Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Varying Definitions of Hypopnea on the Diagnosis and Clinical Outcomes of Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES Various criteria have been used for scoring hypopneas, leading to difficulties when comparing results in clinical and research settings. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the effect of different hypopnea definitions on the diagnosis, severity, and clinical implications of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). METHODS Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, and Scopus databases were queried for English-language publications from inception through March 7, 2017. Studies that directly compared various hypopnea definitions were eligible. The hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic model was used to jointly estimate diagnostic performance for comparisons between criteria. RESULTS The initial search yielded 2,828 abstracts; 28 met inclusion criteria. After reviewing reference lists and expert review, five additional articles were identified. Most of the studies were cross-sectional or retrospective in nature. Eleven studies compared 2007 recommended criteria with 2012 criteria; 6 of these (evaluating 6,628 patients) were suitable for inclusion in the meta-analysis. Using the 2012 definition (≥ 3% desaturation or arousal) as the reference standard, the 2007 definition (≥ 4% desaturation) showed a sensitivity of 82.7% (95% confidence interval 0.72-0.90) and specificity of 93.2% (95% confidence interval 0.82-0.98). Although 2007 criteria were found to be associated with prevalent cardiovascular (CV) disease and increased risk of CV death, the 2012 criteria appeared to correspond better with intermediate CV risk markers based on two abstracts. CONCLUSIONS As expected, 2012 hypopnea scoring criteria resulted in a greater prevalence and severity of SDB. Data regarding the effect of varying hypopnea definitions on clinical outcomes, quality of life, health care costs, and mortality rates are limited. COMMENTARY A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 683.
Effects of strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor ligands in rats discriminating dizocilpine or phencyclidine from saline.

Several pharmacologically distinct sites are known to modulate the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor/ion complex, including a site within the ion channel which binds uncompetitive antagonists like phencyclidine (PCP) or dizocilpine. Glycine acts as a co-agonist for activation of the NMDA receptor complex through a strychnine-insensitive receptor, which is a potential target for novel therapeutic agents (e.g., anticonvulsants, antidepressants). We evaluated the behavioral effects of glycine receptor ligands in rats trained to discriminate either dizocilpine or PCP from saline, to predict whether glycine receptor ligands might induce undesirable PCP-like subjective effects in humans. Dizocilpine ([+]-MK-801), (-)-MK-801 and PCP produced dose-dependent substitution in these rats with potencies in accord with NMDA receptor affinity. Pentobarbital and drugs acting at other sites of the NMDA receptor, including competitive antagonists (NPC 12626 and LY 274614) and the polyamine antagonist, ifenprodil, did not substitute for either dizocilpine or PCP. In contrast to the uncompetitive antagonists like PCP, none of the strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor ligands substituted. Neither the full agonist, glycine; the partial agonists, 1-amino-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid, D-cycloserine or (+)-3-amino-1-hydroxypyrrolid-2-one; nor the antagonists, 7-chloro and 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid, mimicked the discriminative stimulus effects of dizocilpine or PCP. Further, co-administration of 1-amino-1-cyclopropanecarboxylic acid did not significantly enhance the discriminative stimulus effects of dizocilpine. Intracerebroventricular administration of D-serine, a selective agonist of the strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor, neither mimicked nor blocked the discriminative stimulus effects of PCP. These data suggest that functional antagonists of the strychnine-insensitive glycine receptor may be devoid of the subjective side effects characteristic of NMDA channel ligands.
The Health Risks of Electronic Cigarette Use to Bystanders

This works aimed to assess the health risks of e-cigarette use to bystanders. The exhaled breath of 17 volunteers was collected while they were vaping, and the levels of nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerol, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, acrolein, tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), and heavy metals were analyzed. Increased levels of nicotine, propylene glycol, TSNAs and copper were found in the exhaled breath of the volunteers. From these measurements, bystander exposure was estimated for two different scenarios: (1) A non-ventilated car with two e-cigarette users and (2) a ventilated office with one e-cigarette user. Our results show that bystanders may experience irritation of the respiratory tract as a result of exposure to propylene glycol and glycerol. Systemic effects of nicotine should also be expected if nicotine-containing e-liquid is used, including palpitations, and an increase of the systolic blood pressure. Furthermore, due to the presence of TSNAs in some e-liquids, an increased risk of tumors could not be excluded for the ‘car’ scenario. While e-cigarette use can clearly have effects on the health of bystanders, the risks depend on the rate of ventilation, dimensions of the room, and vaping behavior of the e-cigarette user. The presence of TSNAs in e-liquids can be avoided, which will prevent the most serious effect identified (increased risk of tumors).
Fabrication and Characterization of Bioresorbable Drug-coated Porous Scaffolds for Vascular Tissue Engineering

