Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The causal association between maternal depression, anxiety and infection in pregnancy and neurodevelopmental disorders among 410,461 children- a population study using quasi- negative control cohorts and sibling analysis.

Background To address if the long-standing association between maternal infection, depression/anxiety in pregnancy and offspring neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) is causal we conducted two negative-control studies. Methods Four primary care cohorts of UK children (pregnancy, 1 and 2 years prior to pregnancy and siblings) born between 1st January 1990 to 31st December 2017 were constructed. NDD included autism/autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. Maternal exposures included depression/anxiety and/or infection. Maternal (age, smoking status, comorbidities, BMI (Body Mass Index), NDD); child (gender, ethnicity, birth year); and area-level (region and level of deprivation) confounders were captured. The NDD incidence rate among 1) children exposed during or outside of pregnancy and 2) siblings discordant for exposure in pregnancy was compared using Cox-regression models, unadjusted and adjusted for confounders. Results The analysis included 410,461 children of 297,426 mothers and 2,793,018 person-years of follow-up with 8900 NDD cases (incidence rate=3.2 per 1000 person years). After adjustments, depression and anxiety consistently associated with NDD (pregnancy adjusted HR=1.58, 95%CI 1.46-1.72; 1-year adj.HR=1.49, 95%CI 1.39-1.60; 2-year adj.HR=1.62, 95%CI 1.50-1.74); and to a lesser extent, of infection (pregnancy adj. HR=1.16, 95%CI 1.10-1.22; 1-year adj.HR=1.20, 95%CI 1.14-1.27; 2-year adj.HR=1.19 95%CI 1.12-1.25). NDD risk did not differ among siblings discordant for pregnancy exposure to mental illness HR=0.97, 95%CI 0.77-1.21 or infection HR=0.99, 95%CI 0.90-1.08. Conclusions Triangulation of results from two negative control studies provided no evidence of a specific, and therefore causal, link between in-utero exposure to infection, common mental illness, and later development of NDD.
Defining the Subtypes of Long COVID and Risk Factors for Prolonged Disease

Objective- To empirically derive a long COVID case definition consisting of significantly increased signs, symptoms, and diagnoses to support clinical, public health, research, and policy initiatives related to the pandemic. Design- Case-Crossover Population-based study Setting- Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States between January 1 2020 and August 18 2022. Participants- 367148 individuals with positive COVID-19 tests and preexisting ICD-10-CM codes recorded in the VA electronic health record were enrolled. Trigger- SARS-CoV2 infection documented by positive laboratory test. Case Window- One to seven months following positive COVID testing. Main Outcomes and Measures- We defined signs, symptoms, and diagnoses as being associated with long COVID if they had a novel case frequency of at least 1 to 1000 and they were significantly increased in our entire cohort after a positive COVID test when compared to case frequencies before COVID testing. We present odds ratios with confidence intervals for long COVID signs, symptoms, and diagnoses, organized by ICD10-CM functional groups and medical specialty. We used our definition to assess long COVID risk based upon a patients' demographics, Elixhauser score, vaccination status, and COVID disease severity. Results- We developed a long COVID definition consisting of 323 ICD-10-CM diagnosis codes grouped into 143 ICD-10-CM functional groups that were significantly increased in our 367148 patient post-COVID population. In our long COVID definition at a proportion of at least 59.7 percent (based on all COVID positive patients). Patients with more severe cases of COVID-19 and multiple comorbidities were more likely to develop long COVID. Conclusions and Relevance- An actionable, empirical definition for long COVID can help clinicians screen for and diagnose long COVID, allowing identified patients to be admitted into appropriate monitoring and treatment programs. An actionable long COVID definition can also support public health, research and policy initiatives. COVID patients with low oxygen saturation levels or multiple co-comorbidities should be preferentially watched for the development of long COVID.
Trends in occupational respiratory conditions with short latency from 1999 to 2019 in the UK - evidence from the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) reporting scheme

