Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Global prevalence of depression and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE Adolescence is a formative and turbulent phase where physiological, psychosocial, and cognitive changes leave adolescents vulnerable to psychological disorders. Given the lack of reviews that consolidate and compare worldwide prevalence of depression among adolescents, this review aims to examine the global prevalence of major depressive disorders, dysthymia, and elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents. METHODS A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. Six databases were searched for studies published from 2001 to December 2020. Seventy-two studies were included. Subgroup analysis were performed for year of publication, geographical region, gender, and assessment tools used. RESULTS The global point prevalence rate of elevated self-reported depressive symptoms from 2001 to 2020 was 34% (95% CI: 0.30-0.38). Point prevalence for major depressive disorder (MDD) and dysthymia was 8% (95% CI: 0.02-0.13) and 4% (95% CI: 0.01-0.07), respectively. The pooled one-year prevalence and lifetime prevalence for MDD were 8% (95% CI: 0.05-0.12) and 19% (95% CI: 0.12-0.26). Point prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms among adolescents increased from 24% (95% CI: 0.19-0.28) between 2001 and 2010 to 37% (95% CI: 0.32-0.42) between 2011 and 2020. The Middle East, Africa, and Asia have the highest prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms, and female adolescents were reported to have a higher prevalence of elevated depressive symptoms than male adolescents. CONCLUSION Besides targeting those with existing clinical depression, research and policies should also focus on educational and supportive mitigation efforts to curb depressive symptoms among adolescents before escalation. The findings encourage future research to develop more gender-specific and culturally relevant intervention programmes. PRACTITIONER POINTS 34% of adolescents globally, aged 10-19 years, are at risk of developing clinical depression, which exceeds the reported estimates of individuals aged 18 to 25 years. Practitioners are highly encouraged to prioritize depression screening and intervention implementation for individuals in this age group. Female adolescents and adolescents from Middle East, Africa, and Asia have the highest risk of developing depression. This urges practitioners and researchers to develop more gender-specific and culturally relevant intervention programmes.
Potential for Phototrophy in Venus' Clouds.

We show that solar irradiances calculated across Venus' clouds support the potential for Earth-like phototrophy and that treatment of Venus' aerosols containing neutralized sulfuric acid favor a habitable zone. The phototrophic potential of Venus' atmosphere was assessed by calculating irradiances (200-2000 nm, 15° solar zenith angle, local noon) using a radiative transfer model that accounted for absorption and scattering by the major and minor atmospheric constituents. Comparisons to Earth's surface (46 W m-2, 280-400 nm) suggest that Venus' middle and lower clouds receive ∼87% less normalized UV flux (6-7 W m-2) across 200-400 nm, yet similar normalized photon flux densities (∼4400-6200 μmol m-2 s-1) across 350-1200 nm. Further, Venus' signature phototrophic windows and subwindows overlap with the absorption profiles of several photosynthetic pigments, especially bacteriochlorophyll b from intact cells and phycocyanin. Therefore, Venus' light, with limited UV flux in the middle and lower clouds, is likely quite favorable for phototrophy. We additionally present interpretations to refractive index and radio occultation measures for Venus' aerosols that suggest the presence of lower sulfuric abundances and/or neutralized forms of sulfuric acid, such as ammonium bisulfate. Under these considerations, the aerosols in Venus' middle clouds could harbor water activities (≥0.6) and buffered acidities (Hammett acidity factor, H0 -0.1 to -1.5) that lie within the limits of acidic cultivation (≥H0 -0.4) and are tantalizingly close to the limits of oxygenic photosynthesis (≥H0 0.1). Together, these photophysical and chemical considerations support a potential for phototrophy in Venus' clouds.
Bee Venom Alleviated Edema and Pain in Monosodium Urate Crystals-Induced Gouty Arthritis in Rat by Inhibiting Inflammation

