Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding female veterans' experiences and perspectives of firearms.

OBJECTIVES Although firearms are the leading suicide means among female veterans, firearm research in this population remains limited. This study explored female veterans' firearm-related experiences and perspectives. METHOD Sixteen cisgender female veterans (ages 27-69) participated in qualitative interviews. RESULTS Participants gained initial firearm knowledge and exposure in childhood and adolescence through older male family members. Military service led to broader exposure to firearms, which were perceived as important for survival and protection in a male-dominated environment, predominantly due to the risk for sexual violence. Following military service, the desire for self-protection motivated firearm ownership and storage practices. Participants perceived trust as essential to firearm discussions, preferring for family members to initiate such conversations. CONCLUSIONS This study provides insight into the context in which female veterans' firearm-related beliefs and practices develop. Interpersonal factors and various lifespan experiences appear to play a vital role in female veterans' firearm access, ownership, and storage practices.
Adherence to the Japanese Physical Activity Guideline During Early Childhood Among Rural Preschoolers: A Cross-sectional Study

Background Physical activity (PA) guidelines for early childhood have been established worldwide, and adherence to PA guidelines has been utilized to assess the effectiveness of policies regarding PA promotion. Although there is a Japanese PA guideline for preschoolers, little is known about adherence to this recommendation. This study examined and compared proportions of meeting the Japanese PA guideline among preschoolers. Methods Participants comprised 821 children aged 3–6 years from all 21 preschools and childcare facilities (hereafter collectively “preschools”) within Unnan City, Shimane Prefecture, Japan. Data on PA levels were collected through a parent-report questionnaire in accordance with the Japanese PA guideline. This guideline recommends that preschoolers perform PA for at least 60 minutes every day. Analyses included descriptive statistics, chi-squared, and Mann–Whitney’s tests to compare adherence to the PA guideline. Results Data of 441 participants from 20 preschools were analyzed. Of these, 292 (66.2%) preschoolers met the PA guideline. Boys (70.2%) showed a significantly higher proportion of meeting the PA guideline than girls (61.2%; P = 0.048). Proportions of meeting the PA guideline among preschool grades were not statistically different. Prevalence rates of meeting the PA guideline among 20 preschools considerably varied from 14.3% to 100% (P = 0.007). Conclusions Two-thirds of preschoolers met the Japanese PA guideline, while adherence to PA recommendations differed between genders. Moreover, there were distinct variations of adherence to PA guideline among preschools. Possible determinants that cause the differences in adherence to the PA guideline at the individual and preschool-levels should be further evaluated.
Quality of Life of People With Alzheimer Disease: Comparison Between Dyads Degree of Kinship

The quality of life (QoL) of people with Alzheimer disease (PwAD) may be influenced by the type of relationship between carer and the PwAD. Dyads of 98 PwAD/carers (N = 49 spouse-carers; N = 49 nonspouses carers) were measured about QoL, cognition, dementia severity, awareness of disease, functionality, depression, anxiety, and burden of care. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors that influenced the spouse and nonspouse self-report PwAD QoL (PQOL) and to compare carers’ ratings of PwAD QoL (C-PQOL). The total score of QoL for spouse and nonspouse PwAD showed no significant difference (P = .29). The linear regression demonstrated that higher awareness of disease was significantly related to spouse PQOL (P = .001). Nonspouse PQOL was negatively related to lower depression (P = .007). The total score of QoL for spouse and nonspouse C-PQOL showed no significant difference (P = .14). The linear regression demonstrated that depression of spouse-PwAD (P < .001) and burden of care (P = .001) were negatively related to spouse-dyads’ C-PQOL. The nonspouse-dyads C-PQOL was negatively related to depression of nonspouse-PwAD (P < .001), awareness of disease (P = .001), and the mood of the carer (P = .01). Spouse and nonspouse PwAD evaluate PQOL better than carers (C-PQOL). No significant difference was found in the total PQOL and C-PQOL of spouse and nonspouse, but dyads evaluated differently about what is important to assess QoL.
Quality of Life in Women with Deep Endometriosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract Objective To describe clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of women with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE) and assess their quality of life (QOL) during 6 months of medical treatment. Methods A descriptive cross-sectional study of 60 women diagnosed with DIE either by surgery or image methods (ultrasound or magnetic resonance), who received clinical treatment for at least 6 months in the Universidade de Campinas, Campinas, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Both the SF-36 and the EHP-30 questionnaires were used to assess the quality of life. Results The mean age of the patients was 37.7 ± 6.0 years old, with 50% presenting dysmenorrhea; 57% dyspareunia; and 50% chronic pelvic pain. The SF-36 and the EHP-30 revealed impaired quality of life. In the SF-36, the worst domains were limitation due to emotional aspects (40.2 ± 43.1) and self-esteem and disposition (46.1 ± 24.8), whereas in the EHP-30 they were social well-being (50.3 ± 30.6); infertility (48.0 ± 36.3); and sexual intercourse (54.0 ± 32.1). Conclusion Although clinically treated, women with deep endometriosis present impairment in different domains of quality of life regardless of the questionnaire used for evaluation.
Upregulation of CASP9 through NF-κB and Its Target MiR-1276 Contributed to TNFα-Promoted Apoptosis of Cancer Cells Induced by Doxorubicin

