Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal effects of ivacaftor and medicine possession ratio in people with the Gly551Asp mutation: a 5-year study

Introduction Ivacaftor was the first therapy licensed to address the underlying defect in cystic fibrosis (CF). The improvements in lung function, nutritional status and pulmonary exacerbations in patients carrying a Gly551Asp mutation were greater than previously seen in clinical trials for other therapies. Limited data are available regarding long-term outcomes and adherence to ivacaftor outside clinical trials. Methods We conducted a 5-year single-centre retrospective study of people with CF carrying the Gly551Asp mutation who received ivacaftor. Clinical outcome data were extracted from medical notes and databases. Drug delivery data were used to assess medicine possession ratio (MPR). Results 35 people were included. After commencing ivacaftor, FEV1 improved by 9.6% (SE±1.59%) predicted by 6 months. Thereafter, FEV1 declined, and at 5 years had returned to pre-ivacaftor baseline. Ivacaftor did not alter annual rate of FEV1 decline (1.57% pre vs 1.82% post, p=0.74). Body mass index (BMI) increased for 4 years. There was a significant reduction in inpatient and total intravenous antibiotic days sustained over 5 years. MPR remained high but declined over time (−2.5±0.9% per year, p=0.007). FEV1 was better maintained in patients with higher MPRs. Conclusion The addition of ivacaftor provides acute benefits for people with the Gly551Asp mutation and established lung disease. We report a sustained reduction in intravenous antibiotic use but following acute improvement in lung function, decline continues, and patients will continue to require medical observation and optimisation. Strategies to maintain high adherence should be a priority to prolong the benefits of ivacaftor.
From Farm-to-Fork: E. Coli from an Intensive Pig Production System in South Africa Shows High Resistance to Critically Important Antibiotics for Human and Animal Use

Antibiotic resistance profiles of Escherichia coli were investigated in an intensive pig production system in the uMgungundlovu District, South Africa, using the ‘farm-to-fork’ approach. Four hundred seventeen (417) samples were collected from pig and pig products at different points (farm, transport, and abattoir). E. coli was isolated and enumerated using the Colilert® 18/Quanti-Tray® 2000 system. Ten isolates from each Quanti-tray were selected randomly and putatively identified on eosin methylene blue agar. Real-time PCR targeting the uidA gene was used to confirm isolates to the genus level. The Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method was used to determine the isolates’ antibiotic susceptibility profiles against 20 antibiotics. A total of 1044 confirmed E. coli isolates were obtained across the three critical points in the food chain. Resistance was observed to all the antibiotics tested with the highest and lowest rates obtained against tetracycline (88.5%) and meropenem (0.2%), respectively. Resistance was also observed to chloramphenicol (71.4%), ampicillin (71.1%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (61.3%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (43.8%), cephalexin (34.3%), azithromycin (23.9%), nalidixic acid (22.1%), cefoxitin (21.1%), ceftriaxone (18.9%), ciprofloxacin (17.3%), cefotaxime (16.9%), gentamicin (15.5%), cefepime (13.8%), ceftazidime (9.8%), amikacin (3.4%), piperacillin-tazobactam (1.2%), tigecycline (0.9%), and imipenem (0.3%). Multidrug resistance (MDR) was observed in 71.2% of the resistant isolates with an overall multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index of 0.25, indicating exposure to high antibiotic use environments at the farm level. A high percentage of resistance was observed to growth promoters and antibiotics approved for veterinary medicine in South Africa. Of concern was resistance to critically important antibiotics for animal and human use and the watch and reserve categories of antibiotics. This could have adverse animal and human health consequences from a food safety perspective, necessitating efficient antibiotic stewardship and guidelines to streamline antibiotic use in the food-animal production chain.
Majority- and minority-carrier deep level traps in proton-irradiated n+/p-InGaP space solar cells

