Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Farmers' Uptake of Animal Health and Welfare Technological Innovations. Implications for Animal Health Policies

The paper analyses the uptake of animal health and welfare technologies by livestock farmers focusing on the identification of different behavioral patterns occurring in subpopulations of farmers and the assessment of the effect socio-economic and attitudinal factors have on these patterns. The technologies of interest include new genomic technologies, animal electronic identification (EID) for farm management, cattle surveillance, welfare qualitative behavioral assessment, anaerobic digestion, pedometers or activity monitors to detect oestrus and increase fertility/conception, and webcams/smart phones/tablets for animal husbandry. We use latent class analysis modeling and cross-section survey data to construct typologies of farmers based on technological uptake and heterogeneous characteristics. Our results suggest that, while three fifths of the farmers are “non-adopters,” a third is classified as “current adopters” of animal EID for farm management, and a twelfth as “future adopters” of either or more types of animal health and welfare technologies. Age, agricultural income, perceived difficulty to invest in new technologies, agri-environmental scheme membership, and frequency of access to information on animal EID for farm management and cattle surveillance through British Cattle Movement Service, are significant predictors of typology membership. The findings are policy relevant as they give quantitative evidence on the factors influencing technological uptake and, as such, help identify the most likely adopters and optimize the cost of targeting them. As information access was found to be among the factors influencing multiple technology adoption, policy instruments should include the provision of training as regards the implementation of technologies and their combined impact on farm. Farmers' adoption of interrelated innovations suggests the need to coordinate individual policies aimed at encouraging uptake of different technologies. As shown here, this would concern not only synchronizing animal health and welfare policies, but also their interaction with others such as agri-environmental ones. Moreover, the results show that animal health policies requiring regulatory compliance may lead to voluntary uptake of additional or complementary technologies which relate to not just meeting but exceeding standards of animal welfare and health practices.
Associations of Sedentary Behavior with Physical Fitness and Academic Performance among Chinese Students Aged 8–19 Years

Background: Existing evidence regarding how time spent on various types of sedentary behavior (SB) in relation to physical fitness (PF) and academic performance (AP) in children and adolescents is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the associations of SB types with PF and AP among 8–19-year-old Chinese students. Methods: A total of 1164 students were recruited from five schools in Zhejiang province, China. Children’s SB was assessed by a valid questionnaire and AP was represented by scores on four courses. PF was measured by Chinese National Student PF Standard battery. The associations were assessed using linear mixed-effects models adjusted for age, school, grade, and class. Results: Students’ screen-based SB was observed to be negatively associated with PF in girls (p < 0.05). Screen-based SB was inversely associated with AP in both girls and boys (p < 0.001). The significant interaction between weekdays and weekends, and SB on AP was observed in girls (p < 0.001). On weekends, screen-based SB ≥ 6 h/day (<3 h/day as reference group) was significantly and negatively associated with AP (p < 0.01 for both sex). Conclusions: Longer screen-based SB, especially on weekends, was related to poorer AP in 8–19-year-old Chinese students. Our findings suggest that restrictions on any type of screen-based SB for leisure on weekends are beneficial to AP in Chinese students.
The experiences of rural and remote family palliative caregivers who commute with a family member for advanced cancer care at an urban center

Commuting for advanced cancer care represents an important option for rural families who require palliative care. Few studies have focused on the experience of travelling for cancer care, and fewer still illuminate family palliative caregivers’ (FPCs) perspectives. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experiences of rural FPCs who supported patients in commuting to a regional cancer centre for palliative care. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 FPCs (27-73 yrs) who were involved in commutes ranging from 24-774 km one way. FPCs in this study had the key responsibility for their family members’ personal needs as they sought palliative treatment and consultation. Data analysis revealed important contextual factors influencing FPCs’ experiences including the independent nature of rural dwellers, rural support networks, and familiarity with long distance travel. The dedication of FPCs to making the commuting experience as positive as possible for their family members was a central theme. Accordingly, FPCs were involved in extensive preparations for trips, managing the financial implications of commuting, taking extra precautions just in case, monitoring the impact of travel on both the patient and themselves, and providing comfort and support during commutes. The work of commuting was stressful, tiring, and sometimes pushed FPCs beyond comfortable limits. Despite these challenges, FPCs spoke of the importance of “making the best it” by taking full advantage of the time spent with their family member and incorporating other activities to make each trip worthwhile. Participant recommendations for supporting FPCs involved in commuting for care targeted the importance of self care. Practice recommendations, therefore, include a holistic assessment of the FPC and the family member and their needs as they continue to commute for palliative care. Policy changes to support financial needs and plan treatment visits that will minimize commuting are indicated. Finally, research initiatives are indicated in order to focus attention on diversity issues such as gender and ethnicity among rural and remote palliative caregivers. Commuting for care as a FPC is still emerging as an area of research study.
Ventral Mesencephalic Grafts in the Neostriatum of the Weaver Mutant Mouse: Structural Molecule and Receptor Studies

"Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Neuropathology, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Program in Medical Neurobiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA, fCentre d' Investigacio i Desenvolupament, C.S. I.C. , E-08034 Barcelona, Spain, tCentre de neurochimie du C.N. R.S. , F-67084 Strasbourg, France, §Institut fiir Pathologie der Universitat Basel, CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland, and lLaboratorios Almirall, S.A. , Research Institute, E-08024 Barcelona, Spain
Origin of the avian predentary and evidence of a unique form of cranial kinesis in Cretaceous ornithuromorphs

Significance The avian predentary is a small, rarely preserved skeletal structure found only in toothed Mesozoic ornithuromorph birds. The origin and function of this enigmatic bone is poorly understood. Based on skeletal tissue identification in a specimen of the Early Cretaceous Yanornis martini, we propose developmental, structural, and functional hypotheses for this element. It consists of trabecular bone with a caudal articular surface for the dentary covered by cartilage. Tissue mechanobiology suggests this contact was kinetic, representing a previously unknown type of avian cranial kinesis. We hypothesize that the avian predentary was a biomechanically induced sesamoid that coevolved with an edentulous portion of the premaxilla, together representing a successful morphotype that combined a small beak with a proprioceptive system. The avian predentary is a small skeletal structure located rostral to the paired dentaries found only in Mesozoic ornithuromorphs. The evolution and function of this enigmatic element is unknown. Skeletal tissues forming the predentary and the lower jaws in the basal ornithuromorph Yanornis martini are identified using computed-tomography, scanning electron microscopy, and histology. On the basis of these data, we propose hypotheses for the development, structure, and function of this element. The predentary is composed of trabecular bone. The convex caudal surface articulates with rostromedial concavities on the dentaries. These articular surfaces are covered by cartilage, which on the dentaries is divided into 3 discrete patches: 1 rostral articular cartilage and 2 symphyseal cartilages. The mechanobiology of avian cartilage suggests both compression and kinesis were present at the predentary–dentary joint, therefore suggesting a yet unknown form of avian cranial kinesis. Ontogenetic processes of skeletal formation occurring within extant taxa do not suggest the predentary originates within the dentaries, nor Meckel’s cartilage. We hypothesize that the predentary is a biomechanically induced sesamoid that arose within the soft connective tissues located rostral to the dentaries. The mandibular canal hosting the alveolar nerve suggests that the dentary teeth and predentary of Yanornis were proprioceptive. This whole system may have increased foraging efficiency. The Mesozoic avian predentary apparently coevolved with an edentulous portion of the premaxilla, representing a unique kinetic morphotype that combined teeth with a small functional beak and persisted successfully for ∼60 million years.
O-antigen biosynthesis gene clusters of Escherichia albertii: their diversity and similarity to Escherichia coli gene clusters and the development of an O-genotyping method

Escherichia albertii is a recently recognized human enteropathogen that is closely related to Escherichia coli . In many Gram-negative bacteria, including E. coli , O-antigen variation has long been used for the serotyping of strains. In E. albertii , while eight O-serotypes unique to this species have been identified, some strains have been shown to exhibit genetic or serological similarity to known E. coli / Shigella O-serotypes. However, the diversity of O-serotypes and O-antigen biosynthesis gene clusters (O-AGCs) of E. albertii remains to be systematically investigated. Here, we analysed the O-AGCs of 65 E. albertii strains and identified 40 E. albertii O-genotypes (EAOgs) (named EAOg1–EAOg40). Analyses of the 40 EAOgs revealed that as many as 20 EAOgs exhibited significant genetic and serological similarity to the O-AGCs of known E. coli / Shigella O-serotypes, and provided evidence for the inter-species horizontal gene transfer of O-AGCs between E. albertii and E. coli . Based on the sequence variation in the wzx gene among the 40 EAOgs, we developed a multiplex PCR-based O-genotyping system for E. albertii (EAO-genotyping PCR) and verified its usefulness by genotyping 278 E. albertii strains from various sources. Although 225 (80.9 %) of the 278 strains could be genotyped, 51 were not assigned to any of the 40 EAOgs, indicating that further analyses are required to better understand the diversity of O-AGCs in E. albertii and improve the EAO-genotyping PCR method. A phylogenetic view of E. albertii strains sequenced so far is also presented with the distribution of the 40 EAOgs, which provided multiple examples for the intra-species horizontal transfer of O-AGCs in E. albertii .
Psychosocial resources and strains and health services use among adult illicit drug users from the Miami-Dade community

