Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does body image influence the relationship between body weight and breastfeeding maintenance in new mothers?

OBJECTIVES Obese women have lower breastfeeding initiation and maintenance rates than healthy weight women. Research generally focuses on biomedical explanations for this. Psychosocial factors including body image and well-being after childbirth are less well understood as predictors of breastfeeding. In obese and healthy weight women, we investigated changes in body image between 72 hrs post-delivery and 6-8 weeks post-natal, studying how women's body image related to breastfeeding initiation and maintenance. We also investigated how psychological distress was related to body image. DESIGN Longitudinal semi-structured questionnaire survey. METHODS Body image and psychological distress were assessed within 72 hrs of birth and by postal questionnaire at 6-8 weeks, for 70 obese and 70 healthy weight women initiating exclusive (breastmilk only) breastfeeding or mixed feeding (with formula milk) in hospital. Breastfeeding was re-assessed at 6-8 weeks. RESULTS Obese women were less likely to exclusively breastfeed in hospital and maintain breastfeeding to 6-8 weeks. Better body image was related to maintaining breastfeeding and to lower post-natal psychological distress for all women, but education level was the most significant predictor of maintenance in multivariate regression including body image and weight status. Body image mediated, but did not moderate the relationship between weight and breastfeeding maintenance. Body image was lower overall in obese women, but all women had low body image satisfaction around childbirth, reducing further at 6-8 weeks. CONCLUSIONS Health professionals should consider women's body image when discussing breastfeeding. A focus on breast function over form may support breastfeeding for all women. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Obesity can negatively affect breastfeeding initiation and maintenance, but there is little information about how psychosocial factors affect this relationship. Body image may be an important factor, but has not been studied in relation to breastfeeding maintenance. What does this study add This article examines the influence of body image on obese and healthy-weight women's breastfeeding maintenance at 6-8 weeks. Different aspects of body image mediated but did not moderate the relationship between weight status and breastfeeding maintenance, but in multivariate regression, maternal education level was the most significant predictor. Obese women had poorer body image and were less likely to maintain breastfeeding; however, for all women, body image became more negative in this postpartum period. Interventions should normalize positive aspects of women's postnatal bodies, including function rather than form. Addressing body concerns could encourage new mothers to maintain breastfeeding, irrespective of weight status.
High Whole-Genome Sequence Diversity of Human Papillomavirus Type 18 Isolates

Background: The most commonly found human papillomavirus (HPV) types in cervical cancer are HPV16 and HPV18. Genome variants of these types have been associated with differential carcinogenic potential. To date, only a handful of studies have described HPV18 whole genome sequencing results. Here we describe HPV18 variant diversity and conservation of persistent infections in a longitudinal retrospective cohort study. Methods: Cervical self-samples were obtained annually over four years and genotyped on the SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25 platform. Clearing and persistent HPV18 positive infections were selected, amplified in two overlapping fragments, and sequenced using 32 sequence primers. Results: Complete viral genomes were obtained from 25 participants with persistent and 26 participants with clearing HPV18 infections, resulting in 52 unique HPV18 genomes. Sublineage A3 was predominant in this population. The consensus viral genome was completely conserved over time in persistent infections, with one exception, where different HPV18 variants were identified in follow-up samples. Conclusions: This study identified a diverse set of HPV18 variants. In persistent infections, the consensus viral genome is conserved. The identification of only one HPV18 infection with different major variants in follow-up implies that this is a potentially rare event. This dataset adds 52 HPV18 genome variants to Genbank, more than doubling the currently available HPV18 information resource, and all but one variant are unique additions.
Coxiella burnetii Seroprevalence and Risk for Humans on Dairy Cattle Farms, the Netherlands, 2010–2011

Q fever, caused by Coxiella burnetii, is a recognized occupational infection in persons who have regular contact with ruminants. We determined C. burnetii seroprevalence in residents living or working on dairy cattle farms with >50 adult cows and identified risk factors for seropositivity. Serum samples from farm residents, including employees, were tested for C. burnetii IgG and IgM; seroprevalence was 72.1% overall and 87.2%, 54.5%, and 44.2% among farmers, spouses, and children, respectively. Risk factors included farm location in southern region, larger herd size, farm employment, birds in stable, contact with pigs, and indirect contact with rats or mice. Protective factors included automatic milking of cows and fully compliant use of gloves during and around calving. We recommend strengthening general biosecurity measures, such as consistent use of personal protective equipment (e.g., boots, clothing, gloves) by farm staff and avoidance of birds and vermin in stables.
Pilot Study of a New Acrylic Cage in a Dog Cervical Spine Fusion Model

