Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time Trends in Spain from 2001 to 2018 in the Incidence and Outcomes of Hospitalization for Urinary Tract Infections in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

We aim to examine the incidences, clinical characteristics, and in-hospital outcomes of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients hospitalized with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in Spain and to identify the factors associated with in-hospital mortality (IHM). A retrospective observational study was carried out with a sample that included all adult patients who were hospitalized for UTIs between 2001 and 2018 and collected in the Spanish National Health System Hospital Discharge Database. We identified 850,276 patients with UTIs (25.49% with T2DM). The incidence of UTIs increased in patients with and without diabetes from 290.76 and 74.79 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the period from year 2001 to year 2003 to 568.45 and 144.0 in the period from 2016 to 2018, respectively (p < 0.001). Adjusted incidence of UTIs was higher in T2DM patients (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 4.36; 95% CI 4.35–4.39). The multivariable analysis showed a significant reduction in the IHM over time for men and women with T2DM. In T2DM, patients’ higher IHM was associated with older age, comorbidities, and Staphylococcus aureus isolation. Women with T2DM had a higher risk of dying than men. The risk of IHM with an episode of UTIs was independent of the presence of T2DM (odds ratio (OR) 0.97; 95% CI 0.91–1.01). We conclude that the incidence of UTIs was over four times higher in T2DM than nondiabetic patients and has increased over time.
Changes in Chemical Composition of Australian Waxflowers Due to Soil Applications of Nitrogen and Assessment of Nitrogen Status by Tissue Analysis

Abstract Three field experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of soil‐applied nitrogen (N) on plant chemical composition, nutrient removal, and the use of plant analysis to assess N status of Australian waxflowers. Experiments were conducted in commercial plantings of Chamelaucium uncinatum cultivar Alba and a Chamelaucium hybrid (C. floriferum × C. uncinatum) known locally as Walpole wax, at 3 sites in South Australia. Nitrogen, as ammonium nitrate, was applied at rates up to 160 g plant−1 over several side dressings during the growing season. To assess plant nutrient status, stem tips (25–40 mm long tips of stems) were sampled during the growing season and whole stems at harvest. Nitrogen concentration in both stem tips and whole stems was sensitive to variations in N supply; however, the magnitude of the effect varied between sampling times and sites. In stem tips sampled during spring, the increase in N concentrations ranged from 19.8% at site 2 to 74.6% at site 1. Nitrogen concentrations in stem tips were consistently greater than concentrations in whole stems. The application of N decreased phosphorus (P) concentrations in whole stems and copper (Cu) concentrations in stem tips and whole stems. There was no consistent effect of applied N on potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), boron (B), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) concentrations in either plant part sampled. Nutrient removal by flowering stems, in order from greatest to least, was N > K > Ca > P > Mg > Mn > B > Zn > Cu. Based on 1800 plants ha−1, it was estimated that for N, P, and K, 121.9, 15.4, 60.1 kg ha−1, respectively, was removed in harvested stems. Based on poor sensitivity, the lack of a sharp transition zone between deficient and adequate N concentrations and the lack of consistent relationships between N concentration in stem tips and yield response, it is concluded that N concentration in stem tips is not a useful indicator of the N status of waxflower plants.
Dietary Sources of Melamine Exposure among US Children and Adults in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004

Melamine is a high-production-volume chemical and a kidney toxicant. Diet is a key source of melamine exposure, yet little is known about which foods in the US diet may be contaminated. This study evaluated the associations of foods and dietary patterns with melamine exposure using data from 478 US adults and children from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2004. Melamine concentrations were measured in spot urine samples. Dietary recalls were used to collect dietary data from the day preceding urine collection. Melamine was detectable (>0.09 ng/mL) in 76.2% of the participants’ urine. The geometric mean urinary melamine was 11.563 µg/g of creatinine (standard error (SE): 1.235). In adjusted linear regression models, each additional ounce of processed meats or whole grains was associated with 10.6% (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.7, 19.0; p = 0.007) or 17.4% (95% CI: 4.7, 31.7; p = 0.006) greater creatinine-adjusted melamine concentrations, respectively. A dietary pattern characterized by high fruit, whole grain, milk, and yogurt intake was positively associated with melamine exposure. In conclusion, processed meats, whole grains, and possibly other plant-based foods may be important melamine sources in the US. Future research should confirm these findings using more recent data and examine the potential health risks of chronic low-level melamine exposure.
N-Terminal Tagging with GFP Enhances Selectivity of Agitoxin 2 to Kv1.3-Channel Binding Site

