Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mental health disorders among post graduate residents in Kenya during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background Healthcare workers, including residents, are prone to various mental health disorders especially given the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Residents, particularly, are already under undue stress due to their respective training program demands. Methods This cross-sectional, online survey-based study from August to November 2020 collected demographic and mental health measurements from all residents at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi. The questionnaire investigated demographic variables, information regarding direct care of COVID-19 patients, prior history of mental health and mental health outcomes using the Patient Health Questionnaire, Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale, Insomnia Severity Index, Impact of Event Scale–Revised Questionnaire and Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index Questionnaire. Results A total of 100 residents completed the survey (participation rate 77.5%). Participants were about equal in gender (women [53%]), with a median age of 31.28 years, and majority were single (66.7%). A total of 66 participants (66%) were directly engaged in COVID-19 care. Depression: 64.3%, anxiety: 51.5%, insomnia: 40.5%, distress: 35.4%, and burnout: 51.0% were reported in all participants. Statistical significance was found in median depression, professional fulfillment and interpersonal disengagement when comparing frontline resident directly involved in care of COVID-19 patient versus second line residents. Conclusion Residents directly involved with caring for COVID-19 patients had statistically higher incidences of depression and interpersonal disengagement and lower professional fulfillment compared to second line residents. Keeping in mind the limited resources in sub-Saharan Africa, urgent and geographically specific strategies are needed to help combat mental health disorders in this specific population.
Is there a maternal blood biomarker that can predict spontaneous preterm birth prior to labour onset? A systematic review

Introduction The ability to predict spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB) prior to labour onset is a challenge, and it is currently unclear which biomarker(s), may be potentially predictive of sPTB, and whether their predictive power has any utility. A systematic review was conducted to identify maternal blood biomarkers of sPTB. Methods This study was conducted according to PRISMA protocol for systematic reviews. Four databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Scopus) were searched up to September 2021 using search terms: “preterm labor”, “biomarker” and “blood OR serum OR plasma”. Studies assessing blood biomarkers prior to labour onset against the outcome sPTB were eligible for inclusion. Risk of bias was assessed based on the Newcastle Ottawa scale. Increased odds of sPTB associated with maternal blood biomarkers, as reported by odds ratios (OR), or predictive scores were synthesized. This review was not prospectively registered. Results Seventy-seven primary research articles met the inclusion criteria, reporting 278 unique markers significantly associated with and/or predictive of sPTB in at least one study. The most frequently investigated biomarkers were those measured during maternal serum screen tests for aneuploidy, or inflammatory cytokines, though no single biomarker was clearly predictive of sPTB based on the synthesized evidence. Immune and signaling pathways were enriched within the set of biomarkers and both at the level of protein and gene expression. Conclusion There is currently no known predictive biomarker for sPTB. Inflammatory and immune biomarkers show promise, but positive reporting bias limits the utility of results. The biomarkers identified may be more predictive in multi-marker models instead of as single predictors. Omics-style studies provide promising avenues for the identification of novel (and multiple) biomarkers. This will require larger studies with adequate power, with consideration of gestational age and the heterogeneity of sPTB to identify a set of biomarkers predictive of sPTB.
Cheese Ingestion Increases Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates Both at Rest and During Recovery from Exercise in Healthy, Young Males: A Randomized Parallel-Group Trial

ABSTRACT Background Protein ingestion increases muscle protein synthesis rates. The food matrix in which protein is provided can strongly modulate the postprandial muscle protein synthetic response. So far, the muscle protein synthetic response to the ingestion of whole foods remains largely unexplored. Objectives To compare the impact of ingesting 30 g protein provided as milk protein or cheese on postprandial plasma amino acid concentrations and muscle protein synthesis rates at rest and during recovery from exercise in vivo in young males. Methods In this randomized, parallel-group intervention trial, 20 healthy males aged 18–35 y ingested 30 g protein provided as cheese or milk protein concentrate following a single-legged resistance-type exercise session consisting of 12 sets of leg press and leg extension exercises. Primed, continuous intravenous L-[ring-13C6]-phenylalanine infusions were combined with the collection of blood and muscle tissue samples to assess postabsorptive and 4-h postprandial muscle protein synthesis rates at rest and during recovery from exercise. Data were analyzed using repeated measures Time × Group (× Leg) ANOVA. Results Plasma total amino acid concentrations increased after protein ingestion (Time: P < 0.001), with 38% higher peak concentrations following milk protein than cheese ingestion (Time × Group: P < 0.001). Muscle protein synthesis rates increased following both cheese and milk protein ingestion from 0.037 ± 0.014 to 0.055 ± 0.018%·h–1 and 0.034 ± 0.008 to 0.056 ± 0.010%·h–1 at rest and even more following exercise from 0.031 ± 0.010 to 0.067 ± 0.013%·h–1 and 0.030 ± 0.008 to 0.063 ± 0.010%·h–1, respectively (Time: all P < 0.05; Time × Leg: P = 0.002), with no differences between cheese and milk protein ingestion (Time × Group: both P > 0.05). Conclusion Cheese ingestion increases muscle protein synthesis rates both at rest and during recovery from exercise. The postprandial muscle protein synthetic response to the ingestion of cheese or milk protein does not differ when 30 g protein is ingested at rest or during recovery from exercise in healthy, young males.
A retrospective study on the socio-demographic factors and clinical parameters of dengue disease and their effects on the clinical course and recovery of the patients in a tertiary care hospital of Bangladesh

