Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Meibomian Gland Morphology Among Patients Presenting for Refractive Surgery Evaluation

Purpose To report the prevalence of meibomian gland atrophy and gland tortuosity in patients presenting for refractive surgery evaluation. Methods Cross-sectional study of consecutive patients presenting for refractive surgery evaluation at the Duke Eye Center from December 2018 through January 2020. All patients underwent clinical examination and meibography imaging (Lippiview II, Johnson and Johnson Vision, CA) of the lower eyelids bilaterally. Images were graded by a masked rater using a previously validated 5-point meiboscale (0–4) for gland atrophy and 3-point scale for gland tortuosity (0–2). Lipid layer thickness and partial blinks were also recorded. Results One hundred and twenty patients (49 male) aged 21 to 62 years (mean 35.2 ± 9.2 years) were reviewed. The mean meiboscale was 1.1 ± 1.0 and the mean tortuosity score was 1.0 ± 0.7. Among all patients, 72.5% (n = 87) had any evidence of meibomian gland atrophy (meiboscale >0) and 69.2% (n = 83) had any evidence of meibomian gland tortuosity (tortuosity grade ≥1). The majority of patients (n = 52) with gland atrophy had mild gland atrophy (meiboscale = 1). The mean meiboscale was 0.89 ±0.79 and 1.38 ±1.07 for those <35 years and >/= 35 years old, respectively (p = 0.01). There was a moderate positive relationship between meiboscale and tortuosity (Spearman’s rho 0.3829, p <0.001). Conclusion Meibomian gland atrophy is a common occurrence in patients presenting for refractive surgery evaluation. Clinicians should consider incorporating meibography as part of refractive surgery evaluation, and proactively treat meibomian gland disease given the known association between meibomian gland dysfunction, dry eye disease, and the potential for suboptimal post-operative outcomes.
EDTA-K2 Improves the Detection Sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG Antibodies by Chelating Colloidal Gold in the Immunochromatographic Assay

Objective The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is now rapidly spreading globally. Serological tests are an important method to assist in the diagnosis of COVID-19, used for epidemiological investigations. In this study, we aimed to investigate the impact of different types of vacuum collection tubes on the detection of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies, using the colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (GICA). Patients and Methods A total of 112 patients with COVID-19 and 200 healthy control subjects with no infection were enrolled in this study. Their serum and plasma were collected into four different types of vacuum blood collection tubes. SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG specific antibodies in the plasma and serum were then detected by GICA and chemiluminescence assay (CA), respectively. In addition, the particle sizes of different colloidal gold solutions in the presence of different anticoagulants and coagulants were evaluated by both laser diffraction (Malvern) and confocal laser microscope, respectively. Results Our results revealed that anticoagulated plasma with EDTA-K2 improved the positive detection rate of SARS-CoV-2 IgM antibodies. Furthermore, our results shown that the detection results by GICA and CA were highly consistent, especially, the results of EDTA-K2 anticoagulated plasma detected by GICA was more consistent with CA results. We confirmed that EDTA-K2 could improve the detection sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 IgG antibodies by chelating excessive colloidal gold compared with sodium citrate or lithium heparin, these methodologies did not appear to cause false positives. Colloidal gold particles could be chelated and aggregated by EDTA-K2, but not by sodium citrate, lithium heparin and coagulants. Conclusion GICA is widely used to detect antibodies for the advantages of convenient, fast, low cost, suitable for screening large sample and require minimal equipment. In this study, we found that EDTA-K2 amplified the positive antibody signal by chelating colloidal gold and improved the detection sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG antibodies when using the GICA. Therefore, we suggested that EDTA-K2 anticoagulated plasma was more suitable for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Genetic Polymorphism Effect on Warfarin–Rifampin Interaction: A Case Report and Review of Literature

