Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical profile and immediate outcome of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with Covid-19: a multicentric study

INTRODUCTION Following an asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic Corona virus disease (COVID 19), otherwise healthy children, may develop serious manifestations in form of cardiac, neurological, respiratory, gastrointestinal and dermatologic dysfunction. Many such cases were being observed in Odisha, an eastern state of India and reported from different health care facilities. We related these unexplained serious manifestations to Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome associated with COVID 19 (MISC) and planned this study. METHODS This retrospective observational study was carried out in three tertiary care centres: Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences, Bhubaneswar, MKCG Medical college Berhampur and Jagannath Hospital, Bhubaneswar between July to September of year 2020. Study population include all children from 1 month to 15 years admitted to hospital with MISC according to WHO Diagnostic Criteria. All the data were analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS A total of 21 children were included in our study. Maximum number of cases were male (76.2%), predominate age group was 6 to 10 yrs (47.6%). Predominate symptoms /signs in our observation were fever, pain abdomen, seizure and hypotension. Most of these cases were positive for SARS CoV antibody (80.95%). Response to immunotherapy was dramatic. Mortality (9%) of our study is higher to 1.8 to 3% from western literature. None of our patient had coronary abnormality while 2 had mild cardiac dysfunction at discharge comparable to other studies. CONCLUSION MISC following exposure to COVID 19 infection in children is a clinical syndrome which needs early suspicion and appropriate intervention to prevent mortality.
Determinant of intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine among school teachers in Gondar City, Northwest Ethiopia

Background Scientists across the world are working on innovating a successful vaccine that will save lives and end COVID-19 pandemic. World Health Organization (WHO) is working to make sure COVID-19 vaccines can be safely delivered to all those who need them. Indeed, the successful deployment and a sufficient uptake of vaccines is equally important. Acceptance and accessibility of such vaccine is a key indicator of vaccination coverage. Objective This study aimed to assess the determinants of intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine among school teachers in Gondar City. Methods An institution based cross-sectional study was conducted from December, 2020 to January, 2021. A total of 301 school teachers selected using stratified simple random sampling were included. Descriptive analysis such as medians, means, proportions, standard deviations and frequencies were computed. Linear regression analysis was done to identify factors associated with intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine. A p-value of less than 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results The median intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine was 3.33 with interquartile range of 2.67–4.0. Of the participants 54.8% had scored above the median of intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine score. 54% variance in intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine was explained by the independent variables. Being affiliated with other category of religion, bachelor degree educational status, perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit, perceived barrier, and cues to action were significantly associated with the intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine. Conclusion The median score of intention to receive COVID-19 vaccine was 3.33. Socio-demographic and health beliefs influenced the intention to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the study participant. Policy makers and stakeholders should focus on strong health promotion about risks of the pandemic, benefit, safety, and efficacy of vaccination.
Hierarchical porous ZnMn2O4 derived from cotton substance as high-performance lithium ion battery anode

Hierarchical porous ZnMn2O4 has been prepared by an initial cotton template and subsequent calcination route. The as-prepared hierarchical porous ZnMn2O4 composed of numerous nanoparticles well inherit the fibre-like structure of cotton, and these nanoparticles have a size of ∼20–50 nm. The N2 adsorption–desorption test indicates this ZnMn2O4 has a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of ∼16.7084 m2 g−1 and average pore size of ∼27.0 nm. As lithium ion battery anodes, the ZnMn2O4 can deliver a discharge capacity of 674.9 mAh g−1 after 200 cycles at current density of 200 mA g−1. Even at 1000 mA g−1, this ZnMn2O4 still shows a stable discharge capacity of 541.5 mAh g−1. These promising electrochemical performances may be attributed to its unique hierarchical porous structure which helps to accelerate the ions transportation and elevate the structure stability.
Assessing College Students' Perceptions of and Intentions to Use a Mobile App for Mental Health.

Background: College students face high rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide. Therefore, the focus of this study was to examine college students' intention to use a mental health app provided by the university, called MySSP, through use of the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). Materials and Methods: An online survey was developed based on responses to focus groups previously conducted by the authors regarding MySSP. A multiple linear regression was conducted to test the associations between the UTAUT variables and behavioral intention. In addition, moderation analyses were conducted to explore the effects of depression, anxiety, stigma, and quality of life as moderators. Results: Results suggest that performance expectancy (PE) (t = 3.088, p = 0.003) and social influence (SI) (t = -2.163, p = 0.03) were the only significant predictors of behavioral intention. The only significant moderator was stigma in the relationship between effort expectancy and behavioral intention (b = -1.6081, standard error (SE) = 0.7454, confidence interval (CI): -3.0691 to -0.1472) as well as facilitating conditions (FCs) and behavioral intention (b = -2.2292, SE = 0.8580, CI: -3.9110 to -0.5475). Conclusions: This study provides an initial exploration of college students' intentions to use MySSP. The results suggest that successful interventions include features related to PE (usefulness) and SI (norms), which should be focused on when developing and testing apps for mental health. Additionally, the stigma of mental health has significant negative impacts on the adoption of mental health apps and should be considered in implementation of mental health interventions geared toward college students.
The F-box protein gene exo-1 is a target for reverse engineering enzyme hypersecretion in filamentous fungi

