Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Master equation for dysnatremia or intractable abracadabra

Quantitative interrelationship between Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium, osmolality of compartments, and presence of negatively charged, impermeant proteins in the plasma space alters the distribution of diffusible ions in the plasma and interstitial ﬂuid (ISF) compartments to preserve electroneutrality. We have derived a new mathematical model to deﬁne the quantitative interrelationship be- tween the Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium, the osmolality of body ﬂuid compartments, and the plasma water Na (cid:1) concentration ([Na (cid:1) ] pw ) and validated the model using empirical data from the literature. The new model can account for the alterations in all ionic concentrations (Na (cid:1) and non-Na (cid:1) ions) between the plasma and ISF due to Gibbs-Donnan equilibrium. In addition to the effect of Gibbs-Donnan equi- librium on Na (cid:1) distribution between plasma and ISF, our model predicts that the altered distribution of osmotically active non-Na (cid:1) ions will also have a modulating effect on the [Na (cid:1) ] pw by affecting the distribution of H 2 O between the plasma and ISF. The new physiological insights provided by this model can for the ﬁrst time provide a basis for understanding quantitatively how changes in the plasma protein concentration modulate the [Na (cid:1) ] pw . Moreover, this model deﬁnes all known physiological factors that may modulate the [Na (cid:1) ] pw and is especially helpful in conceptually understanding the pathophysiological basis of the dysnatremias.
An adaptive relationship of thermal comfort for the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries: The case of Qatari offices

Escalating building energy expenditure encourages rethinking on thermal comfort delivery in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, in warm desert climate. The GCC states do not have an adaptive comfort standard, or its precursor long term field surveys. Therefore, we carried out thermal comfort field studies in Qatar for thirteen months. In ten typical air-conditioned office buildings, 1174 voluntary subjects completed 3742 questionnaires, while their thermal environments were simultaneously being measured. We found the mean Griffiths comfort temperature to be 24.0 °C. It varied with indoor temperature and seasons. Indoor Griffiths comfort temperature adaptively related with the outdoor temperature. This relationship can be used in buildings of similar nature in the GCC region. The subjects mostly felt cooler sensations. Thermal acceptance was high (82.7 %). The offices had low indoor air movement (median air speed 0.02 m/s), while 80% recorded less than 0.05 m/s. This is below the average air speed of 0.28 m/s, American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers permitted. Increased air movement can effectually facilitate an elevated thermal regime, more in sync with outdoor conditions. Adopting variable comfort standards may be advantageous to achieve the building sustainability goals of the GCC nations.
Do total quality management and the European Foundation for Quality Management model encourage a quality-oriented human resource management system?

The implementation of TQM in an organisation is one of the most difficult tasks for a company, as it has consequences on employees. The fact that all quality management awards have included personnel management as one of the crucial aspects to follow is a clear evidence of the importance it has for the world of quality management. In the case of the EFQM model, human resources are included on the 'People criterion'. The main predictors over the implementation of a quality-oriented human resource management system are analysed. Furthermore, the aim of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the People criterion of the EFQM model and TQM, providing empirical assessment. This should provide guidance to organisations in the design of a quality-oriented HRM system, emphasising their effects on firm performance. For this purpose, the corresponding model has been examined using a sample of 200 medium-sized Spanish organisations.
Integrated Placental Modelling of Histology with Gene Expression to Identify Functional Impact on Fetal Growth

Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is a leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Altered placental formation and functional capacity are major contributors to FGR pathogenesis. Relating placental structure to function across the placenta in healthy and FGR pregnancies remains largely unexplored but could improve understanding of placental diseases. We investigated integration of these parameters spatially in the term human placenta using predictive modelling. Systematic sampling was able to overcome heterogeneity in placental morphological and molecular features. Defects in villous development, elevated fibrosis, and reduced expression of growth and functional marker genes (insulin-like growth factor-2, vascular endothelial growth factor-A, solute carrier family 38 member 1, solute carrier family 2 member 3) were seen in age-matched term FGR versus healthy control placentas. Characteristic histopathological changes with specific accompanying molecular signatures could be integrated through computational modelling to predict if the placenta came from a healthy or FGR pregnancy. Our findings yield new insights into the spatial relationship between placental structure and function and the aetiology of FGR.
A prospective study of adherence to lenalidomide for multiple myeloma using Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) caps

