Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Plastics with Hot Food among Saudi Pregnant Women Is Associated with Increased Concentrations of A1C, Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone, and Homocysteine and Decreased Concentrations of Vitamins and Minerals

Data regarding association between the use of plastics with hot food and levels of vitamins and minerals, and other biochemical parameters are lacking. Cross-sectional data for 740 healthy pregnant Saudi women were collected from 21 health care centres and 2 hospitals from Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Detailed data regarding the frequency of plastic use with hot food were collected, and laboratory analyses of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), homocysteine (HCY), glycated A1C (A1C), and selected vitamins and minerals were also done. Daily use of plastics with hot food was frequently reported among young mothers (p = 0.002). Plastic use with hot food on a daily basis was positively associated with TSH, HCY, and A1C, while it was negatively associated with concentrations of vitamin E, zinc, and selenium. Future research should address the complex hormonal and metabolic abnormalities that are linked to the release of certain components associated with the use of plastics with hot food. Interventions are urgently needed to eliminate the use of plastics with hot food to prevent health complications that may result from the long-term use of these materials.
Clinical Characteristics, Treatments, and Outcomes of Patients with Myocardial Infarction with Non-Obstructive Coronary Arteries (MINOCA): Results from a Multicenter National Registry

Background: Diagnosis of myocardial infarction with non-obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) requires both clinical evidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and demonstration of non-obstructive coronary arteries using angiography. We compared the clinical features, treatments, and three-year outcomes in patients with MINOCA and myocardial infarction with obstructive coronary artery disease (MI-CAD). Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data for 205,606 hospitalized patients with AMI. MINOCA was indicated as a working diagnosis in 6063 patients (2.94% of all AMI patients). For the control group we included 160,886 patients with MI-CAD. We evaluated the baseline characteristics, medication management options, outcomes, and readmission causes at 36 months follow-up. Results: Patients in the MINOCA group were younger. Females constituted a greater proportion of patients in the MINOCA group when compared to MI-CAD patients. STEMI during admission was diagnosed less frequently in the MINOCA group when compared to the MI-CAD group. All-cause mortality at 12 months was higher in the MINOCA group (10.94% vs. 9.54%, p < 0.001). At 36 months, there was no difference in the all-cause mortality rates (MINOCA 16.18% vs. MI-CAD 14.93%, p = 0.081). All-cause readmission rates were lower in the MINOCA group when compared to the MI-CAD group at both 12 months (45.19% vs. 54.33%, p < 0.001) and 36 months follow-up (56.42% vs. 66.66%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the first description of the clinical features, treatments, and three-year outcomes in a large population of Polish patients. The main finding of this study was a relatively low rate of MINOCA, with high rates of adverse events both at 12 and 36 months follow-up.
Occupational acute pesticide poisoning: a cross-sectional study of Turkish vegetable and fruit farmers based on self-reported symptoms and job characteristics

Background: Occupational pesticide poisoning is an important public health concern worldwide, especially in developing countries. Objectives: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence and risk factors of acute pesticide poisoning (APP) among the vegetable and fruit farmers in Karacabey District in northwest Turkey. Methods: The study group consisted of 565 farmers. The dependent variable of the study is APP defined according to the World Health Organization’s APP case definition matrix. The study’s independent variables are the farmers’ sociodemographic characteristics and the preventive measures they use when they are applying pesticides. The chi-square and logistic regression analysis analyzed the relationship between the dependent and independent variables. Results: A total of 64 (11.3%) farmers reported APP and 75% of them presented to a health institution due to symptoms. The factors associated with increased risk of APP were: illiteracy (odds ratio (OR)=2.5), 14 years and less farming experience (OR=3.3), not reading the pesticide labels (OR=6.4), and contact with liquid pesticides (OR=2.3). Conclusions: The study shows that approximately one out of ten farmers experience APP. Training programs should be planned and monitored to improve farmers’ awareness of the dangers of pesticides, and they should be encouraged to adopt and implement protective measures.
The biomechanical efficacy of a dressing with a soft cellulose fluff core in prophylactic use