Under some conditions, nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) has a pro-apoptotic role, but the mechanisms underlying this function remain unclear. This study demonstrated that NF-κB directly binds to CASP9 and miR1276 in tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-treated HeLa and HepG2 cells. NF-κB upregulated CASP9 expression, whereas downregulated miR1276 expression in the TNFα-treated cells. The miR1276 repressed CASP9 expression in both cells. As a result, a typical NF-κB-mediated coherent feed-forward loop was formed in the TNFα-treated cells. It was proposed that the NF-κB-mediated loop may contribute to cell apoptosis under certain conditions. This opinion was supported by the following evidence: TNFα promoted the apoptosis of HeLa and HepG2 cells induced by doxorubicin (DOX). CASP9 was significantly upregulated and activated by TNFα in the DOX-induced cells. Moreover, a known inhibitor of CASP9 activation significantly repressed the TNFα promotion of apoptosis induced by DOX. These findings indicate that CASP9 is a new mediator of the NF-κB pro-apoptotic pathway, at least in such conditions. This study therefore provides new insights into the pro-apoptotic role of NF-κB. The results also shed new light on the molecular mechanism underlying TNFα-promotion of cancer cells apoptosis induced by some anticancer drugs such as DOX.
IMU-Based Gait Normalcy Index Calculation for Clinical Evaluation of Impaired Gait

Inertial measurement units (IMU) have been used for gait analysis in many clinical studies, as a more convenient, low cost and less restricted alternative to the laboratory-based motion capture systems or instrumented walkways. Spatial-temporal gait parameters such as gait cycle duration and stride length calculated from the IMUs were often used in these studies for evaluating the impaired gait. However, the spatial-temporal information provided by IMUs is limited, and sometime suffers incomplete and less effective evaluation. In this study, we develop a novel IMU-based method for clinical gait evaluation. Nine gait variables including three spatial-temporal parameters and six kinematic parameters are extracted from two shank-mounted IMUs for quantifying patient's gait deviations. Based on those parameters, an IMU-based gait normalcy index (INI) is derived to evaluate the overall gait performance. Eight inpatient subjects with gait impairments caused by n-hexane neuropathy and ten healthy subjects were recruited. The proposed gait variables and INI were examined on the inpatients at three to five time instants during the rehabilitation process until being discharged. A comparison with healthy subjects and statistical analysis for the changes of gait variables and INI demonstrated that the proposed new set of gait variables and INI can provide adequate and effective information for quantifying gait abnormalities, and help understanding the progress of gait and effectiveness of therapy during rehabilitation process.
A retrospective epidemiological analysis of human Cryptosporidium infection in China during the past three decades (1987-2018)

