Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low birth weight and its risk factors in a rural area of South India

Background: Birth weight is a reliable and sensitive predictor of a new-born’s chances for survival, growth and long-term physical and psychosocial development. There are few studies done in rural South India documenting valuable data such as detailed maternal nutritional intakes and psychological factors, and linking them to LBW. The objective was to estimate the proportion of LBW in a maternity center, Snehalaya hospital, Solur, Ramnagar district, Karnataka and to assess the factors affecting birth weight . Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in a maternity centre, Snehalaya, in Solur Village, Ramnagar District, Karnataka between September and November 2014. Consecutive sampling was used to recruit 144 patients and the questionnaire was then administered to them. Results: Among the 144 women, the proportion of LBW was found to be 14.6% and the mean birth weight was 2.6± 0.4kg. We also found a significant association of birth weight with per capita income, maternal pregnancy weight gain, number of antenatal visits, maternal education, tobacco consumption, and stress and egg consumption in diet. Multivariate analysis showed significant association of birth weight with maternal pregnancy weight gain, tobacco consumption and stress . Conclusions: A greater number of the subjects were found to have access to the basic antenatal care measures such as nutrition, free iron supplements and regular antenatal check-ups and this has shown to have a positive effect on the birth weight in the study population. Though various factors have been already proven to be associated, psychological and nutritional factors have to be concentrated henceforth.
Methylation Landscape of RUNX3 Promoter Region as a Predictive Marker for Th1/Th2 Imbalance in Bronchiolitis

Background The methylation status of RUNX3 promoter region, its impact on RUNX3 gene expression, and Th1/Th2 imbalance are unknown in bronchiolitis. This study aimed to explore the predictors of bronchiolitis developing into asthma. Material/Methods The methylation status of RUNX3 promoter was assessed using Illumina HiSeq platform method. The relative RUNX3 mRNA levels in PBMCs were measured by qRT-PCR. Serum IL-4 and IFN-γ concentrations were measured by ELISA. Results A series of sites with significantly higher levels of methylation as compared to their corresponding controls were identified, including 24 sites in group Ba vs. group Cn, 13 sites in group Ba vs. group Ca, 7 sites in group Ba vs. group Bn, 16 sites in group Bn vs. group Cn, 11 sites in group Ca vs. group Cn, and 23 sites in group B vs. group C; P<0.05. The relative mRNA levels in group Ba were significantly lower than those in groups Cn, Ca, Bn; P<0.05. The serum IL-4 concentrations in group Ba were significantly higher than those in group Cn; P<0.05. The serum IFN-γ concentrations in group Ba were significantly lower than those in groups Cn, Ca, Bn; P<0.05. Correlation analysis showed that differentially methylated RUNX3 promoter region sites were significantly negatively correlated with levels of relative RUNX3 mRNA and IFN-γ, and were significantly positively correlated with IL-4 levels. Conclusions The methylation status of RUNX3 promoter region plays a role in Th1/Th2 imbalance by silencing RUNX3 gene expression, which can serve as predictive marker for the development of bronchiolitis into asthma.
Mechanism of Dyslipidemia in Obesity—Unique Regulation of Ileal Villus Cell Brush Border Membrane Sodium–Bile Acid Cotransport

In obesity, increased absorption of dietary fat contributes to altered lipid homeostasis. In turn, dyslipidemia of obesity leads to many of the complications of obesity. Bile acids are necessary for the absorption of dietary fat. In the mammalian intestine, apical sodium-dependent bile acid cotransporter (ASBT; SLC10A2) is exclusively responsible for the reabsorption of bile acids in the terminal ileum. In rat and mice models of obesity and importantly in obese humans, ASBT was increased in ileal villus cells. The mechanism of stimulation of ASBT was secondary to an increase in ASBT expression in villus cell brush border membrane. The stimulation of ASBT was not secondary to the altered Na-extruding capacity of villus cells during obesity. Further, increased Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) expression in villus cells during obesity likely mediated the increase in ASBT. Moreover, enhanced FXR expression increased the expression of bile-acid-associated proteins (IBABP and OSTα) that are responsible for handling bile acids absorbed via ASBT in villus cells during obesity. Thus, this study demonstrated that in an epidemic condition, obesity, the dyslipidemia that leads to many of the complications of the condition, may, at least in part, be due to deregulation of intestinal bile acid absorption.
Identification of closely related Ixodes species by protein profiling with MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry

