Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Precipitating factors of heart failure decompensation, short-term morbidity and mortality in patients attended in primary care

Abstract Objective To evaluate the precipitating factors for heart failure decompensation in primary care and associations with short-term prognosis. Design Prospective cohort study with a 30-d follow-up from an index consultation. Regression models to determine independent factors associated with hospitalisation or death. Setting Primary care in ten European countries. Patients Patients with diagnosis of heart failure attended in primary care for a heart failure decompensation (increase of dyspnoea, unexplained weight gain or peripheral oedema). Main outcome measures Potential precipitating factors for decompensation of heart failure and their association with the event of hospitalisation or mortality 30 d after a decompensation. Results Of 692 patients 54% were women, mean age 81 (standard deviation [SD] 8.9) years; mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 55% (SD 12%). Most frequently identified heart failure precipitation factors were respiratory infections in 194 patients (28%), non-compliance of dietary recommendations in 184 (27%) and non-compliance with pharmacological treatment in 157 (23%). The two strongest precipitating factors to predict 30 d hospitalisation or death were respiratory infections (odds ratio [OR] 2.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] (2.4–3.4)) and atrial fibrillation (AF) > 110 beats/min (OR 2.2, CI 1.5–3.2). Multivariate analysis confirmed the association between the following variables and hospitalisation/death: In relation to precipitating factors: respiratory infection (OR 1.19, 95% CI 1.14–1.25) and AF with heart rate > 110 beats/min (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.10–1.35); and regarding patient characteristics: New York Heart Association (NYHA) III or IV (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.15–1.29); previous hospitalisation (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.11–1.19); and LVEF < 40% (OR 1.14, 95% CI 1.09–1.19). Conclusions In primary care, respiratory infections and rapid AF are the most important precipitating factors for hospitalisation and death within 30 d following an episode of heart failure decompensation. Key points Hospitalisation due to heart failure decompensation represents the highest share of healthcare costs for this disease. So far, no primary care studies have analysed the relationship between precipitating factors and short term prognosis of heart failure decompensation episodes. We found that in 692 patients with heart failure decompensation in primary care, the respiratory infection and rapid atrial fibrillation (AF) increased the risk of short-term hospital admission or death. Patients with a hospital admission the previous year and a decompensation episode caused by respiratory infection were even more likely to be hospitalized or die within 30 d.
The relationship between proteinuria and allograft survival in patients with transplant glomerulopathy: a retrospective single‐center cohort study

Proteinuria and transplant glomerulopathy (TG) are common in kidney transplantation. To date, there is limited knowledge regarding proteinuria in different types of TG and its relationship to allograft survival. A retrospective cohort analysis of TG patients from indication biopsies was performed to investigate the relationship of proteinuria, histology, and graft survival. One hundred and seven (57.5%) out of 186 TG patients lost their grafts with a median survival of 14 [95% confidence interval (CI) 10–22] months after diagnosis. Proteinuria ≥1 g/24 h at the time of biopsy was detected in 87 patients (46.8%) and the median of proteinuria was 0.89 (range 0.05–6.90) g/24 h. TG patients with proteinuria ≥1 g/24 h had worse 5‐year graft survival (29.9% vs. 53.5%, P = 0.001) compared with proteinuria <1 g/24 h. Proteinuria was associated with graft loss in univariable Cox regression [hazard ratio (HR) 1.25, 95% CI, 1.11–1.41, P < 0.001], and in multivariable analysis (adjusted HR 1.26, 95% CI 1.11–1.42, P < 0.001) independent of other risk factors including creatinine at biopsy, positive C4d, history of rejection, and Banff lesion score mesangial matrix expansion. In this cohort of TG patients, proteinuria at indication biopsy is common and associated with a higher proportion of graft loss.
Determinants of Domestic Risk Prevention Behavior: The Importance of Separating Effects Within‐Persons and Between‐Persons

The effects of vulnerability, severity, costs, effort, and effectiveness on prevention behavior, derived from protection motivation theory and the health belief model, have been extensively tested in the literature and have all been shown to predict rather well. In this study we test the effects of these determinants in a new context: the domestic risk prevention domain. The specific behaviors under study are related to the risks of burglary, fire, and water damage. In addition to previous studies, our multilevel research design allows us to evaluate which differences in the performance of domestic prevention behavior can be attributed to differences between persons and which to differences between behaviors within persons. Our results show that all determinants are relevant predictors for domestic risk prevention behavior. Disentangling the within‐person and between‐person effects shows that prevention behavior depends more on the relative evaluation of the prevention behavior determinants for a given person (e.g., a person perceives a smoke alarm to be more effective than antiburglar strips), than on the differences between persons regarding the general perception of these determinants (e.g., some persons find prevention behaviors in general more effective than other persons). To increase the performance of domestic risk prevention behaviors, we advise that interventions should focus on increasing a person's perception of risks and prevention behaviors relative to other risks and prevention behaviors rather than focusing on changing people's general perceptions of all risks and behaviors or focusing on specific target groups.
Histological Evaluation and Gene Expression Profiling of Autophagy-Related Genes for Cartilage of Young and Senescent Rats

