Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Cycling While Typing on Patterns of Upper Body Muscle Activation

Objective To investigate the effect of one’s sex and pedaling intensity on upper body muscle activation patterns during typing while cycling. Background Females are at a higher risk for computer work-related musculoskeletal disorders, and mobile workstations have been suggested to induce healthier muscular patterns compared with sitting. However, the neuromuscular characteristics of performing computer work in a cycling workstation have not been investigated. Method Twenty-two participants (10 females) completed a 60-min computer typing task while pedaling on a cycle ergometer at two different intensities (25%, 4% heart rate reserve). Surface electromyography (EMG) was recorded from seven muscles of the upper body. Effects of time, sex, and intensity were assessed for muscle activation (RMS), activation variability (CV), and normalized mutual information (NMI) via generalized estimating equations. Results With time, neck/shoulder CV increased in males during higher pedaling intensity, whereas in females it decreased during lower intensity. In females, RMS of neck/shoulder and NMI of neck/shoulder muscle pairs were lower, whereas forearm RMS was 34.2% higher with higher intensity cycling compared with lower intensity. Lower back RMS decreased 28.3% in the initial half of the task in females, but in males it increased 14.4% in the later half. Conclusion and application Cycling workstation showed a sex- and intensity-specific EMG response. These differing responses should be considered when implementing the use of cycling workstation and may be important for preventing/managing sex-specific muscle fatigue and musculoskeletal disorders.
COVID-19 pandemic: SARS-CoV-2 specific vaccines and challenges, protection via BCG trained immunity, and clinical trials

ABSTRACT Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic continues to spread worldwide and vaccination remains the most effective approach to control COVID-19. Currently, at least ten COVID-19 vaccines have been authorized under emergency authorization. However, these vaccines still face many challenges. Areas covered: This study reviews the concept and mechanisms of trained immunity induced by the Bacille Calmette Guérin (BCG) vaccine and identifies questions that should be answered before the BCG vaccine could be used to combat COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, we present for the first time the details of current BCG vaccine clinical trials, which are underway in various countries, to assess its effectiveness in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, we discuss the challenges of COVID-19 vaccines and opportunities for the BCG vaccine. The literature was found by searching the PubMed (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/), Web of Science (www.webofknowledge.com), Embase (https://www.embase.com), and CNKI (https://www.cnki.net/) databases. The date was set as the default parameter for each database. Expert opinion: The advantages of the BCG vaccine can compensate for the shortcomings of other COVID-19 vaccines. If the efficacy of the BCG vaccine against COVID-19 is confirmed by these clinical trials, the BCG vaccine may be essential to resolve the challenges faced by COVID-19 vaccines.
Genetics, its role in preventing the pandemic of coronary artery disease

Epidemiologists have claimed for decades that about 50% of predisposition for coronary artery disease (CAD) is genetic. Advances in technology made possible the discovery of hundreds of genetic risk variants predisposing to CAD. Multiple clinical trials have shown that cardiac events can be prevented by drugs to lower plasma low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C). A major barrier to primary prevention is the lack of markers to identify those individuals at risk prior to the development of symptoms of the disease. Conventional risk factors are age‐dependent, occurring mostly in the sixth or seventh decade, which is less than desirable for early primary prevention. A polygenic risk score, derived from the number of genetic risk variants predisposing to CAD inherited by an individual, has been evaluated in over 1 million individuals. The risk for CAD is stratified into high, intermediate, and low. Polygenic risk scores derived from retrospective genotyping of several clinical trials evaluating the effect of statin therapy or PCSK9 inhibitors show the genetic risk is reduced 40%–50% by decreasing plasma LDL‐C. Prospective randomized placebo‐controlled clinical trials document a 40%–50% reduction in cardiac events in individuals at high genetic risk associated with favorable lifestyle changes and increased physical activity. The polygenic risk score is not age‐dependent and remains the same throughout life. Thus, the GRS is superior to conventional risk factors in identifying asymptomatic individuals at risk for CAD early in life for primary prevention. These results indicate clinical embracement of the GRS in primary prevention would be a paradigm shift in the treatment of the number one killer, CAD.
Influence of a heat-shock pre-treatment on wound-induced phenolic biosynthesis as an alternative strategy towards fresh-cut carrot processing

