Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation for prevention of postoperative delirium in geriatric patients with silent lacunar infarction: a preliminary study

Purpose This study aims to investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on postoperative delirium (POD) in elderly patients with silent lacunar infarct and preliminarily to determine the relationship among TEAS, blood–brain barrier (BBB), neuroinflammation, and POD. Patients and methods Sixty-four-old patients with silent lacunar infarct were randomly divided into two groups: group TEAS and control group (group C). Patients in the group TEAS received TEAS (disperse-dense waves; frequency, 2/100 Hz) on acupoints Hegu and Neiguan of both sides starting from 30 minutes before induction of anesthesia until the end of surgery, and the intensity was the maximum current that could be tolerated. In group C, electrodes were placed on the same acupoints before anesthesia induction, but no current was given. At 0 minute before the treatment of TEAS, 30 minutes after skin incision, and after completion of surgery (T1–3), blood samples were extracted to detect the concentration of serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-6 (IL-6), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and S100β. We assessed patients for delirium and coma twice daily in the first 3 postoperative days using the Confusion Assessment Method for the intensive care unit and the Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale. Results This study preliminarily suggests that TEAS can reduce the development of POD in elderly patients with silent lacunar infarction (6.3% vs 25.0%; P=0.039). Compared with the baseline value at T1, the serum concentrations of IL-6, TNF-α, MMP-9, and S100β were significantly increased at T2–3 in both the groups (P<0.05). Compared with group TEAS, serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 were higher at T2–3 and serum levels of MMP-9 and S100β were higher at T3 in group C (P<0.05). The intraoperative anesthetic consumptions were less in group TEAS than group C. Conclusion TEAS can alleviate POD in older patients with silent lacunar infarction and may be related to reduce the neuroinflammation by lowering the permeability of BBB.
Estimation of HTLV-1 vertical transmission cases in Brazil per annum

Background Brazil has at least 800,000 HTLV-1 infected individuals. HTLV-1 can be transmitted via sexual intercourse, contact with blood and from mother to child, mainly by breastfeeding. Treatments for the high morbidity/mortality associated diseases (ATL and HAM/TSP) are limited, therefore, infection prevention is of utmost importance. However, antenatal screening is not routinely performed in Brazil. A lack of data regarding the number of individuals infected via breastfeeding impairs the development of government policies. The objective is to estimate the number of HTLV-1 infections occurring annually due to mother to child transmission (MTCT) in Brazil, nationally and regionally. Methodology To estimate HTLV-1 MTCT in Brazil the following variables are modelled: number of births, prevalence of HTLV-1 infection in pregnant women, breastfeeding duration rate and transmission risk according to breastfeeding period. The number of cases of HAM/TSP and ATL attributable to MTCT are also estimated. Principal findings In 2008, there were 2,934,828 live births in Brazil. HTLV prevalence in pregnant women in Brazil ranges between 0.1–1.05% by region. An estimated 16,548 HTLV-1 infected women are pregnant each year. According to the breastfeeding pattern and HTLV-1 prevalence of each region there are an estimated 3,024 new cases of HTLV-1 infection due to MTCT annually of which 2,610 are preventable through infant feeding advice. These 3,024 transmissions will result in 120–604 cases of ATL and 8–272 of HAM/TSP. North-East region comprises the high number of MTCT cases, followed by South-East. Conclusions/significance A high number of new HTLV-1 infections due to MTCT occur every year in Brazil. Antenatal screening and avoiding breastfeeding are essential to prevent subsequent development of HTLV-1-associated diseases.
Legacy Drug-Prescribing Patterns in Primary Care

