Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular taxonomy confirms that the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea harbor a single lancelet, Branchiostoma lanceolatum (Pallas, 1774) (Cephalochordata: Leptocardii: Branchiostomatidae)

Branchiostomatidae (lancelets or amphioxus) comprises about 30 species, several of which are well-established models in evolutionary development. Our zoological and ecological knowledge of the family is nonetheless limited. Despite evident differences can be found among known populations, the taxonomy of Branchiostoma lanceolatum (type species of the genus Branchiostoma) has never been investigated with modern methods through its range in the northeastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. We address this via a multilocus molecular approach and comparing specimens collected from different European populations. Results obtained here confirm the presence of a single species inhabiting the range between the topotypical localities of B. lanceolatum (Atlantic Ocean) and of its junior synonym B. lubricum (Mediterranean Sea), without evincing geographical structure between populations. This suggests that environment most likely drives the characteristics observed in different geographic areas. The long larval phase and the slow mutation rate in lancelets may have played a key role in the evolutionary history of this iconic species.
Pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of paraneoplastic neurologic syndromes

ABSTRACT Introduction: Paraneoplastic neurological syndromes (PNS) are a rare heterogeneous group of neurological diseases associated with tumors. These syndromes are the result of a cross-reactive immune response against antigens shared by the tumor and the nervous system. The discovery of an increasing number of autoantigens and the identification of tumoral factors leading to a substantial antitumoral immune response makes this topic highly innovative. Areas covered: This review covers the clinical, oncological, pathophysiological aspects of both immunological PNS groups. One is associated with autoantibodies against intracellular onconeural antibodies, which are highly specific for an underlying tumor, although the disease is mainly T-cell mediated. In contrast, PNS associated with pathogenic surface-binding/receptor autoantibodies, which are often responsive to immunosuppressive treatment, may manifest as paraneoplastic and non-paraneoplastic diseases. The most frequent tumors associated with PNS are (small cell) lung cancer, gynecological tumors, thymoma, lymphoma, and, in children, neuroblastoma. A special interest is given to PNS, induced by immune checkpoint-inhibitors (ICIs). Expert opinion: Research in PNS, including the group of ICI-induced PNS provide new insights in both the pathophysiology of PNS and tumor immune interactions and offers new treatment options for this group of severe neurological diseases.
Psychological, sociocultural and economic coping strategies of mothers or female caregivers of children with a disability in Belu district, Indonesia

Caring for children with a disability can cause a range of psychological and socioeconomic challenges for parents and caregivers, such as anxiety, depression, inability to find affordable and appropriate childcare, loss of income and expenses related to disability specific treatment. As part of a study exploring the impacts of childhood disability on mothers or female caregivers and families, and the copy strategies they used, this paper describes strategies employed by mothers or female caregivers to cope with challenges associated with childhood disability within their family in Belu district, Indonesia. A qualitative approach using one-on-one in-depth interviews was used to collect data from participants (n = 22) who were recruited using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim and imported to NVivo 12 for analysis. A qualitative framework analysis was used to guide data analysis. The conceptual framework of coping strategies guided the conceptualisation and discussion of the findings. The findings showed that active psychological coping strategies, including cognitive or acceptance strategies, knowledge of both health condition and socio-academic related development of children with a disability, and family relationship and support, were used by the participants to cope with psychological challenges facing them. Self-reliance and religious/spiritual coping strategies were also utilised. Sociocultural strategies, such as social withdrawal or disengagement, professional support and culture-based support, were used by the participants to cope with social impacts, stigma, and discrimination associated with childhood disability. Participants also reported using financial strategies such as selling of family assets to cope with the economic challenges. The findings indicate the need for programs and interventions that address the needs of mothers and female caregivers and their families, to assist with effectively managing the significant challenges they face when caring for a child with a disability. Further studies are needed, with a larger number of participants and the inclusion of fathers or male caregivers, in order to better understand the broader coping experience of childhood disability impacts within families.
Seasonal variation in total and pollen‐specific immunoglobulin E levels in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey

Several small-scale studies limited to allergic patients have reported higher IgE sensitization rates or higher specific IgE (sIgE) level to pollens during or following the pollen season compared to out of pollen season 1-4 . However, to the best of our knowledge, such studies have not been conducted in larger, more representative populations. Evidence shows that climate change may lead to changes in the pollen seasons for both grass and birch (earlier start and higher counts) 5 but the likely impact of such changes on sensitisation to these pollens is unknown.
Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Trauma Among Young People Who Offend: A Systematic Literature Review

