Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Long-Term Consumption of Oats in Celiac Disease Patients Is Safe: A Large Cross-Sectional Study

A strict gluten-free diet (GFD) can be diversified by non-contaminated oats, but there is a shortage of long-term studies concerning its safety. We compared long-term treatment outcomes and factors associated with the introduction of oats between celiac patients on a GFD with or without oats. Eight hundred sixty-nine previously diagnosed celiac patients were interviewed. The validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS), Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB), and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaires were used to assess symptoms and quality of life, serological tests were performed, and results of histology were confirmed from patient records. We found the median duration of GFD to be 10 years and 82% using oats. Factors predicting the consumption of oats were diagnosis after the year 2000, advice from a dietitian, detection by screening, and mild clinical presentation. Oat consumers and non-consumers did not differ in dietary adherence (96.5% vs. 97.4%, p = 0.746), the prevalence of symptoms (22.9% vs. 22.5%, p = 0.931), positivity for endomysial antibodies (8.8% vs. 6.0%, p = 0.237), histological recovery after one year (63.1% vs. 60.0%, p = 0.773), malignancy (4.8% vs. 3.3%, p = 0.420), osteoporosis/osteopenia (9.2% vs. 11.0%, p = 0.489), or fractures (26.9% vs. 27.9%, p = 0.791). The oat consumers had better SF-36 physical role limitations and general health scores. Based on our results, the long-term consumption of oats in celiac disease patients is safe and may improve quality of life.
Factors Associated With Injurious Falls in Residential Care Facilities

Objective: Despite a growing literature on the epidemiology of falls, little is known about injurious falls in residential care facilities (RCFs). Addressing this gap, this study examined demographic, interpersonal, institutional, and community factors associated with injurious falls in RCFs. Method: We conducted analyses using a nationally representative sample (n = 733,309) of RCF residents (2010) examining whether or not a resident experienced a fall that resulted in any injury (past year). Results: Overall, 15% of RCF residents experienced an injurious fall. Residents needing assistance with activities of daily living were more likely to experience injurious falls (adjusted-OR = 1.85), whereas males (adjusted-OR = 0.74) and those residing in smaller facilities (adjusted-OR = 0.68) were less likely. Other resident sociodemographic characteristics, payment status, social connectedness, and rurality were not significant independent predictors. Discussion: Research further exploring multifactorial fall prevention screening and treatment programs in RCFs is recommended for reducing injurious falls in this understudied setting.
Transcriptomic Survey of the Midgut of Anthonomus grandis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Abstract Anthonomus grandis Boheman is a key pest in cotton crops in the New World. Its larval stage develops within the flower bud using it as food and as protection against its predators. This behavior limits the effectiveness of its control using conventional insecticide applications and biocontrol techniques. In spite of its importance, little is known about its genome sequence and, more important, its specific expression in key organs like the midgut. Total mRNA isolated from larval midguts was used for pyrosequencing. Sequence reads were assembled and annotated to generate a unigene data set. In total, 400,000 reads from A. grandis midgut with an average length of 237 bp were assembled and combined into 20,915 contigs. The assembled reads fell into 6,621 genes models. BlastX search using the NCBI-NR database showed that 3,006 unigenes had significant matches to known sequences. Gene Ontology (GO) mapping analysis evidenced that A. grandis is able to transcripts coding for proteins involved in catalytic processing of macromolecules that allows its adaptation to very different feeding source scenarios. Furthermore, transcripts encoding for proteins involved in detoxification mechanisms such as p450 genes, glutathione-S-transferase , and carboxylesterases are also expressed. This is the first report of a transcriptomic study in A. grandis and the largest set of sequence data reported for this species. These data are valuable resources to expand the knowledge of this insect group and could be used in the design of new control strategies based in molecular information.
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) Virus 3C Protease Mutant L127P: Implications for FMD Vaccine Development

