Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality of life after hip fracture: a comparison of four health status measures in 208 patients

Objectives: We compared four health status measures for the evaluation of quality of life after hip fracture. Methods: Two hundred and eight elderly hip fracture patients were followed up to 4 months after hospital admission. We used two interviewer-administered instruments (the Rehabilitation Activities Profile (RAP) and the Barthel Index (BI)) that focus on functional status, and two self-assessment instruments (the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and the COOP/WONCA charts) that additionally include psychological and social health domains. The score distribution, internal consistency, construct validity, and sensitivity to change were investigated. Results: At 4 months only 18% of surviving patients had reached the same level of functioning as before the fracture and, compared with reference values, lower scores of health status were found in the areas of physical mobility and emotional reactions. The number of comorbidities at hospital admission was the most important prognostic factor for recovery of health status at 4 months. The RAP and the BI both performed well in the assessment of functional status in regard to score distribution, internal consistency and construct validity. In contrast to the BI, the RAP also assessed instrumental activities of daily living and perceived problems with existing disabilities. The generic health status measures produced no added value in the assessment of functional status. The NHP covered a wider range of psychological health dimensions (emotion, pain, energy, and sleep) and had better psychometric properties than COOP/WONCA. None of the four instruments performed well in assessing social functioning. Conclusions: To assess health status after hip fracture, we recommend the RAP for functional status and the NHP for changes in emotion, pain, and energy. These instruments detected poor recovery in functional and emotional status at 4 months after fracture.
Radiation and non-radiation factors impact on development of cerebrovascular diseases in the Chornobyl clean-up workers. The epidemiological study results.

OBJECTIVE To establish the cerebrovascular disease risks in the Chornobyl clean-up workers with regard to whole-body external dose and non-radiation factors i.e. biological, social-and-hygienic, behavioral ones. MATERIALS AND METHODS Risk-analysis was based on the cohort of the Chornobyl male clean-up workers of 1986-1987 period (8625 men including 3623 with known whole-body external radiation dose values). Data from the Clinical-and-epidemiological registry, National Research Centre for Radiation Medicine were used. Observation period was since 1992 till 2010. We have used the approach with the internal control group with radiation doses less than 0.05 or 0.1 Gy. RESULTS The statistically significant radiation risks were established for the chronic forms of cerebrovascular disease at doses 0.5 Gy and higher, for some forms of the disease in certain dose-age strata i.e. 0.25 Gy and more. Statistically significant non-radiation risks for cerebrovascular disease were recorded with regard to age, psychoemotional stress, alcohol abuse, malnutrition, smoking, harmful working conditions etc. Role of age as a confounding factor was analyzed under the assessing of radiation risks with Mantel-Haenszel method application to improve the estimates of radiation effects.
Differential sweetness of commercial sour liquids elicited by miracle fruit in healthy young adults

Miracle fruit (Synsepalum dulcificum) contains the glycoprotein miraculin which turns a sour taste into a sweet one. Chemical analyses and sensory evaluation experiments were conducted to examine the sweetening effect of miracle fruit with regard to five different commercial sour liquids which were diluted until they were subjectively equally sour. HPLC-based analyses revealed that (1) the predominating acids in two and three of the liquids were citric acid and acetic acid, respectively and (2) all five liquids contained fructose and glucose. Healthy young adults (eight males and 10 females) in the sensory evaluation experiments were asked to chew a miracle fruit and apply their saliva to the oral mucosae. They were asked to score the sweetness elicited by the five liquids relative to a sucrose standard at 0, 15, 25 and 35 min thereafter. The citric acid-based liquids were perceived as being sweeter than the acetic acid-based liquids at all timepoints. Thus, commercial sour liquids that mainly contain citric acid are more effective than acetic acid-based liquids in eliciting a perception of sweetness after the miracle fruit application, while the sugars in the liquids seemed to play a minimal role as determinants of sweetness.
The Citizens Information Services in Ireland: Protecting the Nonunionized Employee?

With declining unionization levels in many countries, there has been an increasing focus on alternative forms of representation. Commentators have noted the growth in civil society organizations, such as the Citizens Advice Bureaux in the UK, which can provide information, advice, and support to nonunionized employees. In this context, we examine the role of the Irish Citizens Information Services (CISs) in the area of employment. The CISs are state-funded services that provide information and advice to members of the public on their legal and social entitlements. We find that the CISs are an important mechanism by which nonunionized employees can self-empower. The advocacy role of CISs could go some way to protecting unionized employees but is in its infancy, and an expansion of the advocacy service would increase protection for nonunionized employees.
Characterization of the Vasa Vasorum in the Human Great Saphenous Vein: A Scanning Electron Microscopy and 3D-Morphometry Study Using Vascular Corrosion Casts