Dengue, a mosquito transmitted febrile viral disease, is a serious public health concern in Bangladesh. Despite significant number of incidences and reported deaths each year, there are inadequate number of studies relating the temporal trends of the clinical parameters as well as socio-demographic factors with the clinical course of the disease. Therefore, this study aims to associate the clinical parameters, demographic and behavioral factors of the dengue patients admitted in a tertiary care hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh during the 2019 outbreak of dengue with the clinical course of the disease. Data were collected from the 336 confirmed dengue in-patients and analyzed using SPSS 26.0 software. Majority of the patients were male (2.2 times higher than female) who required longer time to recover compared to females (p < 0.01), urban resident (54.35%) and belonged to the age group of 18–40 years (73.33%). Dengue fever (90.77%) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (5.95%) were reported in most of the dengue patients while fever (98%) was the most frequently observed symptom. A significantly positive association was found between patient’s age and number of manifested symptoms (p = 0.013). Average duration of stay in the hospital was 4.9 days (SD = 1.652) and patient’s recovery time was positively correlated with delayed hospitalization (p < 0.01). Additionally, recovery time was negatively correlated with initial blood pressure (both systolic (p = 0.001, and diastolic (p = 0.023)) and platelet count (p = 0.003) of the patients recorded on the first day of hospitalization. Finally, a statistical model was developed which predicted that, hospital stay could be positively associated with an increasing trend of temperature, systolic blood pressure and reduced platelets count. Findings of this study may be beneficial to better understand the clinical course of the disease, identify the potential risk factors and ensure improved patient management during future dengue outbreaks.
Novel GxE effects and resilience: A case:control longitudinal study of psychosocial stress with war-affected youth

Responses to early life adversity differ greatly across individuals. Elucidating which factors underlie this variation can help us better understand how to improve health trajectories. Here we used a case:control study of refugee and non-refugee youth, differentially exposed to war-related trauma, to investigate the effects of genetics and psychosocial environment on response to trauma. We investigated genetic variants in two genes (serotonin transporter, 5-HTT, and catechol-O-methyltransferase, COMT) that have been implicated in response to trauma. We collected buccal samples and survey data from 417 Syrian refugee and 306 Jordanian non-refugee youth who were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a mental health-focused intervention. Measures of lifetime trauma exposure, resilience, and six mental health and psychosocial stress outcomes were collected at three time points: baseline, ~13 weeks, and ~48 weeks. We used multilevel models to identify gene x environment (GxE) interactions and direct effects of the genetic variants in association with the six outcome measures over time. We did not identify any interactions with trauma exposure, but we did identify GxE interactions with both genes and resilience; 1) individuals with high expression (HE) variants of 5-HTTLPR and high levels of resilience had the lowest levels of perceived stress and 2) individuals homozygous for the Val variant of COMT with high levels of resilience showed stable levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms. We also identified a direct protective effect of 5-HTTLPR HE homozygotes on perceived insecurity. Our results point to novel interactions between the protective effects of genetic variants and resilience, lending support to ideas of differential susceptibility and altered stress reactivity in a cohort of war-affected adolescents.
Integration Issues Associated with Monolithic Silicon-Germanium Microwave Radar Systems

