Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disease burden of viral hepatitis A, B, C and E: A systematic analysis

Viral hepatitis has been recognized as a leading cause of deaths worldwide. We aimed to analyse the disease burden of viral hepatitis at the global, regional and national levels. We collected the data of death number, mortality rate, and disability‐adjusted life years (DALYs) of viral hepatitis by sex, age, geography and type of disease from the Global Health Data Exchange platform. Estimated average percentage change (EAPC) was used to quantify the age‐standardized mortality rate (ASMR) of viral hepatitis between 1990 and 2017. Globally, the number of deaths from viral hepatitis increased from 980.9 thousand in 1990 to 1412.3 thousand in 2017, accompanying by the DALYs increased from 35.2 million to 43.1 million in the same period. Hepatitis B and C accounted for 97.6% of total viral hepatitis‐related deaths worldwide in 2017. While the death number and DALYs were decreased in acute hepatitis A, B, C and E, a significant increase was found in liver cancer and cirrhosis due to hepatitis B and C. The ASMRs of liver cancer and cirrhosis caused by hepatitis B and C were decreased at the global level and in most regions. However, a significant increase was observed in several developed countries, such as the USA and the UK. The disease burden of viral hepatitis continues to increase worldwide, which was driven by the increase in burden of chronic hepatitis B and C.
Uncomplicated Malaria and Intestinal Helminth Co-Infections among Schoolchildren in Abobo District, Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire)

Malaria and soil-transmitted helminth infections are morbidity causes in most tropical areas in the world. In Côte d’Ivoire, their association greats a major public health problem and their coexistence is the subject of very few studies. The current study investigated uncomplicated malaria and intestinal helminths co-infection among schoolchildren in Abobo District, Abidjan. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 256 children aged 2 to 15 recruited at the Anonkoua Kouté Urban and Community Health Centre and at the El-Rapha health centre in the Commune of Abobo in Abidjan. Blood and stool samples were collected from each child. A thick drop examination was carried out on the blood samples whereas the parasitic examination test consisted of a direct microscopic examination, the simplified Ritchie and the Kato techniques. The overall prevalence amounted to 50.3% and Plasmodium falciparum was the only species found. The soil-transmitted helminth infection was found at 15.2%. Co-infestation P. falciparum/intestinal helminth infection was 9.8%. The most found helminth was Ascaris lumbricoides (11.7%). The co-infested subjects had a relatively higher average plasmodia density (23,865 trophozoïtes/μL) than those suffering from malaria only (20,876 trophozoïtes/μL). However, this association was not non-significant when multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed (Adjusted OR = 1.20, p = 0.066). This study shows a low prevalent of co-infection malaria and Soil-Transmitted helminths and a trend of a higher P. falciparum parasitic density among children infected mostly by A. lumbricoides. The associations between malaria and helminth infections detected in this study were not conclusive and hence needs further investigation.
Development and Validation of Lost Days of Labor Productivity Scale to Evaluate the Business Cost of Intimate Partner Violence

Developing scientific evidence showing the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on companies’ productivity is an effective way to involve them in IPV prevention. However, there are no suitable and brief self-report instruments available that measure this impact on labor settings. This study develops and assesses the measurement properties of lost days of labor productivity scale based on tardiness, absenteeism, and presenteeism which may be due to IPV. Fourteen items have been developed and tested for 2,017 employees in 306 companies in Ghana, Pakistan, and South Sudan. Descriptive statistics, confirmatory factor analysis, heterotrait–monotrait matrix, and reliability coefficients have been conducted to assess the reliability of the scores. Confirmatory factor analysis indicates a two-factor second-order solution, stable by sex and countries. All subscales demonstrate good reliability, construct and discriminant validity, showing that the scale is a valid and reliable self-report questionnaire, which may measure the impact of IPV on businesses.
Predicting severity in acute pancreatitis in children-What can a quantitative score add to clinical judgement?