PURPOSE Polypharmacy is a key clinical challenge for primary care. Drugs that should be prescribed for an intermediate term (longer than 3 months, but not indefinitely) that are not appropriately discontinued could contribute to polypharmacy. We named this type of prescribing legacy prescribing. Commonly prescribed drugs with legacy prescribing potential include antidepressants, bisphosphonates, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). We evaluated the proportion of legacy prescribing within these drug classes. METHODS We conducted a population-based retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected data from the McMaster University Sentinel and Information Collaboration (MUSIC) Primary Care Practice Based Research Network, located in Hamilton, Ontario. All adult patients (aged 18 or older) in the MUSIC data set during 2010-2016 were included (N = 50,813). We calculated rates of legacy prescribing of antidepressants (prescription longer than 15 months), bisphosphonates (longer than 5.5 years), and PPIs (longer than 15 months). RESULTS The proportion of patients having a legacy prescription at some time during the study period was 46% (3,766 of 8,119) for antidepressants, 14% (228 of 1,592) for bisphosphonates, and 45% (2,885 of 6,414) for PPIs. Many of these patients held current prescriptions. The mean duration of prescribing for all legacy prescriptions was significantly longer than that for non–legacy prescriptions (P <.001). Concurrent legacy prescriptions for both antidepressants and PPIs was common, signaling a potential prescribing cascade. CONCLUSIONS The phenomenon of legacy prescribing appears prevalent. These data demonstrate the potential of legacy prescribing to contribute to unnecessary polypharmacy, providing an opportunity for system-level intervention in primary care with enormous potential benefit for patients.
Antibody Microarray Immunoassay for Simultaneous Quantification of Multiple Mycotoxins in Corn Samples

We developed and tested a prototype of an antibody microarray immunoassay for simultaneous quantitative detection of four typical mycotoxins (aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and fumonisin B1) in corn samples. The test kit consisted of a nitrocellulose membrane layered with immobilized monoclonal antibodies against mycotoxins. During the assay, the mycotoxin-protein conjugates were biotinylated. The signal detection was enhanced by a combination of the biotin-streptavidin system and enhanced chemiluminescence (ECL). This improved the sensitivity of the assay. Under the optimized conditions, four calibration curves with goodness of fit (R2 > 0.98) were plotted. The results showed that the detection limits for aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and fumonisin B1 were 0.21, 0.19, 0.09, and 0.24 ng/mL, with detection ranges of 0.47–55.69, 0.48–127.11, 0.22–31.36, and 0.56–92.57 ng/mL, respectively. The limit of detection (LOD) of this antibody microarray for aflatoxin B1, ochratoxin A, zearalenone, and fumonisin B1 in corn was 5.25, 4.75, 2.25, and 6 μg/kg, respectively. The recovery rates from the spiked samples were between 79.2% and 113.4%, with coefficient of variation <10%. The results of the analysis of commercial samples for mycotoxins using this new assay and the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) were comparable and in good agreement. This assay could also be modified for the simultaneous detection of other multiple mycotoxins, as well as low-weight analytes, hazardous to human health.
Meta-analysis challenges a textbook example of status signalling and demonstrates publication bias

The status signalling hypothesis aims to explain within-species variation in ornamentation by suggesting that some ornaments signal dominance status. Here, we use multilevel meta-analytic models to challenge the textbook example of this hypothesis, the black bib of male house sparrows (Passer domesticus). We conducted a systematic review, and obtained primary data from published and unpublished studies to test whether dominance rank is positively associated with bib size across studies. Contrary to previous studies, the overall effect size (i.e. meta-analytic mean) was small and uncertain. Furthermore, we found several biases in the literature that further question the support available for the status signalling hypothesis. We discuss several explanations including pleiotropic, population- and context-dependent effects. Our findings call for reconsidering this established textbook example in evolutionary and behavioural ecology, and should stimulate renewed interest in understanding within-species variation in ornamental traits.
Educating Migrant Students in Poland

The aim of this article is to present the selected findings of the research carried out over the last decade on the situation of foreign pupils undergoing their education in Polish schools. The thesis being verified is that due to the lack of intercultural competencies of teachers, the educational institutions are not able to deal with the rising problems. Final conclusions point the necessity of changes in teacher training programs.
Lipin1 deficiency causes sarcoplasmic reticulum stress and chaperone‐responsive myopathy

