Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Workforce Diversity in Eating Disorders: A Multi-Methods Study

Despite growing recognition of the importance of workforce diversity in health care, limited research has explored diversity among eating disorder (ED) professionals globally. This multi-methods study examined diversity across demographic and professional variables. Participants were recruited from ED and discipline-specific professional organizations. Participants’ (n = 512) mean age was 41.1 years (SD = 12.5); 89.6% (n=459) of participants identified as women, 84.1% (n = 419) as heterosexual/straight, and 73.0% (n = 365) as White. Mean years working in EDs was 10.7 years (SD = 9.2). Qualitative analysis revealed three themes resulting in a theoretical framework to address barriers to increasing diversity. Perceived barriers were the following: “stigma, bias, stereotypes, myths”; “field of eating disorders pipeline”; and “homogeneity of the existing field. ” Findings suggest limited workforce diversity within and across nations. The theoretical model suggests a need for focused attention to the educational pipeline, workforce homogeneity, and false assumptions about EDs, and it should be tested to evaluate its utility within the EDs field.
Mindfulness‐based stress reduction improves irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms via specific aspects of mindfulness

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common and often debilitating chronic gastrointestinal disorder characterized by abdominal pain and altered bowel habits. Pharmacological treatments are often ineffective, leading to the development of a variety of behavioral interventions. Mindfulness‐based stress reduction (MBSR) is one such program that has shown efficacy in reducing gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and improving quality of life (QOL). This single‐arm intervention study examines the association of clinical outcomes with changes in specific aspects of mindfulness.
Distinct Contributions of Different Domains within the HIV-1 Gag Polyprotein to Specific and Nonspecific Interactions with RNA

Viral genomic RNA is packaged into virions with high specificity and selectivity. However, in vitro the Gag specificity towards viral RNA is obscured when measured in buffers containing physiological salt. Interestingly, when the binding is challenged by increased salt concentration, the addition of competing RNAs, or introducing mutations to Gag protein, the specificity towards viral RNA becomes detectable. The objective of this work was to examine the contributions of the individual HIV-1 Gag polyprotein domains to nonspecific and specific RNA binding and stability of the initial protein-RNA complexes. Using a panel of Gag proteins with mutations disabling different Gag-Gag or Gag-RNA interfaces, we investigated the distinct contributions of individual domains which distinguish the binding to viral and nonviral RNA by measuring the binding of the proteins to RNAs. We measured the binding affinity in near-physiological salt concentration, and then challenged the binding by increasing the ionic strength to suppress the electrostatic interactions and reveal the contribution of specific Gag–RNA and Gag–Gag interactions. Surprisingly, we observed that Gag dimerization and the highly basic region in the matrix domain contribute significantly to the specificity of viral RNA binding.
A comparative study of the variation in coagulation profile between different blood groups in ischemic heart disease patients and normal subjects

Background: A positive association of coagulation factors has been implicated with the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD), and so have the associations of the ABO blood groups. Aims and Objectives: This study was done in IHD patients and normal individuals to assess the variations of coagulation factors among the different ABO blood groups. Materials and Methods: This study included 50 IHD male patients taken as cases and 50 age-matched and sex-matched, apparently healthy males taken as controls. Blood samples were collected from subjects for the analysis of prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and fibrinogen levels and also for the determining the ABO blood group. Results: Majority of the cases belonged to blood group A (36%) while a majority of the controls belonged to blood group O (44%). Among the cases, individuals with blood group A were found to have significantly higher fibrinogen levels, and blood group O individuals had the least fibrinogen levels. Similar pattern was also observed among the controls. The PT and aPTT values were minimum in individuals of blood group A while maximum values were observed in blood group O individuals; both in cases and controls. Conclusion: PT and aPTT indirectly assess the coagulant activity of the different factors of the extrinsic and intrinsic pathways, respectively. Shortened levels of PT and aPTT and higher levels of fibrinogen are seen in blood group A individuals. Thus, it can be said that among the various risks associated with the development of IHD, ABO blood group is also one of them wherein blood group A individuals are more likely to the develop the disease while blood group O confers protection against IHD.
Investigation of children and adolescents’ mood and self-concept after acquired brain injury