Background Occupational short-latency respiratory disease (SLRD; predominantly asthma, rhinitis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and occupational infections) prevalence is difficult to determine but certain occupations may be associated with increased susceptibility. Aims This study aimed to examine which occupations and industries are currently at high risk for SLRD and determine their respective suspected causal agents based on cases reported by physicians to the Surveillance of Work-related and Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD) scheme in the UK. Methods SLRD cases reported to the SWORD scheme between 1999 and 2019 were analysed to determine directly standardised rate ratios (SRR) by occupation against the average rate for all other occupations combined. Results Bakers and flour confectioners showed significantly raised SRR for occupational rhinitis (234.4 [95% CI, 200.5 - 274.0]) and asthma (59.9 [95% CI, 51.6 - 69.5]). Chemical and related process operatives also presented raised SRR values for these two conditions, with SRR of 29.5 [95% CI, 24.3 - 35.7] and 21.0 [95% CI, 16.9 - 26.1] for rhinitis and asthma, respectively. SRR were also significantly raised for vehicle spray painters when considering occupational asthma (63.5 [95% CI, 51.5 - 78.3]) alone, and laboratory technicians were also amongst the top three increased SRR for rhinitis (18.7 [95% CI, 15.1 - 23.1]). The suspected agents most frequently associated with these occupations and conditions were flour, isocyanates, and laboratory animals and insects. Metal machining setters and setter-operators showed increased SRR for occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis (42.0 [95% CI, 29.3 - 60.3]), largely due to cutting/soluble oils. The occupation mostly affected by infectious disease was welding trades (12.9 [95% CI, 5.7 - 29.3]) and the suspected causal agent predominantly reported for this condition was pathogens and microorganisms, with a predominance of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Conclusions This study identified the occupational groups at increased risk of developing a SLRD based on data recorded over a recent two-decade period in the UK. Asthma and rhinitis were identified as the prevailing conditions and hypersensitivity pneumonitis as a potentially rising respiratory problem in the metalworking industry.
Deep Learning-assisted Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) Screening

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is a leading cause of blindness in premature infants worldwide, particularly in developing countries. In this research, we propose a Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) and image processing-based approach for the automatic detection of retinal features, including the optical disc (OD) and retinal blood vessels (BV), as well as disease classification using a rule-based method for ROP patients. Our DCNN model uses YOLO-v5 for OD detection and either Pix2Pix or a U-Net for BV segmentation. We trained our DCNN models on publicly available fundus image datasets of size 1,117 and 288 for OD detection and BV segmentation, respectively. We evaluated our approach on a dataset of 439 preterm neonatal retinal images, testing for ROP Zone and 6 BV masks. Our proposed system achieved excellent results, with the OD detection module achieving an overall accuracy of 98.94% (when IoU 0.5) and the BV segmentation module achieving an accuracy of 96.69% and a Dice coefficient between 0.60 and 0.64. Moreover, our system accurately diagnosed ROP in Zone-1 with 88.23% accuracy. Our approach offers a promising solution for accurate ROP screening and diagnosis, particularly in low-resource settings, where it has the potential to improve healthcare outcomes.
Solubility-consistent force field simulations for aqueous metal carbonate systems using graphical processing units

Crystallization of alkaline earth metal carbonates from water is important for biomineralization and environmental geochemistry. Here, large-scale computer simulations are a useful approach to complement experimental studies by providing atomistic insights and even by quantitatively determining the thermodynamics of individual steps. However, this is dependent on the existence of force field models that are sufficiently accurate while being computationally efficient enough to sample complex systems. Here, we introduce a revised force field for aqueous alkaline earth metal carbonates that reproduces both the solubilities of the crystalline anhydrous minerals, as well as the hydration free energies of the ions. The model is also designed to run efficiently on graphical processing units thereby reducing the cost of such simulations. The performance of the revised force field is compared against previous results for important properties relevant to crystallization, including ion-pairing and mineral–water interfacial structure and dynamics. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Supercomputing simulations of advanced materials’.
Rate, risk factors and estimations of time to develop severe acute malnutrition after children receiving antiretroviral therapy at selected health facilities in northwest Ethiopia