Abstract Warfarin–rifampin interaction has been reported since the 1970s. Due to rifampin’s strong induction of CYP2C9, most cases could not attain the target international normalized ratio (INR) despite warfarin dose escalation. Genetic polymorphisms determine up to 50% of warfarin dose variability. A 38-year-old woman was started on warfarin and rifampin for cerebral venous sinus thrombosis and pulmonary tuberculosis. Over six weeks, the daily warfarin dose was increased from 3 to 10 mg to attain three consecutive in-clinic therapeutic INRs. She completed three complications-free months of warfarin treatment with time in therapeutic range (TTR) of 46%. We performed retrospective genetic testing to determine the patient’s CYP2C9, CYP4F2, and VKORC1 genotypes and whether they had affected the interaction outcome. The analysis revealed that the subject carries CYP2C9*3*3 and VKORC1-1639 (GA) mutations, classifying her as a slow metabolizer and, hence, highly warfarin-sensitive. This was reflected on how the case responded to a relatively lower dose than previously reported cases that did not achieve the target on warfarin daily doses up to 35 mg. This is the first report addressing the genotype effect on this interaction. Patients with genetic variants requiring low warfarin doses are more likely to respond at a feasible dose while on rifampin. Future studies to evaluate warfarin–rifampin-gene interaction are warranted.
Association of Metabolic Obesity Phenotypes and Total Testosterone in Chinese Male Population

Objective Obesity and metabolic syndrome have been reported to exert an impact on the male reproductive system with decreasing levels of serum total testosterone (TT); however, the effect of different metabolic obesity phenotypes on testosterone has been poorly studied. We aimed to evaluate the association of metabolic obesity phenotypes and total testosterone levels in a Chinese male population. Methods We performed a retrospective study based on an epidemiological investigation, a total of 4,081 male individuals aged from 40–75 years old were recruited. The population was classified as metabolically healthy normal weight (MHNW), metabolically healthy overweight/obese (MHO), metabolically unhealthy normal weight (MUNW), and metabolically unhealthy overweight/obese (MUO) according to normal weight (BMI<25.0) and overweight/obesity (BMI≥25.0) with or without metabolic syndrome. Results We collected 563 hypotestosteronemia among 4,081 male individuals. The odds ratios (ORs) (95% CIs) of hypotestosteronemia in obesity and metabolic syndrome were 3.072 (2.414–3.911) and 3.294 (2.631–4.125), respectively, after adjusting for age, luteinizing hormone, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. Compared to the MHNW group, male subjects in MHO, MUNW, and MUO groups had decreased serum TT levels. Additionally, the MUO group had a lowest concentration of serum TT and a highest proportion of hypotestosteronemia. There was no significant difference of TT levels between the MHO and MUNW groups. Conclusion Obesity and metabolic syndrome are independent risk factors of hypotestosteronemia in Chinese male populations. Our study also suggested that individuals with MHO, MUNW, and MUO have a higher risk of developing hypotestosteronemia.
Effects of Antipsychotics on Arrhythmogenic Parameters in Schizophrenia Patients: Beyond Corrected QT Interval

Purpose: Antipsychotic drugs have been implicated as risk factors for QT prolongation, which is a predictor of sudden cardiac death. However, the QT interval is considered an imperfect marker for proarrhythmic risk. Recently, improved methods, namely, QT dispersion (QTD), QTD ratio (QTDR), T wave peak-to-end interval (Tp-e), Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio, have been regarded as proarrhythmic risk markers. We attempted to reevaluate the risk of sudden cardiac death due to antipsychotics use by measuring these improved evaluation methods. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively evaluated QTc, QTD, QTDR, Tp-e, Tp-e/QT ratio and Tp-e/QTc ratio from the medical records of 410 patients with schizophrenia diagnosed by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition, Text Revision, or 5th Edition. Information on drugs administered was obtained from medical records. We investigated the correlation between each index on ECG and medication, such as antipsychotics, prescribed to participants with linear regression analysis. We also compared each index between 235 healthy controls and 235 patients matched for age and sex. Results: Positive correlations between QTc and levomepromazine and brexpiprazole were identified. Levomepromazine and lithium were positively correlated with QTD. Levomepromazine, quetiapine, asenapine, clozapine and carbamazepine were positively correlated with QTDR. Levomepromazine, olanzapine, brexpiprazole and lithium were positively correlated with Tp-e. Olanzapine, brexpiprazole and lithium were positively correlated with the Tp-e/QT ratio. Olanzapine, brexpiprazole and lithium were positively correlated with Tp-e/QTc ratio. Significant differences in all indexes were noted between the patients and healthy controls. Conclusion: According to our results, the prediction of the risk of sudden cardiac death by each index was inconsistent. We should evaluate the predictive factor of ventricular arrhythmia according to various electrocardiogram indexes because QTc alone could not identify the risk of sudden cardiac death.
Remanenzverhalten und Wechselwirkungen in hartmagnetischen Teilchenkollektiven

