Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of environmental conditions on non-communicable diseases in sub-Saharan Africa: A scoping review of epidemiologic evidence

Background The burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is increasing. Environmental conditions such as heavy metals and air pollution have been linked with the incidence and mortality of chronic diseases such as cancer, as well as cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. We aimed to scope the current state of evidence on the impact of environmental conditions on NCDs in SSA. Methods We conducted a scoping review to identify environmental conditions linked with NCDs in SSA by identifying studies published from January 1986 through February 2023. We searched African Index Medicus, Ovid Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, and Greenfile. Using the PICOS study selection criteria, we identified studies conducted in SSA focussed on physical environmental exposures and incidence, prevalence, and mortality of NCDs. We included only epidemiologic or quantitative studies. Results We identified 6754 articles from electronic database searches; only 36 met our inclusion criteria and were qualitatively synthesised. Two studies were conducted in multiple SSA countries, while 34 were conducted across ten countries in SSA. Air pollution (58.3%) was the most common type of environmental exposure reported, followed by exposure to dust (19.4%), meteorological variables (13.8%), heavy metals (2.7%), soil radioactivity (2.7%), and neighbourhood greenness (2.7%). The examined NCDs included respiratory diseases (69.4%), cancer (2.7%), stroke (5.5%), diabetes (2.7%), and two or more chronic diseases (19.4%). The study results suggest an association between environmental exposures and NCDs, particularly for respiratory diseases. Only seven studies found a null association between environmental conditions and chronic diseases. Conclusions There is a growing body of research on environmental conditions and chronic diseases in the SSA region. Although some cities in SSA have started implementing environmental monitoring and control measures, there remain high levels of environmental pollution. Investment can focus on improving environmental control measures and disease surveillance.
Efficacy of Platinum-based Chemotherapy in Patients With Metastatic Urothelial Carcinoma With Variant Histology.

BACKGROUND/AIM Variant urothelial carcinoma (VUC, defined herein as urothelial carcinoma with any histological variant) is frequently observed at an advanced stage. However, the efficacy of systemic chemotherapy against VUC in metastatic disease has rarely been reported. This study assessed the therapeutic response and survival outcomes of platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment in patients with metastatic VUC. PATIENTS AND METHODS We retrospectively analyzed consecutive patients with metastatic bladder and upper urinary tract cancer who received gemcitabine plus cisplatin (or carboplatin) at the University of Occupational and Environmental Health Hospital between November 2008 and November 2022. Progression-free survival and overall survival were evaluated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazard models. RESULTS Out of 131 patients recorded, 86 (65.6%) had pure urothelial carcinoma (PUC) and 45 (34.4%) had VUC. The most common variant element was squamous differentiation (44.4%). Compared to those with PUC, patients with VUC showed a comparable objective response rate (33.3% vs. 41.9%, p=0.451) and disease control rate (64.5% vs. 75.6%, p=0.221). They also had poorer progression-free survival (median=4.9 months vs. 7.9 months, p=0.014) and overall survival (median=10.9 months vs. 18.2 months, p=0.037) than those with PUC. On multivariate analysis, VUC was an independent predictor of progression (hazard ratio=1.79; 95% confidence interval=1.19-2.69; p=0.005) and mortality (hazard ratio=1.64; 95% confidence interval=1.08-2.48; p=0.020). CONCLUSION Although the response of metastatic VUC to platinum-based chemotherapy was not inferior to that of PUC, VUC had progressed faster than PUC. VUC was significantly associated with a poor prognosis after platinum-based chemotherapy as first-line treatment.
Heterogeneity in the Prevalence of Cardiovascular Risk Factors by Ethnicity and Birthplace Among Asian Subgroups: Evidence From the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey

Background Asian people in the United States have different sociodemographic and health‐related characteristics that might affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by ethnicity and birthplace. However, they are often studied as a monolithic group in health care research. This study aimed to examine heterogeneity in CVD risk factors on the basis of birthplace among the 3 largest Asian subgroups (Chinese, Asian Indian, and Filipino) compared with US‐born non‐Hispanic White (NHW) adults. Methods and Results A cross‐sectional analysis was conducted using the 2010 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey data from 125 008 US‐born and foreign‐born Chinese, Asian Indian, Filipino, and US‐born NHW adults. Generalized linear models with Poisson distribution were used to examine the prevalence and prevalence ratios of self‐reported hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, smoking, and overweight/obesity among Asian subgroups compared with US‐born NHW adults. The study included 118 979 US‐born NHW and 6029 Asian adults who self‐identified as Chinese (29%), Asian Indian (33%), and Filipino (38%). Participants' mean (±SD) age was 49±0.1 years, and 53% were females. In an adjusted analysis, foreign‐born Asian Indians had significantly higher prevalence of diabetes, physical inactivity, and overweight/obesity; foreign‐born Chinese had higher prevalence of physical inactivity, and foreign‐born Filipinos had higher prevalence of all 5 CVD risk factors except smoking compared with NHW adults. Conclusions This study revealed significant heterogeneity in the prevalence of CVD risk factors among Asian subgroups by ethnicity and birthplace, stressing the necessity of disaggregating Asian subgroup data. Providers should consider this heterogeneity in CVD risk factors and establish tailored CVD prevention plans for Asian subgroups.
Total Hip Arthroplasty in Protrusio Acetabuli: A Systematic Review

