Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is low health literacy associated with increased emergency department utilization and recidivism?

OBJECTIVES The objective was to determine whether patients with low health literacy have higher emergency department (ED) utilization and higher ED recidivism than patients with adequate health literacy. METHODS The study was conducted at an urban academic ED with more than 95,000 annual visits that is part of a 13-hospital health system, using electronic records that are captured in a central data repository. As part of a larger, cross-sectional, convenience sample study, health literacy testing was performed using the short test of functional health literacy in adults (S-TOFHLA) and standard test thresholds identifying those with inadequate, marginal, and adequate health literacy. The authors collected patients' demographic and clinical data, including items known to affect recidivism. This was a structured electronic record review directed at determining 1) the median number of total ED visits in this health system within a 2-year period and 2) the proportion of patients with each level of health literacy who had return visits within 3, 7, and 14 days of index visits. Descriptive data for demographics and ED returns are reported, stratified by health literacy level. The Mantel-Haenszel chi-square was used to test whether there is an association between health literacy and ED recidivism. A negative binomial multivariable model was performed to examine whether health literacy affects ED use, including variables significant at the 0.1 alpha level on bivariate analysis and retaining those significant at an alpha of 0.05 in the final model. RESULTS Among 431 patients evaluated, 13.2% had inadequate, 10% had marginal, and 76.3% had adequate health literacy as identified by S-TOFHLA. Patients with inadequate health literacy had higher ED utilization compared to those with adequate health literacy (p = 0.03). Variables retained in the final model included S-TOFHLA score, number of medications, having a personal doctor, being a property owner, race, insurance, age, and simple comorbidity score. During the study period, 118 unique patients each made at least one return ED visit within a 14-day period. The proportion of patients with inadequate health literacy making at least one return visit was higher than that of patients with adequate health literacy at 14 days, but was not significantly higher within 3 or 7 days. CONCLUSIONS In this single-center study, higher utilization of the ED by patients with inadequate health literacy when compared to those with adequate health literacy was observed. Patients with inadequate health literacy made a higher number of return visits at 14 days but not at 3 or 7 days.
The Spatial Distribution of Threats to Species in Australia

Conservation is ultimately about safeguarding biodiversity by arresting and reversing the impacts of threatening processes. Although data on the distributions of species are increasingly well resolved, the spatial distributions of threats to species are poorly understood. We mapped the distributions of eight major threats to Australia's threatened plants, vertebrates, and invertebrates using the geographic ranges of species affected by particular threats as surrogates for their spatial occurrence. Our results indicate that simply quantifying the proportion of species affected by particular threatening processes does not adequately capture the variation in the spatial extent, prevalence, or predominance of threats to species. Conservation planning is an inherently spatial process; therefore, explicitly considering the spatial dimension of threats could significantly enhance our ability to direct efforts to areas where the greatest conservation outcomes can be delivered.
Running title : Elevation of β – carotene in tomato fruit by genetic modification Genetic modification of tomato with lycopene β – cyclase gene produces high β – carotene and lycopene fruit

Transgenic Solanum lycopersicum plants expressing an additional copy of lycopene β– cyclase (LCYB) from Nicotiana tabacum, under the control of the Arabidopsis polyubiquitin promoter (UBQ3), have been generated. Expression of LCYB was increased some 10-fold in ripening fruit compared to vegetative tissues. The ripe fruit showed an orange pigmentation, due to increased levels (up to 5-fold) of β–carotene, with negligible changes to other carotenoids, including lycopene. Phenotypic changes in carotenoids were found in vegetative tissues, but levels of biosynthetically related isoprenoids such as tocopherols, ubiquinone and plastoquinone were barely altered. Transformants showed tolerance to the bleaching herbicide β–cyclase inhibitor, 2-(4-chlorophenylthio) triethylamine. The phenotype was inherited for at least 3 generations.
Cytogenetic abnormalities in reactive lymphoid hyperplasia: byproducts of the germinal centre reaction or indicators of lymphoma?