Recently developed fluorescent protein-scorpion toxin chimeras (FP-Tx) show blocking activities for potassium voltage-gated channels of Kv1 family and retain almost fully pharmacological profiles of the parental peptide toxins (Kuzmenkov et al., Sci Rep. 2016, 6, 33314). Here we report on N-terminally green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged agitoxin 2 (GFP-L2-AgTx2) with high affinity and selectivity for the binding site of Kv1.3 channel involved in the pathogenesis of various (primarily of autoimmune origin) diseases. The basis for this selectivity relates to N-terminal location of GFP, since transposition of GFP to the C-terminus of AgTx2 recovered specific interactions with the Kv1.1 and Kv1.6 binding sites. Competitive binding experiments revealed that the binding site of GFP-L2-AgTx2 overlaps that of charybdotoxin, kaliotoxin 1, and agitoxin 2, the known Kv1.3-channel pore blockers. GFP-L2-AgTx2 was demonstrated to be applicable as a fluorescent probe to search for Kv1.3 pore blockers among individual compounds and in complex mixtures, to measure blocker affinities, and to visualize Kv1.3 distribution at the plasma membrane of Kv1.3-expressing HEK293 cells. Our studies show that definite combinations of fluorescent proteins and peptide blockers can result in considerable modulation of the natural blocker-channel binding profile yielding selective fluorescent ligands of certain channels.
Evaluating renal outcome of ANCA-associated renal vasculitis: comparative study of two histopathological scoring systems.

OBJECTIVES Renal risk score (RRS) and chronicity score (CS) are both newly proposed tools to predict end stage renal disease (ESRD) which could be applicable in antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated renal vasculitis patients. Their predictive value has not been fully studied and compared. METHODS 252 patients with newly biopsy-proven ANCA-associated renal vasculitis were retrospectively studied at the Department of Nephrology, Ruijin Hospital, China. Patients were evaluated with RRS and CS for clinical factors, pathological lesions and outcome. Their predictive value of renal survival was also compared. RESULTS The median RRS score point at diagnosis was 6 (interquartile range [IQR] 0-9) and CS score point was 4 (IQR 3-7). In accordance with severity of RRS category and CS grade, percentage of hypertensive patients, dialysis dependency, and level of proteinuria increased accordingly. Significant differences were found regarding dialysis dependency within RRS and CS groups (p<0.001 and p<0.01 respectively). The addition of RRS or CS scoring scheme to the base model of dialysis dependency significantly improved discrimination. The C statistic, integrated discrimination improvement and net reclassification improvement were significantly increased by adding either RRS/CS or both. Furthermore, RRS had better ROC. CONCLUSIONS Among ANCA associated renal vasculitis patients, RRS and CS achieved similar discrimination, but the discrimination of RRS was superior.
Identifying multimorbid patients with high care needs - A study based on electronic medical record data

