Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration cytology versus cell blocks in adults with undiagnosed mediastinal lymphadenopathy

Introduction: Retrospective studies have shown improved diagnostic yield of combined cytology and cell blocks specimens from endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) with variable additional yields in cell blocks. In this prospective study, we assessed the diagnostic performance of cytology and cell blocks in patients undergoing EBUS-TBNA. Methods: This was a single-center, cross-sectional study conducted between December 2017 and November 2019 including patients aged ≥18 years with mediastinal lymphadenopathy. EBUS-TBNA was performed under conscious sedation using 22G needles. Both cytology smears and cell blocks by the tissue coagulum clot technique were prepared for each patient without rapid on-site evaluation. Results: Data were analyzed for 93 patients (mean age 54.25 ± 13.7 years, 73 males) where both cytology and cell blocks were available. Sample adequacy was 100%. Overall diagnostic yield either by cytology or cell block was 83%. Cytology yield was 79.6%, whereas cell block was diagnostic in 73% of patients (P < 0.001). The overall additional yield of cell blocks was 3.2%. Cell blocks had additional yields of 1.8%, 0%, and 14.3% in malignancy, tuberculosis, and sarcoidosis, respectively. Tumor histology was better identified in 76% of positive cell blocks, and accurate histological subtyping was possible in 32.6% cases. Immunohistochemistry was feasible in 82.5% of all positive cell blocks, and these were judged to be adequate for the mutational analysis. Conclusions: Compared to cytology, EBUS-TBNA cell blocks did not significantly increase the overall diagnostic yield in unselected patients. However, cell blocks are beneficial in the characterization of tumor morphology and histological subtyping of lung cancer.
An injectable metal nanoparticle containing cellulose derivative‐based hydrogels: Evaluation of antibacterial and in vitro‐vivo wound healing activity in children with burn injuries

The preparation of hydrogels for wound healing properties with high antibacterial activities and good biosafety concurrently can be relatively challenging. For addressing these issues, we report on the synthesis and characterisation of a nanocomposite hydrogel dressing by introducing the silver nanoparticles in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose‐hydroxyapatite scaffold hydrogel (HMC‐HA/AgNPs). The different concentrations of AgNPs in HMC‐HA/AgNPs hydrogels were confirmed by swelling ratio, degradation, and gelatin time. The synthesised HMC‐HA/AgNPs hydrogels were further characterised using the UV‐visible, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectrum, and X‐ray diffraction. The results showed that the novel HMC‐HA/AgNPs hydrogel exhibited a porous 3D network and high mechanical properties because of the inter‐molecular and intra‐molecular interactions. The AgNPs give the HMC‐HA hydrogels excellent antibacterial activities against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, without any chemical reductant and cross‐linking agent required endows the hydrogel high biocompatibility. More importantly, HMC‐HA/AgNPs effectively repaired wound defects in mice models, and wound healing reached 94.5 ± 1.4% within 16 days. The HMC‐HA hydrogel with AgNPs showed excellent antimicrobial activity and burn wound healing. Therefore, these HMC‐HA/AgNPs hydrogels have great potential as an injectable hydrogel for wound healing activity in children with burn injuries.
Emotion Regulation and Mental Health among Men with Childhood Sexual Abuse Histories

ABSTRACT Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a form of child maltreatment which has been increasingly recognized as a common experience among men. Research on male CSA remains under-developed but suggests many negative mental health impacts. The current study examined the link between mental health outcomes and different emotion regulation strategies among 69 adult men. Men completed measures on their current mental well-being, and participated in a clinical interview about emotion regulation strategies used to manage memories about their sexual victimization. Results indicated that the most frequently used emotion regulation strategies were expressive suppression, rumination, and cognitive avoidance. For perceived effectiveness, men identified cognitive avoidance, self-medication, and behavioral avoidance as being most helpful in managing their CSA-related distress. Finally, greater use of deliberate self-harm, rumination, and behavioral avoidance was associated with more internalizing difficulties, while greater use of deliberate self-harm and self-medication was linked with more externalizing difficulties. Greater perceived efficacy of positive reappraisal was associated with fewer externalizing behaviors. Although these findings require replication through larger mixed-methods studies, they suggest the importance of incorporating emotion regulation strategies into interventions aimed at improving mental well-being among men with CSA histories.
Pseudoephedrine and its derivatives antagonize wild and mutated severe acute respiratory syndrome‐CoV‐2 viruses through blocking virus invasion and antiinflammatory effect

