Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The association between heart rate behavior and gait performance: The moderating effect of frailty

Introduction Research suggests that frailty not only influence individual systems, but also it affects the interconnection between them. However, no study exists to show how the interplay between cardiovascular and motor performance is compromised with frailty. Aim To investigate the effect of frailty on the association between heart rate (HR) dynamics and gait performance. Methods Eighty-five older adults (≥65 years and able to walk 9.14 meters) were recruited (October 2016—March 2018) and categorized into 26 non-frail (age = 78.65±7.46 years) and 59 pre-frail/frail individuals (age = 81.01±8.17) based on the Fried frailty phenotype. Participants performed gait tasks while equipped with a wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) sensor attached to the chest, as well as wearable gyroscopes for gait assessment. HR dynamic parameters were extracted, including time to peak HR and percentage increase in HR in response to walking. Using the gyroscope sensors gait parameters were recorded including stride length, stride velocity, mean swing velocity, and double support. Results Among the pre-frail/frail group, time to peak HR was significantly correlated with all gait parameters (p<0.0001, r = 0.51–0.59); however, for the non-frail group, none of the correlations between HR dynamics and gait performance parameters were significant (p>0.45, r = 0.03–0.15). The moderation analysis of time to peak HR, demonstrated a significant interaction effect of HR dynamics and frailty status on walking velocity (p<0.01), and the interaction effect was marginally non-significant for other gait parameters (p>0.10). Conclusions Current findings, for the first time, suggest that a compromised motor and cardiac autonomic interaction exist among pre-frail/frail older adults; an impaired HR performance (i.e., slower increase of HR in response to stressors) may lead to a slower walking performance. Assessing physical performance and its corresponding HR behavior should be studied as a tool for frailty screening and providing insights about the underlying cardiovascular-related mechanism leading to physical frailty.
Exploring factors affecting the facilitation of nursing students to learn paediatric pain management in Rwanda: A descriptive qualitative study

Nurse educators and nurse preceptors play a fundamental role in facilitating nursing students’ acquisition and utilization of professional competencies. Previous studies about key elements for teaching and learning about pain in nursing education programs include students’ personal characteristics and previous experiences; educators’ knowledge, skills, and beliefs; learners’ exposure to leaders in pain education; and curricular pain content and delivery approaches. These studies were mainly carried out in developed countries, with a context of educational and health care systems different from those of developing countries. The current study explores academics’, clinical nurse preceptors’, and nursing students’ perceptions about factors influencing the facilitation of nursing students’ competency for paediatric pain management in Rwanda. A qualitative descriptive exploratory design was used in this study that utilized in-depth interviews with six nurse educators and eight nurse preceptors, and focus group discussions with nineteen senior year nursing students. The study setting included five sites: two academic institutions and three clinical settings. Narratives from participants were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. The analysis yielded six themes describing factors that affected the facilitation of students’ learning about paediatric pain management. The themes included student motivation, facilitators’ attributes, collaboration between academics and clinicians, nurses’ limited autonomy for decision-making regarding PPM practices, shortage of human and material resources, and educational qualification. Knowing these factors is essential as it provides an opportunity to design targeted interventions aimed to enhance the capacity of nurse educators and clinical nurse preceptors involved in teaching nursing students about paediatric pain management.
Outcomes of amoebic, fungal, and bacterial keratitis: A retrospective cohort study

