OBOME - Ontology based opinion mining in UBIPOL

Ontologies have a special role in the UBIPOL system, they help to structure the policy related context, provide conceptualization for policy domain and use in the opinion mining process. In this work we presented a system called Ontology Based Opinion Mining Engine (OBOME) for analyzing a domain-specific opinion corpus by first assisting the user with the creation of a domain ontology from the corpus. We determined the polarity of opinion on the various domain aspects. In the former step, the policy domain aspect has are identified (namely which policy category is represented by the concept). This identification is supported by the policy modelling ontology, which describe the most important policy – related classes and structure. Then the most informative documents from the corpus are extracted and asked the user to create a set of aspects and related keywords using these documents. In the latter step, we used the corpus specific ontology to model the domain and extracted aspect-polarity associations using grammatical dependencies between words. Later, summarized results are shown to the user to analyze and store. Finally, in an offline process policy modeling ontology is updated

Cholesterol efflux promoting function of high-density lipoproteins in calcific aortic valve stenosis

Background and aims: Cholesterol efflux capacity is a functional property of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) reflecting the efficiency of the atheroprotective reverse cholesterol transport process in humans. Its relationship with calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) has not been fully assessed yet. Methods: We evaluated HDL-CEC in a patient population with varying degrees of aortic valvular calcific disease, assessed using echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography. Measurement of biomarkers that reflect osteogenic and tissue remodeling, along with dietary and gut microbiota-derived metabolites were performed. Results: Patients with moderate-severe CAVS had significantly lower HDL-CEC compared to both control and aortic sclerosis subjects (mean: 6.09%, 7.32% and 7.26%, respectively). HDL-CEC displayed negative correlations with peak aortic jet velocity and aortic valve calcium score, indexes of CAVS severity (ρ = -0.298, p = 0.002 and ρ = -0.358, p = 0.005, respectively). In multivariable regression model, HDL-CEC had independent association with aortic valve calcium score (B: -0.053, SE: 0.014, p < 0.001), GFR (B: -0.034, SE: 0.012, p = 0.007), as well as with levels of total cholesterol (B: 0.018, SE: 0.005, p = 0.002). Conclusion: These results indicate an impairment of HDL-CEC in moderate-severe CAVS and may contribute to identify potential novel targets for CAVS management

Comparison of life quality of pregnant adolescents with that of pregnant adults in Turkey

Objectives. This study aimed to determine the quality of life of pregnant adolescents aged < 20 years and pregnant adults aged between 20-29 years, to evaluate the effects of gestational periods on the quality of life, and to compare the quality of life scores of pregnant adolescents and adults

Normative data and discriminative properties of short form 36 (SF-36) in Turkish urban population

BACKGROUND: SF-36 has been both translated into different languages and adapted to different cultures to obtain comparable data on health status internationally. However there have been only a limited number of studies focused on the discriminative ability of SF-36 regarding social and disease status in developing countries. The aim of this study was to obtain population norms of the short form 36 (SF-36) health survey and the association of SF-36 domains with demographic and socioeconomic variables in an urban population in Turkey. METHODS: A cross-sectional study. Face to face interviews were carried out with a sample of households. The sample was systematically selected from two urban Health Districts in Izmir, Turkey. The study group consisted of 1,279 people selected from a study population of 46,290 people aged 18 and over. RESULTS: Internal consistencies of the scales were high, with the exception of mental health and vitality. Physical health scales were associated with both age and gender. On the other hand, mental health scales were less strongly associated with age and gender. Women reported poorer health compared to men in general. Social risk factors (employment status, lower education and economic strain) were associated with worse health profiles. The SF-36 was found to be capable of discriminating disease status. CONCLUSION: Our findings, cautiously generalisable to urban population, suggest that the SF-36 can be a valuable tool for studies on health outcomes in Turkish population. SF-36 may also be a promising measure for research on health inequalities in Turkey and other developing countries

Zinc/copper imbalance reflects immune dysfunction in human leishmaniasis: an ex vivo and in vitro study

