Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors and Imaging Mechanisms of Fatigue After Mild Ischemic Stroke: An Exploratory Study From a Single Chinese Center

Objective: To explore the biochemical risk factors and imaging mechanisms of post fatigue after mild ischemic stroke among a Chinese population. Methods: Forty consecutive patients with mild ischemic stroke within onset of 14 ± 2 days were enrolled between March and June 2018. The clinical information, scale data, biomarkers in peripheral venous blood, and imaging data during hospitalization and follow-up period were collected. Results: Patient age (range 34–78) was positively correlated with the prevalence of fatigue (p = 0.009). Both blood norepinephrine and serotonin levels during hospitalization were negatively correlated to the prevalence of post-stroke fatigue (model 1 p = 0.009 and model 2 P = 0.043, respectively). Infarct of right cerebral hemisphere is positively correlated with the occurrence of fatigue after mild ischemic stroke (p = 0.020). Compared to non-fatigue patients, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) was lower in several areas of brain in stroke patients with fatigue, including the right orbital inferior frontal, right inner orbital frontal, right frontal, right triangular frontal inferior, right anterior and lateral cingulate, and right medial frontal gyruses. Analysis of the difference in functional connectivity between the fatigue and non-fatigue groups found no cluster. Conclusions: Frontal lobe-related neural pathways may play an essential role in the regulation of fatigue after mild ischemic stroke. Abnormal neural circuits may reduce the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepinephrine and lead to post-stroke fatigue.
Blocking Cross-Species Secondary Binding When Performing Double Immunostaining With Mouse and Rat Primary Antibodies

Immunostaining is a powerful technique and widely used to identify molecules in tissues and cells, although critical steps are necessary to block cross-reaction. Here we focused on an overlooked cross immunoreactivity issue where a secondary antibody (secondary) cross-reacts with a primary antibody (primary) from a different species. We first confirmed the previously reported cross-species binding of goat anti-mouse secondary to rat primary. This was accomplished by staining with a rat primary against glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and visualizing with goat (or donkey) anti-mouse secondary. We then further revealed the converse cross-species binding by staining with a mouse primary against neuronal nuclear protein (NeuN) and visualizing with anti-rat secondaries. We speculate that mouse and rat primaries share antigenicity, enabling either secondary to recognize either primary. To block this cross-species binding in double staining experiments, we compared three protocols using mouse anti-NeuN and rat anti-GFAP, two primaries whose antigens have non-overlapping distributions in brain tissues. Simultaneous staining resulted in cross-species astrocytic staining (anti-mouse secondary to rat anti-GFAP primary) but no cross-species neuronal staining (anti-rat secondary to mouse anti-NeuN primary). Cross-species astrocytic staining was missing after sequential same-species staining with mouse anti-NeuN primary, followed by rat anti-GFAP. However, cross-species astrocytic staining could not be diminished after sequential same-species staining with rat anti-GFAP primary, followed by mouse anti-NeuN. We thus hypothesize that a competition exists between anti-mouse and anti-rat secondaries in their binding to both primaries. Single staining for NeuN or GFAP visualized with dual secondaries at different dilution ratio supported this hypothesis.
First-Motion Focal Mechanism Solutions for 2015–2019 M ≥ 4.0 Italian Earthquakes

A list of 100 focal mechanism solutions that occurred in Italy between 2015 and 2019 has been compiled for earthquakes with magnitude M ≥ 4.0. We define earthquake parameters for additional 22 seismic events with 3.0 ≤ M < 4.0 for two specific key zones: Muccia, at the northern termination of the Amatrice–Visso–Norcia 2016–2018 central Italy seismic sequence, and Montecilfone (southern Italy) struck in 2018 by a deep, strike-slip Mw 5.1 earthquake apparently anomalous for the southern Apennines extensional belt. First-motion focal mechanism solutions are a good proxy for the initial rupture and they provide important additional information on the source mechanism. The catalog compiled in the present paper provides earthquake parameters for individual events of interest to contribute, as a valuable source of information, for further studies as seismotectonic investigations and stress distribution maps. We calculated the focal mechanisms using as a reference the phase pickings reported in the Italian Seismic Bulletin (BSI). We visually checked the reference picks to accurately revise manual first-motion polarities, or include new onsets when they are not present in the BSI dataset, for the selected earthquakes within the whole Italian region, with a separate focus on the Amatrice–Visso–Norcia seismic sequence area from August 24, 2016 to August 24, 2018. For the Montecilfone area, we combined the information on the geometry and kinematics of the source of the 2018 Mw 5.1 event obtained in this study with available subsurface and structural data on the Outer Apulia Carbonate Platform to improve understanding of this intriguing strike-slip sequence. Our analysis suggests that the Montecilfone earthquake ruptured a W–E trending strike-slip dextral fault. This structure is confined within the Apulia crystalline crust and it might represent the western prolongation of the Mattinata Fault–Apricena Fault active and seismogenic structures. The calculated focal mechanisms of the entire catalog are of good quality complementing important details on source mechanics from moment tensors and confirming the relevance of systematically including manually revised and more accurate polarity data within the BSI database.
Blockade of β-Adrenergic Receptors by Propranolol Disrupts Reconsolidation of Drug Memory and Attenuates Heroin Seeking

