Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low energy availability in female athletes: From the lab to the field

ABSTRACT Decades of laboratory research have shown impairments to several body systems after only 4–5 days of strictly controlled consistent low energy availability (LEA); where energy availability (EA) = Energy Intake (EI) − Exercise Energy Expenditure (EEE)/Fat-Free Mass. Meanwhile, cross-sectional reports exist on the interrelatedness of LEA, menstrual dysfunction and impaired bone health in females (the Female Athlete Triad). These findings have demonstrated that LEA is the key underpinning factor behind a broader set of health and performance outcomes, recently termed as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). There is utmost importance of early screening and diagnosis of RED-S to avoid the development of severe negative health and performance outcomes. However, a significant gap exists between short-term laboratory studies and cross-sectional reports, or clinically field-based situations, of long-term/chronic LEA and no definitive, validated diagnostic tests for RED-S exist. This review aims to highlight methodological challenges related to the assessment of the components of EA equation in the field (e.g. challenges with EI and EEE measures). Due to the uncertainty of these parameters, we propose the use of more chronic “objective” markers of LEA (i.e. blood markers). However, we note that direct extrapolations of laboratory-based outcomes into the field are likely to be problematic due to potentially poor ecological validity and the extreme variability in most athlete’s daily EI and EEE. Therefore, we provide a critical appraisal of the scientific literature, highlighting research gaps, and a potential set of leading objective RED-S markers while working in the field. Highlights Direct application of short-term laboratory-based findings in the field is problematic. Calculation of energy availability (EA) in the field is methodologically challenging and prone to errors. The use of several biomarkers may allow the detection of early exposure to low EA in the female athlete.
Graph-Cut RANSAC: Local Optimization on Spatially Coherent Structures

We propose Graph-Cut RANSAC, GC-RANSAC in short, a new robust geometric model estimation method where the local optimization step is formulated as energy minimization with binary labeling, applying the graph-cut algorithm to select inliers. The minimized energy reflects the assumption that geometric data often form spatially coherent structures – it includes both a unary component representing point-to-model residuals and a binary term promoting spatially coherent inlier-outlier labelling of neighboring points. The proposed local optimization step is conceptually simple, easy to implement, efficient with a globally optimal inlier selection given the model parameters. Graph-Cut RANSAC, equipped with “the bells and whistles” of USAC and MAGSAC++, was tested on a range of problems using a number of publicly available datasets for homography, 6D object pose, fundamental and essential matrix estimation. It is more geometrically accurate than state-of-the-art robust estimators, fails less often and runs faster or with speed similar to less accurate alternatives. The source code is available at https://github.com/danini/graph-cut-ransac.
Online Reviews in a Major City

Objective A large factor influencing a patient’s choice of aesthetic plastic surgeons is online patient reviews. Methods/Technique Plastic surgeons whose practices are located in counties within the New York metro area were included. Selected surgeons were divided into private and academic surgeons (defined as having a residency program). For each surgeon, the quantity and quality of their Google reviews were collected. Results/Complications A total of 145 aesthetic surgeons from the New York area were included in the study, both private (n = 126) and academic (n = 19). Given the small size of the latter cohort, 19 private aesthetic surgeons were randomly selected, and compared with the academic surgeons, it was shown that private surgeons had both higher average quality and quantity of online patient Google reviews (confidence interval, 95%; P = 0.0223). Similar results were found when comparing all private American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) surgeons (n = 126) with all academic ASAPS surgeons (n = 19); private ASAPS surgeons had a higher average rating and number of reviews when compared with academic surgeons, again representing a statistically significant difference for the quality of online reviews between private and academic surgeons (confidence interval, 95%; P = 0.031975). Conclusions There is a statistically significant difference in both the quality and quantity of online ratings for private and academic aesthetic surgeons.
Binaural summation, binaural unmasking and fluctuating masker benefit in bimodal and bilateral adult cochlear implant users

Objectives The number of bilateral adult cochlear implant (CI) users and bimodal CI users is expanding worldwide. The addition of a hearing aid (HA) in the contralateral non-implanted ear (bimodal) or a second CI (bilateral) can provide CI users with some of the benefits associated with listening with two ears. Our was to examine whether bilateral and bimodal CI users demonstrate binaural summation, binaural unmasking and a fluctuating masker benefit. Methods Direct audio input was used to present stimuli to 10 bilateral and 10 bimodal CochlearTM CI users. Speech recognition in noise (speech reception threshold, SRT) was assessed monaurally, diotically (identical signals in both devices) and dichotically (antiphasic speech) with different masking noises (steady-state and interrupted), using the digits-in-noise test. Results Bilateral CI users demonstrated a trend towards better SRTs with both CIs than with one CI. Bimodal CI users showed no difference between the bimodal SRT and the SRT for CI alone. No significant differences in SRT were found between the diotic and dichotic conditions for either group. Analyses of electrodograms created from bilateral stimuli demonstrated that substantial parts of the interaural speech cues were preserved in the Advanced Combination Encoder, an n-of-m channel selection speech coding strategy, used by the CI users. Speech recognition in noise was significantly better with interrupted noise than with steady-state masking noise for both bilateral and bimodal CI users. Conclusion Bilateral CI users demonstrated a trend towards binaural summation, but bimodal CI users did not. No binaural unmasking was demonstrated for either group of CI users. A large fluctuating masker benefit was found in both bilateral and bimodal CI users.
Percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign body in children: a case series and review