Non‐random karyotypic abnormalities associated with non‐Hodgkin lymphomas (NHLs) have been described in cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (RLH). However, the frequency and types of cytogenetic aberrations detected and their clinical relevance are unknown. To address these questions, we undertook a retrospective analysis of a large series of RLH diagnosed at our institute over 8 years. Cytogenetic abnormalities were identified in 20 of 116 (17%) cases with informative karyotypes, comprising 14 (70%) structural and 11 (55%) numerical changes. Clonal (n = 14, 70%) and non‐clonal (n = 6, 30%) abnormalities were observed. Aberrations of chromosome 14 were the most frequent (n = 8, 42%, 7 represented IgH translocations), followed by chromosome 3 (n = 4, 3 represented BCL6 translocations), and chromosome 12 (n = 4). Abnormal karyotypes were most often associated with florid follicular hyperplasia. Isolated lymphoid organ (lymph node, tonsil or spleen) enlargement (12/20, 60%) was more common, no specific etiology was identified in 10/20 (50%) cases and only 1 of 18 patients with clinical follow‐up (range 2–107 months, median 60 months) developed lymphoma. In our experience, cytogenetic abnormalities involving loci associated with B‐cell NHL are not infrequently detected in RLH. Their occurrence portends low risk for lymphomagenesis, however longer follow‐up is prudent to further evaluate the natural history of such cases. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dysregulated mitochondrial and chloroplast bioenergetics from a translational medical perspective (Review)

Mitochondria and chloroplasts represent endosymbiotic models of complex organelle development, driven by intense evolutionary pressure to provide exponentially enhanced ATP-dependent energy production functionally linked to cellular respiration and photosynthesis. Within the realm of translational medicine, it has become compellingly evident that mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in compromised cellular bioenergetics, represents a key causative factor in the etiology and persistence of major diseases afflicting human populations. As a pathophysiological consequence of enhanced oxygen utilization that is functionally uncoupled from the oxidative phosphorylation of ADP, significant levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) may be generated within mitochondria and chloroplasts, which may effectively compromise cellular energy production following prolonged stress/inflammatory conditions. Empirically determined homologies in biochemical pathways, and their respective encoding gene sequences between chloroplasts and mitochondria, suggest common origins via entrapped primordial bacterial ancestors. From evolutionary and developmental perspectives, the elucidation of multiple biochemical and molecular relationships responsible for errorless bioenergetics within mitochondrial and plastid complexes will most certainly enhance the depth of translational approaches to ameliorate or even prevent the destructive effects of multiple disease states. The selective choice of discussion points contained within the present review is designed to provide theoretical bases and translational insights into the pathophysiology of human diseases from a perspective of dysregulated mitochondrial bioenergetics with special reference to chloroplast biology.
Impaired Functional Connectivity Unmasked by Simple Repetitive Motor Task in Early Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Background. Resting brain activity can be modulated by motor tasks to adapt to function. In multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, altered resting-state functional connectivity (RS-FC) has been reported and associated with impaired function and disability; little is known on how RS-FC is modulated by a simple repetitive motor task. Objective. To assess changes in RS-FC in early relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) patients associated with repetitive thumb flexions (RTFs). Methods. A total of 20 right-handed patients with early RRMS and 14 healthy controls underwent a resting functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scan, before and after 25 minutes of alternate 30-s blocks of right RTF and rest. Dual-regression analysis of resting fMRI data followed the independent component analysis. Individual spatial maps of coherence between brain areas for 2 networks of interest, sensorimotor and cerebellar, were compared at the group level and correlated with measures of both clinical impairment and brain damage. Results. Significant RTF-induced differences in RS-FC were observed between groups in the cerebellar network because of increased RS-FC in patients but not in controls. In the sensorimotor network, the RS-FC after RTF increased in both groups, with no significant between-group differences. The sensorimotor and the cerebellar RS-FC were intercorrelated only in patients and only after the RTF. The sensorimotor RS-FC increase in patients correlated with structural MRI alterations. Conclusions. Our study unmasked RS-FC changes of motor-related networks occurring after a simple repetitive motor task in early RRMS patients only. Evaluation of altered RSN dynamics might prove useful for anticipating neuroplasticity and for MRI-informed neurorehabilitation.
Convolutional Neural Networks with 3D Input for P300 Identification in Auditory Brain-Computer Interfaces