ABSTRACT Few studies have examined the self-reported mental health of children with an acquired brain injury (ABI). The current study aimed to: 1) identify levels of child-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and poor self-concept, 2) investigate demographic and injury-related factors associated with children’s mood and self-concept, and 3) examine associations between children’s self-reported mental health and parents’ reports of children’s emotional and behavioral functioning in children specifically with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 122 children (66% male) aged 8–16 years with ABI of mixed etiology were consecutively recruited through an outpatient rehabilitation clinic. Children were administered the Beck Youth Inventories – Second Edition, and parents completed the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Relative to the norms, 16.4% of children scored in the clinical range for the depression and anxiety scales, and 24.6% reported clinically low self-concept. Children with lower functional status had greater anxiety symptoms. Older children (13–16 years) reported significantly higher depressive and anxiety symptoms and lower self-concept than younger children (8–12 years). A significant interaction between age and sex indicated that older girls reported greater depressive and anxiety symptoms than younger girls whereas no age-based differences were found for boys. Parent-reported total emotional and behavioral problems were positively associated with children’s self-reported depressive and anxiety symptoms and were negatively correlated with self-concept. These findings indicate that adolescents, particularly girls, may be at heightened risk of poor mental health following ABI. Further research investigating the reasons for these demographic differences may inform developmentally sensitive interventions.
Prospects and challenges of extracellular vesicle-based drug delivery system: considering cell source

Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, microvesicles, and apoptotic bodies, are nanosized membrane vesicles derived from most cell types. Carrying diverse biomolecules from their parent cells, EVs are important mediators of intercellular communication and thus play significant roles in physiological and pathological processes. Owing to their natural biogenesis process, EVs are generated with high biocompatibility, enhanced stability, and limited immunogenicity, which provide multiple advantages as drug delivery systems (DDSs) over traditional synthetic delivery vehicles. EVs have been reported to be used for the delivery of siRNAs, miRNAs, protein, small molecule drugs, nanoparticles, and CRISPR/Cas9 in the treatment of various diseases. As a natural drug delivery vectors, EVs can penetrate into the tissues and be bioengineered to enhance the targetability. Although EVs’ characteristics make them ideal for drug delivery, EV-based drug delivery remains challenging, due to lack of standardized isolation and purification methods, limited drug loading efficiency, and insufficient clinical grade production. In this review, we summarized the current knowledge on the application of EVs as DDS from the perspective of different cell origin and weighted the advantages and bottlenecks of EV-based DDS.
Extraordinary Sequence Diversity and Promiscuity of Centromeric Satellites in the Legume Tribe Fabeae

Abstract Satellite repeats are major sequence constituents of centromeres in many plant and animal species. Within a species, a single family of satellite sequences typically occupies centromeres of all chromosomes and is absent from other parts of the genome. Due to their common origin, sequence similarities exist among the centromere-specific satellites in related species. Here, we report a remarkably different pattern of centromere evolution in the plant tribe Fabeae, which includes genera Pisum, Lathyrus, Vicia, and Lens. By immunoprecipitation of centromeric chromatin with CENH3 antibodies, we identified and characterized a large and diverse set of 64 families of centromeric satellites in 14 species. These families differed in their nucleotide sequence, monomer length (33–2,979 bp), and abundance in individual species. Most families were species-specific, and most species possessed multiple (2–12) satellites in their centromeres. Some of the repeats that were shared by several species exhibited promiscuous patterns of centromere association, being located within CENH3 chromatin in some species, but apart from the centromeres in others. Moreover, FISH experiments revealed that the same family could assume centromeric and noncentromeric positions even within a single species. Taken together, these findings suggest that Fabeae centromeres are not shaped by the coevolution of a single centromeric satellite with its interacting CENH3 proteins, as proposed by the centromere drive model. This conclusion is also supported by the absence of pervasive adaptive evolution of CENH3 sequences retrieved from Fabeae species.
Determination of hemolysis cut-offs for biochemical and immunochemical analytes according to their value

Abstract Background All general biochemistry instruments allow the measure of hemolysis index (HI), and suppliers provide an acceptable HI for each assay without consideration of the analyte value or its clinical application. Our first objective was to measure the impact of hemolysis degree on plasma biochemical and immunochemical analytes to determine the maximum allowable HI for each of them using four calculation methods as significant bias in comparison to manufacturer’s data. The second objective was to assess whether the maximum allowable HI varied according to the analyte values. Methods Twenty analytes were measured in hemolyzate-treated plasma to determine the HI leading to a significant change compared to baseline value. Analytes were assessed at one (3 analytes), two (5 analytes) and three (12 analytes) values according to their sensitivity to hemolysis and their clinical impact. We used four calculation methods as significant limit from baseline value: the total change limit (TCL), the 10% change (10%Δ), the analytical change limit and the reference change value. Results Allowable HI was significantly different according to the threshold chosen for most analytes and was also dependent on the analyte value for alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine kinase, iron, haptoglobin and high sensitivity troponin T. No hemolysis interference was observed for albumin, creatinine, C-reactive protein, and procalcitonin even at an HI value of 11 g/L. Conclusions This study highlights that TCL is the most appropriate calculation method to determine allowable HI in practice for biochemical and immunochemical parameters using Cobas 8000© from Roche Diagnostics. In addition, different allowable HI were found according to analyte value leading to optimization of resampling to save time in patient care.
Intrauterine vertical transmission of SARS‐CoV‐2: what we know so far