redicting the severity of acute pancreatitis (AP) episodes in children and adolescents remains a significant challenge for P clinicians. The common rationale for developing predictors of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is to identify patients who might require intensive care, so they are either monitored for complications appropriately or transferred to a hospital equipped to treat critically ill children. In this month’s Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Farrell et al (1) propose a prognostic model for severity prediction in pediatric AP, derived from experience at their center with validation using data from a second center. Their model uses prospectively collected, readily available clinical information from the time of admission—blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and albumin. Children whose AP evolved into a severe case had higher admission BUN and lower albumin; persistent BUN elevation over the first 24 to 48 hours was also associated with SAP risk. Interestingly, admission BUN and albumin may reflect both the child’s acute illness severity and more chronic underlying conditions. Both seem likely contributors to overall AP severity. For example, a low albumin might be seen acutely in an obese child with severe gallstone-induced AP and fluid overload, or chronically in a malnourished adolescent with leukemia and asparaginase-induced AP. A limitation of the manuscript is that it does not provide detail on AP risk factors or etiology, so we cannot be sure about its generalizability to other populations. It does seem clear that a small group of children with the lowest albumins and highest BUNs had the most severe AP. But a strength of the model is that may describe overall AP severity driven by both acute illness and chronic morbidity. It is helpful to consider the positive predictive (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) of the Farrell et al (1) BUN and albumin cutoffs. In both their derivation and validation cohorts, NPV was higher than PPV. Among children in their cohort with low BUN (<13 mg/dL) and normal albumin (>3.6 g/dL) at admission, 86% did
In vitro cormlet production and growth evaluation under greenhouse conditions in saffron (Crocus sativus L.) – A commercially important crop

The present study describes the effects of season on initial bud sprouting, direct shoot regeneration from the base of the sprouted bud, and cormlet production from multiple shoots, and provides growth evaluation of in vitro produced cormlets under greenhouse conditions. Initial sprouting of buds from corm segments was previously described in medium supplemented with 2,4‐dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4‐D, 9.05 μM) and 6‐benzylaminopurine (BAP, 26.64 μM). Maximum bud sprouting (90%) was observed during November and December. Direct multiple shoot primordia were initiated from the base of these sprouted buds on BAP (26.64 μM). Multiplication of shoots was achieved in BAP (26.64 μM) and α‐naphthalene acetic acid (1.0 and 5.0 μM). Growth retardants (chlorocholine chloride and paclobutrazol) were used for cormlet production from multiple shoots, and paclobutrazol (1.7 μM) evinced maximum cormlet production (86.07%). Growth of these in vitro‐produced cormlets was evaluated under greenhouse conditions, and 91.66% sprouting was observed. An increase in cormlet weight (66.88%) was also observed under in vivo conditions.
A continuum thermomechanical model for the electrosurgery of soft hydrated tissues using a moving electrode

Abstract Electrosurgical radio-frequency heating of tissue is widely applied in minimally invasive surgical procedures to dissect tissue with simultaneous coagulation to obtain hemostasis. The tissue effect depends on the cumulative heating that occurs in the vicinity of the moving blade electrode. In this work, a continuum thermomechanical model based on mixture theory, which accounts for the multiphase nature of soft hydrated tissues and includes transport and evaporation losses, is used to capture the transient heating effect of a moving electrode. The model takes into account the dependence of electrical conductivity and the evaporation rate on the water content in the tissue, as it changes in response to heating. Temperature prediction is validated with mean experimental temperature measured during in situ experiments performed on porcine liver tissue at different power settings of the electrosurgical unit. The model is shown to closely capture the temperature variation in the tissue for three distinct scenarios; with no visible cutting or coagulation damage at a low 10 W power setting, with coagulation damage but no tissue cutting at an intermediate power setting of 25 W, and with both coagulation and tissue cutting at a higher power setting of 50 W. Furthermore, an Arrhenius model is shown to capture tissue damage observed in the experiments. Increase in applied power was found to correlate with tissue cutting and concentrated damage near the electrode, but had little effect on the observed coagulation damage width. The proposed model provides, for the first time, an accurate tool for predicting temperature rise and evolving damage resulting from a moving electrode in pure-cut electrosurgery.
Freezing of sheep faeces invalidates Haemonchus contortus faecal egg counts by the McMaster technique.