ABSTRACT The foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) afflicts livestock in more than 80 countries, limiting food production and global trade. Production of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccines requires cytosolic expression of the FMDV 3C protease to cleave the P1 polyprotein into mature capsid proteins, but the FMDV 3C protease is toxic to host cells. To identify less-toxic isoforms of the FMDV 3C protease, we screened 3C mutants for increased transgene output in comparison to wild-type 3C using a Gaussia luciferase reporter system. The novel point mutation 3C(L127P) increased yields of recombinant FMDV subunit proteins in mammalian and bacterial cells expressing P1-3C transgenes and retained the ability to process P1 polyproteins from multiple FMDV serotypes. The 3C(L127P) mutant produced crystalline arrays of FMDV-like particles in mammalian and bacterial cells, potentially providing a practical method of rapid, inexpensive FMD vaccine production in bacteria. IMPORTANCE The mutant FMDV 3C protease L127P significantly increased yields of recombinant FMDV subunit antigens and produced virus-like particles in mammalian and bacterial cells. The L127P mutation represents a novel advancement for economical FMD vaccine production.
Over-Wintering Tadpoles of Mixophyes fasciolatus Act as Reservoir Host for Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis

Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a cutaneous amphibian fungus that causes the lethal disease chytridiomycosis, has been implicated as a cause of many amphibian declines. Bd can tolerate low temperatures with an optimum thermal range from 17–24°C. It has been shown that Bd infection may result in species extinction, avoiding the transmission threshold presented by density dependent transmission theory. Prevalence of Bd during autumn and winter has been shown to be as low as 0% in some species. It is currently unclear how Bd persists in field conditions and what processes result in carry-over between seasons. It has been hypothesised that overwintering tadpoles may host Bd between breeding seasons. The Great Barred Frog (Mixophyes fasciolatus) is a common, stable and widespread species in Queensland, Australia, and is known to carry Bd. Investigation into Bd infection of different life stages of M. fasciolatus during seasonally low prevalence may potentially reveal persistence and carry-over methods between seasons. Metamorphs, juveniles, and adults were swabbed for Bd infection over three months (between March and May, 2011) at 5 sites of varying altitude (66 m–790 m). A total of 93 swabs were analysed using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) real-time analysis. PCR analysis showed 6 positive (1 excluded), 4 equivocal and 83 negative results for infection with Bd. Equivocal results were assumed to be negative using the precautionary principle. The 5 positive results consisted of 4 emerging (Gosner stage 43–45) metamorphs and 1 adult M. fasciolatus. Fisher's exact test on prevalence showed that the prevalence was significantly different between life stages. All positive results were sampled at high altitudes (790 m); however prevalence was not significantly different between altitudes. Infection of emerging metamorphs suggests that individuals were infected as tadpoles. We hypothesise that M. fasciolatus tadpoles carry Bd through seasons. Thus, Mixophyes fasciolatus may act as disease reservoirs at multiple life stages.
Characterisation of Adaptive Genetic Diversity in Environmentally Contrasted Populations of Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh. (River Red Gum)

As an increasing number of ecosystems face departures from long standing environmental conditions under climate change, our understanding of the capacity of species to adapt will become important for directing conservation and management of biodiversity. Insights into the potential for genetic adaptation might be gained by assessing genomic signatures of adaptation to historic or prevailing environmental conditions. The river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis Dehnh.) is a widespread Australian eucalypt inhabiting riverine and floodplain habitats which spans strong environmental gradients. We investigated the effects of adaptation to environment on population level genetic diversity of E. camaldulensis, examining SNP variation in candidate gene loci sampled across 20 climatically diverse populations approximating the species natural distribution. Genetic differentiation among populations was high (FST = 17%), exceeding previous estimates based on neutral markers. Complementary statistical approaches identified 6 SNP loci in four genes (COMT, Dehydrin, ERECTA and PIP2) which, after accounting for demographic effects, exhibited higher than expected levels of genetic differentiation among populations and whose allelic variation was associated with local environment. While this study employs but a small proportion of available diversity in the eucalyptus genome, it draws our attention to the potential for application of wide spread eucalypt species to test adaptive hypotheses.
Haemodynamic changes during hyperthermic intra-thoracic chemotherapy for pseudomyxoma peritonei