From allowing basic communication to move through an environment, several attempts are being made in the field of brain-computer interfaces (BCI) to assist people that somehow find it difficult or impossible to perform certain activities. Focusing on these people as potential users of BCI, we obtained electroencephalogram (EEG) readings from nine healthy subjects who were presented with auditory stimuli via earphones from six different virtual directions. We presented the stimuli following the oddball paradigm to elicit P300 waves within the subject's brain activity for later identification and classification using convolutional neural networks (CNN). The CNN models are given a novel single trial three-dimensional (3D) representation of the EEG data as an input, maintaining temporal and spatial information as close to the experimental setup as possible, a relevant characteristic as eliciting P300 has been shown to cause stronger activity in certain brain regions. Here, we present the results of CNN models using the proposed 3D input for three different stimuli presentation time intervals (500, 400, and 300 ms) and compare them to previous studies and other common classifiers. Our results show >80% accuracy for all the CNN models using the proposed 3D input in single trial P300 classification.
The effect of road lane width on cyclist safety in urban areas

Research has shown that road lane width impacts on driver behaviour. This literature review provides guidelines to assist in the design, construction and retrofitting of urban roads to accommodate road users' safety requirements. It focuses on the impacts of lane widths on cyclists and motor vehicle safety behaviour. The literature review commenced with a search of library databases. Peer reviewed articles and road authority (local, state and national) reports were reviewed. The majority of studies investigating the effects of lane width on driver behaviour were simulator based, while research into cycling safety involved data collected from actual traffic environments. Results show that marked road lane width influences perceived task difficulty, risk perception and possibly speed choice. The positioning of cyclists in traffic lanes is influenced by the presence of on-road cycling facilities and the total roadway width. The lateral displacement between bicycle and vehicle is smallest when a bicycle facility is present. Lower, or reduced, vehicle speeds play a significant role in improving bicyclist and pedestrian safety. It is also shown that if road lane widths in urban areas were reduced, to a functional width that was less than the current guidelines of 3.5m, it could result in a safer road environment for all road users.
Structural Basis for Substrate Specificity of Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase SHP-1*

The substrate specificity of the catalytic domain of SHP-1, an important regulator in the proliferation and development of hematopoietic cells, is critical for understanding the physiological functions of SHP-1. Here we report the crystal structures of the catalytic domain of SHP-1 complexed with two peptide substrates derived from SIRPα, a member of the signal-regulatory proteins. We show that the variable β5-loop-β6 motif confers SHP-1 substrate specificity at the P-4 and further N-terminal subpockets. We also observe a novel residue shift at P-2, the highly conserved subpocket in protein- tyrosine phosphatases. Our observations provide new insight into the substrate specificity of SHP-1.
Secure Mobile Crowdsensing with Deep Learning

In order to stimulate secure sensing for Internet of Things (IoT) applications such as healthcare and traffic monitoring, mobile crowdsensing (MCS) systems have to address security threats, such as jamming, spoofing and faked sensing attacks, during both the sensing and the information exchange processes in large-scale dynamic and heterogenous networks. In this article, we investigate secure mobile crowdsensing and present how to use deep learning (DL) methods such as stacked autoencoder (SAE), deep neural network (DNN), and convolutional neural network (CNN) to improve the MCS security approaches including authentication, privacy protection, faked sensing countermeasures, intrusion detection and anti-jamming transmissions in MCS. We discuss the performance gain of these DL-based approaches compared with traditional security schemes and identify the challenges that need to be addressed to implement them in practical MCS systems.
HLA Class II Allele, Haplotype, and Genotype Associations with Type 1 Diabetes in Benin: A Pilot Study

