Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Geometry of sequence working memory in macaque prefrontal cortex

How the brain stores a sequence in memory remains largely unknown. We investigated the neural code underlying sequence working memory using two-photon calcium imaging to record thousands of neurons in the prefrontal cortex of macaque monkeys memorizing and then reproducing a sequence of locations after a delay. We discovered a regular geometrical organization: The high-dimensional neural state space during the delay could be decomposed into a sum of low-dimensional subspaces, each storing the spatial location at a given ordinal rank, which could be generalized to novel sequences and explain monkey behavior. The rank subspaces were distributed across large overlapping neural groups, and the integration of ordinal and spatial information occurred at the collective level rather than within single neurons. Thus, a simple representational geometry underlies sequence working memory. Description How to remember a sequence of events How is serial order mentally encoded and stored in memory? Xie et al. addressed this question using two-photon calcium imaging to simultaneously record thousands of prefrontal neurons in monkeys performing a delayed visuospatial sequence reproduction task. The animals saw a sequence of three locations and, after a delay, made a saccade to the corresponding locations in the appropriate order. The data obtained using a mathematical decomposition technique support a new and simple type of model: a static population code with distinct and near-orthogonal subspaces for each rank in the sequence, all superimposed in the same overlapping groups of prefrontal neurons. These results open an important and new perspective on understanding sequence representations in the brain. —PRS Calcium imaging shows the representation of spatial working memory in primate lateral prefrontal cortex.
LTCC-based Fluidic Components for Chemical Applications

The material properties of low-temperature co-fired ceramics (LTCCs) enable new application areas beyond the use as basic material for high-density circuits. Therefore, LTCCs are increasingly used for microfluidic applications. A modular LTCC-based microreaction system is presented in this article. One focal point of our work was the development of a connecting system for these ceramic fluidic modules. Importance was attached to solid mechanical design, good temperature resistance of fluidic and electrical connections, and minimized dead volume. In contrast to LTCC-based substrates with only electrical circuits, integration of fluidic components makes great demands, especially on the mechanical processing of the green tapes. Mechanical processing of LTCC was made by laser cutting or laser ablation. Single modules and a complete system are the subject of chemical characterization. LTCC-based mixer structures are characterized using the Villermaux-Dushman method. The functionality of the whole system is shown with an example reaction.
Perceived behavioral control moderating effects in the theory of planned behavior: A meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE According to the theory of planned behavior, individuals are more likely to act on their behavioral intentions, and report intentions aligned with their attitudes and subjective norm, when their perceived behavioral control (PBC) is high. We tested these predictions meta-analytically by estimating the moderating effect of PBC on the attitude-intention, subjective norm-intention, and the intention-behavior relations in studies applying the theory in the health behavior domain. METHOD We conducted a preregistered secondary analysis of studies (k = 39, total N = 13,121) from two programs of research. Each study measured participants' attitude, subjective norms, PBC, and intentions in relation to health behaviors, and most (k = 36) measured health behavior at follow-up. Data were analyzed using meta-analytic structural equation modeling. Behavior type, scale score coverage, sample age, and publication states were included as moderators of model effects. RESULTS PBC moderated the intention-behavior relation but not the attitude-intention and subjective norm-intention relations. All moderation effects exhibited significant heterogeneity. Analysis of moderators indicated that the PBC moderation effects on intention varied according to scale score coverage but not by the other moderator variables tested. CONCLUSIONS Results support moderation of the intention-behavior relation by PBC in health behaviors. However, substantial unresolved heterogeneity in the effect across studies remained. Further, these effects may not generalize to other populations and moderator analyses were confined to broad categories. More research that tests these moderation effects in health behavior contexts and reports sufficient data necessary for conducting a meta-analysis is needed to enable moderator analyses with greater fidelity. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Epidemiology of early esophageal adenocarcinoma

