Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak — Democratic Republic of the Congo, August 2018–November 2019

On August 1, 2018, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Ministry of Health (DRC MoH) declared the tenth outbreak of Ebola virus disease (Ebola) in DRC, in the North Kivu province in eastern DRC on the border with Uganda, 8 days after another Ebola outbreak was declared over in northwest Équateur province. During mid- to late-July 2018, a cluster of 26 cases of acute hemorrhagic fever, including 20 deaths, was reported in North Kivu province. * Blood specimens from six patients hospitalized in the Mabalako health zone and sent to the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (National Biomedical Research Institute) in Kinshasa tested positive for Ebola virus. Genetic sequencing confirmed that the outbreaks in North Kivu and Équateur provinces were unrelated. From North Kivu province, the outbreak spread north to Ituri province, and south to South Kivu province (1). On July 17, 2019, the World Health Organization designated the North Kivu and Ituri outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, based on the geographic spread of the disease to Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, and to Uganda and the challenges to implementing prevention and control measures specific to this region (2). This report describes the outbreak in the North Kivu and Ituri provinces. As of November 17, 2019, a total of 3,296 Ebola cases and 2,196 (67%) deaths were reported, making this the second largest documented outbreak after the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which resulted in 28,600 cases and 11,325 deaths. † Since August 2018, DRC MoH has been collaborating with partners, including the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization of Migration, The Alliance for International Medical Action (ALIMA), Médecins Sans Frontières, DRC Red Cross National Society, and CDC, to control the outbreak. Enhanced communication and effective community engagement, timing of interventions during periods of relative stability, and intensive training of local residents to manage response activities with periodic supervision by national and international personnel are needed to end the outbreak.
Radiation biology of a serious tropical pigeon pea pest, Maruca vitrata (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) and potential of radiation mediated ‘inherited (F1) sterility technique’ for the pest suppression

Abstract Purpose: The impact of gamma radiation on the reproductive biology of the spotted pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Fabr.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) was ascertained to explore the potential of the radio-genetic ‘Inherited (F1) Sterility’ technique (modified Sterile Insect technique) to control this serious pigeonpea pest in India. Materials and methods: Radio-biological investigations involved dose–response studies, at a range of 100–250 Gy, with respect to radiation induced adverse effects on reproductive behavior in substerilized parent (P1) moths, inheritance of sterility and associated metamorphic disruption in F1 progeny. The reproductive competence of P1 male moths and their F1 progeny was evaluated by ascertaining the survival, mating success, sperm transfer and amphimixis of gametes from irradiated male parents and their F1 progeny. Daily ovipositional and egg fertility profile were evaluated as crucial parameters for simulation modeling for this radio-genetic technique. Results: Radiation-induced check in insemination rate and sterility in P1 and F1 generation had a positive correlation with gamma dose. The metamorphic adverse effects in F1 progeny of substerilized P1 males were influenced by P1 irradiation. A higher dose of 200 Gy that resulted in 21.1% fertility in parent cross (P1♂x N♀) could form only 14.4% F1 adults that were all malformed. A gamma dose of 150 Gy (administered to P1 males) could be considered as a suitable dose for F1 sterility, that induced 57.4% control of reproduction in parent generation, followed by 72–85% control of reproduction in F1 progeny involved in three crosses -F1♂xN♀, N♂xF1♀, F1♂xF1♀. Daily fertility profile of the eggs laid indicated a marked reduction on 4th day onwards during the ovipositional span in P1 and F1 generation. High degree of mating competitiveness value (CV) was noticed for 150 Gy irradiated male P1 moths (0.78–0.93), and their F1 male progeny (0.70–0.89), released in different sex ratios in the field cages having untreated moths. Reduced relative damage to the pigeon pea plants by the released F1 progeny in the field cages was observed in comparison to control. Conclusion: The present study indicated the potential use of a dose of 150 Gy to apply the ‘F1 sterility’ technique for parabiological suppression of the pigeon pea pod borer. The present findings and reproductive performance of the irradiated moths in F2 generation along with other compatible biorational pest control tactics (that are in progress), might help in formulating an effective integrated pest management module, including the F1 sterility technique as an integral component.
The effects of isolated soy protein, isolated soy isoflavones and soy protein containing isoflavones on serum lipids in postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background: Many randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have assessed the effects of soy products on serum lipids. However, the responsible soy components and the magnitude of effects in healthy or hypercholesterolemic postmenopausal women are unclear. This review assessed the quality of these RCTs and estimated the effects of isolated soy protein, isolated soy isoflavones and soy protein containing isoflavones on total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, triglycerides (TG), Apolipoprotein (Apo) A-1 and Apo B among postmenopausal women. Design: Forty-six eligible randomized controlled trials published up to 20 May 2019 were identified from the PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases. Weighted mean effect sizes were calculated for net changes in serum lipid concentrations by using random-effect models. Specific subgroup analyses were performed to identify the effect of covariates on serum lipid changes. Results: Soy consumption was associated with significant decrease in TG (mean differences (MD): −5.04 mg/dl; 95% CI: −9.95, −0.13; P = 0.044), TC (MD: −3.02 mg/dl; 95% CI: −5.56, −0.47; P = 0.02), LDL-C (MD: −3.27 mg/dl; 95% CI: −6.01, −0.53; P = 0.019) and HDL-C (MD: −2.28 mg/dl; 95% CI: −4.27, −0.29; P = 0.025). The reduction in LDL-C, TG and HDL were larger in subjects consuming isolated soy protein than isolated soy isoflavones. There was a significant decrease in serum TG and HDL levels with dosages of >25 grams per day soy protein rather than lower dosages of soy protein. The reductions in Apo A-1 were significantly larger in hypercholesterolemic subjects than in healthy subjects. Conclusions: Isolated soy protein significantly reduced serum TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and Apo-B levels in postmenopausal women. Isolated soy isoflavones had a significant lowering effect on serum TC and Apo B levels. Soy protein containing isoflavones significantly reduced TG, TC, LDL-C and Apo B levels. Therefore, hyperlipidemia risk reduction with soy products is not uniform and strongly depends on the protein and isoflavone content of soy products, duration and dosage of consumption.
Somatic mutations and T-cell clonality in patients with immunodeficiency

Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) and other late-onset immunodeficiencies often co-manifest with autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation. The pathogenesis of most cases is elusive, as only a minor subset harbors known monogenic germline causes. The involvement of both B and T cells is, however, implicated. To study whether somatic mutations in CD4+ and CD8+ T cells associate with immunodeficiency, we recruited 17 patients and 21 healthy controls. Eight patients had late-onset CVID and nine patients other immunodeficiency and/or severe autoimmunity. In total, autoimmunity occurred in 94% and lymphoproliferation in 65%. We performed deep sequencing of 2,533 immune-associated genes from CD4+ and CD8+ cells. Deep T-cell receptor -sequencing was used to characterize CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell receptor repertoires. The prevalence of somatic mutations was 65% in all immunodeficiency patients, 75% in CVID, and 48% in controls. Clonal hematopoiesis-associated variants in both CD4+and CD8+ cells occurred in 24% of immunodeficiency patients. Results demonstrated mutations in known tumor suppressors, oncogenes, and genes that are critical for immune- and proliferative functions, such as STAT5B (2 patients), C5AR1 (2 patients), KRAS (one patient), and NOD2 (one patient). Additionally, as a marker of T-cell receptor repertoire perturbation, CVID patients harbored increased frequencies of clones with identical complementarity determining region 3 sequences despite unique nucleotide sequences when compared to controls. In conclusion, somatic mutations in genes implicated for autoimmunity and lymphoproliferation are common in CD4+ and CD8+ cells of patients with immunodeficiency. They may contribute to immune dysregulation in a subset of immunodeficiency patients.
Depression, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders and Treatment Receipt Among Pregnant Women in the United States: A Systematic Review of Trend and Population-Based Studies

Abstract The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize findings of trend and population-based studies on depression, anxiety, and substance use disorders and treatment receipt among pregnant women in the United States. Twenty-eight articles (nine trend studies and 19 population-based studies) were included for review. Two trend studies showed that illicit drug use disorder increased in pregnant women over the past decade, particularly opioid and marijuana use disorders. Three studies reported an increase in treatment admissions for these disorders from 1992 to 2012; however, the overall treatment admission rate for pregnant women remained relatively stable at 4%. Three studies identified an increase in antidepressant use from 1995 to 2010 in pregnant women. Nine of 19 population-based studies revealed that White ethnicity, older reproductive age, college education, and health insurance coverage were associated with mental health and substance use treatment receipt among pregnant women. Further studies are warranted among a nationally representative sample of pregnant women.
Drug Use among Female Arrestees: Onset, Patterns, and Relationships to Prostitution

This study presents extensive life history information for a sample of 164 female arrestees in Manhattan who were interviewed and provided anonymous and voluntary urine specimens in 1984–85. It provides a unique opportunity to explore drug use and crime relationships in a sample that is similar to offenders currently being studied as part of the national Drug Use Forecasting (DUF) program. Over one-half of the females tested positive for a drug at arrest by urinalysis. Sixty percent tested positive for cocaine and twenty-seven percent for opiates. The female arrestees tended to be high school dropouts and to have come from broken homes. The majority were unmarried and had one or more children living with them. Approximately one-half of the arrestees had a history of prostitution, and these persons were more likely to be currently dependent on heroin or cocaine. Analyses examine personal backgrounds of the females, their pattern of onset of drug use, and the temporal sequence of drug use and prostitution.
Prenatal sonographic diagnosis of Dandy‐Walker malformation and type III lissencephaly: A novel association