Persistent traces of drug reward memories contribute to intense craving and often trigger relapse. A number of pharmacological interventions on drug-associated memories have shown significant benefits in relapse prevention at a preclinical level but their translational potential is limited due to deleterious side effects. Propranolol, a non-specific β-adrenergic receptors antagonist, is known for its ability to erase maladaptive memories associated with nicotine or cocaine in rodents and humans. However, little is known about its effect on reconsolidation of heroin memory and heroin seeking. In the present study, rats with a history of intravenous heroin self-administration received the propranolol treatment (10 mg/kg; i.p.) at different time windows with or without CS (conditioned stimulus) exposure. Our results showed that propranolol, when administered immediately after CS exposure but not 6 h later, can significantly attenuate cue-induced and drug-primed reinstatement of heroin seeking, suggesting that propranolol has the ability to disrupt heroin memory and reduce relapse. The propranolol treatment without retrieval of drug memory had no effect on subsequent reinstatement of heroin seeking, suggesting that its interfering effects are retrieval-dependent. Importantly, the effects of propranolol were long lasting as rats showed diminished drug seeking even 28 days after the treatment. Altogether, our study suggests that propranolol can interfere with reconsolidation of heroin memory and reduce subsequent drug seeking, making it an attractive therapeutic candidate for the treatment of opioid addiction and relapse prevention.
MELD-XI Score Is Associated With Short-Term Adverse Events in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection

Aim: Accumulating evidence suggests that MELD-XI score holds the ability to predict the prognosis of congestive heart failure. However, most of the evidence is based on the end-stage heart failure population; thus, we aim to explore the association between the MELD-XI score and the prognosis in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Methods: A total of 30,096 patients hospitalized for HFpEF in Fujian Provincial Hospital between January 1, 2014 and July 17, 2020 with available measures of creatinine and liver function were enrolled. The primary endpoint was 60-day in-hospital all-cause mortality. Secondary endpoints were 60-day in-hospital cardiovascular mortality and 30-day rehospitalization for heart failure. Results: A total of 222 patients died within 60 days after admission, among which 75 deaths were considered cardiogenic. And 73 patients were readmitted for heart failure within 30 days after discharge. Generally, patients with an elevated MELD-XI score tended to have more comorbidities, higher NYHA class, and higher inflammatory biomarkers levels. Meanwhile, the MELD-XI score was positively correlated with NT-pro BNP, left atrial diameter, E/e' and negatively correlated with LVEF. After adjusting for conventional risk factors, the MELD-XI score was independently associated with 60-day in-hospital all-cause mortality [hazard ratio(HR) = 1.052, 95% confidential interval (CI) 1.022–1.083, P = 0.001], 60-day in-hospital cardiovascular mortality (HR = 1.064, 95% CI 1.013–1.118, P = 0.014), and 30-day readmission for heart failure (HR = 1.061, 95% CI 1.015–1.108, P = 0.009). Furthermore, the MELD-XI score added an incremental discriminatory capacity to risk stratification models developed based on this cohort. Conclusion: The MELD-XI score was associated with short-term adverse events and provided additional discriminatory capacity to risk stratification models in patients hospitalized for HFpEF.
Global Review of Dairy Recommendations in Food-Based Dietary Guidelines

At present, there are ~100 countries with national food-based dietary guidelines. While the intent of these guidelines is to inform national-level dietary recommendations, they also tie into global health and sustainable development initiatives, since diet and nutrition are linked to outcomes for all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Therefore, key messaging in food-based dietary guidelines plays an important role in both national and global health efforts. However, this type of national-level dietary guidance is not standardized and varies considerably from country to country, and from food group to food group. The main objective of this review is to provide a novel look at dairy food group messaging within global food-based dietary guidelines, focusing specifically on nutrient-based and health-based messaging. Dairy-based messaging from 94 national food-based dietary guidelines was reviewed and grouped by region, with an emphasis on messaging regarding dairy's contribution to nutrients of public health concern for both underconsumption and overconsumption. The results showed that most nutrient-based dairy messaging relating to underconsumption was focused on calcium, followed by vitamin D, iodine, potassium, and protein; whereas messaging related to overconsumption was focused on saturated fat, added sugars, and salt. Health-based messaging specific to dairy food intake typically coalesced around three types of health outcomes: (1) bone, teeth, and muscle, (2) cardiometabolic, and (3) gut and immune. Although a fundamental concept of food-based dietary guidelines is to provide dietary guidance in a manner that is both “food-based,” and in the context of “dietary” patterns, most food-based dietary guidelines still express the health value of dairy foods (and potentially other foods groups) solely in terms of their nutrient content – and often times only in the context of a single nutrient (e.g., calcium).
Lung Ultrasound Score as a Predictor of Mortality in Patients With COVID-19