Background Acanthamoeba keratitis is challenging to treat and thought to result in poor outcomes, but very few comparative studies exist to assess whether ulcers caused by Acanthamoeba are worse than those caused by bacteria or fungus. Methods In a retrospective cohort study, all cases of smear- or culture-proven Acanthamoeba keratitis diagnosed from January 2006 to June 2011 at an eye hospital in South India were identified from the microbiology database. Random samples of the same number of cases of bacterial and fungal keratitis, matched by year, were identified from the same database in order to compare outcomes between the three types of organism. The main outcomes were the time until the following events: re-epithelialization, discontinuation of antimicrobials, perforation/keratoplasty, elevated intraocular pressure, and new cataract. Results The median time until re-epithelialization was 113 days for Acanthamoeba keratitis, 30 days for fungal keratitis, and 25 days for bacterial keratitis, and the median time until discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy was 100 days for Acanthamoeba keratitis, 49 days for fungal keratitis, and 40 days for bacterial keratitis. Compared to the other two organisms, Acanthamoeba ulcers took significantly longer to re-epithelialize (adjusted HR 0.4, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.6 relative to bacterial ulcers and HR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.5 relative to fungal ulcers; overall p<0.001) and had significantly longer courses of antimicrobials (adjusted HR 0.3, 95% CI 0.2 to 0.6 relative to bacterial ulcers and HR 0.5, 95%CI 0.3 to 0.8 relative to fungal ulcers; overall p<0.001). No statistically significant difference was observed between the three organisms for the other time-to-event outcomes. Conclusions Acanthamoeba keratitis was more difficult to treat and had worse clinical outcomes than bacterial or fungal ulcers, highlighting the lack of adequate treatment regimens for this infection.
A new theropod dinosaur from the early cretaceous (Barremian) of Cabo Espichel, Portugal: Implications for spinosaurid evolution

Spinosaurids are some of the most enigmatic Mesozoic theropod dinosaurs due to their unique adaptations to aquatic environments and their relative scarcity. Their taxonomy has proven to be especially problematic. Recent discoveries from Western Europe in general, specifically Iberia, provide some of the best specimens for the understanding of their phylogeny, leading to the description of the spinosaurid Vallibonavenatrix cani and the recognition of the Iberian dinosaur Camarillasaurus cirugedae as one of them. Portuguese associated spinosaurid remains (ML1190) from the Papo Seco Formation (early Barremian) were previously assigned to Baryonyx walkeri but new material recovered in 2020 along with new phylogenetic analyses suggests a different phylogenetic placement, making their revision necessary. Here we show that these remains are not attributable to Baryonyx walkeri, but to a new genus and species, Iberospinus natarioi, gen. et sp. nov. The new taxon is characterized by the presence of a single Meckelian foramen in the Meckelian sulcus, a straight profile of the ventral surface of the dentary and a distal thickening of the acromion process of the pubis between other characters. Iberospinus natarioi is recovered as a sister taxon of the clade formed by Baryonyx and Suchomimus, and outside Spinosaurinae when Vallibonaventrix cani is excluded from the analysis. The description of this taxon reinforces Iberia as a hotspot for spinosaur biodiversity, with several endemic taxa for the region. As expected for the clade, the dentary displays a highly vascularized neurovascular network. The morphometric analysis of parts of the skeleton (pedal phalanx and caudal vertebrae, among others) shows an intermediate condition between basal tetanurans and spinosaurines.
No Effect of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination on in vitro Fertilization Outcomes: A Propensity Score-Matched Study

