Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the Membrane Interaction Profiles of Two Antiviral Peptides: Insights into Structure-Function Relationship.

In recent years, certain amphipathic, α-helical peptides have been discovered that inhibit medically important enveloped viruses by disrupting the lipid membrane surrounding individual virus particles. Interestingly, only a small subset of amphipathic, α-helical peptides demonstrates inhibitory activity, and there is broad interest in understanding how the structures of these peptides contribute to functional activity against lipid membranes. To address this question, herein, we employed multiple surface-sensitive measurement techniques along with computational simulations in order to investigate how AH and C5A peptides - two of the most biologically active peptides in this class - interact with model lipid membranes while gaining insight into membrane-induced peptide conformational changes. Circular dichroism spectroscopy experiments revealed that both AH and C5A peptides undergo pronounced coil-to-helix transitions in the presence of lipid membrane environments, and the C5A conformational change was largest. Time-lapsed fluorescence microscopy measurements were conducted to monitor the interaction of peptides with arrays of tethered, individual lipid vesicles and showed that C5A potently lyses lipid vesicles indiscriminate of vesicle size at peptide concentrations as low as 10 nM whereas AH peptide preferentially lyses lipid vesicles with high membrane-curvature and is less potent than C5A. These findings were complemented by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements on a tethered lipid bilayer membrane platform, which indicated that C5A solubilizes lipid membranes in a manner that is distinct from how AH disrupts lipid membranes via pore formation. Computational simulations supported that the distinct membrane interaction profiles arise from different helical folding patterns, whereby AH monomers predominately exist as two shorter helices with a hinge in-between and C5A monomers form a single helix. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that membrane-active antiviral peptides can exhibit distinct membrane interaction profiles that confer different degrees of targeting selectivity and the corresponding structural insights will be useful for peptide engineering applications.
Psychological distress and its association with job satisfaction among nurses in a teaching hospital.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of psychological distress and its association with job satisfaction among nurses in a teaching hospital in Malaysia. BACKGROUND Nurses constitute the majority of health care workers, and, compared to other professions, nursing profession is highly stressful, and, hence, a cause of anxiety and depression. This may affect nurses' job satisfaction. METHOD Using self-administered questionnaires; depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21), and Job Satisfaction Scale for Nurses (JSS), a cross-sectional study of 932 nurses from the inpatient departments of a teaching hospital was conducted in December 2017. Descriptive analyses and multiple logistic regressions were used for the analysis. The STROBE guideline was used in this study. RESULTS The overall prevalence of psychological distress was 41%. The prevalence of stress, anxiety, and depression were 14.4%, 39.3%, and 18.8%, respectively. It was found that single and widowed nurses had a higher level of stress, anxiety and depression compared to married nurses. In addition, nurses of age 26-30 years had a higher level of depression than nurses in other age groups. Also, nurses who worked in the paediatric departments had a higher level of depression compared to nurses in other departments. The majority of the nurses were satisfied with their job at 92.0%. Those nurses who were not satisfied were found to be significantly associated with a high level of stress and depression. CONCLUSION This study revealed that the level of stress, anxiety, and depression is high. Stress and depression were found to be associated with nurses' low job satisfaction. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Stress and depression can affect nurses job satisfaction, it is important for nursing managers to institute strategies to address this issue. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Cytotoxic phenolic compounds isolated from the fruits of Macaranga denticulata

Abstract A new modified geranylated flavonoid, 3′-dehydroxy-solophenol C (1), along with 17 known compounds (2–18) were isolated from the fruits of Macaranga denticulata. Their structures were established by spectral analysis, such as mass spectrometry, 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR. The new geranylated flavonoid 1 showed a moderate cytotoxic activity against the A549 cell line with IC50 value of 16.0 µM. Compound 9 showed the highest cytotoxic activities against KB, HepG2, Lu-1 and MCF7 cell lines with IC50 values of 0.6, 0.8, 1.3 and 1.2 µM, respectively. Graphical Abstract
Longitudinal increases in structural connectome segregation and functional connectome integration are associated with better recovery after mild TBI