Bioresorbable polymers have been studied for several decades as attractive candidates for promoting the advancement of medical science and bio-technology in modern society. In particular, with a well-defined architecture, bioresorbable polymers have prominent advantages over their bulk counterparts for applications in biomedical and implant devices, such as cell delivery, scaffolds for tissue engineering, and hydrogels as well as in the pharmaceutical fields. Biocompatible implant devices based on bioresorbable materials (for instance, bioresorbable polymers that combine the unique advantages of biocompability and easy handling) have emerged as a highly active field due to their promising applications in artificial implant systems and biomedical devices. In this paper, we report an approach to fabricate porous polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds using a 3D printing system. And its surface was treated to a hydrophilic surface using plasma treatment. Then, the aspirin and atorvastatin calcium salt mixture was dip coated onto the surface. The drug coating technology was used to deposit the drug material onto the scaffold surface. Our porous PCL scaffold was coated with aspirin and atorvastatin calcium salt to reduce the blood LDL cholesterol and restenosis. These results suggest that our approach may provide a promising scaffold for developing bioresorbable drug-delivery-biomaterials. We further demonstrate that our bioresorbable medical device can be used as vascular scaffolds to provide a wide range of applications for the design of medical devices.
A combination of molecular and morphological approaches resolves species in the taxonomically difficult genus Procladius Skuse (Diptera: Chironomidae) despite high intra-specific morphological variation

Abstract Molecular approaches for identifying aquatic macroinvertebrate species are increasingly being used but there is ongoing debate about the number of DNA markers needed to differentiate species accurately. Here, we use two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome oxidase I, cytochrome b) and a nuclear gene (carbamoylphosphate synthetase) to differentiate species variation within the taxonomically challenging chironomid genus Procladius from southern Australia, a genus which is important for pollution monitoring. The mitochondrial genes indicated cryptic species that were subsequently linked to morphological variation at the larval and pupal stage. Two species previously described based on morphological criteria were linked to molecular markers, and there was evidence for additional cryptic species. Each genetic marker provided different information, highlighting the importance of considering multiple genes when dissecting taxonomically difficult groups, particularly those used in pollution monitoring.
Lifetime Occurrence of Brain Metastases Arising from Lung, Breast, and Skin Cancers in the Elderly: A SEER-Medicare Study

Background: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program recently released data on brain metastases (BM) diagnosed during primary cancer staging workup (“synchronous” BM, or SBM); this study examines the incidence of SBM compared with that of lifetime BM (LBM) identified using Medicare claims for patients diagnosed with lung cancer, breast cancer, or melanoma. Methods: Incidence proportions (IP) and age-adjusted rates for each of SEER SBM and Medicare LBM are presented along with measures of concordance between the two sources of data, where Medicare LBM were defined by several combinations of diagnosis and putative diagnostic imaging procedure codes. Results: The SBM IP in lung, breast, and melanoma cancers were 9.6%, 0.3%, and 1.1%, respectively; the corresponding LBM IP were 13.5%, 1.8%, and 3.6%. The greatest SBM IP among patients with lung cancer was 13.4% for non–small cell lung cancer, and among patients with breast cancer was 0.7% for triple-negative breast cancer. The greatest LBM IP among lung cancers was 23.1% in small-cell lung cancer, and among breast cancers was 4.2% for cases of the triple negative subtype. Conclusions: Using a large dataset that is representative of the elderly population in the United States, these analyses estimate synchronous and lifetime incidence of BM in lung cancers, breast cancers, and melanomas. Impact: These and other population-based estimates may be used to guide development of BM screening policy and evaluation of real-world data sources.
Anisotropy of Graphene Nanoflake Diamond Interface Frictional Properties

Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the frictional properties of the interface between graphene nanoflake and single crystalline diamond substrate have been investigated. The equilibrium distance between the graphene nanoflake and the diamond substrate has been evaluated at different temperatures. This study considered the effects of temperature and relative sliding angle between graphene and diamond. The equilibrium distance between graphene and the diamond substrate was between 3.34 Å at 0 K and 3.42 Å at 600 K, and it was close to the interlayer distance of graphite which was 3.35 Å. The friction force between graphene nanoflakes and the diamond substrate exhibited periodic stick-slip motion which is similar to the friction force within a graphene–Au interface. The friction coefficient of the graphene–single crystalline diamond interface was between 0.0042 and 0.0244, depending on the sliding direction and the temperature. Generally, the friction coefficient was lowest when a graphene flake was sliding along its armchair direction and the highest when it was sliding along its zigzag direction. The friction coefficient increased by up to 20% when the temperature rose from 300 K to 600 K, hence a contribution from temperature cannot be neglected. The findings in this study validate the super-lubricity between graphene and diamond and will shed light on understanding the mechanical behavior of graphene nanodevices when using single crystalline diamond as the substrate.
Disease Prediction by Machine Learning Over Big Data From Healthcare Communities