Bee venom (BV) acupuncture has anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects; therefore, it was used as a traditional Korean medicine for various musculoskeletal disorders, especially arthritis. In this study, we investigated the effect of BV on monosodium urate (MSU) crystal-induced acute gouty rats. An intra-articular injection of MSU crystal suspension (1.25 mg/site) was administered to the tibiotarsal joint of the hind paw of Sprague Dawley rats to induce MSU crystal-induced gouty arthritis. Colchicine (30 mg/kg) was orally administered 1 h before MSU crystal injection as a positive control, and BV (0.5 mg/kg) was injected into the tibiotarsal joint immediately after MSU crystal injection. The ankle thickness, mechanical allodynia, and expression of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL6, COX2 and iNOS) and chemokines (MIP-1α, MIP-1β, MCP-1, GRO-α, MIP-2α) were then evaluated. BV reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, which are important mediators of MSU crystal-induced inflammatory responses. This anti-inflammatory effect was also confirmed histologically to attenuate synovitis and neutrophil infiltration. We demonstrated that BV markedly ameliorated ankle edema and mechanical allodynia in gouty rats. These results suggest that BV acupuncture is a potential clinical therapy for acute gouty management.
Background Correction Method for Determination of Ascorbic Acid in Baobab Fruit Pulp Using Direct UV Spectrophotometry

Herein a background correction method has been utilized for the estimation of ascorbic acid in baobab (Adansonia digitata L.) fruit pulp using direct UV spectrophotometry. The background correction based on catalytic oxidation of the acid by copper (II). EDTA was used to correct the absorption due to copper (II). The absorbance and remained essentially constant at 267 nm at pH range from 6 to 8, with highest absorption at pH 6. The calibration graph was linear up to 20 μg ml -1 of ascorbic acid, correlation coefficient (r = 0.9998) and the molar absorptivity was 1.52 × 10 4 l mol cm. The mean value of ascorbic acid was 237 ± 18 mg/100 g using the proposed method and 250 ± 15 mg/100 g using indophenol official method. The statistical analysis of data revealed no Original Research Article Erwa et al.; CSIJ, 23(2): 1-6, 2018; Article no.CSIJ. 41080 2 significant difference in precision of the two methods and there is no evidence that the two sets of results are significantly different at 95% confidence interval. The proposed method is selective, accurate and acceptable for determination of ascorbic acid in baobab fruit pulp.
Impact of cone-beam computed tomography for the identification and management of an oral portal of entry in patients with infective endocarditis. A Delphi study

Background Infective endocarditis (IE) is a rare and life-threatening disease. Cutaneous portal of entry (POE) is predominant for IE, but an oral POE is the second most frequent source. Thus looking for and treating an oral POE in IE patients is of critical importance in order to reduce the risk of IE relapse or recurrence. The objectives of this study were: 1) To reach a consensus on decision-making following the detection of an oral POE on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) while they were not identified using the current recommended approach in IE patients (oral examination and orthopantomogram: OPT). 2) To determine whether this consensus differs when regarding the microbiology of IE. Material and Methods Twenty oral or maxillofacial surgeons participated to this Delphi study. The questionnaire was based on five radiological cases (OPT and matching CBCT) with two scenarios according to the objectives of detecting oral POE in an IE patient (curative in case of oral causative microorganism, and preventive if not) and different therapeutic approaches (surgical or conservative treatment, no treatment) for each of them. Consensus was defined as an agreement rate of ≥75%. Results The response rate was≥85%. After four rounds, consensus was achieved for all proposals. CBCT changed the decision-making of experts in four cases. In one case, the decision was influenced by the IE microbiology toward a more radical approach in case of oral causative microorganism. Conclusions In IE patients, CBCT changed markedly the decision-making of experts by eradicating more oral POE than when using OPT. This could reduce the risk of IE relapse and recurrence. Key words:Cone beam computed tomography, orthopantomogram, clinical decision-making, oral infectious foci, infective endocarditis, Delphi study.
Clinical characterization of gingival type of burning mouth syndrome: a cross-sectional study