Background Cryptosporidiosis is an emerging infectious disease of public health significance worldwide. The burden of disease caused by Cryptosporidium varies between and within countries/areas. To have a comprehensive understanding of epidemiological status and characteristics of human Cryptosporidium infection in China since the first report in 1987, a retrospective epidemiological analysis was conducted by presenting differences in the prevalence of Cryptosporidium by province, year, population, living environment and season and possible transmission routes and risk factors as well as genetic characteristics of Cryptosporidium in humans. Methodology/Principal findings A systematic search was conducted to obtain epidemiological papers of human Cryptosporidium infection/cryptosporidiosis from PubMed and Chinese databases. Finally, 164 papers were included in our analysis. At least 200,054 people from 27 provinces were involved in investigational studies of Cryptosporidium, with an average prevalence of 2.97%. The prevalence changed slightly over time. Variable prevalences were observed: 0.65–11.15% by province, 1.89–47.79% by population, 1.77–12.87% and 0–3.70% in rural and urban areas, respectively. The prevalence peak occurred in summer or autumn. Indirect person-to-person transmission was documented in one outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in a pediatric hospital. 263 Cryptosporidium isolates were obtained, and seven Cryptosporidium species were identified: C. hominis (48.3%), C. andersoni (22.43%), C. parvum (16.7%), C. meleagridis (8.36%), C. felis (3.04%), C. canis (0.76%) and C. suis (0.38%). Conclusions/Significances This systematic review reflects current epidemiological status and characteristics of Cryptosporidium in humans in China. These data will be helpful to develop efficient control strategies to intervene with and prevent occurrence of human Cryptosporidium infection/cryptosporidiosis in China as well as have a reference effect to other countries. Further studies should focus on addressing a high frequency of C. andersoni in humans and a new challenge with respect to cryptosporidiosis with an increasing population of elderly people and patients with immunosuppressive diseases.
Workflow Improvement and the Use of PDSA Cycles: An Exploration Using Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Integration

Background and Objectives: The purpose of the study was to use a best practice quality improvement process to identify and eliminate barriers to Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) integration in a Federally Qualified Health Center. SBIRT provides an initial method for addressing mental health and substance abuse concerns of patients. The method is very useful in integration of behavioral health screening in primary care. Methods: A Process Improvement Team used 4 Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles during a 10-week time frame to (1) reduce the reported frequency of barriers to the SBIRT process, (2) reduce non–value-added activities in the SBIRT workflow, (3) reduce bottlenecks, and (4) increase patient receipt of SBIRT. A modified Referral Barriers Questionnaire, a swim lane diagram, non–value-added versus value-added analysis, and a Shewhart control chart (P-chart) were used to evaluate process and outcome measures. Results: Nurses reported a 23.82% reduction in referral barrier frequency and a 21.12% increase in the helpfulness of SBIRT. Providers reported a 7.60% reduction in referral barrier frequency and a decrease in the helpfulness of SBIRT. The P-chart indicated that the process changes resulted in a positive shift in behaviors and an increase in patient receipt of SBIRT. Conclusion: The use of a best practice quality improvement process resulted in improvements in workflow related to SBIRT, greater communication about SBIRT, and identification of barriers that blocked successful receipt of SBIRT.
Phenyllactic Acid Produced by Geotrichum candidum Reduces Fusarium sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae Growth and T-2 Toxin Concentration