As a consequence of impaired glucose or fatty acid metabolism, bioenergetic stress in skeletal muscles may trigger myopathy and rhabdomyolysis. Genetic mutations causing loss of function of the LPIN1 gene frequently lead to severe rhabdomyolysis bouts in children, though the metabolic alterations and possible therapeutic interventions remain elusive. Here, we show that lipin1 deficiency in mouse skeletal muscles is sufficient to trigger myopathy. Strikingly, muscle fibers display strong accumulation of both neutral and phospholipids. The metabolic lipid imbalance can be traced to an altered fatty acid synthesis and fatty acid oxidation, accompanied by a defect in acyl chain elongation and desaturation. As an underlying cause, we reveal a severe sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) stress, leading to the activation of the lipogenic SREBP1c/SREBP2 factors, the accumulation of the Fgf21 cytokine, and alterations of SR–mitochondria morphology. Importantly, pharmacological treatments with the chaperone TUDCA and the fatty acid oxidation activator bezafibrate improve muscle histology and strength of lipin1 mutants. Our data reveal that SR stress and alterations in SR–mitochondria contacts are contributing factors and potential intervention targets of the myopathy associated with lipin1 deficiency.
Human-pathogenic Anaplasma spp., and Rickettsia spp. in animals in Xi’an, China

In China, thirteen species of tick-borne rickettsiales bacteria pathogenic to human have been reported in ticks and host animals, and human patients caused by them also has been identified. However, investigation for rickettsiales bacteria circulating in Xi’an wasn’t performed although diseases resembling human diseases caused by these organisms have been found. In this study, domestic animals and ticks in Xi’an, China, were tested for the presence of rickettsiales bacteria pathogenic to humans. Besides A. ovis, a high prevalence of A. capra was observed suggesting a high public health risk exists. In addition, two novel Anaplasma species closely related to A. phagocytophilum were identified and formed distinct lineages in the phylogenetic trees, with more than 98.3% identities for rrs gene, while divergences up to 20.2% and 37.0% for groEL and gltA genes, respectively. Both of these two novel Anaplasma species were found to circulate in goats and further assessment of their pathogenicity is needed. Ca. R. jingxinensis, with potential pathogenicity, was also detected in H. longicomis ticks with high prevalence. However, other causative agents were not identified although they were distributed in other areas of China.
Socioeconomic factors, psychological factors, and function in adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain from rural Nepal

Background Both socioeconomic and psychological factors have been shown to predict patient function in samples of individuals with chronic pain in Western countries. However, little is known about their role as predictors of function in individuals with chronic pain from developing countries. Purpose The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between measures of socioeconomic factors (income, education) and psychological factors (catastrophizing and resilience) and measures of function in a sample of individuals with chronic pain from rural Nepal. In addition, we sought to evaluate the moderating effects of socioeconomic factors on the associations between the psychological variables and function. Methods We interviewed 143 adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain from rural areas of Nepal to assess income, education level, pain intensity, catastrophizing, resilience, physical function, and depression. We performed two regression analyses to evaluate the direct and unique effects of the socioeconomic and psychological variables and pain intensity as predictors of patient function, as well as the moderating influence of income, education level, and pain intensity on the associations between the psychological variables and function. Results Education and income both predicted physical function, but only income predicted depression. In addition, pain catastrophizing, but not resilience, evidenced a direct and significant independent association with depression. Neither catastrophizing nor resilience made independent and significant direct contributions to the prediction of physical function. The association between resilience and physical function was moderated by pain intensity and income, and income (but not education or pain intensity) moderated the associations between both 1) resilience and depression and 2) catastrophizing and depression. Conclusion The results suggest the possibility that cultural differences may influence the role that psychosocial factors play in chronic pain adjustment. These findings have important implications regarding how psychosocial pain interventions should be adapted by individuals in developing countries.
Anomaly Detection using Autoencoders in High Performance Computing Systems