Ticks are vectors of infectious diseases of major importance in human and veterinary medicine. For epidemiological studies, accurate identification of ticks is crucial to define their potential role as vectors and to develop control and prevention strategies. Although morphological and molecular methods are widely used to identify ticks, an innovative approach using MALDI-TOF MS technology recently emerged as an alternative tool. Previous works showed that MALDI-TOF MS was highly effective in identifying ticks, but these works mainly tested tick specimens of different genera. To confirm the accuracy of this new tool for tick identification, nine closely related tick species belonging to the Ixodes genus were analysed, specimens of the Dermacentor reticulatus species were also included in the analysis as an outer group. Three of the species used for the present study belonged to the I. ricinus species complex, which are known to transmit Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis. A total of 246 tick specimens were submitted to MALDI-TOF MS analysis, and two body parts (half-idiosoma and four legs) were individually investigated. For each body part, intraspecies reproducibility and interspecies specificity of the MS profiles were determined. The profile analysis revealed that the main determinant for spectra clustering was the tick species for both legs and half-idiosoma. For each body part, a reference database of spectra was set up including 2 to 5 specimens per species randomly selected, and genotyped using 16s rDNA and COI genes to confirm their morphological identification. Both created spectral databases were individually blind tested with their respective body part using the remaining specimens, which were correctly identified in 98.5% of the cases. MALDI-TOF MS is a reliable tool for tick identification, including specimens belonging to closely related species and hardly distinguishable using morphology. The 4-legs as well as the half-idiosoma of ticks can now be applied for specimen identification using two different databases. The combined use of these two body parts improves the rate of tick identification and their confidence level.
Pre-attention and Working Memory in ADHD: A 25-Year Follow-Up Study

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the development of working memory and preliminary stages of attentional processing in individuals with ADHD over a 23- to 25-year period. Method: Individuals with ADHD (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 26) were followed up after 13 years (T2) and 23 to 25 years (T3) after initial assessment (T1). They were reassessed with diagnostic measures and the Backward masking task (pre-attention) and the Digit span distractibility test with and without distraction conditions (working memory). Results: The ADHD group performed below the healthy controls on all time points on the Digit span distractibility test. On the distractibility condition, we found a selective decline in performance from T2 to T3 for the ADHD group. Conclusion: The results highlight that ADHD individuals continue to display working memory deficits, also in adulthood, thus creating an imperative for cognitive rehabilitation techniques to help address attention difficulties.
Significance of inducibility of atrial fibrillation after pulmonary vein isolation in patients with healthy left atrium substrate

The significance of the inducibility of atrial fibrillation (AF) after pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in patients with AF remains disputable and polarizing. Therefore, we investigated the prognostic value of the inducibility of AF on long‐term outcome after PVI in patients without low‐voltage left atrial (LA) substrate.
Oxygen Vacancy Rich Porous Co3O4 Nanosheets towards Boosted NO Reduction by CO and CO Oxidation: Insights into Structure-Activity Relationship and Performance Enhancement Mechanism.

