Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical significance of chemokine receptor antagonists

ABSTRACT Introduction: Chemokine receptors are important therapeutic targets for the treatment of many human diseases. This study will provide an overview of approved chemokine receptor antagonists and promising candidates in advanced clinical trials. Areas covered: We will describe clinical aspects of chemokine receptor antagonists regarding their clinical efficacy, mechanisms of action, and re-purposed applications. Expert opinion: Three chemokine antagonists have been approved: (i) plerixafor is a small-molecule CXCR4 antagonist that mobilizes hematopoietic stem cells; (ii) maraviroc is a small-molecule CCR5 antagonist for anti-HIV treatment; and (iii) mogamulizumab is a monoclonal-antibody CCR4 antagonist for the treatment of mycosis fungoides or Sézary syndrome. Moreover, phase 3 trials are ongoing to evaluate many potent candidates, including CCR5 antagonists (e.g. leronlimab), dual CCR2/CCR5 antagonists (e.g. cenicriviroc), and CXCR4 antagonists (e.g. balixafortide, mavorixafor, motixafortide). The success of chemokine receptor antagonists depends on the selective blockage of disease-relevant chemokine receptors which are indispensable for disease progression. Although clinical translation has been slow, antagonists targeting chemokine receptors with multifaced functions offer the potential to treat a broad spectrum of human diseases.
A cross-sectional, non-interventional study of the correlation between insight and adherence in schizophrenia in Nepal.

Background: There is a significant lack of research in the Nepalese study population on adherence in patients with schizophrenia. This cross-sectional, non-interventional study aims to re-examine the recognised correlation between insight and adherence in this population, whilst exploring the association between patient demographics and adherence to help bring understanding to how familial and environmental factors may impact adherence. Methods: Patients were recruited upon attendance to outpatient’s appointments and admission to the psychiatry department of Manipal Teaching Hospital. A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data on patient demographics, including age, ethnicity, religion, employment status, current living arrangements and education level; the Birchwood Insight Scale (BIS); and the Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI-10) score. Descriptive statistics on the demographics, BIS and DAI-10 were collated using SPSS. An analysis of variance of DAI-10 scores according to participant demographics was performed using a one-way ANOVA analysis. Correlation between the BIS and BIS subscales and the DAI-10 was tested using Pearson’s 2-tailed analysis at 0.01 significance level.Results: 19 participants consented to participate in this study with 100% data obtained. 57.9% unemployed, 63.2% living with parents and 47.4% had only a basic education. 36.8% of participants had poor insight; 84.2% of participants had poor insight into their symptoms; 78.9% of participants had poor insight into their illness and 36.8% had poor insight into their need for treatment. 52.7% of participants were poor adherers. No significant differences in DAI-10 scores were found between demographic groups. A positive correlation was found between the total BIS score and DAI-10 score (Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.585; P value = 0.009). Furthermore, the awareness of need for treatment subscale score and the DAI-10 score found a correlation coefficient of 0.609 (P value = 0.006). Conclusions: In conclusion, this study found prevalent non-adherence to medication and demonstrated that insight correlates with adherence. Although study findings did not suggest that patient demographics were associated with non-adherence, it is important to consider the possibility that these high rates of non-adherence have other contributing factors; overcoming rural health inequality, cultural beliefs regarding psychiatric illness and unaffordability remain the great challenges for the Nepalese population.
The effect of augmented speech-language therapy delivered by telerehabilitation on poststroke aphasia—a pilot randomized controlled trial

