Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Having Hearing Loss Fundamentally Different? Multigroup Structural Equation Modeling of the Effect of Cognitive Functioning on Speech Identification

Objectives: Previous research suggests that there is a robust relationship between cognitive functioning and speech-in-noise performance for older adults with age-related hearing loss. For normal-hearing adults, on the other hand, the research is not entirely clear. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive functioning, aging, and speech-in-noise, in a group of older normal-hearing persons and older persons with hearing loss who wear hearing aids. Design: We analyzed data from 199 older normal-hearing individuals (mean age = 61.2) and 200 older individuals with hearing loss (mean age = 60.9) using multigroup structural equation modeling. Four cognitively related tasks were used to create a cognitive functioning construct: the reading span task, a visuospatial working memory task, the semantic word-pairs task, and Raven’s progressive matrices. Speech-in-noise, on the other hand, was measured using Hagerman sentences. The Hagerman sentences were presented via an experimental hearing aid to both normal hearing and hearing-impaired groups. Furthermore, the sentences were presented with one of the two background noise conditions: the Hagerman original speech-shaped noise or four-talker babble. Each noise condition was also presented with three different hearing processing settings: linear processing, fast compression, and noise reduction. Results: Cognitive functioning was significantly related to speech-in-noise identification. Moreover, aging had a significant effect on both speech-in-noise and cognitive functioning. With regression weights constrained to be equal for the two groups, the final model had the best fit to the data. Importantly, the results showed that the relationship between cognitive functioning and speech-in-noise was not different for the two groups. Furthermore, the same pattern was evident for aging: the effects of aging on cognitive functioning and aging on speech-in-noise were not different between groups. Conclusion: Our findings revealed similar cognitive functioning and aging effects on speech-in-noise performance in older normal-hearing and aided hearing-impaired listeners. In conclusion, the findings support the Ease of Language Understanding model as cognitive processes play a critical role in speech-in-noise independent from the hearing status of elderly individuals.
Neonatal outcome among pregnant women with COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background COVID-19 has raised many concerns about the possible side effects of pregnancy. There is currently no conclusive evidence of the vertical transmission of COVID-19. Accordingly, this paper is a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis investigated neonatal outcomes among pregnant women with COVID-19. Methods PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), EMBASE, ProQuest, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched up to November 2020. The Cochran's Q-test and I 2 statistic were applied to assess heterogeneity, a random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled estimate of the mean, and a meta-regression method was utilized to investigate the factors affecting heterogeneity between studies. Results Of 1132 studies, 23 were included in the analysis (sample size: 749 for neonates and 820 for mothers). Most of these studies (n = 13) were conducted in China. The pooled estimate for the mean of birth weight, APGAR score in min 1 and 5 was 3084.97 g (95% CI: 2993.66–3176.29), 8.76 (95% CI: 8.27–9.25), and 9.44 (95% CI: 9.18–9.70), respectively. Also, the pooled prevalence of premature birth, shortness of breath, and neonatal death was 17.80% (95% CI: 12.47–23.13), 8.43% (95% CI: 4.50–12.37), and 7.73% (95% CI: 2.00–13.47), respectively. The meta-regression results indicated that the mother’s age, disease duration, and sample size had no significant effect on heterogeneity between studies (p-value all of them was >.05). Finally, 15 studies (65.22%) reported that vertical transmission did not occur. Conclusion The COVID-19 infection can have adverse outcomes for the newborn. Despite the positive test of neonates, the vertical transmission of COVID-19 from the infected mother to the fetus has not yet been conclusively proven; thus, further research is needed.
The role of action potential changes in depolarization-induced failure of excitation contraction coupling in mouse skeletal muscle

Excitation-contraction coupling (ECC) is the process by which electrical excitation of muscle is converted into force generation. Depolarization of skeletal muscle resting potential contributes to failure of ECC in diseases such as periodic paralysis, intensive care unit acquired weakness and possibly fatigue of muscle during vigorous exercise. When extracellular K+ is raised to depolarize the resting potential, failure of ECC occurs suddenly, over a narrow range of resting potentials. Simultaneous imaging of Ca2+ transients and recording of action potentials (APs) demonstrated failure to generate Ca2+ transients when APs peaked at potentials more negative than –30mV. An AP property that closely correlated with failure of the Ca2+ transient was the integral of AP voltage with respect to time. Simultaneous recording of Ca2+ transients and APs with electrodes separated by 1.6mm revealed AP conduction fails when APs peak below –21mV. We hypothesize propagation of APs and generation of Ca2+ transients are governed by distinct AP properties: AP conduction is governed by AP peak, whereas Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum is governed by AP integral. The reason distinct AP properties may govern distinct steps of ECC is the kinetics of the ion channels involved. Na channels, which govern propagation, have rapid kinetics and are insensitive to AP width (and thus AP integral) whereas Ca2+ release is governed by gating charge movement of Cav1.1 channels, which have slower kinetics such that Ca2+ release is sensitive to AP integral. The quantitative relationships established between resting potential, AP properties, AP conduction and Ca2+ transients provide the foundation for future studies of failure of ECC induced by depolarization of the resting potential.
Milk exosomes-mediated miR-31-5p delivery accelerates diabetic wound healing through promoting angiogenesis