Purpose To investigate the impact of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination on in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Patients and Methods This retrospective cohort study included 2185 patients undergoing fresh IVF cycles from June 1st to September 13th 2021 in a single university-affiliated hospital. Vaccine administration information was collected and ascertained via immunization records. Patients with two dosages of inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (Sinopharm or Sinovac) were categorized into the vaccinated group (n = 150), while those unvaccinated were classified as control (n = 2035). Propensity score matching was performed to balance the baseline characteristics (14 covariates) between the two groups at a ratio of 1:4. The main outcome measures were the number of oocytes retrieved, good-quality embryo rate and clinical pregnancy rate. Results There were 146 women in the vaccinated group and 584 in the control group after matching. The number of oocytes retrieved (9.9 ± 7.1 vs 9.9 ± 6.7; P = 0.893), good-quality embryo rate (33.5 ± 29.8% vs 29.9 ± 28.6%; P = 0.184) and clinical pregnancy rate (59.1% vs 63.6%; P = 0.507) were all similar between the two groups. In addition, no significant differences were observed regarding other cycle characteristics, laboratory parameters and pregnancy outcomes. The results were also comparable when vaccinated patients were subdivided into three categories based on the time interval from complete vaccination to cycle initiation: ≤1 month, >1–2 months, and >2 months. Conclusion Our study provided the first-time evidence that inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in females did not result in any measurable detrimental effects on IVF treatment. Owing to the present limitations, further prospective studies with larger cohort size and longer follow-up are warranted to validate our conclusion.
Long-term results of an endoscopic screening program for superficial esophageal cancer in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background and study aims Patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) are at risk of a second primary tumor in the gastrointestinal tract, most commonly in the esophagus. Screening these patients for esophageal carcinoma may help detect asymptomatic dysplasia and early cancer, thus allowing curative treatment and more prolonged survival, but the impact of endoscopic screening remains uncertain. Here we aimed to describe the long-term results of an esophageal SCC screening program in patients with head and neck cancer in terms of prevalence, associated risk factors, and survival. Patients and methods We performed an observational study of a prospectively collected database including patients with HNSCC who had undergone high-definition endoscopy with chromoscopy between 2010 and 2018 at a Brazilian tertiary academic center. Results The study included 1,888 patients. The esophageal SCC prevalence was 7.9 %, with the majority (77.8 %) being superficial lesions. Significant risk factors for esophageal high-grade dysplasia (HGD) and invasive cancer included tumors of the oral cavity and oropharynx and the presence of low-grade dysplasia (LGD). Overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter among patients in whom esophageal cancer was diagnosed at an advanced stage ( P < .001). OS did not significantly differ between patients with HGD and early esophageal cancer versus those without esophageal cancer ( P = .210) Conclusions Endoscopic screening for superficial esophageal neoplasia in patients with HNSCC improves esophageal cancer detection. Screening could potentially benefit patients with primary cancer located at the oropharynx or oral cavity. In addition, the detection of esophageal LGD indicates a need for endoscopic surveillance.
Distribution of dopamine-immunoreactive neurons in the brain of the male native Thai chicken.

INTRODUCTION . Dopamine (DA) is a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator found in both central and peripheral nervous systems. It plays several physiological functions in some mammalian and avian species. DA has been indicated to be associated with the neuroendocrine regulation of the reproductive cycle and maternal behaviors in the female native Thai chickens. Indeed, male birds express parental behaviors as well. To date, there are no data describing the functional aspects of the DAergic system in the male native Thai chickens. Thus, the objective of this study was to elucidate the localization of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; a DA marker) neuronal groups in the brain of the roosters. MATERIAL AND METHODS . The distributions of TH immunoreactivity in the brain were detected utilizing the immunohistochemistry technique. RESULTS . TH immunoreactivity was located throughout the brain and extensively in the diencephalon and mesencephalon. The highest density of TH-immunoreactive (-ir) neurons and fibers was found within the nucleus intramedialis (nI) and nucleus mamillaris lateralis (ML). The numbers of TH-ir neurons within the nucleus anterior medialis hypothalami (AM), nucleus paraventricularis magnocellularis (PVN), nI, and ML were then compared and revealed that the numbers of TH-ir neurons within the nI and ML were significantly higher than those of the AM and PVN. CONCLUSIONS . These present findings suggest that the DAergic neurons within the nI and ML might play an important role in the reproductive activities of the native Thai roosters. Interestingly, the DAergic system in the nI might be involved in male reproductive activities and/or parental behaviors in this equatorial species.
Decolorization of reactive blue 13 by Sporotrichum sp. and cytotoxicity of biotreated dye solution

