Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathological changes in the cerebellum of patients with multiple system atrophy and Parkinson's disease—a stereological study

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are synucleinopathies characterized by aggregation of α‐synuclein in brain cells. Recent studies have shown that morphological changes in terms of cerebral nerve cell loss and increase in glia cell numbers, the degree of brain atrophy and molecular and epidemiological findings are more severe in MSA than PD. In the present study, we performed a stereological comparison of cerebellar volumes, granule and Purkinje cells in 13 patients diagnosed with MSA [8 MSA‐P (striatonigral subtype) and 5 MSA‐C (olivopontocerebellar subtype)], 12 PD patients, and 15 age‐matched control subjects. Only brains from MSA‐C patients showed a reduction in the total number of Purkinje cells (anterior lobe) whereas both MSA‐P and MSA‐C patients had reduced Purkinje cell volumes (perikaryons and nuclei volume). The cerebellum of both diseases showed a reduction in the white matter volume compared to controls. The number of granule cells was unaffected in both diseases. Analyses of cell type‐specific mRNA expression supported our structural data. This study of the cerebellum is in line with previous findings in the cerebrum and demonstrates that the degree of morphological changes is more pronounced in MSA‐C than MSA‐P and PD. Further, our results support an explicit involvement of cerebellar Purkinje cells and white matter connectivity in MSA‐C > MSA‐P and points to the potential importance of white matter alterations in PD pathology.
Pectoral and pelvic girdle rotations during walking and swimming in a semi-aquatic turtle: testing functional role and constraint

ABSTRACT Pectoral and pelvic girdle rotations play a substantial role in enhancing stride length across diverse tetrapod lineages. However, the pectoral and pelvic girdle attach the limbs to the body in different ways and may exhibit dissimilar functions, especially during locomotion in disparate environments. Here, we tested for functional differences between the forelimb and hindlimb of the freshwater turtle Pseudemys concinna during walking and swimming using X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM). In doing so, we also tested the commonly held notion that the shell constrains girdle motion in turtles. We found that the pectoral girdle exhibited greater rotations than the pelvic girdle on land and in water. Additionally, pelvic girdle rotations were greater on land than in water, whereas pectoral girdle rotations were similar in the two environments. These results indicate that although the magnitude of pelvic girdle rotations depends primarily on whether the weight of the body must be supported against gravity, the magnitude of pectoral girdle rotations likely depends primarily on muscular activity associated with locomotion. Furthermore, the pectoral girdle of turtles rotated more than has been observed in other taxa with sprawling postures, showing an excursion similar to that of mammals (∼38 deg). These results suggest that a rigid axial skeleton and internally positioned pectoral girdle have not constrained turtle girdle function, but rather the lack of lateral undulations in turtles and mammals may contribute to a functional convergence whereby the girdle acts as an additional limb segment to increase stride length. Summary: During locomotion, the turtle pectoral girdle rotates more than the pelvis. While pelvic girdle rotations are larger on land, the pectoral girdle rotates similarly during swimming and walking.
Towards classifying non-segmented heart sound records using instantaneous frequency based features

Abstract Heart sound and its recorded signal which is known as phonocardiograph (PCG) are one of the most important biosignals that can be used to diagnose cardiac diseases alongside electrocardiogram (ECG). Over the past few years, the use of PCG signals has become more widespread and researchers pay their attention to it and aim to provide an automated heart sound analysis and classification system that supports medical professionals in their decision. In this paper, a new method for heart sound features extraction for the classification of non-segmented signals using instantaneous frequency was proposed. The method has two major phases: the first phase is to estimate the instantaneous frequency of the recorded signal; the second phase is to extract a set of eleven features from the estimated instantaneous frequency. The method was tested into two different datasets, one for binary classification (Normal and Abnormal) and the other for multi-classification (Five Classes) to ensure the robustness of the extracted features. The overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision for binary classification and multi-classification were all above 95% using both random forest and KNN classifiers.
Accuracy of Modified Axial Length Adjustment for Intraocular Lens Power Calculation in Chinese Axial Myopic Eyes