We report the properties of observed defects in n+/p-InGaP solar cells created by irradiation of protons of different energies. Three majority (hole) and a minority-carrier traps, labeled respectively as HP1 (Ev+0.90±0.05 eV), HP2 (Ev+0.73±0.05 eV), H2 (Ev+0.55 eV), and EP1 (Ec−0.54 eV), were identified using deep level transient spectroscopy. All majority-carrier traps were found to act as recombination centers. While the H2 trap present in the proton-irradiated p-InGaP was found to anneal out by minority-carrier injection, the other traps were not.
Associations of Sleep and Health Functioning with Premature Exit from Work: A Cohort Study with a Methodological Emphasis

Sleep and functioning are associated with a risk of early workforce exit. However, patterns of change in sleep and functioning through time have not been investigated using person-oriented approaches to show what features of sleep and functioning are associated with an early exit. We examined the pattern of interactions between sleep and health functioning characterizing homogenous subgroups of employees and their associations with premature work exit. An additional aim was to provide a tutorial providing detailed description on how to apply these models, compared to traditional variable based risk factors. We analyzed data from 5148 midlife employees of the City of Helsinki, Finland, surveyed over three phases (2000–02, 2007, and 2012). Using repeated measures latent class analyses (RMLCA) we classified people into groups based on their trajectories in sleep and functioning. We identified four longitudinal groups: (1) Stable good sleep and functioning (reference), (2) Persistent sleep problems and good or moderate functioning, (3) Poor functioning with good sleep, and (4) Problematic sleep and health functioning. Compared to group 1, elevated risk was found in all classes with group 4 being the worst. In conclusion, focusing on person-orientated patterns of interactions between sleep and functioning helped produce qualitatively different and quantitatively stronger predictions than using conventional risk factor methodology. Thus, longitudinal person-oriented approaches may be a more powerful method for quantifying the role of sleep and health functioning as risks for premature exit from work.
Eye Fixation-Related Potentials during Visual Search on Acquaintance and Newly-Learned Faces

Searching familiar faces in the crowd may involve stimulus-driven attention by emotional significance, together with goal-directed attention due to task-relevant needs. The present study investigated the effect of familiarity on attentional processes by exploring eye fixation-related potentials (EFRPs) and eye gazes when humans searched for, among other distracting faces, either an acquaintance’s face or a newly-learned face. Task performance and gaze behavior were indistinguishable for identifying either faces. However, from the EFRP analysis, after a P300 component for successful search of target faces, we found greater deflections of right parietal late positive potentials in response to newly-learned faces than acquaintance’s faces, indicating more involvement of goal-directed attention in processing newly-learned faces. In addition, we found greater occipital negativity elicited by acquaintance’s faces, reflecting emotional responses to significant stimuli. These results may suggest that finding a familiar face in the crowd would involve lower goal-directed attention and elicit more emotional responses.
Small intestine remodeling in male Goto–Kakizaki rats

Obesity is associated with the development of insulin resistance (IR) and type‐2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM); however, not all patients with T2DM are obese. The Goto–Kakizaki (GK) rat is an experimental model of spontaneous and non‐obese T2DM. There is evidence that the intestine contributes to IR development in GK animals. This information prompted us to investigate small intestine remodeling in this animal model.
Dynamics of the chemisorption of N2 on W(100): Precursor‐mediated and activated dissociation

The dissociative chemisorption probability of N2 on W(100) is found to proceed by way of two dynamically distinct channels. At low kinetic energies Ei, dissociation proceeds primarily by way of a precursor‐mediated process, where the dissociation probability is found to fall with increasing Ei, reflecting the energy dependence of the trapping probability into this state. Dissociation at low energies is also strongly dependent on surface temperature Ts which effects the fraction of trapped species that desorb. For energies above about 0.45 eV, the dissociation probability is found to rise from a minimum of about 0.14 at Ts=800 K to over 0.45 at Ei=5 eV. Over this range we believe that kinetic energy enables the incident molecules to directly overcome a barrier in the reaction coordinate. Throughout the entire range of energies we observe only slight variations of the dissociation probability with the angle of incidence, with no discernible sensitivity for energies below ∼0.5 eV. For energies between 1 and .
Associations of the modified STarT back tool and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis: a retrospective cohort study