Abstract Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) affects up to 50 % of children with HIV, especially those who reside in resource-constrained healthcare setting like Ethiopia. During subsequent follow-up of children factors related to incidence of SAM after antiretroviral therapy (ART) is set on, however, there is no prior evidence. An institution-based retrospective cohort study was employed among 721 HIV-positive children from 1 January to 30 December 2021. Data were entered using Epi-Data version 3.1 and exported to STATA version 14 for analysis. Bi-variable and multivariable Cox-proportional hazard models were employed at 95 % confidence intervals to identify significant predictors for SAM. According to this result, the overall mean (±sd) age of the participants was found to be 9⋅83 (±3⋅3) years. At the end of the follow-up period, 103 (14⋅29 %) children developed SAM with a median time of 30⋅3 (13⋅4) months after ART initiation. The overall incidence density of SAM was found to be 5⋅64 per 100 child (95 % CI 4⋅68, 6⋅94). Children with CD4 counts below the threshold [AHR 2⋅6 (95 % CI 1⋅2, 2⋅9, P = 0⋅01)], disclosed HIV status [AHR 1⋅9 (95 % CI 1⋅4, 3⋅39, P = 0⋅03)] and Hgb level ≤10 mg/dl [AHR 1⋅8 (95 % CI 1⋅2, 2⋅9, P = 0⋅03)] were significant predictors for SAM. Significant predictors of acute malnutrition were having a CD4 count below the threshold, children who had previously reported their HIV status, and having haemoglobin <10 mg/dl. To ensure better health outcomes, healthcare practitioners should improve earlier nutritional screening and consistent counselling at each session of care.
Wave effects on the hydroelastic response of a surface-piercing hydrofoil. Part 1. Fully wetted and ventilated flows

Abstract This work describes the effects of waves on the hydroelastic response of a hydrofoil in fully wetted and ventilated flows. In the absence of vaporous cavitation (described in Part 2 of this paper series), shallow long-period non-breaking waves delayed ventilation inception because velocity fluctuations prevent the formation of a stably separated region of flow at the foil's leading edge. Aerated von Kármán vortex shedding occurred from the blunt trailing edge, producing vortex-induced vibration of the hydrofoil at a near-constant Strouhal number. Regular waves led to near sinusoidal oscillations of the load and deformations at the wave encounter frequency, while the mean response and the dynamic response at other frequency peaks corresponding to hydrodynamic and structural modes remained mostly unaffected. Significant dynamic load amplification was observed at a submerged aspect ratio of 2 for cases with low angles of attack because of coalescence between the second and third wetted structural modes; at high angles of attack, the amplitude of the load fluctuations and flow-induced vibrations reduced because energy was diverted away from the coalescence frequencies to the nearby vortex shedding frequency. In both calm water and wave conditions, transition from fully wetted to fully ventilated flow resulted in sudden and significant reduction in the load coefficients, as well as foil deflections. An impulse-like signature was observed in the time-frequency spectra during these transitions. In many of the cases, transition to fully ventilated flow also led to substantially reduced amplitudes in the load and deformation fluctuations.
How to Scan DNA using Promiscuous Recognition and No Sliding Clamp: A Model for Pioneer Transcription Factors

