The protease‐activated receptor 4 Ala120Thr variant alters platelet responsiveness to low‐dose thrombin and protease‐activated receptor 4 desensitization, and is blocked by non‐competitive P2Y12 inhibition

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146616/1/jth14318_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/146616/2/jth14318.pd

Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation in bipolar depression: an open-label treatment study of clinical outcomes, acceptability and adverse events

Current treatments for bipolar depression have limited effectiveness, tolerability and acceptability. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation method that has demonstrated treatment efficacy for major depressive episodes. tDCS is portable, safe, and individuals like having sessions at home. We developed a home-based protocol with real-time remote supervision. In the present study, we have examined the clinical outcomes, acceptability and feasibility of home-based tDCS treatment in bipolar depression

Dynamics & Predictions in the Co-Event Interpretation

Sorkin has introduced a new, observer independent, interpretation of quantum mechanics that can give a successful realist account of the 'quantum microworld' as well as explaining how classicality emerges at the level of observable events for a range of systems including single time 'Copenhagen measurements'. This 'co-event interpretation' presents us with a new ontology, in which a single 'co-event' is real. A new ontology necessitates a review of the dynamical & predictive mechanism of a theory, and in this paper we begin the process by exploring means of expressing the dynamical and predictive content of histories theories in terms of co-events.Comment: 35 pages. Revised after refereein

Applying Best Practices for The Prevention of Surgical Site Infection (SSI) and Reducing Risk Factors for Patients: Meta-Analysis Theoretical Review

This study aimed at providing a comprehensive range of evidence-based recommendations for interventions to be applied during the pre-, intra- and postoperative periods for the prevention of the surgical site infection SSI, while also considering aspects related to resource availability and values and preferences. An initial search identified more than 200 titles published in 2006-2017 as relevant for data extraction, the researchers dealt with the extracted information included study design and methodology, reported cumulative incidence and post-surgical time until onset of SSI, and odds ratios and associated variability for all factors considered in univariate and/or multivariable analyses. And then the study recommended the best producers for reducing the risk factors for patients by conducting the findings of the meta-analysis theoretical review. Keywords: Surgical Site Infection, Risk Factors, Best Practices, Patient

The role of MicroRNA signature as diagnostic biomarkers in different clinical stages of colorectal cancer

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers and a major cause of cancer-related death worldwide. The early diagnosis of colorectal tumors is one of the most important challenges in cancer management. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have provided new insight into CRC development and have been suggested as reliable and stable biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the differential expression of miRNAs at different stages of CRC searching for possible correlation with clinicopathological features to examine their potential value as diagnostic biomarkers. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, plasma and matched tissue samples were collected from 74 CRC patients at stage II-IV as well as blood samples from 32 healthy controls. After exhaustive study of the current literature, eight miRNAs including miR-200c, 20a, 21, 31,135b, 133b,145 and let-7g were selected. The expression level of the miRNAs was assayed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Statistical analysis, including t test , Mann-Whitney U, Kruskall-Wallis tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was applied, where needed. Results: Significantly elevated levels of miR-21, miR-31, miR-20a, miR-135b, and decreased levels of miR-200c, miR-145 and let-7 g were detected in both plasma and matched tissue samples compared to the healthy group (P0.05). ROC for tissue miRNAs showed an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.98 and P<0.001 for miR-21, 0.91 and P<0.001 for miR-135b, 0.91 and P<0.001 for miR-31, and 0.92 and P<0.001 for miR-20a. Conclusion: Our results indicate that the expression levels of microRNAs are systematically altered in CRC tissue and plasma. In conclusion, detection of miR-21, miR-135b, miR-31 and miR-20a levels in the tissue might be helpful to illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying CRC carcinogenesis and serve as tumor-associated biomarkers for diagnosis. © 2018 Royan Institute (ACECR). All Rights Reserved

Symptomatic dry eye disease among university students

Background: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial condition often characterized by a reduction in tear film quantity or quality. This study aimed to determine the frequency of DED and its associated subjective symptoms among students of Mu’tah University. Methods: In this cross-sectional study conducted at Mu’tah University, Mu’tah, Jordan, from January to April 2022, 489 students completed an online patient-reported DED symptom questionnaire and the ocular surface disease index (OSDI) questionnaire. Moreover, 106 participants underwent clinical examinations using the Schirmer test I and fluorescein tear breakup time (TBUT). Results: Approximately 74.6% of the students self-reported experiencing DED symptoms, and 72.6% had an OSDI score &gt; 12, which is considered the threshold for an abnormal ocular surface. Clinical examinations revealed low Schirmer test scores (&lt; 10 mm) in 26.4% (n = 28) and 25.5% (n = 27) of the right and left eyes, respectively. We observed low TBUT scores (&lt; 5 s) in 19.8% (n = 21) and 18.9% (n = 20) of the right and left eyes, respectively. We noted significant differences between the self-reported DED symptoms and the Schirmer test scores (P = 0.003 for both right and left eyes), TBUT (P &lt; 0.001 for both right and left eyes), and OSDI score (P &lt; 0.001 for each self-reported DED symptom). We observed a weak significant positive correlation between Schirmer test scores and TBUT in the right (r = + 0.30; P = 0.002) and left (r = + 0.34; P &lt; 0.001) eyes; a negligible significant inverse correlation between OSDI scores and Schirmer test scores in the right (r = - 0.24; P = 0.013) and left (r = - 0.23; P = 0.019) eyes; and a negligible significant inverse correlation between the OSDI score and TBUT of the left eye (r = - 0.25; P = 0.011) but not of the right eye (r = - 0.17; P = 0.077). Conclusions: The frequency of DED symptoms in this study was higher than that previously reported based on foreign statistics. The presence of self-reported DED symptoms was significantly associated with higher OSDI scores. Self-reported DED symptoms were more frequent than the abnormalities detected using objective methods. Therefore, a combination of subjective and objective measures may provide a higher diagnostic yield for DED. Further studies are required to confirm this hypothesis