Abstract Objective The association of the modified STarT Back Tool (mSBT) psychosocial measure with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis is not well defined. This study aimed to, in patients with knee osteoarthritis, (i) examine the convergent validity of mSBT with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and (ii) compare the predictive validity of mSBT and HADS with gait speed and knee pain. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of mSBT, HADS, gait speed, and knee pain outcomes data collected from 119 patients who received outpatient physical therapy. Of these patients who were evaluated at their first (baseline) physical therapy visit, 55 had available data at the Week-16 follow-up visit. Results mSBT and HADS showed moderately strong pairwise correlations (Spearman correlation > 0.57; p < 0.001). After adjusting for age, sex, body weight, and knee impairment variables in multivariable linear mixed-effects analyses, mSBT was associated with gait speed (p < 0.001) and knee pain intensity (p < 0.001) and it had comparable strength of association as HADS. In within-patient regression analyses, change in mSBT was associated with changes in gait speed (p = 0.04) and knee pain (p = 0.01) over 16 weeks. Conclusion The mSBT had convergent validity with HADS and it showed predictive validity with gait speed and knee pain in knee osteoarthritis. Although broader validation is required, the 5-item mSBT psychosocial measure may be applied as part of routine clinical care to assess psychological distress in patients with knee osteoarthritis. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The 5-item psychosocial subscale of the modified STarT Back tool (mSBT) showed good convergent validity with the 14-item Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The mSBT psychosocial subscale showed predictive validity, at both cross-sectional and longitudinal levels, with gait speed and knee pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The mSBT can potentially be used in the busy clinical setting to assess psychological distress in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
Clinical Features and Outcome of Infective Endocarditis in a University Hospital in Romania

Background and Objectives: Characterization of patients with endocarditis regarding demographic, clinical, biological and imagistic data, blood culture results and possible correlation between different etiologic factors and host status characteristics. Material and methods: This is a retrospective observational descriptive study conducted on patients older than 18 years admitted in the past 10 years, in the Cardiology Clinic of the Clinical County Emergency Hospital Oradea Romania, with clinical suspicion of bacterial endocarditis. Demographic data, clinical, paraclinical investigations and outcome were registered and analyzed. Results: 92 patients with definite infective endocarditis (IE) according to modified Duke criteria were included. The mean age of patients was 63.80 ± 13.45 years. A percent of 32.6% had health care associated invasive procedure performed in the 6 months before diagnosis of endocarditis. Charlson’s comorbidity index number was 3.53 ± 2.029. Most common clinical symptoms and signs were: shortness of breath, cardiac murmur, fever. Sixty-six patients had native valve endocarditis, 26 patients had prosthetic valve endocarditis and one patient was with congenital heart disease. Blood cultures were positive in 61 patients. Among positive culture patient’s staphylococcus group was the most frequently involved: Staphylococcus aureus (19.6%) and coagulase negative Staphylococcus (18.5%). Most frequent complications were heart failure, acute renal failure and embolic events. Conclusions: Staphylococcus aureus IE was associated with the presence of large vegetations, prosthetic valve endocarditis and intracardiac abscess. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) infection was associated with prosthetic valve dysfunction. Streptococcus gallolyticus etiology correlated with ischemic embolic stroke and the presence of large vegetations. Cardiovascular surgery was recommended in 67.4% of patients but was performed only on half of them. In hospital death occurred in 33.7% of patients and independent predictors of mortality were congestive heart failure and septic shock.
The study of sodium nitrate by neutron diffraction