DNA scanning proteins slide on the DNA assisted by a clamping interface and uniquely recognize their cognate sequence motif. The transcription factors that control cell fate in eukaryotes must forgo these elements to gain access to both naked DNA and chromatin, so whether or how they scan DNA is unknown. Here we use single-molecule techniques to investigate DNA scanning by the Engrailed homeodomain (enHD) as paradigm of promiscuous recognition and open DNA interaction. We find that enHD scans DNA as fast and extensively as conventional scanners and 10,000,000 fold faster than expected for a continuous promiscuous slide. Our results indicate that such supercharged scanning involves stochastic alternants between local sequence sweeps of ∼85 bp and very rapid deployments to locations ∼500 bp afar. The scanning mechanism of enHD reveals a strategy perfectly suited for the highly complex environments of eukaryotic cells that might be generally used by pioneer transcription factors. Teaser Eukaryotic transcription factors can efficiently scan DNA using a rather special mechanism based on promiscuous recognition.
Gender Differences and the Impact of Partnership and Children on Quality of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic and its protective measures have changed the daily lives of families and may have affected quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to analyze gender differences in QoL and to examine individuals living in different partnership and family constellations. Methods: Data from the Gutenberg COVID-19 cohort study (N = 10,250) with two measurement time points during the pandemic (2020 and 2021) were used. QoL was assessed using the EUROHIS-QOL questionnaire. Descriptive analyses and autoregressive regressions were performed. Results: Women reported lower QoL than men, and QoL was significantly lower at the second measurement time point in both men and women. Older age, male gender, no migration background, and higher socioeconomic status, as well as partnership and children (especially in men), were protective factors for QoL. Women living with children under 14 and single mothers reported significantly lower QoL. Conclusion: Partnership and family were protective factors for QoL. However, women with young children and single mothers are vulnerable groups for lower QoL. Support is especially needed for women with young children.
Exercise-induced angiogenesis is attenuated by captopril but maintained under perindopril treatment in hypertensive rats

Angiogenesis is an important exercise-induced response to improve blood flow and decrease vascular resistance in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), but some antihypertensive drugs attenuate this effect. This study compared the effects of captopril and perindopril on exercise-induced cardiac and skeletal muscle angiogenesis. Forty-eight Wistar rats and 48 SHR underwent 60 days of aerobic training or were kept sedentary. During the last 45 days, rats were treated with captopril, perindopril or water (Control). Blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken and histological samples from the tibialis anterior (TA) and left ventricle (LV) muscles were analyzed for capillary density (CD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), VEGF receptor-2 (VEGFR-2) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) protein level. Exercise increased vessel density in Wistar rats due to higher VEGFR-2 (+17%) and eNOS (+31%) protein level. Captopril and perindopril attenuated exercise-induced angiogenesis in Wistar rats, but the attenuation was small in the perindopril group, and this response was mediated by higher eNOS levels in the Per group compared to the Cap group. Exercise increased myocardial CD in Wistar rats in all groups and treatment did not attenuate it. Both exercise and pharmacological treatment reduced BP of SHR similarly. Rarefaction was found in TA of SHR compared to Wistar, due to lower levels of VEGF (−26%) and eNOS (−27%) and treatment did not avoid this response. Exercise prevented these reductions in control SHR. While rats treated with perindopril showed angiogenesis in the TA muscle after training, those rats treated with captopril showed attenuated angiogenesis (−18%). This response was also mediated by lower eNOS levels in Cap group compared with Per and control group. Myocardial CD was reduced in all sedentary hypertensive compared with Wistar and training restored the number of vessels compared with sedentary SHR. In conclusion, taken into account only the aspect of vessel growth, since both pharmacological treatments reduced BP in SHR, the result of the present study suggests that perindopril could be a drug of choice over captopril for hypertensive practitioners of aerobic physical exercises, especially considering that it does not attenuate angiogenesis induced by aerobic physical training in skeletal and cardiac muscles.
Application of infraorbital rim augmentation with pocket fat filling to correct tear trough deformity