Abstract This study builds on previous research concerning the associations of positive and negative dimensions of the self-concept and social relationships, respectively, with medical treatment seeking actions by modeling potentially positive and negative effects simultaneously. Using data from the first wave of a large community study including adult (20-93) drug users (n = 318), multivariate linear regression analysis presents the effects of psychosocial resources on drug users’ medical treatment seeking in six progressive models. Social resources such as family support, family conflict, and friend support account for variation in medical treatment seeking actions in adult drug users. Dimensions of the self-concept, including perception of powerlessness and self-esteem also influence medical treatment seeking actions in adult drug users. Moderation tests reveal that the presence of family problems related to drug use is associated with a lower likelihood of taking treatment-seeking action in the context of greater family support. This study assessed how positive and negative dimensions of social relationships and the self-concept can jointly influence medical treatment seeking actions. Implications for medical treatment seeking action research are discussed.
Curcumin alleviates diabetic nephropathy via inhibiting podocyte mesenchymal transdifferentiation and inducing autophagy in rats and MPC5 cells

Abstract Context: Curcumin could ameliorate diabetic nephropathy (DN), but the mechanism remains unclear. Objective: The efficacy of curcumin on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of podocyte and autophagy in vivo and in vitro was explored. Materials and methods: Thirty male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into the normal, model and curcumin (300 mg/kg/d, i.g., for 8 weeks) groups. Rats received streptozotocin (50 mg/kg, i.p.) and high-fat-sugar diet to induce DN. Biochemical indicators and histomorphology of renal tissues were observed. In addition, cultured mouse podocytes (MPC5) was induced to EMT with serum from DN rats, and then exposed to curcumin (40 µM) with or without fumonisin B1, an Akt specific activator or 3BDO, the mTOR inducer. Western blot analysed the levels of EMT and autophagy associated proteins. Results: Administration of curcumin obviously reduced the levels of blood glucose, serum creatinine, urea nitrogen and urine albumen (by 28.4, 37.6, 33.5 and 22.4%, respectively), and attenuated renal histomorphological changes in DN rats. Podocytes were partially fused and autophagic vacuoles were increased in curcumin-treated rats. Furthermore, curcumin upregulated the expression of E-cadherin and LC3 proteins and downregulated the vimentin, TWIST1, p62, p-mTOR, p-Akt and P13K levels in DN rats and MPC5 cells. However, fumonisin B1 or 3BDO reversed the effects of curcumin on the expression of these proteins in cells. Discussion and conclusions: The protection against development of DN by curcumin treatment involved changes in inducing autophagy and alleviating podocyte EMT, through the PI3k/Akt/mTOR pathway, providing the scientific basis for further research and clinical applications of curcumin.
Incidence, Treatment and Implications of Kidney Stones During Pregnancy- A Matched Population-Based Cohort Study.

PURPOSE To determine the incidence of kidney stones in pregnancy, the risk of adverse birth outcomes, and treatment trends. METHODS We performed a population-based matched cohort study using Ontario's healthcare databases. All pregnancies in Ontario from 2004-2014 were identified. The study exposure was hospital admission, emergency room visit or intervention for kidney stones during pregnancy. Each pregnancy with a stone was matched to up to 6 pregnancies without a stone based on age, region of residence, income quintile, year of cohort entry, prior births and multi-births. The primary outcome was adverse birth outcome defined as preterm birth, low birth weight, or infant death. Secondary outcomes included premature rupture of membranes (PROM), pre-eclampsia and caesarian section (C/S), as well as the type/frequency of intervention for stones in pregnancy. Logistic regression models, with generalized estimating equations, were used to assess any differences in study outcomes across groups. RESULTS Of 1.39 million pregnancies identified, there were 2,863 pregnancies with stones (0.2%), which were matched with 17,171 pregnancies without stones. Pregnancies with stones had an increased risk for adverse birth outcome compared with matched pregnancies without stones (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.43, 1.82, p<0.0001). Pregnancies with stones also had a greater risk for pre-eclampsia (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.02-1.99, p=0.04) and C/S (OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.27-1.51, p<0.0001), but not PROM. Twenty-six percent of pregnant patients admitted for a stone had an intervention, most commonly a stent or ureteroscopy. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated an increased risk of adverse birth outcomes in pregnancies with kidney stones. These results will be important for counseling pregnant patients with kidney stones and women of reproductive age who are at risk of developing stones.
Land use is the main driver of soil organic carbon spatial distribution in a high mountain ecosystem