Sodium nitrate crystallizes in the calcite structure, R-3c (No. 167 in International Tables for X-ray Crystallography, 1965). In the triple hexagonal cell, which is used exclusively from this point, the Na atoms are in positions 6(b), the N atoms in positions 6(a) and the oxygen atoms in positions 18(e), with six formula units per cell. The structure consists of alternating layers of sodium ions and nitrate groups; alternate layers of nitrate ions differ in orientation by 60 °. At a temperature near 275°C, there is a transition to a structure with a halved c axis and three formula units per cell (Inkinen, 1960). We believe this phase change to be a transformation to complete disorder between the two NO3 orientations so that the structure becomes R'3m (No. 166), with Na atoms in positions 3(a), N atoms in positions 3(b) and half-oxygen atoms in positions 18(g) with doubled z coordinates of layers. The structure has been previously studied by X-ray diffraction most recently by Inkinen (1960) when all reflexions were measured at room temperature; and by Cherin, Hamilton & Post (1967) (referred to as CHP), who measured the oxygen-only, /-odd, reflexions at temperatures of 25, 100, 150 and 200°C. Our aims in again studying the structure by neutron diffraction were:
A Simple Cerium Coating Strategy for Titanium Oxide Nanotubes’ Bioactivity Enhancement

Despite the well-known favorable chemical and mechanical properties of titanium-based materials for orthopedic and dental applications, poor osseointegration of the implants, bacteria adhesion, and excessive inflammatory response from the host remain major problems to be solved. Here, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory enzyme-like abilities of ceria (CeOx) were coupled to the advantageous features of titanium nanotubes (TiNTs). Cost-effective and fast methods, such as electrochemical anodization and drop casting, were used to build active surfaces with enhanced bioactivity. Surface composition, electrochemical response, and in vitro ability to induce hydroxyapatite (HA) precipitation were evaluated. The amount of cerium in the coating did not significantly affect wettability, yet a growing ability to induce early HA precipitation from simulated body fluid (SBF) was observed as the oxide content at the surface increased. The presence of 4%wt CeOx was also able to stimulate rapid HA maturation in a (poorly) crystalline form, indicating an interesting potential to induce rapid in vivo osseointegration process.
The Trichohyalin-Like Protein Scaffoldin Is Expressed in the Multilayered Periderm during Development of Avian Beak and Egg Tooth

Scaffoldin, an S100 fused-type protein (SFTP) with high amino acid sequence similarity to the mammalian hair follicle protein trichohyalin, has been identified in reptiles and birds, but its functions are not yet fully understood. Here, we investigated the expression pattern of scaffoldin and cornulin, a related SFTP, in the developing beaks of birds. We determined the mRNA levels of both SFTPs by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the beak and other ectodermal tissues of chicken (Gallus gallus) and quail (Coturnix japonica) embryos. Immunohistochemical staining was performed to localize scaffoldin in tissues. Scaffoldin and cornulin were expressed in the beak and, at lower levels, in other embryonic tissues of both chickens and quails. Immunohistochemistry revealed scaffoldin in the peridermal compartment of the egg tooth, a transitory cornified protuberance (caruncle) on the upper beak which breaks the eggshell during hatching. Furthermore, scaffoldin marked a multilayered peridermal structure on the lower beak. The results of this study suggest that scaffoldin plays an evolutionarily conserved role in the development of the avian beak with a particular function in the morphogenesis of the egg tooth.
Video Game Streaming in Young People and Teenagers: Uptake, User Groups, Dangers, and Opportunities

In recent years, live video streaming platforms for video games have been gaining popularity. These types of services, which enable anyone to broadcast and consume live content, are revolutionising the current video game landscape. Users approach the emergence of and participation in these platforms driven by a range of motivations. It is essential to characterise the different forms of participation in services such as Twitch to evaluate the phenomenon and reflect on its advantages and disadvantages. To that end, a survey was carried out of 580 young people and adolescents aged between 14 and 24. The aim of this study is thus to explore the uptake of these platforms, as well as identify user groups, distinguish between different motivations, and address the associated benefits and harms. Applying a methodology based on factor analysis and cluster analysis, user profiles were characterised according to their specific features, gaming/viewing hours, self-perception of their skill level as a player, devices used, and type or genre of video game. Four subgroups of gamers/viewers were thus identified: casual, social, hobby, and problematic. The results showed that older users and female users feature more prominently in the first two groups, as do those spending less time on video games and live streaming platforms. Conversely, in the hobby and problematic groups, we observe just the opposite. The existence of profiles at possible risk of addiction underlines how, at a preventive level, there is a need for more in-depth research on these types of services and greater public awareness of the dangers of uncontrolled use.
Late‐onset and nonlate‐onset schizophrenia: A comparison of clinical characteristics in a multicenter study

