Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Anatomic Extent of Nodal Metastasis on Adjuvant Chemotherapy Outcomes in Stage III Colon Cancer

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. BACKGROUND: An oxaliplatin-based chemotherapy regimen improves the survival outcomes of patients with stage III colon cancer. However, its complications are well-known. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to distinguish between the survival outcomes of patients who underwent curative resection for stage III colon cancer with oxaliplatin chemotherapy and those who underwent such resection without oxaliplatin chemotherapy. DESIGN: This was a retrospective analytical study based on prospectively collected data. SETTINGS: This study used data on patients who underwent surgery at our hospital between January 2010 and December 2014. PATIENTS: A cohort of 254 consecutive patients who underwent curative resection for stage III colon cancer was included in this study. The patients were divided into 2 groups: patients with isolated pericolic lymph node metastasis (n = 175) and those with extrapericolic lymph node metastasis (n = 79). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinicopathologic features and 3-year survival outcomes were analyzed with and without oxaliplatin therapy in the pericolic lymph node group. RESULTS: The pericolic lymph node group showed significantly improved overall survival compared with the extrapericolic lymph node group at a median follow-up of 48.5 months (95.8% vs 77.8%; p < 0.001). In contrast, there was no significant difference in overall survival (99.0% vs 92.0%; p = 0.137) and disease-free survival (89.1% vs 88.2%; p = 0.460) between the oxaliplatin and nonoxaliplatin subgroups of the pericolic lymph node group. Multivariate analysis showed that the administration of oxaliplatin chemotherapy to the pericolic lymph node group did not lead to a significant difference in the overall survival (p = 0.594). LIMITATIONS: The study was limited by its retrospective design and single institutional data analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that the anatomic extent of metastatic lymph nodes could affect patient prognosis, and the effect of oxaliplatin-based adjuvant chemotherapy may not be prominent in stage III colon cancer with isolated pericolic lymph node metastasis.
Interventional Management of Refractory Trigeminal Neuropathic Pain: A Prospective Audit of a Novel Management Pathway in 70 Patients.

BACKGROUND Trigeminal neuropathic pain (TNP) can present as a constant, unremitting unilateral facial pain. Current management is based on expert recommendation that includes pharmacologic agents and psychological therapy. However, treatment success with pharmacologic management is poor. We adopted a novel strategy that proved to be effective in providing durable relief. OBJECTIVES Prospectively audit a novel strategy in the management of refractory TNP. STUDY DESIGN The authors present a prospective audit of a novel structured management pathway in the treatment of refractory TNP. SETTING Multidisciplinary facial pain clinic at a University Teaching Hospital. METHODS Over a 4-year period, 70 patients with unilateral TNP were prospectively audited at a tertiary care university hospital. Initial treatment was based on pharmacologic therapy while the patient awaited psychological therapy. Patients who failed to respond were offered a novel set of interventions that included ultrasound-guided trigeminal nerve block with depot steroids. RESULTS Patient satisfaction with the novel pathway was high. Only 13 patients (13/70, 18%) responded to standard treatment. Of the 57 patients who were offered the novel intervention, 50 patients consented to undergo the intervention. Forty-two patients (42/50, 84%) reported clinically significant pain relief at 3 months, and 27 patients (27/50, 54%) reported on-going durable relief at 6 months. Treatment failure with the novel intervention was 16%. Out of 54 patients in the employable age, 45 patients (45/54, 83%) were able to maintain gainful employment. LIMITATIONS Open-label, nonrandomized observational design. CONCLUSIONS Standard treatment of TNP is ineffective. The novel set of interventions based on empirical evidence may have a role in managing patients with refractory TNP.
Sinop'da Yetişen Bazi Bitkilerin Metanolik Ekstraktlarinin Antibakteriyal ve Antifungal Aktivitelerinin Belirlenmesi Determination of Antibacterial and Antifungal Activities of Methanolic Extracts of Some Plants Growing in Sinop

In the present study, the antimicrobial activities of 15 different plant species growing in Sinop were tested against 3 Grampositive (Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Micrococcus luteus ATCC 9345, Bacillus cereus ATCC 7064), 2 Gram-negative (Escherichia coli ATCC 11293 and Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 51299) and 3 yeast (Candida krusei ATCC 6258, C. parapilosis ATCC 22019 and C. albicans ATCC 14053) strains by using disc diffusion method. It was found that all examined plant species in point of the antimicrobial activity was effective against one or more species of microorganisms. Additionally, it was determined that Crocus speciosus subsp. xantholaimos endemic to Sinop had high antimicrobial activity against tested Gram-positive and Gramnegative bacteria. However, the leaf and fruit extracts of Laurus nobilis displayed higher antifungal activity against 3 Candida species. In general, the results of the study showed that there was no significant difference between antibacterial and antifungal activities of the investigated plant extracts.
Ventilatory and Cardiac Reflex Responses to Hypoxia and NaCN in Lepisosteus osseus, an Air-breathing Fish

