Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demographic and professional risk factors of SARS-CoV-2 infections among physicians in low- and middle-income settings: Findings from a representative survey in two Brazilian states

Introduction. Health workers (HWs) are a key resource for health systems worldwide, and have been affected heavily by the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence is consolidating on incidence and associated drivers of infections, predominantly in high-income settings. It is however still unclear what the risk factors may be for specific health professions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in a representative sample of 1,183 medical doctors registered with Brazils Federal Council of Medicine in one developed (Sao Paulo) and one disadvantaged state (Maranhao). Between February-June 2021, we administered a telephone questionnaire to collect data on physicians demographics, deployment to services, vaccination status, and self-reported COVID-19 infections. We performed descriptive, univariate, and multilevel clustered analysis to explore the association between physicians infection rates, and their sociodemographic and employment characteristics. A generalized linear mixed model with a binomial distribution was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio. Results. We found that 35.8% of physicians in our sample were infected with COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic. The infection rate in Maranhao (49.2%) [95% CI 45.0-53.4] was almost twice that in Sao Paulo (24.1%) [95% CI 20.8-27.5]. Being a physician in Maranhao [95% CI 2.08-3.57], younger than 50 years [95% CI 1.41-2.89], and having worked in a COVID-19 ward [95% CI 1.28-2.27], were positively associated with the probability of infections. Conversely, working with diagnostic services [95% CI 0.53-0.96], in administrative functions [95% CI 0.42-0.80], or in teaching and research [95% CI 0.48-0.91] was negatively associated. Conclusions. Based on data from Brazil, COVID-19 infections in LMICs may be more likely in those health systems with lower physician-to-patient ratios, and younger doctors working in COVID-19 wards may be infected more frequently. Such findings may be used to identify policies to mitigate COVID-19 effects on HWs in LMICs.
How brain networks tic: Predicting tic severity through rs‐fMRI dynamics in Tourette syndrome

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by motor and phonic tics, which several different theories, such as basal ganglia‐thalamo‐cortical loop dysfunction and amygdala hypersensitivity, have sought to explain. Previous research has shown dynamic changes in the brain prior to tic onset leading to tics, and this study aims to investigate the contribution of network dynamics to them. For this, we have employed three methods of functional connectivity to resting‐state fMRI data – namely the static, the sliding window dynamic and the ICA based estimated dynamic; followed by an examination of the static and dynamic network topological properties. A leave‐one‐out (LOO‐) validated regression model with LASSO regularization was used to identify the key predictors. The relevant predictors pointed to dysfunction of the primary motor cortex, the prefrontal‐basal ganglia loop and amygdala‐mediated visual social processing network. This is in line with a recently proposed social decision‐making dysfunction hypothesis, opening new horizons in understanding tic pathophysiology.
Glycaemic control and its associated factors in patients with type 2 diabetes in the Middle East and North Africa: An updated systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Aims To examine the patient‐related factors that have been linked to glycaemic control in people living with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Middle Eastern countries. Design A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Data Sources A computerized search was conducted using the databases MEDLINE (via PubMed and Ovid), EMBASE, Scopus and CINAHL to identify peer‐reviewed articles published in English between 1 January 2010 and 21 May 2020. On 28 June 2021, the search was updated with the same keywords and databases; however, no further relevant studies were identified. Review Methods Extracted data were analysed using Review Manager 5.4. Results The final sample consisted of 54 articles with a total of 41,079 participants. Pooled data showed an increased risk of inadequate glycaemic control in smokers [OR = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.05, 1.52; p = . 010], obese patients (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.10, 1.54; p = .002), patients with elevated waist to hip ratio (OR = 1.62, 95% CI: 1.16, 2.26; p = .004) and longer disease duration (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.48; p < .001). A lower risk of inadequate control was associated with physical activity (OR = 0.40, 95% CI: 0.24, 0.67; p < .001) and self‐management (OR = 0.49, 95% CI: 0.29, 0.82; p = .006). Conclusion These findings highlight the opportunity to address factors to improve glycaemic control. Further longitudinal studies are required to better understand these variations, to assess all predictors of glycaemic control in participants with type 2 diabetes, and to provide a strong basis for future measures to optimize glycaemic control.
Molecular detection and risk factors associated with multidrug‐resistant Campylobacter jejuni from broiler cloacal and meat samples in Bangladesh