Abstract The vasa vasorum (VV) of explanted segments of the human great saphenous vein (Vena saphena magna; HGSV), harvested during dissection for coronary bypass grafts or diseased vein segments from the “Salzburger Landesklinikum,” were studied by scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional morphometry of microvascular corrosion casts. The main objective of this study was to examine the VV’s structural arrangement in order to find the most vital segments of the HGSV and in turn to improve the results of coronary bypass surgeries. The study presents a meticulous analysis of the whole microvascular system of the VV of the HGSV and its three-dimensional arrangement. It is one of the first studies yielding detailed quantitative data on geometry of the VV of the HGSV. A detailed insight into different vascular parameters such as vessel diameter, interbranching, intervascular distances, and branching angles at different levels of the VV’s angioarchitecture and in different parts of the HGSV in health and disease is given. Further, the geometry of bifurcations was examined in order to compute the physiological optimality principles of this delicate vascular system based on its construction, maintenance, and function.
Changes in gefitinib, erlotinib and osimertinib pharmacokinetics under various gastric pH levels following oral administration of omeprazole and vonoprazan in rats

Abstract 1. Although drug interactions between epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) and gastric acid-suppressing medications (AS) are considered clinically significant, there is limited data regarding the influence of various gastric pH conditions on the pharmacokinetics of EGFR-TKIs. We aimed to clarify the changes in the pharmacokinetics of the EGFR-TKIs, gefitinib, erlotinib and osimertinib, due to the changes in gastric pH after administration of omeprazole or vonoprazan. 2. Omeprazole (10−100 mg/kg, p.o.) and vonoprazan (1−5 mg/kg, p.o.) led to a significant and dose-dependent increase in gastric pH. 3. AUC0–3 of gefitinib and erlotinib (5 mg/kg, p.o.) started to decrease at gastric pH 3.3 and 5.6, respectively, reached a plateau at pH > 6, and then significantly decreased up to 47 and 59% of control levels, respectively. AUC0–3 of osimertinib (5 mg/kg, p.o.) was not significantly changed by omeprazole and vonoprazan. 4. Although there are some issues regarding the extrapolation of the results of our rat study to humans, careful monitoring of patients treated with gefitinib and erlotinib is needed in cases in which the gastric pH increases from 3 to 5 and especially when the gastric pH is >5 in patients who are co-administered both the EGFR-TKIs and AS.
Recognition of Handwritten Music Symbols with Convolutional Neural Codes

There are large collections of music manuscripts preserved over the centuries. In order to analyze these documents it is necessary to transcribe them into a machine-readable format. This process can be done automatically using Optical Music Recognition (OMR) systems, which typically consider segmentation plus classification workflows. This work is focused on the latter stage, presenting a comprehensive study for classification of handwritten musical symbols using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN). The power of these models lies in their ability to transform the input into a meaningful representation for the task at hand, and that is why we study the use of these models to extract features (Neural Codes) for other classifiers. For the evaluation we consider four datasets containing different configurations and notation styles, along with a number of network models, different image preprocessing techniques and several supervised learning classifiers. Our results show that a remarkable accuracy can be achieved using the proposed framework, which significantly outperforms the state of the art in all datasets considered.
Dual Leucine Zipper-bearing Kinase (DLK) Activates p46SAPK and p38mapk but Not ERK2*

Because the catalytic domain of dual leucine zipper-bearing kinase (DLK) bears sequence similarity to members of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase kinase kinase subfamily, this protein kinase was investigated for its ability to activate MAP kinase pathways. When transiently transfected and overexpressed in either COS 7 cells or NIH3T3 cells, wild type DLK potently activated p46SAPK (SAPK/JNK) but had no detectable effect in activating p42/44MAPK. DLK also activated p38mapk when overexpressed in NIH3T3 cells. A catalytically inactive point mutant of DLK had no effect in these experiments. Consistent with its specificity in activating SAPK, DLK activated Elk-1 but not Sap1a-mediated transcription. In NIH3T3 cells, activation of SAPK by v-Src was markedly attenuated by coexpression of K185A, a catalytically inactive mutant of DLK, suggesting that this mutant could function in a dominant negative fashion in a pathway that leads from v-Src to SAPKs. In a series of co-transfection experiments, activation of p46SAPK by DLK was not inhibited by dominant negative mutants of Rac1 and Cdc42Hs, PAK65-R, or PAK65-A, but was attenuated by MEKK1(K432M). DLK(K185A) did not inhibit the ability of constitutively active MEKK1 to activate SAPK. Moreover, K185A significantly inhibited the activation of SAPK by constitutively active V-12 Rac1 and V-12 Cdc42Hs. These results suggest that DLK lies distal to Rac1 and/or Cdc42Hs but proximal to MEKK1 in a pathway leading from v-Src to SAPKs activation.
Inducible Heat Shock Protein 70 Reduces T Cell Responses and Stimulatory Capacity of Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells*