In fresh-cut vegetables, plant tissues are often challenged by (a)biotic stresses that act in combination, and the response to combinatorial stresses differs from that triggered by each individually. Phenolic induction by wounding is a known response contributing to increase products phenolic content. Heat application is a promising treatment in minimal processing, and its interference on the wound-induced response is produce-dependent. In carrot, two-combined stress effects were evaluated: peel removal vs. shredding, and heat application (100 °C/45 s) vs. shredding, on changes in total phenolic content (TPC) during 10 days (5 °C). By applying the first stress combination, a decrease in TPC was verified on day 0 (∼50%), ascribed to the high phenolic content of peels. Recovery of initial fresh carrot levels was achieved after 7 days owing to phenolic biosynthesis induced by shredding. For the second combination, changes in TPC, phenylalanine-ammonia-lyase (PAL), and peroxidase (POD) activity of untreated (Ctr) and heat-treated (HS) peeled shredded carrot samples were evaluated during 10 days. The heat-shock did not suppress phenolic biosynthesis promoted by PAL, although there was a two-day delay in TPC increments. Notwithstanding, phenolic accumulation after 10 days exceeded raw material TPC content. Also, the decrease in POD activity (30%) could influence quality degradation during storage.
An examination of social group memberships in patients with eating disorders, carers, and healthy controls.

This study compared the quantity and quality of social group memberships in patients with anorexia nervosa (n = 30), carers of patients with anorexia nervosa, unrelated to those patients (n = 30), and two cohorts of healthy controls (n = 60) age-matched to these focal groups. A secondary aim was to examine the associations between the quality of group relationships and severity of eating disorder and depression symptoms in patients; and depression symptoms in carers. Participants completed the online Social Identity Mapping Tool, which was used to measure the quantity and quality of social group memberships (e.g., number of social groups, number of groups rated 'highly positive'). Participants also completed self-report measures of clinical symptoms. Compared to controls, patients reported fewer social groups when eating disorder-related groups were included, and significantly fewer social groups, and community groups in particular, when eating disorder-related groups were excluded. Number of positive groups was negatively associated with severity of eating disorder and depression symptoms in patients when eating disorder-related groups were excluded. Carers reported fewer groups overall, fewer family groups, and fewer positive and supportive groups compared to healthy controls. There was a weak association between the number of positive groups and the severity of depression symptoms in carers. Positive group memberships might play a protective role towards developing more severe eating disorder and depression symptoms.
Overcoming Barriers to Clinical Trial Participation: Outcomes of a National Clinical Trial Matching and Navigation Service for Patients With a Blood Cancer

PURPOSE: There are numerous barriers to cancer clinical trial participation in the United States. This paper describes the approach and outcomes of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Clinical Trial Support Center (CTSC), whose nurse navigators assist patients with a blood cancer and their oncologists by identifying all appropriate trials based on clinical data and patient preference, facilitating informed and shared decision making, and minimizing enrollment barriers. METHODS: Data on patients served from October 2017 to October 2019 were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analyses to determine demographic and clinical characteristics associated with enrollment. Reasons for nonenrollment were examined. RESULTS: The CTSC opened 906 patient cases during this time frame. Among all US patients with a closed case (n = 750), the clinical trial enrollment rate was 16.1%. Among those with a known enrollment outcome after a trial search (n = 537), the enrollment rate was 22.5%. Multivariate analysis controlling for variables significant in bivariate analyses (insurance, treatment status, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status, and urban or rural residence) revealed that patients with Medicaid were less likely to enroll than those with private or commercial insurance (adjusted odds ratio, 0.054; CI, 0.003 to 0.899), and patients in treatment or maintenance were less likely to enroll than those relapsed or refractory to most recent therapy (adjusted odds ratio, 0.312; CI, 0.139 to 0.702). Primary reasons for nonenrollment were preference for standard of care (66.3%) and patient passed away (16.1%). CONCLUSION: The CTSC is an effective, replicable model for addressing multilevel barriers to clinical trial participation. The findings highlight the need to increase opportunities for trial participation sooner after diagnosis and among patients with Medicaid.
Cognitive deficits in episodic ataxia type 2 mouse models

Abstract Episodic ataxia type 2 (EA2) is a rare autosomal dominant disorder characterized by motor incoordination, paroxysmal dystonia, vertigo, nystagmus and more recently cognitive deficits. To date over 100 mutations in the CACNA1A gene have been identified in EA2 patients leading to a loss of P/Q-type channel activity, dysfunction of cerebellar Purkinje cells and motor incoordination. To determine if the cerebellum is contributing to these cognitive deficits, we examined two different EA2 mouse models for cognition impairments where CACNA1A was removed specifically from cerebellar Purkinje or granule cells postnatally. Both mutant mouse models showed anxiolytic behavior to lighted, open areas in the open field and light/dark place preference tests but enhanced anxiousness in the novel suppressed feeding test. However, EA2 mice continued to show augmented latencies in the light/dark preference test and when the arena was divided into two dark zones in the dark/dark preference test. Moreover, increased latencies were also displayed in the novel object recognition test, indicating that EA2 mice are indecisive and anxious to explore new territories and objects and may have memory recognition deficits. Exposure to a foreign mouse led to deficiencies in attention and sniffing as well as in social and genital sniffing. These data suggest that postnatal removal of the P/Q type calcium channel from the cerebellum regulates neuronal activity involved in anxiety, memory, decision making and social interactions. Our EA2 mice will provide a model to identify the mechanisms and therapeutic agents underlying cognitive and psychiatric disorders seen in EA2 patients.
Impact of the first wave of the SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 pandemic on digestive surgical activities: a Belgian National Survey