The coronavirus disease 2019 has infected over 150 million people worldwide and led to over 3 million deaths. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)‐CoV‐2 lineages B.1. 1.7, B.1. 617, B.1. 351, and P.1 were reported to have higher infection rates than that of wild one. These mutations were noticed to happen in the receptor‐binding domain of spike protein (S‐RBD), especially mutations N501Y, E484Q, E484K, K417N, K417T, and L452R. Currently, there is still no specific medicine against the virus; moreover, cytokine storm is also a dangerous factor for severe infected patients. In this study, potential S‐RBD‐targeted active monomers from traditional Chinese medicine Ephedra sinica Stapf (ephedra) were discovered by virtual screening. NanoBiT assay was performed to confirm blocking activities of the screened compounds against the interaction between SARS‐CoV‐2 S‐RBD and angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). We further analyzed the blocking effect of the active compounds on the interactions of mutated S‐RBD and ACE2 by computational studies. Moreover, antiinflammatory activities were evaluated using qRT‐PCR, enzyme‐linked immune sorbent assay, and Western blot analysis. As a result, pseudoephedrine (MHJ‐17) and its derivative (MHJ‐11) were found as efficient inhibitors disrupting the interactions between ACE2 and both wild and mutated S‐RBDs. In addition, they also have antiinflammatory activities, which can be potential drug candidates or lead compounds for further study.
Efficacy and Safety of Enteral Recombinant Human Insulin for Reduction of Time-to-Full Enteral Feeding in Preterm Infants: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND Infants born very prematurely have functionally and structurally immature gastrointestinal tracts. OBJECTIVES To assess the safety and tolerability of administration of enteral recombinant human (rh) insulin on formula fed preterm infants and to assess whether enteral administration of rh-insulin enhances gastrointestinal tract maturation by reducing the time to reach full enteral feeding. METHODS A phase 2, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study was conducted. Premature infants (26-33 weeks gestation) were randomized 1:1 to receive insulin 400 μU/ml mixed with enteral feeding or placebo added to their formula. The primary efficacy outcome measure was the number of days required to achieve full enteral feeding. Safety outcomes included adverse events and blood glucose levels. RESULTS The study consisted of 33 infants randomized for the safety population and 31 for efficacy analysis. The mean time to full enteral feeding was 6.37 days (95% confidence interval [95%CI] 4.59-8.15) in the enteral rh-insulin treatment group (n=16) and 8.00 days (95%CI 6.20-9.80) in the placebo group (n=15), which represents a statistically significant reduction of 1.63 days (95%CI 0.29-2.97; P = 0.023). There was no difference in blood glucose levels between the groups and none of the participants experienced hypoglycemia. Adverse events occurred in 9/17 (53%) infants in the enteral rh-insulin group and 12/16 (75%) in the placebo group. CONCLUSIONS Our trial demonstrated that administration of enteral rh-insulin as supplement to enteral nutrition significantly reduced time to achieve full enteral feeding in preterm infants with a gestational age of 26-33 weeks.
Influence of pH on adsorption of human immunoglobulin gamma, human serum albumin and horse myoglobin by commercial chromatographic materials designed for downstream processing of monoclonal antibodies

Static adsorption capacity was measured for three different proteins: human immunoglobulin gamma, human serum albumin and horse skeletal muscle myoglobin. Eight commercial chromatographic materials were tested: FractoGel EMD SE HiCap (M), SP Sepharose Fast Flow, S Ceramic HyperD F, MabSelect, rProtein A Sepharose Fast Flow, Poros 50A High Capacity, ProSep –vA High Capacity and MEP HyperCel. The adsorption capacity was measured at pH values of 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0 and 8.0.
USING GENERATIVE ADVERSARIAL NETWORKS FOR EXTRACTION OF INSAR SIGNALS FROM LARGE-SCALE SENTINEL-1 INTERFEROGRAMS BY IMPROVING TROPOSPHERIC NOISE CORRECTION