Background The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of localized intraoral neuropathic pain in a cluster of patients who reported the involvement of gingival site as only clinical manifestation of dysesthesia, analysing type and distribution of symptoms. Material and Methods Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) patients were enrolled in the study. Patients were screened through laboratory test and a conventional oral examination with periodontal chart. A questionnaire to collect data on symptoms, oral site involved, quality of sleep, anxiety was submitted to all the patients. Results A total of 236 patients were recruited. Seventy-six patients (32.2%) presented generalized type, whereas 160 (67.8%) had localized type. In the localized BMS group, the gingiva was involved in 70 patients and in 33 of these it was the only site involved. In the gingival subgroup, 35 patients reported burning, 29 pain and 24 xerostomia. Conclusions To best our knowledge, this study is the first that analyses gingival involvement as the only site in BMS and it could encourage further investigations to understand the etiopathogenesis of gingival BMS. Key words:BMS, orofacial chronic pain, gingival BMS, localized BMS, localized neuropathic pain.
Validity and Effects of Placement of Velocity-Based Training Devices

Velocity-based training (VBT) is a resistance training method by which training variables are manipulated based on kinematic outcomes, e.g., barbell velocity. The better precision for monitoring and manipulating training variables ascribed to VBT assumes that velocity is measured and communicated correctly. This study assessed the validity of several mobile and one stationary VBT device for measuring mean and peak concentric barbell velocity over a range of velocities and exercises, including low- and high-velocity, ballistic and non-ballistic, and plyometric and non-plyometric movements, and to quantify the isolated effect of device attachment point on measurement validity. GymAware (r = 0.90–1, standard error of the estimate, SEE = 0.01–0.08 m/s) and Quantum (r = 0.88–1, SEE = 0.01–0.18 m/s) were most valid for mean and peak velocity, with Vmaxpro (r = 0.92–0.99, SEE = 0.02–0.13 m/s) close behind. Push (r = 0.69–0.96, SEE = 0.03–0.17 m/s) and Flex (r = 0.60–0.94, SEE = 0.02–0.19 m/s) showed poorer validity (especially for higher-velocity exercises), although typical errors for mean velocity in exercises other than hang power snatch were acceptable. Effects of device placement were detectable, yet likely small enough (SEE < 0.1 m/s) to be negligible in training settings.
Infections in secondary immunodeficiency patients treated with Privigen® or Hizentra®: a retrospective US administrative claims study in patients with hematological malignancies

Abstract B cell-derived lymphoproliferative disorders are associated with secondary immunodeficiency (SID); some patients require immunoglobulin replacement therapy (IgRT) to mitigate infections. Using IQVIA’s PharMetrics® Plus database, patients with SID who received IgPro10/IgPro20 in the 12 months post-diagnosis (IgRT users) were matched to patients with SID not receiving IgRT (non-IgRT users). The risk of severe infection was compared using within-patient change from baseline to follow-up as well as between cohorts. Overall, 277 IgRT users were matched to 1019 non-IgRT users. Before IgRT, more IgRT users experienced any bacterial infection (88.4% vs. 72.9%; p<.0001) or ≥1 severe bacterial infection (SBI) (42.2% vs. 31.8%; p=.0011) vs. non-IgRT users. During follow-up, risk of SBI among IgRT users (21.7%) reached parity with non-IgRT users (21.2%). IgRT was associated with a reduction in SBIs to levels comparable with the lower ‘baseline infection risk’ of non-IgRT users. These criteria help define SID patients who may benefit from IgRT.
Helicobacter pylori infection: from standard to alternative treatment strategies