Abstract Purpose: Hyperthermic intra-thoracic chemotherapy (HITOC) combined with cytoreductive surgery (CRS) is a novel approach in the management of pseuodmyxoma peritonei with thoracic extension. The haemodynamic effects of hyperthermic chemotherapy present an anaesthetic challenge. Here, we describe the haemodynamic changes seen during HITOC. Materials and methods: A retrospective case note review of adult patients undergoing CRS with HITOC from 2009 to 2016. Intra-operative haemodynamics were measured using the LIDCOrapidTM brand of invasive cardiac output (CO) monitor. Intravenous fluids, vasopressor requirements and urine output (UO) were recorded. Results: Four patients were included in the study. Mean heart rate (HR) peaked at 20 min following commencement of HITOC. The difference between HR at time 0 and at peak was minimal. There was minimal change in CO, and stroke volume variation (SVV) remained stable. Vasopressor dose was minimally changed throughout surgery. Average UO during HITOC was 142.5 ± 109.6 mls at 60 min. Mean fluid requirements during HITOC was 586.2 ± 441.2 mls. No significant change occurred in pH or base excess (BE). Conclusions: Significant haemodynamic instability including cardiac asystole has been reported during HITOC. The application of hyperthermic agents to the thorax results in vasodilatation, cardiac warming and compression of mediastinal vessels. Measurement of haemodynamic variables allowed careful titration of intravenous fluid therapy to CO and stroke volume, allowing for haemodynamic stability. This has not been described elsewhere.
A Method to Administer Agents to the Larynx in an Awake Large Animal.

Purpose This research note describes an adapted experimental methodology to administer an exogenous agent to the larynx and upper airway of awake animals. The exogenous agent could be a perturbation. In the current study, the agent was isotonic saline. Isotonic saline was selected because it is safe, of similar composition to extracellular fluid, and used in voice studies. The described approach allowed large animals such as pigs to be comfortably restrained without chemical sedation or anesthesia for extended periods while receiving the agent. Method Six Sinclair pigs were successfully trained with positive reinforcement to voluntarily enter and then be restrained in a Panepinto Sling. Once restrained, the pigs accepted a nose cone that delivered nebulized isotonic saline. This procedure was repeated 3 times per day for 20 days. At the end of the study, the larynx and airway tissues were excised and examined using histology and transmission electron microscopy. Results Pathology related to the procedure (i.e., nebulized inhaled isotonic saline or stress) was not identified in any examined tissues. Conclusions This methodology allowed for repeated application of exogenous agents to awake, unstressed animals. This method can be used repeatedly in the laboratory to test various therapeutics for safety, toxicity, and dosage. Future studies will specifically manipulate the type of agent to further our understanding of laryngeal pathobiology.
The Impact of Diabetes-Related Complications on Preference-Based Measures of Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Type I Diabetes

Introduction. This study estimates health-related quality of life (HRQoL) or utility decrements associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) using data from a UK research program on the Dose Adjustment For Normal Eating (DAFNE) education program. Methods. A wide range of data was collected from 2341 individuals who undertook a DAFNE course in 2009–2012, at baseline and for 2 subsequent years. We use fixed- and random-effects linear models to generate utility estimates for T1DM using different instruments: EQ-5D, SF-6D, and EQ-VAS. We show models with and without controls for HbA1c and depression, which may be endogenous (if, for example, there is reverse causality in operation). Results. We find strong evidence of an unobserved individual effect, suggesting the superiority of the fixed-effects model. Depression shows the greatest decrement across all the models in the preferred fixed-effects model. The fixed-effects EQ-5D model also finds a significant decrement from retinopathy, body mass index, and HbA1c (%). Estimating a decrement using the fixed-effects model is not possible for some conditions where there are few new cases. In the random-effects model, diabetic foot disease shows substantial utility decrements, yet these are not significant in the fixed-effects models. Conclusion. Utility decrements have been calculated for a wide variety of health states in T1DM that can be used in economic analyses. However, despite the large data set, the low incidence of several complications leads to uncertainty in calculating the utility weights. Depression and diabetic foot disease result in a substantial loss in HRQoL for patients with T1DM. HbA1c (%) appears to have an independent negative impact on HRQoL, although concerns remain regarding the potential endogeneity of this variable.
Identification of Wild Boar–Habitat Epidemiologic Cycle in African Swine Fever Epizootic