ABSTRACT Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of modified Wang-Koch adjustment for intraocular lens power calculation in axial myopic eyes at Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Guangzhou, China. Materials and Methods Consecutive cataract patients with axial lengths (ALs) over 25.0 mm were enrolled. The accuracies of SRK/T and Holladay 1 with modified Wang-Koch AL adjustment were compared with those calculated with optimized lens constants for long eyes and lens constants from the User Group for Laser Interference Biometry. They were also compared with Barrett Universal II (Barrett) and Haigis. The median absolute error (AE), mean absolute error (MAE) and proportions of eyes with a prediction error (PE) within ±0.25 diopter (D), ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D were determined. Results In total, 325 eyes from patients with a mean age of 58.62 ± 13.51 years and a mean preoperative AL of 27.65 ± 2.05 mm were included. For SRK/T, Wang-Koch adjustment did not increase the proportion of eyes within the given diopter of PE in any AL subgroup and led to worse outcomes for ALs between 27.0 mm and 30.0 mm (n = 129; P = .001) compared to the method of using measured AL and optimized constant. For Holladay 1, comparison of PEs within ±0.50 D favored AL adjusted eyes in all subgroups. Moreover, the median AE of Holladay 1 with Wang-Koch adjustment in eyes with ALs between 25.0 mm and 27.0 mm was lower than that of Barrett (n = 146; P = .02). Conclusions The modified Wang-Koch adjustment had better performance than constant optimization for Holladay 1 but not for SRK/T. Holladay 1 with Wang-Koch adjustment was more accurate than Barrett for ALs between 25.0 mm and 27.0 mm.
Enhancement of role modelling in clinical educators: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract Introduction: Role models have an important impact on the professional behavior of medical students. Previous investigations help us understand how to improve role modelling. However, studies aiming at enhancing role modelling among clinical educators are very limited and generally lack comprehensive evaluations of the designed programs. We intended to gather robust evidence on the effectiveness of a longitudinal program for enhancing role modelling. Methods: Clinical educators were divided into intervention and control groups. The longitudinal program, developed based on the exposure phase of the ‘Positive Doctor Role Modelling’ framework, was delivered during three months of onsite and online sessions. The effectiveness of the program was assessed in three levels of reaction, learning, and behavior. Results: In the intervention group (N = 18), the mean score of satisfaction was 4.7 (SD = 0.5), and the learning (awareness about role modelling) improved significantly after the program (3.33–4.34), comparing to the control group (3.53–3.63). There was no significant difference in terms of behavior improvement between the two groups, before and after the program. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that our longitudinal faculty development program on role modelling was highly appreciated by clinical educators, and improved their awareness and deliberate role modelling.
Platelet‐derived growth factor receptor α/glial fibrillary acidic protein expressing peritumoral astrocytes associate with shorter median overall survival in glioblastoma patients

The microenvironment and architecture of peritumoral tissue have been suggested to affect permissiveness for infiltration of malignant cells. Astrocytes constitute a heterogeneous population of cells and have been linked to proliferation, migration, and drug sensitivity of glioblastoma (GBM) cells. Through double‐immunohistochemical staining for platelet‐derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), this study explored the intercase variability among 45 human GBM samples regarding density of GFAP+ peritumoral astrocytes and a subset of GFAP+ peritumoral astrocyte‐like cells also expressing PDGFRα. Large intercase variability regarding the total peritumoral astrocyte density and the density of PDGFRα+/GFAP+ peritumoral astrocyte‐like cells was detected. DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization analyses for commonly altered genetic tumor markers supported the interpretation that these cells represented a genetically unaffected host cell subset referred to as PDGFRα+/GFAP+ peritumoral astrocytes. The presence of PDGFRα+/GFAP+ peritumoral astrocytes was significantly positively correlated to older patient age and peritumoral astrocyte density, but not to other established prognostic factors. Notably, presence of PDGFRα+/GFAP+ peritumoral astrocytes, but not peritumoral astrocyte density, was associated with significantly shorter patient overall survival. The prognostic association of PDGFRα+/GFAP+ peritumoral astrocytes was confirmed in multivariable analyses. This exploratory study thus demonstrates previously unrecognized intercase variability and prognostic significance of peritumoral abundance of a novel PDGFRα+ subset of GFAP+ astrocytes. Findings suggest clinically relevant roles of the microenvironment of peritumoral GBM tissue and encourage further characterization of the novel astrocyte subset with regard to origin, function, and potential as biomarker and drug target.
SURVEY OF THE PREVALENCE OF GLUCOSE-6-PHOSPHATE DEHYDROGENASE DEFICIENCY IN RASHT-IRAN

