Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Health-related Quality of Life of Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus at A Tertiary Care Hospital in India Using EQ 5D 5L

Objective: To assess the health-related quality of life of Type 2 Diabetes mellitus patients attending outpatient departments of a tertiary hospital using EQ-5D-5L. Methods: The study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in India. The quality of life of patients with type 2 Diabetes mellitus, age 18 years and older, attending outpatient departments of Medicine and Endocrinology was assessed with the help of EQ-5D-5L, a measure of self-reported health related quality of life. Data was analyzed to obtain EQ-5D-5L scores for the five dimensions and EQ VAS score. Correlation of EQ VAS score with different variables was analyzed. Results: Out of total 358 participants, 208 had comorbidities, hypertension being the most common. Mean age was 60.71 ± 11.41 years and 216 (58.9%) were female participants. Out of five dimensions, Mobility, Self-care, Usual activities, and Pain/discomfort were most affected in age group 71 years and above while anxiety/depression affected age group 18–30 years the most. Mean EQ VAS score was 78.83 ± 15.02. Female participants had significantly higher EQ VAS score (P = 0.00) than male participants. EQ VAS score showed significant negative correlation with uncontrolled state of diabetes (P = 0.000). There was significant difference in EQ VAS score between patients with and without comorbidities. (P =0.004) Cronbach alpha for EQ-5D-5L was 0.76. Conclusion: The results suggest that EQ-5D-5L is a reliable measure for assessing health related quality of life of patients with Type 2 Diabetes mellitus. Type 2 Diabetes adversely affects the quality of life of patients. Uncontrolled disease and comorbidities can further compromise the quality of life.
Detection of serum levels of Vitamin C, D, and E in neonatal jaundice

Background: Neonatal jaundice is a large problem in the neonates causing many complications in the newborn that need further studies on this common problem. Patients and Methods: This study is considered a case–control study which was done in the neonatal unit of Tanta University Hospital from May 2016 to March 2018. It was done on 100 full-term neonates. A study group which includes 50 neonates admitted in the neonatal unit as they are diagnosed with neonatal jaundice with their bilirubin levels ranging from 15 to 19 mg/dl and 50 healthy outpatient neonates act as a control group. We detect the serum levels of Vitamin C, D, and E in both groups. Results: Serum levels of Vitamin C, D, and E were significantly lower in the study group which include the cases of neonatal jaundice if compared their levels in the control healthy group with negative statistically significant correlation which is present between the serum levels of the bilirubin and the serum levels of Vitamin C, D, and E in the study group. Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that low serum levels of Vitamins C, D, and E are present in neonatal jaundice group indicating that neonatal jaundice is accompanied by decrease the serum levels of these vitamins attracting the attention of the researchers to study the effect of these vitamin supplementations as an adjuvant therapy in neonatal jaundice.
Bridging Dynamical Systems and Optimal Trajectory Approaches to Speech Motor Control With Dynamic Movement Primitives

Current models of speech motor control rely on either trajectory-based control (DIVA, GEPPETO, ACT) or a dynamical systems approach based on feedback control (Task Dynamics, FACTS). While both approaches have provided insights into the speech motor system, it is difficult to connect these findings across models given the distinct theoretical and computational bases of the two approaches. We propose a new extension of the most widely used dynamical systems approach, Task Dynamics, that incorporates many of the strengths of trajectory-based approaches, providing a way to bridge the theoretical divide between what have been two separate approaches to understanding speech motor control. The Task Dynamics (TD) model posits that speech gestures are governed by point attractor dynamics consistent with a critically damped harmonic oscillator. Kinematic trajectories associated with such gestures should therefore be consistent with a second-order dynamical system, possibly modified by blending with temporally overlapping gestures or altering oscillator parameters. This account of observed kinematics is powerful and theoretically appealing, but may be insufficient to account for deviations from predicted kinematics—i.e., changes produced in response to some external perturbations to the jaw, changes in control during acquisition and development, or effects of word/syllable frequency. Optimization, such as would be needed to minimize articulatory effort, is also incompatible with the current TD model, though the idea that the speech production systems economizes effort has a long history and, importantly, also plays a critical role in current theories of domain-general human motor control. To address these issues, we use Dynamic Movement Primitives (DMPs) to expand a dynamical systems framework for speech motor control to allow modification of kinematic trajectories by incorporating a simple, learnable forcing term into existing point attractor dynamics. We show that integration of DMPs with task-based point-attractor dynamics enhances the potential explanatory power of TD in a number of critical ways, including the ability to account for external forces in planning and optimizing both kinematic and dynamic movement costs. At the same time, this approach preserves the successes of Task Dynamics in handling multi-gesture planning and coordination.
Ameliorative effect of galantamine on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats

Galantamine (GAL) is a drug for treating Alzheimer’s disease which has reasonable and no significant side effects. Studies have shown that GAL possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and cholinomimetic effects that might be beneficial for inflammatory bowel disease. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of GAL on acetic acid-induced colitis in rats. GAL at 0.25, 1.25, 2.5 mg/kg/day was administrated orally (p.o.) to different groups of male Wistar rats 2 h before induction of ulcer with acetic acid 3% and continued for 5 consecutive days. Dicyclomine (DIC) was similarly used alone (5 mg/kg/day, p.o.) or together with GAL at doses already mentioned to delineate the impact of muscarinic pathway in probable beneficial effects of GAL on colitis. Control and reference groups received distilled water (5 mL/kg, p.o.), prednisolone (4 mg/kg/day, p.o.), or mesalazine (100 mg/kg/day, p.o.) respectively. At day 6, tissue injuries were assessed for macroscopic, histopathologic, and biochemical indices of myeloperoxidase and MPO activity. Results showed that GAL at 3 applied doses, alone or in combination with DIC diminished ulcer index, total colitis index, and MPO activity as important biomarkers of colitis. DIC alone was not effective on most parameters and its concurrent administration with GAL couldn’t reverse its antiulcerative effects. Prednisolone and mesalazine were both effective in this relation. The current research indicated that GAL had anti-inflammatory and antiulcerative activities independent of its muscarinic effects. Thus the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects may account for its anti-inflammatory and anti-ulcerative properties. Nevertheless, further detailed studies are warranted for exact elucidation of GAL mechanism on inflammation and colitis.
Impact of Auditory Experience on the Structural Plasticity of the AIS in the Mouse Brainstem Throughout the Lifespan

Sound input critically influences the development and maintenance of neuronal circuits in the mammalian brain throughout life. We investigate the structural and functional plasticity of auditory neurons in response to various auditory experiences during development, adulthood, and aging. Using electrophysiology, computer simulation, and immunohistochemistry, we study the structural plasticity of the axon initial segment (AIS) in the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB) from the auditory brainstem of the mice (either sex), in different ages and auditory environments. The structure and spatial location of the AIS of MNTB neurons depend on their functional topographic location along the tonotopic axis, aligning high- to low-frequency sound-responding neurons (HF or LF neurons). HF neurons dramatically undergo structural remodeling of the AIS throughout life. The AIS progressively shortens during development, is stabilized in adulthood, and becomes longer in aging. Sound inputs are critically associated with setting and maintaining AIS plasticity and tonotopy at various ages. Sound stimulation increases the excitability of auditory neurons. Computer simulation shows that modification of the AIS length, location, and diameter can affect firing properties of MNTB neurons in the developing brainstem. The adaptive capability of axonal structure in response to various auditory experiences at different ages suggests that sound input is important for the development and maintenance of the structural and functional properties of the auditory brain throughout life.
Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations After the Ingestion of Dairy and Collagen Proteins, in Healthy Active Males

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that the consumption of essential amino acids (AA) and/or those abundantly present in collagen may have the capacity to influence the synthesis of new collagen in ligaments and tendons, when tissue perfusion is optimized (e.g., during exercise). However, little is currently known about the bioavailability of these AAs in blood after the consumption of various collagen and diary protein sources: such information is needed to develop potentially useful dietary and supplement intake strategies. Objectives: The aim of the current study was to characterize blood AA concentrations in response to consumption of collagen and dairy protein sources; specifically, maximum concentrations, the timing of maximum concentration, and total (area under the curve) exposure above baseline. Methods: A 20 g serve of various dairy and collagen proteins, and a 300 mL serve of bone broth were consumed by healthy, recreationally active males after an overnight fast. Blood samples were drawn every 20 min for a total of 180 min, for analysis of plasma AA concentrations. Total AA, essential AA and collagen specific AAs were analyzed for maximum concentration, timing of peak, and area under the curve. Results: In general, protein intake was associated with a similar increase in total and collagen specific AAs, except for collagen proteins being a superior source of glycine (683 ± 166 μmol/L) compared to 260 ± 65 μmol/L for dairy proteins (P < 0.0001), whilst dairy proteins were a superior source of leucine (267 ± 77 μmol/L) compared to 189 ± μmol/L for collagen proteins (P < 0.04). Although there were several differences in the bioavailability of hydrolysed compared to non-hydrolysed proteins, this only reached statistical significance within the dairy proteins, but not for collagen proteins. Conclusions: The intake of collagen proteins result in higher plasma peaks of glycine, whilst the intake of dairy proteins result in higher plasma peaks of leucine. This information may support further investigations, and identification of key AAs that may support exercise in the synthesis of collagen.
Understanding P. falciparum Asymptomatic Infections: A Proposition for a Transcriptomic Approach

