Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of quality of rheumatology care in a rural area of West Bengal, India

Introduction: Patients with rheumatic symptoms are frequently misdiagnosed and mismanaged in rural areas. The present study was conducted to assess the level of accuracy in management of musculoskeletal (MSK) symptoms in rural patients. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted over 1-year period involving the patients with rheumatologic symptoms such as MSK pain, swelling and stiffness of joints, and managed outside previously before attending to us for these symptoms. Patients were interviewed regarding their past investigations, diagnosis offered, and management schedules. Level of misdiagnosis and mistreatment was evaluated. Results: One hundred and twenty-five patients (50%) were treated by quacks. Large number of patients also went to homeopathic (12%) and ayurvedic (4%) practitioners. Medical graduates treated 24% cases. Few patients went to postgraduate physicians (4%) or rheumatologists (0.8%). Misdiagnosis and mistreatment were common mainly with quacks and alternative medicine practitioners. Overall only 28.8% cases were diagnosed correctly. Investigations were suggested inappropriately such as antistreptolysin O titer, rheumatoid factor, and uric acid when these were not required. Medicines such as benzathine penicillin, steroid, etc., were prescribed inappropriately. Physiotherapy and rehabilitation were neglected. Conclusion: Gap in quality of rheumatology care is prevalent at rural areas. Awareness program and basic rheumatology training to rural health professionals are of high priority.
Reduced limbic microstructural integrity in functional neurological disorder

Abstract Background Functional neurological disorder (FND) is a condition at the intersection of neurology and psychiatry. Individuals with FND exhibit corticolimbic abnormalities, yet little is known about the role of white matter tracts in the pathophysiology of FND. This study characterized between-group differences in microstructural integrity, and correlated fiber bundle integrity with symptom severity, physical disability, and illness duration. Methods A diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study was performed in 32 patients with mixed FND compared to 36 healthy controls. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images were collected along with patient-reported symptom severity, physical disability (Short Form Health Survey-36), and illness duration data. Weighted-degree and link-level graph theory and probabilistic tractography analyses characterized fractional anisotropy (FA) values across cortico-subcortical connections. Results were corrected for multiple comparisons. Results Compared to controls, FND patients showed reduced FA in the stria terminalis/fornix, medial forebrain bundle, extreme capsule, uncinate fasciculus, cingulum bundle, corpus callosum, and striatal-postcentral gyrus projections. Except for the stria terminalis/fornix, these differences remained significant adjusting for depression and anxiety. In within-group analyses, physical disability inversely correlated with stria terminalis/fornix and medial forebrain bundle FA values; illness duration negatively correlated with stria terminalis/fornix white matter integrity. A FND symptom severity composite score did not correlate with FA in patients. Conclusions In this first DTI study of mixed FND, microstructural differences were observed in limbic and associative tracts implicated in salience, defensive behaviors, and emotion regulation. These findings advance our understanding of neurocircuit pathways in the pathophysiology of FND.
Model To Estimate The Nursing Workload Required By Trauma Victims On Intensive Care Unit Discharge.

AIM To validate a model to estimate the nursing workload required by trauma victims on Intensive Care Unit (ICU) discharge. BACKGROUND Identifying a reliable model of nursing workload measurement which can assist professionals. METHODS A prospective cohort study conducted in 2010 (first phase) and 2015 (second phase) with 342 trauma victims admitted into the ICU of four hospitals located in São Paulo, Brazil. The original model was created during the first phase and included the Simplified Acute Physiology Score and New Injury Severity Score variables. Coefficients of determination (R2 ) were calculated to identify the reliability. RESULTS The original model presented high reliability (R2 = 44%) in the hospital of origin, and unsatisfactory performance (R2 less than 4%) in the other institutions. An improvement in R2 was observed after adjusting the coefficients for each hospital. CONCLUSION For the Nursing Activities Score prediction of survivors for ICU discharge, trauma centers must validate the original model with coefficient adjustments for their population, or preferably derive their own models. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT Although models are useful in predicting discharge of these ICU patients, for treatment continuity after critical care, and for organizing services, the study showed that they should be evaluated prior to use for nursing management.
Factors Related to Change in Depression among North Korean Refugee Youths in South Korea