Oxygen vacancy rich porous Co3O4 nanosheets (OV-Co3O4) with diverse surface oxygen vacancies contents were synthesized via facile surface reduction and applied to NO reduction by CO and CO oxidation. The structure-activity relationship between surface oxygen vacancies and catalytic performance were systematically investigated. By combining Raman, XRD, TEM, XPS and O2-TPD, it was found that the efficient surface reduction leads to the presence of more surface oxygen vacancies and thus distinctly enhanced the surface oxygen amount and mobility of OV-Co3O4. The electron transfer towards Co sites was promoted by higher content surface oxygen vacancies. Compared with the pristine porous Co3O4 nanosheets, the presence of more surface oxygen vacancies is beneficial for the catalytic performance enhancement for NO reduction by CO and CO oxidation. The OV-Co3O4 obtained in 0.05 mol⸱L-1 NaBH4 solution (Co3O4-0.05) exhibited the best catalytic activity, achieving 100% NO conversion at 175 oC in NO reduction by CO and 100% CO conversion at 100 oC in CO oxidation, respectively. The Co3O4-0.05 exhibited outstanding catalytic stability and resistance to high GHSV in both reactions. Combining in situ DRIFTS results, the enhanced performance of OV-Co3O4 for NO reduction by CO should be attributed to the promoted formation and transformation of dinitrosyl species and -NCO species at lower and higher temperatures. While the enhanced performance of OV-Co3O4 for CO oxidation owing to the the promotion of oxygen activation ability, surface oxygen mobility as well as the enhanced CO2 desorption ability. The results indicate that the direct regulation of surface oxygen vacancies could be an efficient way to evidently enhance the catalytic performance for NO reduction by CO and CO oxidation.
Rural-Urban Disparities in Pregnancy Intentions, Births, and Abortions Among US Adolescent and Young Women, 1995-2017.

Objectives. To examine rural-suburban-urban disparities in intendedness and resolution of first pregnancies among adolescent and young women (aged 15-19 and 20-24 years) across racial/ethnic backgrounds in the United States.Methods. We used the National Survey of Family Growth and pooled pregnancy files from 2002 through the 2015-2017 surveys. We report baseline rural-suburban-urban disparities in first pregnancy intention and outcomes. We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate these disparities, accounting for sociodemographic background, religious upbringing, and other factors.Results. The first adolescent pregnancies of rural women were more likely to be unintended and end in live birth relative to their urban counterparts. Disparities were most striking among Black adolescents, with about 60% of first adolescent pregnancies among rural Black women being unintended and ending in live birth (urban: 51%). Newly collected state health department data on rural and urban adolescent births and abortions corroborate the findings from the National Survey of Family Growth.Conclusions. Rural-urban differences in the share of first adolescent pregnancies ending in live births are not accounted for by pregnancy intention or confounding individual-level characteristics. Future research should explore the role of structural barriers, including access to family planning and abortion services. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print October 17, 2019: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2019.305318).
Exercise Guidelines for Cancer Survivors: Consensus Statement from International Multidisciplinary Roundtable

ABSTRACT Purpose The number of cancer survivors worldwide is growing, with over 15.5 million cancer survivors in the United States alone—a figure expected to double in the coming decades. Cancer survivors face unique health challenges as a result of their cancer diagnosis and the impact of treatments on their physical and mental well-being. For example, cancer survivors often experience declines in physical functioning and quality of life while facing an increased risk of cancer recurrence and all-cause mortality compared with persons without cancer. The 2010 American College of Sports Medicine Roundtable was among the first reports to conclude that cancer survivors could safely engage in enough exercise training to improve physical fitness and restore physical functioning, enhance quality of life, and mitigate cancer-related fatigue. Methods A second Roundtable was convened in 2018 to advance exercise recommendations beyond public health guidelines and toward prescriptive programs specific to cancer type, treatments, and/or outcomes. Results Overall findings retained the conclusions that exercise training and testing were generally safe for cancer survivors and that every survivor should “avoid inactivity. ” Enough evidence was available to conclude that specific doses of aerobic, combined aerobic plus resistance training, and/or resistance training could improve common cancer-related health outcomes, including anxiety, depressive symptoms, fatigue, physical functioning, and health-related quality of life. Implications for other outcomes, such as peripheral neuropathy and cognitive functioning, remain uncertain. Conclusions The proposed recommendations should serve as a guide for the fitness and health care professional working with cancer survivors. More research is needed to fill remaining gaps in knowledge to better serve cancer survivors, as well as fitness and health care professionals, to improve clinical practice.
Fumigant Antifungal Activity via Reactive Oxygen Species of Thymus vulgaris and Satureja hortensis Essential Oils and Constituents against Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae and Rhizoctonia solani