Introduction: G6PD Deficiency is the most common enzyme deficiency in all over the world. The prevalence of this defect differs in the different parts of the world (from 0.1 to 50 percent). Clinical complications such as Acute Hemolytic Anemia and Neonatal Jaundice are common in areas that materials which have oxidant factor such as Fava bean is used excessively. Objective: Study of the prevalence of this defect in Rasht. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 605 male and 585 female neonates were examined by FST (Fluorescent Spot Test) in 17 Shahrivar Hospital. Results: 59 males (9.8%, CI 95%=7.5-12.5%) and 18 females (3.1%, CI 95%= 1.9-4.9%) were detected as G6PD Deficient. Total prevalence was 6.4 percent (CI 95%: 5-8 percent). It is obvious that G6PD Deficiency in males was more than females (p<0.001, RR=3.3). There was no significant relation between G6PD Deficiency and being term or preterm (p>0.1). Conclusion: Because G6PD is sex related, its three times more prevalence in male compared with female in expected. This deficiency is more common in south compared with north of Iran(probably because of malaria) but the excessive use of Fava bean is the main reason for incidence of its complications in this area, then, the wise policy would be screening neonates and instruction parents.
Arteriovenous Fistula Use in the United States and Dialysis Facility-Level Comorbidity Burden.

RATIONALE & OBJECTIVE Patients with multiple comorbid conditions are less likely to use an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) for hemodialysis vascular access. Some dialysis facilities have high rates of AVF placement despite having patients with many comorbid conditions. This study describes variation in facility-level use of AVFs across the facility-level burden of patient comorbid conditions. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS Medicare patients receiving hemodialysis for 1 year or more in US dialysis facilities. PREDICTORS Facility-level burden of patient comorbid conditions; patient characteristics. OUTCOMES Odds of AVFs versus other access types; facility-level use of AVFs. ANALYTICAL APPROACH Facility-level comorbidity burden was calculated by summing individual comorbid conditions, determining the average per patient, then defining 11 groups based on facility percentile ranking. Generalized estimating equations with a logit link were used to estimate the odds of AVF placement at the patient level. For the facility-level analysis, a generalized estimating equation model with the identity link was fit to characterize the percentage of AVF use at each facility. RESULTS Overall, AVF use was 65.8% in 315,919 prevalent hemodialysis patients among 5,813 facilities. After adjustment for patient characteristics, AVF use was 0.27, 0.30, 1.05, and 1.74 percentage points lower than the median among facilities in the 61st to 70th, 71st to 80th, 81st to 90th, and 91st to 99th percentiles of comorbidity, respectively, and 0.42, 0.63, 1.34, and 1.90 percentage points higher than the median among facilities in the 31st to 40th, 21st to 30th, 11th to 20th, and 1st to 10th percentiles of comorbidity, respectively. Facilities in the greater than 99th percentile of comorbidity burden had AVF use that was 3.47 percentage points lower than the median. Facilities in the less than 1st percentile of comorbidity burden had AVF use that was 2.64 percentage points greater than the median. LIMITATIONS Limited to Medicare dialysis-dependent patients treated for 1 year or more. CONCLUSIONS After adjustment for patient characteristics, we found small differences in facility rates of AVF use except in the extremes of high or low levels of comorbidity burden. Our study demonstrates that dialysis facilities with a relatively high patient comorbidity burden can achieve similar fistula rates as facilities with healthier patients. Although high comorbidity burden does not explain low facility AVF use, additional study is needed to understand differences in AVF use rates between facilities with similar comorbidity burdens.
Detection of Circulating and Disseminated Neuroblastoma Cells Using the ImageStream Flow Cytometer for Use as Predictive and Pharmacodynamic Biomarkers