This study investigated change in depression and revealed factors related to change using one-year follow-up data. A sample of 108 North Korean Refugee Youths (NKRYs) aged 13 to 26 years (66 females) was recruited from two alternative schools for NKRYs in South Korea. Based on the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale cut-off score of 16, respondents were grouped based on change in depression score after one year as stable low, alleviated, deteriorated, or prolonged. Multinomial logistic regression assessed the influence of baseline psychological scores (resilience, emotional regulation strategy, and self-esteem), and reported social support (psychological/practical) on the odds of group classification. With the stable low group as the reference category, those with alleviated depression at Time 2 had significantly higher odds of expressive suppression and tended to have lower self-esteem at Time 1. The deteriorated depression group was more likely than the stable low group to have lower resilience and cognitive appraisal scores. Those with prolonged high depression were more likely than the stable low group to have lower resilience, less practical social support, and lower self-esteem. Psychological interventions, particularly those focused on increasing self-esteem and resilience, could be helpful for NKRYs with potential risk of depression. In addition, practical support should be provided on an as-needed basis to prevent chronic depression among NKRYs.
Development and validation of the Simulator of the Canine Intestinal Microbial Ecosystem (SCIMETM).

Whereas a wide variety of in vitro models have been developed and validated to assess the effect of specific food ingredients on the human gut microbiome, such models have only been developed and applied to a limited extent for companion animals. Since the use of pre- and probiotics to improve gut health is an emerging research topic in the field of companion animals and as dogs are often used as laboratory animals in developing and testing of pharmaceuticals, the current study aimed to establish an adequate canine in vitro model. This consisted of a four-stage reactor composed of a stomach and small intestinal compartment followed by a proximal and distal colon. This semi-continuous gastrointestinal tract model allowed a long-term, region-dependent and pH-controlled simulation of the colon-associated microbial community of dogs. Upon reaching a functional steady state, the simulated canine microbial community composition proved to be representative of the in vivo situation. Indeed, the predominant bacterial phyla present in the in vitro proximal and distal colon corresponded with the main bacterial phyla detected in the fecal material of the dogs, resulting in an average community composition along the simulated canine gastrointestinal tract of 50.5% Firmicutes, 34.5% Bacteroidetes, 7.4% Fusobacteria, 4.9% Actinobacteria and 2.7% Proteobacteria. A parallel in vivo-in vitro comparison assessing the effects of fructo-oligosaccharides on the canine microbial community composition showed a consistent stimulation of Lactobacillus concentrations in the in vivo fecal samples as well as in the in vitro canine gut model. Furthermore, the in vitro platform provided additional insights about the prebiotic effect of fructo-oligosaccharides supplementation of dogs, such as a reduced abundance of Megamonas spp. which are only present in very low abundance in in vivo fecal samples, indicating an interesting application potential of the developed canine in vitro model in research related to gastrointestinal health of dogs.
Refining the adipose progenitor cell landscape in healthy and obese visceral adipose tissue using single-cell gene expression profiling

This work dissects adipose progenitor cell (APC) heterogeneity in normal and obese adipose tissue using single-cell expression profiling. Novel APC subpopulations are identified and characterized. Obesity is a serious health concern and is associated with a reduced quality of life and a number of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer. With obesity rates on the rise worldwide, adipose tissue biology has become a top biomedical research priority. Despite steady growth in obesity-related research, more investigation into the basic biology of adipose tissue is needed to drive innovative solutions aiming to curtail the obesity epidemic. Adipose progenitor cells (APCs) play a central role in adipose tissue homeostasis and coordinate adipose tissue expansion and remodeling. Although APCs are well studied, defining and characterizing APC subsets remains ambiguous because of ill-defined cellular heterogeneity within this cellular compartment. In this study, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to create a cellular atlas of APC heterogeneity in mouse visceral adipose tissue. Our analysis identified two distinct populations of adipose tissue–derived stem cells (ASCs) and three distinct populations of preadipocytes (PAs). We identified novel cell surface markers that, when used in combination with traditional ASC and preadipocyte markers, could discriminate between these APC subpopulations by flow cytometry. Prospective isolation and molecular characterization of these APC subpopulations confirmed single-cell RNA sequencing gene expression signatures, and ex vivo culture revealed differential expansion/differentiation capabilities. Obese visceral adipose tissue featured relative expansion of less mature ASC and PA subpopulations, and expression analyses revealed major obesity-associated signaling alterations within each APC subpopulation. Taken together, our study highlights cellular and transcriptional heterogeneity within the APC pool, provides new tools to prospectively isolate and study these novel subpopulations, and underscores the importance of considering APC diversity when studying the etiology of obesity.
How bacteria recognise and respond to surface contact