Wastewater from the textile industry contaminated with azo dyes affects the environment negatively, causes pollution, and threatens environmental balance. Among various methods for wastewater treatment, bioremediation emerges as an environmentally friendly, economical, and sustainable solution. In this study, white‐rot fungus Sporotrichum sp. was employed to decolorize reactive blue 13 (RB13). The long‐term decolorization capacity of the fungus was investigated by a sequential batch experiment under optimized conditions. The fungus showed high decolorization efficiency upon repeating usage, and its decolorization efficiency decreased from 97.4% to 87.09% after transferring to a freshly prepared medium seven times. The MTT (3‐(4, 5‐dimethylthiazolyl‐2)‐2, 5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay) method using Chinese Hamster Lung V79 379A was performed to assess the cytotoxicity of treated water samples. This study revealed that Sporotrichum sp. has short‐term enzymatic and long‐term biosorption capacity on reactive blue 13 and the decolorization potential of the alive and dead cells is impressively high.
The elevation of miR-185-5p alleviates high-fat diet-induced atherosclerosis and lipid accumulation in vivo and in vitro via SREBP2 activation

Objective: SREBP2, a member of the SREBP family, is a primary regulator of lipid metabolism. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have suggested that miRNAs regulate lipid metabolism-related genes. It was speculated in this study that miRNAs may be implicated in the regulation of lipid accumulation in macrophages by SREBP2 protein. Methods and results: GSE34812, GSE132651 and GSE28829 datasets comprised of atherosclerosis samples were downloaded to explore the gene expression profiles related to the miRNAs and SREBP2, and miR-185-5p was predicted to be a target of SREBP2. The GO annotations and KEGG pathway analysis were adopted for functional classification of differentially expressed genes, and lipid metabolic process was an enriched pathway in atherosclerosis. Besides, the effects of SREBP2 on increasing lipid accumulation were investigated in vivo using miR-185-5p mimic/apoE−/− mice and miR-185-5p NC/apoE−/− mice. All mice fed with a HFD suffered from atherosclerosis. Moreover, the effects of miR-185-5p on atherosclerotic plaque formation in mice were analyzed. An in vitro assay was also performed to determine the effect of miR-185-5p on ox-LDL-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. Finally, miR-185-5p mimic was transfected into cultured macrophages. The results showed that the miR-185-5p elevation might regulate lipid accumulation in mice by targeting SREBP2. Furthermore, miR-185-5p mimic repressed the activation of SREBP1, SREBP2, LDLR, SCD-1, HMGCR as well as NLRP3, IL-1β, TNF-α in HFD fed mice or ox-LDL-stimulated macrophages. Conclusions: our study demonstrated that miR-185-5p effectively alleviates atherosclerosis and lipid accumulation by regulating the miR-185-5p/SREBP2 axis.
The NLRP3 inflammasome modulates tau pathology and neurodegeneration in a tauopathy model

An active role of neuroinflammation and the NLRP3 inflammasome in Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies is increasingly identified, supporting NLRP3 as an interesting therapeutic target. However, its effect on tau‐associated neurodegeneration, a key‐process in tauopathies, remains unknown. While tau pathology and neurodegeneration are closely correlated, different tau forms may act as culprits in both characteristics and NLRP3‐dependent microglial processes may differently affect both processes, indicating the need to study the role of NLRP3 in both processes concomitantly. To study the role of NLRP3 on tau pathology, prion‐like propagation and tau‐associated neurodegeneration we generated crosses of NLRP3 deficient mice with tauP301S (PS19) transgenic mice. In this model we studied non‐seeded tau pathology and hippocampal atrophy, reminiscent characteristics of tauopathies. Tau pathology in hippocampus and cortex was significantly decreased in tau.NLRP3−/− versus tau.NLRP3+/+ mice. Importantly, tau.NLRP3−/− mice also displayed significantly decreased hippocampal atrophy, indicating a role of NLRP3 in neurodegeneration. We furthermore assessed the effect of NLRP3 deficiency on tau propagation and associated hippocampal atrophy. NLRP3 deficiency significantly decreased prion‐like seeding and propagation of tau pathology, reflected in decreased tau pathology in ipsi‐ and contralateral hippocampus and cortex in tau.NLRP3−/− following tau seeding. Most importantly, hippocampal atrophy was significantly less in tau‐seeded tau.NLRP3−/− mice at 8 months. We here demonstrate for the first time that NLRP3 activation affects tau‐associated neurodegeneration and seeded and non‐seeded tau pathology, hence affecting key molecular processes in tauopathies. Our data thereby provide key‐information in the validation of NLRP3 inflammasome as therapeutic target for AD and related tauopathies.
Associations Between Regional Cerebral Blood Flow and Psychiatric Symptoms in Dementia With Lewy Bodies Without Parkinsonism

