Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pro-arrhythmic Effects of Hydrogen Sulfide in Healthy and Ischemic Cardiac Tissues: Insight From a Simulation Study

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), an ambient air pollutant, has been reported to increase cardiac events in patients with cardiovascular diseases, but the underlying mechanisms remain not elucidated. This study investigated the pro-arrhythmic effects of H2S in healthy and ischemic conditions. Experimental data of H2S effects on ionic channels (including the L-type Ca2+ channel and ATP-sensitive K+ channel) were incorporated into a virtual heart model to evaluate their integral action on cardiac arrhythmogenesis. It was shown that H2S depressed cellular excitability, abbreviated action potential duration, and augmented tissue’s transmural dispersion of repolarization, resulting in an increase in tissue susceptibility to initiation and maintenance of reentry. The observed effects of H2S on cardiac excitation are more remarkable in the ischemic condition than in the healthy condition. This study provides mechanistic insights into the pro-arrhythmic effects of air pollution (H2S), especially in the case with extant ischemic conditions.
Is High Altitude an Emergent Occupational Hazard for Primary Malignant Brain Tumors in Young Adults? A Hypothesis

Abstract Introduction: Brain cancer accounts for approximately 1.4% of all cancers and 2.3% of all cancer-related deaths. Although relatively rare, the associated morbidity and mortality affecting young- and middle-aged individuals has a major bearing on the death-adjusted life years compared to other malignancies. Over the years, we have observed an increase in the incidence of primary malignant brain tumors (PMBTs) in young adults. This observational analysis is to study the prevalence and pattern of brain tumors in young population and find out any occupational correlation. Materials and Methods: The data were obtained from our tertiary care cancer institute's malignant diseases treatment center registry from January 2008 to January 2018. A total of 416 cases of PMBT were included in this study. Results: Our analysis suggested an overall male predominance with most PMBTs occurring at ages of 20–49 years. The glial tumors constituted 94.3% while other histology identified were gliosarcoma (1) gliomatosis cerebri (1), hemangiopericytoma (3), and pineal tumors (3). In our institute, PMBT constituted 1% of all cancers while 2/416 patients had secondary glioblastoma multiforme with 40% showing positivity for O-6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase promoter methylation. Conclusions: Most patients belonged to a very young age group without any significant family history. A probable hypothesis could be excessive cosmic radiation exposure to persons staying at high altitude areas due to occupational exigencies for which in-depth case–control epidemiological studies are required to reach any conclusion.
Learning To Reach Goals Without Reinforcement Learning

Imitation learning algorithms provide a simple and straightforward approach for training control policies via supervised learning. By maximizing the likelihood of good actions provided by an expert demonstrator, supervised imitation learning can produce effective policies without the algorithmic complexities and optimization challenges of reinforcement learning, at the cost of requiring an expert demonstrator to provide the demonstrations. In this paper, we ask: can we take insights from imitation learning to design algorithms that can effectively acquire optimal policies from scratch without any expert demonstrations? The key observation that makes this possible is that, in the multi-task setting, trajectories that are generated by a suboptimal policy can still serve as optimal examples for other tasks. In particular, when tasks correspond to different goals, every trajectory is a successful demonstration for the goal state that it actually reaches. We propose a simple algorithm for learning goal-reaching behaviors without any demonstrations, complicated user-provided reward functions, or complex reinforcement learning methods. Our method simply maximizes the likelihood of actions the agent actually took in its own previous rollouts, conditioned on the goal being the state that it actually reached. Although related variants of this approach have been proposed previously in imitation learning with demonstrations, we show how this approach can effectively learn goal-reaching policies from scratch. We present a theoretical result linking self-supervised imitation learning and reinforcement learning, and empirical results showing that it performs competitively with more complex reinforcement learning methods on a range of challenging goal reaching problems, while yielding advantages in terms of stability and use of offline data.
The Buffer Capacity and Calcium Concentration of Water Influence the Microbial Species Diversity, Grain Growth, and Metabolite Production During Water Kefir Fermentation