Abstract Background Belgium was one of the first European countries affected by the first wave of the Covid-19 epidemic after Italy and France and has the highest rate of Covid-19-related deaths. Very few studies have evaluated the impact of the pandemic on surgical activity on a large scale. The primary objective of this national survey was to evaluate the impact of the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic on surgical activities (elective non-oncological and oncological) in Belgian hospitals. Methods A nationwide, multicenter survey was conducted in Belgium by the Royal Belgian Surgical Society (RBSS) board. The questionnaire focused on digestive surgical activity at different time points: period 1 (P1), before the epidemic; period 2 (P2), lockdown; and period 3 (P3), after stabilization of the epidemic. Results The participation rate in the survey was 28.2% (24 out of 85 solicited hospitals), including 15 (62.5%) from the French speaking part of Belgium and 9 (37.5%) from the Flemish speaking part. Eighteen (75%) were non-academic and 6 (25%) were academic hospitals. All surgical activities were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic except for the number of cholecystectomies. No statistical differences were observed between regions or according to the type of hospital. Conclusions Our national survey confirms that the COVID-19 outbreak has severely impacted in-person consultations and surgical activity for benign and malignant disease and for acute appendicitis. However, procedures for benign disease were much more affected than those for malignancies.
Muscle Metaboreflex Control of Sympathetic Activity Is Preserved after Acute Intermittent Hypercapnic Hypoxia

ABSTRACT Purpose In normotensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) response to exercise is increased while metaboreflex control of MSNA is decreased. We tested the hypotheses that acute intermittent hypercapnic hypoxia (IHH) in males free from OSA and associated comorbidities would augment the MSNA response to exercise but attenuate the change in MSNA during metaboreflex activation. Methods Thirteen healthy males (age = 24 ± 4 yr) were exposed to 40 min of IHH. Before and after IHH, the pressor response to exercise was studied during 2 min of isometric handgrip exercise (at 30% maximal voluntary contraction), whereas the metaboreflex was studied during 4 min of postexercise circulatory occlusion (PECO). Mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), and fibular MSNA were recorded continuously. MSNA was quantified as burst frequency (BF) and total activity (TA). Mixed effects linear models were used to compare the exercise pressor and metaboreflex before and after IHH. Results As expected, IHH led to significant increases in MSNA BF, TA, and MAP at baseline and throughout exercise and PECO. However, during handgrip exercise, the change from baseline in MAP, HR, MSNA BF, and TA was similar before and after IHH (All P > 0.31). During PECO, the change from baseline in MSNA BF and TA was similar after IHH, whereas the change from baseline in MAP (Δ14 mm Hg, 95% CI = 7–19, vs Δ16 mm Hg, 95% CI = 10–21; P < 0.01) was modestly increased. Conclusion After acute IHH, MSNA response to handgrip exercise and metaboreflex activation were preserved in healthy young males despite overall increases in resting MSNA and MAP. Chronic IHH and comorbidities often associated with OSA may be required to modulate the exercise pressor reflex and metaboreflex.
Latent gammaherpesvirus exacerbates arthritis through modification of age-associated B cells

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults, though the nature of the relationship remains unknown. Herein, we have examined the contribution of viral infection to the severity of arthritis in mice. We have provided the first evidence that latent gammaherpesvirus infection enhances clinical arthritis, modeling EBV’s role in RA. Mice latently infected with a murine analog of EBV, gammaherpesvirus 68 (γHV68), develop more severe collagen-induced arthritis and a Th1-skewed immune profile reminiscent of human disease. We demonstrate that disease enhancement requires viral latency and is not due to active virus stimulation of the immune response. Age-associated B cells (ABCs) are associated with several human autoimmune diseases, including arthritis, though their contribution to disease is not well understood. Using ABC knockout mice, we have provided the first evidence that ABCs are mechanistically required for viral enhancement of disease, thereby establishing that ABCs are impacted by latent gammaherpesvirus infection and provoke arthritis.
A radical change in our autism research strategy is needed: Back to prototypes