Traumatic brain injury damages white matter pathways that connect brain regions, disrupting transmission of electrochemical signals and causing cognitive and emotional dysfunction. Connectome‐level mechanisms for how the brain compensates for injury have not been fully characterized. Here, we collected serial MRI‐based structural and functional connectome metrics and neuropsychological scores in 26 mild traumatic brain injury subjects (29.4 ± 8.0 years, 20 males) at 1 and 6 months postinjury. We quantified the relationship between functional and structural connectomes using network diffusion (ND) model propagation time, a measure that can be interpreted as how much of the structural connectome is being utilized for the spread of functional activation, as captured via the functional connectome. Overall cognition showed significant improvement from 1 to 6 months (t25 = −2.15, p = .04). None of the structural or functional global connectome metrics was significantly different between 1 and 6 months, or when compared to 34 age‐ and gender‐matched controls (28.6 ± 8.8 years, 25 males). We predicted longitudinal changes in overall cognition from changes in global connectome measures using a partial least squares regression model (cross‐validated R2 = .27). We observe that increased ND model propagation time, increased structural connectome segregation, and increased functional connectome integration were related to better cognitive recovery. We interpret these findings as suggesting two connectome‐based postinjury recovery mechanisms: one of neuroplasticity that increases functional connectome integration and one of remote white matter degeneration that increases structural connectome segregation. We hypothesize that our inherently multimodal measure of ND model propagation time captures the interplay between these two mechanisms.
The therapeutic effect of physical activity in a day-hospital patient with anorexia nervosa.

Many presentations of anorexia nervosa (AN) are characterised by frequent engagement in excessive physical exercise (PE) (Zunker et al. 2011). Therefore, the treatment of AN includes the restriction of PE, and in some severe cases individuals are prescribed bed rest (Moola et al. 2015). Clinical observation has highlighted that advice to completely refrain from physical activity often drives the compulsion to exercise secretly, serving only to reinforce the isolative and shameful experience of an eating disorder (ED). Likewise, clinicians can feel frustrated that advice to refrain from PE is not taken (Beumont et al. 1994). The majority of patients with AN experience loss of muscle mass (El Ghoch et al. 2017). For this reason, resistance training seems sensible to prevent muscle atrophy (Fernández-del-Valle et al. 2016). Additionally, PE has been shown to promote bone health (Santos et al. 2017) which is beneficial as AN is typically associated with low bone mass, impaired bone structure, and reduced bone strength; all of which contribute to increased fracture risk (Misra & Klibanski 2014). Alongside the physical health benefits, PE can help improve mood, quality of life and wellbeing (Moola et al. 2015). However, the research into PE in the treatment of AN is limited and there are no standardised guidelines (Zunker et al. 2011) despite considerable efforts on an international level (BSOE 2018). During such efforts, e.g. the Ersmus Plus project “Brighter Side of Exercise” (BSOE 2018) it has been repeatedly noticed that fitness trainers are often uncertain about the appropriateness of specific exercises for patients with AN.
Preliminary evidence of the clinical effectiveness of odourless garlic

This study attempts a systematic evaluation of the clinical evidence for the use of odourless garlic prepared by ageing or fermentation. By PubMed, CENTRAL, and handsearching, 59 clinical studies were identified for potential extraction, of which 24 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The quality of the studies and evidence of effectiveness were assessed by an established set of conventional criteria. Even the 12 best clinical trials (50%) had fundamental flaws that prevented to grade them as confirmatory. On the basis of a subsample of 19 exploratory studies (79%), an impressive reduction of cardiovascular risk was found for odourless garlic (evidence of effectiveness, “moderate” and for other indications, “poor”). Evidence of effectiveness is further limited by the fact that most studies used aged garlic produced by one pharmaceutical company and that products differed in composition and dose of the marker substance S‐allyl‐cysteine. In case odourless garlic is potentially an effective remedy in particular for cardiovascular diseases, we discern an urgent need for long‐term confirmatory studies. The ultimate cardiovascular endpoint for definitive studies would be mortality, but reductions in blood pressure or demonstrable decreases in atherosclerotic plaques or blood markers of cardiovascular risk would be useful surrogates. Sample sizes for various assumptions are provided.
Health-Related Quality of Life Among Vietnamese Breast Cancer Women