Malaria is still a significant public health burden in the tropics. Infection with malaria causing parasites results in a wide range of clinical disease presentations, from severe to uncomplicated or mild, and in the poorly understood asymptomatic infections. The complexity of asymptomatic infections is due to the intricate interplay between factors derived from the human host, parasite, and environment. Asymptomatic infections often go undetected and provide a silent natural reservoir that sustains malaria transmission. This creates a major obstacle for malaria control and elimination efforts. Numerous studies have tried to characterize asymptomatic infections, unanimously revealing that host immunity is the underlying factor in the maintenance of these infections and in the risk of developing febrile malaria infections. An in-depth understanding of how host immunity and parasite factors interact to cause malaria disease tolerance is thus required. This review primarily focuses on understanding anti-inflammatory and pro-inflammatory responses to asymptomatic infections in malaria endemic areas, to present the view that it is potentially the shift in host immunity toward an anti-inflammatory profile that maintains asymptomatic infections after multiple exposures to malaria. Conversely, symptomatic infections are skewed toward a pro-inflammatory immune profile. Moreover, we propose that these infections can be better interrogated using next generation sequencing technologies, in particular RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), to investigate the immune system using the transcriptome sampled during a clearly defined asymptomatic infection.
GDF11 Implications in Cancer Biology and Metabolism. Facts and Controversies

Growth Differentiation Factor 11 (GDF11), a member of the super family of the Transforming Growth Factor β, has gained more attention in the last few years due to numerous reports regarding its functions in other systems, which are different to those related to differentiation and embryonic development, such as age-related muscle dysfunction, skin biology, metabolism, and cancer. GDF11 is expressed in many tissues, including skeletal muscle, pancreas, kidney, nervous system, and retina, among others. GDF11 circulating levels and protein content in tissues are quite variable and are affected by pathological conditions or age. Although, GDF11 biology had a lot of controversies, must of them are only misunderstandings regarding the variability of its responses, which are independent of the tissue, grade of cellular differentiation or pathologies. A blunt fact regarding GDF11 biology is that its target cells have stemness feature, a property that could be found in certain adult cells in health and in disease, such as cancer cells. This review is focused to present and analyze the recent findings in the emerging research field of GDF11 function in cancer and metabolism, and discusses the controversies surrounding the biology of this atypical growth factor.
Targeting Cellular and Tissue HIV Reservoirs With Toll-Like Receptor Agonists

The elimination of both cellular and tissue latent reservoirs is a challenge toward a successful HIV cure. “Shock and Kill” are among the therapeutic strategies that have been more extensively studied to target these reservoirs. These strategies are aimed toward the reactivation of the latent reservoir using a latency-reversal agent (LRA) with the subsequent killing of the reactivated cell either by the cytotoxic arm of the immune system, including NK and CD8 T cells, or by viral cytopathic mechanisms. Numerous LRAs are currently being investigated in vitro, ex vivo as well as in vivo for their ability to reactivate and reduce latent reservoirs. Among those, several toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists have been shown to reactivate latent HIV. In humans, there are 10 TLRs that recognize different pathogen-associated molecular patterns. TLRs are present in several cell types, including CD4 T cells, the cell compartment that harbors the majority of the latent reservoir. Besides their ability to reactivate latent HIV, TLR agonists also increase immune activation and promote an antiviral response. These combined properties make TLR agonists unique among the different LRAs characterized to date. Additionally, some of these agonists have shown promise toward finding an HIV cure in animal models. When in combination with broadly neutralizing antibodies, TLR-7 agonists have shown to impact the SIV latent reservoir and delay viral rebound. Moreover, there are FDA-approved TLR agonists that are currently being investigated for cancer therapy and other diseases. All these has prompted clinical trials using TLR agonists either alone or in combination toward HIV eradication approaches. In this review, we provide an extensive characterization of the state-of-the-art of the use of TLR agonists toward HIV eradication strategies and the mechanism behind how TLR agonists target both cellular and tissue HIV reservoirs.
Radiomic Nomogram Improves Preoperative T Category Accuracy in Locally Advanced Laryngeal Carcinoma

Surgical decision-making on advanced laryngeal carcinoma is heavily depended on the identification of preoperative T category (T3 vs. T4), which is challenging for surgeons. A T category prediction radiomics (TCPR) model would be helpful for subsequent surgery. A total of 211 patients with locally advanced laryngeal cancer who had undergone total laryngectomy were randomly classified into the training cohort (n = 150) and the validation cohort (n = 61). We extracted 1,390 radiomic features from the contrast-enhanced computed tomography images. Interclass correlation coefficient and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) analyses were performed to select features associated with pathology-confirmed T category. Eight radiomic features were found associated with preoperative T category. The radiomic signature was constructed by Support Vector Machine algorithm with the radiomic features. We developed a nomogram incorporating radiomic signature and T category reported by experienced radiologists. The performance of the model was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC). The T category reported by radiologists achieved an AUC of 0.775 (95% CI: 0.667–0.883); while the radiomic signature yielded a significantly higher AUC of 0.862 (95% CI: 0.772–0.952). The predictive performance of the nomogram incorporating radiomic signature and T category reported by radiologists further improved, with an AUC of 0.892 (95% CI: 0.811–0.974). Consequently, for locally advanced laryngeal cancer, the TCPR model incorporating radiomic signature and T category reported by experienced radiologists have great potential to be applied for individual accurate preoperative T category. The TCPR model may benefit decision-making regarding total laryngectomy or larynx-preserving treatment.
Neurological manifestation of human immunodeficiency virus/Aids