With big data growth in biomedical and healthcare communities, accurate analysis of medical data benefits early disease detection, patient care, and community services. However, the analysis accuracy is reduced when the quality of medical data is incomplete. Moreover, different regions exhibit unique characteristics of certain regional diseases, which may weaken the prediction of disease outbreaks. In this paper, we streamline machine learning algorithms for effective prediction of chronic disease outbreak in disease-frequent communities. We experiment the modified prediction models over real-life hospital data collected from central China in 2013–2015. To overcome the difficulty of incomplete data, we use a latent factor model to reconstruct the missing data. We experiment on a regional chronic disease of cerebral infarction. We propose a new convolutional neural network (CNN)-based multimodal disease risk prediction algorithm using structured and unstructured data from hospital. To the best of our knowledge, none of the existing work focused on both data types in the area of medical big data analytics. Compared with several typical prediction algorithms, the prediction accuracy of our proposed algorithm reaches 94.8% with a convergence speed, which is faster than that of the CNN-based unimodal disease risk prediction algorithm.
Refinement and initial validation of a multidimensional composite scale for use in assessing acute postoperative pain in cats.

OBJECTIVE To refine and test construct validity and reliability of a composite pain scale for use in assessing acute postoperative pain in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy. SAMPLE POPULATION 40 cats that underwent ovariohysterectomy in a previous study. PROCEDURES In a previous randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, a composite pain scale was developed to assess postoperative pain in cats that received a placebo or an analgesic (tramadol, vedaprofen, or tramadol-vedaprofen combination). In the present study, the scale was refined via item analysis (distribution frequency and occurrence), a nonparametric ANOVA, and item-to-total score correlation. Construct validity was assessed via factor analysis and known-groups discrimination, and reliability was measured by assessing internal consistency. RESULTS Respiratory rate and respiratory pattern were rejected after item analysis. Factor analysis resulted in 5 dimensions (F1 [psychomotor change], posture, comfort, activity, mental status, and miscellaneous behaviors; F2 [protection of wound area], reaction to palpation of the surgical wound and palpation of the abdomen and flank; F3 [physiologic variables], systolic arterial blood pressure and appetite; F4 [vocal expression of pain], vocalization; and F5 [heart rate]). Internal consistency was excellent for the overall scale and for F1, F2, and F3; very good for F4; and unacceptable for F5. Except for heart rate, the identified factors and scale total score could be used to detect differences between the analgesic and placebo groups and differences among the analgesic treatments. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results provided initial evidence of construct validity and reliability of a multidimensional composite tool for use in assessing acute postoperative pain in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.
HAMP Downregulation Contributes to Aggressive Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Mechanism Mediated by Cyclin4-Dependent Kinase-1/STAT3 Pathway

Background: Hepcidin encoded by HAMP is vital to regulating proliferation, metastasis, and migration. Hepcidin is secreted specifically by the liver. This study sought to examine the functional role of hepcidin in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods: Data in the Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze HAMP expression as it relates to HCC prognosis. We then used the 5-ethynyl-20-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation assay, transwell assay, and flow cytometric analysis, respectively, to assess proliferation, migration, and the cell cycle. Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to find pathways affected by HAMP. Results: HAMP expression was lower in hepatocellular carcinoma samples compared with adjacent normal tissue controls. Low HAMP expression was linked with a higher rate of metastasis and poor disease-free status. Downregulation of HAMP induced SMMC-7721 and HepG-2 cell proliferation and promoted their migration. HAMP could affect the cell cycle pathway and Western blotting, confirming that reduced HAMP levels activated cyclin-dependent kinase-1/stat 3 pathway. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that HAMP functions as a tumor suppressor gene. The role of HAMP in cellular proliferation and metastasis is related to cell cycle checkpoints. HAMP could be considered as a diagnostic biomarker and targeted therapy in HCC.
Vaccination in healthcare workers: an Italian perspective

The Italian National Vaccination Plan 2005–2007 strongly recommends that healthcare workers (HCWs) be offered hepatitis B and influenza vaccines and that susceptible workers should also be offered measles, mumps, rubella and varicella vaccines. Nationwide figures for vaccination coverage among HCWs are not currently available. Vaccination coverage is high but not yet satisfactory for hepatitis B and is absolutely insufficient for influenza. Susceptibility rates to childhood exanthematic diseases are low: when attempting to achieve complete immunity, screening the individuals at recruitment is cost effective. The procedures for TB prevention are a consolidated practice for occupational health physicians. Hospital health directors should be empowered on the importance of vaccinating HCWs as a milestone of hospital risk management. More adequate training, including specific courses on vaccinations, is required for occupational health physicians.
Adult height is associated with risk of cancer and mortality in 5.5 million Swedish women and men

