Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategies to Prevent Serious Fall Injuries: A Commentary on Bhasin et al. A Randomized Trial of a Multifactorial Strategy to Prevent Serious Fall Injuries. N Engl J Med. 2020;383(2):129–140

Every second of every day, an older adult suffers a fall in the United States (>30 million older adults fall each year). More than 20% of these falls cause serious injury (e.g., broken bones, head injury) and result in 800,000 hospitalizations and 30,000 deaths annually. Bhasin and colleagues recently reported results from a pragmatic, cluster-randomized trial designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a multifactorial intervention to prevent fall injuries. The intervention did not result in a significantly lower rate of a first adjudicated serious fall injury among older adults at increased risk for fall injuries as compared with enhanced usual care. In this commentary we briefly review and highlight these recent findings. Additionally, we argue that the findings should not be discounted just because of the lack of statistical significance. The approximately 10% reduction compared to enhanced usual care is, arguably, meaningful at both the individual and public health level, especially when one considers that the control group had better outcomes than expected based on prior work. Moreover, we encourage future research as well as practitioners to give strong consideration to the nuances of the exercise interventions for reducing falls and fall-related injuries particularly as it relates to exercise programming specifics, namely intensity and volume, to enhance neuromuscular function and also to neurorehabilitation approaches to enhance motor function (e.g., balance, motor planning, and coordination).
Dynamics of biopolymers and their hydration water studied by neutron and X-ray scattering

Protein functions are intimately related to their dynamics. Moreover, protein hydration water is believed to have significant influence on the dynamics of proteins. One of the evidence is that both protein and its hydration water have the same dynamic transition temperature at around 220 K. This thesis intends to understand the dynamic coupling of biopolymers (mainly proteins) and their hydration water by means of neutron and X-ray scattering. We first approach this problem by studying the dynamics of hydration water and the dynamics of hydrated proteins respectively. We study the hydration water dynamics by using elastic neutron scattering (ENS) and quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS). We observe a fragile-to-strong crossover phenomenon at the temperature TL in supercooled water confined in substrates with different hydrophilicity and geometry. We find that water confined in hydrophobic double wall carbon nanotubes (DWNT) has a slightly lower TL than that confined in hydrophilic MCM-41-S (a porous silica material). We then observe an interesting phenomenon that TL of water confined in a hydrophobic mesoporous material CMK-1 occurs in-between the above two. Our results indicate that besides the obvious surface effect brought about by the hydrophobic confinements, the value of the crossover temperature is also dependent on the dimensionality of the confinement. This result provides a possible way of understanding the effect of pressure on protein-hydration-water system. The crossover temperature TL can be used as an indicator of the hydrophilicity of the protein surface. Meanwhile, we use three different methods to study the protein dynamics in the full time range. We study the protein softness in the long-time a-relaxation region by measuring the mean squared displacement (MSD) using ENS. We then use QENS to study the logarithmic decay of protein dynamics in the mid-time p-relaxation range. In addition, Inelastic X-ray scattering (IXS) is used to study the phonon dispersion relation (short-time dynamics) inside the protein molecules and thus help us to understand the intra-protein collective dynamics. Finally, the coupled dynamics of the hydration water and the protein is studied. A series of ENS and QENS experiments are performed at different temperatures and pressures in order to investigate this problem. We find that the dynamics of protein follows that of its hydration water and proteins remain soft at lower temperatures under pressure. We also relate this phenomenon to the existence of the second critical point in the hydration water. The comparison of experimental data with computer simulations (MC and MD) elucidates the physical origin of the coupling between the dynamics of protein and its hydration water. Thesis Supervisor: Sow-Hsin Chen Title: Professor
Heavy Metal Adsorption by Functionalized Clays