Study Design An experimental pilot study using an acrylic interbody cage in a dog cervical spine fusion model. Objective To compare bony fusion in autologous bone grafting with a novel acrylic cage in terms of preservation of disc height, biomechanical properties, and histologic characteristics. Summary of Background Data Degenerative diseases of cervical intervertebral discs are commonly treated by anterior decompression and interbody fusion. To restore physiologic disc height and achieve fusion, the disc is replaced with bone graft, bone cement, interbody fusion cages, or other materials. The advantages of bone cement in contrast to bone graft and interbody fusion cages are immediate stability and less subsidence, although real bony fusion cannot be achieved. To overcome this problem, we designed a new, inexpensive acrylic cage. Methods Ten adult hybrid dogs underwent C3/C4 (5 dogs) and C4/C5 (5 dogs) discectomy and fusion with an acrylic interbody fusion cage made of polymethylmethacrylate filled with bone graft (n=5, group1) or an autologous iliac bone graft (n=5, group 2). Dynamic functional x-ray was obtained 1 and 12 weeks after the operation. After 12 weeks, the animals were killed and fusion sites were evaluated with quantitative computed tomographic scanning to evaluate bone mineral density. Subsistence was quantified with biomechanical testing. Histopathologic analysis was used to evaluate fusion and possible foreign body reactions associated with the acrylic cage. Results The acrylic cage led to significantly higher disc space height and less subsidence than bone grafting (P<0.021). Bone mineral density after 12 weeks was greater with the acrylic cage, but the difference was not statistically significant. Histologically, new bony tissue and hyaline cartilage were seen inside the acrylic cage, accompanied by mild chronic inflammation. Conclusions The acrylic cage showed significantly higher mechanical stiffness and less subsidence than bone grafting. Additional studies with more subjects and longer follow-up periods are needed to compare the cost effectiveness of acrylic cages and polyetheretherketone devices.
Communication of Military Couples During Deployment Predicting Generalized Anxiety Upon Reunion

This study draws on the emotional cycle of deployment model (Pincus, House, Christenson, & Adler, 2001) to consider how the valence of communication between military personnel and at-home partners during deployment predicts their generalized anxiety upon reunion. Online survey data were collected from 555 military couples (N = 1,110 individuals) once per month for 8 consecutive months beginning at homecoming. Dyadic growth curve modeling results indicated that people’s anxiety declined across the transition. For at-home partners, constructive communication during deployment predicted a steeper decline in anxiety over time. For both returning service members and at-home partners, destructive communication during deployment predicted more anxiety upon reunion but a steeper decline in anxiety over time. Results were robust beyond the frequency of communication during deployment and a host of individual, relational, and military variables. These findings advance the emotional cycle of deployment model, highlight the importance of the valence of communication during deployment, and illuminate how the effects of communication during deployment can endure after military couples are reunited.
Multi-Stress And Human Performance : A Refutation Of Inverted-U Hypothesis

The purpose of this paper is to study the consequences of multi-stress (temperature, humidity, noise and whole-body vibration) with different intensities on cognitive and work performance as well as on the discomfort measured by using the Likert scale. Background: So far these effects have been investigated with fewer external stressors and of relatively low intensities. It was necessary a closer approach to the realities of working environments highly threatening to worker’s health. Method: The experiment involved 20 people (10 women and 10 men) aged between 19-28 years, in good health. Each experiment was held for a certain temperature, humidity, noise level and vibration acceleration level transmitted to the subject. The temperature has been selected: 38, 42 and 48 o C; the humidity: 60, 70 and 80%; the sound level: 75, 85 and 95dB; the acceleration of the vibrations transmitted to the subjects (ar.m.s.): 2.38, 2.75 and 3.12m/s 2 . Tests of human performances consisted in: Discomfort determination using Likert scale; Cognitive performance measurement (Attention measurement and Assessment of short-term memory) and Work performance measurement. Human performances were quantified using the results from the test presented above. Results: In the experimental set with 3 stressors the first dropouts appear: 4 in women and 1 in men. The increasingly values of the 3 stressors to which the subjects were exposed proved to be unbearable, especially for women. In the experimental set with 4 stressors were many dropouts, especially among women ending that after 7 experiments all the women gave up. The first man that dropout was the same one that gave up at the last set; the second was forced out of the experiment as he completely lost his balance and could not stand on the vibrating system. The women (sooner) and the men (later) presented dizziness, vomiting and had severe headaches (according to personal statements). Conclusion: in the experimental sets with 1, respectively 2 stressors, the performances curves could be read off using the upper part of „Curve A” from Yerkes–Dodson Law, meaning that the inverted-U hypothesis is correct for some areas. Keywords—multi-stress, temperature, humidity, noise, whole-body vibration, discomfort, Likert scale, cognitive performance, work performance
Smooth‐Threshold Multivariate Genetic Prediction with Unbiased Model Selection