Eight water kefir fermentation series differing in buffer capacity and calcium concentration of the water used for fermentation were studied during eight backslopping steps. High buffer capacities resulted in high pH values and high calcium concentrations resulted in low pH values at the end of each backslopping step. When the water buffer capacity and/or calcium concentration were below certain minima, the water kefir grain growth decreased gradually over multiple backsloppings. High water buffer capacities resulted in high concentrations of residual total carbohydrate concentrations and low metabolite concentrations. Further, high water buffer capacities resulted in high ratios of lactic acid bacteria to yeasts, which was reflected in high molar ratios of the concentrations of lactic acid to ethanol and acetic acid to ethanol. The most prevalent microorganisms of the water kefir grain inoculum and grains of all fermentation series at the end of the eighth backslopping step were Lactobacillus hilgardii, Lactobacillus nagelii, Lactobacillus paracasei, Bifidobacterium aquikefiri, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Dekkera bruxellensis. These microbial communities were influenced by the water buffer capacity and had an impact on the substrate consumption and metabolite production during water kefir fermentation.
Oral Dexamethasone vs. Oral Prednisone for Children With Acute Asthma Exacerbations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to compare relapse rates and adverse effects with oral dexamethasone vs. oral prednisone for acute asthma exacerbations in pediatric patients. Methods: A computerized literature search of PubMed, Embase, Scopus, CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and Google scholar databases was carried out till 1st August 2019. Six Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 1 quasi-RCT were included. Dosage of dexamethasone and prednisone varied across studies. Studies were grouped based on the follow-up period and duration of dexamethasone administration. Results: There was no significant difference in the relapse rate between dexamethasone and prednisone at 1–5 days (RR 1.46, 95%CI 0.69–3.7, P = 0.32; I2 = 0%) and 10–15 days of follow up (RR 1.16, 95%CI 0.80–1.68, P = 0.44; I2 = 0%). Pooled analysis found no significant difference in relapse rates with 1-day (RR 1.15, 95%CI 0.68–1.95, P = 0.60; I2 = 0%) and 2-day dosage of dexamethasone (RR 1.25, 95%CI 0.82–1.92, P = 0.30; I2 = 0%) compared to prednisone. Hospital readmission rates after initial discharge were not significantly different between the two drugs (RR 1.49, 95%CI 0.56–4.01, P = 0.43; I2 = 0%). Frequency of vomiting at ED (RR 0.21, 95%CI 0.05–0.96, P = 0.04; I2 = 50%) and at home (RR 0.42, 95%CI 0.25–0.69, P = 0.0007; I2 = 0%) was significantly higher with prednisone as compared to dexamethasone. Conclusion: While our results indicate that both dexamethasone and prednisone have similar relapse rates when used for acute asthmatic exacerbations, strong conclusions cannot be drawn due to paucity of large scale RCTs and limited quality of evidence. Dexamethasone is however associated with lower incidence of vomiting as compared to prednisone. Further homogenous RCTs are needed to provide robust evidence on this topic.
The effect of curcumin-based and clotrimazole vaginal cream in the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis

Background: Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is the second most common infection of the lower female genital among women passing through their productive age. Furthermore, Candida albicans is the most common VVC agents followed by, non-albicans Candida species. Nowadays, extensive studies are being conducted on alternative therapies and the use of herbal medicines. Objectives: The present study was conducted to compare the effect of curcumin and clotrimazole vaginal cream in the treatment of VVC. Methods: The present randomized controlled trial study was performed on 94 women passing through their productive age after their being diagnosed with VVC. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups, with one receiving curcumin-based vaginal 10% cream and the other receiving clotrimazole vaginal 1% cream. The treatment period was 1 week and a full 5 g applicator was used every night. Required follow-up was implemented 4–7 days after the end of treatment. Results: The results showed no significant differences between the two groups in terms of vaginal discharge, itching, vulvovaginal irritation, and vulvovaginal erythema (P > 0.05); however, the number of negative cultures in the group receiving curcumin was significantly lower in comparison with the other group, which received clotrimazole (P = 0.002). Conclusion: It seems that although curcumin could be effective in the treatment of clinical symptoms of VVC, it, quite similar to clotrimazole vaginal cream, did not affect vaginal culture.
Cryptosporidiosis in Southern Africa: Review of prevalence and molecular epidemiology of a neglected disease

Cryptosporidium spp. are associated with diarrheal disease which leads to nutritional deficiencies and significant morbidity and mortality in children and patients with immune defects. The continuous emergence and molecular diversity of Cryptosporidium spp. still remains a threat to human health in respect of diarrhea and malnutrition in children <5 years. The impact of the cryptosporidiosis is exacerbated by the spread of human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, and water shortage in most part of Southern Africa and the burden of the disease is underestimated within the region. Both anthroponotic and zoonotic transmission are identified as a common transmission route. Molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium infection is still a challenge, and there is a paucity of information on the burden of the parasite in Southern Africa. Ongoing attempts to find appropriate drugs and vaccines to cure and prevent the spread of the disease have limitations; perhaps considering isolation of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants extracts for their effectiveness and potency may be an option in future to control and eliminate the disease. This review considered the prevalence and molecular diversity in respect of transmission routes and associated risk factors. Urgent assessment of public health significance of this parasite in Southern Africa and elsewhere is of utmost importance. It is apparent that there is a need for adequate surveillance in monitoring the pathogen and to control the spread of infection.
Living conditions, work environment, and intention to stay among doctors working in rural areas of Odisha state, India