Organic ligands containing the thiol (−SH) metal-chelating functionality were either grafted to the external surface silanol groups of sepiolite or introduced in the interlayers of montmorillonite, and the resulting functionalized clays were characterized and assayed as adsorbents for Hg(II), Pb(II), and Zn(II) ions from solution. Sepiolite was functionalized by covalently grafting 3-mercapto- pro-pyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) to the surface ⋮Si−OH groups of the clay, whereas montmorillonite was functionalized by replacement of the interlayer inorganic cation (Na+) by 2-mercaptoethylammonium (MEA) cations. These clay-organic ligand systems were selected to minimize the congestion of the internal porosity of the clays, which has recently been shown to be the main obstacle to heavy metal adsorption by functionalized clays. Infrared spectroscopy and elemental analyses demonstrated the presence of the organic ligands in the modified clays. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated the organic cations (MEA) occupied th.
Online alcohol delivery is associated with heavier drinking during the first New Zealand COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions

Abstract Introduction This paper aimed to assess purchasing and drinking behaviour during the first COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions in New Zealand. Method A convenience sample was collected via Facebook from 2173 New Zealanders 18+ years during pandemic restrictions April/May 2020. Measures included: the quantity typically consumed during a drinking occasion and heavier drinking (6+ drinks on a typical occasion) in the past week; place of purchase including online alcohol delivery. Descriptive statistics were generated, logistic and linear regression models predicted heavier drinking and typical occasion quantity, respectively. Weighting was not applied. Results During pandemic restrictions, around 75% of respondents purchased from supermarkets, 40% used online alcohol delivery services (18% for the first time during COVID‐19). Purchasing online alcohol delivery during pandemic restrictions was associated with heavier drinking (75% higher odds) in the past week, while purchasing from supermarkets was not. About 58% of online purchasers under 25 reported no age checks. Sixteen percent of those purchasing online repeat ordered online to keep drinking after running out. Of respondents who had tried to buy alcohol and food online, 56% reported that alcohol was easier to get delivered than fresh food. Advertising for online alcohol delivery was seen by around 75% of the sample. Half of the sample reported drinking more alcohol during the restrictions. Discussion and Conclusions Online alcohol delivery during the COVID‐19 pandemic restrictions was associated with heavier drinking in the past week. The rapid expansion of online alcohol delivery coupled with a lack of regulatory control requires public health policy attention.
Individual patterns of response to traditional and modified sprint interval training

ABSTRACT We compared the incidence of response between a traditional sprint interval training (SIT) protocol (30:240: 4–6 x 30-s, 240-s recovery) and 2 modified SIT protocols (15:120: 8–12 x 15-s, 120-s recovery; 5:40: 24–36 x 5-s, 40-s recovery) over 4 weeks of training in 84 recreationally active individuals (n = 23 per SIT group/15 control participants). Pre- and post-testing measures included O2max, 5-km time trial, and anaerobic capacity. Responders were classified using 2x typical error and seven other approaches to explore the impact of classification method on response rates. There was no difference in the proportion (2x typical error) of O2max responders across groups (30:240: 64%; 15:120: 39%; 5:40: 41%; CTRL: 33%; P= 0.190). The 30:240 group had more responders (P< 0.05) for time trial performance (70%) and peak speed during the 30 s running test (48%) compared to CTRL (21% and 0%, respectively). There were no other between-group differences (P> 0.112). Approaches with the largest response thresholds resulted in the fewest responders highlighting response rates are influenced by the method used. Additionally, we observed intra-individual differences in responsiveness across outcomes. This is the first study to empirically test the difference in the incidence of response and demonstrate individual patterns of response across different SIT protocols.
Tic Disorder in an 8-year-old Boy.