BACKGROUND: The process of elimination of intracellular pathogens, such as Leishmania, requires a Th1 type immune response, whereas a dominant Th2 response leads to exacerbated disease. Experimental human zinc deficiency decreases Th1 but not Th2 immune response. We investigated if zinc and copper levels differ in different clinical forms of leishmaniasis, and if these trace metals might be involved in the immune response towards the parasite. METHODS: Blood was collected from 31 patients with either localized cutaneous (LCL), mucosal (ML) or visceral (VL) leishmaniasis, as well as from 25 controls from endemic and non-endemic areas. Anti-Leishmania humoral and cellular immune response were evaluated by quantifying specific plasma IgG, lymphoproliferation and cytokine production, respectively. Plasma levels of Cu and Zn were quantified by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. RESULTS: A significant decrease in plasma Zn was observed in all three patient groups (p < 0.01 for LCL and ML, p < 0.001 for VL), as compared to controls, but only VL (7/10) and ML (1/7) patients displayed overt Zn deficiency. Plasma Cu was increased in LCL and VL (p < 0.001) but not in ML, and was strongly correlated to anti-Leishmania IgG (Spearman r = 0.65, p = 0.0028). Cu/Zn ratios were highest in patients with deficient cellular (VL<<LCL<ML) and exacerbated humoral (VL>LCL>ML) immune response. Ex vivo production of parasite-induced IFN-γ was negatively correlated to plasma Cu levels in LCL (r = -0.57, p = 0.01). In vitro, increased Cu levels inhibited IFN-γ production. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Zn deficiency in VL and ML indicate possible therapeutic administration of Zn in these severe forms of leishmaniasis. 2. Plasma Cu positively correlates to humoral immune response across patient groups. 3. Environmentally or genetically determined increases in Cu levels might augment susceptibility to infection with intracellular pathogens, by causing a decrease in IFN-γ production

Induction, expression and characterisation of laccase genes from the marine-derived fungal strains Nigrospora sp. CBMAI 1328 and Arthopyrenia sp. CBMAI 1330

The capability of the fungi Nigrospora sp. CBMAI 1328 and Arthopyrenia sp. CBMAI 1330 isolated from marine sponge to synthesise laccases (Lcc) in the presence of the inducer copper (110 M) was assessed. In a liquid culture medium supplemented with 5 M of copper sulphate after 5 days of incubation, Nigrospora sp. presented the highest Lcc activity (25.2 UL1). The effect of copper on Lcc gene expression was evaluated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. Nigrospora sp. showed the highest gene expression of Lcc under the same conditions of Lcc synthesis. The highest Lcc expression by the Arthopyrenia sp. was detected at 96 h of incubation in absence of copper. Molecular approaches allowed the detection of Lcc isozymes and suggest the presence of at least two undescribed putative genes. Additionally, Lcc sequences from the both fungal strains clustered with other Lcc sequences from other fungi that inhabit marine environments.M. Passarini was supported by Ph.D. grant from FAPESP (2008/06720-7), Sao Paulo, Brazil. The authors thank FAPESP for financial support (BIOTA-FAPESP grant 2010/50190-2 and FAPESP grant 2013/19486-0) and Roberto G.S. Berlinck and CEBIMAR for the support related to samples collecting. L.D. Sette thanks CNPq for Productivity Fellowships 304103/2013-6

Reliability, construct validity and measurement potential of the ICF comprehensive core set for osteoarthritis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Comprehensive Core Set for osteoarthritis (OA) in order to test its possible use as a measuring tool for functioning.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>100 patients with OA (84 F, 16 M; mean age 63 yr) completed forms including demographic and clinical information besides the Short Form (36) Health Survey (SF-36^®) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Index of Osteoarthritis (WOMAC). The ICF Comprehensive Core Set for OA was filled by health professionals. The internal construct validities of "Body Functions-Body structures" (BF-BS), "Activity" (A), "Participation" (P) and "Environmental Factors" (EF) domains were tested by Rasch analysis and reliability by internal consistency and person separation index (PSI). External construct validity was evaluated by correlating the Rasch transformed scores with SF-36 and WOMAC.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In each scale, some items showing disordered thresholds were rescored, testlets were created to overcome the problem of local dependency and items that did not fit to the Rasch model were deleted. The internal construct validity of the four scales (BF-BS 16 items, A 8 items, P 7 items, EF 13 items) were good [mean item fit (SD) 0.138 (0.921), 0.216 (1.237), 0.759 (0.986) and -0.079 (2.200); person item fit (SD) -0.147 (0.652), -0.241 (0.894), -0.310 (1.187) and -0.491 (1.173) respectively], indicating a single underlying construct for each scale. The scales were free of differential item functioning (DIF) for age, gender, years of education and duration of disease. Reliabilities of the BF-BS, A, P, and EF scales were good with Cronbach's alphas of 0.79, 0.86, 0.88, and 0.83 and PSI's of 0.76, 0.86, 0.87, and 0.71, respectively. Rasch scores of BF-BS, A, and P showed moderate correlations with SF-36 and WOMAC scores where the EF had significant but weak correlations only with SF36-Social Functioning and SF36-Mental Health.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Since the four different scales derived from BF-BS, A, P, and EF components of the ICF core set for OA were shown to be valid and reliable through a combination of Rasch analysis and classical psychometric methods, these might be used as clinical assessment tools.</p