The African swine fever epizootic in central and eastern European Union member states has a newly identified component involving virus transmission by wild boar and virus survival in the environment. Insights led to an update of the 3 accepted African swine fever transmission models to include a fourth cycle: wild boar–habitat.
Experimental investigation into strengthened short reinforced concrete corbels by bonding carbon fiber fabrics

This paper presents the mechanical behavior of strengthened short reinforced concrete corbel bonded by composite carbon fiber fabrics. Often, short reinforced concrete corbel is used in Civil Engineering and in building constructions. In fact, this paper investigated the influence of some parameters on the mechanical behavior of corbel specimens. The parameters are the carbon fiber fabric layers, type of strengthening by gluing directly fabrics on the front and rear of specimen faces or by wrapping. The composite materials used in this study are unidirectional and bidirectional carbon fiber fabrics. The ultimate load is obtained from monotone static test. The extensometer technique based on gauge strain is used to study the local behavior of structures. This technique allows one to measure strains of electric gauges glued to the surface of carbon fiber fabrics, concrete and steel bar. Finally, the cracking and failure modes of specimen are presented.
Surveillance of Influenza Viruses in Waterfowl Used As Decoys in Andalusia, Spain

A longitudinal study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence of avian influenza viruses (AIVs) in waterfowl used as decoys in Andalusia, southern Spain. A total of 2319 aquatic birds from 193 flocks were analyzed before and after the hunting season 2011–2012. In the first sampling, 403 out of 2319 (18.0%, CI95%: 15.8–19.0) decoys showed antibodies against AIVs by ELISA. The AI seroprevalence was significantly higher in geese (21.0%) than in ducks (11.7%) (P<0.001). Besides, the spatial distribution of AIVs was not homogeneous as significant differences among regions were observed. The prevalence of antibodies against AIVs subtypes H5 and H7 were 1.1% and 0.3%, respectively, using hemagglutination inhibition test (HI). The overall and H5 seroprevalences slightly increased after the hunting period (to 19.2% and 1.4%, respectively), while the H7 seroprevalence remained at the same level (0.3%). The proportion of flocks infected by AIVs was 65.3%, while 11.2% and 4.9% of flocks were positive for H5 and H7, respectively. Viral shedding was not detected in any of the 47 samples positive by both ELISA and HI, tested by RRT-PCR. The individual incidence after the hunting season was 3.4%. The fact that 57 animals seroconverted, 15 of which were confirmed by HI (12 H5 and 3 H7), was indication of contact with AIVs during the hunting period. The results indicate that waterfowl used as decoys are frequently exposed to AIVs and may be potentially useful as sentinels for AIVs monitoring. The seroprevalence detected and the seropositivity against AIVs H5 and H7, suggest that decoys can act as reservoirs of AIVs, which may be of animal and public health concern.
Time-lagged autoencoders: Deep learning of slow collective variables for molecular kinetics

Inspired by the success of deep learning techniques in the physical and chemical sciences, we apply a modification of an autoencoder type deep neural network to the task of dimension reduction of molecular dynamics data. We can show that our time-lagged autoencoder reliably finds low-dimensional embeddings for high-dimensional feature spaces which capture the slow dynamics of the underlying stochastic processes-beyond the capabilities of linear dimension reduction techniques.
Non-Alcoholic Beverage Cues as Specific Comparison Images to Alcohol Image Cues

ABSTRACT Background: Visual alcohol cues are often used to elicit craving (e.g., cue-reactivity), and selection of appropriate comparison cues is important to isolate the specific effect of craving for alcohol. Objectives: In the current study, via the development of a new set of non-alcoholic beverage cues, we examine measurement and methodological choices in testing alcohol images for cue-reactivity studies. Methods: The current project combined two independent studies of hazardous (Study 1; n = 80) and recent drinkers (Study 2; n = 244) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk. Participants viewed either alcohol cues (Lovett, Ham, & Veilleux, 2015) or newly developed non-alcoholic beverage cues. We also randomly assigned people to rate the cues regarding motivational (e.g., affect, craving for alcohol, resistance to alcohol) responses or non-motivational features (e.g., artistry). Results: In Study 1, we included presentation of non-beverage objects, and found that beverages were rated as more positive, less negative and with higher craving than non-beverage objects. In the combined sample, we found that the alcohol beverage cues were associated with greater craving than non-alcoholic beverage cues, and that there were no differences between cue types on either positive or negative affect. We also found an interaction between drinking experience and cue type in predicting resistance to drinking. Conclusions: We conclude that the choice of control cues in alcohol cue-reactivity studies is important, and that the currently developed non-alcoholic beverage cue set provides an adequate control for alcohol beverage cues for use in cue-reactivity paradigms.
Time-Dependent Discrepancies between Assessments of Sensory Function after Incomplete Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