Abstract Helicobacter pylori is the major component of the gastric microbiome of infected individuals and one of the aetiological factors of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. The increasing resistance to antibiotics worldwide has made the treatment of H. pylori infection a challenge. As a way to overhaul the efficacy of currently used H. pylori antibiotic-based eradication therapies, alternative treatment strategies are being devised. These include probiotics and prebiotics as adjuvants in H. pylori treatment, antimicrobial peptides as alternatives to antibiotics, photodynamic therapy ingestible devices, microparticles and nanoparticles applied as drug delivery systems, vaccines, natural products, and phage therapy. This review provides an updated synopsis of these emerging H. pylori control strategies and discusses the advantages, hurdles, and challenges associated with their development and implementation. An effective human vaccine would be a major achievement although, until now, projects regarding vaccine development have failed or were discontinued. Numerous natural products have demonstrated anti-H. pylori activity, mostly in vitro, but further clinical studies are needed to fully disclose their role in H. pylori eradication. Finally, phage therapy has the potential to emerge as a valid alternative, but major challenges remain, namely the isolation of more H. pylori strictly virulent bacterio(phages).
Low plasma hyaluronan is associated with faster functional decline in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Abstract Objective: Hyaluronan, a glycosaminoglycan that forms a major constituent of the extracellular matrix, has been shown to be increased in the serum of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) with longer disease duration. We sought to determine whether measures of venous hyaluronan may serve as a predictive marker for disease progression in patients with ALS. Methods: Sixty-two patients with ALS, and 59 healthy control participants provided a plasma sample for the assessment of hyaluronan. Hyaluronan was compared against functional measures of disability, disease progression, and survival. Results: Hyaluronan was lower in patients with ALS when compared to healthy controls. Plasma hyaluronan was positively correlated with the change in the revised ALS functional rating scale, ΔFRS. Hyaluronan was also found to improve the prognostic power of the ΔFRS. Conclusion: Hyaluronan may serve as a predictive marker for functional decline in patients with ALS. Longitudinal studies are needed to fully explore the prognostic value of hyaluronan as a biomarker for disease progression, and to improve our understanding of components of the extracellular matrix specific to the pathophysiology of ALS.
MicroRNAs and their role in the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia: a scoping review

Background MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level and have been associated with malignant transformation of oral epithelial precursor lesions such as oral leukoplakia. The aim was to perform a scoping review of the contemporary literature about the different roles of miRNAs during the malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. Material and Methods We conducted a systematic search with the following MeSH terms: ‘oral leukoplakia’, ‘carcinoma in situ’, ‘microRNAs’, ‘mouth neoplasms’ and ‘epithelial–mesenchymal transition’ in PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE and SpringerLink. Results Fifteen articles were included for analysis, among which in vivo and in vitro articles were included. A total of 21 different miRNAs were found to be involved in the malignant transformation process of oral leukoplakia. Regarding their possible effects, 6 miRNAs were classified as oncogenic, 5 as tumour suppressors and 10 were related to epithelial–mesenchymal transition, invasion and migration. Conclusions Based on the current review, we concluded that miRNAs-21, 345, 181-b and 31* seem to be potential markers of malignant transformation of oral leukoplakia. However, further clinical prospective studies are needed in order to validate their utility as prognostic biomarkers. Key words:miRNAs, oral leukoplakia, oral squamous cell carcinoma, biomarkers, malignant transformation.
Deep Learning and Zero-Day Traffic Classification: Lessons Learned From a Commercial-Grade Dataset

The increasing success of Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) has recently re-sparked interest towards traffic classification. While supervised techniques provide satisfactory performance when classifying known traffic, the detection of zero-day (i.e., unknown) traffic is a more challenging task. At the same time, zero-day detection, generally tackled with unsupervised techniques such as clustering, received less coverage by the traffic classification literature which focuses more on deriving DL models via supervised techniques. Moreover, the combination of supervised and unsupervised techniques poses challenges not fully covered by the traffic classification literature. In this paper, we share our experience on a commercial-grade DL traffic classification engine that combines supervised and unsupervised techniques to identify known and zero-day traffic. In particular, we rely on a dataset with hundreds of very fine grained application labels, and perform a thorough assessment of two state of the art traffic classifiers in commercial-grade settings. This pushes the boundaries of traffic classifiers evaluation beyond the few tens of classes typically used in the literature. Our main contribution is the design and evaluation of GradBP, a novel technique for zero-day applications detection. Based on gradient backpropagation and tailored for DL models, GradBP yields superior performance with respect to state of the art alternatives, in both accuracy and computational cost. Overall, while ML and DL models are both equally able to provide excellent performance for the classification of known traffic, the non-linear feature extraction process of DL models backbone provides sizable advantages for the detection of unknown classes over classical ML models.
Physiological and Enological Implications of Postveraison Trimming in an Organically-Managed Sangiovese Vineyard