An hartmagnetischen Cu—Ni—Fe-Legierungen wurde das Remanenzverhalten nach dem ersten Anlassen, einer Kaltverformung und dem Schlusanlassen untersucht. Durch Vergleich der Wechsel-, Gegen- und Gleichfeldremanenz ist der Zustand erkennbar, wo das pauschale Wechselwirkungsfeld Null ist. Die anhysteretische Suszeptibilitat gibt Hinweise uber die Art der Wechselwirkung. Mit zunehmender Aushartung gehen die positiven Wechselwirkungsfelder in negative uber. Eine Kaltverformung verursacht einen gegenlaufigen Ubergang. The remanent behaviour of hard magnetic Cu—Ni—Fe alloys is investigated after the first heat treatment, cold work and final heat treatment. By comparison of the a. c. , reverse, and d. c. field remanence a state with zero interaction field is observed. The anhysteretic susceptibility gives an indication of the type of interaction. With increasing degree of hardening the positive interaction fields transform into negative fields, whereas the inverse transition is induced by cold work.
Gram-Negative Bacteria Isolates and Their Antibiotic-Resistance Patterns in Patients with Wound Infection in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Antibiotic resistance (ABR) restricts the armamentarium of health-care providers against infectious diseases due to the emergence of multidrug resistance (MDR), especially in Gram-negative bacteria. This study aimed to determine pooled estimates of Gram-negative bacteria, their resistance profiles, and rates of MDR in patients with wound infection in Ethiopia. Methods Electronic databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, EMBASE, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched. Original articles, available online from 1988 to 2020, addressing the prevalence and resistance patterns of Gram-negative bacteria in patients with wound infection and written in English were screened. The data were extracted using a format prepared in Microsoft Excel and exported to STATA 14.0 for the outcome analyses. Results The data of 15,647 wound samples, from 36 studies conducted in 5 regions of the country, were pooled. The overall pooled estimate of Gram-negative bacteria was 59% [95% CI: 52–65%, I2 = 96.41%, p < 0.001]. The pooled estimate of Escherichia colirecovered from isolates of 5205 wound samples was 17% [95% CI: 14–20%], followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 11% [95% CI: 9–14%], Klebsiella pneumonia, 11% [95% CI: 9–13%], Proteus mirabilis, 8% [95% CI: 6–10%], Acinetobacter species, 4% [95% CI: 2–6%], Enterobacter species, 4% [95% CI: 3–5%], and Citrobacter species, 3% [95% CI: 2–4%]. Multidrug resistance prevalence estimates of E. coli, K. pneumonia, P. aeruginosa, P. mirabilis, Citrobacter species, Enterobacter species and Acinetobacter species were 76% [95% CI: 66–86%], 84% [95% CI: 78–91%], 66% [95% CI:43–88%], 83% [95% CI:75–91%], 87% [95% CI:78–96%], 68% [95% CI:50–87%] and 71% [95% CI:46–96%], respectively. Conclusion There was high resistance in Gram-negative bacteria from wound specimens to commonly used antibiotics in Ethiopia. The data warrant the need of regular epidemiological surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and implementation of an efficient infection control program.
Protocol for an open label: phase I trial within a cohort of foetal cell transplants in people with Huntington’s disease