Backgrounds: In India, fewer doctors work in rural areas than urban locations, despite having greater health needs for rural populations. At the same time, living conditions and work environment present many challenges in rural and underserved areas. Therefore, fostering and creating a congenial work environment is of paramount importance in rural areas. This study analyses living conditions, work environment, and the factors that influence the intention to stay among doctors in current posts of work in rural areas of Odisha state, India. Materials and Methods: A nonexperimental cross-sectional study design was conducted to collect data from 233 doctors working in rural health facilities in Odisha, India. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS version 18. The statistical significance of the association between variables was assessed using logistic regression. Results: The study of the investigated doctor showed that 57.6% of doctors wanted to stay and continue working in rural areas for the next 36 months. The logistic regression outlined that age, time travel (one way) to workplace, and work environment were the significant factors that are associated with intent to stay in rural areas. Conclusions: Formulating effective strategies to bring about improvement in work environment for doctors community working in rural regions should form a critical component of rural retention efforts.
More Than Just Attractive: How CCL2 Influences Myeloid Cell Behavior Beyond Chemotaxis

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1/CCL2) is renowned for its ability to drive the chemotaxis of myeloid and lymphoid cells. It orchestrates the migration of these cell types both during physiological immune defense and in pathological circumstances, such as autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis, inflammatory diseases including atherosclerosis, as well as infectious diseases, obesity, diabetes, and various types of cancer. However, new data suggest that the scope of CCL2's functions may extend beyond its original characterization as a chemoattractant. Emerging evidence shows that it can impact leukocyte behavior, influencing adhesion, polarization, effector molecule secretion, autophagy, killing, and survival. The direction of these CCL2-induced responses is context dependent and, in some cases, synergistic with other inflammatory stimuli. The involvement of CCL2 signaling in multiple diseases renders it an interesting therapeutic target, although current targeting strategies have not met early expectations in the clinic. A better understanding of how CCL2 affects immune cells will be pivotal to the improvement of existing therapeutic approaches and the development of new drugs. Here, we provide an overview of the pleiotropic effects of CCL2 signaling on cells of the myeloid lineage, beyond chemotaxis, and highlight how these actions might help to shape immune cell behavior and tumor immunity.
Helicobacter pylori association with upper gastrointestinal pathologies in Northern Ghana

Background: Pathologies of Helicobacter pylori infection show distinct regional patterns and are unclassified for Northern Ghana. Materials and Methods: Demographic and clinical data of 1580 patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (Tamale Teaching Hospital) were assessed. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 73.4%. Patients 31-50 years-old and >50 years-old had significantly more positive H. pylori tests than the ≤30 year-olds (odds ratios [ORs] [95% confidence interval [CIs]: 8.6 [6.637-11.22] and 6.1 [4.609-8.203]; both, P< 0.0001). Presenting symptoms were epigastric pain (67.3%), abdominal pain (21.5%), hematemesis (7.6%), and dysphagia (2.0%). H. pylori was diagnosed in 72.5% of patients with duodenal ulcers and 77.0% with gastric ulcer (n = 444). Gastric ulcer was significantly associated with H. pylori (OR [95% CI]: 1.3 [1.01-1.69], P= 0.042), and gastritis showed a positive but not statistically significant association. Conclusions: In Northern Ghana, H. pylori infection is associated with gastritis, gastric ulcer, and duodenal ulcer and is most common in middle-aged adults (31-50 years old).
The precedence and viability of yoga in the lives of D3-dental students, dental practitioners, and dental patients

Dentistry as a profession is quite demanding and challenging and is also associated with occupational hazards like musculoskeletal disorders and stress-related problems. The practice of yoga has been proven to be efficacious in management of quite a lot of stress and lifestyle disorders. It strengthens one physically, mentally, and emotionally. Moreover, yoga can also be used in the management of dental patients for stress-related oral conditions like lichen planus, burning mouth syndrome, aphthous ulcers, etc., Yoga has also been found to have antiinflammatory, antianxiety effect, and also a lot of other beneficial effects. This review emphasizes on the relevance of yoga in the dental profession, from the practitioners, students, and patients viewpoint. Data pertaining to the subject was obtained after a thorough search of the PubMed literature and Google search engine.
Supportive Social Interactions in Infertility Treatment Decrease Cortisol Levels: Experimental Study Report