The gastrointestinal tract of poultry is a potential source of Campylobacter jejuni. Here, the prevalence, risk factors, antimicrobial susceptibility profile and genetic relationship of C. jejuni were studied in broilers from farms and meat from live bird markets (LBMs) and super shops (SS). Pooled cloacal samples were obtained from farms in six districts of Bangladesh between June 2019 and March 2020. Pooled meat samples were obtained from LBMs and SS in the Chattogram district. Microbial culture, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), antimicrobial susceptibility tests were used to detect multidrug‐resistant C. jejuni. A positive PCR amplicon was validated by mapA partial gene sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analysis. In total, 12.5% (95% CI: 8.5–17.7%) of farms (N = 216) and 27.1% (95% CI: 15.28–41.85%) of LBMs and SS (N = 48) tested positive for C. jejuni. Moreover, 98% of the isolates were multidrug‐resistant, with 86% resistant to five or more antimicrobial groups. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed a downtime of <14 days, no separate footwear for shed access, and more than one person entering the sheds were significantly associated with C. jejuni colonization. Phylogenetic analysis revealed a strong relationship between C. jejuni strains obtained in Bangladesh and strains isolated in India, South Africa and Grenada from humans, pigs and bats. This study revealed significant contamination of broiler meat with Campylobacter spp. and C. jejuni. Potential sources of contamination and anthropogenic factors associated with the alarming prevalence of C. jejuni identified in this study would aid in reducing the growing risks of broiler‐associated pathogens.
Prevalence and Impact of Comorbidities in Individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review

This study aimed to describe the prevalence of comorbidities associated with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their relation with relevant outcomes. A systematic review based on the PRISMA methodology was performed from January 2020 until July 2021. The MEDLINE, Lilacs, and Scielo databases were searched to identify studies related to COPD and its comorbidities. Observational studies on the prevalence of comorbidities in COPD patients and costs with health estimates, reduced quality of life, and mortality were included. Studies that were restricted to one or more COPD pain assessments and only specific comorbidities such as osteoporosis, bronchitis, and asthma were excluded. The initial search identified 1,409 studies and after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 studies were finally selected for analysis (comprising data from 447,459 COPD subjects). The most frequent COPD comorbidities were: hypertension (range, 17%–64.7%), coronary artery disease (19.9%–47.8%), diabetes (10.2%–45%), osteoarthritis (18%–43.8%), psychiatric conditions (12.1%–33%), and asthma (14.7%–32.5%). Several comorbidities had an impact on the frequency and severity of COPD exacerbations, quality of life, and mortality risk, in particular malignancies, coronary artery disease, chronic heart failure, and cardiac arrhythmias. Comorbidities, especially cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, are frequent in COPD patients, and some of them are associated with higher mortality.
Phytochemical, Chemotaxonomic and Bioinformatics Study on Laportea bulbifera (Urticaceae)

Phytochemical investigation of the aerial part of Laportea bulbifera (Siebold & Zucc.) Wedd. (L. bulbifera) showed the isolation of seventeen compounds, including five flavonoids (1–4 and 6), one terpenoid (5), five phenolic acids (7–11), one coumarin (12), two steroids (13–14), and three alkaloids (15–17). Structure elucidations of these compounds were performed on the basis of extensive NMR experiments and compared with the published data in the references. It is remarkable that compounds (3–5) were firstly isolated from the Urticaceae family, compounds (3–8, 11 and 15–17) were firstly obtained from genus Laportea. Furthermore, the result of the chemotaxonomic significance discussion showed that compounds (2–4) may can be served as compound fingerprints to distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica, and what’ more, we proposed a bold conjecture that isoflavones can distinguish between species of L. bulbifera and genus Urtica. At the same time, the molecular docking method was used to evaluate the inhibitory effect of these compounds on human steroid 5α‐reductase 2 (SRD5α2). The results showed that compounds (1–4 and 6) had better expected effects than the positive drug finasteride can by effectively binding to the active sites of SRD5α2. This study assisted in the future phytochemical and chemotaxonomic research on genus Laportea. Simultaneously, this research provided the theoretical evidence for the application of L. bulbifera in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Quantitative parameters of digital occlusal analysis in dental implant supported restorative reconstruction recent 5 years: a systematic review

Abstract Objective The aims of this systematic review were to evaluate the clinical masticatory performance of implant-supported restorations, observe the occlusal force changes in the distribution of the implant restoration and reveal the positive and negative contributing factors of implant design and components based on the outcomes of digital occlusal measurement. Material and methods An extensive search was conducted through PubMed and CENTRAL to identify clinical trials on implant-retained restorations using digital occlusal analysis methods. Two researchers assessed the identified studies and data extraction independently, and the data synthesis strategies without meta-analysis that summarizes the effect estimates were adopted. Results The search screened 3821 titles and abstracts, then full-text analysis for 26 articles was performed, and 14 studies were included in the quantitative synthesis. Four of six studies for implant-retained overdenture showed statistically significant improved bite force when immediate loading (p = .00045, .00005, .00055, and .00005, respectively), and no statistically significant results in the other two studies (p = .225, .371, respectively.) However, the results of the favoured intervention were not statistically significant (p = .104, .166, respectively) in two studies of single posterior implant restorations. In all three studies, the bite force distributed on the implant prostheses of partially fixed implant-retained restoration increased statistically significantly (p = .013, .001, .05, respectively). Conclusions The edentulous restoration supported by implants seems to significantly improves bite force and chewing efficiency compared with conventional dentures. Regular quantitative occlusal measurement is recommended to avoid the possible risk of overload. Smaller implants size and relatively small and flexible attachment designs may be more conducive to the stability and retention of the restoration of atrophy of alveolar bone.
Development of a Test Protocol to Measure Uniaxial Fatigue Damage and Healing