Background Several studies have reported the implication of HLA-DR/DQ loci in the susceptibility to type 1 diabetes (T1D). Since no such study has yet been performed in Benin, this pilot one aimed at assessing HLA class II allele, haplotype, and genotype associations with T1D. Material and Methods Class II HLA genotyping was performed in 51 patients with T1D and 51 healthy unrelated controls by means of the PCR-SSP method. The diagnosis of T1D was set up according to American Diabetes Association criteria. Odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated to assess the associations between T1D and HLA alleles, haplotypes, and genotypes. Results Participants were aged 1–24 years. T1D was significantly associated with DR3, DQA1∗05:01, DQB1∗02:01, and DR3-DR4. No significant associations were observed with DR4, DQB1∗03:02, and DQB1∗06:02. Conclusion Certain HLA class II alleles, haplotypes, and genotypes were related to T1D and may be used as genetic susceptibility markers to T1D in Benin.
Abnormality of the Myocardial Sympathetic Nervous System in a Patient with Becker Muscular Dystrophy Detected with Iodine-123 Metaiodobenzylguanidine Scintigraphy

Purpose This study was performed to determine whether I-123 metaiodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) scintigraphy can depict myocardial sympathetic nerve abnormalities in Becker muscular dystrophy. Materials and Methods A 34-year-old man with Becker muscular dystrophy underwent Tl-201 and I-123 MIBG scintigraphy sequentially before and 4 months after the beginning of oral administration of enalapril maleate, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. Results Before and during treatment, stress Tl-201 scintigraphy revealed nonreversible myocardial perfusion defects in the anterior, inferoposterior, and apical walls, and I-123 MIBG scintigraphy depicted a region with decreased sympathetic nerve function or innervation. Before treatment, the I-123 MIBG heart count– mediastinum count (H:M) ratio was 2.1 and the washout rate was 21% on delayed images obtained 4 hours after the injection of I-123 MIBG, indicating hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system in the myocardium. During treatment, the H:M ratio was 3.0 and the washout rate was 15%. Conclusion With I-123 MIBG scintigraphy it is possible to evaluate an abnormality of the myocardial sympathetic nervous system and the efficacy of administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor in this disease.
Factors associated with delivery complications in rural Bangladesh

Objectives There are only a few studies on maternal morbidity, delivery complications and maternal mortality in Bangladesh. This study analyzes data from a follow-up study conducted by the Bangladesh Institute of Research for Health and Technologies (BIRPERHT) on maternal morbidity in rural Bangladesh in 1993. Methods A total of 1020 pregnant women were interviewed in the follow-up component of the study. The survey collected information on socioeconomic and demographic characteristics, pregnancy-related care and practice, morbidity during the period of follow-up as well as in the past, information concerning complications at the time of delivery and during the postpartum period. For the purpose of this study, we selected 993 pregnant women with at least one antenatal follow-up. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to identify the potential risk factors for complication during delivery and duration of labor. Results and conclusions It appears that complications during the antenatal period can result in various complications at the time of delivery. Some of the important findings are: hemorrhage during the antenatal period increases the risk of excessive hemorrhage during delivery, the risk of obstructed labor increases significantly if abdominal pain is observed during the antenatal period, prolonged labor appears to be significantly higher for the first pregnancy, and pregnancies suffering from abdominal pain during pregnancy tend to have a higher risk of prolonged labor during delivery. The duration of labor appears to be negatively associated with the number of previous pregnancies, being longest for the first pregnancies. The duration of labor pain is significantly higher for the respondents who reported the index pregnancy as undesired, and, similarly, the respondents who were reported to be involved with gainful employment would have a shorter duration of labor pain than those having no involvement with gainful employment.
Localization of mouse isoantigens on the cell surface as revealed by immunofluorescence.

