Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A case of disseminated microscopic demyelination with multifocal dystrophic calcification

We present a 47‐year‐old woman with a 10‐year disease course consisting of episodic confusion, aphasia, psychosis, depression, migrainous headaches and seizures. There was mild elevation of protein levels in the cerebrospinal fluid, progressive cerebral atrophy, and numerous small T1 hypointensities appearing as central “holes” in the corpus callosum on magnetic resonance imaging. She eventually expired due to status epilepticus and subsequent significant respiratory complications. In the central nervous system, there was generalized brain atrophy, and patchy labeling of blood vessels by antibodies to complement component 4d (C4d) and membrane attack complex. Innumerable small patches with loss of cell bodies (neurons and glial cells in gray matter and glial cells in white matter) and demyelination were scattered throughout the brain and spinal cord. There was no cavitation and the passing axons were mostly preserved. Large solid calcified foci were present predominantly in the pons along with disseminated focal calcification involving neuron cell bodies, neurites, and capillaries. Patchy labeling of glial cells and linear structures suggestive of myelin sheaths with C4d antibodies was observed while immunostains for SV40, tau, β‐amyloid, alpha synuclein, p62, and trans‐activation response DNA‐binding protein 43 kDa were negative. Whole‐exome sequencing did not reveal any clinically significant variants. Although the radiological findings are suggestive of Susacʼs syndrome (a rare condition characterized by encephalopathy, hearing loss, and branch retinal artery occlusion), in the absence of audiovisual manifestations, a definitive diagnosis cannot be rendered and therefore, this case may be representing a new entity. Further reports of similar cases are needed for clarification.
Closed‐loop stimulation as a physiological rate‐modulated pacing approach based on intracardiac impedance to lower the atrial tachyarrhythmia burden in patients with sinus node dysfunction and atrial fibrillation

The effectiveness of rate‐modulated pacing for the suppression of atrial fibrillation (AF) is controversial. Closed‐loop stimulation (CLS) is a heart rate modulation technique based on the contractility of the right ventricle estimated by sensing myocardial impedance, and CLS can still adapt to the heart rate in conditions where there are no significant changes in acceleration or ventilation, such as emotional stress. We elucidated the association between CLS and atrial tachyarrhythmia (AT) burden in patients with sinus node dysfunction and paroxysmal AF history before pacemaker implantation.
Infants' Goal Prediction for Simple Action Events: The Role of Experience and Agency Cues

Looking times and gaze behavior indicate that infants can predict the goal state of an observed simple action event (e.g., object-directed grasping) already in the first year of life. The present paper mainly focuses on infants' predictive gaze-shifts toward the goal of an ongoing action. For this, infants need to generate a forward model of the to-be-obtained goal state and to disengage their gaze from the moving agent at a time when information about the action event is still incomplete. By about 6 months of age, infants show goal-predictive gaze-shifts, but mainly for familiar actions that they can perform themselves (e.g., grasping) and for familiar agents (e.g., a human hand). Therefore, some theoretical models have highlighted close relations between infants' ability for action-goal prediction and their motor development and/or emerging action experience. Recent research indicates that infants can also predict action goals of familiar simple actions performed by non-human agents (e.g., object-directed grasping by a mechanical claw) when these agents display agency cues, such as self-propelled movement, equifinality of goal approach, or production of a salient action effect. This paper provides a review on relevant findings and theoretical models, and proposes that the impacts of action experience and of agency cues can be explained from an action-event perspective. In particular, infants' goal-predictive gaze-shifts are seen as resulting from an interplay between bottom-up processing of perceptual information and top-down influences exerted by event schemata that store information about previously executed or observed actions.
Effect of minimalist and maximalist shoes on impact loading and footstrike pattern in habitual rearfoot strike trail runners: An in-field study

ABSTRACT Running-related injuries among trail runners are very common and footwear selection may modulate the injury risk. However, most previous studies were conducted in a laboratory environment. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of two contrasting footwear designs, minimalist (MIN) and maximalist shoes (MAX), on the running biomechanics of trail runners during running on a natural trail. Eighteen habitual rearfoot strike trail runners completed level, uphill and downhill running at their preferred speeds in both shod conditions. Peak tibial acceleration, strike index and footstrike pattern were compared between the two footwear and slopes. Interactions of footwear and slope were not detected for all the selected variables. There was no significant effect from footwear (F = 1.23, p = 0.27) and slope (F = 2.49, p = 0.09) on peak tibial acceleration and there was no footwear effect on strike index (F = 3.82, p = 0.056). A significant main effect of slope on strike index (F = 13.24, p < 0.001) was found. Strike index during uphill running was significantly greater (i.e. landing with a more anterior foot strike) when compared with level (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.72) or downhill running (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.44) in either MIN or MAX. The majority of habitual rearfoot strike runners switched to midfoot strike during uphill running while maintaining a rearfoot strike pattern during level or downhill running. In summary, wearing either one of the two contrasting footwear (MIN or MAX) demonstrated no effect on impact loading and footstrike pattern in habitual rearfoot strike trail runners running on a natural trail with different slopes.
A newly isolated Streptomyces rimosus strain capable of degrading deltamethrin as a pesticide in agricultural soil