Objective: Pilot a definitive randomized controlled trial of speech-language telerehabilitation in poststroke aphasia in addition to usual care with regard to recruitment, drop-outs, and language effects. Design: Pilot single-blinded randomized controlled trial. Setting: Telerehabilitation delivered from tertiary rehabilitation center to participants at their home or admitted to secondary rehabilitation centers. Subjects: People with naming impairment due to aphasia following stroke. Intervention: Sixty-two participants randomly allocated to 5 hours of speech and language telerehabilitation by videoconference per week over four consecutive weeks together with usual care or usual care alone. The telerehabilitation targeted functional, expressive language. Main measures: Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment: naming (primary outcome), repetition, and auditory comprehension subtests; Verb and Sentence Test sentence production subtest and the Communicative Effectiveness Index at baseline, four weeks, and four months postrandomization. Data were analyzed by intention to treat. Results: No significant between-group differences were seen in naming or auditory comprehension in the Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment at four weeks and four months post randomization. The telerehabilitation group (n = 29) achieved a Norwegian Basic Aphasia Assessment repetition score of 8.9 points higher (P = 0.026) and a Verb and Sentence Test score 3 points higher (P = 0.002) than the control group (n = 27) four months postrandomization. Communicative Effectiveness Index was not significantly different between groups, but increased significantly within both groups. No adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Augmented telerehabilitation via videoconference may be a viable rehabilitation model for aphasia affecting language outcomes poststroke. A definitive trial with 230 participants is needed to confirm results.
Relationship Between Muscle Swelling and Hypertrophy Induced by Resistance Training

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Abstract Hirono, T, Ikezoe, T, Taniguchi, M, Tanaka, H, Saeki, J, Yagi, M, Umehara, J, and Ichihashi, N. Relationship between muscle swelling and hypertrophy induced by resistance training. J Strength Cond Res 36(2): 359–364, 2022—Muscle swelling immediately after resistance exercise may be induced by metabolic stress. The accumulation of metabolic stress is considered to promote muscle hypertrophy after several weeks of resistance training (RT). The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between muscle swelling immediately after the first session of RT and muscle hypertrophy after a 6-week RT using ultrasonography. Twenty-two untrained young men performed knee extension resistance exercise consisting of 3 sets with 8 repetitions at a load of 80% of one repetition maximum for 6 weeks (3 d·wk−1). Muscle thickness of the quadriceps femoris was measured using ultrasonography device at 3 anatomical sites (proximal, medial, and distal sites) of the middle, lateral, and medial part of the anterior thigh. The sum of the muscle thickness at 9 measurement sites was used for analysis. Acute change in muscle thickness immediately after the first session of RT was used as an indicator of muscle swelling. Chronic change in muscle thickness after the 6-week RT was used as an indicator of muscle hypertrophy. A significant increase in muscle thickness was observed immediately after the first session of RT (8.3 ± 3.2%, p < 0.001). After the 6-week RT, muscle thickness increased significantly (2.9 ± 2.6%, p < 0.001). A significant positive correlation was found between muscle swelling and muscle hypertrophy (ρ = 0.443, p = 0.039). This study suggests that the greater the muscle swelling immediately after the first session of RT, the greater the muscle hypertrophy after RT.
Effect of Different Fruit Developmental Stages and Biochemical Metabolites of Pomegranate (Ponicaceae) on Life History Parameters of Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Abstract Plant–herbivore interactions can be influenced by plant developmental stages. Effects of four different developmental stages of pomegranate fruit (Hazelnut size, Walnut size, Juicy, and Ripe) were investigated on life table parameters, nutritional yield, and energy contents (protein, glycogen, and lipid) of Ectomyelois ceratoniae (Zeller) under controlled conditions in two pomegranate cultivars, namely Shahvare-Danesefid and Esfahani-Daneghermez as susceptible and resistant cultivars, respectively. Biochemical characteristics of the four developmental stages were determined, and a correlation was made with life-history and nutritional responses of E. ceratoniae. Significant differences were observed in developmental time and adult fecundity of E. ceratoniae across various tested stages in both pomegranate cultivars. The highest value of intrinsic rate of increase (rm) was found in Juicy and lowest in Hazelnut-size stage of Shahvare-Danesefid. The highest rm value was on Walnut-size and Juicy stages, and the lower rate was obtained from the feeding of E. ceratoniae on Ripe and Hazelnut-size stages in Esfahani-Daneghermez. A higher relative growth rate (RGR) was observed in Juicy (in Shahvare-Danesefid) and Walnut-size stages (in Esfahani-Daneghermez) when compared with other developmental stages tested. Life-history parameters of E. ceratoniae were correlated with biochemical qualities of pomegranate stages. Results indicated Juicy (Shahvare-Danesefid) and Walnut-size stages (Esfahani-Daneghermez) were relatively susceptible pomegranate stages, and Hazelnut-size and Ripe stages were unsuitable for feeding of E. ceratoniae in Shahvare-Danesefid and Esfahani-Daneghermez, respectively. Findings of this research could aid in the development of integrated management programs of E. ceratoniae in pomegranate orchards.
Low-dose tofacitinib for treating patients with severe alopecia areata: an efficient and cost-saving regimen

