Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Controversy around airborne versus droplet transmission of respiratory viruses: implication for infection prevention.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Health agencies recommend transmission-based precautions, including contact, droplet and airborne precautions, to mitigate transmission of respiratory viruses in healthcare settings. There is particular controversy over the importance of aerosol transmission and whether airborne precautions should be recommended for some respiratory viruses. Here, we review the current recommendations of transmission-based precautions and the latest evidence on the aerosol transmission of respiratory viruses. RECENT FINDINGS Viral nucleic acids, and in some instances viable viruses, have been detected in aerosols in the air in healthcare settings for some respiratory viruses such as seasonal and avian influenza viruses, Middle East respiratory syndrome-coronavirus and respiratory syncytial virus. However, current evidences are yet to demonstrate that these viruses can effectively spread via airborne route between individuals, or whether preventive measures in airborne precautions would be effective. SUMMARY Studies that use transmission events as outcome to demonstrate human-to-human transmission over the aerosol route or quantitative measurement of infectious respiratory viruses in the air are needed to evaluate the infectiousness of respiratory viruses over the aerosol route. When a respiratory virus in concern only leads to disease with low severity, airborne precautions are not likely to be justified.
Early Positive Fluid Balance is Associated with Mortality In Patients Treated with Veno-Arterial Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation For Cardiogenic Shock: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PURPOSE Veno-arterial Extracoporeal Membrane Oxygenation (VA-ECMO) provides circulatory assistance for patients in cardiogenic shock. Large quantities of fluids are often required, especially during the early stages, but can result in a potentially harmful fluid-overload. The objective was to determine the association of early fluid-balance and mortality. METHODS Retrospective single center study in 101 VA-ECMO patients between 2013 and 2016. Daily fluid-balance and weight changes over the 5 first days were observed. Analyses between survivors and non-survivors were conducted using Mann-Whitney tests and logistic regression multivariable and Cox hazard-proportional analyses to determine any association with 28-days mortality. RESULTS Mortality was 47.5%. The fluid-balance was higher in non-survivors at day-1 (47.3[18.1-71.9] vs 19.3[1.5-36.2] mL/kg, p < 0.0001) and day-2 (30.6[14.8-71.0] vs 10.1[-9.8-34.7] mL/kg, p = 0.025), as was the cumulative fluid-balance over the first 5 days (107.3[40.5-146.2] vs 53.0[7.5-74.3] mL/kg, p = 0.04). The administration of unintentional fluids (used for preparation and infusion of drugs) represented an important part of the administrated fluids (15-23 mL/kg/day). A significant but moderate correlation was observed between fluid-balance and weight variations over the 5 days (r values ranging from 0.36 to 0.54). Among other parameters, day-1 fluid-balance was independently associated with mortality (OR = 14.34 [1.58-129.79], p = 0.02) and day-1 and day-2 with time to death (HR = 8.26 [1.12-60.98], p = 0.04 and 2.89 [1.26-6.65], p = 0.01). A threshold of 38.8 mL/kg predicted mortality with a sensitivity of 60% and specificity of 83% (Area Under the Curve: 0.749). CONCLUSION Early positive fluid-balance is associated with mortality in VA-ECMO patients.
Evaluation of Three Automated Nucleic Acid Amplification Systems for Detection of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae in First-Void Urine Specimens