Abstract The refractory diabetic wound has remained a worldwide challenge as one of the major health problems. The impaired angiogenesis phase during diabetic wound healing partly contributes to the pathological process. MicroRNA (miRNA) is an essential regulator of gene expression in crucial biological processes and is a promising nucleic acid drug in therapeutic fields of the diabetic wound. However, miRNA therapies have limitations due to lacking an effective delivery system. In the present study, we found a significant reduction of miR-31-5p expression in the full-thickness wounds of diabetic mice compared to normal mice. Further, miR-31-5p has been proven to promote the proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of endothelial cells. Thus, we conceived the idea of exogenously supplementing miR-31-5p mimics to treat the diabetic wound. We used milk-derived exosomes as a novel system for miR-31-5p delivery and successfully encapsulated miR-31-5p mimics into milk exosomes through electroporation. Then, we proved that the miR-31-5p loaded in exosomes achieved higher cell uptake and was able to resist degradation. Moreover, our miRNA-exosomal formulation demonstrated dramatically improved endothelial cell functions in vitro, together with the promotion of angiogenesis and enhanced diabetic wound healing in vivo. Collectively, our data showed the feasibility of milk exosomes as a scalable, biocompatible, and cost-effective delivery system to enhance the bioavailability and efficacy of miRNAs.
Retinal Microvascular Alterations Detected by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Nonfunctioning Pituitary Adenomas

Purpose Visual impairment assessment plays a significant role in diagnosis and clinical decisions in nonfunctioning pituitary adenoma (NFPA). Retinal microvascular alterations may potentially reflect the visual impairment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fundus microvascular alterations in patients with NFPA. Methods Comparisons of visual field, retinal structure, and microcirculation were conducted between patients with NFPA and age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Multivariate regression modeling was used to assess the relationship between symptom duration, sellar mass size, and fundus vessel density (VD) of patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were depicted to determine the diagnostic performance of significant parameters to discriminate eyes with NFPA from healthy eyes. Results Forty eyes of patients and 40 eyes of healthy individuals were enrolled. Compared to healthy controls, patients with NFPA had a larger foveal avascular zone area and thinner ganglion cell complex thickness. The VDs of patients presented an obvious decrease in radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) and an increase in the deep capillary plexus segment of the perifoveal area. The peripapillary VDs of patients were significantly related to sellar mass size. The area under the ROC curve of VD in the RPC segment of the temporo-inferior sector was the largest (0.801; 95% confidence interval, 0.70–0.90; P < 0.001). Conclusions The fundus of patients with NFPA demonstrated significant and characteristic microvascular impairments. The VDs were also significantly associated with sellar mass size. Translational Relevance Retinal microvascular alterations detected by optical coherence tomography angiography are characteristic and related to sellar mass size, which may provide information that facilitates the diagnosis of NFPA.
A flexible Bayesian nonconfounding spatial model for analysis of dispersed count data

In employing spatial regression models for counts, we usually meet two issues. First, the possible inherent collinearity between covariates and the spatial effect could lead to misleading inferences. Second, real count data usually reveal over‐ or under‐dispersion where the classical Poisson model is not appropriate to use. We propose a flexible Bayesian hierarchical modeling approach by joining nonconfounding spatial methodology and a newly reconsidered dispersed count modeling from the renewal theory to control the issues. Specifically, we extend the methodology for analyzing spatial count data based on the gamma distribution assumption for waiting times. The model can be formulated as a latent Gaussian model, and consequently, we can carry out the fast computation by using the integrated nested Laplace approximation method. We examine different popular approaches for handling spatial confounding and compare their performances in the presence of dispersion. Two real applications from a crime study against women in India as well as stomach cancer incidences in Slovenia motivate the suggested methods. We also perform a simulation study to understand the proposed approach's merits better. Supplementary Materials for this article are available.
Forkhead Box 1(FoxO1) mediates psychological stress-induced neuroinflammation