Abstract. Spatiotemporal variations of pressure, temperature, water vapour content in the atmosphere lead to significant delays in interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) measurements of deformations in the ground. One of the key challenges in increasing the accuracy of ground deformation measurements using InSAR is to produce robust estimates of the tropospheric delay. Tropospheric models like ERA-Interim can be used to estimate the total tropospheric delay in interferograms in remote areas. The problem with using ERA-Interim model for interferogram correction is that after the tropospheric correction, there are still some residuals left in the interferograms, which can be mainly attributed to turbulent troposphere. In this study, we propose a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN) based approach to mitigate the phase delay caused by troposphere. In this method, we implement a noise to noise model, where the network is trained only with the interferograms corrupted by tropospheric noise. We applied the technique over 116 large scale 800 km long interfergrams formed from Sentinel-1 acquisitions covering a period from 25th October, 2014 to 2nd November, 2017 from descending track numbered 108 over Iran. Our approach reduces the root mean square of the phase values of the interferogram 64% compared to those of the original interferogram and by 55% in comparison to the corresponding ERA-Interim corrected version.
MIXED PROBABILITY MODELS FOR ALEATORIC UNCERTAINTY ESTIMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DENSE STEREO MATCHING

The ability to identify erroneous depth estimates is of fundamental interest. Information regarding the aleatoric uncertainty of depth estimates can be, for example, used to support the process of depth reconstruction itself. Consequently, various methods for the estimation of aleatoric uncertainty in the context of dense stereo matching have been presented in recent years, with deep learningbased approaches being particularly popular. Among these deep learning-based methods, probabilistic strategies are increasingly attracting interest, because the estimated uncertainty can be quantified in pixels or in metric units due to the consideration of real error distributions. However, existing probabilistic methods usually assume a unimodal distribution to describe the error distribution while simply neglecting cases in real-world scenarios that could violate this assumption. To overcome this limitation, we propose two novel mixed probability models consisting of Laplacian and Uniform distributions for the task of aleatoric uncertainty estimation. In this way, we explicitly address commonly challenging regions in the context of dense stereo matching and outlier measurements, respectively. To allow a fair comparison, we adapt a common neural network architecture to investigate the effects of the different uncertainty models. In an extensive evaluation using two datasets and two common dense stereo matching methods, the proposed methods demonstrate state-of-the-art accuracy.
Preparation of Oxygen Deficient Black Titania for Visible Light Assisted Hydrogen Production

본 연구는 광촉매로서 널리 알려져 있는 이산화 타이타늄 (TiO2)에 인위적으로 결점을 생성함에 의해 광화학촉매적 성능을 향상시키는 방법을 제시하고 있다. 이산화 타이타늄은 넓은 밴드 갭으로 인해, 오직 자외선 영역의 빛에서만 광화학촉매적 역할을 하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 이를 해결하기 위해, 인위적으로 결점을 만들어 밴드 갭을 줄여 다양한 파장대의 빛을 활용하기 위한 연구가 되어왔다. 기존의 보고 된 방법들은, 밴드 갭을 줄여 빛 흡수 능력을 향상시키는데 성공했음에도, 많은 전자-정공 재결합 중심의 존재로 인해 충분히 광촉매활성능력을 향상시키는데 실패하였다. 이를 제어하기 위해서는 합성 방법이 결정적인 역할을 한다. 본 연구에서 마그네슘과 수소 가스를 동시에 이용하는 연구를 처음으로 시도하였으며, 결과적으로 적절한 이산화 타이타늄의 표면에 산소 결함, 수소 도핑, 표면 격자의 불규칙성 등의 결점을 형성하여 밴드 갭을 줄이며, 최적 양의 재결합 중심을 만들 수 있었다. 결과적으로 다양한 가시광선 및 적외선의 빛 또한 흡수하여 이용할 수 있었고, 광화학적 활성이 증가하였다. 특히, 물 분해를 이용한 수소 생성 반응에 우수한 활성을 보였다. 개발 된 재료 합성 방법을 통해 광촉매 뿐 아니라, 다른 여러 에너지 분야로의 응용이 기대된다. ⓒ 2017 DGIST
Geographic Variations in Test Reactivity for the Serological Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection

Chagas disease is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites. Most diagnosis is based on serological tests, but the lack of a gold standard test complicates the measurement of test performance. ABSTRACT Chagas disease is a neglected disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi parasites. Most diagnosis is based on serological tests, but the lack of a gold standard test complicates the measurement of test performance. To overcome this limitation, we used samples from a cohort of well-characterized T. cruzi-infected women to evaluate the reactivity of two rapid diagnostic tests and one enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Our cohort was derived from a previous study on congenital transmission of T. cruzi and consisted of 481 blood/plasma samples from Argentina (n = 149), Honduras (n = 228), and Mexico (n = 104), with at least one positive T. cruzi PCR. Reactivity of the three tests ranged from 70.5% for the Wiener ELISA to 81.0% for the T-Detect and 90.4% for the Stat-Pak rapid tests. Test reactivity varied significantly among countries and was highest in Argentina and lowest in Mexico. When considering at least two reactive serological tests to confirm seropositivity, over 12% of T. cruzi infection cases from Argentina were missed by serological tests, over 21% in Honduras, and an alarming 72% in Mexico. Differences in test performance among countries were not due to differences in parasitemia, but differences in antibody levels against ELISA antigens were observed. Geographic differences in T. cruzi parasite strains as well as genetic differences among human populations both may contribute to the discrepancies in serological testing. Improvements in serological diagnostics for T. cruzi infections are critically needed to ensure an optimum identification of cases.
The Risk-Taking Attitude of Student towards Mathematics through Inquiry-Based Open-Ended Learning

Kata kunci: Inkuiri Matematika Open-ended Pembelajaran IBOE Sikap risk-taking This research was to know students' achievement and improvement risk-taking attitudes in grade 7 at Madrasah Tsanawiyah in Bekasi City towards mathematics through Inquiry-Based Open-Ended (IBOE) learning. This research is quantitative research with the research design Non-equivalent Pre and Post-test Control-Group Design. There are 156 students as a sample. It was taken using the purposive sampling technique from two Madrasah Tsanawiyah (MTs). Seventy-seven students in the experimental class (IBOE) and 79 students in the control class (Direct Learning: DL). They were grouped according to previous mathematics abilities (level high, medium, and low). The instrument used was a questionnaire consisting of 17 valid statements adopted from the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking (DOSPERT) scale. The results of this research were reviewed based on early mathematical skills, achievement of the process of building a risk-taking attitude for MTs students. Students who received IBOE learning were no better than students who received DL. Meanwhile, based on the early mathematical skills, students who increase in building a risk-taking attitude received IBOE learning was better than students who received DL.
The evolving status of immunotherapies in multiple myeloma: the future role of bispecific antibodies

Treatment outcomes in multiple myeloma (MM) have improved dramatically over the past 10 years. However, patients with high‐risk disease such as those with Stage III disease by the Revised International Staging System, the presence of adverse cytogenetics, or who are refractory to proteosome inhibitors, immunomodulatory drugs and monoclonal antibodies may have dismal outcomes. These patients represent an urgent ongoing need in MM. One of the hallmarks of MM is immune dysfunction and a tumour‐permissive immune microenvironment. Ameliorating the immune‐paresis could lead to improved outcomes. The role of immunotherapies has been growing at an exponential pace with numerous agents under development in clinical trials. In the present review, we provide an overview of immunotherapies in MM, focussing on bispecific antibodies (BsAbs). We review efficacy outcomes from the published clinical trials and consider the important safety aspects of these therapies, in particular the risk of cytokine‐release syndrome and immune effector cell‐associated neurotoxicity syndrome, and how these compare with patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T cells. We discuss the MM epitopes being targeted by BsAbs, either in clinical or preclinical stages, and we consider where these therapies might best fit within the future ever‐changing paradigm of MM treatment.
Dendriform Pulmonary Ossification: Findings from Eight Years of Observation