Background Terrestrial ecosystems play a significant role in carbon (C) storage. Human activities, such as urbanization, infrastructure, and land use change, can reduce significantly the C stored in the soil. The aim of this research was to measure the spatial variability of soil organic C (SOC) in the national park La Malinche (NPLM) in the central highlands of Mexico as an example of highland ecosystems and to determine the impact of land use change on the SOC stocks through deterministic and geostatistical geographic information system (GIS) based methods. Methods The soil was collected from different landscapes, that is, pine, fir, oak and mixed forests, natural grassland, moor and arable land, and organic C content determined. Different GIS-based deterministic (inverse distance weighting, local polynomial interpolation and radial basis function) and geostatistical interpolation techniques (ordinary kriging, cokriging and empirical Bayes kriging) were used to map the SOC stocks and other environmental variables of the top soil layer. Results All interpolation GIS-based methods described the spatial distribution of SOC of the NPLM satisfactorily. The total SOC stock of the NPLM was 2.45 Tg C with 85.3% in the forest (1.26 Tg C in the A horizon and 0.83 Tg C in the O horizon), 11.4% in the arable soil (0.23 Tg in the A horizon and only 0.05 Tg C in the O horizon) and 3.3% in the high moor (0.07 Tg C in the A horizon and <0.01 Tg C in the O horizon). The estimated total SOC stock in a preserved part of the forest in NPLM was 4.98 Tg C in 1938 and has nearly halved since then. Continuing this trend of converting all the remaining forest to arable land will decrease the total SOC stock to 0.52 Tg C. Discussion Different factors explain the large variations in SOC stocks found in this study but the change in land use (conversion of forests into agricultural lands) was the major reason for the reduction of the SOC stocks in the high mountain ecosystem of the NPLM. Large amounts of C, however, could be stored potentially in this ecosystem if the area was used more sustainable. The information derived from this study could be used to recommend strategies to reverse the SOC loss in NPLM and other high-altitude temperate forests and sequester larger quantities of C. This research can serve as a reference for the analysis of SOC distribution in similar mountain ecosystems in central part of Mexico and in other parts of the world.
Risk of breast cancer among female shift workers (systematic review)

Background: Shift work may increase the risk of breast cancer by decreasing melatonin production. This phenomenon by affecting pituitary gland and sexual hormonal secretion may increase the risk of breast cancer. The aim of this review study was to evaluate the results of studies for determining the relationship between shift work and breast cancer. Methods: Data collection was done through worksheets appropriate to research objectives and searching among databases, including Medline, Google scholar and Scopus. Search keywords included shift work, night work and breast cancer. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they were observational, case-control or cohort studies that compared female shift workers with day workers. Animal studies, the studies that only examined mortality and benign breast disease, and works related breast cancer without focusing on shiftwork were excluded. Finally, a total of 16 studies consisted of 5 cohorts and 11 case controls were assessed. Results: Among the prospective cohort studies, two studies reported an increased risk of breast cancer in association with shift work, but the rest did not find any relationship. Four of 11 case-control studies, indicated relation between shift work and breast cancer, but the remaining 7 studies did not report such finding. However 4 of 7 studies demonstrated that possibility of breast cancer will increase with increased number of night work per month and years of night work. Conclusion: We concluded that shift work is a certain threat for females’ health, and there may be the increased risk of breast cancer associated with long term night shift work.
Treatment algorithm for idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss based on epidemiologic surveys of a large Japanese cohort

Abstract Background: To date, there have been few conventional algorithms for the treatment of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), as there have been only limited reports with high evidence levels. Objectives: To propose an evidence- and trend-based treatment algorithm for SSNHL. Methods: We referred not only to the evidence for each treatment, but also to trends related to treatment selection in Japan based on epidemiologic surveys, and considered the balance of the advantages and disadvantages with regard to each patient’s condition. Results: We propose an algorithm that begins with the grade of SSNHL severity as the prognosis of SSNHL is strongly related to the severity of hearing loss. We selected systemic corticosteroid therapy as the first-line therapy, and Intra-tympanic corticosteroid therapy as salvage therapy. We also proposed the use of prostaglandin E1 with corticosteroids for the treatment of SSNHL patients with severe hearing loss. According to the data obtained from an epidemiologic survey, we decided time limits for the application of each treatment. Conclusion: An algorithm for the treatment for SSNHL is presented according to the results of epidemiologic surveys in Japan. It is expected that this algorithm can provide a guide to choosing the suitable treatment for SSNHL patients.