382 | www.pidj. com The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal • Volume 40, Number 4, April 2021 Accepted for publication July 18, 2020. From the *Department of Woman, Child and of General and Specialized Surgery, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Napoli; and †Pediatric Unit, S. Anna and S. Sebastiano Hospital, Caserta, Italy. The authors have no funding or conflicts of interest to disclose. Address for correspondence: Crescenzo Coppola, MD, Pediatric Unit, S. Anna and S. Sebastiano Hospital, via F. Palasciano, 81100, Caserta, Italy. E-mail: renzocoppola90@gmail.com. Copyright © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved. Your Diagnosis, Please
The effect of different concentrations of cerium oxide during pregnancy on ovarian follicle development in neonatal mice

Cerium is a member of the rare metals group and widely used in drug delivery, gene therapy, molecular imaging and medicine. In this study, we investigated the effect of different doses of Cerium (IV) oxide (CeO2) during pregnancy on neonatal mice ovaries, as well as its effect on blood biochemical parameters.
Comparison of clinical characteristics between patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) who retested RT-PCR positive versus negative: a retrospective study of data from Nanjing

Background The epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been reported. However, the prevalence of retesting positive by RT-PCR for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the associated patient characteristics, remain unclear. Methods We included 90 confirmed cases of COVID-19 treated in the Nanjing Public Health Center from January 20, 2020 to February 16, 2020 in this retrospective study. All patients completed treatment for COVID-19 and were retested by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 4–20 days after completion of therapy. The clinical characteristics between patients with who retested positive versus negative by RT-PCR were compared, and the factors predictive of positive retesting were analyzed. Positive retesting was modeled with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC). Results The age range of the study population was 0.8–97 years, and all patients were cured or showed improvement. A total of 10 (11%) patients retested positive by RT-PCR 4–20 days after completion of therapy. As compared with patients who retested negative, those who retested positive had a lower percentage of pre-admission fever, a higher percentage of post-admission fever, a lower percentage of bilateral lung infection, higher white blood cell (WBC) count and creatine phosphokinase, and lower hypersensitive c-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 and erythrocyte sedimentation rates (all P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis of the above eight key variables showed that lower hs-CRP and higher WBC were independently associated with positive retesting by RT-PCR. A combination of hs-CRP and WBC were predictive of positive retesting, with an AUC of 0.859. Conclusions Patients with COVID-19 who retested positive by RT-PCR for SARS-CoV-2 had mild symptoms and better blood testing results. A combination of hs-CRP and WBC may predict positive retesting by RT-PCR; however, the sensitivity and specificity should be studied further.
Oxyhumolite influence on adsorption and desorption of phosphate on blast furnace slag in the process of two-stage selective adsorption of Cu(II) and phosphate

Two-stage adsorption was used for selective removal of Cu(II) and phosphate from aqueous solutions. In the first stage, adsorption of Cu(II) and phosphate on oxyhumolite (OX) was examined. The pseudo second-order equation was found to be the best fit for the kinetic adsorption data. The adsorption capacity of OX for Cu(II) and phosphate depends on the adsorption time, the equilibrium pH influences only the adsorption of Cu(II). The high adsorption efficiency (E = 95 %, pH 3.5, 0.5 g of the solid sorbent and 50 cm3 of the solution, c = 4 mmol dm−3) of OX for Cu(II) is caused by the presence of humic acids (HA). In the second stage, blast furnace slag (BFS) and activated blast furnace slag (BFS-A) were used to remove phosphates. The presence of OX in the first stage positively influences the adsorption efficiency of sorbents in the second stage due to the soluble humic compounds and residues of humic acids (HA) which support the precipitation of Ca-phosphates on BFS and the ions exchange reactions on BFS-A. Adsorption equilibrium of phosphate on both slags at 298 K can be well described by the Langmuir isotherm equation. Desorption of Cu(II) from OX was around 70 %. The presence of OX in the first stage also influences the desorption of phosphate bound in the second stage. Desorption efficiency of both slags for phosphate was about 60 %.
Contrast-induced acute kidney injury in acute ischaemic stroke patients.

