Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of testing procedures on gait speed measurement: A systematic review

Background Although gait speed is a widely used measure in older people, testing methods are highly variable. We conducted a systematic review to investigate the influence of testing procedures on resulting gait speed. Methods We followed the PRISMA checklist for this systematic review. Two independent reviewers screened Pubmed and Embase for publications on pairwise comparisons of testing procedures of usual gait speed. Descriptives were abstracted from the included publications using a predefined extraction tool by two independent reviewers. We defined the cut-off for the minimal clinically imporant diffence in gait speed as 0.1 m/sec. Results Of a total of 2109 records identified for screening, 29 reports on 53 pairwise comparisons were analyzed. The median (range) difference in gait speed for dynamic versus static start was 0.06 (-0.02 to 0.35) m/sec (14 reports); for longer versus shorter test distance 0.04 (-0.05 to 0.23) m/sec (14 reports); for automatic versus manual timing 0.00 (-0.05 to 0.07) m/sec (12 reports), for hard versus soft surfaces -0.11 (-0.18 to 0.08) m/sec (six reports), and electronic walkways versus usual walk test 0.04 (-0.08 to 0.14) m/sec (seven reports), respectively. No report compared the effect of finishing procedures. Conclusions The type of starting procedure, the length of the test distance, and the surface of the walkway may have a clinically relevant impact on measured gait speed. Manual timing resulted in statistically significant differences of measured gait speed as compared to automatic timing, but was below the level of clinical importance. These results emphasize that it is key to use a strictly standardized method for obtaining a reliable and valid measurement of gait speed.
Pharmacological exploration of traditional plants for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is clinically characterized as memory deficits, altered behavior and impaired cognitive functions. The most important risk factor for AD is aging and mounting. Evidences suggested in different studies that traditionally used plants in Asia, China, and Europe significantly affect aging and AD involved neurodegeneration pathways. Research into ethnobotanicals for impaired memory and cognition has been burgeoned in last decades. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the plant selection were based on reputed herbs recommended for treatment of neurological disorders and their scientific validation to cure neurodegenerative disorders. A range of traditional plants imparts effects via acetylcholinesterase activity, β‐amyloid peptide formation in plaques, neurotrophic factors and through antioxidant activity. On one side preclinical investigations identified promising drug candidates for AD, on the other side, clinical evidences are still pending. Presently, according to WHO, around more than 80% world population relay on natural remedies to cure their health related issues. Plants contain rich source of primary and secondary metabolites for improving health problems. Pharmaceutical industry is facing intriguing challenges like elevated cost and unendurable risk management due to the high burden of neurodegenerative disorders. A significant shift of drug discovery is being witnessed from synthetic moieties to herbal formulation.
Effects of kaempferol‐3‐O‐rutinoside on rat blood pressure

Two flavonoids, kaempferol‐3‐O‐rutinoside and rutin, were tested on normotensive pentothal anaesthetized rats for cardiovascular activities. Kaempferol‐3‐O‐rutinoside showed a remarkable decrease in systolic, diastolic, mean arterial blood pressure and heart rate, whereas rutin displayed no effect on any of the above mentioned parameters.
Moderate Pressure Stabilized Pentazolate Cyclo-N5- Anion in Zn(N5)2 Salt.