Background/Aims Endoscopic resection has become the preferred treatment approach for select early esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC); however, the epidemiology of early stage disease has not been well defined. Methods Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) data were analyzed to determine age-adjusted incidence rates among major epithelial carcinomas, including EAC, from 1973 to 2017. The percent change in incidence over time was compared according to tumor subtype. Early T-stage, node-negative EAC without metastasis was examined from 2004 to 2017 when precise T-stage data were available. Results The percent change in annual incidence from 1973 to 2017 was 767% for EAC. Joinpoint analysis showed that the average annual percent change in EAC from 1973 to 2017 was 5.11% (95% confidence interval, 4.66%–5.56%). The annual percent change appeared to plateau between 2004 and 2017; however, early EAC decreased from 2010 to 2017, with an annual percent change of –5.78%. Conclusions There has been a 7-fold increase in the incidence of EAC, which was significantly greater than that of the other major epithelial malignancies examined. More recently, the incidence of early EAC has been decreasing. Approximately one in five patients has node negative, potentially resectable early stage disease.
Tuberculosis risk among people with diabetes mellitus in Sub‐Saharan Africa: A systematic review

People with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a higher tuberculosis (TB) risk, but the evidence from sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) was scarce until recently and not included in earlier global summaries. Therefore, this systematic review aims to determine the risk of active TB disease among people with DM in SSA and whether HIV alters this association.
The Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire has poor diagnostic accuracy in people with intermittent claudication

Background The screening and diagnosis of intermittent claudication is a challenging process and often relies on the expertise of specialist vascular clinicians. We sought to investigate the diagnostic performance of the Edinburgh Claudication Questionnaire (ECQ) as a screening tool for referrals of suspected intermittent claudication from primary to secondary care. Method Prospectively, 100 referrals from primary care with a stated diagnosis or query regarding intermittent claudication were recruited. All participants who completed the ECQ, underwent an anklebrachial pressure index (ABPI) assessment and treadmill exercise testing. Outcomes of the ECQ were compared to clinical diagnoses of intermittent claudication. Results The ECQ had a sensitivity of 46.8% (95% CI: 27–65%), specificity of 63.2% (95% CI: 43–82%) and accuracy of 53.0% (95% CI: 43–63%). The diagnostic performance was not changed by combining the ECQ with a positive ABPI or post-exercise ABPI outcome for PAD. Conclusion The ECQ had a poor diagnostic performance in this cohort. Considering the results found here and in other recent studies, the utility of the ECQ as a screening tool and epidemiological survey tool must be questioned. Novel, low-resource diagnostic tools are needed in this population.
Hypertension defined by the 2017 ACC/AHA guideline is more accurate than 2018 ESC/ESH for detecting early vascular aging in young adults

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract Determine the most accurate diagnostic criteria of arterial hypertension (AH) for detecting early vascular aging (EVA) defined by pulse wave velocity (PWV) higher than ≥9.2 m/s. Cross-sectional study of a birth cohort started in 1978/79. The following data were collected between April 6, 2016 and August 31, 2017 from 1775 participants: demographic, anthropometric, office blood pressure (BP) measurement, biochemical risk factors, and PWV. A subsample of 454 participants underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring. The frequencies of AH, and BP phenotypes were calculated according to both guidelines. BP phenotypes (white-coat hypertension, masked hypertension (MHT), sustained hypertension (SH) and normotension) were correlated with risk factors and subclinical target organ damage after adjustment for confounders by multiple linear regression. Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to determine the best BP threshold for detecting EVA. A higher frequency of AH (45.1 vs 18.5%), as well as of SH (40.7 vs 14.8%) and MHT (28.9 vs 25.8%) was identified using the 2017 ACC/AHA criteria comparing with 2018 ESC/ESH. EVA was associated with the higher-risk BP phenotypes (SH and MHT, P < .0001) in both criteria. There was a higher accuracy in diagnosing EVA, with the 2017 ACC/AHA criteria. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic curves showed office BP cutoff value (128/83 mm Hg) for EVA closer to the 2017 ACC/AHA threshold. The 2017 AHA/ACC guideline for the diagnosis of AH, and corresponding ambulatory BP monitoring values, is more accurate for discriminating young adults with EVA. Clinical application of PWV may help identify patients that could benefit from BP levels <130/80 mm Hg.
Pearls & Oy-sters: Bilateral Mononeuropathic Neuralgic Amyotrophy Triggered by Bartonella henselae Infection Responsive to Immunoglobulin