2. Nakamura S, Ponzoni M, Campo E. Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma. In: WHO Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. Revised 4th Ed. Swerdlow SH, Campo E, Harris NL, et al. Lyon, France: IARC, 2017: 317-8. 3. Matsue K, Abe Y, Kitadate A, et al. Sensitivity and specificity of incisional random skin biopsy for diagnosis of intravascular large B-cell lymphoma. Blood 2019; 133: 1257-9.
Association Between Informal Employment and Health Status and the Role of the Working Conditions in Spain

Informal employment is an employment condition in which workers are not protected by labor regulations. It has been associated with poor health status in middle- and low-income countries, but it is still a neglected issue in high-income countries. Our aim was to estimate the association between health status and employment profiles in Spain, attending to the role of workplace risk factors. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 8,060 workers from the Seventh Spanish Working Conditions Survey (2011). We defined 4 employment profiles and estimated the associations between them and poor self-perceived health using Poisson regression models. All analyses were stratified by sex. The prevalence of the informal profile was 4% for women and 1.5% for men. Differences in self-perceived health status among employment profiles were negligible. Only women engaged in informal employment had poorer self-perceived health than those in the reference profile. This difference disappeared after adjusting models for psychosocial risk factors. In conclusion, we did not find differences in self-perceived health status between employment profiles, except for women in informal employment. Efforts should be made to improve the psychosocial risk factors in women in informal employment.
Body composition-derived BMI cut-offs for overweight and obesity in ethnic Indian and Creole urban children of Mauritius

Abstract It is increasingly recognised that the use of BMI cut-off points for diagnosing obesity (OB) and proxy measures for body fatness in a given population needs to take into account the potential impact of ethnicity on the BMI–fat % relationship in order to avoid adiposity status misclassification. This relationship was studied here in 377 Mauritian schoolchildren (200 boys and 177 girls, aged 7–13 years) belonging to the two main ethnic groups: Indian (South Asian descent) and Creole (African/Malagasy descent), with body composition assessed using an isotopic 2H dilution technique as reference. The results indicate that for the same BMI, Indians have more body fat (and less lean mass) than Creoles among both boys and girls: linear regression analysis revealed significantly higher body fat % by 4–5 units (P < 0·001) in Indians than in Creoles across a wide range of BMI (11·6–34·2 kg/m2) and body fat % (5–52 %). By applying Deurenberg’s Caucasian-based equation to predict body fat % from WHO-defined BMI thresholds for overweight (OW) and OB, and by recalculating the equivalent BMI values using a Mauritian-specific equation, it is shown that the WHO BMI cut-offs for OB and OW would need to be lowered by 4·6–5·9 units in Indian and 2·0–3·7 units in Creole children in the 7–13-year-old age group. These results have major implications for ethnic-based population research towards improving the early diagnosis of excess adiposity in this multi-ethnic population known to be at high risk for later development of type 2 diabetes and CVD.
Predicting in-hospital rupture of type A aortic dissection using Random Forest.

Background This study is to establish prediction tools for in-hospital rupture of type A aortic dissection (TAAD) patients, to better guide emergency surgical triage and patient counselling. Methods We retrospectively evaluated 1,133 consecutive patients with TAAD from January 2010 to December 2016. The study population was divided into training and testing datasets in a 70:30 ratio for further analysis using Random Forest. Results The Random Forest classification model was developed with the training dataset and 16 variables were confirmed as 'important': age, BMI, gender, syncope, lower limb numbness/pain, acute phase of the TAAD, BP >160 mmHg at admission; acute liver dysfunction, WBC >15×109/L, aortic size, aortic height index (AHI), periaortic hematoma, pleural effusion, brachiocephalic artery involvement, renal artery involvement, and hemopericardium. Validation of the model showed good discrimination with an AUC, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 0.994, 1.000, 0.987, 0.998 and 1.000, respectively, in the training dataset, and 0.752, 0.990, 0.514, 0.945 and 0.857, respectively, in the testing dataset. Conclusions An easy-to-use tool to predict in-hospital rupture for TAAD patients was developed and validated (http://47.107.228.109/). Periaortic hematoma is the strongest predictor. Simple clinical information such as syncope can be very useful in in-hospital rupture risk stratification.
Gender Differences in Hypertension Treatment and Control in Young Adults