In this work, we developed an experimental‐computational analysis framework which facilitated objective, quantitative, standardised, methodological, and systematic comparisons between the biomechanical efficacies of two fundamentally different dressing technologies for pressure ulcer prevention: A dressing technology based on cellulose fibres used as the core matrix was evaluated vs the conventional silicone‐foam dressing design concept, which was represented by multiple products which belong in this category. Using an anatomically‐realistic computer (finite element) model of a supine female patient to whom the different sacral dressings have been applied virtually, we quantitatively evaluated the efficacy of the different dressings by means of a set of 3 biomechanical indices: The protective efficacy index, the protective endurance, and the prophylactic trade‐off design parameter. Prior rigorous experimental measurements of the physical and mechanical behaviours and properties of each tested dressing, including tensile, compressive, and friction properties, have been conducted and used as inputs for the computer modelling. Each dressing was evaluated for its tissue protection performances at a new (from the package) state, as well as after exposure to moisture conditions simulating wet bedsheets. Our results demonstrated that the dressing with the fluff core is at least as‐good as silicone‐foams but importantly, provides the best balance between protective performances at its “new” condition and the performance after being exposed to moisture. We conclude that preventative dressings are not equal in their prophylactic performances, but rather, the base technology, the ingredients, and their arrangement in the dressing structure shape the quality of the delivered tissue protection.
Typologies of Dairy Farms with Automatic Milking System in Northwest Spain and Farmers’ Satisfaction

The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of the dairy farms that installed an automatic milking system (AMS). A survey of 38 dairy farms with AMS, in Galicia (Spain), collected information on quantitative and qualitative variables. Following elimination of redundant variables, categorical principal component analysis identified 4 factors accounting for 43.7% of the total variance. Using these factors, the farms studied were subjected to hierarchical cluster analysis which differentiated 4 types of farms: (A) farms with more leisure and quality of life where the AMS covered the expectations of farmers (29%); (B) farms that removed cows more often due to AMS and farmers with more stress (34%); (C) farms with little leisure and farmers with no successor (21%); (D) large farms with many fulltime employees (FTE) where the AMS had covered farmer’s expectations the least (11%). Generally the farms were based on a family structure with a high percentage of FTE. With the adoption of AMS these farms sought to increase milk production, save labour and have more flexibility. With 87% of farms with free cow traffic the activity that took the most of the farmer’s time was fetching cows for milking (1 h/day). Nearly 58% of farmers were completely satisfied with their AMS, although this value reached 91% in farms with herd sizes below the average which were better adapted to the use of one AMS.
Heterometallic seed-mediated growth of monodisperse colloidal copper nanorods with widely tunable plasmonic resonances.

We report a heterometallic seed-mediated synthesis method for monodisperse penta-twinned Cu nanorods using Au nanocrystals as seeds. Elemental analyses indicate that resultant nanorods consist predominantly of copper with a gold content typically below 3 at. %. The nanorod aspect ratio can be readily adjusted from 2.8 to 13.1 by varying the molar ratio between Au seeds and Cu precursor, resulting in narrow longitudinal plasmon resonances tunable from 762 to 2201 nm. Studies of reaction intermediates reveal that symmetry-breaking is promoted by rapid nanoscale diffusion in Au-Cu alloys and the formation of a gold-rich surface. The growth pathway features co-evolving shape and composition whereby nanocrystals become progressively enriched with Cu concomitant with nanorod growth. The availability of uniform colloidal Cu nanorods with widely tunable aspect ratios opens new avenues toward the synthesis of derivative one-dimensional metal nanostructures, and applications in surface-enhanced spectroscopy, bioimaging, electrocatalysis, among others.
RAPD markers linked to white-petal gene in Brassica napus L.