C. WANG1, Y. -H. ZHOU2*, H. -X. YANG1* and L. C. POON3 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China; 2Department of Laboratory Medicine and Infectious Diseases, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR *Correspondence. (e-mail: zgr03summer@126.com; yanghuixia@bjmu.edu.cn)
Advancing the frontiers of clinical management in acute pancreatitis

Acute pancreatitis has been known as a distinct clinical entity for more than a century, but the frontiers of its clinical management have not yet advanced enough to curb the high morbidity, mortality and cost of treatment in this disease. The management may principally be advanced either by detecting a specific therapeutic modality for acute pancreatitis or making better use of established non-specific modalities. This thesis aims to advance two frontiers of clinical management: classification of acute pancreatitis severity (which is an essential prerequisite for assessing the efficacy of a new therapeutic modality) and optimisation of enteral nutrition (the most promising non-specific modality in acute pancreatitis to date). Past severity classifications were based on empirical description of events deemed to be associated with severity. There has been little progress in regards to a sound scientific foundation on which to base classification of acute pancreatitis severity. In this thesis, the concept of causal inference is applied to classifying the severity of acute pancreatitis, and the best available evidence suggests that classification of severity should be based on local and systemic determinants. Local determinants relate to whether there is (peri)pancreatic necrosis or not, and if present, whether it is sterile or infected. Systemic determinants relate to whether there is organ failure or not, and if present whether it is transient or persistent. Derivation of a classification based on available evidence for determinants of severity and the possibility of their interaction results in four categories of severity, i.e., “mild”, “moderate”, “severe”, and “critical”. Maxim S Petrov ‐ ii ‐ December 2011 Enteral nutrition is a rapidly evolving frontier in the management of acute pancreatitis. This thesis demonstrates that enteral nutrition given via the nasogastric route is safe and well tolerated in most patients with acute pancreatitis. Further, when given within 24 hours of admission to patients with mild to moderate acute pancreatitis, it results in significantly reduced intensity and duration of initial abdominal pain, need for opiates, and risk of oral refeeding intolerance. Lastly, use of a relatively inexpensive polymeric formulation is as safe and effective as a more costly elemental formulation. Maxim S Petrov ‐ iii ‐ December 2011
Volunteers and Informal Caregivers’ Contributions and Collaboration with Formal Caregivers in Norwegian Long-term Care

ABSTRACT The article illuminates and discusses the realism of policy-makers’ goals to increase involvement of volunteers and informal caregivers in long-term care services in Norway. Drawing on multiple data sources, the article investigates how commonplace volunteering and informal care are in long-term care, and it explores challenges experienced in collaboration between formal caregivers and volunteers and informal caregivers. The results show that only 4.4 percent of the Norwegian population carry out unpaid, voluntary work in long-term care. Twenty percent regularly provide informal care to someone with special care needs. Knowledge/information gaps and lacking coordination are common collaboration challenges between formal caregivers and volunteers/informal caregivers. The limitations identified in the current collaboration environment should be used actively by both policy makers and the practice field to critically assess goals and strategies for involvement and improving collaboration practices.
Comparison of mammography behaviors, health beliefs, and fear levels of women with and without familial breast cancer history*

ABSTRACT This comparative descriptive study compared mammography behaviors, health beliefs, and fear levels of Turkish women aged 40–69 years, who had or did not have a familial breast cancer history (FBCH). The sample included first-degree female relatives (n = 350) of 220 female patients who had received breast cancer treatment at Akdeniz University Hospital and first-degree female relatives of women who did not have a FBCH (n = 300) who had applied to a Family Health Center (FHC) in Antalya. Data were collected between October 2015 and March 2016. The percentage of women who regularly had a mammography was 38% in women with a FBCH and 15.3% in women without a FBCH. Women with a FBCH had higher susceptibility, seriousness, health motivation, mammography self-efficacy perception, and fear of breast cancer, and lower perception of mammography barriers than women without a FBCH. The frequency of having mammography in women with and without a FBCH increased with increased susceptibility perception and was higher in women with a FBCH than in women without a FBCH. Additionally, being single increased mammography screening behavior in those with FBCH. Trainings on screenings should emphasize risks of breast cancer and mammography barriers of the married ones should be reduced.
Management of radiation therapy‐induced vaginal adhesions and stenosis: A New Zealand survey of current practice