Significance Lignocellulose-based biorefinery relies on plant cell wall degrading enzymes. Current genome editing methods can create fungal enzyme hypersecreter strains by design. However, the identification of candidate genes for targeted engineering of this trait remains a bottleneck, and the necessity of specific inducer molecules further complicates production. By the resequencing of a classical hypersecreting Neurospora crassa mutant, we uncovered that mutation of a gene encoding an F-box protein (exo-1) causes inducer-independent hypersecretion of amylases, invertase, and pectinases. Systems biology and genetic studies of Δexo-1 shed light on the regulation of enzyme secretion in filamentous fungi, allowing targeted reverse engineering of industrially employed fungi, such as Myceliophthora thermophila, demonstrating the power of classical mutants in combination with modern sequencing and omics technologies. Carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) are vital for the lignocellulose-based biorefinery. The development of hypersecreting fungal protein production hosts is therefore a major aim for both academia and industry. However, despite advances in our understanding of their regulation, the number of promising candidate genes for targeted strain engineering remains limited. Here, we resequenced the genome of the classical hypersecreting Neurospora crassa mutant exo-1 and identified the causative point of mutation to reside in the F-box protein–encoding gene, NCU09899. The corresponding deletion strain displayed amylase and invertase activities exceeding those of the carbon catabolite derepressed strain Δcre-1, while glucose repression was still mostly functional in Δexo-1. Surprisingly, RNA sequencing revealed that while plant cell wall degradation genes are broadly misexpressed in Δexo-1, only a small fraction of CAZyme genes and sugar transporters are up-regulated, indicating that EXO-1 affects specific regulatory factors. Aiming to elucidate the underlying mechanism of enzyme hypersecretion, we found the high secretion of amylases and invertase in Δexo-1 to be completely dependent on the transcriptional regulator COL-26. Furthermore, misregulation of COL-26, CRE-1, and cellular carbon and nitrogen metabolism was confirmed by proteomics. Finally, we successfully transferred the hypersecretion trait of the exo-1 disruption by reverse engineering into the industrially deployed fungus Myceliophthora thermophila using CRISPR-Cas9. Our identification of an important F-box protein demonstrates the strength of classical mutants combined with next-generation sequencing to uncover unanticipated candidates for engineering. These data contribute to a more complete understanding of CAZyme regulation and will facilitate targeted engineering of hypersecretion in further organisms of interest.
Delayed cutaneous reaction to ChAdOx1 nCoV‐19 vaccine: Is it an ‘AstraZeneca arm’?

Blumenthal et al.1 reported cases of delayed large local reaction to the mRNA-1273 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, which was called the 'Moderna arm' for the first time. Intriguingly, this phenomenon was observed primarily in Moderna vaccine, but rarely reported in BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer-BioNTech.2-4 Because the reports were limited to mRNA vaccines, a delayed type hypersensitivity reaction to the excipient polyethylene glycol (PEG) in both mRNA vaccines was suggested as one potential etiology.4,5.
Stimulation of the four isoforms of receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4, but not ErbB1, confers cardiomyocyte hypertrophy

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptors (ErbB1–ErbB4) promote cardiac development and growth, although the specific EGF ligands and receptor isoforms involved in growth/repair versus pathology remain undefined. We challenged ventricular cardiomyocytes with EGF‐like ligands and observed that selective activation of ErbB4 (the receptor for neuregulin 1 [NRG1]), but not ErbB1 (the receptor for EGF, EGFR), stimulated hypertrophy. This lack of direct ErbB1‐mediated hypertrophy occurred despite robust activation of extracellular‐regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK) and protein kinase B. Hypertrophic responses to NRG1 were unaffected by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (AG1478) at concentrations that are selective for ErbB1 over ErbB4. NRG1‐induced cardiomyocyte enlargement was suppressed by small interfering RNA (siRNA) knockdown of ErbB4 and ErbB2, whereas ERK phosphorylation was only suppressed by ErbB4 siRNA. Four ErbB4 isoforms exist (JM‐a/JM‐b and CYT‐1/CYT‐2), generated by alternative splicing, and their expression declines postnatally and following cardiac hypertrophy. Silencing of all four isoforms in cardiomyocytes, using an ErbB4 siRNA, abrogated NRG1‐induced hypertrophic promoter/reporter activity, which was rescued by coexpression of knockdown‐resistant versions of the ErbB4 isoforms. Thus, ErbB4 confers cardiomyocyte hypertrophy to NRG1, and all four ErbB4 isoforms possess the capacity to mediate this effect.
Determinants of individuals’ belief in fake news: A scoping review determinants of belief in fake news