ABSTRACT A total of 500 first-void urine specimens were tested for the presence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae nucleic acids using ProbeTec ET reagents on a Viper platform (BD Diagnostics, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada), Aptima Combo 2 reagents on a Tigris platform (Gen-Probe, Inc., San Diego, CA), and Abbott RealTime CT/NG reagents on an m2000 platform (Abbott Molecular Diagnostics, Des Plaines, IL). The performance of the three assays for detection of N. gonorrhoeae was comparable, but detection of C. trachomatis by the three assays showed more variation. All three platforms were suitable for the detection of C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae, but additional factors, such as maximum daily specimen throughput, are important in evaluating automated systems for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae detection in high-volume laboratories.
The atypical social brain network in autism: advances in structural and functional MRI studies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW To review advances in structural and functional MRI studies regarding the neural underpinnings of social atypicalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). RECENT FINDINGS According to the hypothesis that the social brain network, which includes brain regions, such as the amygdala and superior temporal sulcus, may be atypical in ASD, recent structural MRI studies have identified regional gray matter volume abnormalities in the social brain regions in ASD groups compared with the typically developing groups. Studies evaluating gray matter volume covariance and white matter volume/integrity suggested network-level abnormalities associated with the social brain regions. Recent functional MRI studies assessing resting-state neural activity showed reduced functional connectivity among the social brain regions in individuals with ASD compared with typically developing groups. Similarly, task-based functional MRI studies recently revealed a reduction in regional activity and intraregional functional coupling in the social brain regions during the processing of social stimuli in individuals with ASD. SUMMARY These structural and functional MRI studies provide supportive evidence for the hypothesis that an atypical social brain network underlies behavioral social problems in ASD.
Shigella host: Pathogen interactions: Keeping bacteria in the loop

Shigella spp. are Gram‐negative enteric pathogens and the leading cause of bacterial dysentery worldwide. Since the discovery more than three decades ago that the large virulence plasmid of Shigella is essential for pathogenesis, our understanding of how the bacterium orchestrates inflammation and tissue destruction at the mucosal surface has been informed by studies employing the rabbit ileal loop model. Here, we outline how Phillippe Sansonetti, together with his co‐workers and collaborators, exploited this model to provide a holistic view of how Shigella survives in the intestinal tract, traverses the intestinal epithelial barrier, and manipulates the host immune system to cause disease.
Right as well as left unilateral spatial neglect influences rehabilitation outcomes and its recovery is important for determining discharge destination in subacute stroke patients.

BACKGROUND Unilateral spatial neglect (USN) can interfere with rehabilitation processes and lead to poor functional outcome. AIM To investigate the influence of left and right USN on rehabilitation outcomes using Catherine Bergego Scale (CBS) in stroke patients and the relationships among improvement of USN, improvement of motor autonomy (measured by FIM gain), length of stay and discharge destination. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Rehabilitation hospital in Japan. POPULATION We investigated 60 first-ever stroke patients who were admitted to a rehabilitation hospital within 3 months after stroke onset (27 patients with neglect and 33 without neglect). METHODS Multiple regression analyses were used to explain functional independence measure (FIM) gain, FIM effectiveness and length of stay. Independent variables were motor and cognitive FIM, CBS, Stroke Impairment Assessment Set Motor score (SIAS-M) and time after stroke onset at admission. RESULTS The incidences of USN in patients with right and left hemisphere damage were 55.6% and 37.1%, respectively. CBS predicted motor FIM, motor FIM gain, motor FIM effectiveness and length of stay. On the other hand, SIAS-M did not predict either FIM nor length of stay. CBS score decreased significantly in patients with USN who retuned their home, while it did not change in patients who did not. Cognitive FIM score at admission was significantly lower in patients who did not return home than in patients who returned home. CONCLUSIONS CBS is more useful than SIAS-M for prediction of functional outcomes in patients with both left and right hemisphere damages. Improvement of USN is important for returning home. Cognitive impairment may interfere with recovery of USN. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT Improvements of USN are important for planning the rehabilitation goal and determination of discharge destination.
Comparing Rapid and Traditional Forward-Masked Spatial Tuning Curves in Cochlear-Implant Users

A rapid forward-masked spatial tuning curve measurement procedure, based on Bekesy tracking, was adapted and evaluated for use with cochlear implants. Twelve postlingually-deafened adult cochlear-implant users participated. Spatial tuning curves using the new procedure and using a traditional forced-choice adaptive procedure resulted in similar estimates of parameters. The Bekesy-tracking method was almost 3 times faster than the forced-choice procedure, but its test–retest reliability was significantly poorer. Although too time-consuming for general clinical use, the new method may have some benefits in individual cases, where identifying electrodes with poor spatial selectivity as candidates for deactivation is deemed necessary.
Madden‐Julian Oscillation

The Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) is the dominant component of the intraseasonal (30–90 days) variability in the tropical atmosphere. It consists of large‐scale coupled patterns in atmospheric circulation and deep convection, with coherent signals in many other variables, all propagating eastward slowly (∼5 m s−1) through the portion of the Indian and Pacific oceans where the sea surface is warm. It constantly interacts with the underlying ocean and influences many weather and climate systems. The past decade has witnessed an expeditious progress in the study of the MJO: Its large‐scale and multiscale structures are better described, its scale interaction is recognized, its broad influences on tropical and extratropical weather and climate are increasingly appreciated, and its mechanisms for disturbing the ocean are further comprehended. Yet we are facing great difficulties in accurately simulating and predicting the MJO using sophisticated global weather forecast and climate models, and we are unable to explain such difficulties based on existing theories of the MJO. It is fair to say that the MJO remains an unmet challenge to our understanding of the tropical atmosphere and to our ability to simulate and predict its variability. This review, motivated by both the acceleration and gaps in our knowledge of the MJO, intends to synthesize what we currently know and what we do not know on selected topics: its observed basic characteristics, mechanisms, numerical modeling, air‐sea interaction, and influences on the El Niño and Southern Oscillation.
Impact of Refractory Myasthenia Gravis on Health-Related Quality of Life

Abstract Objectives: Myasthenia gravis (MG) may be refractory to traditional therapies. Quality of life (QOL) and disease burden in patients with refractory and nonrefractory MG were compared using Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America MG Patient Registry data. Methods: Adults aged 18 years or older with MG diagnosed ≥2 years before enrollment were included. Participants with refractory MG had received ≥2 previous and 1 current MG treatment and had MG Activities of Daily Living Scale total score ≥6 at enrollment; other participants had nonrefractory MG. MG QOL 15-item scale (MG-QOL15) scores were compared. Results: In total, 56 participants with refractory and 717 participants with nonrefractory MG enrolled. Participants with refractory MG had significantly higher mean (SD) MG-QOL15 total scores [31.4 (11.1) vs. 20.8 (15.0), P < 0.0001] and were more likely to have had exacerbations, emergency department visits, and recent hospitalizations. Conclusions: Participants with refractory MG experience worse QOL and greater clinical burden than those with nonrefractory disease.
Differences in timing of migration and response to sexual signalling drive asymmetric hybridization across a migratory divide

Ecological traits and sexual signals may both contribute to the process of ecological speciation. Here we investigate the roles of an ecological trait, seasonal migratory behaviour and a sexual trait, song, in restricting or directing gene flow across a migratory divide in the Swainson’s thrush (Catharus ustulatus). We show that short‐distance migratory ecotypes wintering in Central America arrive earlier at the breeding grounds than long‐distance migratory ecotypes wintering primarily in South America, providing the potential for some premating isolation. Playback experiments suggest that early‐ and late‐arriving forms recognize each other as competitors, but that the early‐arriving form responds more aggressively to a broader spectrum of stimuli. Genetic analysis suggests that hybridization occurs more often between males of the early‐arriving ecotype and females of the late‐arriving ecotype. Together our results suggest that differences in arrival times may reduce the temporal coincidence of mate choice, but asymmetry in response to heterotypic song may hinder complete divergence. These data provide further insight into the roles of ecological traits and sexual signals during the incipient stages of speciation.
Liver safety evaluation of endothelin receptor antagonists using HepatoPac®: A single model impact assessment on hepatocellular health, function and bile acid disposition