Protrusio acetabuli, or abnormal protrusion of the femoral head into the acetabulum, requires performance of a total hip arthroplasty (THA) for which various reconstruction techniques and outcomes have been described. The aim of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the current evidence, evaluate treatment efficacy, compare surgical techniques, and identify topics for future research along with improving evidence-based decision-making, improving patient outcomes in the management of this condition. A thorough systematic review of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library databases, and Scopus library was conducted, and articles describing techniques of THA for treatment of protrusion acetabuli were extracted. The initial search generated 751 results. After exclusion, 18 articles were included. Of these, eight were prospective studies and 10 were retrospective. Surgery was performed on 783 hips with a mean age of 60 years; 80% of females who mostly had inflammatory arthritis were followed up for 8.86 years (range, 2-15.4 years). Good outcomes have been achieved with THA using uncemented cups with bone graft; however, no conclusion could be drawn with regard to the femoral side. It can be concluded that the concept of restoration of the anatomical hip center of rotation is paramount for good outcome and better survival of the implant is important when using uncemented cups with a bone graft. In addition, screw augmentation for fixation is not recommended unless absolutely necessary. The most common complications were aseptic loosening and heterotopic ossification. While the former required revision, conservative management was administered for the latter.
Comparative Complications Associated With BMP Use In Patients Undergoing ACDF for Degenerative Spinal Conditions: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Study Design Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Objectives To compare complication incidence in patients with or without the use of recombinant human Bone Morphogenic Protein-2 (BMP2) undergoing anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for degenerative conditions. Methods A systematic search of eight online databases was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Inclusion criteria included English language studies with a minimum of 10 adult patients undergoing instrumented ACDF surgery for a degenerative spinal condition in which BMP2 was used in all patients or one of the treatment arms. Studies with patients undergoing circumferential fusions, with non-degenerative indications, or which did not report post-operative complication data were excluded. Patients with and without BMP2 were compared in terms of the incidence of dysphagia/dysphonia, anterior soft tissue complications (hematoma, seroma, infection, dysphagia/dysphonia), nonunion, medical complications, and new neurologic deficits. Results Of 1832 preliminary search results, 27 manuscripts were included. Meta-analysis revealed the relative risk of dysphagia or dysphonia (RR = 1.39, CI 95% 1.18 – 1.64, P = <.001), anterior soft tissue complications (RR = 1.43, CI 95% 1.25-1.64, P = <.001), and medical complications (RR = 1.32, CI 95% 1.06-1.66, P = .013) were statistically significant in the BMP2 group while the relative risk of non-union (RR = .5, CI 95% .23 - 1.13, P = .09) trended lower in the BMP2 group. Neurological deficit (RR = 1.06, CI 95% .82-1.37, P = .66), and additional medical complications (RR = 1.53, CI 95% .98-2.38, P = .06) were not found to be statistically different between the groups. Conclusions This meta-analysis identified a high rate of arthrodesis when BMP2 was used in ACDF, but confirmed increased rates of dysphagia and anterior soft tissue complications. Surgeons may consider reserving BMP2 implementation for cases with a high risk of non-union, and should be aware of the risk of airway compromise.
Schizophrenia and Types of Stroke: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background Previous studies suggest an association between schizophrenia and stroke, but no studies have investigated stroke subtypes. We examined potential causal associations between schizophrenia and a range of atherosclerotic, embolic, and hemorrhagic stroke outcomes. Methods and Results Two‐sample Mendelian randomization analyses were conducted. The summary‐level data (restricted to European ancestry) were obtained for schizophrenia and stroke: ischemic stroke, large‐artery stroke, small‐vessel stroke, cardioembolic stroke, and intracerebral hemorrhage. The associations between schizophrenia and each outcome were analyzed by an inverse variance weighting method primarily and Mendelian randomization Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode subsequently. The presence of pleiotropy was also tested by Cochran Q statistic, I 2 index, and Mendelian randomization Egger intercept with scatter and funnel plots. We found associations between schizophrenia and cardioembolic stroke (odds ratio [OR], 1.070 [95% CI, 1.023–1.119]) and intracerebral hemorrhage (OR, 1.089 [95% CI, 1.005–1.180]) using inverse variance weighting. Little evidence of associations with the other stroke subtypes was found. Different Mendelian randomization methods corroborated the association with cardioembolic stroke but not intracerebral hemorrhage. Conclusions We have provided evidence of a potentially causal association between schizophrenia and cardioembolic stroke. Our findings suggest that cardiac evaluation should be considered for those with schizophrenia.
Measuring financial toxicity in head and neck cancer: a systematic review

