Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hospital-acquired anemia among patients in a university hospital and the affiliated general practices in the capital region of Denmark, 2019

Abstract Introduction Approximately 25% of the patients with hospital acquired anemia (HAA) develop moderate to severe HAA during hospitalization. This is related to an increased risk of prolonged stay, readmission and mortality. The primary aim was during one year to characterize a population with very frequent phlebotomies based on a university hospital in the Capital Region of Denmark and the related general practitioners Material and methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study using administrative data on phlebotomies from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019 analyzed at a university hospital. Results A total of 203,811 patients had 10,083,207 requisitions and 1,373,013 tubes. One percent, 1985 patients, had an extreme of frequent phlebotomies >60 tubes and formed the basis for the study population. The study population was significantly older as compared to the excluded patients (<60 tubes) (mean 65.7 vs. 51.6 years, p < .001). The likelihood of hemoglobin decrease per 100 mL blood drawn were calculated at four levels of decreases: Hemoglobin decrease of 2 mmol/L (adjusted OR; 95%; 2.03, CI 1.79–2.31), hemoglobin decrease of 3 mmol/L (adjusted OR; 95%, 1.36, CI 1.28–1.45), hemoglobin decrease of 4 mmol/L, (adjusted OR; 95%, 1.27, CI 1.19–1.35) and hemoglobin decrease of 5 mmol/L, (adjusted OR; 95% 1.22, CI 1.13–1.31). Conclusions Moderate to severe HAA occurred in a limited group with excessive many phlebotomies. It was a worrisome trend that the frailest patients had the highest risk of developing HAA.
Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 exerts functions in gastric cancer development via modulating microRNA‐222‐3p methylation and WEE1 expression

Enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) has been studied in gastric cancer (GC), while the role of EZH2 in GC via binding to microRNA (miR)‐222‐3p remains obscure. This research aims to unravel the regulatory mechanism of EZH2 in GC progression via the modulation of miR‐222‐3p/WEE1 axis. Initially, EZH2, miR‐222‐3p, and WEE1 levels in GC cells and tissues were examined. Thereafter, constructs altering EZH2, miR‐222‐3p, or WEE1 expression were transfected into GC cells to determine the malignant behaviors involved in tumorigenesis of GC cells. Finally, the targeting relations among EZH2, miR‐222‐3p, and WEE1 were validated. EZH2 and WEE1 were upregulated while miR‐222‐3p was down‐regulated in GC tissues and cells. The decreased EZH2, silenced WEE1, or restored miR‐222‐3p constrained the malignant behaviors involved in tumorigenesis of GC cells. Deletion of miR‐222‐3p could reverse the effect of silenced EZH2 on suppressing the biological functions of GC cells. EZH2 could bind to the promoter of miR‐222‐3p, and there was a targeting relationship between miR‐222‐3p and WEE1. Our study demonstrates that EZH2 promotes GC development via the modulation of miR‐222‐3p/WEE1 axis, thus providing promising therapeutic targets for GC therapy.
Reducing the Calibration Time in Somatosensory BCI by Using Tactile ERD

Objective: We propose a tactile-induced-oscillation approach to reduce the calibration time in somatosensory brain-computer interfaces (BCI). Methods: Based on the similarity between tactile induced event-related desynchronization (ERD) and imagined sensation induced ERD activation, we extensively evaluated BCI performance when using a conventional and a novel calibration strategy. In the conventional calibration, the tactile imagined data was used, while in the sensory calibration model sensory stimulation data was used. Subjects were required to sense the tactile stimulus when real tactile was applied to the left or right wrist and were required to perform imagined sensation tasks in the somatosensory BCI paradigm. Results: The sensory calibration led to a significantly better performance than the conventional calibration when tested on the same imagined sensation dataset ( $\text{F}_{(1,19)}$ =10.89, P=0.0038), with an average 5.1% improvement in accuracy. Moreover, the sensory calibration was 39.3% faster in reaching a performance level of above 70% accuracy. Conclusion: The proposed approach of using tactile ERD from the sensory cortex provides an effective way of reducing the calibration time in a somatosensory BCI system. Significance: The tactile stimulation would be specifically useful before BCI usage, avoiding excessive fatigue when the mental task is difficult to perform. The tactile ERD approach may find BCI applications for patients or users with preserved afferent pathways.
Impacts of cadmium on male fertility: Lessons learnt so far