Abstract: Purpose: In patients with multiple myeloma, characterizing adherence to orally administered therapies, such as lenalidomide, is critical given their frequent use and potential for poorer outcomes associated with nonadherence. However, little data exist using prospective measures of adherence in this population. Our study piloted use of Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS) caps and the patient-reported Brief Adherence Rating Scale (BARS) for 3 months in older adults with multiple myeloma. Methods: We enrolled 13 patients with multiple myeloma receiving lenalidomide. Baseline characteristics were summarized; mean adherence to lenalidomide was reported with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The median follow-up was 84 days. Of the 12 participants evaluable, median adherence, as assessed by the MEMS cap data, was 98%. Only 5 had 100% adherence. Deviations from intended use included missed prescribed doses made up during scheduled off week, additional days off between cycles, or taking fewer than anticipated days off. None of these events evident in MEMS data were self-disclosed. The mean difference in adherence estimated between the BARS and MEMS caps was 2%. Conclusion: In this small sample, the observed adherence was higher than reported in retrospective studies using Medication Possession Ratio as a proxy for adherence. The BARS can be easily integrated into clinical encounters but has potential for reporting bias. MEMS caps can help characterize patterns of nonadherence, though there are limitations to their utility and the data can require thorough manual review to reconcile suspected occurrences of nonadherence. Studies should use more than 1 complementary measure of adherence. Clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT03779555, Registered 12/19/2018
Estimating the replicability of highly cited clinical research (2004-2018)

Introduction: Previous studies about the replicability of clinical research based on the published literature have suggested that highly cited articles are often contradicted or found to have inflated effects. Nevertheless, there are no recent updates of such efforts, and this situation may have changed over time. Methods: We searched the Web of Science database for articles studying medical interventions with more than 2000 citations, published between 2004 and 2018 in high-impact medical journals. We then searched for replications of these studies in PubMed using the PICO framework. We evaluated whether replications were successful by the presence of a statistically significant effect in the same direction and by overlap of their effect sizes confidence intervals (CIs) with those of the original studies. We also analyzed evidence of effect size inflation and potential predictors or replicability. Results: We found a total of 89 eligible studies, of which 24 had valid replications. Of these, 21 (88%) had effect sizes with overlapping CIs. Of 15 highly cited studies with a statistically significant difference in the primary outcome, 13 (87%) had a significant effect in the replication as well. When both criteria were considered together, the replicability rate in our sample was 83%. When comparing effect sizes, there was little evidence of systematic inflation in these highly cited studies. Due to the small number of contradicted results, our analysis was underpowered to detect predictors of replicability. Conclusion: Although most studies did not have eligible replications, the replicability rate of highly cited clinical studies in our sample was higher than previous estimates, with little evidence of systematic effect size inflation.
Fifty-one novel, replicated loci identified in genome-wide association study of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in 124,024 European individuals

Circulating polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acid (PUFA and MUFA) levels, whose imbalances co-occur with human metabolic diseases, have strong heritable components. We performed the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) to-date on fourteen PUFA and MUFA phenotypes, measured by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance in plasma. We identified 612 significant loci-phenotype associations (115 unique loci; P < 1.678*10-8) in a European cohort from UK Biobank (UKB-EUR; n=101,729). Replication of five phenotypes (omega-3, omega-6, DHA, LA, MUFAs) was conducted in two European studies: FinMetSeq (n=8,751) and a meta-analysis by Kettunnen et al. (n=3,653-13,544). Meta-analysis of these three studies yielded 254 significant loci-phenotype associations (109 unique loci; P < 2.439*10-8); we identified 87 novel loci, 51 of which were replicated. A transcriptome-wide association study of the UKB-EUR cohort revealed an additional twelve novel loci. This study improves our understanding of the genetic architecture of unsaturated fatty acids and can inform future gene-based dietary interventions.
Metabolic Profiling of Rheumatoid Arthritis Neutrophils Reveals Altered Energy Metabolism That Is Not Affected by JAK Inhibition