ABSTRACT Bacterial biofilms can cause medical problems and issues in technical systems. While a large body of knowledge exists on the phenotypes of planktonic and of sessile cells in mature biofilms, our understanding of what happens when bacteria change from the planktonic to the sessile state is still very incomplete. Fundamental questions are unanswered: for instance, how do bacteria sense that they are in contact with a surface, and what are the very initial cellular responses to surface contact. Here, we review the current knowledge on the signals that bacteria could perceive once they attach to a surface, the signal transduction systems that could be involved in sensing the surface contact and the cellular responses that are triggered as a consequence to surface contact ultimately leading to biofilm formation. Finally, as the main obstacle in investigating the initial responses to surface contact has been the difficulty to experimentally study the dynamic response of single cells upon surface attachment, we also review recent experimental approaches that could be employed to study bacterial surface sensing, which ultimately could lead to an improved understanding of how biofilm formation could be prevented.
Study of Hybrid Nanoparticles Modified Epoxy Resin Used in Filament Winding Composite

Hybrid nanoparticles modified bisphenol A type epoxy/acid anhydride resin system applicable for filament winding forming process was studied using elastic core-shell rubber (CSR) nanoparticles with a large particle size (nearly 100 nm) and rigid nano-SiO2 particles with a small particle size (about 16 nm). The formulation, process properties, mechanical properties, thermal properties and microstructure of modified resin and its wound composite were studied. The results suggested that at the content of 10 phr CSR and 2 phr nano-SiO2, the resin system achieved optimum comprehensive performance. The viscosity of modified resin system was nearly 1000 mPa·s at 25 °C and service life was over 6 h. The resin tensile strength and modulus were 89 MPa and 3.5 GPa, while flexural strength and modulus reached 128 MPa and 3.2 GPa, respectively. The impact strength was 26.6 kJ·m−2, and the glass transition temperature (Tg) reached 145.9 °C. Modified epoxy resin enhanced the mechanical properties of carbon fiber reinforced wound composite. The tensile strength, tensile modulus and interlaminar shear strength were enhanced by 14.0%, 4.56% and 18.9%, respectively, compared with a composite based on unmodified resin. The above test results and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis suggest that the hybrid nanoparticles modified resin system was suitable for carbon fiber wet filament winding products.
Interfacial Dimerization by Organic Radical Reactions during Heterogeneous Oxidative Aging of Oxygenated Organic Aerosols.

Oxidative aging of atmospheric organic aerosols (OA) substantially modifies their chemical compositions, physical properties, and hence the various environmental impacts. Here, we report observations of a previously unrecognized process leading to dimer formation during heterogeneous •OH-initiated oxidative aging of oxygenated OA. Isomer-resolved ion mobility mass spectrometry measurements and reaction-diffusion kinetic simulations are in good agreement, elucidating new mechanisms of dimerization by organic radical (i.e., peroxy and alkoxy radicals) cross reactions. These radical reactions are predicted to occur more prominently near the gas-particle interface following oxidation, especially in diffusion-limited viscous OA particles. Chemical structure analysis shows that esters dominate the detected dimers, followed by organic peroxides and ethers, using glutaric acid as a surrogate oxygenated OA, highlighting the importance of acyl peroxy and acyloxy radicals. Simulations suggest that the reported dimer formation through the new interfacial mechanism could be appreciable under both laboratory and ambient conditions. Therefore, the dimers that are formed and enriched at the gas-particle interface are expected to play a crucial role in the effective reactivity, volatility, viscosity, and hygroscopicity of aged OA particles.
Journal editors’ perspectives on the roles and tasks of peer reviewers in biomedical journals: a qualitative study

Objective Peer reviewers of biomedical journals are expected to perform a large number of roles and tasks, some of which are seemingly contradictory or demonstrate incongruities between the respective positions of peer reviewers and journal editors. Our aim was to explore the perspectives, expectations and understanding of the roles and tasks of peer reviewers of journal editors from general and specialty biomedical journals. Design Qualitative study. Setting Worldwide. Participants 56 journal editors from biomedical journals, most of whom were editors-in-chief (n=39), male (n=40) and worked part-time (n=50) at journals from 22 different publishers. Methods Semistructured interviews with journal editors were conducted. Recruitment was based on purposive maximum variation sampling. Data were analysed thematically following the methodology by Braun and Clarke. Results Journal editors’ understanding of the roles and partly of tasks of peer reviewers are profoundly shaped by each journal’s unique context and characteristics, including financial and human resources and journal reputation or prestige. There was a broad agreement among journal editors on expected technical tasks of peer reviewers related to scientific aspects, but there were different expectations in the level of depth. We also found that most journal editors support the perspective that authorship experience is key to high-quality reviews, while formal training in peer reviewing is not. Conclusion These journal editors’ accounts reveal issues of a social nature within the peer-review process related to missed opportunities for journal editors to engage with peer reviewers to clarify the expected roles and tasks. Further research is needed on actual performance of peer reviewers looking into the content of peer-reviewer reports to inform meaningful training interventions, journal policies and guidelines.
Effect of Antibiotic and Hormone Therapy on Micro-minerals Concentration and Fertility in Postpartum Holstein Friesian Cows