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the most dangerous heavy metals in the world. Globally, toxicities associated with cadmium and its attendant negative impact on humans and animals cannot be under‐estimated. Cd is a heavy metal, and people are exposed to it through contaminated foods and smoking. Cd exerts its deleterious impacts on the testes (male reproductive system) by inducing oxidative stress, spermatogenic cells apoptosis, testicular inflammation, decreasing androgenic and sperm cell functions, disrupting ionic homeostasis, pathways and epigenetic gene regulation, damaging vascular endothelium and blood testes barrier. In association with other industrial by‐products, Cd has been incriminated for the recent decline of male fertility rate seen in both man and animals. Understanding the processes involved in Cd‐induced testicular toxicity is vital for the innovation of techniques that will help ameliorate infertility in males. In this review, we summed up recent studies on the processes of testicular toxicity and male infertility due to Cd exposure. Also, the usage of different compounds including phytochemicals, and plant extracts to manage Cd reprotoxicity will be reviewed.
Mental health, financial, and social outcomes among older adults with probable COVID-19 infection: A longitudinal cohort study

Significance Longitudinal evidence on the impact that contracting COVID-19 may have on the individual’s mental health, personal finances, and social relationships is scarce. Using longitudinal data from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging, this study shows that older adults with probable COVID-19 infection experienced higher levels of depression and anxiety, poorer quality of life, elevated feelings of loneliness, and greater financial difficulties compared with those without probable infection. The associations were independent of prepandemic mental health and financial circumstances, and they were evident both in the acute phase of the infection and up to 6 months later. These results suggest that the adverse psychosocial impact of COVID-19 infection is long-lasting and more broadly present across the population.
Visual Media Usage Teaching in the Special Education Integration Programme (SEIP) of Hearing Impairment in Hulu Selangor

This study was conducted to identify the level of usage of visual media in teaching at the Special Education Integration Programme (SEIP) Hearing Impairment. The study also identified the attitude towards the use of visual media and the limitations faced by teachers when using visual media. The findings show the use of visual media in teaching at SEIP Hearing Impairment in Hulu Selangor is in the high level and the teacher have very positive attitude towards visual media. However, the limitations faced by teachers in the use of visual media are on the high level. This research involved 50 respondents from a special education teacher who teaches in nine (9) schools of SEIP Hearing Impairment in Hulu Selangor. Questionnaires were used as research instruments and data collection was done using 5-point Likert scale. These data were processed using Software Statistical Packages For The Social Science 20. The analysis made in descriptive statistical methods in the form of frequency, percentage and mean. Results from this study indicate the level of visual media usage among teachers in SEIP Hearing Impairment are at high level (mean = 3.52), while teachers’ attitudes were very positive (mean = 4.43). There are limitations of the study showed that teachers face in SEIP of Hearing Impairment is high (mean = 3.59). Based on the findings, some suggestions are brought forward to enhance the use of visual media in teaching at SEIP Hearing Impairment
Multifingered Robot Hand Compliant Manipulation Based on Vision-Based Demonstration and Adaptive Force Control