The optimal starting time of postoperative intraperitoneal mitomycin-C therapy with preserved intestinal wound healing

BACKGROUND: There is controversy about the effect of the timing of intraperitoneal administration of chemotherapeutic agents on the healing of intestinal anastomosis. We have investigated the effect on intestinal wound healing of mitomycin-C administered at different times post-operatively. METHODS: Eighty-four Wistar-Albino female rats underwent ileal resection and end-to-end anastomosis. The rats were randomly selected for intraperitoneal administration of mitomycin-C or saline as follows: mitomycin-C group (n = 65), 2 mg/kg mitomycin-C; control group (n = 13), 10 ml saline. The former was sub-divided into 5 equal groups (A 1–5) and mitomycin-C was administered postoperatively as follows: day 0 (A1), day 3 (A2), day 5 (A3), day 7 (A4) and day 10 (A5). All the rats were sacrificed on the 14th postoperative day and anastomotic bursting pressures and tissue hydroxyproline levels were determined. RESULTS: Five of the animals died postoperatively: 2 (15.4%) in group A1, 2 (15.4%) in group A2 and 1(7.7%) in group A3. Non-lethal anastomotic leakage was observed in a further five animals: 1 in group A1, 2 in group A2, 1 in group A5 and 1 in the control group. Groups A1 and A2 had significantly lower anastomotic bursting pressures than the other groups (P was <0.05 for each comparison). The anastomotic bursting pressures of group A3, A4 and A5 were comparable with those of the controls (P was >0.05 for each comparison). Tissue hydroxyproline levels in group A1 and A2 were significantly lower than in the controls (P values were <0.05 for each comparison) or the other mitomycin-C sub-groups (P was <0.05 for each comparison). CONCLUSIONS: Intraperitoneal chemotherapy impairs intestinal wound healing when applied before the 5th postoperative day. Additional therapeutic approaches are needed to prevent this potentially lethal side effect of early intraperitoneal mitomycin-C administration

Systematic genetic testing for recessively inherited monogenic diabetes: a cross-sectional study in paediatric diabetes clinics

Data availability: The datasets supporting the current study have not been deposited in a public repository due to institutional ethics restrictions but are available from the corresponding author on request.This is the final version. Available from Springer via the DOI in this record. AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Current clinical guidelines for childhood-onset monogenic diabetes outside infancy are mainly focused on identifying and testing for dominantly inherited, predominantly MODY genes. There are no systematic studies of the recessively inherited causes of monogenic diabetes that are likely to be more common in populations with high rates of consanguinity. We aimed to determine the contribution of recessive causes of monogenic diabetes in paediatric diabetes clinics and to identify clinical criteria by which to select individuals for recessive monogenic diabetes testing. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 1093 children from seven paediatric diabetes clinics across Turkey (a population with high rates of consanguinity). We undertook genetic testing of 50 known dominant and recessive causes of monogenic diabetes for 236 children at low risk of type 1 diabetes. As a comparison, we used monogenic diabetes cases from UK paediatric diabetes clinics (a population with low rates of consanguinity). RESULTS: Thirty-four children in the Turkish cohort had monogenic diabetes, equating to a minimal prevalence of 3.1%, similar to that in the UK cohort (p = 0.40). Forty-one per cent (14/34) had autosomal recessive causes in contrast to 1.6% (2/122) in the UK monogenic diabetes cohort (p 10%) assisted the identification of the dominant (all p ≤ 0.0003) but not recessive cases (all p ≥ 0.2) in Turkey. The presence of certain non-autoimmune extra-pancreatic features greatly assisted the identification of recessive (p < 0.0001, OR 66.9) but not dominant cases. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Recessively inherited mutations are a common cause of monogenic diabetes in populations with high rates of consanguinity. Present MODY-focused genetic testing strategies do not identify affected individuals. To detect all cases of monogenic paediatric diabetes, it is crucial that recessive genes are included in genetic panels and that children are selected for testing if they have certain non-autoimmune extra-pancreatic features in addition to current criteria.Wellcome TrustRoyal SocietyNational Institute for Health Researc