White-petal(W) rapeseed(Brassica napus L.) and its segregation population were used as experiment materials to study the inheritance of its white-petal traits.The result showed that the petal color character of W vs Y(yellow-petal) was controlled by one pair incomplete dominant gene WW.Bulked segregation analysis(BSA) was employed to identify random amplified polymorphic DNA(RAPD) markers linked to the white-petal gene.A total of 1 200 arbitrary 10-mer oligonucleotide primers were screened on the DNA of W and Y bulks.Primer S_(1092)(5CCC AGG CTA C-3) gave polymorphism between the two bulks.DNA from Individual plants of the two bulks,their sister lines and the other white-petal rapeseed(Brassica napus L.) were then used as template for screening with the primer S_(1092) and the 1.25 kb DNA polymorphism generated by the primer S_(1092) were verified linking with the white-petal gene.The genetic distance was 0.84 cM between RAPD marker and white-petal gene.
Relationship between Visual Perception and Microstructural Change of the Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus in Patients with Brain Injury in the Right Hemisphere: A Preliminary Diffusion Tensor Tractography Study

Right hemisphere brain damage often results in visual-spatial deficits. Because various microstructural changes of the superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF) after a stroke in the right hemisphere affect visual perception, including neglect, the present study investigates the relationship between both microstructural change and lateralization of SLF and visual perception, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) in patients with lesions in the right hemisphere. Eight patients with strokes (five patients with intracranial hemorrhage, and three patients with infarction; mean age of 52.5 years) and 16 mean-age-matched healthy control subjects were involved in this study. The visual perception of all eight patients was assessed with the motor-free visual perception test (MVPT), and their SLFs were reconstructed using DTI. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the DTI parameters of the patients and the control subjects. Moreover, patients with microstructural damage to the right SLF showed impairment of visual perception. In patients with damage to both the dorsal and ventral pathways of the right SLF, spatial neglect was present. However, although a leftward SLF asymmetry was revealed in our patients, this lateralization did not show a relationship with visual perception. In conclusion, the microstructural changes of the right SLF play an important role in visual perception, and both pathways contribute to spatial neglect, but leftward lateralization of the right SFL activity after a stroke does not contribute to general visual perception.
Plasma metabolomic study in perinatally HIV-infected children using 1H NMR spectroscopy reveals perturbed metabolites that sustain during therapy

Background Perinatally HIV-infected children on anti-retroviral treatment (ART) are reported to have metabolic abnormalities such as dyslipidemia, lipodystrophy, and insulin resistance which potentially increase the risk of diabetes, kidney, liver and cardiovascular disease. Objective To elucidate HIV-mediated metabolic complications that sustain even during ART in perinatally HIV-infected children. Method We have carried out metabolic profiling of the plasma of treatment-naïve and ART-suppressed perinatally HIV-infected children and uninfected controls using 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy followed by statistical analysis and annotation. Result Validated multivariate analysis showed clear distinction among our study groups. Our results showed elevated levels of lactate, glucose, phosphoenolpyruvic acid, propionic acid, 2-ketobutyric acid and tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites in untreated HIV-infected children compared to uninfected controls. ART normalized the levels of several metabolites, however the level of lactate, phosphoenolpyruvic acid, oxoglutaric acid, oxaloacetic acid, myoinositol and glutamine remained upregulated despite ART in HIV-infected children. Pathway analysis revealed perturbed propanoate metabolism, amino acid metabolism, glycolysis and TCA cycle in untreated and ART-suppressed HIV-infected children. Conclusion Developing therapeutic strategies targeting metabolic abnormalities may be beneficial for preventing diabetes, cardiovascular disease or other associated complications in perinatally HIV-infected children.
X-ray scattering study of water confined in bioactive glasses: experimental and simulated pair distribution function.