Abstract Background Patients with multimorbidity who frequently contact the general practice, use emergency care or have unplanned hospitalisations, may benefit from a proactive integrated care intervention. General practitioners are not always aware of who these ‘high need’ patients are. Electronic medical records are a potential source to identify them. Objectives To find predictors of high care needs in general practice electronic medical records of patients with multimorbidity and assess their predictive value. Methods General practice electronic medical records of 245,065 patients with ≥2 chronic diseases were linked to hospital claims data. Probit regression analysis was conducted to predict i) having at least 12 general practice contacts per year, ii) emergency department visit(s), and iii) unplanned hospitalisation(s). Predictors were patients’ age, sex, morbidity, health services and medication use in the previous year. Results 11% of multimorbid patients had ≥12 general practice contacts, which could be reliably predicted by the number of contacts in the previous year (PPV 42%). The model containing all predictors had only slightly better predictive value (PPV 44%). Emergency department visits and unplanned hospitalisations (12% and 7% of multimorbid patients, respectively) could be predicted less accurately (PPV 27% and 20%). Those with frequent contact with the general practice hardly overlapped with ED visitors (29%) or persons with unplanned hospitalisations (17%). Conclusion Among multimorbid populations various ‘high need’ groups exist. Patients with high needs for general practice care can be identified by their previous use of general practice care. To identify frequent ED visitors and persons with unplanned hospitalisations, additional information is needed.
Prevalence and Association of Transfusion Transmitted Infections with ABO and Rh Blood Groups among Blood Donors at the National Blood Bank, Amman, Jordan

Background and objectives: Blood screening is considered a compulsory procedure in health care services to reduce the occurrence of transfusion transmitted infections (TTIs). This study estimated the distribution rates of ABO and Rh blood group systems, prevalence rates of TTIs among blood donors and their association with the ABO blood group and Rh system. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted at the national blood bank, Amman, Jordan for a period of 6 years (from January 2013 to December 2018). For TTIs analysis, about 5 mL blood sample was collected from each volunteer. A total of 365,029 persons (346,048 (94.8%) males and 18,981 (5.2%) females) donated their blood at the national blood bank, Amman, Jordan from January 2013 to December 2018. Results: The results revealed that O and A were the most prevalent blood groups (37.44% and 36.82%, respectively), followed by B (18.62%) and AB (7.12%). The distribution of Rh + ve and Rh − ve among blood donors showed that Rh + ve donors were more prevalent (88.73%) compared with Rh − ve (11.27%). HBsAg was the most prevalent viral infection (0.38%) followed by HCV (0.13%), syphilis (0.02%), HIV (0.006%) and the male donors were highly infected when compared with female donors. The association between ABO/Rh blood groups and TTIs infections was nonsignificant. Conclusions: In conclusion, low frequency rates of TTIs among blood donors were detected in the current study, but improvements are still continuously required. Low percentages of female donors need to be managed via conducting health cultural education programs.
Oral Health Profiles and Related Quality of Life in Thalassemia Children in Relation to Iron Overload: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim was to assess the oral health of children with β-thalassemia major (BTM) and their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in relation to the serum ferritin level (SFL). Thirty-nine children with BTM underwent an interview, salivary sampling and an oral clinical examination. The Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS) was used to assess their OHRQoL. The mean age of the participants was 9 ± 3 years, with 62% females. The body mass index and salivary secretion rate were within normal ranges. The mean plaque index, gingival bleeding index and number of decayed, missing and filled tooth surfaces were 70 ± 29, 38 ± 25 and 3.2 ± 4, respectively, with no significant differences between individuals with SFL below or above 2000 ng/mL (p > 0.05). No significant differences were observed between the two groups in any of the ECOHIS questions (p > 0.05). The mean ECOHIS score was 4.2 ± 4. Individuals with SFL ≥2000 ng/mL had a significantly higher mean score in the family domain “Parent Distress” than those with lower SFL (p ≤ 0.05). Within the study limits, children with β-thalassemia major generally had high dental caries experience and gingival inflammation, yet an acceptable OHRQoL. Those with high SFL had less favorable scores in the domain “Parent Distress”.
Sequential Application of Antioxidants Rectifies Ion Imbalance and Strengthens Antioxidant Systems in Salt-Stressed Cucumber