Various laboratory testing methods have been developed to characterize the fatigue response of asphalt concrete mixtures. These test methods attempt to simulate in-service conditions or formulate constitutive models. Experiments such as the four-point beam fatigue test have attempted to simulate in-service conditions. The prediction accuracy of such experiments depends on their effectiveness in simulating actual field conditions such as loading, support, stress state, and environment. Constitutive modeling experiments have aimed at measuring fundamental stress–strain relationships so that rigorous constitutive models can be formulated. The results from these experiments are used as input for field performance prediction algorithms. The uniaxial fatigue test is a promising method in this category because of the constant stress state across the specimen section. A few documents have focused on standard test methods for the uniaxial fatigue test; however, there are no AASHTO or ASTM protocols available that include the healing of asphalt concrete mixtures. The main objective of this study was to report on the development of a uniaxial fatigue test protocol that measures fatigue damage and healing of asphalt concrete mixtures. The documented work includes surrogate studies to identify appropriate sample fabrication procedures, gluing materials and procedures, alignment, machine compliance, type of strain wave shape, and strain-control mode of loading. It was found that the use of a gluing jig and 180-mm compaction height was essential to achieve successful mid-specimen failures. In addition, the sinusoidal strain wave shape and on-specimen strain-controlled mode of loading are appropriate test conditions for fatigue damage and healing characterization of asphalt concrete mixtures.
Combined emergency braking and turning of articulated heavy vehicles

ABSTRACT ‘Slip control’ braking has been shown to reduce the emergency stopping distance of an experimental heavy goods vehicle by up to 19%, compared to conventional electronic/anti-lock braking systems (EBS). However, little regard has been given to the impact of slip control braking on the vehicle’s directional dynamics. This paper uses validated computer models to show that slip control could severely degrade directional performance during emergency braking. A modified slip control strategy, ‘attenuated slip demand’ (ASD) control, is proposed in order to rectify this. Results from simulations of vehicle performance are presented for combined braking and cornering manoeuvres with EBS and slip control braking with and without ASD control. The ASD controller enables slip control braking to provide directional performance comparable with conventional EBS while maintaining a substantial stopping distance advantage. The controller is easily tuned to work across a wide range of different operating conditions.
Multiscale Human Activity Recognition and Anticipation Network

Deep convolutional neural networks have been leveraged to achieve huge improvements in video understanding and human activity recognition performance in the past decade. However, most existing methods focus on activities that have similar time scales, leaving the task of action recognition on multiscale human behaviors less explored. In this study, a two-stream multiscale human activity recognition and anticipation (MS-HARA) network is proposed, which is jointly optimized using a multitask learning method. The MS-HARA network fuses the two streams of the network using an efficient temporal–channel attention (TCA)-based fusion approach to improve the model’s representational ability for both temporal and spatial features. We investigate the multiscale human activities from two basic categories, namely, midterm activities and long-term activities. The network is designed to function as part of a real-time processing framework to support interaction and mutual understanding between humans and intelligent machines. It achieves state-of-the-art results on several datasets for different tasks and different application domains. The midterm and long-term action recognition and anticipation performance, as well as the network fusion, are extensively tested to show the efficiency of the proposed network. The results show that the MS-HARA network can easily be extended to different application domains.
Eco-Friendly Synthesized PVA/Chitosan/Oxalic Acid Nanocomposite Hydrogels Embedding Silver Nanoparticles as Antibacterial Materials

PVA/chitosan (PVA/CS) composite hydrogels incorporating silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were prepared by double-cross-linked procedures: freeze–thawing and electrostatic interactions. Oxalic acid (OA) was used both for solubilization and ionic cross-linking of CS. AgNPs covered by CS (CS-AgNPs) with an average diameter of 9 nm and 18% silver were obtained in the presence of CS, acting as reducing agent and particle stabilizer. The increase of the number of freeze–thaw cycles, as well as of the PVA:CS and OA:CS ratios, resulted in an increase of the gel fraction and elastic modulus. Practically, the elastic modulus of the hydrogels increased from 3.5 kPa in the absence of OA to 11.6 kPa at a 1:1 OA:CS weight ratio, proving that OA was involved in physical cross-linking. The physicochemical properties were not altered by the addition of CS-AgNPs in low concentration; however, concentrations higher than 3% resulted in low gel fraction and elastic modulus. The amount of silver released from the composite hydrogels is very low (<0.4%), showing that AgNPs were well trapped within the polymeric matrix. The composite hydrogels displayed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, K. pneumoniae or P. gingivalis. The low cytotoxicity and the antibacterial efficacy of hydrogels recommend them for wound and periodontitis treatment.
Coping and ART adherence self-efficacy among people living with HIV in South Carolina