The aim of the study was to investigate health-related quality of life among Vietnamese breast cancer women who were treated at National Cancer Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2018. Information about physical functioning, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, vitality, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health of 200 patients with breast cancer was collected through face-to-face interview, using short form-36 questionnaire. We found that the older patients (older than 50 years) had higher score of Mental Health than patients at age 50 and lower (P < .05). The patients who had better economic status had significantly higher score of Vitality (P < .05). Patients who were married and living with their partners/husband had better quality of life in General Health (P<0.05). The patients who had less than 6 months of treatment had better physical functioning score (P < .05) than the patients who had treatment longer than 6 months. Patients with caring supports from family members had higher scores of Bodily Pain, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health. Patients who have stressed feelings had significantly lower scores of all domains, except for Physical Functioning. The participants who usually stay up late reported lower scores of all components except for Physical Functioning and Role Physical. In conclusion, it is needed to develop psychosocial services, enhance early screening, and diagnose for the women in Vietnam.
Influence of dental caries on oral health-related quality of life, school absenteeism and school performance among Nepalese schoolchildren.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of untreated dental caries and its consequences on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), school absenteeism and school performance in Nepal. METHODS This is a population-based, national cross-sectional study. This study was conducted among three WHO index age groups (5-6, 12- and 15-year-olds) of schoolchildren from 18/75 randomly selected districts of Nepal. Clinical findings on untreated dental caries lesions (decay in primary and permanent dentition, dt/DT) and its consequences (pufa/PUFA) were recorded, and the participants were graded into four categories based on the severity of untreated dental caries (GUDC). The Nepali version of Child-Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (C-OIDP) was used to assess the information on OHRQoL. Similarly, school-related information (school absenteeism and school performance) was collected from the school registry. Generalized linear mixed models with random effects were used to evaluate the association between dental caries and OHRQoL, school absenteeism and school performance. RESULTS Among the study sample, the mean (SD) C-OIDP score was 2.4 (5.0). It was observed that the 15-year-olds, those belonging to the Newari ethnic group, and children with high GUDC grades had poor OHRQoL. After adjusting for confounding factors, high dt + DT or pufa + PUFA was associated with higher impact on OHRQoL. Similarly, lower grades of GUDC (Grade 1 and Grade 2) also had less impact on OHRQoL than the most severe Grade 4. High dt + DT or pufa + PUFA were associated with maximum school absenteeism. Furthermore, high C-OIDP and a grade of GUDC ≥2 score were associated with poor school performance. CONCLUSION Untreated dental caries and its consequences have a considerable impact on OHRQoL. These conditions may contribute to high school absenteeism and poor school performance.
The Effect of Ageing on Optimal Integration of Conflicting and Non-Conflicting Visual-Haptic Stimuli.

Multisensory integration typically follows the predictions of a statistically optimal model whereby the contribution of each sensory modality is weighted according to its reliability. Previous research has shown that multisensory integration is affected by ageing, however it is less certain whether older adults follow this statistically optimal model. Additionally, previous studies often present multisensory cues which are conflicting in size, shape or location, yet naturally occurring multisensory cues are usually non-conflicting. Therefore, the mechanisms of integration in older adults might differ depending on whether the multisensory cues are consistent or conflicting. In the current experiment, young (n=21) and older (n=30) adults were asked to make judgements regarding the height of wooden blocks using visual, haptic or combined visual-haptic information. Dual modality visual-haptic blocks could be presented as equal or conflicting in size. Young and older adults' size discrimination thresholds (i.e., precision) were not significantly different for visual, haptic or visual-haptic cues. In addition, both young and older adults' discrimination thresholds and points of subjective equality did not follow model predictions of optimal integration, for both conflicting and non-conflicting cues. Instead, there was considerable between subject variability as to how visual and haptic cues were processed when presented simultaneously. This finding has implications for the development of multisensory therapeutic aids and interventions to assist older adults with everyday activities, where these should be tailored to the needs of each individual.
Detection of Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever cases in a severe undifferentiated febrile illness outbreak in the Federal Republic of Sudan: A retrospective epidemiological and diagnostic cohort study