ABSTRACT Objectives Neuroinflammation plays a key role in cerebrovascular disease (CVD). Neuropsychiatric disorders appear to share an epidemiological association with inflammation, but the mechanisms are unclear. Forkhead box 1 (FoxO1) regulates inflammatory signaling in diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, but its role in psychological stress-induced neuroinflammation remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the potential involvement of FoxO1 in repeated social defeat stress (RSDS)-induced neuroinflammation. Methods 6-week-old male C57BL/6 J mice were randomly divided into RSDS or control groups. In the RSDS group, mice (18–22 g) were individually subjected to social defeat by an 8-week-old CD-1 mouse (28–32 g) for 10 min daily for 10 consecutive days. At 24 h after this 10-day process, corticosterone (CORT), epinephrine (EPI), hydrogen peroxide, and inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and VCAM-1) from serum and brain tissues were assayed using ELISA, real-time PCR, and Western blot. Iba-1 was determined by immunofluorescence (IF), and FoxO1 siRNA was transfected into BV2 cells to further analyze the expression of inflammatory factors. Results RSDS significantly increased the levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and VCAM-1 in the serum; it also increased both mRNA and protein expression of these in the brain. FoxO1 was significantly increased after stress, while its knockdown significantly suppressed stress-induced inflammation. Immunofluorescence demonstrated the activation of microglia in the setting of RSDS. Conclusion RSDS induced a measurable inflammatory response in the blood and brain, and FoxO1 was demonstrated in vitro to aggravate stress-induced inflammation.
Cord-blood derived chemistry reference values in preterm infants for sodium, chloride, potassium, glucose, and creatinine

Objectives: Guidelines recommend preterm infants be supported to maintain their serum electrolytes within “normal” ranges. In term babies, cord blood values differed in pathological pregnancies from healthy ones. Study design: We examined cord blood sodium, chloride, potassium, glucose, and creatinine to derive maturity-related reference intervals. We examined associations with gestational age, delivery mode, singleton versus multiple, and prenatal maternal adverse conditions. We compared preterm cord values to term, and to adult reference ranges. Results: There were 591 infants, 537 preterm and 54 term. Preterm cord glucose levels were steady (3.7+/-1.1mmol/l), while sodium, chloride and creatinine increased over GA by 0.17, 0.14 and 1.07 micromol/week respectively (p<0.003). Average preterm cord potassium and chloride were higher than term (p<0.05). Compared to adult reference intervals, cord preterm reference intervals were higher for chloride (100-111 vs 98-106 mmol/l), lower for creatinine (29-84 vs 62-115 micromol/l), more variable for potassium (2.7-7.9 vs. 3.5-5.0 mmol/l) and sodium (130-141 vs. 136-145 mmol/l). Cesarean section was associated with higher potassium and lower glucose; multiple births with higher chloride and creatinine and lower glucose; SGA with lower glucose. Conclusions: Cord blood values vary across the GA range with increases in sodium, chloride and creatinine while glucose remained steady. Average preterm reference values were higher than term values for potassium and chloride. Preterm reference values differed from published adults’ reference values. The varies across GA and by delivery mode, SGA, and being a multiple, which may have direct implications for neonatal care and fluid management.
Balancing responsibilities, rewards and challenges: A qualitative study illuminating the complexity of being a rapid response team nurse

Abstract Aim and Objective To explore Rapid Response Team nurses' perceptions of what it means being a Rapid Response Team nurse including their perceptions of the collaborative and organisational aspects of the rapid response team (RRT). Background For more than 20 years, RRT nurses have been on the frontline of critical situations in acute care hospitals. However, a few studies report nurses' perceptions of their role as RRT nurses, including collaboration with general ward nurses and physicians. This knowledge is important to guide development and adjustment of the RRT to benefit both patients' safety and team members' job satisfaction. Design Qualitative focus group interviews. Methods A qualitative approach was applied. Throughout 2018 and across three regions and three acute care settings in Denmark, eight focus group interviews were conducted in which 27 RRT nurses participated. Transcribed interviews were analysed using inductive content analysis. Reporting of this study followed the COREQ checklist. Results One overarching theme ‘Balancing responsibilities, rewards, and challenges’ was derived, comprising six categories: ‘Becoming, developing and fulfilling the RRT nurse role’, ‘Helping patients as the core function of RRT’, ‘The RRT‐call at its best’, ‘The obvious and the subtle RRT tasks’, ‘Carrying the burden of the RRT’, and ‘Organisational benefits and barriers for an optimal RRT’. Conclusion Being a RRT nurse is a complex task. Nurses experience professional satisfaction and find it meaningful helping deteriorating patients. The inadequate resources available to train general ward staff how to manage basic clinical tasks are an added stress to nurses. Relevance to clinical practice Organisational managers need a better understanding of the necessary staffing requirements to attend patients' needs, train staff and handle the increasing acuity of ward patients. Failure to do so will be detrimental to patient outcomes and compromise RRT nurses' job satisfaction.
Effects of a 6‐month, low‐carbohydrate diet on glycaemic control, body composition, and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes: An open‐label randomized controlled trial

To investigate the efficacy and safety of a non‐calorie–restricted low‐carbohydrate diet (LCD) on glycaemic control, body composition, and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) instructed to maintain their non‐insulin antidiabetic medication and physical activity.
The Manchester operation – is it time for it to return to our surgical armamentarium in the twenty-first century?