Fusariumsporotrichioides and F. langsethiae are present in barley crops. Their toxic metabolites, mainly T-2 toxin, affect the quality and safety of raw material and final products such as beer. Therefore, it is crucial to reduce Fusarium spp. proliferation and T-2 toxin contamination during the brewing process. The addition of Geotrichum candidum has been previously demonstrated to reduce the proliferation of Fusarium spp. and the production of toxic metabolites, but the mechanism of action is still not known. Thus, this study focuses on the elucidation of the interaction mechanism between G. candidum and Fusarium spp. in order to improve this bioprocess. First, over a period of 168 h, the co-culture kinetics showed an almost 90% reduction in T-2 toxin concentration, starting at 24 h. Second, sequential cultures lead to a reduction in Fusarium growth and T-2 toxin concentration. Simultaneously, it was demonstrated that G. candidum produces phenyllactic acid (PLA) at the early stages of growth, which could potentially be responsible for the reduction in Fusarium growth and T-2 toxin concentration. To prove the PLA effect, F. sporotrichioides and F. langsethiae were cultivated in PLA supplemented medium. The expected results were achieved with 0.3 g/L of PLA. These promising results contribute to a better understanding of the bioprocess, allowing its optimization at an up-scaled industrial level.
Protective Role of Pomegranate and Sodium bicarbonate on Acute Renal Failure Induced by Gentamicin In Rabbits Model

Acute renal failure ARF is common condition can be categorized as prerenal, intrinsic or postrenal causes in which the glomerular filtration rate decreases GFR over days to weeks . The aim of this study was to test whether the administration of pomegranate and sodium bicarbonate minimize the adverse health effect of acute renal failure. Methods : twenty female rabbits were assessed in to five groups ( n = 4 ) ,Group 1 : control group (C) . Group 2 : Gentamicin group ( G ): animals were injected with a single dose of Gentamicin ( 80 mg / Kg / bw ) intramuscular , daily for 10 days to induce renal failure. Group 3 : sodium bicarbonate group ( G+S ),animals were treated as in group 2 plus they received sodium bicarbonate ( 1 ml / Kg / bw ) of 8.4% by gavage daily for 10 days . Group 4 : pomegranate group ( G+P ),animals were treated as in group 2 plus they received pomegranate 500 ( mg / Kg / bw ) by gavage. Group 5 : combination group ( G+S+P ),animals were treated as in group 2 plus group 3 and group 4 for 10 days. Results : serum creatinine and blood urea levels were decreased in both groups (G+P) and (( G+S+P ) , p < 0.05 . while in group ( G+S ) they increased more effectively than the ( G) group . Serum electrolytes concentrations and serum ( pH ) shows different response , they were improved mostly in the ( G+S+P ) group, and they fluctuated in (G+S) group showing significant decreasing in serum ( Cl and Ca ) , p < 0.05 . Although the results for the hematological parameters were also improved in the combination group ( G+S+P ) but the differences were non significant between all others measured parameters and control group. Conclusions : the administration of sodium bicarbonate in Gentamicin model to induced acute renal failure inducement has adverse biological effects . but those effects were minimized by the ameliorative effects of the pomegranate administration which was helpful in speeding recovery
The importance of nutrient hotspots for grazing ungulates in a Miombo ecosystem, Tanzania

While movement patterns of grazing ungulates are strongly dependent on forage quality their use of nutrient hotspots such as termite mounds or grazing lawns has rarely been quantified, especially in savanna ecosystems where soil-nutrient quality is low. Additionally, few experiments have been conducted to determine the role of termite mound- and grazing lawn-derived soils in improving forage quality in the field. We studied wild ungulate grazing activities around ten termite mounds, six grazing lawns and their respective control sites in a Miombo system of Issa Valley, western Tanzania, in the same system. We used indirect observations (i.e., dung, tracks) to identify seasonal and spatial variations in habitat use of various wild mammalian grazers. Grazer visitation rates were nine and three times higher on termite mounds and grazing lawns, respectively, compared to control sites. During the rainy season, termite mounds were more frequently used than grazing lawns while the latter were used more often during the dry season. In an additional pot experiment with soils derived from different areas, we found that Cynodon dactylon in termite mound-derived soils had twice as high Nitrogen and Phosphorous contents and biomass compared to grasses planted in grazing lawn soils and control site soils. We highlight that both termite mounds and grazing lawns play a significant role in influencing seasonal nutrient dynamics, forage nutrient quality, habitat selectivity, and, hence, grazing activities and movement patterns of wild ungulate grazers in savannas. We conclude that termite mounds and grazing lawns are important for habitat heterogeneity in otherwise nutrient–poor savanna systems.
How Evidence-Based Practice (E3BP) Informs Speech-Language Pathology for Primary Progressive Aphasia