The hypoxic depression of gill ventilation, along with other ventilatory and cardiovascular responses to hypoxia, were studied in the bimodal breather, Lepisosteus osseus. Air-breathing frequency increased hyperbolically as water Po2 declined. The response of gill ventilation to changes in water Po2 was complex. Opercular pressure initially increased as Po2 fell, reaching maximal levels between 75 and 125 torr Po2. As the Po2 fell further, opercular pressure fell to about 50% of its maximal level. Heart rate rose as Po2 fell. Gill ventilation frequency did not change significantly with hypoxia. A 1/1 coupling between heart rate and gill ventilation was observed in four of nine fish in which heart rate was measured, during normoxia only. The Po2 in the dorsal aorta (DA) fell with hypoxia but did not change significantly in the ventral aorta (VA) at any level of aquatic hypoxia. External administration of NaCN had a large stimulatory effect on air-breathing frequency but did not significantly affect gill ventilation. Internal injections of NaCN into either the DA or VA produced a prolonged stimulation of gill ventilation and transiently stimulated air breathing, but the response to VA injections was much quicker. Heart rate was not significantly affected by NaCN. These data suggest that air breathing is initiated on stimulation of external chemoreceptors located in or near the gills, while gill ventilation is controlled by internal chemoreceptors. The depression of gill ventilation seen during hypoxia, contrasted to the exclusively stimulatory effects of the NaCN, further suggests that the internal chemoreceptors are positioned where they are able to sense the increased flow of oxygenated pulmonary blood during intense air breathing.
Viscosity Modification of Polymerizable Bicontinuous Microemulsion by Controlled Radical Polymerization for Membrane Coating Applications

Membrane modification is becoming ever more relevant for mitigating fouling phenomena within wastewater treatment applications. Past research included a novel low-fouling coating using polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsion (PBM) induced by UV-LED polymerization. This additional cover layer deteriorated the filtration capacity significantly, potentially due to the observed high pore intrusion of the liquid PBM prior to the casting process. Therefore, this work addressed an innovative experimental protocol for controlling the viscosity of polymerizable bicontinuous microemulsions (PBM) before casting on commercial ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. Prior to the coating procedure, the PBM viscosity modulation was carried out by controlled radical polymerization (CRP). The regulation was conducted by introducing the radical inhibitor 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine 1-oxyl after a certain time (CRP time). The ensuing controlled radical polymerized PBM (CRP-PBM) showed a higher viscosity than the original unpolymerized PBM, as confirmed by rheological measurements. Nevertheless, the resulting CRP-PBM-cast membranes had a lower permeability in water filtration experiments despite a higher viscosity and potentially lower pore intrusion. This result is due to different polymeric structures of the differently polymerized PBM, as confirmed by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) investigations. The findings can be useful for future developments in the membrane science field for production of specific membrane-coating layers for diverse applications.
Slight volume changes in the duck lung do not imply a fundamental change in the structure of the parenchyma

Slight changes in lung volume have previously been reported in ducks. We studied the functional structure of the lung of the domestic duck using classical anatomical techniques as well as ultrasound monitoring to unravel the causes of such changes. Later dorsal and medioventral secondary bronchi were superficially positioned and covered with a thin transparent and collapsible membrane, internally lined with a cuboidal to squamous epithelium. The lung parenchyma was rigid, with atria well supported by septa containing smooth muscles, interparabronchial septa reinforced by collagen fibres, and blood capillaries supported by epithelial plates. On ultrasound monitoring, an outward and inward movement of the lung surface during inspiration and expiration, respectively, was evident at the region where the airways were covered by the thin membranes. The movements plausibly facilitated air movement in the lung just like the air sacs. We conclude that volume changes in the duck lung occur due to a slight morphological adaptation rather than a change in the archetypical design of the avian lung parenchyma.
Highly purified extracellular vesicles from human cardiomyocytes demonstrate preferential uptake by human endothelial cells

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) represent a promising cell-free alternative for treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the lack of standardised and reproducible isolation methods capable of recovering pure, intact EVs presents a significant obstacle. Additionally, there is significant interest in investigating the interactions of EVs with different cardiac cell types. Here we established a robust technique for the production and isolation of EVs harvested from an enriched (>97% purity) population of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived cardiomyocytes (CMs) with size exclusion chromatography. Utilizing an advanced fluorescence labelling strategy, we then investigated the interplay of the CM-EVs with the three major cellular components of the myocardium (fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells) and identified that cardiac endothelial cells show preferential uptake of these EVs. Overall, our findings provide a great opportunity to overcome the translational hurdles associated with the isolation of intact, non-aggregated human iPSC-CM EVs at high purity. Furthermore, understanding in detail the interaction of the secreted EVs with their surrounding cells in the heart may open promising new avenues in the field of EV engineering for targeted delivery in cardiac regeneration.
Dapagliflozin in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease.