ABSTRACT Background Compared with older adults, young adults exhibit poor treatment and control of hypertension. However, little is known about the factors affecting the treatment and control of hypertension in young adults. Purpose This study was aimed to identify the factors affecting the treatment and control of hypertension in early adulthood by gender in South Korea. Methods This secondary data analysis study used a data set from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The inclusion criteria were as follows: (a) 19–44 years old and (b) having an indicator of hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg, or taking antihypertensive drugs). Seven hundred eighty participants were included in this study. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were derived using composite-sample multiple logistic regression. Results In men, age, marital status, family history of hypertension, treatment of hyperlipidemia, abdominal obesity, high-sodium diet, cholesterol, and aerobic exercise were found to be associated with hypertension treatment and control. In women, age, employment status, cardiovascular risk factors, body mass index, high-sodium diet, and drinking were found to be associated with hypertension treatment and control. Conclusions The factors affecting the treatment and control of hypertension differed between the two genders. Therefore, healthcare providers should consider the differences in the factors between the two genders in early adulthood. To improve the treatment and control of hypertension, the guidelines for treatment interventions and management should be gender-specific from early adulthood. Nurses should actively suggest health-related behavioral modifications such as performing aerobic exercise for young adult men and reducing alcohol consumption for women.
Cardiovascular response to different types of acute stress stimulations.

INTRODUCTION Stress is an ubiquitous phenomenon in the modern world and one of the major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. e aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of various acute stress stimuli on autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity, assessed on the basis of heart rate (HRV) and blood pressure (BPV) variability analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS the study included 15 healthy volunteers: 9 women, 6 men aged 20-30 years (23.3 ± 1.8). ANS activity was assessed by HRV and BPV measurement using Task Force Monitor 3040 (CNSystems, Austria). ECG registration and Blood Pressure (BP) measurement was done 10 minutes at rest, 10 minutes a er the stress stimulus (sound signal, acoustic startle, frequency 1100 Hz, duration 0.5 sec, at the intensity 95 dB) and 10 minutes after the cold pressor test. The cold pressor test (CPT) was done by placing the person's hand by wrist in ice water (0-4°C) for 120 s. RESULTS Every kind of stress stimulation (acoustic startle; the CPT) caused changes of HRV indicator values. The time domain HRV analysis parameters (pNN50, RMSSD) decreased after acoustic stress and the CPT, but were significantly lower after the CPT. In frequency domain HRV analysis, significant differences were observed only after the CPT: (LF-RRI 921.23 ms2 vs. 700.09 ms2; p = 0.009 and HF-RRI 820.75 ms2 vs. 659.52 ms2; p = 0.002). The decrease of LF-RRI and HF-RRI value after the CPT was significantly higher than after the acoustic startle (LF-RRI 34% vs. 0.4%, p = 0.022; HF-RRI 19.7% vs. 7% ms2, p = 0.011). The decreased value of the LF and HF components of HRV analysis are indicative of sympathetic activation. Nonlinear analysis of HRV indicated a significant decrease in the Poincare plot SD1 (p = 0.039) and an increase of DFAα2 (p = 0.001) in response to the CPT stress stimulation. The systolic BPV parameter LF/HF-sBP increased significantly after the CPT (2.84 vs. 3.31; p = 0.019) and was higher than after the acoustic startle (3.31 vs. 3.06; p = 0.035). Significantly higher values of diastolic BP (67.17 ± 8.10 vs. 69.65 ± 9.94 mmHg, p = 0.038) and median BP (83.39 ± 8.65 vs. 85.30 ± 10.20 mmHg, p = 0.039) were observed in the CPT group than in the acoustic startle group. CONCLUSIONS the Cold Pressor Test has a greater stimulatory effect on the sympathetic autonomic system in comparison to the unexpected acoustic startle stress. Regardless of whether the stimulation originates from the central nervous system (acoustic startle) or the peripheral nervous system (CPT), the final response is demonstrated by an increase in the low frequency components of blood pressure variability and a decrease in the low and high frequency components of heart rate variability.
Molecular Phylogeny of Polychaos annulatum (Amoebozoa, Tubulinea, Euamoebida) Shows that Genus Polychaos Belongs to the Family Hartmannellidae