Chemical pesticides or insecticides with complex structures are highly abundant in the biosphere and have inevitable side effects on farmland, natural resources, and human health. Deltamethrin is the most popular and widely used pesticide that disrupts the cellular calcium channels. In the present study, isolated strains of bacteria were examined to determine the ones that were capable of degrading deltamethrin. Different species of bacteria were evaluated in terms of the capability to degrade deltamethrin. It is important to note that Streptomyces rimosus was able to degrade up to 200 mg/L deltamethrin concentration and could be grown in mineral salt medium agar containing deltamethrin to be used as a source of carbon and energy. The results demonstrated that there is a diversity of deltamethrin‐degrading bacteria in agricultural soil ecosystems. The application of these bacteria, especially S. rimosus, might be used as a bioremediation technique to decrease pesticide contamination of the ecosystem.
Attention, working-memory control, working-memory capacity, and sport performance: The moderating role of athletic expertise

ABSTRACT The aim of this research was to detangle the association between attention, working-memory (focusing on both control and capacity functions), and sport performance across athletic expertise. Specifically, the mediating effect of working-memory-control and working-memory-capacity on the attention and performance relationship will be investigated, and whether this effect differs across athlete expertise. A sample of 359 athletes (M age = 18.91 ± SD = 1.01; 54.87% male) with a range of athletic expertise (novice n = 99, amateur n = 92, elite n = 87, and super-elite n = 81) completed a battery of neurocognitive tasks assessing attention, working-memory-control, working-memory-capacity, and a cognitively engaging motor task (e.g. basketball free-throw task). Athletes with more expertise performed better on tasks of attention, working-memory-control and working-memory-capacity. Results of structural equation modelling indicated a positive association between the cognitive measures and sport performance. Specifically, working-memory-control and working-memory-capacity mediated the attention and sport performance relationship. Additionally, invariance testing indicated larger effects for those with more athletic expertise. These findings provide a better understanding of how attention and the control and capacity functions of working-memory interact to predict performance. Theoretical and practical implications of these results are discussed.
Angiotensin receptor blockers as tentative SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics

Abstract At the time of writing this commentary (February 2020), the coronavirus COVID‐19 epidemic has already resulted in more fatalities compared with the SARS and MERS coronavirus epidemics combined. Therapeutics that may assist to contain its rapid spread and reduce its high mortality rates are urgently needed. Developing vaccines against the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus may take many months. Moreover, vaccines based on viral‐encoded peptides may not be effective against future coronavirus epidemics, as virus mutations could make them futile. Indeed, new Influenza virus strains emerge every year, requiring new immunizations. A tentative suggestion based on existing therapeutics, which would likely be resistant to new coronavirus mutations, is to use available angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) blockers, such as losartan, as therapeutics for reducing the aggressiveness and mortality from SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infections. This idea is based on observations that the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) very likely serves as the binding site for SARS‐CoV‐2, the strain implicated in the current COVID‐19 epidemic, similarly to strain SARS‐CoV implicated in the 2002–2003 SARS epidemic. This commentary elaborates on the idea of considering AT1R blockers as tentative treatment for SARS‐CoV‐2 infections, and proposes a research direction based on datamining of clinical patient records for assessing its feasibility.
Childhood Nasal Foreign Bodies: Analysis of 1724 Cases.