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic kidney disease have a high risk of adverse kidney and cardiovascular outcomes. The effect of dapagliflozin in patients with chronic kidney disease, with or without type 2 diabetes, is not known. METHODS We randomly assigned 4304 participants with an estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 25 to 75 ml per minute per 1.73 m2 of body-surface area and a urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (with albumin measured in milligrams and creatinine measured in grams) of 200 to 5000 to receive dapagliflozin (10 mg once daily) or placebo. The primary outcome was a composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes. RESULTS The independent data monitoring committee recommended stopping the trial because of efficacy. Over a median of 2.4 years, a primary outcome event occurred in 197 of 2152 participants (9.2%) in the dapagliflozin group and 312 of 2152 participants (14.5%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.51 to 0.72; P<0.001; number needed to treat to prevent one primary outcome event, 19 [95% CI, 15 to 27]). The hazard ratio for the composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal causes was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.45 to 0.68; P<0.001), and the hazard ratio for the composite of death from cardiovascular causes or hospitalization for heart failure was 0.71 (95% CI, 0.55 to 0.92; P = 0.009). Death occurred in 101 participants (4.7%) in the dapagliflozin group and 146 participants (6.8%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.88; P = 0.004). The effects of dapagliflozin were similar in participants with type 2 diabetes and in those without type 2 diabetes. The known safety profile of dapagliflozin was confirmed. CONCLUSIONS Among patients with chronic kidney disease, regardless of the presence or absence of diabetes, the risk of a composite of a sustained decline in the estimated GFR of at least 50%, end-stage kidney disease, or death from renal or cardiovascular causes was significantly lower with dapagliflozin than with placebo. (Funded by AstraZeneca; DAPA-CKD ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03036150.).
Investigation on the Curvature Correction Factor of Extension Spring

The curvature correction factor is an important parameter in the stress calculation formulation of a helical extension spring, which describes the effect of spring wire curvature on the stress increase towards its inner radius. In this study, the parameters affecting the curvature correction factor were investigated through theoretical and numerical methods. Several finite element (FE) models of an extension spring were generated to obtain the distribution of the tensile stress in the spring. In this investigation, the hook orientation and the number of coils of the extension spring showed significant effects on the curvature correction factor. These parameters were not considered in the theoretical model for the calculation of the curvature correction factor, causing a deviation between the results of the FE model and the theoretical approach. A set of equations is proposed for the curvature correction factor, which relates both the spring index and the number of coils. These equations can be applied directly to the design of extension springs with a higher safety factor.
Comprehensive analysis of the translatome reveals the relationship between the translational and transcriptional control in high fat diet-induced liver steatosis

ABSTRACT Translational regulation plays a critical role in gene expression. However, there are few genome-wide studies on translational regulation in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which is a severe non-communicable epidemic worldwide. In this study, we performed RNC-mRNA (mRNAs bound to ribosome-nascent chain complex) sequencing and mRNA sequencing to probe the translation status of high-fat-diet (HFD) induced mouse fatty liver. Generally, in the HFD group compared to the control group, changes of translation ratios and changes in mRNA abundance had a negative correlation. The relative abundance of RNC-mRNAs and mRNAs were positively correlated, yet the former changed more slowly than the latter. However, the rate of change became more balanced when it came to the livers of mice that were fed the HFD plus lycopene, an antioxidant. This indicated relatively independent roles of translational modulation and transcriptional regulation. Furthermore, many genes were differentially regulated at the transcriptional or translational levels, suggesting a new screening strategy for functional genes. In conclusion, our analysis revealed the different and correlated role of translational control with transcriptional regulation in the HFD-induced mouse fatty liver relative to the control, which indicates critical roles of translational control for liver steatosis; thus, adding a new dimension towards a better understanding and improvement of treatment for NAFLD.
Modulation of Oxidative Stress and Inflammatory Cytokines as Therapeutic Mechanisms of Ocimum americanum L Extract in Carbon Tetrachloride and Acetaminophen-Induced Toxicity in Rats