This systematic review synthesized current knowledge about the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among young people known to have offended and examined evidence of associations between ACEs, trauma symptoms, and offending behavior. A systematic search of English-language, peer-reviewed studies published from the year 2000 onwards was conducted. A final pool of 124 studies that reported quantitative data were included in the review. The Cambridge Quality Checklist for the assessment of studies on offending was used to assess methodological quality of included studies. Pooled data indicated that almost 87% of justice-involved young people across 13 countries experienced at least one traumatic event. The odds of experiencing at least one ACE were over 12 times greater for justice-involved young people compared with nonjustice-involved young people. Prevalence of individual ACEs ranged from 12.2% for childhood sexual abuse to 80.4% for parental separation among justice-involved young people. Those who reported both a higher number and multiple types of ACEs were more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress symptoms. However, when considering only high-quality studies, there was minimal evidence to suggest that a higher incidence of ACEs predicted trauma symptoms or that trauma symptoms mediated the association between ACEs and offending behavior. Further research is needed to elucidate factors that differentiate young people exposed to ACEs who go on to offend from those who do not. This research is essential to understanding whether ACEs and trauma are drivers of offending behavior and for informing prevention and intervention strategies.
Bacterial and archaeal lipids trace chemo(auto)trophy along the redoxcline in Vancouver Island fjords

Marine oxygen minimum zones play a crucial role in the global oceanic carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur cycles as they harbor microbial communities that are adapted to the water column chemistry and redox zonation, and in turn control the water column chemistry and greenhouse gas release. These micro‐organisms have metabolisms that rely on terminal electron acceptors other than O2 and often benefit from syntrophic relationships (metabolic coupling). Here, we study chemo(auto)trophy along the redoxcline in two stratified fjords on Vancouver Island (Canada) using bacterial bacteriohopanepolyols and archaeal ether lipids. We analyze the distribution of these lipid classes in suspended particulate matter (SPM) to trace ammonia oxidation, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox), sulfate reduction/sulfur oxidation, methanogenesis, and methane oxidation, and investigate ecological niches to evaluate potential links between their respective bacterial and archaeal sources. Our results show an unparalleled BHP and ether lipid structural diversity that allows tracing the major redox‐driven metabolic processes at the time of sampling: Both fjords are dominated by archaeal ammonia oxidation and anammox; sulfate‐reducing bacteria may be present in Deer Bay, but absent from Effingham Inlet; methanogenic Euryarchaeota and archaeal and bacterial methanotrophs are detectable at low abundance. Correlation analysis reveals distinct biomarker clusters that provide constraints on the biogeochemical niches of some orphan BHP and ether lipids such as in situ‐produced adenosyl‐BHPs or unsaturated archaeols.
Effectiveness and safety of Bifidobacterium in preventing dental caries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objectives The effectiveness and safety of Bifidobacterium in dental caries prevention are controversial. Thus, we performed this systematic review and meta-analysis to explore the preventive value of Bifidobacterium. Methods Eligible studies were identified from several databases, including PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus. Hand searches were also conducted in relevant bibliographies. We then extracted and pooled standardized mean difference (SMD) and risk ratio (RR) to analyze the anti-caries effect of Bifidobacterium with Stata 16.0 software. If the data obtained was not suitable for meta-analysis, qualitative descriptions were performed. Results Compared with the placebo control group, there was no statistically significant reduction in Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacilli counts in saliva in the test group. Also, there were no significant differences in Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus counts in dental plaque and no significant difference in caries incidence in deciduous teeth. There was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the Bifidobacterium and control groups. Conclusions Available evidence demonstrates that Bifidobacterium is neither effective in reducing Streptococcus mutans and Lactobacillus counts in the saliva or dental plaque nor in reducing the occurrence of caries in deciduous teeth. Evaluation of its safety requires further investigations. Therefore, Bifidobacterium is not a competent probiotic candidate to prevent dental caries.
MEDLINE search retrieval issues: A longitudinal query analysis of five vendor platforms

This study compared the results of data collected from a longitudinal query analysis of the MEDLINE database hosted on multiple platforms that include PubMed, EBSCOHost, Ovid, ProQuest, and Web of Science. The goal was to identify variations among the search results on the platforms after controlling for search query syntax. We devised twenty-nine cases of search queries comprised of five semantically equivalent queries per case to search against the five MEDLINE database platforms. We ran our queries monthly for a year and collected search result count data to observe changes. We found that search results varied considerably depending on MEDLINE platform. Reasons for variations were due to trends in scholarly publication such as publishing individual papers online first versus complete issues. Some other reasons were metadata differences in bibliographic records; differences in the levels of specificity of search fields provided by the platforms and large fluctuations in monthly search results based on the same query. Database integrity and currency issues were observed as each platform updated its MEDLINE data throughout the year. Specific biomedical bibliographic databases are used to inform clinical decision-making, create systematic reviews, and construct knowledge bases for clinical decision support systems. They serve as essential information retrieval and discovery tools to help identify and collect research data and are used in a broad range of fields and as the basis of multiple research designs. This study should help clinicians, researchers, librarians, informationists, and others understand how these platforms differ and inform future work in their standardization.
Coronavirus Pandemic Clinical characteristics and outcomes of COVID-19: Experience at a major tertiary care center in Pakistan