Vaginal dilation is often indicated as an intervention for the management of radiation therapy‐induced vaginal adhesions and stenosis (RTVAS). However, limited research exists underpinning this intervention and diversity in patient recommendations internationally are reported. In the absence of New Zealand (NZ) national guidelines regarding the management of RTVAS, a survey of NZ radiation therapy departments was conducted to gain an overview of current practice.
High-Capacity Adenoviral Vectors Permit Robust and Versatile Testing of DMD Gene Repair Tools and Strategies in Human Cells

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a fatal X-linked muscle wasting disorder arising from mutations in the ~2.4 Mb dystrophin-encoding DMD gene. RNA-guided CRISPR-Cas9 nucleases (RGNs) are opening new DMD therapeutic routes whose bottlenecks include delivering sizable RGN complexes for assessing their effects on human genomes and testing ex vivo and in vivo DMD-correcting strategies. Here, high-capacity adenoviral vectors (HC-AdVs) encoding single or dual high-specificity RGNs with optimized components were investigated for permanently repairing defective DMD alleles either through exon 51-targeted indel formation or major mutational hotspot excision (>500 kb), respectively. Firstly, we establish that, at high doses, third-generation HC-AdVs lacking all viral genes are significantly less cytotoxic than second-generation adenoviral vectors deleted in E1 and E2A. Secondly, we demonstrate that genetically retargeted HC-AdVs can correct up to 42% ± 13% of defective DMD alleles in muscle cell populations through targeted removal of the major mutational hotspot, in which over 60% of frame-shifting large deletions locate. Both DMD gene repair strategies tested readily led to the detection of Becker-like dystrophins in unselected muscle cell populations, leading to the restoration of β-dystroglycan at the plasmalemma of differentiated muscle cells. Hence, HC-AdVs permit the effective assessment of DMD gene-editing tools and strategies in dystrophin-defective human cells while broadening the gamut of DMD-correcting agents.
An MR-compatible printed antenna based murine superficial hyperthermia applicator

In this work, a novel magnetic resonance (MR)-compatible microwave antenna was designed and validated in a small animal superficial hyperthermia applicator. The antenna operates at 2.45GHz and matching is made robust against production and setup inaccuracies. To validate our theoretical concept, a prototype of the applicator was manufactured and tested for its properties concerning input reflection, sensitivity for setup inaccuracies, environment temperature stability and MR-compatibility. The experiments show that the applicator indeed fulfils the requirements for MR-guided hyperthermia investigation in small animals: it creates a small heating focus (<1 cm), has a stable and reliable performance (S11< 15dB) for all working conditions and is MR-compatible. ARTICLE HISTORY Received 6 December 2016 Revised 13 August 2017 Accepted 14 August 2017
Enzymatic hydrolysis of insect Alphitobius diaperinus towards the development of bioactive peptide hydrolysates.

Edible insects are a promising protein source for the future generation, due to their nutritional composition, sustainability and low environmental impact. Recent studies demonstrated their potential as a protein base to obtain bioactive peptides with potential applicability in the food industry. The aim of this study was to hydrolyze and analyze the potential of the edible insect Alphitobius diaperinus protein to develop an improved insect food ingredient with bioactive properties. After evaluating various conditions for the enzymatic hydrolysis with Alcalase 2.5L and Corolase PP, the best condition chosen for each enzyme was an enzyme : substrate ratio of 1.5% for 4 hours and a ratio of 3.0% for 6 hours, respectively. Insect protein hydrolysates are demonstrated to have relevant bioactive properties, namely antioxidant (by ABTS and ORAC methods) and antihypertensive activities (through the ability to inhibit the angiotensin converting enzyme, ACE), but no antimicrobial or antidiabetic properties were observed. Antioxidant activity values for hydrolysates obtained with Alcalase 2.5L and Corolase PP were 95.0 ± 0.8 and 95.7 ± 1.0 μmol Trolox equivalent per g insect powder by the ABTS method, 825.6 ± 85.5 and 944.8 ± 68.1 μmol Trolox equivalent per g insect powder by the ORAC method, respectively. Insect hydrolysates were able to inhibit the ACE and IC50 values for insect hydrolysates obtained with Alcalase 2.5L and Corolase PP were 55.5 ± 6.2 and 107.4 ± 9.7 μg of protein per mL, respectively. These insect protein hydrolysates can be used as a supplement/ingredient in the food industry with potential health benefits.