We recently demonstrated that the electrical perceptual threshold (EPT) examination reveals spared sensory function at lower spinal segments compared with the International Standards for Neurological Classification of Spinal Cord Injury (ISNCSCI) examination in humans with chronic incomplete cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Here, we investigated whether discrepancies in sensory function detected by both sensory examinations change over time after SCI. Forty-five participants with acute (<1 year), chronic (≥1-10 years), and extended-chronic (>10 years) incomplete cervical SCI and 30 control subjects were tested on dermatomes C2-T4 bilaterally. EPT values were higher in subjects with acute (2.5 ± 0.8 mA), chronic (2.2 ± 0.7 mA), or extended-chronic (2.8 ± 1.1 mA) SCI compared with controls (1.0 ± 0.1 mA). The EPT examination detected sensory impairments in spinal segments above (2.3 ± 0.9) and below (4.2 ± 2.6) the level detected by the ISNCSCI sensory examination in participants with acute and chronic SCI, respectively. Notably, both examinations detected similar levels of spared sensory function in the extended-chronic phase of SCI (0.8 ± 0.5). A negative correlation was found between differences in EPT and ISNCSCI sensory levels and time post-injury. These observations indicate that discrepancies between EPT and ISNCSCI sensory scores are time-dependent, with the EPT revealing impaired sensory function above, below, or at the same spinal segment as the ISNCSCI examination. We propose that the EPT is a sensitive tool to assess changes in sensory function over time after incomplete cervical SCI.
Diagnosis-to-ablation time as a predictor of success: early choice for pulmonary vein isolation and long-term outcome in atrial fibrillation results from the Middelheim-PVI Registry

Aims The aim of the study is to define long-term outcome of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in atrial fibrillation (AF) and to determine whether time window between AF diagnosis and PVI affects outcome. Methods and results Consecutive AF patients undergoing PVI (2006-14) were followed for 5 years. Primary outcome was clinical success, defined as freedom of documented AF without anti-arrhythmic drugs respecting a 1-month blanking period. A 1000 patients were included (age 60 ± 10 years, CHA2DS2-VASc score 1 ± 1). The cohort was divided in four quartiles (Q) according to the diagnosis-to-ablation time (DAT): Q1 DAT 0-11 months (N = 244), Q2 DAT 12-≤33 months (N = 254), Q3 DAT 34-≤70 months (N = 252) and Q4 DAT 71-360 months (N = 250). Mean follow-up was 44.3±21.0 months. At 5 years, clinical success was achieved in 45.2 ± 2.0% of patients. Independent predictors of clinical success were AF type (HR = 0.61; 95%CI 0.50-0.74; P < 0.0001), left atrial size (HR = 1.03; 95%CI 1.02-1.05; P < 0.0001), DAT (HR = 1.00; 95%CI 1.00-1.00; P = 0.001), ablation technique (P = 0.012), and year of ablation (HR = 0.93; 95%CI 0.86-1.00; P = 0.045) in multivariable-adjusted analysis. The highest clinical success was achieved when PVI was performed within the first year, and gradually declined with increasing DAT: 55.9 ± 4.6% for Q1, 46.9 ± 4.0% for Q2, 45.5 ± 3.6% for Q3, and 35.5 ± 3.6% for Q4 (P < 0.001). Conclusion Long-term success rate of PVI is 45.2 ± 2.0%. Shorter diagnosis-to-ablation times are associated with better clinical success. Our data advocate for early PVI following diagnosis of AF.