Because dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) has various psychiatric symptoms, early diagnosis in patients without parkinsonism is difficult. To reveal associations between regional brain perfusion and psychiatric symptoms in DLB patients without parkinsonism, we quantified brain perfusion using an automated brain perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography analysis program, FineSRT. We statistically analyzed the differences in brain perfusion between groups, divided by the presence or absence of psychiatric symptoms. In DLB patients with depression, there were significant brain perfusion increases in the left angular gyrus and right upper precuneus. In DLB patients with visual hallucinations, there were significant decreases in the left inferior parietal lobule, left superior temporal gyrus, and right primary visual cortex. In DLB patients with auditory hallucinations, there were significant increases in the right middle occipital and right inferior occipital gyri. Our findings provide clues about the pathomechanisms of psychiatric symptoms and may enable early diagnosis of DLB in the future.
The PERK/ATF4/CHOP signaling branch of the unfolded protein response mediates cisplatin-induced ototoxicity in hair cells

Abstract Cisplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent. However, its clinical application remains limited due to the high incidence of severe ototoxicity. It has been reported that the unfolded protein response (UPR) is involved in cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. However, the specific mechanism underlying its effect remains unclear. Therefore, the present study aimed to explore the sequential changes in the key UPR signaling branch and its potential pro-apoptotic role in cisplatin-induced ototoxicity. The hair cell-like OC-1 cells were treated with cisplatin for different periods and then the expression levels of the UPR- and apoptosis-related proteins were determined. The results showed that the apoptotic rate of cells was gradually increased with prolonged cisplatin treatment. Furthermore, the sequential changes in three UPR signaling branches were evaluated. The expression levels of activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were gradually increased with up to 12 h of cisplatin treatment. The aforementioned expression profile was consistent with that observed for the apoptosis-related proteins. Subsequently, the proportion of apoptotic cells was notably decreased in CHOP-silenced hair cell-like OC-1 cells following treatment with cisplatin. Moreover, we found significant hair cells loss and a higher level of CHOP in cisplatin-treated cochlear explants in a time-dependent manner. Overall, the present study demonstrated that the protein kinase RNA‑like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK)/ATF4/CHOP signaling branch could play an important role in cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, the current study suggested that CHOP may be considered as a promising therapeutic target for cisplatin-induced ototoxicity.
The Associations Between Gaming Motivation and Internet Gaming Disorder: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background There has been a surge in interest in examining internet gaming disorder (IGD) and its associations with gaming motivation. Three broad components of gaming motivation have been proposed: achievement, immersion, and social. Achievement-oriented players are motivated by gaining in-game rewards, immersion-oriented players are motivated by the experience of immersion in the virtual world, and social-oriented players are motivated by the need to socialize with other players through gaming. Objective This study aimed to (1) quantitatively synthesize the growing body of literature to systematically examine the discrepancies in the magnitude of associations between various components of gaming motivation and IGD and (2) examine the moderating role of cultural dimension on the association between escapism gaming motivation and IGD. Methods We conducted a systematic search of multiple databases between 2002 and 2020. Studies were included if they (1) included quantitative data, (2) used measures assessing both gaming motivation and IGD, and (3) contained sufficient information for effect size calculation. Results The findings revealed IGD to have a stronger association with achievement motivation (r=0.32) than with immersion (r=0.22) or social motivation (r=0.20), but the strongest such association was found to be with escapism motivation (r=0.40), a subcomponent of immersion motivation. Our cross-cultural comparison further showed a stronger association between escapism motivation and IGD in studies conducted in individualistic (vs collectivistic) regions. Conclusions This meta-analysis highlights the importance of acknowledging the discrepancies among different components of gaming motivation with respect to their role in the development of IGD, as well as the potential cultural variations in the strength of such associations.