Anomaly detection in supercomputers is a very difficult problem due to the big scale of the systems and the high number of components. The current state of the art for automated anomaly detection employs Machine Learning methods or statistical regression models in a supervised fashion, meaning that the detection tool is trained to distinguish among a fixed set of behaviour classes (healthy and unhealthy states). We propose a novel approach for anomaly detection in HighPerformance Computing systems based on a Machine (Deep) Learning technique, namely a type of neural network called autoencoder. The key idea is to train a set of autoencoders to learn the normal (healthy) behaviour of the supercomputer nodes and, after training, use them to identify abnormal conditions. This is different from previous approaches which where based on learning the abnormal condition, for which there are much smaller datasets (since it is very hard to identify them to begin with). We test our approach on a real supercomputer equipped with a fine-grained, scalable monitoring infrastructure that can provide large amount of data to characterize the system behaviour. The results are extremely promising: after the training phase to learn the normal system behaviour, our method is capable of detecting anomalies that have never been seen before with a very good accuracy (values ranging between 88% and 96%).
Genetic determinants of telomere length and risk of pancreatic cancer: A PANDoRA study

Telomere deregulation is a hallmark of cancer. Telomere length measured in lymphocytes (LTL) has been shown to be a risk marker for several cancers. For pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) consensus is lacking whether risk is associated with long or short telomeres. Mendelian randomization approaches have shown that a score built from SNPs associated with LTL could be used as a robust risk marker. We explored this approach in a large scale study within the PANcreatic Disease ReseArch (PANDoRA) consortium. We analyzed 10 SNPs (ZNF676‐rs409627, TERT‐rs2736100, CTC1‐rs3027234, DHX35‐rs6028466, PXK‐rs6772228, NAF1‐rs7675998, ZNF208‐rs8105767, OBFC1‐rs9420907, ACYP2‐rs11125529 and TERC‐rs10936599) alone and combined in a LTL genetic score (“teloscore”, which explains 2.2% of the telomere variability) in relation to PDAC risk in 2,374 cases and 4,326 controls. We identified several associations with PDAC risk, among which the strongest were with the TERT‐rs2736100 SNP (OR = 1.54; 95%CI 1.35–1.76; p = 1.54 × 10−10) and a novel one with the NAF1‐rs7675998 SNP (OR = 0.80; 95%CI 0.73–0.88; p = 1.87 × 10−6, ptrend = 3.27 × 10−7). The association of short LTL, measured by the teloscore, with PDAC risk reached genome‐wide significance (p = 2.98 × 10−9 for highest vs. lowest quintile; p = 1.82 × 10−10 as a continuous variable). In conclusion, we present a novel genome‐wide candidate SNP for PDAC risk (TERT‐rs2736100), a completely new signal (NAF1‐rs7675998) approaching genome‐wide significance and we report a strong association between the teloscore and risk of pancreatic cancer, suggesting that telomeres are a potential risk factor for pancreatic cancer.
The effect of physiotherapy and acupuncture on psychocognitive, somatic, quality of life, and disability characteristics in TTH patients

Introduction Nonpharmacological therapies have been widely used to treat tension-type headache (TTH); however, limited evidence exists with regards to their effectiveness. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to examine the combined effect of acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy (myofascial release techniques and microwave diathermy) on psychocognitive, somatic, quality of life, and disability characteristics in such patients. Subjects and methods Patients with TTH (n=44) performed either acupuncture or stretching (control group, n=20) or acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy (experimental group, n=24) during a 4-week intervention period including 10 treatment sessions. They were tested for the Greek version of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, the Greek version of the Migraine Disability Assessment Questionnaire, the Greek version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Short Form Health Survey 12 9 (SF-12), and Pain Catastrophizing Scale at baseline after the fifth and tenth sessions. Results All measures were improved throughout the first to tenth session (P<0.05), though no significant differences were observed between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion In summary, a significant beneficial role of acupuncture, stretching, and physiotherapy on cognitive, psychosomatic pain measures, disability index, quality of life, and catastrophizing in patients with TTH was observed.
Architecture and Implementation of an Intelligent News Analysis System