Background Previous studies have indicated that taller individuals are at greater risk of developing cancer. Death from cancer and other specific causes have also been linked to height, but the results have been inconclusive. We aimed to shed further light on the associations between height, cancer incidence and mortality. Methods We conducted a nationwide, population-based prospective cohort study, including 5.5 million Swedish women and men (aged 20–74). They were followed over a period of up to 54 years. Heights were retrieved from national registers (mainly the Passport Register where heights are most often self-reported). The risks of overall and specific cancers, as well as overall and cause-specific mortality, were presented as HR with 95% CIs per 10 cm increase in height. Results A total of 278 299 cases of cancer and 139 393 cases of death were identified. For overall cancer, HR was 1.19 (1.18–1.20) in women and 1.11 (1.10–1.12) in men for every 10 cm increase in height. All 15 specific cancer types were positively associated with height—most strongly for malignant melanoma in both genders, with HRs of 1.39 (1.35–1.43) in women and 1.34 (1.30–1.38) in men. For overall mortality, HR was 0.98 (0.97–0.99) in women and 0.91 (0.90–0.92) in men for every 10 cm increase in height. Cancer mortality was increased in taller individuals, with HR 1.15 (1.13–1.17) in women and 1.05 (1.03–1.07) in men for every 10 cm increase in height, whereas shorter individuals had increased overall mortality due to a number of other causes, such as cardiovascular disease. Conclusion Overall and specific cancer risks, particularly malignant melanoma, were positively associated with height. Cancer mortality also increased with height. In contrast, overall mortality was decreased with height, particularly in men due to inverse associations with height for other causes of death.
Childhood Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Alcohol Dependence

Early-childhood trauma is strongly associated with developing mental health problems, including alcohol dependence, later in life. People with early-life trauma may use alcohol to help cope with trauma-related symptoms. This article reviews the prevalence of early-childhood trauma and its robust association with the development of alcohol use disorders and posttraumatic stress disorder. It also examines the potential biological mechanisms by which early adverse experiences can result in long-lasting changes in neurobiology underlying this vulnerability, as well as pharmacological and behavioral interventions. Recent investigations highlight the importance of assessing trauma among patients with alcohol use disorders and the positive benefits associated with the application of integrative psychosocial interventions that target both trauma-related symptoms and alcohol dependence.
New Diketopiperazines from a Marine-Derived Fungus Strain Aspergillus versicolor MF180151

Six new diketopiperazines, (±)-7,8-epoxy-brevianamide Q ((±)-1), (±)-8-hydroxy-brevianamide R ((±)-2), and (±)-8-epihydroxy-brevianamide R ((±)-3), together with four known compounds, (±)-brevianamide R ((±)-4), versicolorin B (5) and averufin (6), were isolated from a marine-derived fungus strain Aspergillus versicolor MF180151, which was recovered from a sediment sample collected from the Bohai Sea, China. The chemical structures were established by 1D- and 2D-NMR spectra and HR-ESI-MS. 1 is the first sample of brevianamides with an epoxy moiety. Their bioactivities were evaluated against Candida albicans, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-resistant S. aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Bacillus Calmette-Guérin. Compounds 1–4 showed no activities against the pathogens, and compounds 5 and 6 showed moderate activities against S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus.
Multi-Agent Task Assignment in the Bandit Framework

We consider a task assignment problem for a fleet of UAVs in a surveillance/search mission. We formulate the problem as a restless bandits problem with switching costs and discounted rewards: there are TV sites to inspect, each one of them evolving as a Markov chain, with different transition probabilities if the site is inspected or not. The sites evolve independently of each other, there are transition costs c ij for moving between sites i and j isin {1,. , N}, rewards when visiting the sites, and we maximize a mixed objective function of these costs and rewards. This problem is known to be PSPACE-hard. We present a systematic method, inspired from the work of Bertsimas and Nino-Mora (2000) on restless bandits, for deriving a linear programming relaxation for such locally decomposable MDPs. The relaxation is computable in polynomial-time offline, provides a bound on the achievable performance, as well as an approximation of the cost-to-go which can be used online in conjunction with standard suboptimal stochastic control methods. In particular, the one-step lookahead policy based on this approximate cost-to-go reduces to computing the optimal value of a linear assignment problem of size N. We present numerical experiments, for which we assess the quality of the heuristics using the performance bound