The study was carried out on 24 postpartum HF cows (18 in treatment and 6 in the control group). A bolus containing oxytetracycline – 2.0 g (Uroblex, Pfizer India Limited) was introduced intrauterine on the second day after expulsion of the placenta in the treatment group and was subgrouped as A, B and C, each of six animals. They were then treated on the 50th day postpartum with GnRH alone + AI, GnRH + Bioheat bolus + AI, and GnRH + non-surgical ET. The pooled mean levels of plasma manganese, cobalt, copper, iron and zinc on 50th day postpartum were 0.24 ± 0.01, 0.96 ± 0.10, 0.84 ± 0.03, 15.99 ± 0.71 and 28.45 ± 2.62 ppm, respectively. Highly significant difference (P<0.01) was observed between groups only for plasma manganese concentration (ppm); being lower in the control group (0.17 ± 0.01) as compared to the mean of the treatment groups (0.27 ± 0.01), but not between subgroups. Percentage of animals conceived in control and treatment groups were 33.33, 83.33, 100.00 and 50.00, respectively. The pooled conception rate of all treatment groups [77.78%] was higher than the control group [33.33%]. Service period in the treatment group of animals was less as compared to the control group (71.5 ± 4.83 vs 144.83 ± 3.39 days).
Relationship between month of calving and lactation curves in NSW Holstein-Friesian cows

Milk yields of Holstein-Friesian cows were used to study the effects of month of calving on the shape of lactation curves in 7 separate NSW regions. The data were from Holstein-Friesian cows in their first lactation, selected by region and month of calving, and using milk yield of individual animals on test days. A total of 380,546 test day yields over a 5-year period, from 39,454 cows, formed the data set.
Genetic Diversity of Composite Enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus epidermidis Pathogenicity Islands

Abstract The only known elements encoding enterotoxins in coagulase-negative staphylococci are composite Staphylococcus epidermidis pathogenicity islands (SePIs), including SePI and S. epidermidis composite insertion (SeCI) regions. We investigated 1545 Staphylococcus spp. genomes using whole-genome MLST, and queried them for genes of staphylococcal enterotoxin family and for 29 ORFs identified in prototype SePI from S. epidermidis FRI909. Enterotoxin-encoding genes were identified in 97% of Staphylococcus aureus genomes, in one Staphylococcus argenteus genome and in nine S. epidermidis genomes. All enterotoxigenic S. epidermidis strains carried composite SePI, encoding sec and sel enterotoxin genes, and were assigned to a discrete wgMLST cluster also containing genomes with incomplete islands located in the same region as complete SePI in enterotoxigenic strains. Staphylococcus epidermidis strains without SeCI and SePI genes, and strains with complete SeCI and no SePI genes were identified but no strains were found to carry only SePI and not SeCI genes. The systematic differences between SePI and SeCI regions imply a lineage-specific pattern of inheritance and support independent acquisition of the two elements in S. epidermidis. We provided evidence of reticulate evolution of mobile elements that contain elements with different putative ancestry, including composite SePI that contains genes found in other coagulase-negative staphylococci (SeCI), as well as in S. aureus (SePI-like elements). We conclude that SePI-associated elements present in nonenterotoxigenic S. epidermidis represent a scaffold associated with acquisition of virulence-associated genes. Gene exchange between S. aureus and S. epidermidis may promote emergence of new pathogenic S. epidermidis clones.
Towards Real-Time Heartbeat Classification: Evaluation of Nonlinear Morphological Features and Voting Method

Abnormal heart rhythms are one of the significant health concerns worldwide. The current state-of-the-art to recognize and classify abnormal heartbeats is manually performed by visual inspection by an expert practitioner. This is not just a tedious task; it is also error prone and, because it is performed, post-recordings may add unnecessary delay to the care. The real key to the fight to cardiac diseases is real-time detection that triggers prompt action. The biggest hurdle to real-time detection is represented by the rare occurrences of abnormal heartbeats and even more are some rare typologies that are not fully represented in signal datasets; the latter is what makes it difficult for doctors and algorithms to recognize them. This work presents an automated heartbeat classification based on nonlinear morphological features and a voting scheme suitable for rare heartbeat morphologies. Although the algorithm is designed and tested on a computer, it is intended ultimately to run on a portable i.e., field-programmable gate array (FPGA) devices. Our algorithm tested on Massachusetts Institute of Technology- Beth Israel Hospital(MIT-BIH) database as per Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation(AAMI) recommendations. The simulation results show the superiority of the proposed method, especially in predicting minority groups: the fusion and unknown classes with 90.4% and 100%.