Abstract Huntington’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor, cognitive and psychiatric symptoms. Currently, no disease-modifying therapies are available to slow or halt disease progression. Huntington’s disease is characterized by relatively focal and specific loss of striatal medium spiny neurons, which makes it suitable for cell-replacement therapy, a process involving the transplantation of donor cells to replace those lost due to disease. TRIal DEsigns for delivery of Novel Therapies in neurodegeneration is a phase I Trial Within a Cohort designed to assess safety and feasibility of transplanting human foetal striatal cells into the striatum of people with Huntington’s disease. A minimum of 18 participants will be enrolled in the study cohort, and up to five eligible participants will be randomly selected to undergo transplantation of 12–22 million foetal cells in a dose escalation paradigm. Independent reviewers will assess safety outcomes (lack of significant infection, bleeding or new neurological deficit) 4 weeks after surgery, and ongoing safety will be established before conducting each subsequent surgery. All participants will undergo detailed clinical and functional assessment at baseline (6 and 12 months). Surgery will be performed 1 month after baseline, and transplant participants will undergo regular clinical follow-up for at least 12 months. Evaluation of trial processes will also be undertaken. Transplant participants and their carers will be interviewed ∼1 month before and after surgery. Interviews will also be conducted with non-transplanted participants and healthcare staff delivering the intervention and involved in the clinical care of participants. Evaluation of clinical and functional efficacy outcomes and intervention costs will be carried out to explore plausible trial designs for subsequent randomized controlled trials aimed at evaluating efficacy and cost-effectiveness of cell-replacement therapy. TRIal DEsigns for delivery of Novel Therapies in neurodegeneration will enable the assessment of the safety, feasibility, acceptability and cost of foetal cell transplants in people with Huntington’s disease. The data collected will inform trial designs for complex intra-cranial interventions in a range of neurodegenerative conditions and facilitate the development of stable surgical pipelines for delivery of future stem cell trials. Trial Registration: ISRCTN52651778
Interaction of aliphatic acids and alcohols with aluminum surfaces

The present work examines the interaction of propanoic acid and 1‐propanol, 1‐butanol, 1‐ethanol, and 1‐hexanol with clean, oxidized, and anodized aluminum to identify the nature of the chemical bond on these surfaces. The investigations were carried out by x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, at temperatures ranging from ∼20 to 500 °C. Initially at room temperature, chemisorbed acid molecules break up on clean Al, leading to attachment of aliphatic chain fragments to the surface via carbon atoms. As adsorption continues, acid molecules react with Al via the functional group to oxidize the surface. In contrast, aliphatic alcohols chemisorb on clean Al via the functional group alone. At elevated temperatures, the acid and alcohols dissociate on the clean surface along similar reaction paths. On oxidized and anodized surfaces, the acid and alcohols chemisorb via the functional group and desorb at elevated temperatures without molecular dissociation.
Effect of counter-ion on the thermotropic liquid crystal behaviour of bis(alkyl)-tris(imidazolium salt) compounds

Recently, new thermotropic ionic liquid crystals (LCs) with a hexyl-linked tris(imidazolium bromide) core and two terminal alkyl chains were synthesised and characterised. To explore the effect of different counter-ions on the LC behaviour of this system, derivatives with BF4− and Tf2N− counter-ions were prepared and analysed. Five of the BF4− derivatives were found to exhibit thermotropic LC behaviour. The 12-, 14- and 16-carbon tail BF4− compounds form SmA phases. The 18- and 20-carbon tail homologues form what appears to be a smectic phase but are weakly mesogenic and harder to characterise. Only two of the Tf2N− derivatives exhibited mesogenic behaviour. The 18-carbon tail Tf2N− compound forms an as-yet unidentified, highly periodic smectic phase with positional order while the 20-carbon tail homologue forms a periodic SmA phase. The Tf2N− mesogens have much lower clearing points even though their LC phases have more order than the Br− and BF4− mesogens. X-ray diffraction showed that these mesogens have different amounts of tail interdigitation between the smectic layers depending on the counter-ion present. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations indicated that counter-ion size plays an important role in defining the density of the ionic region, which in turn affects the amount of interdigitation in the smectic phases.
Nitrogen adsorption in carbon aerogels: A molecular simulation study

We present a molecular model for carbon aerogel in which the mesopore space is represented by carbon spheres in a connected network. This matrix was prepared by first generating a random close-packed structure of slightly overlapping spheres, followed by removal of spheres to match the targeted porosity, while maintaining connectivity. The spheres were then replaced by a model microporous carbon generated by applying the Reverse Monte Carlo method to fit the experimental carbon radial distribution function, g(r), obtained by X-ray diffraction. The resulting model aerogel had a surface area, porosity, and pore size distribution that closely matches that of the experimental material. We used a parallelized Grand Canonical Monte Carlo algorithm to study nitrogen adsorption in this model aerogel. The resulting adsorption isotherm shows satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. Adsorption occurred in the micropores at very low pressure, followed by adsorption in the mesopores, with capillary conden.
Ultrarapid Endoscopic-Aided Hematoma Evacuation in Patients with Thalamic Hemorrhage