Objective This study evaluates the characteristics of the foreign bodies removed from the nose, the treatment methods used, and the complications associated with the foreign body, and discusses the reports in the literature. Methods Age, gender, type of foreign body, side of nose, clinical symptoms, complaints, diagnosis and treatment methods were retrospectively evaluated in all 1724 pediatric patients with foreign bodies. Results Of the 1724 patients, 841 (48.7%) were female and 883 (51.3%) were male. Their mean age was 4.3±3.06 years (age range: 4 months-16 years). Foreign body was found on the right side in 928 (53.8%), on the left-side in 768 (44.5%) and bilaterally in 28 (1.6%) patients. The foreign bodies were inorganic substances such as beads, paper, napkins, toy parts, batteries, pencils, erasers in 1287 cases (74.7%) and organic materials such as hazelnuts, walnuts and fruit seeds in 437 cases (25.3%). The foreign bodies were extracted in outpatient settings in 1709 cases. Fifteen patients in whom the foreign body was located in the posterior region and/or who were uncooperative were treated under anesthesia. The most common complication was epistaxis. Septal perforation was seen in one patient with alkaline battery. Conclusion In pediatric patients presented to the otolaryngology and the pediatrics clinics with complaints involving nasal obstruction, unilateral purulent nasal discharge, epistaxis, and foul odor, possibility of a foreign body in the nose should be kept in mind.
Involvement of Girls in Leadership in Primary Schools in Voi Sub-county, Kenya

Women in Kenya are underrepresented in decision-making positions, which appears as a remnant of persisting cultural gender roles that limit women from participating in activities critical for personal, societal, and national development. Such retrogressive ideas regarding a large number of the country’s citizens have to be addressed early in the life of a girl to build in girls’ self-esteem and facilitate them to develop leadership skills. This study investigated the extent to which girls in primary schools in Voi sub-county are involved in leadership in their schools. The study was based on the 2010 Kenya’s constitution which ruled that no more than two-thirds of elected or appointed public institutions leaders should consist of one gender. The new legal framework seeks to break down the barriers women face in realizing their political, civil, economic, and social rights. It also ensures that women are involved in decision-making at all levels of government. In this study, data was collected from three mixed primary schools in Voi sub-county given codes A, B, and C. School A had a total of 470 pupils; 225 were boys and 245 were girls and the school had 21 leadership positions. The findings showed that the majority 14 (66.7%) of the leadership positions were occupied by boys while the few 7 (33.3%) were occupied by girls. In school B, there were a total of 1,056 pupils; 498 were boys and 558 were girls. There were 13 leadership positions. The majority of the positions 7 (53.8 %) were occupied by boys and minority 6 (46.2%) were occupied by girls. In school C, there were a total of 1,450 pupils and 680 were boys and 770 girls. There were 13 leadership positions. The majority 7 (53.8%) of the positions were occupied by boys while 6 (46.2%) were occupied by girls. In all the schools, there were more girls than boys but boys occupied more leadership positions than girls. Boys also took senior positions and girls were their deputies and were not as active as boys in areas such as class discussions and debate. It was recommended that conscious effort should be made to develop leadership skills in girls during their formative years.
Blurred boundaries between Pro-Anorexia and Fitspiration media? Diverging cognitive and emotional effects

ABSTRACT Social media is an emerging source of body-focused messages affecting young women. This research investigated the diverging cognitive and emotional effects of Pro-Anorexia (Pro-Ana) and Fitspiration content using linguistic analysis. Undergraduate college women (N = 129) viewed one of six experimentally-created blogs: text or images of Fitspiration, Pro-Ana, or control (Home Décor) and completed an open-ended prompt with their reaction. Linguistic analysis on post-exposure writing suggested Fitspiration blogs produced positive emotions and social comparison processes; Pro-Ana blogs produced negative and anxious emotions. Participants’ history of past disordered eating behavior qualified affective (positive emotion and anxiety), but not cognitive (social comparison) outcomes. Given the cognitive and emotional impact of viewing such media, findings speak to the need for specific content of social media sites to be addressed and discussed in the treatment and prevention of eating disorders.
The donors perceived positive and negative effects of blood donation

Occasionally blood donation has a negative influence on some donors, while others express feelings of increased energy or wellbeing after donation. Some donors even report symptoms such as headache or feelings of unease indicating “it is time to donate blood again. ” This study aims to determine symptoms and frequencies of blood donors experiencing positive and negative effects of blood donation, and study possible associations with sex, age, body mass index, smoking status, and hemoglobin level.
Frameshifting preserves key physicochemical properties of proteins