Stabilization of the pentazole anion only by acidic circumstances entrapment impedes the realization of a full-nitrogen substance; however, compression of nitrogen-rich nitrides has been recommend as an alternative way that has more controllable advantages to acquire the atomic nitrogen states. Through the structure searches are in conjunction with first-principle calculations, moderate pressure stabilized nitrogen-rich zinc nitrides with abundant extended nitrogen structures, e.g., cyclo-N5, infinite -(N4)n- chains, three-point stars N(N3), and N2 dumbbells, are predicted. The resonance between alternating σ bonds and π bonds in poly nitrogen sublattices takes charge of the coexistence of single and double bonds. The Zn(N5)2 salt has a noteworthy energy density (6.57 kJ/g) among the reported binary metal nitrides and synthesized pentazolate hydrates. An excellent Vicker's hardness (34 GPa) and detonation performance is unraveled. Although Zn(N5)2 salt is not expected to be recoverable at ambient conditions, it is worth noting that Zn(N5)2 is found to be stable at a very low pressure of ∼30 GPa, which is only half of those pressures required to synthesize CsN5. We clarified that the metal-centering octahedral pentazolate framework was entrapped by dual ionic-covalent bonds. More importantly, the covalent bonding can effectively enhance the chemical insensitivity and thermal stability, further preventing the autodecomposition of monatomic solid N5- anions into dinitrogen. Meanwhile, a unique topological pseudogap that attached to a metastable phase of ZnN4 salt is exposed for the first time, due to the dual effects of strong covalent sp2 hybridization interaction and the origin of ionic states.
Correlation between peripheral blood inflammatory indicators and pathologic complete response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in locally advanced breast cancer patients

Abstract The immune system plays a fundamental role in the response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) of locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) patients. Patients with pathological complete response (pCR) after NAC have a higher survival rate. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) are peripheral blood indicators of inflammatory response. This investigates the correlation between NLR, PLR, LMR, and other clinicopathological features of breast cancer patients before receiving NAC and pCR. Data of LABC patients who underwent NAC between 2009 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Each patient's peripheral complete blood count was recorded before starting NAC. The cut-off values for neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets in the peripheral blood and NLR, PLR, and LMR were determined by receiver operating characteristic curve analyses. The records of 131 patients were analyzed and divided into two groups, pCR (+ve) and pCR (−ve), and their clinicopathological features and laboratory findings were compared. pCR was achieved in 23.6% of patients. The cut-off values of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, and platelets at the time of diagnosis and NLR, PLR, and LMR were, respectively, 4150 μL, 2000 μL, 635 μL, 271 × 103 μL, 1.95, 119, and 3.35. The pCR rate was higher in patients with low neutrophil count, low NLR, and high lymphocyte count (P = .002, <.001, and .040, respectively). As per the findings of multivariate logistic regression analysis, the independent predictive factors of pCR were clinical tumor size T1 and T2, grade 3, ER negativity, and low NLR (P = .015, .001, .020, .022, and .001, respectively). While NLR was found to be an independent predictive factor of pCR in LABC patients receiving NAC, a similar result was not observed for PLR and LMR. NLR can be a useful biomarker for predicting the response of patients receiving NAC.
Complexity analysis and dynamic characteristics of EEG using MODWT based entropies for identification of seizure onset

In this paper, complexity analysis and dynamic characteristics of electroencephalogram (EEG) signal based on maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT) has been exploited for the identification of seizure onset. Since wavelet-based studies were well suited for classification of normal and epileptic seizure EEG, we have applied MODWT which is an improved version of discrete wavelet transform (DWT). The selection of optimal wavelet sub-band and features plays a crucial role to understand the brain dynamics in epileptic patients. Therefore, we have investigated MODWT using four different wavelets, namely Haar, Coif4, Dmey, and Sym4 sub-bands until seven levels. Further, we have explored the potentials of six entropies, namely sigmoid, Shannon, wavelet, Renyi, Tsallis, and Steins unbiased risk estimator (SURE) entropies in each sub-band. The sigmoid entropy extracted from Haar wavelet in sub-band D4 showed the highest accuracy of 98.44% using support vector machine classifier for the EEG collected from Ramaiah Medical College and Hospitals (RMCH). Further, the highest accuracy of 100% and 94.51% was achieved for the University of Bonn (UBonn) and CHB-MIT databases respectively. The findings of the study showed that Haar and Dmey wavelets were found to be computationally economical and expensive respectively. Besides, in terms of dynamic characteristics, MODWT results revealed that the highest energy present in sub-bands D2, D3, and D4 and entropies in those respective sub-bands outperformed other entropies in terms of classification results for RMCH database. Similarly, using all the entropies, sub-bands D5 and D6 outperformed other sub-bands for UBonn and CHB-MIT databases respectively. In conclusion, the comparison results of MODWT outperformed DWT.
Scarring alopecia in chronic cutaneous lupus erythematosus with neutrophils: A new scenario with therapeutic connotations