PURPOSE The potential nephrotoxicity of intravenous iodinated contrast media is a major concern for acute ischaemic stroke imaging evaluation. This study aimed to assess the incidence of acute kidney injury after intravenous iodinated contrast media exposure in acute ischaemic stroke patients. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort analysis between January 2012 and July 2018 to select adult patients admitted to the emergency department with acute ischaemic stroke. The exposed patients received a uniform intravenous dose of low osmolar non-ionic iodinated contrast media, as part of the imaging protocol for acute ischaemic stroke. The unexposed patients underwent a non-enhanced cranial computed tomography scan. Acute kidney injury was defined according to the Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes criteria, limited to the first 72 hours. RESULTS A total of 161 and 105 patients were included in the exposed and unexposed groups, respectively. The median age was 72.8 years (interquartile range 20), 53% were men and 97% were white. Demographic and baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. The incidence of acute kidney injury between exposed (n = 10, 6.2%) and unexposed (n = 1, 1%) groups (P = 0.073) was similar and contrast exposure was not a significant predictor of acute kidney injury. CONCLUSION Intravenous iodinated contrast media exposure during acute ischaemic stroke imaging protocols is not an independent predictor of acute kidney injury in patients with normal or near-normal renal function. Studies with larger sample sizes would help to clarify if patients with both cardiovascular risk factors and impaired renal function could benefit from prophylactic measures.
Age-related changes in gaze behaviour during social interaction: An eye-tracking study with an embodied conversational agent

Previous research has highlighted age-related differences in social perception, in particular emotional expression processing. To date, such studies have largely focused on approaches that use static emotional stimuli that the participant has to identify passively without the possibility of any interaction. In this study, we propose an interactive virtual environment to better address age-related variations in social and emotional perception. A group of 22 young (18–30 years) and 20 older (60–80 years) adults were engaged in a face-to-face conversation with an embodied conversational agent. Participants were invited to interact naturally with the agent and to identify his facial expression. Their gaze behaviour was captured by an eye-tracking device throughout the interaction. We also explored whether the Big Five personality traits (particularly extraversion) and anxiety modulated gaze during the social interaction. Findings suggested that age-related differences in gaze behaviour were only apparent when decoding social signals (i.e., listening to a partner’s question, identifying facial expressions) and not when communicating social information (i.e., when speaking). Furthermore, higher extraversion levels consistently led to a shorter amount of time gazing towards the eyes, whereas higher anxiety levels led to slight modulations of gaze only when participants were listening to questions. Face-to-face conversation with virtual agents can provide a more naturalistic framework for the assessment of online socio-emotional interaction in older adults, which is not easily observable in classical offline paradigms. This study provides novel and important insights into the specific circumstances in which older adults may experience difficulties in social interactions.
Study on the electric conduction properties of fresh and frozen–thawed grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)

Summary Electric conduction properties of fresh and frozen–thawed grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) and tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) were studied by measuring their impedances under different frequencies. The impedances varied as frequency changed. Although impedances of both fresh and frozen–thawed fish decreased as frequency increased from 1 to 20 kHz, change ratio of impedance (Q value) of fresh fish was evidently higher than that of frozen–thawed fish. The Q values of fresh grass carp and tilapia on the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th, 10th days were 60.53%, 52.24%, 35.47%, 26.86%, 21.17% and 73.13%, 52.70%, 41.06%, 39.28%, 36.31%, while frozen–thawed grass carp and tilapia were 9.65%, 11.21%, 9.58%, 8.89%, 9.13% and 18.26%, 12.80%, 13.46%, 12.16%, 12.91%, respectively. Electric conduction is a rapid, easy to use, portable and cost-effective method for in situ analysis at practical level. Therefore, it is feasible to identify fresh and frozen–thawed fish according to the change ratio of their impedances.
IMPACT OF SPRAYING SOME CHEMICAL SUBSTANCES ON PROTECTING VALENCIA ORANGE TREES FROM HEAT STRESS INJURIES