Background: Lung injury is a common condition among hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, whether lung ultrasound (LUS) score predicts all-cause mortality in patients with COVID-19 is unknown. The aim of the present study was to explore the predictive value of lung ultrasound score for mortality in patients with COVID-19. Methods: Patients with COVID-19 who underwent lung ultrasound were prospectively enrolled from three hospitals in Wuhan, China between February 2020 and March 2020. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected from digital patient records. Lung ultrasound scores were analyzed offline by two observers. Primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results: Of the 402 patients, 318 (79.1%) had abnormal lung ultrasound. Compared with survivors (n = 360), non-survivors (n = 42) presented with more B2 lines, pleural line abnormalities, pulmonary consolidation, and pleural effusion (all p < 0.05). Moreover, non-survivors had higher global and anterolateral lung ultrasound score than survivors. In the receiver operating characteristic analysis, areas under the curve were 0.936 and 0.913 for global and anterolateral lung ultrasound score, respectively. A cutoff value of 15 for global lung ultrasound score had a sensitivity of 92.9% and specificity of 85.3%, and 9 for anterolateral score had a sensitivity of 88.1% and specificity of 83.3% for prediction of death. Kaplan–Meier analysis showed that both global and anterolateral scores were strong predictors of death (both p < 0.001). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that global lung ultrasound score was an independent predictor (hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.16; p = 0.03) of death together with age, male sex, C-reactive protein, and creatine kinase-myocardial band. Conclusion: Lung ultrasound score as a semiquantitative tool can be easily measured by bedside lung ultrasound. It is a powerful predictor of in-hospital mortality and may play a crucial role in risk stratification of patients with COVID-19.
Differences in Vestibular-Evoked Myogenic Potential Responses by Using Cochlear Implant and Otolith Organ Direct Stimulation

Objective: Several studies have demonstrated the possibility to obtain vestibular potentials elicited with electrical stimulation from cochlear and vestibular implants. The objective of this study is to analyze the vestibular-evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) obtained from patients implanted with cochlear and vestibulo-cochlear implant. Material and Methods: We compared two groups: in the first group, four cochlear implant (CI) recipients with present acoustic cVEMPs before CI surgery were included. In the second group, three patients with bilaterally absent cVEMPs and bilateral vestibular dysfunction were selected. The latter group received a unilateral cochleo-vestibular implant. We analyze the electrically elicited cVEMPs in all patients after stimulation with cochlear and vestibular electrode array stimulation. Results: We present the results obtained post-operatively in both groups. All patients (100%) with direct electrical vestibular stimulation via the vestibular electrode array had present cVEMPs. The P1 and N1 latencies were 11.33–13.6 ms and 18.3–21 ms, respectively. In CI patients, electrical cVEMPs were present only in one of the four subjects (25%) with cochlear implant (“cross”) stimulation, and P1 and N1 latencies were 9.67 and 16.33, respectively. In these patients, the responses present shorter latencies than those observed acoustically. Conclusions: Electrically evoked cVEMPs can be present after cochlear and vestibular stimulation and suggest stimulation of vestibular elements, although clinical effect must be further studied.
Plastic Plants: The Role of Water Hyacinths in Plastic Transport in Tropical Rivers

Recent studies suggest that water hyacinths can influence the transport of macroplastics in freshwater ecosystems at tropical latitudes. Forming large patches of several meters at the water surface, water hyacinths can entrain and aggregate large amounts of floating debris, including plastic items. Research on this topic is still novel and few studies have quantified the role of the water hyacinths in plastic transport. In this study, we present the findings of a six-week monitoring campaign, combining the use of visual observations and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle imagery in the Saigon river, Vietnam. For the first time, we provide observational evidence that the majority of macroplastic is transported by water hyacinth patches. Over the study period, these fast-growing and free-floating water plants transported 78% of the macroplastics observed. Additionally, we present insights on the spatial distribution of plastic and hyacinths across the river width, and the different characteristics of entrapped items compared with free-floating ones. With this study, we demonstrate the role of water hyacinths as a river plastic aggregator, which is crucial for improving the understanding of plastic transport, and optimizing future monitoring and collection strategies.
The Efficacy and Medium to Long-Term Follow-Up of Transcatheter Retrograde Closure of Perimembranous Ventricular Septal Defects via the Femoral Artery With Amplatzer Duct Occluder II in Children