Multifingered hand dexterous manipulation is quite challenging in the domain of robotics. One remaining issue is how to achieve compliant behaviors. In this work, we propose a human-in-the-loop learning-control approach for acquiring compliant grasping and manipulation skills of a multifinger robot hand. This approach takes the depth image of the human hand as input and generates the desired force commands for the robot. The markerless vision-based teleoperation system is used for the task demonstration, and an end-to-end neural network model (i.e., TeachNet) is trained to map the pose of the human hand to the joint angles of the robot hand in real-time. To endow the robot hand with compliant human-like behaviors, an adaptive force control strategy is designed to predict the desired force control commands based on the pose difference between the robot hand and the human hand during the demonstration. The force controller is derived from a computational model of the biomimetic control strategy in human motor learning, which allows adapting the control variables (impedance and feedforward force) online during the execution of the reference joint angles. The simultaneous adaptation of the impedance and feedforward profiles enables the robot to interact with the environment compliantly. Our approach has been verified in both simulation and real-world task scenarios based on a multifingered robot hand, that is, the Shadow Hand, and has shown more reliable performances than the current widely used position control mode for obtaining compliant grasping and manipulation behaviors.
Polysaccharides of Brassica rapa L. attenuate tumor growth via shifting macrophages to M1‐like phenotype

Macrophages are the major tumor‐infiltrating leukocytes, and tumor‐associated macrophages (TAM) play a critical role in cancer‐related inflammation since they show alternative polarization to M1 (tumor‐inhibited macrophages) or M2 (tumor‐promoted macrophages) phenotype. Brassica rapa L. (B. rapa) has been clinically proven to have anti‐tumor and immunity‐enhancing activity, and the polysaccharides of B. rapa (BRP) have been reported to have an immunoregulatory effect on macrophages. In this study, we focus on macrophage polarization to investigate the mechanism of anti‐tumor response of BRP in vivo and in vitro. We found that BRP improved the expression of M1 markers, including iNOS, COX‐2, HLA‐DR, CD11b and M1‐related cytokines. The expression of M2 markers Arg‐1, CD206 and CD163 induced by IL‐4 were inhibited by BRP treatment, resulting in the inhibition of tumor growth both in vivo and in co‐culture experiments in vitro. The activation of STAT signaling pathway were significantly regulated by BRP, which are important signals in TAM polarization. Overall, the results indicated that BRP has anti‐tumor effect through mediating macrophage polarization.
Evaluation of a Wastewater-Based Epidemiological Approach to Estimate the Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 Infections and the Detection of Viral Variants in Disparate Oregon Communities at City and Neighborhood Scales

Background: Positive correlations have been reported between wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations and a community’s burden of infection, disease or both. However, previous studies mostly compared wastewater to clinical case counts or nonrepresentative convenience samples, limiting their quantitative potential. Objectives: This study examined whether wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations could provide better estimations for SARS-CoV-2 community prevalence than reported cases of COVID-19. In addition, this study tested whether wastewater-based epidemiology methods could identify neighborhood-level COVID-19 hotspots and SARS-CoV-2 variants. Methods: Community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence was estimated from eight randomized door-to-door nasal swab sampling events in six Oregon communities of disparate size, location, and demography over a 10-month period. Simultaneously, wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations were quantified at each community’s wastewater treatment plant and from 22 Newport, Oregon, neighborhoods. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was sequenced from all positive wastewater and nasal swab samples. Clinically reported case counts were obtained from the Oregon Health Authority. Results: Estimated community SARS-CoV-2 prevalence ranged from 8 to 1,687/10,000 persons. Community wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 log10 gene copies per liter. Wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations were more highly correlated (Pearson’s r=0.96; R2=0.91) with community prevalence than were clinically reported cases of COVID-19 (Pearson’s r=0.85; R2=0.73). Monte Carlo simulations indicated that wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations were significantly better than clinically reported cases at estimating prevalence (p<0.05). In addition, wastewater analyses determined neighborhood-level COVID-19 hot spots and identified SARS-CoV-2 variants (B.1 and B.1.399) at the neighborhood and city scales. Discussion: The greater reliability of wastewater SARS-CoV-2 concentrations over clinically reported case counts was likely due to systematic biases that affect reported case counts, including variations in access to testing and underreporting of asymptomatic cases. With these advantages, combined with scalability and low costs, wastewater-based epidemiology can be a key component in public health surveillance of COVID-19 and other communicable infections. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10289
Myelin loss in C9orf72 hexanucleotide expansion carriers