The paper discusses the developing of information system for analysis and aggregation of news from news servers and social resources. The basic purpose of the system is to provide relevantly aggregated news information for the user. The paper reviewed the used techniques for gathering and storing of news information. The paper discusses the used methods for news processing such as news online clustering and news sentiment analysis. The architecture and implementation principles of developed system are given.
A rapid scoping review of Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus in animal hosts

Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS‐CoV) is an emerging zoonotic pathogen discovered in 2012. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize the empirical evidence for MERS‐CoV in animals in order to map knowledge gaps and to extract data for modelling disease transmission in dromedary camels. A review protocol was developed a priori, and a systematic search, data extraction and summary were conducted using the Arksey and O'Malley framework. Ninety‐nine publications were identified for full review out of 1,368 unique records. Of these publications, 71 were articles in scientific journals. Ninety of the studies were observational and the remaining nine were experimental. We summarize characteristics of animal studies including study design, study population and outcomes of interest for future transmission modelling in the reservoir population. The majority of field studies reported measures of prevalence, while experimental studies provided estimates of transmission parameters that pertain to the natural course of disease.
Validation of the GOLD 2017 and new 16 subgroups (1A–4D) classifications in predicting exacerbation and mortality in COPD patients

Background and objective A multidimensional assessment of COPD was recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in 2013 and revised in 2017. We examined the ability of the GOLD 2017 and the new 16 subgroup (1A–4D) classifications to predict clinical outcomes, including exacerbation and mortality, and compared them with the GOLD 2013 classifications. Methods Patients with COPD were recruited from January 2006 to December 2017. The predictive abilities of grades 1–4 and groups A–D were examined through a logistic regression analysis with receiver operating curve estimations and area under the curve (AUC). Results A total of 553 subjects with COPD were analyzed. The mortality rate was 48.6% during a median follow-up period of 5.2 years. Both the GOLD 2017 and the 2013 group A–D classifications had good predictive ability for total and severe exacerbations, for which the AUCs were 0.79 vs 0.77 and 0.79 vs 0.78, respectively. The AUCs for the GOLD 2017 groups A–D, grades 1–4, and the GOLD 2013 group A–D classifications were 0.70, 0.66, and 0.70 for all-cause mortality and 0.73, 0.71, and 0.74 for respiratory cause mortality, respectively. Combining the spirometric staging with the grouping for the GOLD 2017 subgroups (1A–4D), the all-cause mortality rate for group B and D patients was significantly increased from subgroups 1B–4B (27.7%, 50.6%, 53.3%, and 69.2%, respectively) and groups 1D–4D (55.0%, 68.8%, 82.1%, and 90.5%, respectively). The AUCs of subgroups (1A–4D) were 0.73 and 0.77 for all-cause and respiratory mortality, respectively; the new classification was determined more accurate than the GOLD 2017 for predicting mortality (P<0.0001). Conclusion The GOLD 2017 classification performed well by identifying individuals at risk of exacerbation, but its predictive ability for mortality was poor among COPD patients. Combining the spirometric staging with the grouping increased the predictive ability for all-cause and respiratory mortality. Summary at a glance We validate the ability of the GOLD 2017 and 16 subgroup (1A–4D) classifications to predict clinical outcome for COPD patients. The GOLD 2017 classification performed well by identifying individuals at risk of exacerbation, but its predictive ability for mortality was poor. The new 16 subgroup (1A–4D) classification combining the spirometric 1–4 staging and the A–D grouping increased the predictive ability for mortality and was better than the GOLD 2017 for predicting all-cause and respiratory mortality among COPD patients.