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all who have assisted me during the course of my academic career. I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. John D. Cressler, who has given me guidance and reassurance during my time here at Georgia Tech. I am especially appreciative of the amount of freedom he has extended to me over the years, in terms of research topics and areas of investigation. It has greatly enhanced my experience as a graduate student. All have been extremely generous in sharing their time and expertise during this process. I know my work has improved significantly from their input and suggestions. Research Institute for their help and guidance during these past years. I am also extremely grateful to Jazz Semiconductor and IBM Microelectronics, both of which have allowed me access to their excellent technologies, which this work is based on. They are all responsible, in one way or another, for my success and accomplishments in electrical engineering. I never would have made it to Georgia Tech without their help and guidance over the years.
Shake table investigation of a structure isolated by recycled rubber devices and magnetorheological dampers

This paper describes the main results obtained from shaking table tests performed on a 1‐storey steel frame isolated by innovative rubber bearings and magnetorheological dampers (hybrid isolation). The proposed base isolation technology is based on the use of bearings made of a low‐cost recycled elastomer and reinforced with fibre sheets. Bounding the strain demand for such isolators because of severe earthquakes within acceptable values is a key point of this research, crucial for the effective application of this low‐cost technology to real cases. A specific semi‐active controller has been designed and adopted to achieve this goal. A set of natural earthquake records is applied to the base of the said structure using a shaking table system. The experimental results in terms of base displacement, roof acceleration and interstory drift are compared with the response of the same structure base isolated in the absence of magnetorheological dampers. It is found that when the semi‐active control is suitably designed and implemented, the seismic performance of the structure can be significantly improved. Even if referred to the case study, the conclusions encourage further investigating the application of the proposed low‐cost technology for seismic protection of buildings. © 2016 The Authors. Structural Control and Health Monitoring Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Severity and Correlates of Mental Fog in People with Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective: Alongside objective performance declines, self-reported cognitive symptoms after traumatic brain injury (TBI) abound. Mental fog is one symptom that has been underexplored. The current project investigated mental fog across two studies of individuals with mild traumatic brain injury and moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury to close our knowledge gap about differences in severity. We then explored the cognitive and affective correlates of mental fog within these groups. Methods: Using between-groups designs, the first study recruited individuals with acute mild TBI (n = 15) along with a healthy control group (n = 16). Simultaneously, a second study recruited persons with post-acute moderate-to-severe TBI, a stage when self-reports are most reliable (n = 15). Measures across the studies were harmonized and involved measuring mental fog (Mental Clutter Scale), objective cognition (Cogstate and UFOV), and depressive symptoms. In addition to descriptive group difference analyses, nonparametric correlations determined associations between mental fog, objective cognition, and depressive symptoms. Results: Results revealed higher self-reported mental fog in acute mild TBI compared to healthy controls. And though exploratory, post-acute moderate-to-severe TBI also appears characterized by greater mental fog. Correlations showed that mental fog in mild TBI corresponded to greater depressive symptoms (r = .66) but was unrelated to objective cognition. By contrast, mental fog in moderate-to-severe TBI corresponded to poorer working memory (r = .68) and slowed processing speed (r = -.55) but was unrelated to depressive symptoms. Conclusion: As a common symptom in TBI, mental fog distinguishes individuals with acute mild TBI from uninjured peers. Mental fog also appears to reflect challenges in recovery, including depressive symptoms and objective cognitive problems. Screening for mental fog, in addition to other cognitive symptoms, might be worthwhile in these populations.
Age acquired skewed X chromosome inactivation is associated with adverse health outcomes in humans

Background Ageing is a heterogenous process characterised by cellular and molecular hallmarks, including changes to haematopoietic stem cells, and is a primary risk factor for chronic diseases. X chromosome inactivation (XCI) randomly transcriptionally silences either the maternal or paternal X in each cell of XX,46 females to balance the gene expression with XY,46 males. Age acquired XCI-skew describes the preferential inactivation of one X chromosome across a tissue, which is particularly prevalent in blood tissues of ageing females and yet its clinical consequences are unknown. Methods We assayed XCI in 1,575 females from the TwinsUK population cohort and employed prospective, cross-sectional, and intra-twin designs to characterise the relationship of XCI-skew with molecular, cellular, and organismal measures of ageing, and cardiovascular disease risk and cancer diagnosis. Results We demonstrate that XCI-skew is independent of traditional markers of biological ageing and is associated with a haematopoietic bias towards the myeloid lineage. Using an atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk score, which captures traditional risk factors, XCI-skew is associated with an increased cardiovascular disease risk both cross-sectionally and within XCI-skew discordant twin pairs. In a prospective 10-year follow-up study, XCI-skew is predictive of future cancer incidence. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that age acquired XCI-skew captures changes to the haematopoietic stem cell population and has clinical potential as a unique biomarker of chronic disease risk.
What (if anything) is going on? Examining longitudinal associations between social media use and mental ill-health among young people