We develop a new genetic prediction method, smooth‐threshold multivariate genetic prediction, using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) data in genome‐wide association studies (GWASs). Our method consists of two stages. At the first stage, unlike the usual discontinuous SNP screening as used in the gene score method, our method continuously screens SNPs based on the output from standard univariate analysis for marginal association of each SNP. At the second stage, the predictive model is built by a generalized ridge regression simultaneously using the screened SNPs with SNP weight determined by the strength of marginal association. Continuous SNP screening by the smooth thresholding not only makes prediction stable but also leads to a closed form expression of generalized degrees of freedom (GDF). The GDF leads to the Stein's unbiased risk estimation (SURE), which enables data‐dependent choice of optimal SNP screening cutoff without using cross‐validation. Our method is very rapid because computationally expensive genome‐wide scan is required only once in contrast to the penalized regression methods including lasso and elastic net. Simulation studies that mimic real GWAS data with quantitative and binary traits demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms the gene score method and genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP), and also shows comparable or sometimes improved performance with the lasso and elastic net being known to have good predictive ability but with heavy computational cost. Application to whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) exhibits that the proposed method shows higher predictive power than the gene score and GBLUP methods.
Herbivore-Mediated Interaction Promotes the Maintenance of Trichome Dimorphism through Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection

Natural plant populations exhibit genetic variation in defense traits against herbivores. Despite a growing body of evidence for herbivore-mediated selection on plant defenses, we still know little about how genetic variation persists in antiherbivore defense traits. Here we present field and experimental evidence for herbivore-mediated frequency-dependent selection that promotes the maintenance of trichome-producing (hairy) and trichomeless (glabrous) plants of Arabidopsis halleri subsp. gemmifera. First, in a natural population where the specialist leaf beetle Phaedon brassicae was prevalent, hairy plants were damaged less when the frequency of neighboring glabrous plants increased. Furthermore, temporal variation in the frequency of the two plant morphs showed that rarer morphs increased in frequency at the scale of 1-m-diameter patches between survey years. Using a mesocosm experiment, we demonstrated a rare-morph advantage for defense (leaf damage and herbivore abundance) and reproduction (flower and clone production) between hairy and glabrous plants in the presence of P. brassicae. However, this rare-morph advantage was not detected when beetles were absent, with glabrous plants having higher reproduction than hairy plants under these conditions regardless of frequency conditions. These findings highlight the overlooked but potentially critical role of herbivore-mediated apparent interaction in maintaining plant defense polymorphism.
Adaptive introgression: a plant perspective

Introgression is emerging as an important source of novel genetic variation, alongside standing variation and mutation. It is adaptive when such introgressed alleles are maintained by natural selection. Recently, there has been an explosion in the number of studies on adaptive introgression. In this review, we take a plant perspective centred on four lines of evidence: (i) introgression, (ii) selection, (iii) phenotype and (iv) fitness. While advances in genomics have contributed to our understanding of introgression and porous species boundaries (task 1), and the detection of signatures of selection in introgression (task 2), the investigation of adaptive introgression critically requires links to phenotypic variation and fitness (tasks 3 and 4). We also discuss the conservation implications of adaptive introgression in the face of climate change. Adaptive introgression is particularly important in rapidly changing environments, when standing genetic variation and mutation alone may only offer limited potential for adaptation. We conclude that clarifying the magnitude and fitness effects of introgression with improved statistical techniques, coupled with phenotypic evidence, has great potential for conservation and management efforts.
Development of Giant Cell Arteritis after Treating Polymyalgia or Peripheral Arthritis: A Retrospective Case-control Study

Objective. We investigated the development of giant cell arteritis (GCA) in patients with prior diagnoses of isolated polymyalgia rheumatica and/or peripheral arthritis (PMR/PA), and the potentially relevant characteristics of both illnesses in such patients. Methods. We retrospectively compared the features of 67 patients at the onset of PMR/PA, and their outcomes, to those of a random group of 65 patients with PMR/PA who did not develop late GCA. We also compared the features and outcomes of patients with late GCA to those of a random sample of patients with more usual GCA (65 with concurrent PMR/PA and 65 without). Results. Patients with late GCA represented 7.4% of all patients with GCA included in a large hospital-based inception cohort. PMR/PA preceded overt GCA by 27 months on average. Permanent visual loss developed in 10 patients, including 8 of 48 (17%) patients featuring cranial arteritis. A questionable female predominance was the only distinguishing feature of PMR/PA evolving into GCA; late GCA more often featured subclinical aortitis (OR 6.42, 95% CI 2.39–17.23; p < 0.001), headache (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.19–1.03; p = 0.06), and fever (OR 0.29, 95% CI 0.13–0.64; p = 0.002) less often compared to the more usual form of GCA. Patients with either form of GCA experienced similar outcomes. Conclusion. A cranial arteritis pattern of late GCA is associated with a significant risk for ischemic blindness. However, compared to the usual form of GCA, late GCA is often less typical, with a higher frequency of silent aortitis. Patients with relapsing/refractory PMR may not be at increased risk for late GCA.
Shame, Guilt, and Suicide Ideation among Bondage and Discipline, Dominance and Submission, and Sadomasochism Practitioners: Examining the Role of the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide

&NA; To date, no study has examined rates of suicide ideation or theory‐based risk factors for suicide ideation among bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadomasochism (BDSM) practitioners. Participants were 321 adults that endorsed BDSM involvement. Thirty‐seven percent of the sample indicated a nonzero level of suicide ideation. Thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness (PB) were positively associated with suicide ideation and their interactive effect predicted additional variance in suicide ideation after adjusting for depressive symptoms. Overall, shame and guilt were positively associated with suicide ideation and these relations were mediated by thwarted belongingness and PB in parallel adjusting for depressive symptoms; however, there were some differences between demographic subgroups. Among BDSM practitioners, stigma‐related internalized feelings (i.e., shame and guilt) may be associated with increased thwarted belongingness and PB, which are associated with suicide ideation.
Effects and safety profile of betahistine in patients in the Russian contingent of OSVaLD, an open-label observational study in vestibular vertigo

Background We report here data from the >200 patients recruited in Russia to take part in OSVaLD, a 12-week, open-label, post-marketing surveillance study of the response to betahistine 48 mg/day in vertigo of peripheral vestibular origin carried out in a total of 13 countries. Methods The primary efficacy endpoint was change in the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI; 100-point scale). Changes in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36, version 2 (SF-36v2®) scores were a priori secondary Outcomes. Results Total DHI score improved by 43 points during betahistine treatment. This aggregate improvement was equally distributed across the three domains of the DHI (physical, emotional, and functional; P<0.0001 for main and subscore changes from baseline). Statistically significant improvements versus baseline were also observed in mean HADS scores for anxiety and depression (both P<0.0001), and in the Physical Component Summary and Mental Component Summary scores of the SF-36v2 (both P<0.0001 versus baseline). Only one suspected adverse drug reaction was recorded in the Russian safety population (n=204), indicating that betahistine was well tolerated in those patients. Conclusion Betahistine 48 mg/day was associated with clear improvements in well-configured and widely validated measures of health-related quality of life and an encouraging tolerability profile in patients in Russia who took part in OSVaLD.
Spine morphology and energetics: how principles from nature apply to robotics

Inspired by the locomotive advantages that an articulated spine enables in quadrupedal animals, we explore and quantify the energetic effect that an articulated spine has in legged robots. We compare two model instances of a conceptual planar quadruped: one with a traditional rigid main body and one with an articulated main body with an actuated spinal joint. Both models feature four distinct legs, series elastic actuation, distributed mass in all body segments, and limits on actuator torque and speed. Using optimal control to find the energetically optimal joint trajectories, actuator inputs, and footfall timing, we examine and compare the positive mechanical work cost of transport of both models across multiple gaits and speeds. Our results show that an articulated spine increases the maximum possible speed and improves the locomotor economy at higher velocities, especially for asymmetrical gaits. The driving factors for these improvements are the same mechanistic effects that facilitate asymmetrical gaits in nature: improved leg recirculation, elastic energy storage in the spine, and enlarged stride lengths.
Depression and Suicidality during Pregnancy.

BACKGROUND Pregnant women experience a set of biological and psychological disturbances. The aim of this study was to assess the appearance of depressive symptoms and suicidal thoughts in pregnant women during the third trimester of pregnancy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS A total of 110 pregnant women were included in the study. All of them filled out an anonymous questionnaire about sociodemographic data, Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). RESULTS Study participants were between 18-46 years of age. 45.45% of the pregnant women were between 37 and 39 weeks pregnant. According to the EPDS, the risk for perinatal depression was observed in 29 (23.36%) pregnant women: 15 (13.64%) of them had a total score on EPDS from 10-12, and 14 (12.72%) had a total score of 13-20. A higher score on both Beck scales was characteristic for pregnant women with a higher risk for the development of perinatal depression based on the results on EPDS. The prevalence of suicidal thoughts was 2.73%. CONCLUSIONS Perinatal depression is a state which should be given more attention. The recognition of perinatal depression during pregnancy allows health medical workers to observe pregnant women at risk and then to make preventive and clinical interventions. The risk for perinatal depression is higher in pregnant women with more expressed depressive and anxiety symptoms. Pregnant women with suicidal thoughts are more anxious and depressed.