Background: An increased presence of Hsp70 has been observed in many clinical conditions; however, its role remains elusive. Results: Hsp70 reduces the stimulatory capacity of dendritic cells and T cell responses in an in vitro experimental setup. Conclusion: Hsp70 might moderate inflammatory reactions mediated by the immune system. Significance: Provides additional insight into the role of Hsp70 in autoimmune diseases, transplantation, and cancer. Heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) has gained a lot of attention in the past decade due to its potential immunoregulatory functions. Some of the described proinflammatory functions of Hsp70 became controversial as they were based on recombinant Hsp70 proteins specimens, which were later shown to be endotoxin-contaminated. In this study we used low endotoxin inducible Hsp70 (also known as Hsp72, HSPA1A), and we observed that after a 24-h incubation of monocyte-derived immature dendritic cells (mo-iDCs) with 20 μg/ml of low endotoxin Hsp70, their ability to stimulate allogenic T cells was reduced. Interestingly, low endotoxin Hsp70 also significantly reduced T cell responses when they were simulated with either IL-2 or phytohemagglutinin, therefore showing that Hsp70 could alter T cell responses independently from its effect on mo-iDCs. We also reported a greater response of Hsp70 treatment when activated versus nonactivated T cells were used. This effect of Hsp70 was similar for all tested populations of T cells that included CD3+, CD4+, or CD8+. Taken together, our observations strongly suggest that Hsp70 might dampen, rather than provoke, T cell-mediated inflammatory reactions in many clinical conditions where up-regulation of Hsp70 is observed.
Differential pharmacotherapy for subgroups of fibromyalgia patients with specific consideration of 5-HT3 receptor antagonists

Introduction: The fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) has a prevalence of about 2% and is characterized by generalized musculoskeletal pain, reduced pain threshold and autonomic and functional symptoms. It is a multifactorial syndrome with four different subgroups exhibiting pathophysiological and psychiatric findings. No precise treatment strategy is currently available for the different FMS subgroups. Areas covered: This article reviews the evidence for treatment options for the different FMS subgroups. Expert opinion: Therapy for the first subgroup of primary FMS, with high levels of pain but no psychopathological alterations, is targeted at nociceptors expressing serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine-3; 5-HT3) receptors with 5-HT3 receptor antagonists. The second and third subgroups are characterized by depressive syndromes with a major indication for antidepressants. The fourth subgroup with psychosomatic syndromes requires psychotherapeutic treatment. Secondary FMS is similar to the primary syndromes but is triggered by a variety of other diseases and frequently responds to 5-HT3 receptor antagonist treatment. Different classes of drug, such as pregabalin, must be tested for efficacy and tolerance. FMS treatment strategies should be tailored after the identification of individual FMS subgroups. Although several groups of drug have been studied extensively, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists are most effective in patients without psychopathological alterations.
The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III and Malingering in Traumatic Brain Injury

A known-groups design was used to determine the classification accuracy of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—III (WAIS-III) variables in detecting malingered neurocognitive dysfunction (MND) in traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI patients were classified into the following groups: (a) mild TBI not-MND (n = 26), (b) mild TBI MND (n = 31), and (c) moderate/severe (M/S) TBI not-MND (n = 26). A sample of 80 general clinical patients was used for comparison. Verbal IQ, Verbal Comprehension Index, and Working Memory Index detected approximately 25% of malingerers with a false positive (FP) error rate of approximately 5% in the mild TBI group. Comparable FP rates were obtained in M/S TBI. FP rates for Performance IQ, Perceptual Organization Index, and Processing Speed Index were acceptable in mild TBI but too high in M/S TBI. Previously studied specialized indicators (Vocabulary minus Digit Span and the Mittenberg formula) failed to differentiate malingerers from nonmalingerers. The clinical application of these findings is discussed.
Evolutionary Stability in the Infinitely Repeated Prisoners' Dilemma Played by Two-State Moore Machines