Abstract We conducted a study to assess the efficacy and outcome results of Manchester operation for women with symptomatic elongation of uterine cervix between 2010 and 2020. Forty-five women were enrolled. Mean age was 54.2 ± 10.5 years, 57.5% were premenopausal. Mean follow up was 4.53 years. Most patients were pleased from the surgery: 29 (76.3%) very pleased and three (7.9%) quite pleased. There were four cases of late postoperative complications: hematometra, pyometra, vesicovaginal fistula and small bowel evisceration through the posterior vaginal fornix. All four cases required surgical interventions with complete recovery. Manchester operation is an effective procedure for symptomatic elongation of uterine cervix. The surgery is short, minimal blood loss and without significant intraoperative complications. However, it is not free of late postoperative complications and it is therefore important that the surgery will be carried out with a strict technique and by skilled surgeons who are capable to manage unique postoperative complications. Impact Statement What is already known on th is subject? Elongation of the uterine cervix is a condition that has not been sufficiently studied. Up-to-date data regarding the efficacy and safety of the Manchester operation for patients with cervical elongation and normal pelvic support are scarce, as most previously published studies included mainly patients with uterine prolapse. What do the results of this study add? The present study presents the efficacy, complications and clinical outcomes of Manchester operation for women with elongation of the uterine cervix. Our results show that Manchester operation is safe, effective method for symptomatic uterine cervix elongation. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? This suggests Manchester operation is an effective procedure for symptomatic uterine cervix elongation should be implemented more widely. It must be carried out with a strict technique by skilled surgeons capable to manage unique postoperative complications.
Using adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells to fight the metabolic complications of obesity: Where do we stand?

Obesity is a critical risk factor for the development of metabolic diseases, and its prevalence is increasing worldwide. Stem cell‐based therapies have become a promising tool for therapeutic intervention. Among them are adipose‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADMSCs), secreting numerous bioactive molecules, like growth factors, cytokines, and chemokines. Their unique features, including immunosuppressive and immunomodulatory properties, make them an ideal candidates for clinical applications. Numerous experimental studies have shown that ADMSCs can improve pancreatic islet cell viability and function, ameliorate hyperglycemia, improve insulin sensitivity, restore liver function, counteract dyslipidemia, lower pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and reduce oxidative stress in the animal models. These results prompted scientists to use ADMSCs clinically. However, up to date, there have been few clinical studies or ongoing trails using ADMSCs to treat metabolic disorders such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or liver cirrhosis. Most human studies have implemented autologous ADMSCs with minimal risk of cellular rejection. Because the functionality of ADMSCs is significantly reduced in subjects with obesity and/or metabolic syndrome, their efficacy is questioned. ADMSCs transplantation may offer a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of metabolic complications of obesity, but randomized controlled trials are required to establish their safety and efficacy in humans prior to routine clinical use.
The influence of social network on COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among healthcare workers: a cross-sectional survey in Chongqing, China

ABSTRACT The factors that lead to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine hesitancy among health-care workers (HCWs) are unclear. We aimed to identify the factors that influence HCWs’ hesitancy, especially the influence of their social network. Using an online platform, we surveyed HCWs in Chongqing, China, in January 2021 to understand the factors that influence the COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among HCWs. Proportional allocation stratified sampling method was used to recruit respondents. Multivariable logistic regression and social network analysis (SNA) were used to analyze the influence factors. A total of 5247 HCWs were included and 23.3% of them were vaccine-hesitant. Participants were more hesitant if they had chronic diseases (OR = 1.411, 95% CI: 1.146–1.738), worked in tertiary hospitals (OR = 1.546, 95% CI: 1.231–1.942), and reported a history of vaccine hesitancy (OR = 1.637, 95% CI: 1.395–1.920) and refusal toward other vaccines (OR = 2.433, 95% CI: 2.067–2.863). The participants with a social network to communicate COVID-19 immunization were less hesitant (OR = 0.850, 95% CI: 0.728–0.993). Several influential members with social networks were found in SNA. Most of these influential members in the networks were department leaders who were willing to get COVID-19 vaccines (P < .05). Hesitant subgroups among Chinese HCWs were linked to the lack of a social network to communicate COVID-19 immunization. Our findings may lead to tailored interventions to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake among HCWs by targeting key members in social network. Graphical abstract