The evolution of autism diagnosis, from its discovery to its current delineation using standardized instruments, has been paralleled by a steady increase in its prevalence and heterogeneity. In clinical settings, the diagnosis of autism is now too vague to specify the type of support required by the concerned individuals. In research, the inclusion of individuals categorically defined by over‐inclusive, polythetic criteria in autism cohorts results in a population whose heterogeneity runs contrary to the advancement of scientific progress. Investigating individuals sharing only a trivial resemblance produces a large‐scale type‐2 error (not finding differences between autistic and dominant population) rather than detecting mechanistic differences to explain their phenotypic divergences. The dimensional approach of autism proposed to cure the disease of its categorical diagnosis is plagued by the arbitrariness of the dimensions under study. Here, we argue that an emphasis on the reliability rather than specificity of diagnostic criteria and the misuse of diagnostic instruments, which ignore the recognition of a prototype, leads to confound autism with the entire range of neurodevelopmental conditions and personality variants. We propose centering research on cohorts in which individuals are selected based on their expert judged prototypicality to advance the theoretical and practical pervasive issues pertaining to autism diagnostic thresholds. Reversing the current research strategy by giving more weight to specificity than reliability should increase our ability to discover the mechanisms of autism.
Vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2: A prospective cross‐sectional study from a tertiary center

The aim was to investigate the association of the delivery mode and vertical transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) through the samples of vaginal secretions, placenta, cord blood, or amniotic fluid as well as the neonatal outcomes. This cross‐sectional study presents an analysis of prospectively gathered data collected at a single tertiary hospital. Sixty‐three pregnant women with confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) participated in the study. Vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2 was analyzed with reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) tests and blood tests for immunoglobulin G (IgG)–immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies. All patients were in the mild or moderate category for COVID‐19. Only one placental sample and two of the vaginal secretion samples were positive for SARS‐CoV‐2. Except for one, all positive samples were obtained from patients who gave birth by cesarean. All cord blood and amniotic fluid samples were negative for SARS‐CoV‐2. Two newborns were screened positive for COVID‐19 IgG–IgM within 24 h after delivery, but the RT‐PCR tests were negative. A positive RT‐PCR result was detected in a neof a mother whose placenta, cord blood, amniotic fluid, and vaginal secretions samples were negative. He died due to pulmonary hemorrhage on the 11th day of life. In conclusion, we demonstrated that SARS‐CoV‐2 can be detectable in the placenta or vaginal secretions of pregnant women. Detection of the virus in the placenta or vaginal secretions may not be associated with neonatal infection. Vaginal delivery may not increase the incidence of neonatal infection, and cesarean may not prevent vertical transmission. The decision regarding the mode of delivery should be based on obstetric indications and COVID‐19 severity.
Mn3Al2Si3O12 spessartine and Ca3Al2Si3O12 grossular garnet: Structural dynamic and thermodynamic properties

Abstract The structures of synthetic Mn3Al2Si3O12 spessartine and Ca3Al2Si3O12 grossular garnet have been refined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction methods at 100 K, 293 K, and 500-550 K. The divalent X-site cations, located in large dodecahedral sites, show measurable anisotropic dynamic disorder in contrast to the rigid vibrational behavior of the SiO4 tetrahedra and AlO6 octahedra. The amplitudes of vibration of Mn2+ in spessartine are similar to those of Fe2+ of almandine, in the plane of the longer X-O(4) bonds, and both are about twice that of Ca2+ in grossular, despite the lighter mass of the latter. Heat capacities measured between 300 and 1000 K on synthetic poly crystalline spessartine and two natural nearly end-member spessartine crystals are similar to those of almandine. In addition, the IR active modes of spessartine at low frequencies are very similar to those of almandine suggesting that their heat capacities are also similar at lower temperatures. The low-energy phonon spectra of pyrope and grossular are probably considerably distinct from the two transition metal-containing garnets as suggested by their different low frequency IR active modes, reflecting the different bonding properties for Mg and Ca in garnet. The large pressure-temperature stability field of spessartine, relative to the other aluminosilicate garnets, does not appear to be due to any sort of intrinsic entropy stabilization.
Intrinsic connectivity reveals functionally distinct cortico-hippocampal networks in the human brain

Episodic memory depends on interactions between the hippocampus and interconnected neocortical regions. Here, using data-driven analyses of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data, we identified the networks that interact with the hippocampus—the default mode network (DMN) and a “medial temporal network” (MTN) that included regions in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and precuneus. We observed that the MTN plays a critical role in connecting the visual network to the DMN and hippocampus. The DMN could be further divided into 3 subnetworks: a “posterior medial” (PM) subnetwork comprised of posterior cingulate and lateral parietal cortices; an “anterior temporal” (AT) subnetwork comprised of regions in the temporopolar and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex; and a “medial prefrontal” (MP) subnetwork comprised of regions primarily in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). These networks vary in their functional connectivity (FC) along the hippocampal long axis and represent different kinds of information during memory-guided decision-making. Finally, a Neurosynth meta-analysis of fMRI studies suggests new hypotheses regarding the functions of the MTN and DMN subnetworks, providing a framework to guide future research on the neural architecture of episodic memory.