Marketed (bosentan, ambrisentan) and discontinued (sitaxsentan, CI‐1034) endothelin receptor antagonists were examined in the human micropatterned hepatocyte co‐culture (MPCC) model HepatoPac®. Differences across hepatocellular health (cellular adenosine triphosphate/glutathione content), function (urea production/albumin secretion) and taurocholic acid transport (biliary clearance/excretion index) were compared using amiodarone and ciclosporin A as positive controls. Ambrisentan had the weakest potency in all six endpoints, while sitaxsentan, bosentan and CI‐1034 had more potent effects on hepatobiliary transport than health/function endpoints. Normalization to clinical Cmax gave the following relative rank order of safety based on margins for each endpoint: ambrisentan ≥ CI‐1034 ~ bosentan > sitaxsentan. These data suggested impaired hepatobiliary disposition might contribute to a more prominent role in liver injury associated within sensitive human populations exposed to these compounds than direct hepatocellular toxicity. Rat, dog and monkey MPCCs also showed greater sensitivity potential to disrupted hepatobiliary disposition compared with hepatocellular health/functional endpoints. Drug metabolism competency was exhibited across all species. In vivo, rats and dogs appear more resistant to transaminase elevations and/or histological evidence of liver injury caused by these mechanisms even at exceedingly high systemic exposures relative to sensitive humans. Rats and dogs are resistant to hepatobiliary toxicants due to physiological differences in bile composition/handling. Although traditional animal testing provides adequate safety coverage for advancement of novel pharmaceuticals into clinical trials, supplemental assays employing human MPCCs may strengthen weight‐of‐evidence predictions for sensitive human populations. Proving the predictive value of this single impact assessment model in advance of clinical trial information for human liver injury risk is needed across more pharmaceuticals.
Radiology teaching for interns: Experiences, current practice and suggestions for improvement

Junior doctors are typically responsible for requesting and interpreting diagnostic imaging studies. European studies have highlighted the paucity of radiology teaching leading to junior doctors feeling underprepared for clinical practice involving radiology. There is a lack of published data on the experiences of Australian medical students and junior doctors. This study aimed to describe the experiences of interns in Western Australia to establish whether they felt prepared for clinical practice by the radiology teaching they received at medical school and beyond.
Who Wants to be an Evolutionary Theorist?

H eedless of Madonna’s warning, Paul Hirsch urged me to use this occasion as an opportunity to preach a bit. The Organization and Management Theory (OMT) division gave me a great platform from which to put forward my sense of where we are, what we’ve accomplished, and where we have fallen short. Three decades ago, I was the first associate editor of the Administrative Science Quarterly, and Paul thought that I might have some ideas on where we might go over the next decade or so. In short, Paul asked me to give a “Leadership Sermon. ” I’m assuming that he also released me from the scholastic requirement that I must thoroughly document the intellectual history and empirical rigor of all my claims! I plead for a temporary suspension of disbelief while I make my arguments. Having just published my book, Organizations Evolving (1999), I have given some thought to what’s missing in OMT, as well as to what it would mean if we took the evolutionary approach seriously. What difference would evolutionary thinking make in the way we think about theoretical issues and design our research? As it happened, I came up with a mixture of complaints and challenges. I want to celebrate what we’ve accomplished, but also to note where more needs to be done. In particular, I want to encourage people to pay more attention to process-oriented theorizing and research. As space does not permit me to review the fundamental features of evolutionary theory itself, readers desiring more information will need to consult my book. Four questions constitute the organizing themes of my talk. First, how can we build a more realistic OMT? Currently, our theorizing and research seriously misrepresent the actual shape of the organizational landscape. Second, what’s wrong with outcome-driven research, and why should we focus more on event-driven research? Many of us fall too easily into the trap of explaining outcomes by working backward in time. Third, does OMT have rhythm? The theme of
Temporal dynamics of the face familiarity effect: bootstrap analysis of single-subject event-related potential data