Introduction: Limited data exist on clinical characteristics and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients in low-middle income countries. We aimed to describe the clinical spectrum and outcomes of hospitalized COVID-19 patients at a tertiary-care center in Karachi, Pakistan. Methodology: We conducted an observational study of adult COVID-19 patients hospitalized between February-June 2020. Patients with a discharge diagnosis of COVID-19 and PCR positivity were included. We created logistic regression models to understand association of clinical characteristics with illness severity and in-hospital mortality. Results: The study population comprised 445 patients [67% males, median age 53 (IQR 40-64) years]. Majority of patients (N = 268; 60%) had ≥ 1 co-morbid [37.5% hypertension, 36.4% diabetes]. In-hospital mortality was 13%. Age ≥ 60 (aOR] =1.92; 95 %CI = 1.23-3.03), shortness of breath (aOR=4.43; 95% CI=2.73-7.22), CRP ≥150mg/L (aOR:1.77; 95% CI=1.09-2.85), LDH ≥ 500 I.U/L (aOR:1.98; 95% CI=1.25-3.16), Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥5 (aOR:2.80; 95%CI = 1.77-4.42) and increase in serum creatinine (aOR:1.32; 95%CI=1.07-1.61) were independently associated with disease severity. Septic shock (aOR: 13.27; 95% CI=3.78-46.65), age ≥ 60 (aOR: 3.26; 95% CI=1.07-9.89), Ferritin ≥ 1500ng/ml (aOR: 3.78; 95% CI=1.21-11.8), NLR ≥ 5 (aOR: 4.04; 95% CI=1.14-14.35) and acute kidney injury (aOR: 5.52; 95% CI=1.78-17.06) were independent predictors of in-hospital mortality. Conclusions: We found multiple predictors to be independently associated with in-hospital mortality, except diabetes and gender. Compared to reports from other countries, the in-hospital mortality among COVID-19 patients was lower, despite a high burden of co-morbidities. Further research is required to explore reasons behind this dichotomy.
Hospital Partnerships for Population Health: A Systematic Review of the Literature

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The U.S. healthcare system continues to experience high costs and suboptimal health outcomes that are largely influenced by social determinants of health. National policies such as the Affordable Care Act and value-based payment reforms incentivize healthcare systems to engage in strategies to improve population health. Healthcare systems are increasingly expanding or developing new partnerships with community-based organizations to support these efforts. We conducted a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature in the United States to identify examples of hospital–community partnerships; the main purposes or goals of partnerships; study designs used to assess partnerships; and potential outcomes (e.g., process- or health-related) associated with partnerships. Using robust keyword searches and a thorough reference review, we identified 37 articles published between January 2008 and December 2019 for inclusion. Most studies employed descriptive study designs (n = 21); health needs assessments were the most common partnership focus (n = 15); and community/social service (n = 21) and public health organizations (n = 15) were the most common partner types. Qualitative findings suggest hospital–community partnerships hold promise for breaking down silos, improving communication across sectors, and ensuring appropriate interventions for specific populations. Few studies in this review reported quantitative findings. In those that did, results were mixed, with the strongest support for improvements in measures of hospitalizations. This review provides an initial synthesis of hospital partnerships to address population health and presents valuable insights to hospital administrators, particularly those leading population health efforts.
A Retrospective Study of Cutaneous and Visceral Leishmaniasis in Istanbul, Turkey.