We present a case of a cat owner with a scar on his right thenar eminence, followed by lymphadenopathy in the right axilla, general malaise and fever, and subsequent onset of bilateral neuralgic amyotrophy within one week. After a comprehensive workup, cat scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae was confirmed serologically and adequately treated. Despite antibiotic treatment, the patient presented clinically with persistent bilateral, asymmetric neuropathy of the median nerve, predominantly the interosseous anterior nerve, which was confirmed by multifocal swelling and hyperintense signal of the nerves on T2-weighted MR neurography. Electrophysiological examination confirmed axonal median neuropathies bilaterally. After an unsuccessful steroid treatment trial, the patient showed an excellent and sustained response to intravenous immunoglobulin despite a delay from symptom onset to treatment of 10 months.
Motivational interviewing retention counseling and adherence to early infant diagnostic HIV testing schedule in South Africa

Abstract Introduction: We report the PAEDLINK randomized trial results on the effect of motivational interviewing (MI) retention counseling on the adherence of postpartum women to the early infant diagnostic human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing schedule. Methods: HIV positive women and their babies were enrolled 3 to 6 days after delivery at 4 midwife obstetric units in the Gauteng province of South Africa and randomized into (A) MI retention counseling and telephonic tracing, (B) biannual telephonic tracing, and (C) standard care. Mother–baby pairs were followed up for 18 months via medical records. The uptake of child HIV tests and maternal retention in the 0 to 6 and 7 to 18 month periods were modeled using Log-binomial regression. Results: Overall, 501/711 enrolled mother–baby pairs received a second HIV polymerase chain reaction test by 6 months (70.0%, 70.5%, and 70.0% in groups A, B, and C, respectively). A higher proportion of intervention children (60.9%) were tested at 7 to 90 days than group B (68.3%, adjusted risk ratio [aRR] 0.8 for B vs A, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.7–0.9) and group C children (75.3%, aRR 0.9 for C vs A, 95% CI: 0.9–1.0). Child testing between 7 and 18-months was also higher in group A than C (10.7% A, vs 5.5% C, RR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.0–3.7). However, maternal retention was similar across groups, with 41.6% and 16.3% retained during the 0 to 6 and the 7 to 18-months periods, respectively. Conclusion: MI retention counseling can reduce delays in the early infant diagnosis testing schedule for HIV-exposed infants. However, further support is necessary to maximize later HIV tests and maternal retention.
Perceived Usefulness of Increased Telemedicine Use by Pediatric Subspecialists: A National Survey.

Introduction: Although many studies have explored the perceived ease-of-use of telemedicine, the perceived usefulness of telemedicine for pediatric subspecialty care is less clear. Methods: We invited a national sample of 840 general pediatricians and 840 pediatric subspecialists to participate in a survey fielded in May-June 2020. Respondents ranked perceptions of usefulness of telemedicine for pediatric subspecialty care on a 5-point Likert scale and prioritization of potential strategies to support telemedicine use on a 4-point scale. Results: Of 285 respondents (18% response rate), physicians perceived that increased telemedicine use by pediatric subspecialists would modestly improve child health (mean = 3.5, standard deviation [SD] = 0.7), and access to care (mean = 3.9, SD = 0.6), but would slightly worsen the clinician experience (mean = 2.8, SD = 0.8). Most respondents highly prioritized payment-related strategies to support use of telemedicine. Conclusions: Pediatric clinicians anticipated that increased telemedicine use by pediatric subspecialists would improve child health and health care access but would worsen clinician experience.
Glutamine supplementation moderately affects growth, plasma metabolite and free amino acid patterns in neonatal low birth weight piglets