The most frequent genetic cause of frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is the hexanucleotide repeat expansion in C9orf72. An important neuropathological hallmark associated with this mutation is the accumulation of the phosphorylated form of TAR (trans‐activation response element) DNA‐binding protein 43 (pTDP‐43). Glia plays a crucial role in the neurodegeneration observed in C9orf72‐associated disorders. However, less is known about the role of oligodendrocytes (OLs). Here, we applied digital neuropathological methods to compare the expression pattern of glial cells in the frontal cortex (FrCx) of human post‐mortem samples from patients with C9‐FTLD and C9‐FTLD/ALS, sporadic FTLD (sFTLD), and healthy controls (HCs). We also compared MBP levels in CSF from an independent clinical FTD cohort. We observed an increase in GFAP, and Iba1 immunoreactivity in C9 and sFTLD compared to controls in the gray matter (GM) of the FrCx. We observed a decrease in MBP immunoreactivity in the GM and white matter (WM) of the FrCx of C9, compared to HC and sFTLD. There was a negative correlation between MBP and pTDP‐43 in C9 in the WM of the FrCx. We observed an increase in CSF MBP concentrations in C9 and sFTLD compared to HC. In conclusion, the C9 expansion is associated with myelin loss in the frontal cortex. This loss of MBP may be a result of oligodendroglial dysfunction due to the expansion or the presence of pTDP‐43 in OLs. Understanding these biological processes will help to identify specific pathways associated with the C9orf72 expansion.
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases among Klebsiella pneumoniae from Iraqi patients with community-acquired pneumonia

SUMMARY OBJECTIVE: Beta-lactams resistance is a major clinical problem in treating pneumonia. This study aimed to detect the extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL) genes in Klebsiella pneumoniae among patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in Al-Najaf City, Iraq. METHODS: A total of 511 sputum samples were obtained from all suspected patients with CAP in Al-Najaf City, Iraq, from March 2020 to September 2020. Sputum samples were subjected to microbiological tests. The disk diffusion method was used to test antibiotic sensitivity. Production of ESBLs was identified using phenotypic and genotypic methods. RESULTS: The total prevalence of K. pneumoniae was 31.9% (163/511). Using CHROM agar, 41 (25.2%) isolates were ESBL producers. The imipenem 0.0% (n=0/41) and norfloxacin 0.0% (n=0/41) were the most effective antibiotics. The multiplex polymerase chain reaction showed that 46.3% (n=19/41) of isolates harbored ESBL genes. Out of 19 ESBL producers, 47.4% and 15.8% harbored bla CTX-M and bla SHV, respectively. While bla CTX-M and bla SHV genes were detected in 7 (36.8%) isolates, simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: The imipenem and norfloxacin can be used in empirical treatment of K. pneumoniae isolates in Iraq. The emergence of K. pneumoniae strains harboring ESBL resistance genes necessitates the development of a regular surveillance program to prevent the spreading of these isolates more in Iraqi health care systems.
Grisi Siknis: A cultural idiom of gender-based violence and structural inequalities in eastern Nicaragua

