Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physicochemical evaluation and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy characterization of quality protein maize starch subjected to different modifications

Abstract Quality protein maize (QPM) is a biofortified maize rich in lysine and tryptophan, essential amino acids required in human nutrition. This research therefore characterizes native and modified starches from QPM by evaluating the physicochemical properties, Fourier transform infrared spectra (FTIR), and pasting properties. The native QPM starch was modified by oxidation, acetylation, pregelatinization, and acid thinning techniques. The starch yield of native QPM was 43.80%, while that of modified starches were from 88.22 to 98.34%. The moisture content of the native and modified starches was from 4.56 to 9.20 g/100g. Modifications significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced the lipid, protein, and amylose contents of the QPM. While the native starch had 0.72 g/cm3 bulk density, modified starches were between 0.59 and 0.88 g/cm3; chemical modification reduced the bulk density and physical modification increased it. In addition, all the modifications except oxidation significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased water absorption capacity. The oil absorption of the starch samples was increased by modification techniques used with the exception of physical modification. Chemical modification reduced the viscosity of QPM starch while physical modification increased it. The reducing sugar content of the starch was reduced by both the physical and chemical starch modification techniques. Acetylated sample exhibited the highest swelling power while acid‐thinned sample had the least. The major functional groups identified via FTIR were OH, C‐H, C=H, and C≡H. Modifications did not affect the functional groups as all the native and modified starches (except oxidized sample) all have similar spectrum and bands stretch. Practical Application The study contributes to existing knowledge on valorization of modified starch from quality protein maize. Profiling the chemical attributes of modified starches is especially valuable in novel food processing techniques.
Time to diagnosis in younger-onset dementia and the impact of a specialist diagnostic service

ABSTRACT Objectives: While early diagnosis of younger-onset dementia (YOD) is crucial in terms of accessing appropriate services and future planning, diagnostic delays are common. This study aims to identify predictors of delay to diagnosis in a large sample of people with YOD and to investigate the impact of a specialist YOD service on this time to diagnosis. Design: A retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: The inpatient unit of a tertiary neuropsychiatry service in metropolitan Victoria, Australia. Participants: People diagnosed with a YOD. Measurements and methods: We investigated the following predictors using general linear modeling: demographics including sex and location, age at onset, dementia type, cognition, psychiatric diagnosis, and number of services consulted with prior to diagnosis. Results: A total of 242 inpatients were included. The mean time to diagnosis was 3.4 years. Significant predictors of delay included younger age at onset, dementia type other than Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), and increased number of services consulted. These predictors individually led to an increased diagnostic delay of approximately 19 days, 5 months, and 6 months, respectively. A specialized YOD service reduced time to diagnosis by 12 months. Conclusion: We found that younger age at onset, having a dementia which was not the most commonly occurring AD or bvFTD, and increasing number of services were significant predictors of diagnostic delay. A novel result was that a specialist YOD service may decrease diagnostic delay, highlighting the importance of such as service in reducing time to diagnosis as well as providing post-diagnostic support.
Electronic Health Record-Related Stress Among Nurses: Determinants and Solutions.

Background: Documentation and navigation through electronic health records (EHRs) is an essential, but stressful, task. We present the magnitude, determinants of such events, and solutions proposed by nurses to address EHR-related stress (EHR-S) at a tertiary eye hospital in Saudi Arabia. Methods: Nurses of an eye hospital were surveyed in 2019 about EHR-S. A Likert scale was used to assess the responses of 10 components of EHR-related work. The total score was graded as follows: minimum (<-10), mild (<0 to -10), moderate (1-10), and severe (>11). The score was correlated with determinants. Solutions suggested by nurses to reduce stress were reviewed. Results: This survey covered 212 nurses. Of them, 106 (50%; 95% confidence interval: 43.3-56.7) reported EHR-S. The median EHR-S score was -3.0 (interquartile range: -9.0; +8.0). Thirty-five (16%) nurses reported severe EHR-S. Senior nurses (M-W, p < 0.02) and those working in emergency and recovery units (M-W, p < 0.01) had statistically higher EHR-S. The main stressors were incomplete EHR work by other departments affecting nursing care (70.8%), difficulty in correction after entering the data (60.4%), and difficulty in data retrieval (60.4%). The main solutions to reduce EHR-S were to reduce the frequency of changes to configuration of the EHR (58%), more training (54.2%), and appreciation of good work (52.8%). Conclusions: EHR-S is experienced by half of the nurses working at an eye care hospital. Implementation of solutions such as better training and fewer changes to the EHR system could reduce stress levels of nurses.
Expanding the Neuroimaging Phenotype of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinoses

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses are a group of neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the accumulation of autofluorescent lipopigments in neuronal cells. As a result of storage material in the brain and retina, clinical manifestations include speech delay, cognitive dysfunction, motor regression, epilepsy, vision loss, and early death. At present, 14 different ceroid lipofuscinosis (CLN) genes are known. Recently, the FDA approved the use of recombinant human proenzyme of tripeptidyl-peptidase 1 for CLN2 disease, while phase I/IIa clinical trials for gene therapy in CLN3 and CLN6 are ongoing. Early diagnosis is, therefore, key to initiating treatment and arresting disease progression. Neuroimaging features of CLN1, CLN2, CLN3, and CLN5 diseases are well-described, with sparse literature on other subtypes. We aimed to investigate and expand the MR imaging features of genetically proved neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses subtypes at our institution and also to report the time interval between the age of disease onset and the diagnosis of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated and analyzed the age of disease onset and neuroimaging findings (signal intensity in periventricular, deep, and subcortical white matter, thalami, basal ganglia, posterior limb of the internal capsule, insular/subinsular regions, and ventral pons; and the presence or absence of supratentorial and/or infratentorial atrophy) of patients with genetically proved neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses at our institution. This group consisted of 24 patients who underwent 40 brain MR imaging investigations between 1993 and 2019, with a male preponderance (male/female ratio = 15:9). RESULTS: The mean ages of disease onset, first brain MR imaging, and diagnosis of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses were 4.70 ± 3.48 years, 6.76 ± 4.49 years, and 7.27 ± 4.78 years, respectively. Findings on initial brain MR imaging included T2/FLAIR hypointensity in the thalami (n = 22); T2/FLAIR hyperintensity in the periventricular and deep white matter (n = 22), posterior limb of the internal capsule (n = 22), ventral pons (n = 19), and insular/subinsular region (n = 18); supratentorial (n = 21) and infratentorial atrophy (n = 20). Eight of 9 patients who had follow-up neuroimaging showed progressive changes. CONCLUSIONS: We identified reported classic neuroimaging features in all except 1 patient with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses in our study. CLN2, CLN5, and CLN7 diseases showed predominant cerebellar-over-cerebral atrophy. We demonstrate that abnormal signal intensity in the deep white matter, posterior limb of the internal capsule, and ventral pons is more common than previously reported in the literature. We report abnormal signal intensity in the insular/subinsular region for the first time. The difference in the median time from disease onset and diagnosis was 1.5 years.
Lay Theories of the Wandering Mind: Control-Related Beliefs Predict Mind Wandering Rates in- and outside the Lab

People often fail to keep their mind from wandering. Here, we examine how the tendency to mind wander is affected by people’s beliefs, or lay theories. Building on research on lay theories and self-regulation, we test whether differences in people’s beliefs about the extent to which mind wandering is controllable affect thought control strategies and mind-wandering rates in daily life and the laboratory. We develop a new scale to assess control-related beliefs about mind wandering. Scores on the scale predict mind wandering (Study 1) and intrusive thoughts (Study 2) in everyday life, thought control strategies and dysfunctional responses to unwanted thoughts (Study 2), and mind wandering during reading in the laboratory (Studies 3–6). Moreover, experimentally induced lay theories affect mind-wandering rates during reading (Studies 4 and 5). Finally, the effectiveness of strategies people can use to reduce their mind wandering depends on their lay theories (Studies 2 and 6).
Accuracy of SCORTEN and ABCD‐10 to predict mortality and the influence of renal function in Stevens–Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis

Epidermal necrolysis (EN) compromises a spectrum of life‐threatening dermatoses (Stevens–Johnson Syndrome [SJS], overlap syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis [TEN]). Currently, no active therapeutic regimen with unequivocal benefit exists for SJS/TEN. SCORTEN is the widely‐used prognostic scale specific for SJS/TEN. Nevertheless, a new prognostic scale, the ABCD‐10, has been recently proposed. In this context, acute renal failure (ARF) seems to be an important comorbidity that could influence prognosis in SJS/TEN patients more than it is assumed by these two scales. Our objectives were to compare the accuracy of the SCORTEN and ABCD‐10 scales in predicting the mortality in SJS/TEN, and to investigate the influence of renal failure on prognosis. The prognostic results of 18 patients with EN treated in two referral centers between 2013 and 2018 are presented. SCORTEN, ABCD‐10 and renal function values were retrospectively collected for all patients. Out of the 18 patients who were analyzed, nine (50%) received only supportive therapy, four were treated with etanercept 50 mg in a single dose (22.2%) and five with corticosteroids (27.8%). Five patients developed ARF. Predicted mortality was 3.48 for SCORTEN and 2.33 for ABCD‐10. Eventually, four patients died (22.2%), all had ARF and none of them received active treatment. Despite study limitations and in the absence of active treatment of choice, SCORTEN behaved as a reliable predictor of mortality in patients with EN, outperforming the newer ABCD‐10. ARF was an early event associated with a poor prognosis, which could represent a prognostic marker to consider in the future.
MDM2 inhibition improves cisplatin-induced renal injury in mice via inactivation of Notch/hes1 signaling pathway

Objective: To explore the potential function of MDM2-mediated Notch/hes1 signaling pathway in cisplatin-induced renal injury. Methods: The acute renal injury models of mice after intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin in vivo, and the apoptotic models of human renal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells induced by cisplatin in vitro, were conducted respectively. The renal function-related parameters were measured. The renal tissue pathological changes and apoptosis were observed by PAS staining and TUNEL staining, respectively. Cell viability and apoptosis were detected by MTT and flow cytometry. Notch/hes1 pathway-related proteins were tested by Western blotting. Results: After mice injected by cisplatin, the levels of Cr, BUN, urine cystatin C, urine NGAL and urine ACR were increased and GFR was decreased with the elevation of renal tubular injury scores, the upregulation of the expressions of MDM2, N1ICD, Hes1 and Cleaved caspase-3, as well as the enhancement of cell apoptosis accompanying decreased ratio of Bcl-2/Bax. However, these cisplatin-induced renal injuries of mice have been improved by MDM2 inhibition. Besides, the declined viability, increased cytotoxicity, and enhanced apoptosis were observed in cisplatin-induced HK-2 cells, with the activated Notch/hes1 pathway. Notably, the phenomenon was alleviated in cisplatin-induced HK-2 cells transfected with MDM2 shRNA, but was severer in those co-treated with AdMDM2. Moreover, Notch1 siRNA can reverse the injury of AdMDM2 on HK-2 cells. Conclusion: Inhibiting MDM2 could reduce cell apoptosis through blocking Notch/hes1 signaling pathway, thus alleviating the acute renal injury caused by cisplatin.
High PD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Interaction Infers Tumor Selection and Therapeutic Sensitivity to Anti-PD-1/PD-L1 Treatment