Purpose: Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) serve as noninvasive tumor biomarkers in many types of cancer. Our aim was to detect CTCs from patients with neuroblastoma for use as predictive and pharmacodynamic biomarkers. Experimental Design: We collected matched blood and bone marrow samples from 40 patients with neuroblastoma to detect GD2+/CD45− neuroblastoma CTCs from blood and disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) from bone marrow using the Imagestream Imaging flow cytometer (ISx). In six cases, circulating free DNA (cfDNA) extracted from plasma isolated from the CTC sample was analyzed by high-density single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) arrays. Results: CTCs were detected in 26 of 42 blood samples (1–264/mL) and DTCs in 25 of 35 bone marrow samples (57—291,544/mL). Higher numbers of CTCs in patients with newly diagnosed, high-risk neuroblastoma correlated with failure to obtain a complete bone marrow (BM) metastatic response after induction chemotherapy (P < 0.01). Ex vivo Nutlin-3 (MDM2 inhibitor) treatment of blood and BM increased p53 and p21 expression in CTCs and DTCs compared with DMSO controls. In five of six cases, cfDNA analyzed by SNP arrays revealed copy number abnormalities associated with neuroblastoma. Conclusions: This is the first study to show that CTCs and DTCs are detectable in neuroblastoma using the ISx, with concurrently extracted cfDNA used for copy number profiling, and may be useful as pharmacodynamic biomarkers in early-phase clinical trials. Further investigation is required to determine whether CTC numbers are predictive biomarkers of BM response to first-line induction chemotherapy.
Diversity of 2D Acoustofluidic Fields in an Ultrasonic Cavity Generated by Multiple Vibration Sources

Two-dimensional acoustofluidic fields in an ultrasonic chamber actuated by segmented ring-shaped vibration sources with different excitation phases are simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics. Diverse acoustic streaming patterns, including aggregation and rotational modes, can be feasibly generated by the excitation of several sessile ultrasonic sources which only vibrate along radial direction. Numerical simulation of particle trajectory driven by acoustic radiation force and streaming-induced drag force also demonstrates that micro-scale particles suspended in the acoustofluidic chamber can be trapped in the velocity potential well of fluid flow or can rotate around the cavity center with the circumferential acoustic streaming field. Preliminary investigation of simple Russian doll- or Matryoshka-type configurations (double-layer vibration sources) provide a novel method of multifarious structure design in future researches on the combination of phononic crystals and acoustic streaming fields. The implementation of multiple segmented ring-shaped vibration sources offers flexibility for the control of acoustic streaming fields in microfluidic devices for various applications. We believe that this kind of acoustofluidic design is expected to be a promising tool for the investigation of rapid microfluidic mixing on a chip and contactless rotational manipulation of biosamples, such as cells or nematodes.
Four Novel SNPs of MYO1A Gene Associated with Heat-Tolerance in Chinese Cattle

Simple Summary Chinese indigenous cattle were clustered into two groups of southern and northern breeds. The populations distributed in the hot south are mainly dominated by Bos indicus, and the populations distributed in the cold north are mainly dominated by Bos taurus. Myosin-1a (MYO1A) gene is a candidate gene related to pigmentation, which may be closely related to the heat tolerance traits of cattle. Therefore, our study aimed to explore the relationship between MYO1A gene and heat tolerance in Chinese indigenous cattle. Abstract Based on the previous GWAS research related to bovine heat tolerance trait, this study aimed to explore the effect of myosin-1a (MYO1A) gene on bovine heat tolerance trait, and find the molecular markers related to the heat tolerance of Chinese cattle. In our study, four novel candidate SNPs highly conserved in B. indicus breeds but barely existed in B. taurus were identified in MYO1A gene according to Bovine Genome Variation Database and Selective Signatures (BGVD). PCR and DNA sequencing were used to genotype 1072 individuals including 34 Chinese indigenous cattle breeds as well as Angus and Indian zebu. Two synonymous mutations (rs208210464 and rs110123931), one missense mutation (rs209999142; Phe172Ser), and one intron mutation (rs135771836) were detected. The frequencies of mutant alleles of the four SNPs gradually increased from northern groups to southern groups of Chinese cattle, which was consistent with the distribution of various climatic conditions of China. Additionally, four SNPs were significantly associated with four climatic conditions including annual mean temperature (T), relative humidity (H), temperature-humidity index (THI), and average annual sunshine hours (100-cloudiness) (SR). Among these, rs209999142 and Hap 1/1 had better performance than others. Our results suggested that rs209999142 was associated with heat-tolerance trait and rs208210464, rs110123931, and rs135771836 showed high phenotypic effect on heat-tolerance trait because of the strong linkage with rs209999142. These SNPs could be used as candidates for marker-assisted selection (MAS) in cattle breeding.
Comorbidity associated to Ascaris suum infection during pulmonary fibrosis exacerbates chronic lung and liver inflammation and dysfunction but not affect the parasite cycle in mice