Background Percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies has recently increased as a treatment option. Purpose To report our single-center experience of the percutaneous retrieval of 14 intravascular embolized catheter fragments in children and to conduct a literature review. Material and Methods MEDLINE databases were searched for case reports and series including children and iatrogenic catheter fragments or guidewires retrieved through percutaneous techniques. We also conducted a retrospective analysis of 14 cases from our institution over a 14-year period. A total of 27 studies were selected comprising 74 children, plus our 14 unpublished cases. Statistical analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel version 2016. Results Port catheter fragments and peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) were the most embolized foreign bodies and the pulmonary artery was the most common site of embolization in 44.1% of cases. Analysis of the retrieval technique demonstrated a preference for extraction through the femoral vein (81.7%) and using snare techniques (93.5%). The success rate of percutaneous retrieval was 96.6% with only 1.1% of procedure-related complications. Patients were asymptomatic in 77.2% of cases, presented septic complications in 2.3%, and no deaths were reported. Median fluoroscopy time was 10 min (range = 1.7–80 min) and median procedure length was 60 min (range = 35–208 min). Conclusion Percutaneous retrieval of intravascular foreign bodies is a feasible, safe, and efficient technique in children and should be considered the preferred treatment option.
State Child Welfare Policies and the Measurement of Child Maltreatment in the United States

State-level child welfare policies and practices affect what can be referred, investigated, and substantiated as child maltreatment, and these institutional factors vary across states and over time. Researchers typically have not accounted for these factors in analyses, confounding institutional features with the underlying construct they seek to study. The present study addresses this limitation by demonstrating how changes in specific state child welfare policies and practices influence reported and substantiated maltreatment in the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Using negative binomial models with state and year fixed-effects to analyze data from 2005 to 2018, we found significant influence of state policy and practice changes on state-level rates of reported and substantiated maltreatment over time. If a state implemented three of the most common policy changes—adding mandated reporters, centralized intake, and staff—its maltreatment reports were an estimated 32% higher than they would have been in the absence of these changes. By contrast, most state policy changes decreased the number of reports that were substantiated—by 24% if they implemented both differential response and higher standards of proof. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.
New methods for quantifying rapidity of action potential onset differentiate neuron types

Two new methods for quantifying the rapidity of action potential onset have lower relative standard deviations and better distinguish neuron cell types than current methods. Action potentials (APs) in most central mammalian neurons exhibit sharp onset dynamics. The main views explaining such an abrupt onset differ. Some studies suggest sharp onsets reflect cooperative sodium channels activation, while others suggest they reflect AP backpropagation from the axon initial segment. However, AP onset rapidity is defined subjectively in these studies, often using the slope at an arbitrary value on the phase plot. Thus, we proposed more systematic methods using the membrane potential’s second-time derivative (V¨m) peak width. Here, the AP rapidity was measured for four different cortical and hippocampal neuron types using four quantification methods: the inverse of full-width at the half maximum of the V¨m peak (IFWd2), the inverse of half-width at the half maximum of the V¨m peak (IHWd2), the phase plot slope, and the error ratio method. The IFWd2 and IHWd2 methods show the smallest variation among neurons of the same type. Furthermore, the AP rapidity, using the V¨m peak width methods, significantly differentiates between different types of neurons, indicating that AP rapidity can be used to classify neuron types. The AP rapidity measured using the IFWd2 method was able to differentiate between all four neuron types analyzed. Therefore, the V¨m peak width methods provide another sensitive tool to investigate the mechanisms impacting the AP onset dynamics.
Effects of Timing and Severity of Summer Hedging on Growth, Yield, Fruit Composition, and Canopy Characteristics of de Chaunac. I. Canopy Characteristics and Growth Parameters

Vigorous de Chaunac vines were subjected to a combination of one of three hedging severities (5, 10, or 15 leaves retained per shoot), one of three timings of hedging (postbloom, lag phase, veraison) and a non-hedged control over a three-season period. Vine vigor decreased linearly as hedging severity was increased, while count shoots and percent budbreak were reduced proportionally by delays in hedging as well as by increases in hedging severity. Leaf area per shoot, per main shoot, and per vine tended to decrease in proportion to severity and lateness of hedging, but vines hedged severely at postbloom had relatively high leaf areas due to lateral shoot growth. Canopy density decreased and fruit exposure increased as hedging became more severe or was delayed. Length and depth of canopy were both reduced by increases in severity of and delays in timing of hedging. Nearly all hedging treatments reduced vine vigor and leaf area compared to the control but had minor impact on shoot production. Use of severe postbloom hedging may lead to improvements in canopy characteristics with minimal reductions in vine vigor and winter cold tolerance.
Understanding the implication of autophagy in the activation of hepatic stellate cells in liver fibrosis: are we there yet?