Prior event-related potential studies using group statistics within a priori selected time windows have yielded conflicting results about familiarity effects in face processing. Our goal was to evaluate the temporal dynamics of the familiarity effect at all time points at the single-subject level. Ten subjects were shown faces of anonymous people or celebrities. Individual results were analysed using a point-by-point bootstrap analysis. While familiarity effects were less consistent at later epochs, all subjects showed them between 130 and 195 ms in occipitotemporal electrodes. However, the relation between the time course of familiarity effects and the peak latency of the N170 was variable. We concluded that familiarity effects between 130 and 195 ms are robust and can be shown in single subjects. The variability of their relation to the timing of the N170 potential may lead to underestimation of familiarity effects in studies that use group-based statistics.
Molecular cloning and expression of hctB encoding a strain-variant chlamydial histone-like protein with DNA-binding activity

Two DNA-binding proteins with similarity to eukaryotic histone H1 have been described in Chlamydia trachomatis. In addition to the 18-kDa histone H1 homolog Hc1, elementary bodies of C. trachomatis possess an antigenically related histone H1 homolog, which we have termed Hc2, that varies in apparent molecular mass among strains. We report the molecular cloning, expression, and nucleotide sequence of the hctB gene encoding Hc2 and present evidence for in vivo DNA-binding activity of the expressed product. Expression of Hc2 in Escherichia coli induces a compaction of bacterial chromatin that is distinct from that observed upon Hc1 expression. Moreover, isolated nucleoids from Hc2-expressing E. coli exhibit markedly reduced sensitivity to DNase I. These properties of Hc2 are consistent with a postulated role in establishing the nucleoid structure of elementary bodies.
RASSF1A controls tissue stiffness and cancer stem‐like cells in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer‐related death due to poor treatment responses and resistance arising from tumour heterogeneity. Here, we show that adverse prognosis associated with epigenetic silencing of the tumour suppressor RASSF1A is due to increased deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM), tumour stiffness and metastatic dissemination in vitro and in vivo. We find that lung cancer cells with RASSF1A promoter methylation display constitutive nuclear YAP1 accumulation and expression of prolyl 4‐hydroxylase alpha‐2 (P4HA2) which increases collagen deposition. Furthermore, we identify that elevated collagen creates a stiff ECM which in turn triggers cancer stem‐like programming and metastatic dissemination in vivo. Re‐expression of RASSF1A or inhibition of P4HA2 activity reverses these effects and increases markers of lung differentiation (TTF‐1 and Mucin 5B). Our study identifies RASSF1A as a clinical biomarker associated with mechanical properties of ECM which increases the levels of cancer stemness and risk of metastatic progression in lung adenocarcinoma. Moreover, we highlight P4HA2 as a potential target for uncoupling ECM signals that support cancer stemness.
Correlation between the neostriatal content of the 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium species and dopaminergic neurotoxicity following 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine administration to several strains of mice.

In the present study we observed pronounced differences in the capacity of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to induce dopaminergic neurotoxicity in several strains of mice. For example, there was no MPTP-induced decrement in neostriatal dopamine content in Ace Swiss-Webster mice and a 92% decrement in Taconic Farms C57 bl mice. Several parameters which could possibly explain this differential sensitivity to MPTP were studied. These include: 1) neostriatal monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) activity; 2) the capacity of neostriatal synaptosomes prepared from the mouse strains to accumulate 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+), the major metabolite of MPTP formed via oxidation by MAO-B; and 3) the neostriatal MPP+ content after MPTP administration to the mice. There were no significant differences in the Km values for MAO-B in the neostriatum among the strains of mice examined. Neostriatal Vmax values for MAO-B differed somewhat among the strains, with a low of 2915 +/- 172 nmol/g of tissue per hr (CD-1 mice from Charles River) and a high of 3884 +/- 203 nmol/g of tissue per hr (C57 bl mice from Taconic Farms). However, Vmax values for MAO-B in the mouse strains did not correlate significantly with the relative sensitivity of the strains to MPTP. There were no significant differences in the capacity of neostriatal synaptosomes prepared from the mouse strains to accumulate MPP+. Studies on the metabolism of MPTP after peripheral administration revealed that there was a significant (P less than .01) positive correlation between the relative sensitivity of the mouse strains to MPTP and their neostriatal MPP+ content after MPTP administration. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)