VAN WYK, J.A. & VAN WYK, LAETITIA. 2002. Freezing of sheep faeces invalidates Haemonchus contortus faecal egg counts by the McMaster technique. Onderstepoort Journal of Veterinary Re­ search, 69:299-304 Faecal pellets from a sheep that was artificially infected with a monoculture of Haemonchus contor­ tus were collected over a 2-h period in the morning. In the laboratory the faeces were thoroughly mixed by hand and 48 by 1 g aliquots of the pellets were sealed in plastic bags, from which the air had gently been expressed. The faecal worm egg count of the sheep was about 14 000 g- 1. Varying numbers of the bags were either processed for faecal worm egg counting (FEC) by the McMaster technique on day 0, or were stored at one of the following temperatures: about 4 cC, -10 °C or -170 °C before processing. The faecal aliquots that were frozen were thawed at room tem­ perature after having been frozen for either 2 h or 7 days, and processing of aliquots maintained at 4 °C proceeded shortly after the samples had been removed from the refrigerator. A dramatic reduction in egg numbers was found in all the aliquots that were frozen at -170 cC before faecal worm egg counts were done, as well as in those frozen for 7 days at about -10 °C. Numerous empty, or partially empty, egg shells were observed when performing the counts in faeces that had been frozen. In contrast, there was no significant reduction in the numbers of eggs in aliquots main­ tained for 7 days in a refrigerator at ± 4 °C before examination, when compared with others exam­ ined shortly after collection of the faeces. Since H. contortus eggs in faeces are damaged by freezing, some methods that can be used for short term preservation are outlined. It is concluded that all nematode egg counts from cryopreserved faeces (whether in a freezer at - 10 °C or in liquid nitrogen) should possibly be regarded as being inaccurate, unless the contrary can be demonstrated for different worm genera. However, exceptions are expected for the more rugged ova, such as those of the ascarids and Trichuris spp.
Genetic Testing in Children with Epilepsy: Report of a Single-Center Experience

ABSTRACT: Background: Retrospective observational study to determine diagnostic yield and utility of genetic testing in children with epilepsy attending the Epilepsy Clinic at Children’s Hospital, London, Ontario, Canada. Methods: Children (birth–18 years) with epilepsy, who were seen in a 10-year period (January 1, 2008–March 31, 2018), were selected using defined inclusion criteria and by combining clinic datasets and laboratory records. Results: In total, 105 children (52.38% male and 47.61% female) with a variety of seizures were included in the analysis. Developmental delay was documented in the majority (83; 79.04%). Overall, a genetic diagnosis was established in 24 (22.85%) children. The diagnostic yield was highest for whole-exome sequencing (WES), at 35.71%. The yield from microarray was 8.33%. Yields of single-gene testing (18.60%) and targeted multigene panel testing (19.23%) were very similar. Several likely pathogenic and pathogenic variants not previously reported were identified and categorized using ACMG criteria. All diagnosed patients underwent a review of anti-seizure medication management and received counseling on natural history of their disease, possible complications, recurrence risks, and possibilities of preimplantation or prenatal genetic diagnosis. Conclusions: Our study confirms the multiple benefits of detecting a genetic etiology in children with epilepsy. Similar yields in single versus multigene testing underscore the importance of accurate clinical phenotyping. Patients with epilepsy and their caregivers in Ontario would undoubtedly benefit from repatriation of multigene panels and WES to the province.
Hepatitis B Core-Related Antigen Levels Predict Pegylated Interferon-α Therapy Response in HBeAg-Positive Chronic Hepatitis B