Thalamic hemorrhage bears the worst outcome among supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Minimally invasive endoscopic-aided surgery (MIS) has been proved to be safe and effective in evacuating ICH. However, the ideal timing of MIS is still a controversy. In this study, we present our experience in the treatment of patients with thalamic hemorrhage by ultrarapid MIS evacuation. This retrospective analysis enrolled seven patients treated with ultrarapid MIS evacuation of thalamic hemorrhage. Seven patients treated with EVD with similar ICH score were included as match control. Primary endpoints included rebleeding, morbidity, and mortality. Hematoma evacuation rate was evaluated by comparing the pre- and postoperative computed tomography (CT) scans. Glasgow Outcome Scale Extended (GOSE) and modified Rankin Score (mRS) were noted at the 6-month and 1-year postoperative follow-up. Among the seven patients, six were accompanied with intraventricular hemorrhage. All patients received surgery within 6 hours after the onset of stroke. The mean hematoma volume was 35 mL, and the mean operative time was 116.4 minutes. The median hematoma evacuation rate was 74.9%. There was no rebleeding or death reported after the surgery. The median GOSE and mRS were 3 and 5, respectively, at 6 months postoperatively. Further, 1-year postoperative median GOSE and mRS were 3 and 5, respectively. The data suggest that the ultrarapid MIS technique is a safe and effective way in the management of selected cases with thalamic hemorrhage, with favorable long-term functional outcomes. However, a large, prospective, randomized-controlled trial is needed to confirm these findings.
Does High Public Trust Amplify Compliance with Stringent COVID-19 Government Health Guidelines? A Multi-country Analysis Using Data from 102,627 Individuals

Purpose To examine how public trust mediates the people’s adherence to levels of stringent government health policies and to establish if these effects vary across the political regimes. Methods This study utilizes data from two large-scale surveys: the global behaviors and perceptions at the onset of COVID-19 pandemic and the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker (OxCGRT). Linear regression models were used to estimate the effects of public trust and strictness of restriction measures on people’s compliance level. The model accounted for individual and daily variations in country-level stringency of preventative measures. Differences in the dynamics between public trust, the stringent level of government health guidelines and policy compliance were also examined among countries based on political regimes. Results We find strong evidence of the increase in compliance due to the imposition of stricter government restrictions. The examination of heterogeneous effects suggests that high public trust in government and the perception of its truthfulness double the impact of policy restrictions on public compliance. Among political regimes, higher levels of public trust significantly increase the predicted compliance as stringency level rises in authoritarian and democratic countries. Conclusion This study highlights the importance of public trust in government and its institutions during public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results are relevant and help understand why governments need to address the risks of non-compliance among low trusting individuals to achieve the success of the containment policies.
Gamma Oscillations Facilitate Effective Learning in Excitatory-Inhibitory Balanced Neural Circuits

Gamma oscillation in neural circuits is believed to associate with effective learning in the brain, while the underlying mechanism is unclear. This paper aims to study how spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), a typical mechanism of learning, with its interaction with gamma oscillation in neural circuits, shapes the network dynamics properties and the network structure formation. We study an excitatory-inhibitory (E-I) integrate-and-fire neuronal network with triplet STDP, heterosynaptic plasticity, and a transmitter-induced plasticity. Our results show that the performance of plasticity is diverse in different synchronization levels. We find that gamma oscillation is beneficial to synaptic potentiation among stimulated neurons by forming a special network structure where the sum of excitatory input synaptic strength is correlated with the sum of inhibitory input synaptic strength. The circuit can maintain E-I balanced input on average, whereas the balance is temporal broken during the learning-induced oscillations. Our study reveals a potential mechanism about the benefits of gamma oscillation on learning in biological neural circuits.