and the closely related common bean carry multiple Sg‐5 paralogs in a genomic region syntenic to the soybean Sg‐5 region. However, SA did not accumulate in common bean samples, suggesting that Sg‐5 activity evolved after gene duplication event(s). Our results demonstrate that metabolic switching of undesirable saponins with beneficial saponins can be achieved in soybean by disabling Sg‐5. Significance Statement Triterpenoid saponins in soybeans are divided into two groups: bitter and astringent group A saponins, and health‐promoting DDMP saponins. Disabling a single cytochrome P450 gene (Sg‐5) can switch the metabolism from the undesirable group A saponins to the beneficial DDMP saponins. This finding will help soybean breeders improve the quality and consumer acceptance of soy food products.
Screening for psychological distress in two French cancer centers: Feasibility and performance of the adapted distress thermometer

ABSTRACT Objective: Little is known about the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in French cancer patients. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of a screening procedure using the Psychological Distress Scale (PDS). The PDS is a French adaptation of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Thermometer. The screening performance of the PDS was assessed by comparison with the established clinical case threshold on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Methods: Among 598 consecutive cancer outpatients recruited in two cancer centers in Paris, 561 (94%) agreed to complete the PDS, the HADS, the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer core quality of life questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30), and study-specific psychosocial questions. Results: A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed, using a HADS cutoff score of 15 or greater to identify patients with psychological distress. This yielded a PDS cutoff score of 3, giving 76% sensitivity and 82% specificity. With this cutoff score, the prevalence of psychological distress was 38%. PDS scores were significantly related to scores from the HAD total scale (r = .64), HAD anxiety (r = .61) and HAD depression (r = .39) subscales, and EORTC QLQ-C30 emotional functioning (r = .56) and global health state (r = .44). In multivariate analyses, factors associated with psychological distress were female gender, taking analgesics, receiving professional psychological help, perceived psychosocial difficulties and lack of social support. Significance of results: Using the PDS appeared feasible, acceptable and effective for psychological distress screening in French ambulatory cancer care settings.