Background Serum hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) levels refect intrahepatic HBV replication activity. We aimed to study whether HBcrAg levels predict response to pegylated interferon (PEG-IFN) treatment in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Methods We studied HBcrAg levels in 222 HBeAg-positive patients treated with PEG-IFN with or without lamivudine for 52 weeks in a global randomized trial and compared kinetics across treatment arms and types of response. Optimal HBcrAg cutoffs for stopping therapy were compared to and combined with the currently recommended hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-based stopping-rules. Results Baseline HBcrAg levels could not discriminate between responders and non-responders (P=0.91). HBcrAg levels of patients responding to PEG-IFN therapy showed a more pronounced on-treatment decline (mean declines 3.4 versus 1.0 log U/ml; P<0.0001), which was sustained until the end of follow-up (mean declines week 78, 3.8 versus 1.0 log U/ml; P<0.0001). In the PEG-IFN mono-therapy group, HBcrAg levels of >8.35 log U/ml at week 24 identified 19 patients (19%) of whom 1 (negative predicitve value [NPV]=95%) achieved a response. The performance of this HBcrAg-based stopping rule alone was not superior to the one based on HBsAg >20,000 IU/ml. Among patients with an HBsAg <20,000 (n=56), 9 (16%) had an HBcrAg >8.35, of whom 8 achieved no response (NPV 89%). Conclusions HBeAg-positive CHB patients with a response to PEG-IFN therapy achieve a more pronounced HBcrAg decline. HBcrAg levels at week 24 of therapy could be used to identify non-responders in combination with the established HBsAg-based stopping-rules.
Task Demand Changes Motor Control Strategies in Vertical Jumping

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the motor control strategies employed to control the degrees of freedom when performing a lower limb task with constraints applied at the hip, knee, and ankle. Thirty-five individuals performed vertical jumping tasks: hip flexed, no knee bend, and plantar flexed. Joint moment data from the hip, knee, and ankle were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA). In all PCA performed, a minimum of two and maximum of six principal components (PC) were required to describe the movements. Similar reductions in dimensionality were observed in the hip flexed and no knee bend conditions (3PCs), compared to the plantar flexed condition (5PCs). A proximal to distal reduction in variability was observed for the hip flexed and no knee bend conditions but not for the plantar flexed condition. Collectively, the results suggest a reduction in the dimensionality of the movement occurs despite the constraints imposed within each condition and would suggest that dimensionality reduction and motor control strategies are a function of the task demands.
Family‐based social capital of emerging adults with and without mild intellectual disability

Abstract Background Family is recognised as an important context for the self‐development of young adults in emerging adulthood, although very little research has addressed the perspective of young people with intellectual disability about their families by using self‐report. This study examined how emerging adults with mild intellectual disability define their family support networks, compared with definitions of students without intellectual disability, within a social capital theoretical framework. Methods Fifty‐three participants with mild intellectual disability and 53 students without intellectual disability were interviewed individually using the Family Network Method – Intellectual Disability (FNM‐ID). Data from the FNM‐ID relate to key social network measures on how individuals define their family groups, and how they perceive existing supportive relationships within their families. Participants with mild intellectual disability and students were compared on the FNM‐ID social network measures. Results Participants with mild intellectual disability reported fewer family members who they considered significant to them than students without intellectual disability. They were less likely to include peers (i.e. friends and partners) and siblings in their significant family networks, had fewer relationships with family members in which they received or gave support, had fewer reciprocal support relationships and had a less central position in their family network. Discussion The family‐based social capital of emerging adults with mild intellectual disability differed from that of students without intellectual disability. They may remain more dependent on their natural family for emotional support as their supportive networks have not necessarily made the transition to networks with emotionally close peer relationships.
Descemet Stripping Only Supplemented With Topical Ripasudil for Fuchs Endothelial Dystrophy 12-Month Outcomes of the Sydney Eye Hospital Study.