Exogenous antioxidant applications enable salt-stressed plants to successfully cope with different environmental stresses. The objectives of this investigation were to study the effects of sequential treatments of proline (Pro), ascorbic acid (AsA), and/or glutathione (GSH) on 100 mM NaCl-stressed cucumber transplant’s physio-biochemical and growth traits as well as systems of antioxidant defense. Under salinity stress, different treatment of AsA, Pro, or/and GSH improved growth characteristics, stomatal conductance (gs), enhanced the activities of glutathione reductase (GR), superoxide dismutase (SOD), ascorbate peroxidase (APX), and catalase (CAT) as well as increased contents of AsA, Pro, and GSH. However, sequential application of antioxidants (GSH-Pro- AsA) significantly exceeded all individual applications, reducing leaf and root Cd2+ and Na+ contents in comparison to the control. In plants grown under NaCl-salt stress, growth characteristics, photosynthetic efficiency, membrane stability index (MSI), relative water content (RWC), contents of root and leaf K+ and Ca2+, and ratios of K+/Na+ and Ca2+/Na+ were notably reduced, while leaf contents of non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidants, as well as root and leaf Cd2+ and Na+ concentrations were remarkably increased. However, AsA, Pro, or/and GSH treatments significantly improved all investigated growth characteristics, photosynthetic efficiency, RWC and MSI, as well as AsA, Pro, and GSH, and enzymatic activity, leaf and root K+ and Ca2+ contents and their ratios to Na+, while significantly reduced leaf and root Cd2+ and Na+ contents.
First Record of Mosquito-Borne Kyzylagach Virus in Central Europe

RNA of Kyzylagach virus (KYZV), a Sindbis-like mosquito-borne alphavirus from Western equine encephalitis virus complex, was detected in four pools (out of 221 pools examined), encompassing 10,784 female Culex modestus mosquitoes collected at a fishpond in south Moravia, Czech Republic, with a minimum infection rate of 0.04%. This alphavirus was never detected in Central Europe before.
Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives as Biomaterial Resources for Biological and Biomedical Applications

Chitin is a long-chain polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine, which is regularly found in the exoskeleton of arthropods including insects, shellfish and the cell wall of fungi. It has been known that chitin can be used for biological and biomedical applications, especially as a biomaterial for tissue repairing, encapsulating drug for drug delivery. However, chitin has been postulated as an inducer of proinflammatory cytokines and certain diseases including asthma. Likewise, chitosan, a long-chain polymer of N-acetyl-glucosamine and d-glucosamine derived from chitin deacetylation, and chitosan oligosaccharide, a short chain polymer, have been known for their potential therapeutic effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, and anti-Alzheimer effects. This review summarizes potential utilization and limitation of chitin, chitosan and chitosan oligosaccharide in a variety of diseases. Furthermore, future direction of research and development of chitin, chitosan, and chitosan oligosaccharide for biomedical applications is discussed.
Experience in Multiple Sclerosis Patients with COVID-19 and Disease-Modifying Therapies: A Review of 873 Published Cases

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is a challenge for all participants in the healthcare system. At the beginning of the pandemic, many physicians asked themselves what risk their patients, especially those with chronic diseases, were exposed to. We present an overview of all patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and SARS-CoV-2 infection published in the literature so far. In total, there are publications on 873 SARS-CoV-2 positive MS patients and information on the outcome can be given for 700 patients. With regard to the different disease modifying therapies (DMTs), by far the most cases were described under anti-CD20 treatment (n = 317). The mortality rate of all MS patients was 4% and a further 3% required invasive or non-invasive ventilation. When looking at the severe and fatal cases, it is particularly noticeable that patients without DMTs, with previous cardiovascular diseases, or with a severe degree of disability are at risk. Immunosuppressive therapy itself does not appear to be a substantial risk factor. Rather, it is reasonable to assume that the therapies could be protective, either directly, by mitigating the cytokine storm, or indirectly, by reducing the disease activity of MS.
Videocapillaroscopic Findings in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus With or Without Jaccoud Arthropathy