The relationship between autoinflammatory and autoimmune conditions has been demonstrated in recent decades. Several autoimmune conditions exhibit an autoinflammatory component, which can manifest in various ways. Neutrophilic dermatosis in the context of lupus erythematosus (LE) is one example. Otherwise, neutrophils are rare in LE, except for the bullous variant and nonbullous neutrophilic LE. In this paper, we describe a case of scarring alopecia due to LE that stopped responding to a treatment that had been effective for years. The biopsy specimen demonstrated the presence of neutrophils in the inflammatory infiltrate. A treatment with dapsone was prescribed and yielded rapid improvement. This first case of scarring alopecia in the context of nonbullous neutrophilic LE emphasizes the importance of the infiltrate in determining the optimal therapeutic choice.
Using Electronic Health Record Portals to Improve Patient Engagement: Research Priorities and Best Practices

Ninety percent of health care systems now offer patient portals to access electronic health records (EHRs) in the United States, but only 15% to 30% of patients use these platforms. Using PubMed, the authors identified 53 studies published from September 2013 to June 2019 that informed best practices and priorities for future research on patient engagement with EHR data through patient portals, These studies mostly involved outpatient settings and fell into 3 major categories: interventions to increase use of patient portals, usability testing of portal interfaces, and documentation of patient and clinician barriers to portal use. Interventions that used one-on-one patient training were associated with the highest portal use. Patients with limited health or digital literacy faced challenges to portal use. Clinicians reported a lack of workflows to support patient use of portals in routine practice. These studies suggest that achieving higher rates of patient engagement through EHR portals will require paying more attention to the needs of diverse patients and systematically measuring usability as well as scope of content. Future work should incorporate implementation science approaches and directly address the key role of clinicians and staff in promoting portal use.
Selection and Insertion of Vascular Access Devices in Pediatrics: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE To critically review the evidence for the selection and insertion of pediatric vascular access devices (VADs). DATA SOURCES Data were sourced from the US National Library of Medicine, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, the Cochrane Library databases, Embase, and international clinical trial databases. STUDY SELECTION Clinical practice guidelines, systematic reviews, cohort designs, randomized control trials (RCTs), quasi RCTs, before-after trials, or case-control studies that reported on complications and/or risk as well as reliability of VADs in patients aged 0 to 18 years were included. DATA EXTRACTION Articles were independently reviewed to extract and summarize details on the number of patients and catheters, population, age of participants, VAD type, study method, indication, comparators, and the frequency of VAD failure or complications. RESULTS VAD selection and insertion decision-making in general hospitalized and some specialized patient populations were well evidenced. The use of single-lumen devices and ultrasound-guided techniques was also broadly supported. There was a lack of RCTs, and for neonates, cardiac patients, patients with difficult venous access, midline catheters, catheter-to-vein ratio, and near-infrared devices, the lack of evidence necessitated broadening the review scope. LIMITATIONS Limitations include the lack of formal assessment of the quality of evidence and the lack of RCTs and systematic reviews. Consequently, clinical decision-making in certain pediatric populations is not guided by strong, evidence-based recommendations. CONCLUSIONS This is the first synthesis of available evidence for the selection and insertion of VADs in pediatric patients and is important for determining the appropriateness of VADs in pediatric patients.
Pellicular ultrastructure and euglenoid movement in Euglena ehrenbergii KLEBS and Euglena oxyuris SCHMARDA

The pellicular ultrastructure of Euglena ehrenbergii and Euglena oxyuris is examined for differences that might account for their very different motile activity. Their general ultrastructure is closely similar, but the continuity between adjacent pellicular strips found in E. oxyuris would severely restrict strip sliding and contribute to this species’very limited cell-shape changes. The strips of E. ehrenbergii have plate-like projections, whose constant orientation is consistent with strips sliding without deforming obliquely on cell rounding. Some variations and constant features in pellicular ultrastructure are noted and discussed in regard to the sliding strip mechanism for euglenoid shape changes.
Sulforaphane Inhibits Autophagy and Induces Exosome-Mediated Paracrine Senescence via Regulating mTOR/TFE3.