PURPOSE To report early safety and efficacy of Descemet stripping only (DSO) supplemented with ripasudil. METHODS A pre-post clinical trial with a historical control group for time to heal and cell count parameters. The study received ethics approval and was conducted with oversight of a data safety monitoring board. All enrolled patients had a superior endothelial cell count of >1000 cells/mm and were symptomatic from the presence of central guttata degrading vision and/or producing glare. DSO was carried out with a peeling technique and not combined with any other intervention. Ripasudil 0.4% was applied topically from day 1 postoperatively at a dose of 6 times/d until corneal clearance. Cases with relapse of edema were permitted to restart on ripasudil at a reduced dose of 2 drops/d for a further 2 weeks. Stopping rules with progression to a corneal graft were established. Baseline ocular and systemic investigations were carried out and repeated at varying intervals to monitor for local and systemic adverse events. RESULTS Twenty-three eyes of 23 patients met the inclusion criteria and underwent DSO. Twenty-two of 23 eyes achieved corneal clearance at a mean time of 4.1 weeks. In all patients achieving clearance, improvement in vision was recorded. Improvement in mean uncorrected visual acuity was 0.20 Logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMar), and improvement in mean best spectacle corrected visual acuity was 0.156 LogMar. One patient failed to clear and underwent Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty at week 12. Twenty-one of 22 patients achieving corneal clearance expressed satisfaction with the procedure. The commonest systemic side effect of topical ripasudil was gastrointestinal upset (24%), and the commonest local side effect was ocular irritation (43%). No patient experienced a serious adverse event in the course of the trial. Thirty-nine percent of patients experienced a relapse of edema on ceasing ripasudil, with clearance again on recommencing. CONCLUSIONS This trial of DSO supplemented with ripasudil included local and systemic safety analysis. We judge that this treatment option is emerging as a reliable intervention for select patients with Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) with an acceptable safety profile. The observation of relapse edema is strong evidence of a drug effect. The longevity of these results remains unknown.
Comparative characterization of microbiota between the sibling species of tea geometrid moth Ectropis obliqua Prout and E. grisescens Warren

Abstract For a wide range of insect species, the microbiota has potential roles in determining host developmental programme, immunity and reproductive biology. The tea geometrid moths Ectropis obliqua and E. grisescens are two closely related species that mainly feed on tea leaves. Although they can mate, infertile hybrids are produced. Therefore, these species provide a pair of model species for studying the molecular mechanisms of microbiotal involvement in host reproductive biology. In this study, we first identified and compared the compositions of microbiota between these sibling species, revealing higher microbiotal diversity for E. grisescens. The microbiota of E. obliqua mainly comprised the phyla Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Cyanobacteria, whereas that of E. grisescens was dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. At the genus level, the dominant microbiota of E. grisescens included Wolbachia, Enterobacter and Pseudomonas and that of E. obliqua included Melissococcus, Staphylococcus and Enterobacter. Furthermore, we verified the rate of Wolbachia to infect 80 samples from eight different geographical populations, and the results supported that only E. grisescens harboured Wolbachia. Taken together, our findings indicate significantly different microbiotal compositions for E. obliqua and E. grisescens, with Wolbachia possibly being a curial factor influencing the reproductive isolation of these species. This study provides new insight into the mechanisms by which endosymbiotic bacteria, particularly Wolbachia, interact with sibling species.
Determinants of Time to Care for Children and Adolescents With Disabilities

Time use studies uncover the organization of daily routine of families of children with disabilities. The objective of this study is to identify determinants of time spent caring for children/adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and typical development (TD). Participants were caregivers of children/adolescents with/without disability. Structural equation modeling tested a proposed model of time spent in child care. The variables in the model were as follows: questionnaire (families’ socioeconomic status [SES]), children’s functioning (The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory–Computer Adaptive Test [PEDI-CAT]); hours of care (daily diaries), number of adaptations used, and help with child care (parents’ report). Distinct variable combinations explained 78% of the variation in the time to care (TD model), followed by 42% (ASD) and 29% (CP). Adaptations indirectly affected time to care through its effect on functioning (CP); family’s SES affected functioning through its effect on adaptation use (ASD). In conclusion, knowledge of factors affecting caregivers’ time spent on children’s care help occupational therapists implement family-centered strategies.