Liver fibrosis (LF) occurs as a result of persistent liver injury and can be defined as a pathologic, chronic, wound‐healing process in which functional parenchyma is progressively replaced by fibrotic tissue. As a phenomenon involved in the majority of chronic liver diseases, and therefore prevalent, it exerts a significant impact on public health. This impact becomes even more patent given the lack of a specific pharmacological therapy, with LF only being ameliorated or prevented through the use of agents that alleviate the underlying causes. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) are fundamental mediators of LF, which, activated in response to pro‐fibrotic stimuli, transdifferentiate from a quiescent phenotype into myofibroblasts that deposit large amounts of fibrotic tissue and mediate pro‐inflammatory effects. In recent years, much effort has been devoted to understanding the mechanisms through which HSCs are activated or inactivated. Using cell culture and/or different animal models, numerous studies have shown that autophagy is enhanced during the fibrogenic process and have provided specific evidence to pinpoint the fundamental role of autophagy in HSC activation. This effect involves – though may not be limited to – the autophagic degradation of lipid droplets. Several hepatoprotective agents have been shown to reverse the autophagic alteration present in LF, but clinical confirmation of these effects is pending. On the other hand, there is evidence that implicates autophagy in several anti‐fibrotic mechanisms in HSCs that stimulate HSC cell cycle arrest and cell death or prevent the generation of pro‐fibrotic mediators, including excess collagen accumulation. The objective of this review is to offer a comprehensive analysis of published evidence of the role of autophagy in HSC activation and to provide hints for possible therapeutic targets for the treatment and/or prevention of LF related to autophagy. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Yoga complements cognitive behaviour therapy as an adjunct treatment for anxiety and depression: Qualitative findings from a mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVES Cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) is recommended for treating anxiety and depression, demonstrating good efficacy and moderate rates of engagement. To further improve outcomes and access to evidence-based treatments, researchers have sought to enhance CBT protocols with mindfulness-based approaches, such as yoga. This study aimed to examine whether yoga is an acceptable and complementary adjunct to CBT through exploring the lived experiences of adults with anxiety and depression who engaged in an adjunct therapeutic yoga programme alongside group CBT. DESIGN Single-group qualitative design with post-intervention and follow-up timepoints. METHODS Thirty-six adults with anxiety and depression self-selected into a therapeutic yoga programme as an adjunct to group CBT. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 27 participants immediately after the eight-week programme and again three months later. Thematic analysis was used to identify common themes from the lived experiences. RESULTS Three primary themes, with nine subthemes, were identified which reflect the experiences of the combined therapies, the complementary elements, and process of engagement over time. The adjunct yoga programme was highly acceptable to adults with anxiety and depression, enhancing engagement and perceived outcomes. Yoga was identified as providing a unique combination of elements that complemented processes of CBT, such as behavioural activation and thought disputation. Yoga practices represented mental health self-management tools that are accessible and available as relapse prevention strategies. CONCLUSIONS Therapeutic yoga warrants consideration as an adjunct treatment for anxiety and depression as it offers unique and complementary elements to CBT and can enhance engagement and perceived clinical outcomes. PRACTITIONER POINTS Adults with anxiety and depression experienced a therapeutic yoga programme as a suitable and appealing adjunct that enhanced engagement with psychological treatment. Yoga offers a unique combination of elements, including a values system, body-based mindfulness practices, and breathing techniques, that complement CBT processes, such as behavioural activation, awareness of maladaptive patterns, and thought disputation. A therapeutic yoga programme provides adults with anxiety and depression with an accessible and sustainable mental health self-management tool. Therapeutic yoga can be considered for integration to models of mental health service provision to enhance engagement and clinical outcomes for adults with anxiety and depression.
Patients with epilepsy as drivers in Poland.