Autophagy is a cellular mechanism that protects cells from stress by digesting non-functional cellular components. In the cartilage, chondrocytes depend on autophagy as a principal mechanism to maintain cellular homeostasis. This protective role diminishes prior to the structural damage that normally occurs during aging. Considering that aging is the main risk factor for osteoarthritis, evaluating the expression of genes associated with autophagy in senescent cartilage might allow for the identification of potential therapeutic targets for treatment. Thus, we studied two groups of young and senescent rats. A histological analysis of cartilage and gene expression quantification for autophagy-related genes were performed. In aged cartilage, morphological changes were observed, such as an increase in cartilage degeneration as measured by the modified Mankin score, a decrease in the number of chondrocytes and collagen II (Col2a1), and an increase in matrix metalloproteinase 13 (Mmp13). Moreover, 84 genes associated with autophagy were evaluated by a PCR array analysis, and 15 of them were found to be significantly decreased with aging. Furthermore, an in silico analysis based on by two different bioinformatics software tools revealed that several processes including cellular homeostasis, autophagosome assembly, and aging—as well as several biological pathways such as autophagy, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signaling, PI3K (phosphoinositide 3-kinase)/AKT (serine/threonine kinase) signaling, and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling—were enriched. In conclusion, the analysis identified some potential targets for osteoarthritis treatment that would allow for the development of new therapeutic strategies for this chronic disease.
Long non-coding RNA ZFAS1 promotes colorectal cancer tumorigenesis and development through DDX21-POLR1B regulatory axis

Increasing evidence supports long non-coding RNA-ZFAS1 as master protein regulators involved in a variety of human cancers. However, the molecular mechanism is not fully understood in colorectal cancer (CRC) and remains to be elucidated. Here, we uncovered a previously unreported mechanism linking RNA helicase DDX21 regulated by lncRNA ZFAS1 in control of POLR1B expression in CRC initiation and progression. Specifically, ZFAS1 exerted its oncogenic functions and was significantly up-regulated accompanied by elevated DDX21, POLR1B expression in CRC cells and tissues, which further closely associated with poor clinical outcomes. Notably, ZFAS1 knockdown dramatically suppressed CRC cell proliferation, invasion, migration, and increased cell apoptosis, which were contrary to the effect caused by ZFAS1 up-regulation. We further revealed that the inhibitory effect caused by ZFAS1 knockdown could be reversed by DDX21 overexpression in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, our research found that ZFAS1 could directly recruit DDX21 protein by harboring the specific motif (AAGA or CAGA). Finally, POLR1B was identified as the downstream target of DDX21 regulated by ZFAS1, which was also up-regulated in CRC cells and tissues and closely related to poor prognosis. The unrecognized ZFAS1/DDX21/POLR1B signaling regulation axis may provide new biomarkers and targets for CRC treatment and prognostic evaluation.
Effects of Work Environments and Occupational Fatigue on Care Left Undone in Rotating Shift Nurses.

PURPOSE This study aimed to examine the effects of work environments and occupational fatigue on care left undone in rotating shift nurses, and to identify the indirect (mediation) effect of work environments on care left undone through nurses' occupational fatigue in South Korean acute care hospitals. DESIGN This study employed a cross-sectional design using an online survey to collect data from 488 rotating shift nurses of acute care hospitals in Korea between November and December 2018. METHODS A mobile schedule management application for shift nurses was used to advertise the study and to send a link to the online survey. The survey included questions on the nurses' work environment characteristics, care left undone activities, and the Korean version of the Occupational Fatigue Exhaustion/Recovery scale. Poisson regression was used to explore the relationships among work environments, occupational fatigue, and care left undone. Hayes' Model 4 and a bootstrapping analysis were used to identify the mediating effect of occupational fatigue on the relationship between work environments and care left undone. FINDINGS The average number of tasks left undone was 3.45 (SD = 2.19). The higher the acute and chronic fatigue levels noted among nurses, the higher were the occurrences of care left undone. Conversely, the higher the intershift recovery level, the lower were the occurrences of care left undone. The results showed a positive relationship between care left undone and overtime hours and the number of patients per nurse. Moreover, nurses' occupational fatigue mediated the relationship between work environments and care left undone. Night shifts per month and the number of consecutive days off had an indirect effect on care left undone through occupational fatigue. CONCLUSIONS High levels of occupational fatigue and poor intershift recovery among nurses can lead to care left undone. Nurses' occupational fatigue mediates the effect of work environment on care left undone. CLINICAL RELEVANCE It is crucial for healthcare administrators and leaders to develop policies and mandatory regulations to facilitate better working conditions for nurses, consequently reducing their occupational fatigue and decreasing the occurrence of care left undone in acute care hospitals.
Effects of Multiple Exposures and Ad-Skipping Behavior on Recall of Health Messages on YouTubeTM