Temperature-dependent total X-ray scattering measurements for water confined in bioactive glass samples with 5.9 nm pore diameter have been performed. Based on these experimental data, simulations were carried out using the Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR) code, in order to study the structural organization of the confined water in detail. The results indicate a non-homogeneous structure for water inside the pore, with three different structural organizations of water, depending on the distance from the pore surface: (i) a first layer (4 Å) of interfacial pore water that forms a strong chemical bond with the substrate, (ii) intermediate pore water forming a second layer (4-11 Å) on top of the interfacial pore water, (iii) bulk-like pore water in the centre of the pores. Analysis of the simulated site-site partial pair distribution function shows that the water-silica (Ow-Si) pair correlations occur at ∼3.75 Å. The tetrahedral network of bulk water with oxygen-oxygen (Ow-Ow) hydrogen-bonded pair correlations at ∼2.8, ∼4.1 and ∼4.5 Å is strongly distorted for the interfacial pore water while the second neighbour pair correlations are observed at ∼4.0 and ∼4.9 Å. For the interfacial pore water, an additional Ow-Ow pair correlation appears at ∼3.3 Å, which is likely caused by distortions due to the interactions of the water molecules with the silica at the pore surface.
The influence of occupational class and physical workload on working life expectancy among older employees

Objective: This study investigates the impact of physical workload factors and occupational class on working life expectancy (WLE) and working years lost (WYL) in a sample of older Finnish workers. Methods: A 70% random sample of Finns in 2004 was linked to a job exposure matrix for physical workload factors and register information on occupational class and labor market status until 2014. Transitions between being at work, time-restricted work disability, unemployment, economic inactivity, disability retirement, retirement and death were estimated. A multistate Cox regression model with transition-specific covariates was used to estimate the WLE and WYL at age 50 up to 63 years for each occupational class and physical workload factor for men and women (N=415 105). Results: At age 50, male and female manual workers had a WLE of 10.13 and 10.14 years, respectively. Among both genders, manual workers had one year shorter WLE at age 50 than upper non-manual employees. This difference was largely attributable to unemployment (men: 0.60, women: 0.66 years) and disability retirement (men: 0.28, women: 0.29 years). Self-employed persons had the highest WLE (11.08 years). Men and women exposed to four or five physical workload factors had about one year lower WLE than non-exposed workers. The difference was primarily attributable to ill-health-related reasons, including disability retirement (men: 0.45 years, women: 0.53 years) and time-restricted work disability (men: 0.23, women: 0.33 years). Conclusions: Manual workers and those exposed to physical workload factors had the lowest WLE. The differences in WYL between exposure groups can primarily be explained by ill-health-based exit routes.
Role Des Aeférences Barosensibles Dans Le Controle Ventilatoire Et Bronchomoteur

: Ventilatory and bronchomotor responses to baroreceptor afferent stimulation were studied in anaesthetized rabbits breathing spontaneously. The stimuli used were either the increase in carotid sinus pressure or the electrical stimulation of the cut central end of the aortic nerve. Respiratory effects of aortic barodenervation were also studied. Normoxic, normocapnic steady state was verified by repeated measurement of PO2, PCO2 and pH in arterial blood. Stimulation of both aortic and carotid baroreceptors provoked an early decrease of tidal volume and total pulmonary resistances without change in respiratory frequency. Aortic nerve stimulation induced an important and slowly adapting ventilatory and bronchomotor effect, whereas changes in carotid sinus pressure produced slight variation in respiratory parameters. Aortic nerve section resulted in an early and prolonged increase of total pulmonary resistances. Surgical or chemical (atropine) vagotomy did not change the bronchodilation observed under stimulation of the carotid sinus; however this effect was suppressed by intravenous injection of propranolol. This observation shows the importance of the sympathetic outflow in the genesis of bronchomotor responses following baroreceptor stimulation. In conclusion the baroreceptor stimulation provokes simultaneous decrease of both ventilation and total pulmonary resistances; aortic nerves seemed to exert permanent control on bronchomotor tone.
Epidemiology of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection in Minnesota, 2016–2017