Purpose The aim of the research project was to analyze the importance of supportive social interactions in the process of infertility treatment. The acceptance rates of ART (Assisted Reproductive Technology) in Poland are lower than in western European countries and the social stigma of infertility exists. The research project draws attention to the issue of disclosure of fertility problems and the ability to seek support in Polish couples. Methods An experimental study was conducted with 51 heterosexual couples who qualified for IVF. The participants were randomly divided into an experimental and control group. The first stage of the research procedure, with all the couples, was to extract a saliva (cortisol) sample as a biomarker for stress. In the second stage the control group viewed an informational (non-emotional) video about human embryology. The experimental group took part in a supportive social interaction process. In the supportive social interaction process, a maximum of five couples, were led through a broad general understanding of their IVF experience by an experienced group psychologist. The third stage of the research involved the second extraction of a saliva (cortisol) sample form all participants. In addition, demographic and medical history related to fertility was collected. Results The statistical analysis indicates a significant decrease in the level of stress experienced after the supportive social interaction. The reported differences between the experimental group and the control group indicated a larger decrease of cortisol level for women and men. Conclusion In the current study, the hypothesis that taking part in supportive social interaction significantly lowers stress levels (measured via cortisol) of infertile couples (men and women) was supported. Further the project indicates that a supportive social interaction has a beneficial effect on infertile couple’s health and well-being. The results of the study clearly point to the benefits of couples involved in infertility treatment to express and share their experience, and in doing so, provides measurable physiological and psychological benefits.
Learned Variable-Rate Image Compression With Residual Divisive Normalization

Recently deep learning-based image compression has shown the potential to outperform traditional codecs. However, most existing methods train multiple networks for multiple bit rates, which increases the implementation complexity. In this paper, we propose a variable-rate image compression framework, which employs more Generalized Divisive Normalization (GDN) layers than previous GDN-based methods. Novel GDN-based residual sub-networks are also developed in the encoder and decoder networks. Our scheme also uses a stochastic rounding-based scalar quantization. To further improve the performance, we encode the residual between the input and the reconstructed image from the decoder network as an enhancement layer. To enable a single model to operate with different bit rates and to learn multi-rate image features, a new objective function is introduced. Experimental results show that the proposed framework trained with variable-rate objective function outperforms all standard codecs such as H.265/HEVC-based BPG and state-of-the-art learning-based variable-rate methods.
miR-30b-3p Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells via Suppressing PI3K/Akt Pathway

Background: The micro-RNA miR-30b-3p has been reported to play a crucial role in several cancers. However, the biological function of miR-30b-3p in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is still unknown. Methods: RT-qPCR was employed to determine the expression of miR-30b-3p in HCC tissues and cells. The MTT assay, colony formation assay, and cell migration and invasion assay were employed to evaluate the role of miR-30b-3p in HCC cells. A dual-luciferase reporter assay was employed to verify the target of miR-30b-3p. Western blotting was employed to determine the expression of key molecular signal transducers along TRIM27-PI3K/Akt axis. Results: Expression of miR-30b-3p was markedly decreased in HCC tissues and cells and positively correlated with higher overall survival. Moreover, miR-30b-3p overexpression significantly repressed cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion of HCC cells in vitro. Notably, we demonstrated that miR-30b-3p directly bound to the 3′-untranslated region of tripartite motif containing 27 (TRIM27) mRNA by downregulating the expression of TRIM27, which was demonstrated to be negatively correlated with miR-30b-3p expression. TRIM27 was demonstrated to have an oncogenic role in HCC cells by enhancing cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion. Finally, the miR-30-3p-TRIM27-PI3K/Akt axis was shown to play a crucial role in HCC cells in vitro. Conclusion: Our results indicated that miR-30-3p might act as a new biomarker for the future diagnosis and treatment HCC.
The Equine Gingiva: A Histological Evaluation

Equine periodontal disease in horses has long been recognized as a painful disease, leading to a poor condition. The disease is widespread and attracts growing attention in equine dental medicine. The understanding of the underlying etiological and pathological mechanisms of equine periodontal disease is necessary to develop effective prophylactic and treatment options. As a first step, a thorough description of the histological features of the healthy equine gingiva is required. Specimens were taken from six horses (3 mares, 3 geldings, age: 0.5–26 years). The animals were euthanized for reasons not related to this study. Heads were dissected and gingival specimens, including parts of the adjacent teeth, alveolar bone and the periodontal ligament, were obtained from several positions of the dentition. Histological sections were evaluated via light microscopy, with special attention to the structural components of the gingiva, i.e., the gingival sulcus, the epithelium, and the components of the lamina propria (LP). Although the equine gingiva showed the same structural components as described in humans and dogs, the equine junctional epithelium was adapted to the equine dental anatomy and attached to the equine-unique peripheral cementum. Leucocytic infiltrations (LI) of the LP, sulcular epithelium (SE) and junctional epithelium (JE) were frequently seen. The amount of LI was not associated with a macroscopically visual pathology (e.g., diastema or food entrapment) in the respective position. The gingival sulcus depth had an average depth of <1 mm.