Background Tear trough deformity is one of the most common complaints in clinical settings. The correction of this groove is challenging in facial rejuvenation. The lower eyelid blepharoplasty varies with different conditions. A novel approach of using orbital fat in the lower eyelid to increase the volume of the infraorbital rim with granule fat injection has been applied in our institution for more than 5 years. Objectives This article aims to describe the detailed steps of our technique and verify its effectiveness by a cadaveric head dissection after surgical simulation. Methods In this study, a total of 172 patients with tear trough deformity underwent lower eyelid orbital rim augmentation with fat filling in the sub-periosteum pocket. According to Barton's grades, 152 patients underwent lower eyelid orbital rim augmentation with orbital fat filling, 12 patients had it combined with autologous granule fat from other body parts, and 8 patients received only transconjunctival fat removal to correct tear trough. Results The modified Goldberg score system was used to compare preoperative and postoperative photographs. Patients were satisfied with the cosmetic results. Excessive protruding fat was released, and the tear trough groove was flattened by using autologous orbital fat transplantation. The lower eyelid sulcus deformities were well-corrected. To further illustrate the anatomical structure of the lower eyelid area and injection layers, six cadaveric heads were used for surgical simulation and demonstrated the effectiveness of our technique. Conclusions This study indicated that the infraorbital rim could be increased by transplanting orbital fat to the pocket, which was dissected under the periosteum, and the procedure has been verified as reliable and effective. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) level Level II.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Towards Dengue Fever Among Slum Dwellers: A Case Study in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Objectives: This study intends to evaluate Dhaka city slum dwellers’ responses to Dengue fever (DF). Methods: 745 individuals participated in a KAP survey that was pre-tested. Face-to-face interviews were performed to obtain data. Python with RStudio was used for data management and analysis. The multiple regression models were applied when applicable. Results: 50% of respondents were aware of the deadly effects of DF, its common symptoms, and its infectious nature. However, many were unaware that DF could be asymptomatic, a previously infected person could have DF again, and the virus could be passed to a fetus. Individuals agreed that their families, communities, and authorities should monitor and maintain their environment to prevent Aedes mosquito breeding. However, overall 60% of the study group had inadequate preventative measures. Many participants lacked necessary practices such as taking additional measures (cleaning and covering the water storage) and monitoring potential breeding places. Education and types of media for DF information were shown to promote DF prevention practices. Conclusion: Slum dwellers lack awareness and preventative activities that put them at risk for DF. Authorities must improve dengue surveillance. The findings suggest efficient knowledge distribution, community stimulation, and ongoing monitoring of preventative efforts to reduce DF. A multidisciplinary approach is needed to alter dwellers’ behavior since DF control can be done by raising the population’s level of life. People and communities must perform competently to eliminate vector breeding sites.
Characteristics of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Riyadh province, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study

Introduction Little work has been done on out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) in Saudi Arabia. Our goal is to report the characteristics of OHCA patients and predictors of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Materials and methods This cross-sectional study utilized data from the Saudi Red Crescent Authority (SRCA), a governmental emergency medical service (EMS). A standardized data collection form based on the “Utstein-style” guidelines was developed. Data were retrieved from the electronic patient care reports that SRCA providers fill out for every case. OHCA cases that were attended by SRCA in Riyadh province between June 1st, 2020 and May 31st, 2021 were included. Multivariate regression analysis was performed to assess independent predictors of bystander CPR. Results A total of 1,023 OHCA cases were included. The mean age was 57.2 (±22.6). 95.7% (979/1,023) of cases were adults and 65.2% (667/1,023) were males. Home was the most common location of OHCA [784/1,011 (77.5%)]. The initial recorded rhythm was shockable in 131/742 (17.7%). The EMS mean response time was 15.9 min (±11.1). Bystander CPR was performed in 130/1,023 (12.7%) and was more commonly performed in children as compared to adults [12/44 (27.3%) vs. 118/979 (12.1%), p = 0.003]. Independent predictors of bystander CPR were being a child (OR = 3.26, 95% CI [1.21–8.82], p = 0.02) and having OHCA in a healthcare institution (OR = 6.35, 95% CI [2.15–18.72], p = 0.001). Conclusion Our study reported the characteristics of OHCA cases in Saudi Arabia using EMS data. We observed young age at presentation, low rates of bystander CPR, and long response time. These characteristics are distinctly different from other countries and call for urgent attention to OHCA care in Saudi Arabia. Lastly, being a child and having OHCA in a healthcare institution were found to be independent predictors of bystander CPR.