Background/Objective Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that can present changes in blood vessels, which can be evaluated by periungual nailfold videocapillaroscopy (VCP). This technique is important for the diagnosis of systemic sclerosis and to identify individuals with Raynaud phenomenon at higher risk of developing systemic sclerosis. This study aims to describe the videocapillaroscopic profile of a series of SLE patients and to investigate if the VCP pattern is different among those with Jaccoud arthropathy (JA) compared with those without. Methods Between September 2014 and March 2015, the patients in this study underwent VCP, clinical evaluation, and laboratory tests. The capillaroscopic patterns were defined as minor, major, and scleroderma (SD). The presence of capillaroscopic findings, such as elongated capillaries, tortuosity, ectasia, prominent venous plexus, neoangiogenesis, hemorrhage, and megacapillaries, were also observed. Associations were calculated using the χ2, Fisher exact, or Student t test. Results In a population of 113 females with SLE (67 without JA and 46 with JA), at least 1 alteration was observed in VCP in 89.40% of them, among which “nonspecific changes” were the most prevalent. Minor changes were seen in 39 (58.2%) and 26 (56.5%), major changes in 21 (31.3%) and 11 (23.9%), and SD pattern in 2 (3.0%) and 3 (6.5%), in the patients without and with JA, respectively (p > 0.05). Conclusions The majority of patients with SLE demonstrated changes in the VCP examination, but this tool did not allow discrimination between those with or without JA.
Prophylactic Therapy with Human Amniotic Fluid Stem Cells Improves Long-Term Cognitive Impairment in Rat Neonatal Sepsis Survivors

A systemic inflammatory response induces multiple organ dysfunction and results in poor long-term neurological outcomes in neonatal sepsis. However, there is no effective therapy for treating or preventing neonatal sepsis besides antibiotics and supportive care. Therefore, a novel strategy to improve neonatal sepsis-related morbidity and mortality is desirable. Recently, we reported that prophylactic therapy with human amniotic stem cells (hAFSCs) improved survival in a rat model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced neonatal sepsis through immunomodulation. Besides improving the mortality, increasing survival without major morbidities is an important goal of neonatal intensive care for neonatal sepsis. This study investigated long-term neurological outcomes in neonatal sepsis survivors treated with hAFSCs using the LPS-induced neonatal sepsis model in rats. We found that prophylactic therapy with hAFSCs improved spatial awareness and memory-based behavior in neonatal sepsis survivors at adolescence in rats. The treatment suppressed acute reactive gliosis and subsequently reduced astrogliosis in the hippocampal region over a long period of assessment. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that proves the concept that hAFSC treatment improves cognitive impairment in neonatal sepsis survivors. We demonstrate the efficacy of hAFSC therapy in improving the mortality and morbidity associated with neonatal sepsis.
Sofosbuvir and daclatasvir for the treatment of COVID-19 outpatients: a double-blind, randomized controlled trial

Abstract Introduction Effective treatments are urgently needed to tackle the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This trial aims to evaluate sofosbuvir and daclatasvir versus standard care for outpatients with mild COVID-19 infection. Methods This was a randomized controlled clinical trial in outpatients with mild COVID-19. Patients were randomized into a treatment arm receiving sofosbuvir/daclatasvir plus hydroxychloroquine or a control arm receiving hydroxychloroquine alone. The primary endpoint of the trial was symptom alleviation after 7 days of follow-up. The secondary endpoint of the trial was hospital admission. Fatigue, dyspnoea and loss of appetite were investigated after 1 month of follow-up. This study is registered with the IRCT.ir under registration number IRCT20200403046926N1. Results Between 8 April 2020 and 19 May 2020, 55 patients were recruited and allocated to either the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir treatment arm (n = 27) or the control arm (n = 28). Baseline characteristics were similar across treatment arms. There was no significant difference in symptoms at Day 7. One patient was admitted to hospital in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm and four in the control arm, but the difference was not significant. After 1 month of follow-up, two patients reported fatigue in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm and 16 in the control arm; P < 0.001. Conclusions In this study, sofosbuvir/daclatasvir did not significantly alleviate symptoms after 7 days of treatment compared with control. Although fewer hospitalizations were observed in the sofosbuvir/daclatasvir arm, this was not statistically significant. Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir significantly reduced the number of patients with fatigue and dyspnoea after 1 month. Larger, well-designed trials are warranted.