Abstract Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a well-established cause of traveller's diarrhoea and occasional domestic foodborne illness outbreaks in the USA. Although ETEC are not detected by conventional stool culture methods used in clinical laboratories, syndromic culture-independent diagnostic tests (CIDTs) capable of detecting ETEC have become increasingly prevalent in the last decade. This study describes the epidemiology of ETEC infections reported to the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) during 2016–2017. ETEC-positive stool specimens were submitted to MDH to confirm the presence of ETEC DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Cases were interviewed to ascertain illness and exposures. Contemporaneous Salmonella cases were used as a comparison group in a case-case comparison analysis of risk factors. Of 222 ETEC-positive specimens received by MDH, 108 (49%) were concordant by PCR. ETEC was the sixth most frequently reported bacterial enteric pathogen among a subset of CIDT-positive specimens. Sixty-nine (64%) laboratory-confirmed cases had an additional pathogen codetected with ETEC, including enteroaggregative E. coli (n = 40) and enteropathogenic E. coli (n = 39). Although travel is a risk factor for ETEC infection, only 43% of cases travelled internationally, providing evidence for ETEC as an underestimated source of domestically acquired enteric illness in the USA.
Correlation between FOXO3A gene polymorphisms and human longevity in Bama county, Guangxi province.

Objective To investigate the correlation between 8 single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of FOXO3A gene and human longevity in Bama county.Methods Genotyping of FOXO3A gene was performed by TaqMan-PCR technique for 177 longevous peolpe(aged 90-110) from Bama longevity area and 148 healthy controls(aged 48-89) from Bama non-longevity area.Results Minor allele frequencies of 5 known FOXO3A SNPs(rs2764264,rs9400239,rs13217795,rs2802288 and rs2802292)in cases were significantly higher than those in controls(P0.05). Builded haplotypes of FOXO3A gene for two groups based on linkage disequilibrium(LD),we had found 5 main haplotypes(GA,AG,TTTGTC,GTCGCT and TCTGTC,frequency 5%). Frequency of haplotype 'AG'in cases was significantly higher than that in controls,and frequency of haplotype 'TTTGTC'in cases was significantly lower than that in controls(P0.05). Conclusion Five SNPs and two LD-based haplotypes of FOXO3A gene would be closely correlated with human longevity in Bama county.
Controversies associated with ureteral access sheath placement during ureteroscopy

The use of ureteral access sheaths (UAS) is common practice during routine flexible ureteroscopy procedures. However, debates and concerns continue amongst endourologists on routine UAS placement. UAS placement allows for multiple passages of the ureteroscope, decreases intrarenal pressure, and may improve stone-free rates. However, concerns for the UAS's effectiveness in these claimed benefits and complications related to UAS placement has been documented and investigated by many. In this review, we will discuss the controversies surrounding the placement of UAS during ureteroscopy.
Results of a Phase 2 Trial of an Oral CXCR4 Antagonist Mavorixafor for Treatment of WHIM Syndrome.

Warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infections, and myelokathexis (WHIM) syndrome is a rare primary immunodeficiency caused by gain-of-function mutations in the CXCR4 gene. We report the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and preliminary efficacy of mavorixafor from a phase 2, open-label, dose-escalation and extension study in 8 adult patients with genetically confirmed WHIM syndrome. Mavorixafor is an oral, small molecule, selective antagonist of the CXCR4 receptor, that increases mobilization and trafficking of white blood cells from the bone marrow. Patients received escalating doses of mavorixafor up to 400 mg QD. Five patients continued on the extension study for up to 28.6 months. Mavorixafor was well tolerated with no treatment-related serious adverse events. At a median follow up of 16.5 months, we observed dose-dependent increases of absolute neutrophil counts (ANC) and absolute lymphocyte counts (ALC). At doses at or above 300 mg per day, ANC was maintained above 500 cells/μL for a median of 12.6 hours, and ALC above 1000 cells/μL for up to 16.9 hours. Continued follow-up on the extension study demonstrated a decreased yearly infection rate from 4.63 [95%CI 3.3,6.3] events in the 12 months prior to the trial to 2.27 [95%CI 1.4, 3.5] events for patients on effective doses. We observed an average 75% reduction in the number of cutaneous warts. This study demonstrates that mavorixafor 400 mg once-daily mobilizes neutrophil and lymphocytes in adult patients with WHIM syndrome and provides preliminary evidence of clinical benefit for patients on long-term therapy. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as # NCT03005327.