We have obtained a sequence of the 18S rRNA gene of the species Polychaos annulatum (Penard 1902) Smirnov et Goodkov 1998 using the isolation of a single nucleus from an amoeba cell. Attempts to amplify the 18S rRNA gene from the DNA of this species by conventional PCR were not successful, so we applied the whole genome amplification of the nuclear DNA followed by NGS sequencing. The 18S rRNA gene was found among the resulting contigs. The analysis unexpectedly shows that P. annulatum robustly groups within the family Hartmannellidae, but not Amoebidae. This finding warrants revision of the basic morphological criteria used to classify Euamoebida families and show that “proteus‐type” amoebae may belong to other families rather than Amoebidae. This makes taxonomic assignments of such species more complex and the borders between Euamoebida families more nuanced. It is getting evident that molecular data are necessary to clarify the position of species even in this most “classical” order of naked lobose amoebae.
Molecular epidemiology of respiratory viruses among Malaysian Young children with a confirmed respiratory infection during 2014-2015.

Background In many developing countries, acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are the main cause of morbidity and mortality among young children. This study aims to evaluate the molecular epidemiology of respiratory viruses among Malaysian children with confirmed respiratory infections between July 2014 and July 2015. Methods A total of 394 nasopharyngeal swabs were collected prospectively from children age 0-5 years old with ARTIs from hospitals in Kuala Lumpur. Respiratory viral panel (RVP) assay was used to identify the viral aetiology of respiratory infections. Results From a total of 394 samples, the positive detection rate was 79.9% (n=315). A total of 15 types of RNA viruses and a single type of DNA virus were detected. Enterovirus/rhinovirus (n=112, 28.4%), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (n=85, 21.6%), adenovirus (n=64, 16.2%), human bocavirus (n=34, 8.6%), and human metapneumovirus (n=29, 7.4%) were the five predominant viruses. Enterovirus/rhinovirus and RSV constituted most of the viral respiratory infections among young children, especially among children less than 1 year old. No coronavirus was detected among children between 3 and 5 years old. Co-infection caused by 2 or 3 respiratory viruses were detected in 52 patients (13.2%). Enterovirus/rhinovirus, adenovirus, and human bocavirus demonstrated pronounced seasonality. The infection rate peaked during mid-year, while the lowest activity occurred during early of the year. Conclusions The use of molecular assay as a routine diagnostic in the hospitals can improve the diagnosis and management of respiratory tract infections among children.
Human body odor increases familiarity for faces during encoding‐retrieval task

Odors can increase memory performance when presented as context during both encoding and retrieval phases. Since information from different sensory modalities is integrated into a unified conceptual knowledge, we hypothesize that the social information from body odors and faces would be integrated during encoding. The integration of such social information would enhance retrieval more so than when the encoding occurs in the context of common odors. To examine this hypothesis and to further explore the underlying neural correlates of this behavior, we have conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging study in which participants performed an encoding‐retrieval memory task for faces during the presentation of common odor, body odor or clean air. At the behavioral level, results show that participants were less biased and faster in recognizing faces when presented in concomitance with the body odor compared to the common odor. At the neural level, the encoding of faces in the body odor condition, compared to common odor and clean air conditions, showed greater activation in areas related to associative memory (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex), odor perception and multisensory integration (orbitofrontal cortex). These results suggest that face and body odor information were integrated and as a result, participants were faster in recognizing previously presented material.