Abstract Low birth weight (LBW) neonates show impaired growth compared with normal birth weight (NBW) neonates. Glutamine (Gln) supplementation benefits growth of weaning piglets, while the effect on neonates is not sufficiently clear. We examined the effect of neonatal Gln supplementation on piglet growth, milk intake and metabolic parameters. Sow-reared pairs of newborn LBW (0·8–1·2 kg) and NBW (1·4–1·8 kg) male piglets received Gln (1 g/kg body mass (BM)/d; Gln-LBW, Gln-NBW; n 24/group) or isonitrogenous alanine (1·22 g/kg BM/d; Ala-LBW; Ala-NBW; n 24/group) supplementation at 1–5 or 1–12 d of age (daily in three equal portions at 07:00, 12:00 and 17:00 by syringe feeding). We measured piglet BM, milk intake (1, 11–12 d), plasma metabolite, insulin, amino acid (AA) and liver TAG concentrations (5, 12 d). The Gln-LBW group had higher BM (+7·5%, 10 d, P = 0·066; 11–12 d, P < 0·05) and milk intake (+14·7%, P = 0·015) than Ala-LBW. At 5 d, Ala-LBW group had higher plasma TAG (+34·7%, P < 0·1) and lower carnosine (–22·5%, P < 0·05) than Ala-NBW and Gln-LBW, and higher liver TAG (+66·9%, P = 0·029) than Ala-NBW. At 12 d, plasma urea was higher (+37·5%, P < 0·05) with Gln than Ala supplementation. Several proteinogenic AA in plasma were lower (P < 0·05) in Ala-NBW v. Gln-NBW. Plasma arginine was higher (P < 0·05) in Gln-NBW v Ala-NBW piglets (5, 12 d). Supplemental Gln moderately improved growth and milk intake and affected lipid metabolism in LBW piglets and AA metabolism in NBW piglets, suggesting effects on intestinal and liver function.
COVID-19-Related Workplace Bullying and Customer Harassment Among Healthcare Workers Over the Time of the COVID-19 Outbreak

Our study revealed that healthcare workers had a higher risk of experiencing COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment than non-healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results indicated that countermeasures are required to prevent COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment. In particular, efforts should be strengthened among healthcare workers. Objective: To investigate the prevalences of COVID-19-related workplace bullying and harassment (WBH) and customer harassment among healthcare workers (HCWs) compared to non-HCWs during COVID-19 outbreaks. Methods: A baseline (March 2020) and follow-up surveys (May, August, and November 2020) were conducted of full-time employees, with an online questionnaire that included items on COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment. The prevalences were compared between HCWs and non-HCWs using generalized linear models with repeated measures. Results: A total of 800 (56%) respondents completed all the surveys. Prevalences of WBH and customer harassment were 5% to 10% and 10% to 13%, respectively, among HCWs during the follow-up. HCWs had a significantly higher prevalence of WBH in May (Adjusted OR = 2.3) and customer harassment in November (Adjusted OR = 2.7), compared to non- HCWs. Conclusions: HCWs remained at high risk of COVID-19-related WBH and customer harassment during the pandemic.
Shorter serial intervals in SARS-CoV-2 cases with Omicron BA.1 variant compared with Delta variant, the Netherlands, 13 to 26 December 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant has a growth advantage over the Delta variant because of higher transmissibility, immune evasion or shorter serial interval. Using S gene target failure (SGTF) as indication for Omicron BA.1, we identified 908 SGTF and 1,621 non-SGTF serial intervals in the same period. Within households, the mean serial interval for SGTF cases was 0.2–0.6 days shorter than for non-SGTF cases. This suggests that the growth advantage of Omicron is partly due to a shorter serial interval.
A Proximal Neurodynamic Network With Fixed-Time Convergence for Equilibrium Problems and Its Applications

This article proposes a novel fixed-time converging proximal neurodynamic network (FXPNN) via a proximal operator to deal with equilibrium problems (EPs). A distinctive feature of the proposed FXPNN is its better transient performance in comparison to most existing proximal neurodynamic networks. It is shown that the FXPNN converges to the solution of the corresponding EP in fixed-time under some mild conditions. It is also shown that the settling time of the FXPNN is independent of initial conditions and the fixed-time interval can be prescribed, unlike existing results with asymptotical or exponential convergence. Moreover, the proposed FXPNN is applied to solve composition optimization problems (COPs), $l_{1}$ -regularized least-squares problems, mixed variational inequalities (MVIs), and variational inequalities (VIs). It is further shown, in the case of solving COPs, that the fixed-time convergence can be established via the Polyak–Lojasiewicz condition, which is a relaxation of the more demanding convexity condition. Finally, numerical examples are presented to validate the effectiveness and advantages of the proposed neurodynamic network.
Evaluation of lung cancer biomarkers profile for the decision of targeted therapy in EBUS-TBNA cytological samples