In this study, the fumigant antifungal activity of 10 Lamiaceae plant essential oils was evaluated against two phytopathogenic fungi, Raffaelea quercus-mongolicae, and Rhizoctonia solani. Among the tested essential oils, thyme white (Thymus vulgaris) and summer savory (Satureja hortensis) essential oils exhibited the strongest fumigant antifungal activity against the phytopathogenic fungi. We analyzed the chemical composition of two active essential oils and tested the fumigant antifungal activities of the identified compounds. Among the tested compounds, thymol and carvacrol had potent fumigant antifungal activity. We observed reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation in two fungi treated with thymol and carvacrol. Confocal laser scanning microscopy images of fungi stained with propidium iodide showed that thymol and carvacrol disrupted fungal cell membranes. Our results indicated that ROS generated by thymol and carvacrol damaged the cell membrane of R. querqus-mongolicae and R. solani, causing cell death.
Identifying Risk Profiles of School Refusal Behavior: Differences in Social Anxiety and Family Functioning Among Spanish Adolescents

School attendance problems negatively affect students’ development. This study attempted to identify different school refusal behavior profiles and to examine their relationship with three dimensions of social anxiety (fear of negative evaluation, social avoidance and distress in new situations, and social avoidance and distress that is experienced more generally in the company of peers) and the perception of family functioning. Participants included 1842 Spanish adolescents (53% girls) aged 15–18 years (M = 16.43; SD = 1.05). The School Refusal Assessment Scale—Revised (SRAS-R), the Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SAS-A), and the Family APGAR Scale (APGAR: Adaptation, Partnership, Growth, Affection, and Resolve) were administered. Latent class analysis revealed four school refusal behavior profiles: non-school refusal behavior, high school refusal behavior, moderately low school refusal behavior, and moderately high school refusal behavior. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) indicated that adolescents’ with the profile of high school refusal behavior showed higher scores in all the subscales of social anxiety. In contrast, the non-school refusal behavior group revealed higher scores in the perception of good family functioning, whereas the high school refusal behavior profile obtained the lowest scores in this scale. These findings suggest that students who reject school are at a higher risk of developing social anxiety problems and manifesting family conflicts. These students should be prioritized in order to attend to their needs, promoting self-help to overcome social anxiety and family problems with the purpose of preventing school refusal behaviors.
Prevalence of Motor Difficulties in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Analysis of a Population‐Based Cohort

Motor impairment is not currently included in the diagnostic criteria or evaluation of autism. This reflects the lack of large‐scale studies demonstrating its prominence to advocate for change. We examined the prevalence of motor difficulties at the time of diagnosis in a large sample of children with autism utilizing standardized assessment, and the relationship between motor difficulties, core autism symptomology, and other prominent clinical features. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales were administered to children from the Western Australian Register for Autism Spectrum Disorders aged ≤6 years (N = 2,084; 81.2% males, 18.8% females). Prevalence of motor difficulties was quantified based on scores from the motor domain of the Vineland and then compared to other domains of functioning within the Vineland (communication, daily living, and socialization), the DSM criteria, intellectual level, age, and gender. Scores on the Vineland indicated that 35.4% of the sample met criteria for motor difficulties (standard score <70), a rate almost as common as intellectual impairment (37.7%). Motor difficulties were reported by diagnosing clinicians in only 1.34% of cases. Motor difficulties were common in those cases meeting diagnostic criteria for impairments in nonverbal behavior and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. The prevalence of motor difficulties also increased with increasing age of diagnosis (P < 0.001). Findings from the present study highlight the need for further consideration of motor difficulties as a distinct specifier within the diagnostic criteria for ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 298–306. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
It is time to reconsider the risks of transfusing RhD negative females of childbearing potential with RhD positive red blood cells in bleeding emergencies