An immunofluorescent technique is described which permits the localization and the semi-quantitative evaluation of isoantigens. Studies of normal and tumour cells have demonstrated that H-2 isoantigens are located in discrete areas on the cell surface. The thymus of 20–25-day-old mice was found to contain approximately 85 per cent lymphoid cells with a very low isoantigen content. These cells are considered to represent thymus cortical lymphoid cells. Cortisol treatment of mice reduced the relative number of cells with low isoantigen content to 10 per cent.
Human enhancer of rudimentary is a molecular partner of PDIP46/SKAR, a protein interacting with DNA polymerase δ and S6K1 and regulating cell growth

Enhancer of rudimentary (ER) is a small protein that has a unique amino acid sequence and structure. Its highly conserved gene has been found in all eukaryotic kingdoms with the exception of fungi. ER was proposed to be involved in the metabolism of pyrimidines and was reported to act as a transcriptional repressor in a cell type‐specific manner. To further elucidate ER functions, we performed the yeast two‐hybrid screen of the human lung cDNA library for clones encoding proteins interacting with the human ER protein. The screen yielded polymerase δ interacting protein 46 or S6K1 Aly/REF‐like target (PDIP46/SKAR), a protein possessing one RNA recognition motif (RRM) and being a protein partner of both the p50 subunit of DNA polymerase δ and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (S6K1). This interaction was further confirmed in vitro by the glutathione S‐transferase‐ER pull‐down of a protein of 46 kDa from a nuclear extract from human cells which was identified as PDIP46/SKAR by tandem mass spectrometry. The bipartite region of PDIP46/SKAR interacting with ER comprising residues 274–421 encompasses the docking site for S6K1 within the RRM and two serines phosphorylated by S6K1. ER and both isoforms of PDIP46/SKAR share the same nuclear localization in the mammalian cells and their genes display a ubiquitous pattern of expression in a variety of human tissues, so the interaction between ER and PDIP46/SKAR has an opportunity to occur universally in mammalian cells. Because PDIP46/SKAR is involved in the regulation of cell growth its interaction with ER may suggest some function for ER in that control.
Equilibrium transcytolemmal water‐exchange kinetics in skeletal muscle in vivo

It is commonly assumed that equilibrium transcytolemmal water exchange in tissue is sufficiently frequent as to be fast on any NMR time scale achievable with an extracellular contrast agent (CR) in vivo. A survey of literature values for cell membrane diffusional permeability coefficients (P) and cell sizes suggests that this should not really be so. To evaluate this issue experimentally, we used a programmed intravenous CR infusion protocol for the rat with several rate plateaus, each of which achieved an increased steady‐state concentration of GdDTPA2– in the blood plasma. Interleaved rigorous measurements of 1H2O inversion recoveries were made from arterial blood and from a region of homogeneous thigh muscle tissue throughout the CR infusion. We made careful relaxographic analyses for the blood and muscle 1H2O longitudinal relaxation times. The combined data from several animals were evaluated with a two‐site model for equilibrium transcytolemmal water exchange. An excellent fitting was achieved, with parameters that agreed very well with the relevant physiological properties available in the literature. The fraction of water in the extracellular space, 0.11, is quite consistent with published values, as well as with reported tissue CR concentrations when one accounts for the restriction of CR to this space. The derived average lifetime for a water molecule in the thigh muscle sarcoplasm, 1.1 ± 0.4 sec, implies a sarcolemmal P of 13 × 10–4 cm/sec, which is well within the range of literature values determined in vitro. Moreover, we find that because of the exchange, the 1H2O longitudinal relaxation rate constant exhibits a decided nonlinear dependence on the tissue or thermodynamic (extracellular) concentration of GdDTPA2–. The muscle system departs the fast‐exchange limit at a [CR] value of <100 μmol/L. This has significant implications for the quantitative use of CRs as MRI tracers. Magn Reson Med 42:467–478, 1999. Published 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.