Although measuring exposure to public health messages is key to understanding campaign effectiveness, little is known about how exposure to and avoidance of digital ad messages may influence self-reported ad recall. A sample of 15–24-year-olds (n = 297) received a varying number of forced-view and skippable test ads across multiple simulated YouTubeTM sessions. Each session was coded for whether the participant viewed the ad or skipped it. While a majority of participants recalled the test ad, the odds of ad recall did not vary by number of sessions (opportunities for exposure). Rather, ad recall was sensitive to the number of completed ad views such that odds of ad recall doubled for each additional time the ad was completely viewed. Findings suggest that public health digital message exposure and recall can be optimized with sufficient attention paid to the proportions of forced-view ads aired when aiming to reach younger audiences.
Fertility-sparing management for endometrial cancer: review of literature.

INTRODUCTION Primary surgery is effective in low-risk EC. However, in young women, this approach compromises fertility. Therefore, fertility-sparing management in the case of atypical endometrial hyperplasia, or grade 1 endometrial cancer (EC) limited to the endometrium can be considered. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION We performed a literature review to identify studies involving women with endometrial cancer or atypical hyperplasia who underwent fertility-sparing management. We conducted multiple bibliographic databases research between their inception to May 2020. EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS Oral therapy with medroxyprogesterone acetate and megestrol acetate is recommended based on extensive experience, although without consensus on dosages and treatment length. The pooled complete response rate, recurrence rate, and pregnancy rate of EC were 76.3%, 30.7%, and 52.1%, respectively. Endometrial hyperplasia was associated with better outcomes. LNG-IUSs appears an alternative treatment, particularly in patients who do not tolerate oral therapy. In a randomized controlled trial, megestrol acetate plus Metformin guaranteed an earlier complete response rate than megestrol acetate alone for endometrial hyperplasia. Hysteroscopic resection followed by progestogens is associated with a higher complete response rate, live birth rate, and lower recurrence rate than oral progestogens alone. Pooled complete response, recurrence, and live birth rates were 98.1%, 4.8%, and 52.6%. CONCLUSIONS Fertility preservation appears feasible in young patients with grade 1 EC limited to the endometrium or atypical endometrial hyperplasia. Progestins are the mainstay of such management. The addition of Metformin and hysteroscopic resection seems to provide some improvements. However, fertility preservation is not the standard approach for staging and treatment, potentially worsening oncologic outcomes.
Hierarchical Predictive Coding-Based JND Estimation for Image Compression

The human visual system (HVS) is a hierarchical system, in which visual signals are processed hierarchically. In this paper, the HVS is modeled as a three-level communication system and visual perception is divided into three stages according to the hierarchical predictive coding theory. Then, a novel just noticeable distortion (JND) estimation scheme is proposed. In visual perception, the input signals are predicted constantly and spontaneously in each hierarchy, and neural response is evoked by the central residue and inhibited by surrounding residues. These two types’ residues are regarded as the positive and negative visual incentives which cause positive and negative perception effects, respectively. In neuroscience, the effect of incentive on observer is measured by the surprise of this incentive. Thus, we propose a surprise-based measurement method to measure both perception effects. Specifically, considering the biased competition of visual attention, we define the product of the residue self-information (i.e., surprise) and the competition biases as the perceptual surprise to measure the positive perception effect. As for the negative perception effect, it is measured by the average surprise (i.e., the local Shannon entropy). The JND threshold of each stage is estimated individually by considering both perception effects. The total JND threshold is finally obtained by non-linear superposition of three stage thresholds. Furthermore, the proposed JND estimation scheme is incorporated into the codec of Versatile Video Coding for image compression. Experimental results show that the proposed JND model outperforms the relevant existing ones, and over 16% of bit rate can be reduced without jeopardizing the perceptual quality.
S100 calcium‐binding protein A9 from tumor‐associated macrophage enhances cancer stem cell‐like properties of hepatocellular carcinoma