For the first time, grapevines subjected to a single postveraison trimming were compared with never-trimmed controls, to assess its effects on vine physiology and grape and wine quality. In 2013 and 2014, postveraison late trimming (LT), performed at 15 Brix, was compared with an untrimmed control (CK) and early (pea-size) trimming (ET). Late trimming increased the berry skin total anthocyanin and phenolic concentrations without modifying the berry soluble solids, pH, and titratable acidity. It also reduced yield and malic acid levels at harvest, loosened bunches, and limited the severity of botrytis bunch rot. Improved berry color and decreased malic acid levels were observed in ET vines in 2013 only. Bunches from ET vines showed higher compactness and discoloration than those of LT vines. Trimming did not modify the main chemical characteristics of the wine, such as alcohol strength, dry matter, pH, and titratable and volatile acidity. However, in both years, a notable increase in color components and tannins was found in LT wines, with the formation of more stable components able to enhance wine quality, while ET had less impact on wine color characteristics. The enological benefits induced by late trimming were more apparent following wine storage. Late trimming was an effective practice to improve the phytosanitary status of bunches and berry color, without modifying technological parameters, and to enhance wine quality in different climatic conditions.
Sentinel-1 time series for mapping snow cover depletion and timing of snowmelt in Arctic periglacial environments: case study from Zackenberg and Kobbefjord, Greenland

Abstract. Snow cover (SC) and timing of snowmelt are key regulators of a wide range of Arctic ecosystem functions. Both are strongly inﬂuenced by the ampliﬁed Arctic warming and essential variables to understand environmental changes and their dynamics. This study evaluates the potential of Sentinel-1 (S-1) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) time series for monitoring SC depletion and snowmelt with high spatiotemporal resolution to capture their understudied small-scale heterogeneity. We use 97 dual-polarized S-1 SAR images acquired over northeastern Greenland and 94 over southwestern Greenland in the interferometric wide swath mode from the years 2017 and 2018. Comparison of S-1 intensity against SC fraction maps derived from orthorectiﬁed terrestrial time-lapse imagery indicates that SAR backscatter can increase before a decrease in SC fraction is observed. Hence, the increase in backscatter is related to changing snowpack properties during the runoff phase as well as decreasing SC fraction. We here present a novel empirical approach based on the temporal evolution of the SAR signal to identify start of runoff (SOR), end of snow cover (EOS) and SC extent for each S-1 observation date during melt using backscatter thresholds as well as the derivative. Comparison of SC with orthorectified time-lapse imagery indicates that HV polarization outperforms HH when using a global threshold. The derivative avoids manual selection of thresholds and adapts to different environmental settings and seasonal conditions. With a global configuration (threshold: 4 dB; polarization: HV) as well as with the derivative, the overall accuracy of SC maps was in all cases above 75 % and in more than half of cases above 90 %. Based on the physical principle of SAR backscatter during snowmelt, our approach is expected to work well in other low-vegetation areas and, hence, could support large-scale SC monitoring at high spatiotemporal resolution (20 m, 6 d) with high accuracy.
Perilipin-1 autoantibodies linked to idiopathic lipodystrophy in the setting of two distinct breaks in immune tolerance

Background: Acquired lipodystrophy is often characterized as an idiopathic subtype of lipodystrophy. Despite suspicion of an immune-mediated pathology, biomarkers such as autoantibodies are generally lacking. Methods: Here, we used an unbiased proteome-wide screening approach to identify autoantibodies to the adipocyte specific lipid droplet protein Perilipin-1 in a murine model of Autoimmune Polyendocrine Syndrome 1 (APS1). We then tested for PLIN1 autoantibodies in human subjects with lipodystrophy with two independent severe breaks in immune tolerance (including APS1) along with controls using a specific Radioligand Binding Assay and indirect immunofluorescence on fat tissue. Results: We identified autoantibodies to the lipid-droplet protein Perilipin-1 (PLIN1) in two human case reports including the first reported case of human APS1 with acquired lipodystrophy. Further, we extend PLIN1 autoantibodies to a second non-APS1 patient who acquired lipodystrophy as an immune-related adverse event following cancer immunotherapy. Conclusion: These data suggest that PLIN1 autoantibodies may represent a unifying marker of autoimmune lipodystrophy.