SUMMARY Objective The current study systematically reviews the literature about financial toxicity (FT) in head and neck cancer patients. Three databases were reviewed: PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. Methods Full text English papers published from 2000 to 2022 reporting on quantitative results about FT in head and neck cancer survivors collected through structured questionnaires or interviews were included. Results Twenty-seven articles were included. Most of the articles were published after 2015 and from United States. There was a slight prevalence of papers dealing with oropharyngeal cancer, squamous-cell carcinoma and locally advanced head and neck cancer. Measures of FT were obtained through validated questionnaires like COST, FIT and FDQ. Collected data were mostly referrable to financial spending, financial resources, psychosocial aspect, support seeking, coping care and coping lifestyle subdomain. FT scores by COST were found to be worse in the COVID era. Financial counseling and adequate information about the costs of treatment were two effective strategies to mitigate FT. Conclusions FT is a relatively new challenge in head and neck cancer treatment, whose expenses are higher than therapies for other cancers. A universal method to assess FT and a unified guideline for the administration of questionnaires are needed to mitigate FT and to improve patient outcomes.
Skinly: A novel handheld IoT device for validating biophysical skin characteristics

Abstract Background Recent advancements in artificial intelligence have revolutionized dermatological diagnostics. These technologies, particularly machine learning (ML), including deep learning (DL), have shown accuracy equivalent or even superior to human experts in diagnosing skin conditions like melanoma. With the integration of ML, including DL, the development of at home skin analysis devices has become feasible. To this end, we introduced the Skinly system, a handheld device capable of evaluating various personal skin characteristics noninvasively. Materials and Methods Equipped with a moisture sensor and a multi‐light‐source camera, Skinly can assess age‐related skin parameters and specific skin properties. Utilizing state‐of‐the‐art DL, Skinly processed vast amounts of images efficiently. The Skinly system's efficacy was validated both in the lab and at home, comparing its results to established “gold standard” methods. Results Our findings revealed that the Skinly device can accurately measure age‐associated parameters, that is, facial age, skin evenness, and wrinkles. Furthermore, Skinly produced data consistent with established devices for parameters like glossiness, skin tone, redness, and porphyrin levels. A separate study was conducted to evaluate the effects of two moisturizing formulations on skin hydration in laboratory studies with standard instrumentation and at home with Skinly. Conclusion Thanks to its capability for multi‐parameter measurements, the Skinly device, combined with its smartphone application, holds the potential to replace more expensive, time‐consuming diagnostic tools. Collectively, the Skinly device opens new avenues in dermatological research, offering a reliable, versatile tool for comprehensive skin analysis.
On Analytical Modeling of Hopping Transport of Charge Carriers and Excitations in Materials with Correlated Disorder

Spatial-energy correlations strongly influence charge and exciton transport in weakly ordered media such as organic semiconductors and nanoparticle assemblies. Focusing on cases with shorter-range interparticle interactions, we develop a unified analytic approach that allows us to calculate the temperature and field dependence of charge carrier mobility in organic quadrupole glasses and the temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient of excitons in quantum dot solids. We obtain analytic expressions for the energy distribution of hopping centers, the characteristic escape time of charge/exciton from the energy well stemming from energy correlations around deep states, and the size of the well. The derived formulas are tested with Monte Carlo simulation results, showing good agreement and providing simple analytic expressions for analysis of charge and exciton mobility in a broad range of partially ordered media.
Heat Stress Among Large Kitchen Workers in Hostel

Heat-related illness is a problem for many types of workers: metal smelters, outdoor construction and law enforcement workers, plastics manufacturing workers, landscaping and recreation maintenance personnel, staff in warehouses without air conditioning, cooks and kitchen workers, and athletes. There are various problems that are being faced by the chefs while working in the large kitchen. This study explains the heat stress in large kitchens. The present study was carried out among eight mess workers in two hostels of Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Hyderabad. The area heat stress monitor and personal heat stress monitor were used to record the environmental heat and human core body temperature of the kitchen workers. The results revealed that the WBGT was slightly higher that the permissible limits given by ACGIH in the cooking areas where stove is placed. The body temperature of the workers was more than 39°C.This unorganized sector of people, face more heat related issues. The workers were suggested to drink more water, take breaks in between work and to adopt shift system of work with their co-workers while feeling exhausted by heat.
GIS Applications in Forest Operations and Road Network Planning: an Overview over the Last Two Decades