Significance Genetic information stored in DNA is transcribed to messenger RNAs, which are then translated to produce proteins. A frameshift in the reading frame at any stage of this process typically results in a significantly different protein sequence being produced. Here, we show that, nevertheless, several essential properties of many protein sequences, such as their hydrophobicity profiles, remain largely unchanged upon frameshifting. This finding suggests that frameshifting could be an effective evolutionary strategy for generating novel protein sequences, which retain the functionally relevant physicochemical properties of the sequences from which they derive. Frameshifts in protein coding sequences are widely perceived as resulting in either nonfunctional or even deleterious protein products. Indeed, frameshifts typically lead to markedly altered protein sequences and premature stop codons. By analyzing complete proteomes from all three domains of life, we demonstrate that, in contrast, several key physicochemical properties of protein sequences exhibit significant robustness against +1 and −1 frameshifts. In particular, we show that hydrophobicity profiles of many protein sequences remain largely invariant upon frameshifting. For example, over 2,900 human proteins exhibit a Pearson’s correlation coefficient R between the hydrophobicity profiles of the original and the +1-frameshifted variants greater than 0.7, despite an average sequence identity between the two of only 6.5% in this group. We observe a similar effect for protein sequence profiles of affinity for certain nucleobases as well as protein sequence profiles of intrinsic disorder. Finally, analysis of significance and optimality demonstrates that frameshift stability is embedded in the structure of the universal genetic code and may have contributed to shaping it. Our results suggest that frameshifting may be a powerful evolutionary mechanism for creating new proteins with vastly different sequences, yet similar physicochemical properties to the proteins from which they originate.
Child marriage in Canada: A systematic review

Child marriage, defined by the United Nations as marriage before the age of 18, is considered a violation of human rights with negative consequences for girls’ health. We systematically reviewed existing academic literature and news media to learn what is known about the frequency of child marriage in Canada and its effects on health. Approximately 1% of 15-19-year-olds in Canada were married or in common law unions in 2016. News reports document cases of child marriage among religious minority communities but no nationwide estimates of the frequency of marriage before the age of 18 were identified. Sources consistently show girls are more likely to marry as teens than boys. Information on married teens between 15 and 19 years of age suggests similarities in marriage patterns among this age group in Canada and child marriage practices globally. Further research is needed to measure Canada’s progress toward eliminating child marriage.
High frequency of visceral leishmaniasis in dogs under veterinary clinical care in an intense transmission area in the state of Tocantins, Brazil

A direct search for parasites were used as the diagnostic test to determine the frequency of Leishmania spp. infection in dogs ( Canis lupus familiaris ) under veterinary clinical care in the city of Araguaina, Tocantins, Brazil. For this approach, lymph node cell samples were collected using needle aspiration from 649 dogs of different breeds and ages. Two hundred and sixty four (40.7%) dogs tested positive for amastigote forms of Leishmania spp. Furthermore, 202 (76.5%) dogs that tested positive showed some clinical sign of disease, while 62 (28.4%) dogs were asymptomatic. Dogs <2 years old or those that lived alongside poultry species in peri-domicile areas had a greater chance of infection (P<0.05). Our results revealed the importance of frequently monitoring leishmaniasis in dogs, and the need to train veterinary professionals who work in high-transmission areas on the clinical diagnosis of canine visceral leishmaniasis.
Breast Cancer Knowledge Assessment of Health Workers in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

PURPOSE Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, and in low- to middle-income countries late-stage diagnosis contributes to significant mortality. Previous research at the University College Hospital, a tertiary hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, on social factors contributing to late diagnosis revealed that many patients received inappropriate initial treatment. METHODS The level of breast cancer knowledge among health practitioners at various levels of the health system was assessed. We developed a tool tailored to local needs to assess knowledge of symptoms, risk factors, treatments, and cultural beliefs. The recruitment included doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in public hospitals, physicians and pharmacists in private practice, nurses and health care workers from primary health care centers, community birth attendants, and students in a health care field from state schools. RESULTS A total of 1,061 questionnaires were distributed, and 725 providers responded (68%). Seventy-eight percent were female, and > 90% were Yoruba, the dominant local ethnic group. The majority were Christian, and 18% were Muslim. Median knowledge score was 31 out of 56, and the differences in scores between health care worker types were statistically significant (P < .001). Nearly 60% of the participants believed breast cancer is always deadly. More than 40% of participants believed that keeping money in the bra causes breast cancer, and approximately 10% believed that breast cancer is caused by a spiritual attack. CONCLUSION Our questionnaire revealed that, even at the tertiary care level, significant gaps in knowledge exist, and knowledge of breast cancer is unacceptably low at the level of community providers. In addition to efforts aimed at strengthening health systems, greater knowledge among community health care workers has the potential to reduce delays in diagnosis for Nigerian patients with breast cancer.
Transcription and splicing: A two‐way street

RNA synthesis by RNA polymerase II and RNA processing are closely coupled during the transcription cycle of protein‐coding genes. This coupling affords opportunities for quality control and regulation of gene expression and the effects can go in both directions. For example, polymerase speed can affect splice site selection and splicing can increase transcription and affect the chromatin landscape. Here we review the many ways that transcription and splicing influence one another, including how splicing "talks back" to transcription. We will also place the connections between transcription and splicing in the context of other RNA processing events that define the exons that will make up the final mRNA.