Background Undifferentiated febrile illness (UFI) is one of the most common reasons for people seeking healthcare in low-income countries. While illness and death due to specific infections such as malaria are often well-quantified, others are frequently uncounted and their impact underappreciated. A number of high consequence infectious diseases, including Ebola virus, are endemic or epidemic in the Federal Republic of Sudan which has experienced at least 12 UFI outbreaks, frequently associated with haemorrhage and high case fatality rates (CFR), since 2012. One of these occurred in Darfur in 2015/2016 with 594 cases and 108 deaths (CFR 18.2%). The aetiology of these outbreaks remains unknown. Methodology/Principal findings We report a retrospective cohort study of the 2015/2016 Darfur outbreak, using a subset of 65 of 263 outbreak samples received by the National Public Health Laboratory which met selection criteria of sufficient sample volume and epidemiological data. Clinical features included fever (95.8%), bleeding (95.7%), headache (51.6%) and arthralgia (42.2%). No epidemiological patterns indicative of person-to-person transmission or health-worker cases were reported. Samples were tested at the Public Health England Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory using a bespoke panel of likely pathogens including haemorrhagic fever viruses, arboviruses and Rickettsia, Leptospira and Borrelia spp. Seven (11%) were positive for Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) by real-time reverse transcription PCR. The remaining samples tested negative on all assays. Conclusions/Significance CCHFV is an important cause of fever and haemorrhage in Darfur, but not the sole major source of UFI outbreaks in Sudan. Prospective studies are needed to explore other aetiologies, including novel pathogens. The presence of CCHFV has critical infection, prevention and control as well as clinical implications for future response. Our study reinforces the need to boost surveillance, lab and investigative capacity to underpin effective response, and for local and international health security.
Falls in hospital: a case–control study

Aims Falls among inpatients are common. The method used by The Norwegian Patient Safety Campaign to measure the adverse events is the Global Trigger Tool, which does not look at the causation for falls. This study was aimed at investigating major risk factors for falls in the hospital setting. Methods This retrospective case–control study was conducted at Telemark Hospital in Norway, in the period from September 2012 to August 2014. A total of 842 patients from three wards were included, whereof 172 cases had experienced one or more fall(s) during hospitalisation and 670 random controls had not fallen. Data were analysed according to a pragmatic strategy. Results Compared with patients who did not fall, patients who fell were 21 times more likely to have poor balance (OR = 21.50, 95% CI: 10.26–45.04) and 19 times more likely to have very poor balance (OR = 19.62, 95% CI: 9.55–40.27), twice as likely to be men (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.24–2.68), and 50% increased probability of fall with every 10 year increase of age (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.34–1.69). Furthermore, the patients who fell were more likely to use antidepressant drugs (OR = 3.85, 95% CI: 1.09–13.63), antipsychotic drugs (OR = 3.27, 95% CI: 1.94–5.51), anxiolytic/hypnotic drugs (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: 1.22–2.67) and antiepileptic drugs (OR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.11–4.06) than patients who did not fall. Conclusions During hospital stay, patients who fell had a higher risk profile than patients who did not fall. Clinicians should work to improve patients’ safety and reduce the risk of falls by accurately assessing balance and mobility as a form of primary prevention. We recommend that a review of the patient medications should be conducted upon falling, as a form of a secondary preventive strategy against falls.
Bachelor of Nursing students’ HIV and AIDS knowledge in KwaZulu-Natal province: An evaluation study