Quantitation of immune checkpoint interaction by direct imaging demonstrates that immunotherapy-treated patients with metastatic NSCLC with a low extent of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction show significantly worse outcome. Many cancers are termed immunoevasive due to expression of immunomodulatory ligands. Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) and cluster of differentiation 80/86 (CD80/86) interact with their receptors, programmed death receptor-1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4), respectively, on tumor-infiltrating leukocytes eliciting immunosuppression. Immunotherapies aimed at blocking these interactions are revolutionizing cancer treatments, albeit in an inadequately described patient subset. To address the issue of patient stratification for immune checkpoint intervention, we quantitatively imaged PD-1/PD-L1 interactions in tumor samples from patients, employing an assay that readily detects these intercellular protein–protein interactions in the less than or equal to 10 nm range. These analyses across multiple patient cohorts demonstrated the intercancer, interpatient, and intratumoral heterogeneity of interacting immune checkpoints. The PD-1/PD-L1 interaction was not correlated with clinical PD-L1 expression scores in malignant melanoma. Crucially, among anti-PD-1–treated patients with metastatic non–small cell lung cancer, those with lower PD-1/PD-L1 interaction had significantly worsened survival. It is surmised that within tumors selecting for an elevated level of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction, there is a greater dependence on this pathway for immune evasion and hence, they exhibit more impressive patient response to intervention. Significance: Quantitation of immune checkpoint interaction by direct imaging demonstrates that immunotherapy-treated patients with metastatic NSCLC with a low extent of PD-1/PD-L1 interaction show significantly worse outcome.
Significance of transcriptionally-active high-risk human papillomavirus in sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma: Case series and a meta-analysis.

Sinonasal cancers represent a highly heterogeneous group of head and neck cancers, for which etiological and prognostic significance of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) infections has not yet been conclusively established. We investigated the presence of transcriptionally-active high-risk HPV in a series of 34 sinonasal squamous cell cancer (SNSCC) cases and evaluated the effect of transcriptionally-active HPV on the overall survival. In addition, we performed a meta-analysis of previously published studies, including this study, to summarize the prevalence of HPV positivity across histological subtypes of SNSCC. The presence of transcriptionally-active HPV was detected by HPV mRNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or in situ hybridization (ISH). P16 expression was evaluated as a surrogate marker for transcriptionally-active HPV infection by immunohistochemistry (IHC), the presence of high-risk HPV DNA was tested by PCR and the HPV genotypes were determined by sequencing of PCR amplicons. Transcriptionally-active HPV infections were found in ~25% of the SNSCC cases. The role of HPV infection in keratinizing SNSCC may be higher than previously reported (~32% in our study vs ~0-6.3% in all other studies). Patients with transcriptionally-active HPV-positive SNSCCs were more likely to be diagnosed at earlier stages (p < 0.05) and displayed better mean overall survival, although the difference between HPV-positive and HPV-negative groups was not statistically significant. In contrast to other non-oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas (non-OPSCCs) of the head and neck, in SNSCCs, p16/IHC and p16/IHC+HPV DNA displayed high specificity as surrogate markers of transcriptionally-active HPV infections. However, p16/IHC may have significantly lower sensitivity as a surrogate marker of transcriptionally-active HPV in SNSCCs compared to OPSCCs. Furthermore, in our group of SNSCCs, all cases positive for high-risk HPV DNA by PCR were also transcriptionally-active (causative) infections with positive HPV mRNA by ISH. Our results imply a possible different role of HPV-mediated carcinogenesis of squamous cell epithelium in oropharyngeal and sinonasal sites with latter displaying a lower proportion of causative HPV infections; nevertheless, most cases positive for high-risk HPV DNA, p16/IHC or combination thereof were also found positive for transcriptionally-active HPV. Prognostic significance of HPV status in SNSCCs remains inconclusive and future studies should investigate the presence of transcriptionally-active HPV by direct HPV testing.
Integrating Comorbidities and Phenotype-Based Medicine in Patient-Centered Medicine in COPD

Despite recent notable innovations in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), no major advances in patient-centered medicine have been achieved. Current guidelines base their proposals on the average results from clinical trials, leading to what could be termed ‘means-based’ medical practice. However, the therapeutic response is variable at the patient level. Additionally, the variability of the clinical presentation interacts with comorbidities to form a complex clinical scenario for clinicians to deal with. Consequently, no consensus has been reached over a practical approach for combining comorbidities and disease presentation markers in the therapeutic algorithm. In this context, from the patients’ first visit, the clinician faces four major dilemmas: (1) establishing the correct diagnosis of COPD as opposed to other airway diseases, such as bronchial asthma; (2) deciding on the initial therapeutic approach based on the clinical characteristics of each case; (3) setting up a study strategy for non-responding patients; (4) pursuing a follow-up strategy with two well-defined periods according to whether close or long-term follow-up is required. Here, we will address these major dilemmas in the search for a patient-centered approach to COPD management and suggest how to combine them all in a single easy-to-use strategy.
The study of border zone formation in ischemic heart using electro‐chemical coupled computational model