For the Miskitu of Nicaragua, Grisi Siknis is a contagious illness that predominantly affects women. It is characterized by numerous psychosomatic symptoms, including headache, fear, aggressive behavior, loss of consciousness, and periods of rapid frenzy. Although Grisi Siknis has gained academic and public attention due to its unique cultural elements and perceived sexual aspects, little is known how the contextual and gender dimensions of Grisi Siknis are played out in relation to the socio-political context in the region. Based on 16 months of ethnographic work in the Nicaraguan Miskitu Coast, including semi-structured interviews (n = 20) and participant observation, this article documents a semantic shift in the embodied and symbolic language of a cultural idiom of distress. I show how duhindu (Miskitu spirit associated with illness and misfortune) and witchcraft are symbols that share cultural resonance in the Miskitu community, while gender violence discourse is a new language incorporated into the logic of this cultural idiom of distress. I argue that this semantic shift allows the individuals in this study to communicate local experiences of complex forms of structural inequalities (migration status, unemployment, ethnic identity) and gender-based violence that tend to be normalized as a ubiquitous cultural problem while preserving the broader socio-cultural meaning the Grisi Siknis represents. The ethnographic accounts of Grisi Siknis provide empirical data to unpack the unexplored contextual processes and local discourses that transform the meaning and logic of cultural idioms of distress at the individual level of experience.
Cancer Incidence in Volcanic Areas: A Systematic Review

Background: There are more than 1,000 active volcanoes worldwide with inhabitants within 100 km of them. Volcanoes spill several toxic metals and spew pollution through gasses, causing soil and water contamination. The dangerously active volcanoes place the nearby population at risk for volcanic hazards. This review aimed to determine whether people living in these volcanic areas have higher risk of cancer and more attention should be given to this danger. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted of PUBMED, Science Direct, SCOPUS, Proquest, and Google Scholar, and from citation searching. We assessed the quality of the studies and extracted the incidence rate of cancer in the volcanic areas compared to non-volcanic areas. Results: The search identified 360 articles, with 11 studies meeting our selection criteria. The results reported the incidence of cancer in children was predominantly in volcanic areas with girls suffering as much as 1.4 per 100,000 per year. The highest cancer age standardized incidence rates for females, males, and overall calculation in volcanic areas were reported as 31.7/100,000/year in Catania, 10.34/100,000/year in Furnas, and 38.3/100,000/year in Catania-Messina-Enna for thyroid cancer. We observed the increasing incidence of carcinoma for some types of cancer in volcanic areas. Conclusion: Cancer incidence in volcanic areas was higher than non-volcanic areas and it is caused by multifactorial conditions. The concentrations of hazardous elements of volcanic products vary among volcanoes and are related to the harmful risk for the inhabitants. The negative effects of volcanic products to human health should be given more consideration.
Relationship between iron metabolism and gestational diabetes mellitus: A systemic review and meta analysis.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the relationship between serum iron metabolism indexes and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) using a meta-analysis. METHODS AND STUDY DESIGN Databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched. Prospective cohort or case-control studies evaluating the relationships between serum iron metabolism indexes and GDM were retrieved from these data-bases. The outcome indicators, such as mean ± standard deviation, relative risk (RR), or odds ratio (OR) were extracted. The RR or OR, standard mean difference (SMD), and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to calculate the combined effect sizes. RESULTS A total of 32 studies on the relationships between serum iron metabolic indexes and GDM were included. The serum iron [SMD=0.40 mg/dL, 95% CI (0.16, 0.64), p=0.001], ferritin [SMD=0.58 ng/mL, 95% CI (0.35, 0.81), p˂0.001], hemoglobin [SMD=0.48 g/dL, 95% CI (0.28, 0.67), p˂0.001], transferrin saturation [SMD=0.83%, 95% CI (0.15, 1.52), p=0.000], and hepcidin [SMD=0.63 ng/mL, 95% CI (0.09, 1.18), p=0.023] levels were higher in the GDM group than in the non-GDM group, whereas total iron binding ability [SMD = -0.53 μg/dL, 95% CI (-1.05, -0.02), p=0.001] was lower in the GDM group than in the non-GDM group. High serum ferritin [OR=1.92, 95% CI (1.59, 2.32), p˂0.001] and hemoglobin levels [OR=1.30, 95% CI (1.04,1.63), p=0.023] were associated with GDM risk. CONCLUSIONS Serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, hepcidin, and hemoglobin levels were higher and total iron binding ability was lower in GDM patients than in those without GDM. High serum ferritin and hemoglobin levels were associated with GDM risk.