ABSTRACT In the US, more than 50% of new HIV infections are reported in southern states. Besides, the incidence rate of HIV in South Carolina is 17 per 100,000 population. Regardless of improved quality of life with the advent of ART, coping with stressors may influence ART adherence self-efficacy. This study assessed the association between coping strategies and ART adherence self-efficacy among people living with HIV (PLWH) in South Carolina. Cross-sectional data were obtained from 402 PLWH attending a large immunology center in South Carolina in 2018. Unadjusted and adjusted linear regression models were used to determine the association between coping strategies and ART adherence self-efficacy. Alcohol or drug use was negatively associated with ART adherence self-efficacy (b = −0.170, 95% CI [−0.255, −0.085], p = 0.0001). Religiosity was positively associated with ART adherence self-efficacy (b = 0.101, 95% CI [0.017, 0.185], p = 0.019). Overall coping and self-motivation were not significantly associated with ART adherence self-efficacy. Accentuating religiosity and attenuating alcohol or drug use as a means of coping may improve ART adherence self-efficacy among PLWH.
Development of a Peer Support Mobile App and Web-Based Lesson for Adolescent Mental Health (Mind Your Mate): User-Centered Design Approach

Background Digital technologies and mobile interventions are possible tools for prevention initiatives to target the substantial social and economic impacts that anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders have on young people. Objective This paper described the design and development of the Mind your Mate program, a smartphone app and introductory classroom lesson enhancing peer support around the topics of anxiety, depression, and substance use for adolescents. Methods The development of Mind your Mate was an iterative process conducted in collaboration with adolescents (n=23), experts, school staff, and software developers. The development process consisted of 3 stages: scoping; end-user consultations, including a web-based survey and 2 focus groups with 23 adolescents (mean age 15.9, SD 0.6 years); and app development and beta-testing. Results This process resulted in a smartphone peer support app and introductory classroom lesson aimed at empowering adolescents to access evidence-based information and tools to better support peers regarding mental health and substance use–related issues. The program contains links to external support services and encourages adolescents to reach out for help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend. Conclusions The Mind your Mate program was developed in collaboration with a number of key stakeholders in youth mental health, including adolescents. The resulting program has the potential to be taken to scale to aid prevention efforts for youth mental health and substance use. The next step is to conduct a randomized controlled trial testing the feasibility, acceptability, and efficacy of the program.
The utility of neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio determined at initial diagnosis in predicting disease stage and discriminating between active and stable disease in patients with sarcoidosis: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the utility of neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR) determined at initial diagnosis in predicting advanced disease stage and discriminating between active and stable disease in sarcoidosis. Methods A total of 465 patients with biopsy-proven sarcoidosis (age: 47 years, 70.5% females) were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Data on patient demographics, sarcoidosis stage, clinical status (stable and active), anti-inflammatory treatments, complete blood count, and inflammatory markers including erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet/mean platelet volume (MPV) ratio were recorded. NLR values were compared by subgrouping the patients according to the stage of sarcoidosis and clinical status, while the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was plotted to determine the role of NLR in the identification of disease activity with the calculation of area under the curve (AUC) and cutoff value via ROC analysis. Results Overall, active, and stable disease was evident in 36 (7.8%) and 427 (92.2%) patients, respectively. Median NLR values were significantly higher in patients with active disease compared with stable disease (3.31 (2.34–4.31) vs. 2.29 (1.67–3.23), p = 0.005). Advanced sarcoidosis stage was associated with significantly higher NLR values at stages 0, I, II, III and IV, respectively (p = 0.001). ROC analysis revealed an NLR cutoff value of ≥2.39 (AUC (95% CI): 0.70 (0.62–0.79), p < 0.001) to discriminate between active and stable clinic with a sensitivity of 72.0% and specificity of 52.0%. The significantly higher percentage of patients with active vs. stable disease had NLR values ≥2.39 (74.0 vs. 47.0%, p = 0.002). Conclusion Our findings indicate the potential utility of on-admission NLR values to predict the risk of advanced disease stage and to discriminate between active and stable disease in sarcoidosis. Measured via a simple, readily available, and low-cost test, NLR seems to be a valuable marker for monitoring disease activity and progression.