Dandy‐Walker malformation (DWM) may occur as part of Mendelian disorders such as Walker–Warburg and Meckel–Gruber syndromes. We report a novel association with type III lissencephaly in a 22‐week male fetus. Ultrasound showed fetal akinesia deformation sequence, single umbilical artery, microlissencephaly, hydranencephaly with cerebral lamination, DWM, and pontocerebellar hypoplasia. These abnormalities were confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and autopsy, which also revealed pulmonary and adrenal hypoplasia, common mesentery and bilateral uretero‐pyelo‐calyceal dilatation. Neuropathological examination showed brain calcifications and diffuse neuronal degeneration. We conclude that DWM may be a feature of type III lissencephaly and that this association can be easily diagnosed by ultrasound.
Vitamin D deficiency at the time of delivery – Prevalence and risk of postpartum infections

Background Postpartum infections are a common cause of morbidity after childbirth. Vitamin D deficiency has been shown to increase the risk for several infections in a non-pregnant population. Vitamin D deficiency has been described as common in pregnant women. Objective To investigate whether vitamin D deficiency in pregnant women in labor was associated with an increased risk of overall postpartum infectious morbidity within eight weeks of delivery. A secondary aim was to estimate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among pregnant women in Linköping, Sweden at the time of delivery. Material and methods Serum vitamin D levels in labor were analyzed for 1397 women. Vitamin D deficiency was defined as serum levels <50 nmol/L. All ICD-10 codes given to the women eight weeks postpartum were reviewed and postpartum infections were defined as the presence of an ICD-10 code suggestive of infection. The prevalence of postpartum infections among women with sufficient vitamin D levels was compared with women with vitamin D deficiency. Adjusted Odds Ratios and 95% confidence intervals for postpartum infections were calculated using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Fifty eight per cent of the women had serum vitamin D levels <50 nmol/L. The proportion of women with vitamin D deficiency varied, as expected, with season. No association between vitamin D deficiency and postpartum infections was found. For vitamin D 25–50 nmol/L the adjusted Odds Ratio was 0.85 (95% confidence interval 0.56–1.29) and for vitamin D <25 nmol/L the adjusted Odds Ratio was 1.15 (95% confidence interval 0.66–2.03). Women who smoked or who had a cesarean section had an increased risk of postpartum infections. Conclusions Vitamin D deficiency was more common than previously reported in Swedish pregnant women. No association between vitamin D deficiency and postpartum infections was found. Other well-known risk factors for postpartum infection were identified.
Contralateral delay activity is not a robust marker of cognitive function in older adults at risk of mild cognitive impairment

Contralateral delay activity (CDA) has been proposed as a pre‐clinical neural marker for mild cognitive impairment (MCI). However, existing evidence is limited to one study with a small sample size (n = 24). Our aim was to extend previous work by investigating the relationship between the CDA and MCI risk in a large sample of older adults (n = 76). We used a regression approach to determine whether (and when) CDA amplitude predicted MCI risk, as indexed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). CDA amplitude from ~300‐500 and ~800‐900 ms predicted MoCA performance. However, significant effects were only observed for specific electrodes (P5/P6 and CP3/CP4, but not PO7/PO8) and the nature of the relationship between the CDA and MoCA scores differed across time and according to set size. Bayesian regression analysis indicated partial evidence in favour of the null hypothesis (BF10 values = 4–1.18). Contrary to previous results, our findings suggest that the CDA may not a robust marker of MCI risk. More broadly, our results highlight the difficulty in identifying at‐risk individuals, particularly as MCI is a heterogeneous, unstable condition. Future research should prioritise longitudinal approaches in order to track the progression of the CDA and its association with cognitive decline in later life.
A Physiological Marker of Recognition Memory in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder? ‐ The Pupil Old/New Effect

This study investigated the pupil Old/New effect in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and typical development (TD). Participants studied verbal and visual meaningful and meaningless materials in black and white on a computer screen. Pupil sizes were measured while participants performed a Remember (episodic memory with context)/Know (semantic memory, no context) recognition memory test. ASD compared to TD individuals showed significantly reduced recognition rates for all materials. Both groups showed better memory for visual compared to verbal (picture superiority effect) and meaningful compared to meaningless materials. A pupil size ratio (pupil size for test item divided by baseline) for old (studied) and new (unstudied) materials indicated larger pupils for old compared to new materials only for the TD but not the ASD group. Pupil size in response to old versus new items was positively related to recognition accuracy, confirming that the pupil Old/New effect reflects a memory phenomenon in the ASD group. In addition, this study suggests an involvement of the noradrenergic neurotransmitter system in the abnormal hippocampal functioning in ASD. Implications of these findings, as well as their underlying neurophysiology, will be discussed in relation to current theories of memory in ASD. Autism Res 2020, 13: 627–640. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cardiorespiratory Responses to Endurance Exercise Over the Menstrual Cycle and With Oral Contraceptive Use