Data are scarce regarding the potential clinical differences between non‐late onset schizophrenia (NLOS, i.e., disorder occurring before 40 years of age), late‐onset schizophrenia (LOS, occurring between ages 40 and 60 years) and very‐late‐onset schizophrenia‐like psychosis (VLOSLP, occurring after 60 years of age). Furthermore, previous research compared LOS patients with non‐age matched NLOS patients. In this study, we sought to examine potential clinical differences between patients of similar age with LOS and NLOS.
Micro-Ultrasound–Guided vs Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Targeted Biopsy in the Detection of Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: Micro-ultrasound is a novel high resolution ultrasound technology aiming to improve prostate imaging and, consequently, the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy. Micro-ultrasound–guided prostate biopsy may present comparable detection rates to the standard of care multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsy for the diagnosis of clinically significant prostate cancer. We aimed to compare the detection rate of micro-ultrasound vs multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsy for prostate cancer diagnosis. Materials and Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy studies comparing micro-ultrasound–guided prostate biopsy to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsy as a reference standard test (PROSPERO ID: CRD42020198326). Records were identified by searching in PubMed®, Scopus® and Cochrane Library databases, as well as in potential sources of gray literature until November 30th, 2020. Results: We included 18 studies in the qualitative and 13 in the quantitative synthesis. In the quantitative synthesis, 1,125 participants received micro-ultrasound–guided followed by multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted and systematic prostate biopsy. Micro-ultrasound and multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsies displayed similar detection rates across all prostate cancer grades. The pooled detection ratio for International Society of Urological Pathology Grade Group ≥2 prostate cancer was 1.05 (95% CI 0.93–1.19, I2=0%), 1.25 (95% CI 0.95–1.64, I2=0%) for Grade Group ≥3 and 0.94 (95% CI 0.73–1.22, I2=0%) for clinically insignificant (Grade Group 1) prostate cancer. The overall detection ratio for prostate cancer was 0.99 (95% CI 0.89–1.11, I2=0%). Conclusions: Micro-ultrasound–guided prostate biopsy provides comparable detection rates for prostate cancer diagnosis with the multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-guided prostate biopsy. Therefore, it could be considered as an attractive alternative to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging-targeted prostate biopsy. Nevertheless, high quality randomized trials are warranted to corroborate our findings.
Impact of an Antibiotic Stewardship Program on the Incidence of Resistant Escherichia coli: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria increase hospitalizations and mortality rates; antibiotic pressure increases resistance rates. We evaluated the impact of the antibiotics stewardship program (ASP) on Escherichia coli resistance rates, evaluating all antibiotic use and patients with positive cultures hospitalized between 2011 and 2018. Data on antibiotics were collected quarterly as the defined daily dose (DDD)/100 days hospitalization. In 2014, an intervention was introduced, targeting the reduction of overall antibiotic use as well as specifically targeting quinolones and other broad-spectrum antibiotics. Using interrupted time series analysis (ITS), we compared the rates and trends of antibiotic use and resistant E. coli. We included 6001 patients, 3182 pre-ASP and 2819 post-ASP. We observed significant changes in absolute numbers as well as in trends for use of DDD/100 days of all antibiotics by 31% from 76 to 52, and by 52% from 10.4 to 4.9 for quinolones. ITS demonstrated that before the ASP intervention, there was a slope pattern for increased E. coli resistance to antibiotics. This slope was reversed following the intervention for quinolones −1.52, aminoglycosides −2.04, and amoxicillin clavulanate (amox/clav) −1.76; the effect of the intervention was observed as early as three months after the intervention and continued to decrease over time until the end of the study, at 48 months. We conclude that the ASP can positively impact the resistance rate of Gram-negative infections over time, regardless of the targeted combination of antibiotics, if the overall use is reduced.