SCOPE The development of novel compounds that trigger non-apoptotic cell death may represent alternative therapeutic strategies for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) treatment. Cellular senescence suppresses tumorigenesis by halting the proliferation of tumor cells, implying the induction of senescence as a promising anticancer strategy, especially when combined with senolytic agents that specially kill senescent cells. This study is designed to screen novel anti-ESCC compounds from natural product resource and identify its mechanism-of-action. METHODS AND RESULTS We identify the significant anti-cancer effect and the underlying mechanism of SFN, an isothiocyanate derived from cruciferous vegetables, through RNA-seq, western blot and immunofluorescent assays. We find that SFN inhibits proliferation of ESCC cells through inducing senescence. Mechanistically, SFN induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) via disrupting the balance between glutathione (GSH) and oxidized glutathione (GSSG), leading to DNA damage. In addition, ROS deregulates autophagy and promotes lysosome abnormal biogenesis through regulating mTOR/TFE3 axis. Finally, the inhibited autophagic flux facilitates exosome production, resulting in exosome-mediated paracrine senescence. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests the important roles of autophagy and exosome-mediated paracrine senescence in cancer therapy and highlights SFN as a potent anti-ESCC drug candidate. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Stroke-Induced Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption: Current Progress of Inspection Technique, Mechanism, and Therapeutic Target

Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a characteristic structure of microvessel within the brain. Under normal physiological conditions, the BBB plays a role in the prevention of harmful substances entering into the brain parenchyma within the central nervous system. However, stroke stimuli induce the breakdown of BBB leading to the influx of cytotoxic substances, vasogenic brain edema, and hemorrhagic transformation. Therefore, BBB disruption is a major complication, which needs to be addressed in order to improve clinical outcomes in stroke. In this review, we first discuss the structure and function of the BBB. Next, we discuss the progress of the techniques utilized to study BBB breakdown in in-vitro and in-vivo studies, along with biomarkers and imaging techniques in clinical settings. Lastly, we highlight the mechanisms of stroke-induced neuroinflammation and apoptotic process of endothelial cells causing BBB breakdown, and the potential therapeutic targets to protect BBB integrity after stroke. Secondary products arising from stroke-induced tissue damage provide transformation of myeloid cells such as microglia and macrophages to pro-inflammatory phenotype followed by further BBB disruption via neuroinflammation and apoptosis of endothelial cells. In contrast, these myeloid cells are also polarized to anti-inflammatory phenotype, repairing compromised BBB. Therefore, therapeutic strategies to induce anti-inflammatory phenotypes of the myeloid cells may protect BBB in order to improve clinical outcomes of stroke patients.
Carbon and Nitrogen Supply during Seed Filling and Leaf Senescence in Soybean