Abstract Barba-Moreno, L, Cupeiro, R, Romero-Parra, N, Janse de Jonge, XA, and Peinado, AB. Cardiorespiratory Responses to Endurance Exercise Over the Menstrual Cycle and With Oral Contraceptive Use. J Strength Cond Res 36(2): 392–399, 2022—Female steroid hormone fluctuations during the menstrual cycle and exogenous hormones from oral contraceptives may have potential effects on exercise performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of these fluctuations on cardiorespiratory responses during steady-state exercise in women. Twenty-three healthy endurance-trained women performed 40 minutes of running at 75% of their maximal aerobic speed during different phases of the menstrual cycle (n = 15; early follicular phase, midfollicular phase, and luteal phase) or oral contraceptive cycle (n = 8; hormonal phase and nonhormonal phase). Ventilatory parameters and heart rate (HR) were measured. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model. For the eumenorrheic group, significantly higher oxygen uptake (p = 0.049) and percentage of maximum oxygen uptake (p = 0.035) were observed during the midfollicular phase compared with the early follicular. Heart rate (p = 0.004), oxygen ventilatory equivalent (p = 0.042), carbon dioxide ventilatory equivalent (p = 0.017), and tidal volume (p = 0.024) increased during luteal phase in comparison with midfollicular. In oral contraceptive users, ventilation (p = 0.030), breathing frequency (p = 0.018), oxygen ventilatory equivalent (p = 0.032), and carbon dioxide ventilatory equivalent (p = 0.001) increased during the hormonal phase. No significant differences were found for the rest of the parameters or phases. Both the eumenorrheic group and oral contraceptive group showed a significant increase in some ventilatory parameters during luteal and hormonal phases, respectively, suggesting lower cardiorespiratory efficiency. However, the lack of clinical meaningfulness of these differences and the nondifferences of other physiological variables, indicate that the menstrual cycle had a small impact on submaximal exercise in the current study.
NDT_A_221690 3103..3113

Davide Palumbo Armida Mucci 1 Giulia Maria Giordano Giuseppe Piegari 1 Carmen Aiello Daria Pietrafesa Nicola Annarumma Marcello Chieffi Matteo Cella Silvana Galderisi 1 1Department of Psychiatry, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples, Italy; 2Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (ioppn), King’s College London, London, UK Introduction: The Computerized Interactive Remediation of Cognition – Training for Schizophrenia (CIRCuiTS) is a form of cognitive remediation therapy developed to target neurocognitive and metacognitive deficits of people with schizophrenia, which have a detrimental impact on real-life functioning. The English version of CIRCuiTS demonstrated good acceptability and feasibility. A recent randomized controlled trial provided evidence that the program improves memory and functioning, and that the impact on functional outcome is mediated by metacognition. The next steps in the development of CIRCuiTS include both: 1) the translation and adaptation of the program in different cultural settings; and 2) the demonstration of feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of a standardized method to administer CIRCuiTS remotely. Purpose: To implement the CIRCuiTS Italian version and to assess acceptability, feasibility and efficacy of a standardized method to administer CIRCuiTS remotely. Methods: Participants were assessed at baseline and received up to 40 CIRCuiTS therapy sessions, three times a week, for about 1 hr over a three-month period. Participants were reassessed posttreatment. Results: The program demonstrated good feasibility and high acceptability when assessed by the number of dropouts and evaluation of patients’ satisfaction. Participants improved in learning, speed of processing, working memory and executive control. They showed a reduction in disorganization and improvement in self-esteem, functional capacity, and real-life functioning. Conclusion: In this study, a standardized protocol for using CIRCuiTS from home was implemented. The first set of data showed in the paper is encouraging. The proposed procedure could lead to a dropout reduction while maintaining the efficacy of the program.
The Base of Trust in Human - Robot Interaction

Trust in Human-Robot Interaction becomes more important as robots are emerging in the domestic environment. This thesis is focused on the influence of a previous encountered robot on how a second robot is perceived and especially how it influences the trustworthiness of the second robot. Both the influence of how well the first robot performs the task and the fluency of movements during the task of the first robot are being examined. Fur this purpose, an experiment showing two movie clips of a robot to the participants is conducted, followed by a questionnaire to obtain the opinion of the participants about the robot shown second. The fluency of movement of the first robot was contrasted in judgement of trustworthiness of the second robot. In other words, if the first robot did not move fluently, the second robot was judged to be more trustworthy than if the first robot moved fluently. Contrary, how well the task is performed by the first robot was unexpectedly assimilated in judgement of trustworthiness of the second robot. Put differently, if the first robot performed badly, the second robot was judged to be less trustworthy than if the first robot performed well.