Background Guidelines recommend performing biomarker tests for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK), BRAF and ROS proto-oncogene-1(ROS1) genes and protein expression of programmed death ligand-1(PD-L1) in patients with non-small lung cell carcinoma (NSCLC). Studies reported that endobronchial ultrasound-transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) can provide sufficient material for cancer biomarker analyses, but there are still concerns about the subject. Aim The purpose of the study was to assess the adequacy of EBUS-TBNA for testing lung cancer biomarkers. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients with NSCLC whose EBUS-TBNA was analysed for EGFR, ALK, ROS-1, BRAF and PD-L1 expression between December 2011 and December 2020. Results A total of 394 patients were enrolled in the study. EGFR mutation and ALK fusion were the most common studied biomarkers. EBUS-TBNA adequacy rate for biomarker tests was found 99.0% for EGFR, 99.1 for ALK, 97.2% for ROS1, 100% for BRAF and 99.3% for PD-L1 testing. Multivariate analysis revealed the histological type, history of treatment for NSCL, size, or 18-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake of sampled lesion did not show any association with TBNA adequacy for biomarker testing. Conclusion EBUS-TBNA can provide adequate material for biomarker testing for EGFR, ALK, ROS-1, BRAF and PD-L1 expression.
Immunolocalization of CD1a expressing dendritic cells in sinonasal polyposis

ABSTRACT Sinonasal polyps are benign projections of edematous nasal mucosa lined by respiratory epithelium. Langerhans cells (LCs) belonging to the dendritic cell family located in respiratory epithelium are involved in antigen presentation and maintenance of local immunological homeostasis. This study aims to elucidate the morphology and distribution of CD1a positive LCs in normal nasal mucosa and compare the same with polypoid nasal mucosa by immunohistochemistry. Normal nasal mucosa (n = 20) was obtained from patients who underwent septoplasty for deviated nasal septum. Polypoid nasal mucosa (n = 22) was obtained from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) or allergic fungal rhinosinusitis who underwent excision of nasal polyps. The tissues obtained were processed for immunohistochemistry and stained with CD1a-EP80 Rabbit monoclonal antibody. In the tissues studied, CD1a positive LCs were observed in both the epithelium and lamina propria. Different morphological subtypes of LCs were noted in the epithelium. The cells were distributed adjacent to walls of subepithelial capillaries and cysts. The median number of CD1a positive LCs was significantly higher in polypoid category (13.5 per mm2) as compared with normal nasal mucosa (2.5per mm2) (p = .001). Presence of CD1a positive LCs in polypoid nasal mucosa hints at a critical immunological role in the etiopathogenesis of nasal polyps.
HLA‐dependent variation in SARS‐CoV‐2 CD8 + T cell cross‐reactivity with human coronaviruses

The conditions and extent of cross‐protective immunity between severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) and common‐cold human coronaviruses (HCoVs) remain open despite several reports of pre‐existing T cell immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 in individuals without prior exposure. Using a pool of functionally evaluated SARS‐CoV‐2 peptides, we report a map of 126 immunogenic peptides with high similarity to 285 MHC‐presented peptides from at least one HCoV. Employing this map of SARS‐CoV‐2‐non‐homologous and homologous immunogenic peptides, we observe several immunogenic peptides with high similarity to human proteins, some of which have been reported to have elevated expression in severe COVID‐19 patients. After combining our map with SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific TCR repertoire data from COVID‐19 patients and healthy controls, we show that public repertoires for the majority of convalescent patients are dominated by TCRs cognate to non‐homologous SARS‐CoV‐2 peptides. We find that for a subset of patients, >50% of their public SARS‐CoV‐2‐specific repertoires consist of TCRs cognate to homologous SARS‐CoV‐2‐HCoV peptides. Further analysis suggests that this skewed distribution of TCRs cognate to homologous or non‐homologous peptides in COVID‐19 patients is likely to be HLA‐dependent. Finally, we provide 10 SARS‐CoV‐2 peptides with known cognate TCRs that are conserved across multiple coronaviruses and are predicted to be recognized by a high proportion of the global population. These findings may have important implications for COVID‐19 heterogeneity, vaccine‐induced immune responses, and robustness of immunity to SARS‐CoV‐2 and its variants.