Objectives: In mid-adolescence, to 1) examine cyclical associations between social media use and mental ill health by investigating longitudinal and bidirectional associations, dose response relationships, and changes in social media use and in mental health; 2) assess potential interaction effects between social media use and mental health with pre-existing early life vulnerabilities. Methods: Longitudinal data on 12,114 participants from the Millennium Cohort Study on social media use, depressive symptoms, self-harm and early life risk factors were used. Results: We found little support for the existence of cyclical relationships between social media use and mental health. Where detected, effect sizes were small. Dose response associations were seen in the direction of mental health to social media (depressive symptoms 1 time OR=1.22, 2 times OR=1.71; self-harm 1 time OR=1.17, 2 times OR=1.53), but not for social media to mental health. Changes in social media use and changes in mental health were not associated with each other. We found no evidence to suggest that either social media use or mental health interacted with pre-existing risk for mental ill health. Conclusions: Findings highlight the possibility that observed longitudinal associations between social media use and mental health might reflect other risk processes or vulnerabilities and/or the precision of measures used. More detailed and frequently collected prospective data about online experiences, including those from social media platforms themselves will help to provide a clearer picture of the relationship between social media use and mental health.
Determinants of mortality among COVID-19 patients with diabetes mellitus in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 2022: An unmatched case-control study

Introduction: COVID-19 remains one of the leading causes of death seeking global public health attention. Diabetes mellitus is associated with severity and lethal outcomes up to death independent of other comorbidities. Nevertheless, information regarding the determinant factors that contributed to the increased mortality among diabetic COVID-19 patients is limited. Thus, this study aimed at identifying the determinants of mortality among COVID-19 infected diabetic patients. Methods: An unmatched case-control study was conducted on 340 randomly selected patients by reviewing patient records. Data were collected using a structured extraction checklist, entered into Epi data V-4.4. 2.2, and analyzed using SPSS V-25. Then, binary logistic regression was used for bivariate and multivariable analysis. Finally, an adjusted odds ratio with 95% CI and a p-value of less than 0.05 was used to determine the strength of association and the presence of a statistical significance consecutively. Results: The study was conducted on 340 COVID-19 patients (114 case and 226 controls). Patient age (AOR=4.90; 95% CI: 2.13, 11.50), severity of COVID-19 disease (AOR=4.95; 95% CI: 2.20, 11.30), obesity (AOR=7.78; 95% CI: 4.05, 14.90), hypertension (AOR=5.01; 95% CI: 2.40, 10.60), anemia at presentation (AOR=2.93; 95% CI: 1.29, 6.65), and AKI after hospital admission (AOR=2.80; 95% CI: 1.39, 5.64) had statistically significant association with increased mortality of diabetic patients with COVID-19 infection. Conversely, presence of RVI co-infection was found to be protective against mortality (AOR=0.35; 95% CI: 0.13, 0.90). Conclusion: Patient age (<65years), COVID-19 disease severity (mild and moderate illness), presence of hypertension, obesity, anemia at admission, and AKI on admission was independently associated with increased mortality of diabetic COVID-19 patients. Contrariwise, the presence of RVI co-infection was found to be protective against patient death. Consequently, COVID-19 patients with diabetes demand untiring efforts, and focused management of the identified factors will substantially worth the survival of diabetic patients infected with COVID-19.
Biodiversity effects of food system sustainability actions from farm to fork

Significance The food system’s negative impact on biodiversity is increasing over time. Conserving biodiversity requires immediate and widespread action to reduce the biodiversity footprint of food consumption, but biodiversity has historically been neglected in sustainability assessments. We combine high-resolution estimates of the biodiversity footprint with food system scenario modeling to predict the consequences of two key food system sustainability actions in the United States: diet shifts and food waste reduction. Taking these actions may benefit biodiversity in some places and harm it in others. The results of this study can help decision makers understand the trade-offs we must navigate to balance human health, economics, and environmental sustainability and help consumers understand how their diets and food waste behaviors influence global biodiversity.