Dendriform pulmonary ossification is a rare condition characterized by branching bony spicules. A 33-year-old man was clinically considered to have sarcoidosis. At 53 years old, another attending physician performed a detailed evaluation. Computed tomography (CT) showed a fine nodular pattern with foci of calcifications and pulmonary function testing showed peripheral airway obstruction. We performed a surgical biopsy. A histological examination revealed dendriform pulmonary ossification. After surgery, CT showed progression of some lesions; the pulmonary function had also decreased slightly. Since dendriform pulmonary ossification might be a progressive disease, we should perform long-term follow-up.
Association of CYP27B1 Polymorphism and Vitamin D Levels with Multiple Sclerosis Development in Lebanese Population of Bekaa Region: A Preliminary Study

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Interaction between genetic and environmental factors guides the development of the disease. Among environmental factors, vitamin D deficiency is shown to increase the risk of MS development. Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytochrome P450 family 27 subfamily B (CYP27B1) gene that encodes the rate-limiting enzyme involved in vitamin D metabolism, were shown to be correlated with MS. We aimed at investigating the association of CYP27B1 gene polymorphisms and vitamin D level with MS development in a sample of Lebanese MS patients living in the Bekaa region. Enrolled MS patients and controls were age and gender matched. Genotyping was performed by sequencing the amplified CYP27B1 PCR products. Vitamin D levels were measured using a VIDAS® 25 OH Vitamin D total assay based on enzyme linked fluorescent assay (ELFA). Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used for statistical analysis. A significant association was shown between vitamin D deficiency and MS without any association between CYP27B1 studied SNPs and the disease. We confirmed that vitamin D deficiency was associated with MS with no implication of the studied SNPs of CYP27B1 gene with disease susceptibility among the Lebanese MS patients living in the Bekaa region.
INCIDENCE OF BROODER PNEUMONIA AND GENOTYPING ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS IN BROILER FARMS IN SULAIMNAIYAH

Brooder pneumonia is aspergillosis occurs in chicks caused by Aspergillus fumigatus during the first-week post-hatching. It has not been confirmed yet that all A. fumigatus strains cause brooder pneumonia or it restricted to pathogenic strains. From an outbreak included 28 broiler farms in Sulaimaniyah province, 575 dead and sick chicks were randomly selected, diagnosed clinically, histopathologically, and by post-mortem isolation of A. fumigatus, among them 321 chicks were confirmed to be infected by aspergillosis with incidence rate of (57.5 %). Twenty eight clinical isolates of A. fumigatus along with 15 farm environment isolates represented all the farms were subjected to genotyping through (CA)n and (CACCAC)n short tandem microsatellite DNA repeats. All clinical and environmental isolates were highly polymorphic except two clinical isolates from two different farms which were with the same genotype. It could be concluded that all A. fumigatus strains are potential causative agents of
Functional Characterization of Arogenate Dehydratase Isoforms in Soybean

Phenylalanine flux is partitioned between phenylpropanoid and protein synthesis. The mechanisms behind the metabolic channeling of phenylalanine are largely unknown. Arogenate dehydratase (ADT) enzymes, which catalyze the last and rate-limiting step in the synthesis of phenylalanine in plants, have been shown to interact with the isoflavonoid metabolon in the cytosol. Cytosolic phenylalanine, however, can only be synthesized through prephenate dehydratase (PDT) activity. In this study, putative soybean ADTs (GmADTs) were characterized for their ADT and PDT activity. This was done using complementation assays with two different knockout yeast strains, aro8aro9 and pha2, which lack prephenate aminotransferase and PDT activity, respectively. Additionally, GmADTs with alternate transcripts that exclude the transit peptide were identified through qRTPCR. It was determined that, of 8 putative GmADTs, GmADT11B had the most ADT and PDT activity. GmADT12B and GmADT12C were found to have some ADT activity but to a lesser degree. The remaining 5 GmADTs had the least ADT activity, if any. Some PDT activity was detected in GmADT12A and GmADT13A, while none was detected in the remaining 5 GmADTs. Furthermore, it was determined that GmADT12B and GmADT11A contain alternate transcripts that exclude the sequence for the transit peptide. If these GmADTs have a cytosolic isoform, they are likely involved in directing phenylalanine flux to phenylpropanoid synthesis. These findings provide insight into possible mechanisms of regulation controlling specialized metabolite synthesis in plants.