Neutrophils play a key role in the pathophysiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) where release of ROS and proteases directly causes damage to joints and tissues. Neutrophil function can be modulated by Janus Kinase (JAK) inhibitor drugs, including tofacitinib and baricitinib, which are clinically effective treatments for RA. However clinical trials have reported increased infection rates and transient neutropenia during therapy. The subtle differences in the mode of action, efficacy and safety of JAK inhibitors has been the primary research topic of many clinical trials and systematic reviews, to provide a more precise and targeted treatment to patients. The aim of this study was to determine both the differences in the metabolome of neutrophils from healthy controls and people with RA, and the effect of different JAK inhibitors on the metabolome of healthy and RA neutrophils. Isolated neutrophils from healthy controls (HC) (n=6) and people with RA (n=7) were incubated with baricitinib, tofacitinib or a pan-JAK inhibitor (all 200ng/mL) for 2h. Metabolites were extracted and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was applied to study the metabolic changes. Multivariate analyses and machine learning models showed a divergent metabolic pattern in RA neutrophils compared to HC at 0h (F1 score = 86.7%) driven by energy metabolites (ATP, ADP, GTP and glucose). No difference was observed in the neutrophil metabolome when treated with JAK inhibitors. However, JAK inhibitors significantly inhibited ROS production and baricitinib decreased NET production (p<0.05). Bacterial killing was not impaired by JAK inhibitors, indicating the effect of JAK inhibitors on neutrophils can inhibit joint damage in RA without impairing host defence. This study highlights altered energy metabolism in RA neutrophils which may explain the cause of their dysregulation in inflammatory disease.
Gratitude and kindness at work as predictors of employees’ mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT This research explored the association of perceptions of gratitude and kindness at work with well-being outcomes, such as relatedness needs satisfaction, life satisfaction, and COVID-19 anxiety among selected Filipino employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that kindness positively predicted relatedness needs satisfaction even after controlling for participants’ age, gender, employment status, and length of stay in the organization. Gratitude positively predicted life satisfaction. This research underscores the mental health payoffs associated with fostering gratitude and kindness in organizational contexts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Effects of Fe(II) concentration on the biosynthesis of schwertmannite by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans and the As(III) removal capacity of schwertmannite

ABSTRACT The effect of Fe(II) concentrations on schwertmannite biosynthesis and the As(III) removal capacity of schwertmannite were investigated in this study. Acidithiobalillus ferrooxidans (A. ferrooxidans) were inoculated into five FeSO4 systems with initial concentrations of 50, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mmol/L, respectively, to bio-synthesize schwertmannite. The Fe(II) of the systems were almost completely oxidised at 48, 72, 120, 168, and 192 h, respectively, and the bioschwertmannite yield was 1.99, 3.81, 9.36, 12.42, and 21.60 g/L. The results of this study indicate that all minerals harvested from the different systems are schwertmannite. As the initial Fe(II) concentration increases, the effect of the minerals removing As(III) decreases; moreover, the structure and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) of schwertmannite may regulate the As(III) removal process. The EPS generated by the A. ferrooxidans can absorb As(III). The outcomes of this study provide fresh insights into the biosynthetic regulation of schwertmannite and play a significant role in treating Ascontaining groundwater. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Correlation between anthropometric measurements and blood pressure in a population of Palestinian adults

Obesity can be a major problem due to its potential to cause a number of health issues, including high blood pressure and diabetes. Many reports have come out of Palestine on overweight and obesity and their direct link to non-communicable diseases, although there is only limited evidence available on the connection between obesity and hypertension in Palestinian adults. We aimed to look at the associations between anthropometric and body composition variables and blood pressure in a large population of Palestinian adults (1337 subjects) and determine which anthropometric indices most strongly correlate with high blood pressure. Anthropometric measurements including height, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), body mass index (BMI), and total body fat (TBF) were assessed. A body composition analyzer was used to measure body weight, fat mass and fat-free mass. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were measured using a Dinamap vital signs monitor. In both males and females, all the anthropometric measurements showed significant strong positive correlations with mean SBP and mean DBP (p < 0.01). SBP correlated the most strongly with waist circumference in all subjects (r = 0.444 in females, r = 0.422 in males), while DBP correlated the most strongly with WC in males (r = 0.386), but with TBF in females (r = 0.256). By controlling fat percentage, WC, HC, and BMI, which are affected by extra weight and lack of exercise, blood pressure levels can be regulated.
Assessment of Toxicity and Wound Healing Activity of Selaginella Bryopteris Extract

Abstract Aim The aim of the study was to assess the toxicity profile of Selaginella bryopteris extract and evaluate its wound healing activity. Methods In vitro wound healing activity of S. bryopteris extract (5% and 10%) was performed using Clonogenic and Scratch assays. The toxicity profile of S. bryopteris extract ointment was evaluated on animals using acute toxicity and dermal toxicity tests. In vivo wound healing activity of S. bryopteris extract ointment (5% and 10%) was used to determine tensile strength in the incision wound healing model. Results Results exhibited that the extract was safe up to 2000 mg/kg per oral dose and non-reactive while applied topically. In vitro results showed that S. bryopteris extract closed the wound gap created by 97.13% in 48 h. The clonogenic assay revealed that the surviving factor for HaCaT cells and MEF cells was 0.78 and 0.85 after treated with 10% concentrations of S. bryopteris. The tensile strength exhibited by S. bryopteris 5% and 10% groups was 395.4 g and 558.5 g in comparison to the control group. Conclusion Thus, S. bryopteris extract can be used as an alternative safe drug therapy against topical wounds.
Boosting the anti-inflammatory effect of self-assembled hybrid lecithin–chitosan nanoparticles via hybridization with gold nanoparticles for the treatment of psoriasis: elemental mapping and in vivo modeling