Ascariasis is considered the most neglected tropical disease, and is a major problem for the public health system. However, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a result of chronic extracellular deposition of matrix in the pulmonary parenchyma, and thickening of the alveolar septa, which reduces alveolar gas exchange. Considering the high rates of ascariasis and pulmonary fibrosis, we believe that these two diseases may co-exist and possibly lead to comorbidities. We therefore investigated the mechanisms involved in comorbidity of Ascaris suum (A. suum) infection, which could interfere with the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. In addition, we evaluated whether a previous lung fibrosis could interfere with the pulmonary cycle of A. suum in mice. The most important findings related to comorbidity in which A. suum infection exacerbated pulmonary and liver injury, inflammation and dysfunction, but did not promote excessive fibrosis in mice during the investigated comorbidity period. Interestingly, we found that pulmonary fibrosis did not alter the parasite cycle that transmigrated preferentially through preserved but not fibrotic areas of the lungs. Collectively, our results demonstrate that A. suum infection leads to comorbidity, and contributes to the aggravation of pulmonary dysfunction during pulmonary fibrosis, which also leads to significant liver injury and inflammation, without changing the A. suum cycle in the lungs.
Randomised Clinical Trial Comparing the Efficacy of A Gluten-Free Diet Versus A Regular Diet in A Series of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Rodrigo L, Hernández-Lahoz C, Fuentes D, Mauri G, Alvarez N, et al. (2014) Randomised Clinical Trial Comparing the Efficacy of A Gluten-Free Diet Versus A Regular Diet in A Series of Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis Patients. Int J Neurol Neurother 1:012 Received: October 28, 2014: Accepted: December 03, 2014: Published: December 08, 2014 Copyright: © 2014 Rodrigo L. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Rodrigo L et al. Int J Neurol Neurother 2014, 1:2 ISSN: 2378-3001
Levels of Awareness of Procedural Sedation and Analgesia among Non-anaesthesiologists at an Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa

Background: Procedural sedation and analgesia (PSA) is performed by a group of non-anaesthesiologists in numerous hospital settings. Currently, there is no literature describing sedation practices among non-anaesthesiologists in South Africa despite its wide use. Aim: To describe the profile of non-anaesthesiologist PSA providers at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH), their awareness of the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) Sedation Guidelines 2010 and their level of comfort when performing PSA. Methods: A questionnaire was used to assess the demographic profile of non-anaesthesiologists providing sedation at an academic hospital in Johannesburg, their awareness of the SASA Sedation Guidelines 2010 and their level of comfort when performing sedation were assessed. Results: A total of 159 questionnaires were received from the departments of general surgery and trauma, radiology, emergency medicine, orthopaedics and internal medicine. The overall levels of awareness of sedation guidelines among non-anaesthesiologists are poor. The mean score (standard deviation) for correctly answered questions was 19.55 (4.75) of 31 questions. Junior doctors scored higher than consultants (p = 0.008) but were more likely to feel uncomfortable administering sedation (p = 0.031). A significant relationship between pharmacology knowledge and levels of comfort was also revealed (p = 0.014). Levels of comfort were higher among consultants despite achieving lower knowledge scores. Conclusion: The levels of awareness of PSA among non-anaesthesiologists are lacking. While guideline knowledge was substantially better than pharmacology knowledge, an opportunity to address these deficiencies exists in the form of PSA specific training.