Neurologic complications occur in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients, but only a few of these complications are directly related to HIV infection of the central nervous system (CNS). The virus can affect virtually every aspect of the central and peripheral nervous system, directly or indirectly with the major target being the immune system, including lymphocytes, microglia, and macrophages. Common neurologic manifestations include meningitis, minor and major cognitive impairment, stroke, seizure, immune-mediated effects and opportunistic infection. Diagnosis usually involves a detailed clinical evaluation, including mini-mental scale, as well as lumbar puncture for serology and culture, nerve conduction studies, electromyogram, and neuroimaging. Treatment is usually targeted at the HIV using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and specific disease entities. CNS side effects of HAART may be transient, while others may require withdrawal of the antiretroviral drug.
Pattern of utilization of dental services and oral self-care practices of people living with HIV/AIDS in two tertiary health institutions in Nigeria

Background: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) have a high risk of oral health problems. However, little is known about their utilization of oral health services in Nigeria. Objectives: The aims of this study were to determine utilization of dental services and oral hygiene practices among PLWHA attending two tertiary health institutions. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study among PLWHA attending HIV clinics in two teaching hospitals in South West and South South Nigeria. Information obtained using self-administered structured questionnaires included questions on pattern of dental services' utilization and oral hygiene behavior. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: Three hundred and fifty-two (352) PLWHA participated. Mean age was 42.5 ± 9.4 years, 64.2% were females, and 36.9% were of middle socioeconomic status (SES). Previous dental visits (36.9%) were associated with perception of dental need, center of study, and SES (P < 0.05). Odds of utilizing dental health services were higher among those who perceived they needed dental care (odds ratio: 4.12; 95% confidence interval: 2.13–7.96). Eighty-eight (25%) had visited the dentist in the preceding 12 months and received dental treatment in the form of extraction (64.4%), routine dental check (13.8%), and scaling and polishing (5.8%). Lack of perceived dental need and financial limitations were the main barriers for lack of dental visits. Twice daily tooth brushing was practiced by 40.1% of the respondents. Conclusion: Utilization of the dental services among PLWHA was low and influenced by self-perception of dental need, study center, and higher SES. Oral hygiene practices were less than optimal.
There Is Little Difference in the Peak Movement Demands of Professional and Semi-Professional Rugby League Competition

Previous research has quantified the peak movement demands of elite rugby league match-play, but the peak accelerometer load or the semi-professional peak demands remain unknown. The aim of this research was to determine the peak movement demands of professional and semi-professional rugby league competition. Wearable microtechnology devices tracked the physical activity profiles of players during 26 professional (n = 351 files) and 22 semi-professional (n = 267 files) matches. Following each match, data were exported in raw form to extract the peak 1- to 10-min periods for speed, average acceleration, and accelerometer load of each player, using a rolling average method. To determine the difference between playing levels (professional vs. semi-professional) and position (forwards vs. backs), linear mixed models were used. The intercept and the slope were calculated based on the power law relationship to provide the peak, and rate of decay, of each dependent variable. Cohen’s effect size (ES) statistic was used to determine the magnitude of differences between positions and playing level. There was little difference between playing standards, with only small differences in running speed, with a greater intercept and slope for the professional forwards compared with semi-professional forwards (intercept ES: 0.37; 90%CL: 0.19 to 0.55; slope ES: 0.35; 0.15 to 0.55). For positional comparisons (forwards vs. backs), there was no difference in running speeds at the professional level, but there was substantially greater running speed for backs compared to forwards in semi-professional competition, with small to moderate differences (ES range: 0.60–0.39). Both professional and semi-professional forwards showed small to moderately higher accelerometer load compared to backs, which increased with period duration (ES range: 0.22–0.79). Similarly, acceleration demands were greater for forwards compared to backs across both playing standards, with moderate to large differences (ES range: 0.52–0.96). Overall, the results of this study show that there is a small difference in the peak running speed for forwards in professional competition, but otherwise there are no meaningful differences in movement demands of professional and semi-professional rugby league match-play. Forwards display greater acceleration and accelerometer load across a number of rolling average durations compared to backs.