High temperatures avoid maturity and ripening processes of citrus fruit and lead to injuries as sunburn which reduces the grade and quality of Valencia orange. To overcome this problem, this experiment was carried out during two successive growing seasons (2017 and 2018) on Valencia orange trees grown in the National Research Centre farm for research and production in Al-Nubaria region, Al-Behira Governorate, Egypt using kaolin, calcium types (hydroxide, carbonate, silicate), magnesium carbonate. We observed that all sunburn treatments improved vegetative growth characteristics, and leaves macro and micro elements, and fruit physical and chemical characteristics of Valencia orange trees compared to control. Among all those treatments, there was a clear superiority of calcium silicate treatment which improved most of the previous characteristics. It was also clear that all calcium materials improved peel protein and calcium content which in turn led to decrease the percentage of sunburned fruits.
Effects of Rurality and Geographical Distance on Unplanned Emergency Department Utilization for Children With Asthma: A Population Level Retrospective Cohort Study

Background Asthma is a highly prevalent chronic disease among Ontario children; however, the extent to which rural status and distance are associated with unplanned emergency department (ED) use by this population is largely unknown. Objective To explore the impact of rurality and geographical distance to primary and specialist care services on healthcare utilization by analyzing the use of unplanned ED services. Methods A population level retrospective cohort study of Ontario children ages 5–14 with newly diagnosed asthma was conducted using health administrative data from Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES). Adjusted logistic regression models were used to analyze the association between unplanned ED use with rural status and distance to general practitioner/family physician (GP/FP) and specialist healthcare services, while controlling for confounders. Results In total, 19,732 individuals met the inclusion criteria. Individuals who lived in rural locations (OR 2.00, 95% CI 1.64–2.44) and travelled >50 km to a GP/FP (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.06–1.48) or specialist (OR 1.20, 95% CI 1.05–1.38) were more likely to utilize an ED. Conclusion Children with asthma utilize healthcare services differently based on rural status and distance to services. To ensure equitable access to care, there is a need to accommodate for these factors in the planning and provision of asthma healthcare services.
Kigelia africana (Lam.) Benth leaf extract inhibits rat brain and liver mitochondrial membrane permeability transition pore opening

Abstract The effect of Kigelia africana on mitochondrial membrane permeability transition has not been explored. In this study, the effect of a solvent fraction of Kigelia africana leaf extract on mitochondrial membrane permeability transition of rat brain and liver was evaluated. A methanol extract of K. africana leaves was fractionated into different solvents by vacuum liquid chromatography and following preliminary screening, the dichloromethane:ethylacetate (1:1) fraction was selected for further assays. Constituent phytochemicals in the fraction were revealed by thin-layer chromatography and further purification was carried out to characterize the compounds. Brain and liver mitochondria were isolated and used for mitochondrial membrane permeability transition and adenosine triphosphatase assays. Exogenous Ca2+ and Al3+ were used to trigger the mitochondrial membrane permeability transition opening. Physicochemical properties revealed by thin-layer chromatography showed that the isolated compounds were flavonoids. The extract inhibited mitochondrial membrane permeability transition opening in the presence and absence of triggering agents in brain and liver mitochondria. It also inhibited mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and adenosine triphosphatase activity. These results suggest that the extract can limit the rate of apoptosis via inhibition of mitochondrial membrane permeability transition which is pivotal to the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway and is an important therapeutic target in some pathological conditions. Graphical Abstract
Course of symptoms for loss of sense of smell and taste over time in one thousand forty‐one healthcare workers during the Covid‐19 pandemic: Our experience

On April 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and on May 5, 2020, the World Health Organisation added 'new loss of taste or smell' to their list of symptoms related to Covid-19, respectively. Public Health England (PHE) only included loss of smell and taste as official symptoms on May 20th . However, whether individual hospitals were including smell and taste disturbances in their initial work-up for Covid-19 diagnosis is unknown.