Background Proliferation of misinformation in digital news environments can harm society in a number of ways, but its dangers are most acute when citizens believe that false news is factually accurate. A recent wave of empirical research focuses on factors that explain why people fall for the so-called fake news. In this scoping review, we summarize the results of experimental studies that test different predictors of individuals’ belief in misinformation. Methods The review is based on a synthetic analysis of 26 scholarly articles. The authors developed and applied a search protocol to two academic databases, Scopus and Web of Science. The sample included experimental studies that test factors influencing users’ ability to recognize fake news, their likelihood to trust it or intention to engage with such content. Relying on scoping review methodology, the authors then collated and summarized the available evidence. Results The study identifies three broad groups of factors contributing to individuals’ belief in fake news. Firstly, message characteristics—such as belief consistency and presentation cues—can drive people’s belief in misinformation. Secondly, susceptibility to fake news can be determined by individual factors including people’s cognitive styles, predispositions, and differences in news and information literacy. Finally, accuracy-promoting interventions such as warnings or nudges priming individuals to think about information veracity can impact judgements about fake news credibility. Evidence suggests that inoculation-type interventions can be both scalable and effective. We note that study results could be partly driven by design choices such as selection of stimuli and outcome measurement. Conclusions We call for expanding the scope and diversifying designs of empirical investigations of people’s susceptibility to false information online. We recommend examining digital platforms beyond Facebook, using more diverse formats of stimulus material and adding a comparative angle to fake news research.
Galectin‐3 regulates proinflammatory cytokine function and favours Brucella abortus chronic replication in macrophages and mice

In this study, we provide evidence that galectin‐3 (Gal‐3) plays an important role in Brucella abortus infection. Our results showed increased Gal‐3 expression and secretion in B. abortus infected macrophages and mice. Additionally, our findings indicate that Gal‐3 is dispensable for Brucella‐containing vacuoles disruption, inflammasome activation and pyroptosis. On the other hand, we observed that Brucella‐induced Gal‐3 expression is crucial for induction of molecules associated to type I IFN signalling pathway, such as IFN‐β: Interferon beta (IFN‐β), C‐X‐C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) and guanylate‐binding proteins. Gal‐3 KO macrophages showed reduced bacterial numbers compared to wild‐type cells, suggesting that Gal‐3 facilitates bacterial replication in vitro. Moreover, priming Gal‐3 KO cells with IFN‐β favoured B. abortus survival in macrophages. Additionally, we also observed that Gal‐3 KO mice are more resistant to B. abortus infection and these animals showed elevated production of proinflammatory cytokines when compared to control mice. Finally, we observed an increased recruitment of macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils in spleens of Gal‐3 KO mice compared to wild‐type animals. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that Brucella‐induced Gal‐3 is detrimental to host and this molecule is implicated in inhibition of recruitment and activation of immune cells, which promotes B. abortus spread and aggravates the infection.
Accommodating Strategic Players in Distributed Algorithms for Power Dispatch Problems

Distributed algorithms are gaining increasing research interests in the area of power system optimization and dispatch. Existing distributed power dispatch algorithms (DPDAs) usually assume that suppliers/consumers bid truthfully. However, this article shows the need for DPDAs to consider strategic players and to take account of their behavior deviation from what the DPDAs expect. To address this, we propose a distributed strategy update algorithm (DSUA) on top of a DPDA. The DSUA considers strategic suppliers who optimize their bids in a DPDA, using only the information accessible from a DPDA, that is, price. The DSUA also considers the cases when suppliers update bids alternately or simultaneously. Under both cases, we show the closeness of supplier bids to the Nash equilibrium via game-theoretic analysis as well as simulation.
Dapagliflozin alleviates cardiac fibrosis through suppressing EndMT and fibroblast activation via AMPKα/TGF‐β/Smad signalling in type 2 diabetic rats

Diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM) is one of the leading causes of heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus, with limited effective treatments. The cardioprotective effects of sodium‐glucose cotransporter 2(SGLT2) inhibitors have been supported by amounts of clinical trials, which largely fills the gap. However, the underlying mechanism still needs to be further explored, especially in terms of its protection against cardiac fibrosis, a crucial pathophysiological process during the development of DCM. Besides, endothelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition (EndMT) has been reported to play a pivotal role in fibroblast multiplication and cardiac fibrosis. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of SGLT2 inhibitor dapagliflozin (DAPA) on DCM especially for cardiac fibrosis and explore the underlying mechanism. In vivo, the model of type 2 diabetic rats was built with high‐fat feeding and streptozotocin injection. Untreated diabetic rats showed cardiac dysfunction, increased myocardial fibrosis and EndMT, which was attenuated after treatment with DAPA and metformin. In vitro, HUVECs and primary cardiac fibroblasts were treated with DAPA and exposed to high glucose (HG). HG‐induced EndMT in HUVECs and collagen secretion of fibroblasts were markedly inhibited by DAPA. Up‐regulation of TGF‐β/Smad signalling and activity inhibition of AMPKα were also reversed by DAPA treatment. Then, AMPKα siRNA and compound C abrogated the anti‐EndMT effects of DAPA in HUVECs. From above all, our study implied that DAPA can protect against DCM and myocardial fibrosis through suppressing fibroblast activation and EndMT via AMPKα‐mediated inhibition of TGF‐β/Smad signalling.
A QSPR study on the liquid crystallinity of five-ring bent-core molecules using decision trees, MARS and artificial neural networks

Accelerating progress in the discovery of new bent-core liquid crystal (LC) materials with enhanced features relies on the understanding of structure–property relationships that underline the formation of LC phases. The aim of this study was to develop a model for the prediction of LC behaviour of five-ring bent-core systems using a QSPR approach that combines dimension reduction techniques (e.g. genetic algorithms etc.) for the selection of molecular descriptors and decision trees, multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and artificial neural networks (ANN) as classification methods. A total of 27 models based on separate pools of calculated molecular descriptors (2D; 2D and 3D) and published experimental outcomes were evaluated. Overall, the results suggest that the acquired ANN LC classifiers are usable for the prediction of LC behaviour. The best of these models showed high accuracy and precision (91% and 97%). Since the best classifier is able to successfully capture trends in a homologous series, it can be used not only to screen new bent-core structures for potential LCs, but also for the estimation of influence of structural modifications on LC phase formation, as well as for the evaluation of LC phase stability.
Global Ophthalmology Practice Patterns during COVID-19 Pandemic and Lockdown

ABSTRACT Aim To assess the impact of practice patterns amongst global ophthalmologists during severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS Cov2) causing Corona virus disease (COVID-19) and understand the various modifications made to address emergency surgeries and practice needs. Methods An online survey was sent to practicing ophthalmologists around the world through email, Whatsapp™ ListServ17.0™ (for pediatric ophthalmologists), WeChat™ (China) and ophthalmology associations (Indonesia, Philippines, Ireland). All queries were collected and categorized. Responses to the queries were given according to the recommendations by the Ophthalmology association. Practices ability to deal with the COVID were also classified according to country and type of access to PPE. Statistical analyses of the association between these data and queries, where appropriate were carried out. Results One thousand nine hundred sixteen ophthalmologists were invited to participate in a survey between April 10th and April 30th, 2020 of which 1207 responded, which is a response rate of approximately 63%. The majority of respondents were from India, Indonesia, China, Singapore and the USA. Our study indicates a precipitous drop in surgical procedures with 46% (n = 538) ophthalmologists ceased to operate on their patients and almost 40% (n = 486) were doing less than 25% of their original number of surgeries. The intent to resume elective surgeries was a consideration in 41% (n = 495) after an evaluation of the situation and in consultation with professional bodies. More than 2/3 of the respondents (n = 703) made it a priority to use and mandate their patients to practice physical distancing, wearing masks, and hand dis-infection for protection to limit the spread of infection. Conclusion This global survey provides a real-world assessment of diverse practices that were in various forms of “shut down mode” and circumstances with varying capabilities to deal with COVID. It is unprecedented that the collective wisdom for a curtailment of practice has had an enormous immediate and far reaching implications on the livelihoods of ophthalmologists, their staff, and their families. Nevertheless, ophthalmologists and their staff remain resilient and have adapted to these changes pragmatically.
Deep Eutectic Solvents as Media for Peroxidation Reactions Catalyzed by Heme-Dependent Biocatalysts

In the present study, the effect of various choline chloride (ChCl) and ethylammonium chloride (EAC) based deep eutectic solvents (DES), formed with three biodegradable hydrogen bond donors (urea, glycerol, and ethylene glycol), on the catalytic behavior and structure of heme-dependent biocatalysts, such as cytochrome c and horse radish peroxidase, was investigated. The peroxidase activity of biocatalysts strongly depends on the nature of the ammonium salt and hydrogen bond donor used for the formation of DES, as well as on DES concentration in the reaction media. UV–vis and circular dichroism spectroscopic studies indicate that the effect of DES on the biocatalytic behavior of cyt c is correlated with heme microenvironment perturbations. Moreover, EAC-based DES stabilize cyt c, enhance its activity for the biodegradation of an industrial dye and are successfully reused up to four times, indicating that these environmentally friendly solvents could be promising media for biocatalytic processes of industri.