Background Currently, human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV and AIDS) education and training in nursing suffer from various inadequacies and lack any real formalisation in their governance. As a result, Bachelor of Nursing students find themselves challenged in providing effective HIV and AIDS healthcare management, largely because of the deficit in training identified. An HIV and AIDS education intervention programme was introduced at a selected KwaZulu-Natal university to assist in bridging the perceived knowledge gap. This article communicates programme evaluation findings. Objectives The aim of this article was to determine levels of HIV knowledge achieved following an HIV education intervention programme. Methods A pure, descriptive quantitative research design was employed, using total population sampling (N = 133). A modified G3658-11 Collecting Evaluation Data: End-of-Session Questionnaire, developed by the University of Wisconsin–Extension, was administered for data collection. Results Females predominated in the study, and most participants were African with 1 to 3 years of education programme exposure. Perceived HIV knowledge increase was evident: pathophysiology (n = 93, 70.2%); immunology (n = 97, 72.9%); transmission (n = 116, 87.5%); diagnosis (n = 109, 81.8%); prevention strategies (n = 118, 88.4%); staging and monitoring (n = 106, 80%); pre- and post-test counselling (n = 104, 78%). Conclusion Pre- and ongoing in-service HIV and AIDS training can improve perceived HIV knowledge levels for both nursing students and professionals. Mandatory HIV and AIDS healthcare management training is therefore recommended in planning for its effective impartation by nursing educators.
Sociodemographic correlates of cancer fatalism and the moderating role of religiosity: Results from a nationally-representative survey

Abstract In general, it has been found that cancer fatalism is negatively associated with important cancer prevention and control behaviors, whereas religiosity is positively associated with these behaviors. Yet, the notion that religiosity gives rise to fatalistic beliefs that may discourage health behaviors is deeply ingrained in the public health literature. In addition, racial/ethnic group membership is associated with higher reports of cancer fatalism, though this association may be confounded by socioeconomic status (SES). A better understanding of the relationships between racial/ethnic group membership, SES, and religiosity may contribute to the development of effective interventions to address cancer fatalism and improve health behaviors. In this study, we examined associations between racial/ethnic group membership, SES, and cancer fatalism as the outcome. In addition, we tested whether religiosity (as measured by religious service attendance) moderated these relationships.
Establishment of a mouse model of troglitazone‐induced liver injury and analysis of its hepatotoxic mechanism

Drug‐induced liver injury is a major problem in drug development and clinical drug therapy. Troglitazone (TGZ), a thiazolidinedione antidiabetic drug for the treatment of type II diabetes mellitus, was found to induce rare idiosyncratic severe liver injury in patients, which led to its withdrawal in 2000. However, in normal experimental animals in vivo TGZ has never induced liver injury. To explore TGZ hepatotoxic mechanism, we established a novel mouse model of TGZ‐induced liver injury. Administration of BALB/c female mice with a single intraperitoneal TGZ dose (300 mg/kg) significantly elevated alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels 6 hours after the treatment. The ratio of oxidative stress marker glutathione/disulfide glutathione was significantly decreased. The increased hepatic mRNA levels of inflammation‐ and oxidative stress‐related factors were observed in TGZ‐treated mice. Subsequently, hepatic transcriptome profiles of TGZ‐exposed liver were compared with those of non‐hepatotoxic rosiglitazone. The Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway was activated in TGZ‐induced liver injury. The activation of the JAK/STAT pathway promoted phosphorylation of STAT3 in TGZ‐treated mice. Consequently, upregulation of STAT3 activation increased mRNA levels of its downstream genes. In conclusion, a single intraperitoneal dose of TGZ exposure could induce liver injury in BALB/c female mice and, by a hepatic transcriptomic analysis, we found that the activation of JAK/STAT pathway might be related to TGZ‐induced hepatotoxicity.