INTRODUCTION Leishmaniasis is a vector-borne disease caused by flagellated protozoans of the genus Leishmania. This study aimed to evaluate the epidemiological status of Visceral Leishmaniasis (VL) and Cutaneous Leishmaniasis (CL) among patients admitted to a university hospital in Istanbul, located in western Turkey. METHODOLOGY This study included 160 and 77 patients with a pre-diagnosis of VL and CL, respectively, between January 2001 and December 2017. Detailed demographic data, including age, gender, nationality and the number and location of lesions were collected and recorded from the patient registries. RESULTS Among 160 bone marrow specimens that suspected as VL, 22 (13.7%) of the specimens that were evaluated with both culture and Giemsa staining detected as positive. Furthermore, 29 (37.7%) of the 77 patients suspected for CL showed evidence of Leishmania. CONCLUSIONS The increase in human immigration from neighbouring countries (with a high incidence of leishmaniasis) to Turkey might increase the risk of spreading the disease. This situation could result in a higher prevalence in metropolitan cities like Istanbul, where the country's population is concentrated.
Antiphospholipid antibodies in COVID-19: a meta-analysis and systematic review

Background Many studies reported high prevalence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL) in patients with COVID-19 raising questions about its true prevalence and its clinical impact on the disease course. Methods We conducted a meta-analysis and a systematic review to examine the prevalence of aPL and its clinical impact in patients with COVID-19. Results 21 studies with a total of 1159 patients were included in our meta-analysis. Among patients hospitalised with COVID-19, the pooled prevalence rate of one or more aPL (IgM or IgG or IgA of anticardiolipin (aCL) or anti-ß2 glycoprotein (anti-ß2 GPI) or antiphosphatidylserine/prothrombin, or lupus anticoagulant (LA)) was 46.8% (95% CI 36.1% to 57.8%). The most frequent type of aPL found was LA, with pooled prevalence rate of 50.7% (95% CI 34.8% to 66.5%). Critically ill patients with COVID-19 had significantly higher prevalence of aCL (IgM or IgG) (28.8% vs 7.10%, p<0.0001) and anti-ß2 GPI (IgM or IgG) (12.0% vs 5.8%, p<0.0001) as compared with non-critically ill patients. However, there was no association between aPL positivity and mean levels of C reactive protein (mean difference was 32 (95% CI −15 to 79), p=0.18), D-dimer (mean difference was 34 (95% CI −194 to 273), p=0.77), mortality (1.46 (95% CI 0.29 to 7.29), p=0.65), invasive ventilation (1.22 (95% CI 0.51 to 2.91), p=0.65) and venous thromboembolism (1.38 (95% CI 0.57 to 3.37), p=0.48). Conclusions aPLs were detected in nearly half of patients with COVID-19, and higher prevalence of aPL was found in severe disease. However, there was no association between aPL positivity and disease outcomes including thrombosis, invasive ventilation and mortality. However, further studies are required to identify the clinical and pathological role of aPL in COVID-19.
Microreactors for industrial multi-phase applications : Test reactions to develop innovative glass microstructure designs

Development of novel glass microstructures for use in microreactors dedicated to production of chemicals is presented. The performance of four of these microstructures is assessed for multi-phase flow applications. Mass transfer for non miscible liquids has been measured using the Schotten-Baumann reaction with significant improvement in conversion for one of the design over small lab batch vessel result. Also for non miscible liquids, precipitation of polystyrene nanoparticles showed a good control of particle size distribution in another design. Compliance to flow gel like solids with these designs is evaluated with a dedicated test where copper hydroxide is formed and flown through the microstructures. Finally, specific surface of one design is presented for gas-liquid mixtures. The reported designs have been implemented successfully in reactors in multi-phase flow applications.
Assessment and emotion in higher education: the allure of blogging

ABSTRACT This paper explores the emotional responses that assessment can provoke in undergraduate students. The literature on the link between emotions and learning is well established, with an emphasis on confidence and anxiety, but there is surprisingly little research on the relationship between emotions and innovative assessment practices. This article aims to make a contribution to these debates by looking at courses where students were assessed through blogging, an assessment strategy that was new and unfamiliar to all of them. Focus groups were undertaken with students on four courses at the University of Edinburgh. The data from the focus groups identified positive emotional responses to blogging with students outlining how it was a way to enhance engagement because of the enjoyment it brought them. Blogging also evoked negative emotions, with respondents detailing how a new assessment method initially engendered feelings of unease and anxiety. Our analysis indicates that it is important to pay attention to the wider emotional landscape of assessment strategies. Students compared the allure and appeal of blogging, despite its unknowns and uncertainties, with the often negative feelings they had about being assessed using more conventional means such as essays and examinations.
Oil and BRIC Stock Markets before and after COVID-19: A Local Gaussian Correlation Approach

ABSTRACT This paper investigates interdependence and contagion between oil and BRIC stock markets before and after COVID-19. We used a local Gaussian correlation approach to identify the asymmetric relationship and a bootstrap method to test contagion. The empirical results show that, except for China, the linkages between the crude oil markets and BRIC stock markets significantly increased in crashing markets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Contagion is identified from crude oil markets to the Indian stock market, and from West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures to the Russian stock market.