Liver diseases have now become a global canker due to increasing drug abuse and several viral infections. The current medicines on the market are woefully inadequate and limited in the application against these diseases. Fortunately, medicinal plants continue to serve as a potential source of drug discovery that could be explored to improve the situation. The present study, therefore, evaluated the hepatoprotective activities of the aqueous extract of various parts (leaves, flower and stem) of Ocimum americanum L on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)- and acetaminophen-induced toxicity in rats. The protective effect of the plant was assessed using biochemical parameters, histology, levels of liver antioxidants, and expression of some pro-inflammatory cytokines (NF-κβ and IL-1) in the liver. The leaves and stem extracts, orally administered for 7 days at 250 mg/kg, effectively prevented CCl4-induced elevation of serum biochemical parameters, prooxidants, as well as the expression of NFk-B and IL-1, which were comparable to Silymarin (standard drug). A comparative histopathological analyses of the liver exhibited virtually normal architecture compared with CCl4-treated group. The findings showed that the hepatoprotective effect of Ocimum americanum was probably due to the inhibition of oxidative stress and downregulation of proinflammatory cytokines by the effective parts of the medicinal plant.
Which social comparisons influence happiness with unequal pay?

We examine which social comparisons most affect happiness with pay that is unequally distributed (e.g., salaries and bonuses). We find that ensemble representation-attention to statistical properties of distributions such as their range and mean-makes the proximal extreme (i.e., the maximum or minimum) and distribution mean salient social comparison standards. Happiness with a salary or bonus is more affected by how it compares to the distribution mean and proximal extreme than by exemplar-based properties of the payment, like its comparison to the nearest payment or its distribution rank. This holds for randomly assigned and performance-based payments. Process studies demonstrate that ensemble representations lead people to spontaneously select these statistical properties of pay distributions as comparison standards. Exogenously increasing the salience of less extreme exemplars moderates the influence of the maximum on happiness with pay, but exogenously increasing the salience of the distribution maximum does not. As with other social comparison standards, top-down information moderates their selection. Happiness with a bonus payment is influenced by the largest payment made to others who solve the same math problems, for instance, but not by the largest payment made to others who solve different verbal problems. Our findings yield theoretical and practical insights about which members of groups are selected as social comparison standards, effects of relative income on happiness, and the attentional processes involved in ensemble representation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Spacing and pruning of purple passion fruit.

In an experiment with purple passion fruit in which a row spacing of 1.8 m (wide) was compared with that of 1.2 m (narrow) under four pruning regimes, severe, selective, light and no pruning, it was found that the narrow spacing outyielded the wide one over a period of three years. Severe pruning gave lower yields than the other pruning treatments. The greater part of the yield was produced during the first cropping year and there was a drastic decline in yields over the three years. Since the vines were given supplementary irrigation, yields were obtained throughout the year, but the marked seasonal trends were not eliminated by irrigation. Spacing did not influence fruit size and quality, but selective and light pruning gave heavier and juicier fruit than severe and no pruning.
Non-Immersive Virtual Reality for Post-Stroke Upper Extremity Rehabilitation: A Small Cohort Randomized Trial

Immersive and non-immersive virtual reality (NIVR) technology can supplement and improve standard physiotherapy and neurorehabilitation in post-stroke patients. We aimed to use MIRA software to investigate the efficiency of specific NIVR therapy as a standalone intervention, versus standardized physiotherapy for upper extremity rehabilitation in patients post-stroke. Fifty-five inpatients were randomized to control groups (applying standard physiotherapy and dexterity exercises) and experimental groups (applying NIVR and dexterity exercises). The two groups were subdivided into subacute (six months to four years post-stroke survival patients). The following standardized tests were applied at baseline and after two weeks post-therapy: Fugl–Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMUE), the Modified Rankin Scale (MRS), Functional Independence Measure (FIM), Active Range of Motion (AROM), Manual Muscle Testing (MMT), Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), and Functional Reach Test (FRT). The Kruskal–Wallis test was used to determine if there were significant differences between the groups, followed with pairwise comparisons. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test was used to determine the significance of pre to post-therapy changes. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test showed significant differences in all four groups regarding MMT, FMUE, and FIM assessments pre- and post-therapy, while for AROM, only experimental groups registered significant differences. Independent Kruskal–Wallis results showed that the subacute experimental group outcomes were statistically significant regarding the assessments, especially in comparison with the control groups. The results suggest that NIVR rehabilitation is efficient to be administered to post-stroke patients, and the study design can be used for a further trial, in the perspective that NIVR therapy can be more efficient than standard physiotherapy within the first six months post-stroke.