Abstract Gold nanoparticles are a promising drug delivery system for treatment of inflammatory skin conditions, including psoriasis, due to their small size and anti-inflammatory properties. The aim of this study was to conjugate gold nanoparticles with anti-psoriatic formulations that previously showed successful results in the treatment of psoriasis (tacrolimus-loaded chitosan nanoparticles and lecithin–chitosan nanoparticles) by virtue of their surface charges, then examine whether the hybridization with gold nanoparticles would enhance the anti-psoriatic efficacy in vivo. Successful formation of gold nanoparticles was examined by elemental mapping and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). Hybrid conjugates were examined in terms of particle size and zeta potential by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Morphological features were captured by transmission electron microscope (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was conducted, as well. All characterization was conducted for the conjugated nanoparticles and compared with their bare counterparts. The in vivo results on imiquimod (IMQ)-induced mouse model showed promising anti-psoriatic effects upon application of gold conjugated tacrolimus-loaded lecithin–chitosan hybrid nanoparticles with a significant difference from the bare hybrid nanoparticles in some of the inflammatory markers. The anti-inflammatory effect of the gold conjugate was also evident by a lower spleen to body weight ratio and a better histopathological skin condition compared to other tested formulations.
The potential post-hatching growth of domestic birds is sufficiently described by the Gompertz function

ABSTRACT 1. It has been hypothesised that, for post-hatching domestic birds reared under good conditions, the relative growth rate R = (dW/dt)/W = dlnW/dt is a linear function of lnW; W is body weight. It followed that dW/dt = B.W. ln(A/W), where A is mature weight, and, by integration, that weight over time is described by a Gompertz function: Wt = A.exp. (-exp(-(G0 – B.t)), where Wt is weight at time t d, B is the rate parameter d−1, and G0 = -ln(-ln(W0/A)). 2. Where growth data published in the literature did not show this relationship, it was likely to have been caused by sub-optimal conditions for maximum growth, such as inadequate nutrition or other factors. 3. Published data, which have been diligently examined from both sexes and nine species, over 400-fold range of degree of maturity, collected over nearly a century of data from four continents, strongly corroborated the hypothesis. 4. The data were not in agreement with another functions using three parameters and made functions with four or more parameters superfluous. The relationship between R and lnW should be carefully examined before subjecting any data set to further analysis.
Understanding why collective action resulted in greater advances for tobacco control as compared to alcohol control during the Philippines’ Sin Tax Reform: a qualitative study

Background and aims In 2012, the Philippines passed a law popularly known as the ‘Sin Tax Reform’. This law increased excise tax on both tobacco and alcohol. While a victory for public health, the total amount of taxes paid by the tobacco and alcohol industries was an uneven 69–31 split. The primary aim of this study is to explore why collective action of Sin Tax proponents resulted in greater advances for tobacco control as compared with alcohol control. Methods A case study approach was used. Key informant interviews were carried out with 25 individuals from academic, governmental, non-governmental and international organisations and industry who had first-hand knowledge of the Sin Tax policy process, led an organisation that participated in the process and/or possessed expert knowledge of Sin Taxes in the Philippines. Interviews were subsequently transcribed then analysed using inductive coding. Results Four factors contributed to the varying tax treatment of the two industries: (1) absence of advocacy-oriented alcohol control groups, (2) the proponents’ ‘divide and conquer’ strategy, which aimed to prevent the alcohol and tobacco industries from joining forces, (3) the perception that moderate drinking is acceptable among some of the Sin Tax proponents, public and medical community and (4) a weaker global push for alcohol control. Conclusions Our findings suggest the need to cultivate advocacy-oriented alcohol control civil society organisations, generate consensus at the local and global level regarding the problem definition and policy solutions for alcohol control and consider global instruments to strengthen norms and standards for alcohol control. Given that proponents also negotiated for a lower alcohol tax compared with tobacco due to the concern that the two industries might join forces, it also raises the question of whether or not a health tax bill should tackle more than one health harming product at a time.