Amelioration of communication impairment in primary progressive aphasia (PPA) is an area of clinical importance and current research. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) have a range of skills and interventions to support communication in PPA; however, underrecognition of their role and low referral rates is an ongoing concern. The E3BP conceptualization of evidence-based practice comprises 3 components: research-based evidence, practice-based evidence, and informed patient preferences. Here, we will describe how evidence for managing the communication difficulties experienced by individuals with PPA exists at all 3 levels of the (E3BP) model, highlighting how this allows SLP interventions to be both evidence based and patient centered. We encourage health professionals to value and utilize the wide range of services that SLPs can offer when working with individuals with PPA, to educate, remediate everyday linguistic skills, increase daily participation, and maximize overall quality of life.
Early Treatment of All Persons with HIV Infection: From Immune Activation and Inflammation Studies to Randomized Clinical Trials

Treatment of people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection with antiretroviral therapy has dramatically reduced disease progression and death. There are strong supporting data and a public health argument that treatment prevents transmission of the disease. The optimal timing for starting antiretroviral therapy in asymptomatic people living with HIV infection was the subject of debate until 2015, when two large randomized studies (TEMPRANO and START) indisputably showed benefit of treating all people living with HIV regardless of CD4+ cell count. In this paper, we review the evidence from immune activation and inflammation studies to randomized clinical trials that supports early treatment of all asymptomatic people living with HIV regardless of CD4+ cell count, and we describe challenges and perspectives behind this strategy.
High population densities catalyze the spread of COVID-19

The control of the COVID-19 epidemic is in many locations moving from a public-health strategy of containment to mitigation. 1 A main control-strategy of COVID-19 is contact tracing. Its effectiveness depends on the pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic patterns of the disease. With 100% symptomatic cases, an R0 of 1.5 could be controlled with 50% of the contacts traced. With an R0 of 3.5, 90% is required. 2 With pre-symptomatic and potential asymptomatic transmission, the effectiveness of contact tracing is reduced further. 2 In Italy, for example, only one out of four cases is identified. 3 Thus, even for a low R0 and no presymptomatic transmission, contact tracing will on its own not be able to contain the outbreak. In addition to isolation of ill persons, contact tracing and quarantining of all their contacts, to reduce community spread it will be necessary to strategically reduce contact-rates. By reducing contact rates, the growth-rate of the outbreak can be reduced. Controlling contact rates is key to outbreak control, and such a strategy depends on population densities.
The Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) Genome is Differentially Targeted in TSWV-Infected Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) with or without Sw-5 Gene

Tospoviruses cause significant losses to a wide range of agronomic and horticultural crops worldwide. The type member, Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV), causes systemic infection in susceptible tomato cultivars, whereas its infection is localized in cultivars carrying the Sw-5 resistance gene. The response to TSWV infection in tomato cultivars with or without Sw-5 was determined at the virus small RNA level in the locally infected leaf. Predicted reads were aligned to TSWV reference sequences. The TSWV genome was found to be differentially processed among each of the three-viral genomic RNAs—Large (L), Medium (M) and Small (S)—in the Sw-5(+) compared to Sw-5(−) genotypes. In the Sw-5(+) cultivar, the L RNA had the highest number of viral small-interfering RNAs (vsiRNAs), whereas in the Sw-5(−) cultivar the number was higher in the S RNA. Among the three-viral genomic RNAs, the distribution of hotspots showed a higher number of reads per million reads of vsiRNAs of 21 and 22 nt class at the 5′ and 3′ ends of the L and the S RNAs, with less coverage in the M RNA. In the Sw-5(−) cultivar, the nature of the 5′ nucleotide-end in the siRNAs varied significantly; reads with 5′-adenine-end were most abundant in the mock control, whereas cytosine and uracil were more abundant in the infected plants. No such differences were seen in case of the resistant genotype. Findings provided insights into the response of tomato cultivars to TSWV infection.