BACKGROUND Drivers suffering from epilepsy are commonly regarded as a threat to road safety. However, inability to use their own means of transport very often implies specific professional effects and lowers the quality of life. The aim of this study was to analyze the driving status of patients with epilepsy in Poland. MATERIAL AND METHODS The prospective study was performed using an independent questionnaire developed by the authors, consisting of 4 parts: 1) socio-demographic information, 2) clinical information, 3) driving information, and 4) opinions about patients with epilepsy as drivers. The study was conducted in November 2018-September 2019. A total of 188 patients completed this study. RESULTS More than one-quarter of the patients have a driving license. Among them, 35 individuals (accounting for 18.62% of the whole study group) said that they had received their driving license after the diagnosis of epilepsy. In 10 cases (5.32%), seizures occurred while the patients were driving and in 72 cases (38.30%) while they were traveling as passengers. Among all socio-clinical factors, having a driving license was conditioned by the marital status (p = 0.008) and education (p = 0.007). Other factors did not affect having a driving license or the time of obtaining the license (p > 0.05 for all cases). A relationship was observed between the occurrence of side effects of antiepileptic drugs and the occurrence of seizures while traveling as a car passenger (p = 0.001). Other factors did not affect the occurrence of epileptic seizures while traveling by car, either as a driver or a passenger (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A significant proportion of the respondents were of the opinion that patients with epilepsy should not be allowed to obtain a driving license, which is probably related to concerns about the occurrence of epileptic seizures while driving. It is necessary to conduct a nationwide educational and information campaign on epilepsy in various aspects. Med Pr. 2021;72(4).
The larger attachment glycoprotein of respiratory syncytial virus produced in primary human bronchial epithelial cultures reduces infectivity for cell lines

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and can cause lower respiratory tract infections in children and elders. RSV has traditionally been isolated, grown, studied and quantified in immortalized cell lines, most frequently HEp-2 cells. However, in vivo RSV infection is modeled more accurately in primary well differentiated human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cultures where RSV targets the ciliated cells and where the putative RSV receptor differs from the receptor on HEp-2 cells. The RSV attachment (G) glycoprotein in virions produced by HEp-2 cells is a highly glycosylated 95 kDa protein with a 32 kDa peptide core. However, virions produced in HBE cultures, RSV (HBE), contain an even larger, 170 kDa, G protein (LgG). Here we show that LgG is found in virions from both subgroups A and B lab-adapted and clinical isolates. Unexpectedly, RSV (HBE) virions were approximately 100-fold more infectious for HBE cultures than for HEp-2 cells. Surprisingly, the cause of this differential infectivity, was reduced infectivity of RSV (HBE) on HEp-2 cells rather than enhanced infectivity on HBE cultures. The lower infectivity of RSV(HBE) for HEp-2 cells is caused by the reduced ability of LgG to interact with heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPG), the RSV receptor on HEp-2 cells. The discovery of different infectivity corresponding with the larger form of the RSV attachment protein when produced by HBE cultures highlights the importance of studying a virus produced by its native host cell and the potential impact on quantifying virus infectivity on cell lines where the virus entry mechanisms differ from their natural target cell.
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing strains among diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli—prospective traveller study with literature review

Abstract Background Antibiotics are no longer the primary approach for treating all travellers’ diarrhoea (TD): most cases resolve without antibiotics and using them predisposes to colonization by multidrug-resistant bacteria. Data are accumulating on increasing resistance among TD pathogens, yet research into the most common agents, diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli (DEC), remains limited. Methods A total of 413 travellers to the (sub)tropics were analyzed for travel-acquired diarrhoeal pathogens and ESBL-PE. To identify ESBL-producing DEC, ESBL-producing E. coli (ESBL-EC) isolates were subjected to multiplex qPCR for various DEC pathotypes: enteroaggregative (EAEC), enteropathogenic (EPEC), enterotoxigenic (ETEC), enteroinvasive (EIEC) and enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) E. coli. For a literature review, we screened studies among travellers and locals in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) on the frequency of ESBL-producing DEC, and among travellers, also DEC with resistance to ciprofloxacin, azithromycin, and rifamycin derivatives. Results Our rate of ESBL-EC among all DEC findings was 2.7% (13/475); among EAEC 5.7% (10/175), EPEC 1.1% (2/180), ETEC 1.3% (1/80) and EHEC (0/35) or EIEC 0% (0/5). The literature search yielded three studies reporting ESBL-EC frequency and thirteen exploring resistance to TD antibiotics among travel-acquired DEC. For EAEC and ETEC, the ESBL-EC rates were 10–13% and 14–15%, resistance to fluoroquinolones 0–42% and 0–40%, azithromycin 0–29% and 0–61%, and rifaximin 0% and 0–20%. The highest rates were from the most recent collections. Proportions of ESBL-producing DEC also appear to be increasing among locals in LMICs and even carbapenemase-producing DEC were reported. Conclusion ESBL producers are no longer rare among DEC, and the overall resistance to various antibiotics is increasing. The data predict decreasing efficacy of antibiotic treatment, threatening its benefits, for disadvantages still prevail when efficacy is lost.