C onventional teaching and practice indicates that females of childbearing potential (FCP) whose RhD (D) type is either unknown or who are Dshould receive Dcellular blood products. This concept was reinforced in a recent AABB bulletin on group O red blood cells (RBCs) and their use in massive bleeding situations. The concern has been that a DFCP who is exposed to D+ RBCs in an RBC, whole blood, or platelet unit could become alloimmunized to the D antigen with the potential for loss of a future D+ fetus through hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN). Alloimmunization to other RBC antigens like K and c can also result in HDFN, but these antigens are not as immunogenic as D. Thus, this commentary will focus on D alloimmunization. The concern of transfusing DFCPs with D+ RBCs has persisted even as major advances have been made in pre-hospital resuscitation and in the care of fetuses being carried by alloimmunized mothers. This commentary will describe the historical and contemporary outcomes of HDFN and present the modernday risks of alloimmunization and adverse fetal outcomes, including death, caused by these antibodies weighed against the growing evidence demonstrating the importance of early transfusions in traumatically injured and massively bleeding patients. The aim of this commentary is to help inform RBC resuscitation strategies and risk assessments for massively bleeding FCPs who are either Dor D type unknown. This commentary discusses FCPs in general; for the purpose of institutional policies, the exact age range of a FCP, both on the lower and upper ends, should be defined locally.
Active Video Games Versus Traditional Exercises: Energy Expenditure and Blood Lactate Responses

ABSTRACT Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate the exercise intensity and exercise characteristics of active video games (AVGs) by measuring various physiological responses, and to test whether AVGs can be used in components of training in sports branches. Methods: Twenty-two male athletes with good aerobic fitness level (age = 20.6 ± 2.2 years; maximum oxygen consumption (VO2max) = 52.2 ± 3.5 ml.kg−1.min−1) visited the laboratory three times (D1, D2, and D3). After taking measurements during rest, the VO2max was assessed (D1). Traditional brisk walking and running exercises were performed consecutively (D2), and AVGs—dancing and fighting—were performed at random (D3); each exercise session lasted 20 minutes, and for each experiment session oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR) were recorded, VO2max%, metabolic equivalent (MET), and energy expenditure (EE) were calculated. Results: No significant differences were found between AVG-dancing and brisk walking (p > .05) for VO2 (25.96 ± 3.3 vs. 24.39 ± 2.3 ml.kg−1.min−1), HR (137.02 ± 20.15 vs. 125.61 ± 6.49 beats.min−1) VO2max% (49.99 ± 7.00 vs. 46.84 ± 4.06), MET (7.49 ± 0.94 vs. 6.96 ± 0.65), and EE (181.19 ± 27.65 vs. 171.21 ± 22.51 Kcal). Additionally, no significant differences were found between AVG-fighting and running (p > .05) for VO2 (33.96 ± 5.88 vs. 33.13 ± 2.52 ml.kg−1.min−1), HR (155.66 ± 15.05 vs. 153.30 ± 6.83 beats.min−1), VO2max% (65.05 ± 9.76 vs. 63.60 ± 3.51), MET (9.70 ± 1.68 vs. 9.47 ± 0.72), and EE (236.75 ± 37.20 vs. 232.70 ± 27.06). Conclusions: AVG-dancing and fighting were defined as moderate (MET>7) and high (MET>9) intensity intermittent exercises, respectively. Consequently, AVGs can be a part of training for athletes; as a block, modified block or a traditional training cycle involving enjoyable alternative exercises, especially when the appropriate AVGs are chosen.