Tumor‐associated macrophages (TAMs) are crucial components of the tumor microenvironment. They play vital roles in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) progression. However, the interactions between TAMs and HCC cells have not been fully characterized. In this study, TAMs were induced using human monocytic cell line THP‐1 cells in vitro to investigate their functions in HCC progression. S100 calcium‐binding protein A9 (S100A9), an inflammatory microenvironment‐related secreted protein, was identified to be significantly upregulated in TAMs. S100A9 expression in tumor tissues was associated with poor survival of HCC patients. It could enhance the stem cell‐like properties of HepG2 and MHCC‐97H cells by activating nuclear factor‐kappa B signaling pathway through advanced glycosylation end product‐specific receptor in a Ca2+‐dependent manner. Furthermore, we found that, after treatment with S100A9, HepG2 and MHCC‐97H cells recruited more macrophages via chemokine (CC motif) ligand 2, which suggests a positive feedback between TAMs and HCC cells. Taken together, our findings reveal that TAMs could upregulate secreted protein S100A9 and enhance the stem cell‐like properties of HCC cells and provide a potential therapeutic target for combating HCC.
Pharmacological Characterization of 4-Methylthioamphetamine Derivatives

Amphetamine derivatives have been used in a wide variety of pathologies because of their pharmacological properties as psychostimulants, entactogens, anorectics, and antidepressants. However, adverse cardiovascular effects (sympathomimetics) and substance abuse problems (psychotropic and hallucinogenic effects) have limited their use. 4-Methylthioamphetamine (MTA) is an amphetamine derivative that has shown to inhibit monoamine uptake and monoamine oxidase. However, the pharmacological characterization (neurochemical, behavioral, and safety) of its derivatives 4-ethylthioamphetamine (ETA) and 4-methylthio-phenil-2-butanamine (MT-But) have not been studied. In the current experiments, we show that ETA and MT-But do not increase locomotor activity and conditioned place preference with respect to MTA. At the neurochemical level, ETA and MT-But do not increase in vivo DA release in striatum, but ETA and MT-But affect the nucleus accumbens bioaccumulation of DA and DOPAC. Regarding cardiovascular effects, the administration of MTA and ETA increased the mean arterial pressure and only ETA significantly increases the heart rate. Our results show that the pharmacological and safety profiles of MTA are modulated by changing the methyl-thio group or the methyl group of the aminoethyl chain.
Mechanical Characterization of Nanocomposite Joints Based on Biomedical Grade Polyethylene under Cyclical Loads

Polymeric joints, made of biomedical polyethylene (UHMWPE) nanocomposite sheets, were welded with a diode laser. Since polyethylene does not absorb laser light, nanocomposites were prepared containing different percentages by weight of titanium dioxide as it is a laser absorbent. The joints were first analyzed with static mechanical tests to establish the best percentage weight content of filler that had the best mechanical response. Then, the nanocomposites containing 1 wt% titanium dioxide were selected (white color) to be subjected to fatigue tests. The experimental results were also compared with those obtained on UMMWPE with a different laser light absorbent nano filler (carbon, with greater laser absorbing power, gray in color), already studied by our research team. The results showed that the two types of joints had an appreciable resistance to fatigue, depending on the various loads imposed. Therefore, they can be chosen in different applications of UHMWPE, depending on the stresses imposed during their use.
Identification and Characterization of Hypothalamic Alternative Splicing Events and Variants in Ovine Fecundity-Related Genes

Simple Summary Previous studies revealed that alternative splicing (AS) events and gene variants played key roles in reproduction. However, their location and distribution in hypothalamic fecundity-related genes in sheep without the FecB mutation remain largely unknown. In this study, we performed a correlation analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics, and the results suggested several differentially expressed genes (DEGs)/differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), including galectin 3 (LGALS3), aspartoacylase (ASPA) and transthyretin (TTR), could be candidate genes influencing ovine litter size. Further analysis suggested that AS events, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and microRNA (miRNA)-binding sites existed in key DEGs/DEPs, such as ASPA and TTR. This study provides a new insight into ovine and even other mammalian reproduction. Abstract Previous studies revealed that alternative splicing (AS) events and gene variants played key roles in reproduction; however, their location and distribution in hypothalamic fecundity-related genes in sheep without the FecB mutation remain largely unknown. Therefore, in this study, we described the hypothalamic AS events and variants in differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in Small Tail Han sheep without the FecB mutation at polytocous sheep in the follicular phase vs. monotocous sheep in the follicular phase (PF vs. MF) and polytocous sheep in the luteal phase vs. monotocous sheep in the luteal phase (PL vs. ML) via an RNA-seq study for the first time. We found 39 DEGs with AS events (AS DEGs) in PF vs. MF, while 42 AS DEGs were identified in PL vs. ML. No DEGs with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were observed in PF vs. MF, but five were identified in PL vs. ML. We also performed a correlation analysis of transcriptomics and proteomics, and the results suggested several key DEGs/differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), such as galectin 3 (LGALS3) in PF vs. MF and aspartoacylase (ASPA) and transthyretin (TTR) in PL vs. ML, could be candidate genes influencing ovine litter size. In addition, further analyses suggested that AS events, SNPs and miRNA-binding sites existed in key DEGs/DEPs, such as ASPA and TTR. All in all, this study provides a new insight into ovine and even other mammalian reproduction.