Myocardial infarction (MI) is the most common cause of a heart failure, which occurs due to myocardial ischemia leading to left ventricular (LV) remodeling. LV remodeling particularly occurs at the ischemic area and the region surrounds it, known as the border zone. The role of the border zone in initiating LV remodeling process urges the investigation on the correlation between early border zone changes and remodeling outcome. Thus, this study aims to simulate a preliminary conceptual work of the border zone formation and evolution during onset of MI and its effect towards early LV remodeling processes by incorporating the oxygen concentration effect on the electrophysiology of an idealized three‐dimensional LV through electro‐chemical coupled mathematical model. The simulation result shows that the region of border zone, represented by the distribution of electrical conductivities, keeps expanding over time. Based on this result, the border zone is also proposed to consist of three sub‐regions, namely mildly, moderately, and seriously impaired conductivity regions, which each region categorized depending on its electrical conductivities. This division could be used as a biomarker for classification of reversible and irreversible myocardial injury and will help to identify the different risks for the survival of patient. Larger ischemic size and complete occlusion of the coronary artery can be associated with an increased risk of developing irreversible injury, in particular if the reperfusion treatment is delayed. Increased irreversible injury area can be related with cardiovascular events and will further deteriorate the LV function over time.
A 12-immune cell signature to predict relapse and guide chemotherapy for stage II colorectal cancer

The management of stage II colorectal cancer is still difficult. We aimed to construct a new immune cell-associated signature for prognostic evaluation and guiding chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer. We used the “Cell Type Identification by Estimating Relative Subsets of RNA Transcripts” (CIBERSORT) method to estimate the fraction of 22 immune cells by analyzing bulk tumor transcriptomes and a LASSO Cox regression model to select the prognostic immune cells. A 12-immune cell prognostic classifier, ISCRC, was built, which could successfully discriminate the high-risk patients in the training cohort (GSE39582: HR = 3.16, 95% CI: 1.85–5.40, P < 0.0001) and another independent cohorts (GSE14333: HR = 3.47, 95% CI: 1.18–10.15, P =0.0167). The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the AUC of the ISCRC model was significantly greater than that of oncotypeDX model (0.7111 versus 0.5647, p=0.0152). We introduced the propensity score matching analysis to eliminate the selection bias; survival analysis showed relatively poor prognosis after chemotherapy in stage II CRC patients. Furthermore, a nomogram was built for clinicians and did well in the calibration plots. In conclusion, this immune cell-based signature could improve prognostic prediction and may help guide chemotherapy in stage II colorectal cancer patients.
Breeding Biology of the White-Rumped Swallow (Tachycineta Leucorrhoa; Hirundinidae) in a Wetland: A Comparative Approach

We studied the reproductive biology of the White-rumped Swallow (Tachycineta leucorrhoa) in a colony of 50 nests boxes located in a wetland of the Paraná River, Santa Fe, Argentina between 2004 and 2006. The nest boxes were checked regularly and reproductive parameters, as well as morphological data of eggs and nestlings, were recorded. The species had an average clutch size of 4.7 eggs whose volumes and weight means were 2.04 cm3 and 2.17 g. respectively. The incubation period averaged 15.9 days and decreased with the clutch size. The mean nestling period was 23.8 days. Clutch size, number of nestlings per nest and the nestling period decreased with the advance of the breeding seasons, while the incubation time increased. Breeding parameters showed a similarity with those reported for the population from Chascomús site, although the eggs were 5% heavier, the incubation period took one more day and the reproductive success was also higher. With the closely related species Tachycineta meyeni, the studied species showed a lower clutch size. Finally, considering another closely related species Tachycineta bicolor, the White-rumped Swallow showed the reproductive life history traits characteristic of species in the southern hemisphere. We provide new information for this species nesting on wetlands, a fact that contributes to the understanding of changes in the life history of the Tachycineta genus along the American continent.