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and safety of transcatheter retrograde closure of perimembranous ventricular septal defect (pmVSD) via the femoral artery with an Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II) in children. Methods: The clinical and follow-up data of 102 children who had successfully undergone transcatheter retrograde closure of pmVSD via the femoral artery with Amplatzer Duct Occluder II (ADO II) from February 2012 to June 2019 in our center were retrospectively reviewed. Results: In 102 of 103 patients, the defects were successfully closed (99.0%). The average age was 4.03 ± 1.84 years and the mean weight was 17.50 ± 5.58 kg. The mean diameter of the defects was 2.58 ± 0.63 mm. Hundred of the occluders had a waist length of 4 mm. The complete closure rate was 89.2% 24 h after the procedure and 98% at the last follow-up. The follow-up period ranged from 6 to 92 months, with a median of 36 months. One child developed new mild aortic regurgitation (AR), and 9 patients developed new mild tricuspid regurgitation (TR). During follow-up, TR disappeared in 5 patients and decreased in 4 patients, and AR relieved in one patient. One patient developed intermittent complete left bundle branch block 4 days after the procedure and recovered sinus rhythm 2 days later. No serious complications occurred. Conclusion: Transcatheter retrograde closure of pmVSD via the femoral artery with ADO II in children is safe, feasible, and effective in selected patients.
Involved Site Radiotherapy Extends Time to Premature Menopause in Infra-Diaphragmatic Female Hodgkin Lymphoma Patients – An Analysis of GHSG HD14- and HD17-Patients

Introduction Consolidation radiotherapy in intermediate stage Hodgkin´s lymphoma (HL) has been the standard of care for many years as involved field radiotherapy (IFRT) after chemotherapy. It included initially involved region(s). Based on randomized studies, radiation volumes could be reduced and involved site radiation therapy (ISRT) became the new standard. ISRT includes the initially affected lymph nodes. In young adults suffering from HL, infertility and hypogonadism are major concerns. With regard to these questions, we analyzed the influence of modern radiotherapy concepts such as consolidating ISRT in infradiaphragmatic involvement of HL after polychemotherapy. Patients and Methods Five hundred twelve patients treated within German Hodgkin Study Group (GHSG) HD14 and HD17 trials were evaluated. We analyzed log-adjusted follicle-stimulating-hormone (FSH)- and luteinizing-hormone (LH)-levels of HD14-patients with infradiaphragmatic radiotherapy (IDRT) in comparison with HD14-patients, who had a supradiaphragmatic radiotherapy (SDRT). In a second step, we compared IFRT with ISRT of female HD17 patients regarding the effects on ovarian function and premature menopause. Results We analyzed FSH- and LH-levels of 258 female and 241 male patients, all treated with IFRT. Of these 499 patients, 478 patients had SDRT and 21 patients had IDRT. In a multiple regression model, we could show that log-adjusted FSH (p=0.0006) and LH values (p=0.0127) were significantly higher after IDRT than after SDRT. The effect of IDRT on gonadal function was comparable to two cycles of escalated bleomycin, etoposide, doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (BEACOPPesc). We compared the effect of IFRT with ISRT in thirteen female HD17 patients with infradiaphragmatic (ID) involvement. The mean ovarian dose after ISRT was significantly lower than after IFRT. The calculated proportion of surviving non-growing follicles (NGFs) increased significantly from 11.87% to 24.48% in ISRT compared to IFRT, resulting in a significantly longer calculated time to menopause. The younger the age at therapy, the greater the absolute time gain until menopause. Conclusion Infradiaphragmatic IFRT impairs gonadal function to a similar extent as two cycles of BEACOPPesc. In comparison, the use of ISRT target volume definition significantly reduced radiation dose to the ovaries and significantly extends the time interval from treatment to premature menopause.
Challenges in Measuring AMH in the Clinical Setting

Serum anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) is a widely used marker of functional ovarian reserve in the assessment and treatment of infertility. It is used to determine dosing of gonadotropins used for superovulation prior to in vitro fertilization, as well as to determine the degree of damage to ovarian reserve by cytotoxic treatments such as chemotherapy. AMH is also now used to predict proximity to menopause and potentially provides a sensitive and specific test for polycystic ovarian syndrome. Twenty one different AMH immunoassay platforms/methods are now commercially available. Of those compared, the random-access platforms are the most reliable. However, to date there has not been an agreed common international AMH reference preparation to standardize calibration between the various immunoassays. Recently, a purified human AMH preparation (code 16/190) has been investigated by the World Health Organization as a potential international reference preparation. However, this was only partially successful as commutability between it and serum samples was observed only in some but not all immunoassay methods. Development of a second generation reference preparation with wider commutability is proposed.