Leaf senescence and N redistribution during seed filling may limit soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] yield by restricting the seed filling period. Experiments were conducted in the field and greenbouse to evaluate the relationship between seed N demand and leaf senescence. Plants (cv. McCall) were grown under shade cloth (which reduced insolation by 63%) from R1 to R5 (beginning seed fill), then the shade was removed from some plants with the objective of increasing photosynthesis, seed dry matter, and N accumulation. Experiments included plants grown in soil with no nodules (NO 3 - as primary N source), plants grown in soil with many nodules (N from NO 3 - and N 2 fixation), and in a hydroponics system (NO 3 - as primary N source) where N was removed from the media at R5. Increasing photosynthesis at R5 increased seed dry matter accumulation and the response was larger when N was available. Seed N accumulation also increased if N was available. Increasing photosynthesis had no effect on seed N accumulation when N was not available to the plant. Temporal changes in chlorophyll and N of an upper leaf were measured to characterize leaf senescence. Increasing photosynthesis did not accelerate leaf senescence in any of the treatments. If N was available, N uptake increased when photosynthesis increased. If N was not available, seed N concentration decreased. The data suggest that leaf senescence does not occur because of seed N demand, but may be regulated by processes in the leaf.
Adhesive Properties of the Hyaluronan Pericellular Coat in Hyaluronan Synthases Overexpressing Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Hyaluronan (HA), a natural component of the extracellular matrix, is supposed to have a regulatory function in the stem cell niche. Bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are known to express all three hyaluronan synthases (HASes), which are responsible for HA production. HA is extruded into the extracellular matrix, but also stays bound to the plasma membrane forming a pericellular coat, which plays a key role during early cell adhesion. Since HAS isoenzymes, HAS1, HAS2 and HAS3, produce HA with different molecular weights, a difference in their role for cell adhesion is expected. Here, we transduced the immortalized hMSC cell line SCP1 to constitutively express eGFP-tagged HASes (SCP1-HAS-eGFP) by lentiviral gene transfer. The overexpression of the HAS-eGFP was shown on RNA and protein levels, HA was determined by ELISA and the stained HA-coat was analyzed using confocal microscopy. Time-lapse microscopy, spreading assay and single cell force spectroscopy using atomic force microscopy were applied to characterize adhesion of the different HAS transduced SCP1 cells. We showed in this study that HAS3 overexpressing cells formed the thickest pericellular coat compared with control or HAS1 and HAS2 transduced cells. Furthermore, SCP1-HAS3-eGFP displayed faster and stronger adhesion compared to cells overexpressing the other synthases or control cells. We conclude that overexpression of HASes in hMSCs differentially modulates their initial adhesive interactions with the substrate. This observation might be helpful in regenerative medicine goals.
Active School Transport among Children from Canada, Colombia, Finland, South Africa, and the United States: A Tale of Two Journeys

Walking and biking to school represent a source of regular daily physical activity (PA). The objectives of this paper are to determine the associations of distance to school, crime safety, and socioeconomic variables with active school transport (AST) among children from five culturally and socioeconomically different country sites and to describe the main policies related to AST in those country sites. The analytical sample included 2845 children aged 9–11 years from the International Study of Childhood Obesity, Lifestyle and the Environment. Multilevel generalized linear mixed models were used to estimate the associations between distance, safety and socioeconomic variables, and the odds of engaging in AST. Greater distance to school and vehicle ownership were associated with a lower likelihood of engaging in AST in sites in upper-middle- and high-income countries. Crime perception was negatively associated to AST only in sites in high-income countries. Our results suggest that distance to school is a consistent correlate of AST in different contexts. Our findings regarding crime perception support a need vs. choice framework, indicating that AST may be the only commuting choice for many children from the study sites in upper-middle-income countries, despite the high perception of crime.
The Mollusc Thais haemastoma ‐An Exhibitor of ‘Imposex’ and Potential Biological Indicator of Tributyltin Pollution

In the Azores the gastropod Thais haemastoma shows varying degrees of imposex, the induction of male sex characters in the female. It is inferred that imposex in T. haemastoma is caused by tributyltin (TBT) associated with boats using organotin-based antifouling paints. The two indices - relative penis size and vas deferens sequence - employed previously for Nucella lapillus, were used without alteration. T. haemastoma is only the third species reported as exhibiting ‘effective sterilisation’ of the female. Unlike Nucella lapillus, T. haemastoma has a planktonic larva, allowing populations to be sustained even when local TBT pollution is high. This makes T. haemastoma potentially a better indicator species, as monitored populations can be maintained by the influx of larvae. T. haemastoma may thus provide a cheap method of assessing the extent of TBT contamination in warm waters, particularly in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Islands. Preliminary examination of material from a marina in Spain showed a high incidence of ‘sterile’ animals.