A systematic literature review was settled to investigate the application of GIS in terms of methods, complexity and accuracy to support decision on forestry operations and forest road network planning. A comprehensive search for relevant studies was performed to retrieve as many relevant international scientific publications dealing with forestry operations and forest road network planning in the period 1996–2015. The analysis was based on the development of a systematic literature review comprising three steps:  implementation of the database searches by well-defined search terms  identification of all the publications meeting the requirements of the search terms by abstract  choice of the most relevant publications analysis of the contents. In this review, »GIS and forest operations« includes all the descriptors dealing with GIS applied to support forest operations decision and analysis, while »GIS and forest roads« includes all the papers dealing with the analysis, management and planning of forest road or forest road networks. A total of 372 references and 82 publications were selected for the analysis as they were clearly in conformity with the review topics (GIS applications in forest operations and road network planning). The analysis showed that GIS has also been applied successfully and unambiguously to harvesting and transportation engineering in forest operations management. Further to the prevailing use concerning applications to support tactical planning, a significant number of recent publications have turned successfully to GIS applied at operational level. Again, despite the prevailing use concerning applications to support tactical planning, a significant number of recent publications have also turned successfully to GIS applied at operational level with the topics of Forest Operations Management in terms of optimization, productivity and safety analysis. By considering the recent evolution and improvement of GIS technology and the increasing availability of spatial data, as well their improvement in quality and resolution, the application of GIS in forest harvesting and transportation engineering as well as in forest operations management will expand in the near future.
The 2014, MW6.9 North Aegean earthquake: seismic and geodetic evidence for coseismic slip on persistent asperities

Ali Ozgun Konca,1 Seda Cetin,2 Hayrullah Karabulut,1,3 Robert Reilinger,4 Ugur Dogan,2 Semih Ergintav,5 Ziyadin Cakir6 and Ergin Tari7 1Department of Geophysics, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Bogazici University, 34684 Istanbul, Turkey. E-mail: ozgun.konca@boun.edu. tr 2Department of Geomatics, Yildiz Technical University, 34220 Istanbul, Turkey 3EOST, CNRS/Universite de Strasbourg, F-67084 Strasbourg, France 4Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, 02139 MA, USA 5Department of Geodesy, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Bogazici University, 34684 Istanbul, Turkey 6Department of Geology, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Istanbul, Turkey 7Department of Geomatics, Istanbul Technical University, 34469 Istanbul, Turkey
Evidence for impact-generated deposition on the late eocene shores of Georgia

Modeling demonstrates that the Late Eocene Chesapeake Bay impact would have been capable of depositing ejecta in east-central Georgia with thicknesses exceeding thirty centimeters. A coarse sand layer at the base of the Upper Eocene Dry Branch Formation was examined for shocked minerals. Universal stage measurements demonstrate that planar fabrics in some fine to medium sand-size quartz grains are parallel to planes commonly exploited by planar deformation features (PDF’s) in shocked quartz. Possible PDF’s are observed parallel to {10-13}, {10-11}, {10-12}, {11-22} and {51-61}. Petrographic identification of shocked quartz is supported by line broadening in X-ray diffraction experiments. Other impact ejecta recognized include possible ballen quartz, maskelynite, and reidite-bearing zircon grains. The layer is correlative with an unusual diamictite that contains goethite spherules similar to altered microkrystites. It may represent an impact-generated debris flow. These discoveries suggest that the Chesapeake Bay impact horizon is preserved in Georgia. The horizon also should be the source stratum for Georgia tektites.
Novel para-aortic cardiac assistance using a pre-stretched dielectric elastomer actuator

Abstract OBJECTIVES We propose an evolution of a dielectric elastomer actuator-based cardiac assist device that acts as a counterpulsation system. We introduce a new pre-stretched actuator and implant the device in a graft bypass between the ascending and descending aorta to redirect all blood through the device (ascending aorta clamped). The objective was to evaluate the influence of these changes on the assistance provided to the heart. METHODS The novel para-aortic device and the new implantation technique were tested in vivo in 5 pigs. We monitored the pressure and flow in the aorta as well as the pressure–volume characteristics of the left ventricle. Different activation timings were tested to identify the optimal device actuation. RESULTS The proposed device helps reducing the end-diastolic pressure in the aorta by up to 13 ± 4.0% as well as the peak systolic pressure by up to 16 ± 3.6%. The early diastolic pressure was also increased up to 10 ± 3.5%. With different activation, we also showed that the device could increase or decrease the stroke volume. CONCLUSIONS The new setup and the novel para-aortic device presented here helped improve cardiac assistance compared to previous studies. Moreover, we revealed a new way to assist the heart by actuating the device at different starting time to modify the left ventricular stroke volume and stroke work.