A large literature which attempts to explain how cooperative outcomes can be supported in the repeated Prisoners' Dilemma (RPD) has emerged in recent years. An interesting branch of this literature has analyzed the infinite RPD as a game in which two "metaplayers" choose a strategy which is implemented by a finite automaton, or Moore machine. This line of research has been especially interesting because it allows us to capture the notion of "bounded" rationality in the players. Also, the use of these machines as devices to implement strategies permits us to quantify the notion of strategic complexity. We can then apply the idea that complexity is costly to the analysis, and the results have proven very interesting. So far, the work in this area has applied the concepts of Nash equilibrium and evolutionary stability in determining what reasonable outcomes are in these games. However, it has frequently been that pointed out these equilibrium concepts may be either too restrictive or not restrictive enough to be useful in analyzing the infinitely repeated Prisoners' Dilemma. That is, if we use the Nash equilibrium as the appropriate equilibrium concept, the set of equilibrium outcomes is infinitely large. On the other hand, if we require the equilibrium to be evolutionarily stable, the set of such equilibrium outcomes is frequently empty. It has been suggested that the requirement for evolutionary stability may be too stringent a criterion. The purpose of this essay is to examine what happens in these games in an evolutionary framework under various conditions. The results of the simulations I performed and report here indicate certain combinations of strategies may exist which, although not evolutionarily stable in the sense of Maynard Smith [14], prove to be invasion-proof against permissible mutant strategies. This is akin to saying a set of possible strategies may exist which cannot be invaded, but neither the individual strategies nor the mixed strategy represented by the population is evolutionarily stable. We can imagine the mix of strategies changing as various mutants attempt to invade the population but the set of strategies remaining the same as the one with which we started. In fact, it may well be the case that this set of strategies will not last forever, but it may last for a very long time. I formalize this idea later in the essay. In order to test the robustness of
Fibrillin-1 microfibril deposition is dependent on fibronectin assembly

Newly deposited microfibrils strongly colocalise with fibronectin in primary fibroblasts. Microfibril formation is grossly inhibited by fibronectin depletion, but rescued by supplementation with exogenous cellular fibronectin. As integrin receptors are key determinants of fibronectin assembly, we investigated whether they also influenced microfibril deposition. Analysis of β1-integrin-receptor-null fibroblasts, blockage of cell surface integrin receptors that regulate fibronectin assembly and disruption of Rho kinase all result in suppressed deposition of both fibronectin and microfibrils. Antibody activation of β1 integrins in fibronectin-depleted cultures is insufficient to rescue microfibril assembly. In fibronectinRGE/RGE mutant mouse fibroblast cultures, which do not engage α5β1 integrin, extracellular assembly of both fibronectin and microfibrils is markedly reduced. Thus, pericellular microfibril assembly is regulated by fibronectin fibrillogenesis.
Theory of signal and noise in double-gated nanoscale electronic pH sensors.

The maximum sensitivity of classical nanowire (NW)-based pH sensors is defined by the Nernst limit of 59 mV/pH. For typical noise levels in ultra-small single-gated nanowire sensors, the signal-to-noise ratio is often not sufficient to resolve pH changes necessary for a broad range of applications. Recently, a new class of double-gated devices was demonstrated to offer apparent "super-Nernstian" response (>59 mV/pH) by amplifying the original pH signal through innovative biasing schemes. However, the pH-sensitivity of these nanoscale devices as a function of biasing configurations, number of electrodes, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) remains poorly understood. Even the basic question such as "Do double-gated sensors actually resolve smaller changes in pH compared to conventional single-gated sensors in the presence of various sources of noise? " remains unanswered. In this article, we provide a comprehensive numerical and analytical theory of signal and noise of double-gated pH sensors to conclude that, while the theoretical lower limit of pH-resolution does not improve for double-gated sensors, this new class of sensors does improve the (instrument-limited) pH resolution.
Comparison of protein precipitation methods for various rat brain structures prior to proteomic analysis

Sample preparation is a fundamental step in proteomic methodologies. The quality of the results from a proteomic experiment is dependent on the nature of the sample and the properties of the proteins. In this study, various pre‐treatment methods were compared by proteomic analysis; we analysed various rat brain structures after chloroform/methanol, acetone, TCA/acetone and TCA protein precipitation procedures. The protein content of the supernatant was also examined by 2‐DE. We found that for four of the rat brain structures, precipitation with chloroform/methanol and acetone delivered the highest protein recovery for top‐down proteomic analysis; however, TCA precipitation resulted in good protein separation and the highest number of protein spots in 2‐DE. Moreover, TCA precipitation also gave high efficiency of protein recovery if prior sonication procedure was performed.
Health Care Workers’ Hand Decontamination Practices

The primary purpose of this quasi-experimental research is to observe health care workers’ compliance with hand-hygiene guidelines during patient care in an intensive care unit in Ireland before (pretest) and after (posttest) implementation of a multifaceted hand-hygiene program. Health care workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge in relation to compliance with handwashing guidelines were also investigated. A convenience sample of nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, and care assistants (n = 73 observational participants, n = 62 questionnaire respondents) was used. Data (N = 314 observations, 62 questionnaires) were analyzed descriptively and cross-tabulated using chi-square (Pearson’s) and Mann-Whitney statistical tests. Results revealed that a significant shift (32%) occurred in health care workers’ compliance with handwashing guidelines (pretest 51%, posttest 83%, p < .001) following the interventional hand-hygiene program. Significant changes were also found in relation to health care workers’ attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge (p < .05).