Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delayed educational services during Covid‐19 and their relationships with the mental health of individuals with disabilities

Abstract During the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid‐19) pandemic, individuals with disabilities (IWD), like many others, have not been able to benefit effectively from educational and school‐based mental health services, which are vital to achieving mental good health. This study aimed to collect views of IWD about how their mental health was affected by the school closure during Covid‐19. Thirty‐one IWD were interviewed and data were analyzed thematically. Findings indicated that the educational delay, combined with the pressure of the preventive measures against Covid‐19 was associated with (i) difficulties in emotional well‐being, structured routines, learning, and socialization, (ii) enhanced feelings of isolation and pain, and (iii) negative perceptions of academic‐self‐efficacy and therapy‐related outcomes. The findings of the study highlight the importance of urgent short‐term and long‐term measures to provide safe and individually oriented educational services to compensate for the consequences of the pandemic.
Outcomes of Primary Ileocolic Resection for Pediatric Crohn Disease in the Biologic Era

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text ABSTRACT Objectives: Current clinical algorithms position surgery as the last option in pediatric Crohn disease (CD). Studies suggest improved outcomes with earlier surgery, but pediatric postoperative outcomes data in the biologic era are limited. We aimed to describe the preoperative management and postoperative outcomes in a pediatric CD cohort who underwent ileocolic resection (ICR) at a tertiary care inflammatory bowel disease center over the last decade. Methods: Single-center, retrospective study of pediatric (<18 years) CD patients who underwent ICR between 2008 and 2019 with primary outcome of rate of endoscopic recurrence (Rutgeerts’ >i2) at 2 years post-ICR. Key secondary outcomes included endoscopic remission (Rutgeerts’ i0), frequency of 30-day postoperative complications, anthropometric changes, and histologic recurrence. Uni- and multivariable analyses examined associations of clinical/laboratory characteristics with endoscopic recurrence. Factors predictive of 30-day complications were also analyzed. Results: Seventy-eight children underwent ICR a median of 17.8 months (interquartile range [IQR] 2.6–53.9) from diagnosis. Median age at diagnosis and surgery was 13.8 (11.1–16.7) and 16.8 years (15.1–17.8), respectively. In the 41 patients with >1 post-operative endoscopy, the rate of endoscopic recurrence was 46% at 2 years (median time to recurrence: 10 [7–20] months). Histologic recurrence was present in 44% in endoscopic remission (κ = 0.11, P = 0.53). Endoscopic recurrence was associated with younger age at diagnosis and longer disease duration. 30-day complications occurred at a rate of 18%; only 1% experienced severe complications. All anthropometric measures significantly improved after surgery. Conclusions: Given the inherent risk of postoperative recurrence associated with age and disease duration, children would benefit from postoperative surveillance and effective prophylaxis.
Cognitive decline is associated with an accelerated rate of bone loss and increased fracture risk in women: a prospective study from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study

Cognitive decline and osteoporosis often coexist and some evidence suggests a causal link. However, there are no data on the longitudinal relationship between cognitive decline, bone loss and fracture risk, independent of aging. This study aimed to determine the association between: (i) cognitive decline and bone loss; and (ii) clinically significant cognitive decline (≥3 points) on Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) over the first 5 years and subsequent fracture risk over the following 10 years. A total of 1741 women and 620 men aged ≥65 years from the population‐based Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study were followed from 1997 to 2013. Association between cognitive decline and (i) bone loss was estimated using mixed‐effects models; and (ii) fracture risk was estimated using adjusted Cox models. Over 95% of participants had normal cognition at baseline (MMSE ≥ 24). The annual % change in MMSE was similar for both genders (women −0.33, interquartile range [IQR] −0.70 to +0.00; and men −0.34, IQR: −0.99 to 0.01). After multivariable adjustment, cognitive decline was associated with bone loss in women (6.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.2% to 9.9% for each percent decline in MMSE from baseline) but not men. Approximately 13% of participants experienced significant cognitive decline by year 5. In women, fracture risk was increased significantly (multivariable hazard ratio [HR], 1.61; 95% CI, 1.11 to 2.34). There were too few men to analyze. There was a significant association between cognitive decline and both bone loss and fracture risk, independent of aging, in women. Further studies are needed to determine mechanisms that link these common conditions. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
An assessment of statistical methods for non-independent data in ecological meta-analyses: Comment.

Recently, Song et al. (2020) conducted a simulation study using different methods to deal with non-independence resulting from effect sizes originating from the same paper - a common occurrence in ecological meta-analyses. The main methods that were of interest in their simulations were: 1) a standard random-effects model used in combination with a weighted average effect size for each paper (i.e., a two-step method), 2) a standard random-effects model after randomly choosing one effect size per paper, 3) a multilevel (hierarchical) meta-analysis model, modelling paper identity as a random factor, and 4) a meta-analysis making use of a robust variance estimation method. Based on their simulation results, they recommend that meta-analysts should either use the two-step method, which involves taking a weighted paper mean followed by analysis with a random-effects model, or the robust variance estimation method.
Incidence and Associated Risk Factors for Falls in Older Adults After Elective Total Knee Replacement Surgery

Objective The aim of the study was to determine the incidence and associated risk factors for falls in older adults in the 12 mos after elective, primary total knee replacement surgery. Design A prospective observational cohort of older adults undergoing total knee replacement were followed. Baseline measurements included risk factors of history of falls, using a gait aid and number of medications. Falls data were recorded after discharge for 12 mos alongside patient reported outcomes (Oxford Knee Score). Analyses used logistic and negative binomial regression modeling. Results There were 267 participants (mean age = 70 [6.7] yrs) enrolled. Participants who fell (n = 102 [40.6%]) reported 200 falls in the 12 mos after surgery. The incidence of falls was 2.4 falls per 1000 patient days in the 12 mos after surgery, with the highest incidence (2.6 falls per 1000 patient days) in month 1. Risk factors for falling were a history of falls (adjusted odds ratio = 2.41, 95% confidence interval = 1.35–4.31) and number of central nervous system acting medications taken before surgery (adjusted odds ratio = 1.66, 95% confidence interval = 1.25–2.21). Using a walking aid at baseline was associated with falls after discharge (adjusted incident rate ratio = 2.38, 95% confidence interval = 1.57–3.60). Conclusions Older adults experience a high incidence of falls after elective total knee replacement. Further research that investigates falls prevention after total knee replacement is required.
Hepatic steatosis in patients with schizophrenia: a clinical cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective With hepatic steatosis (HS) being an established risk factor for CVD in the general population, it may also be a predictor of CVD in patients with schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate if time since schizophrenia diagnosis, body mass index (BMI), sex, metabolic syndrome, alcohol use, smoking, alanine transaminase (ALT), and body fat percentage (as measured by bioelectrical impedance) were associated with HS, determined by computed tomography (CT), in a population of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Methods Moderate to severe HS (40 CT Hounsfield units as threshold) was determined utilizing non-contrast enhanced CT. The association between the explanatory variables and outcome of HS was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. Results In the present study, 145 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (mean age 42.2 years (SD ± 13.8)) were included, with 88 (60.7%) being male. On average, patients had been diagnosed for 14.8 (SD ± 10.7) years. A total of 31 (21.4%) patients had HS as determined by CT. The presence of HS was associated with ALT (OR 1.06, 95% CI (1.02–1.10) per 1 U/L increase), and the presence of metabolic syndrome (OR 62.89, 95% CI (2.03–1949.55)). The presence of HS was not associated with BMI, body fat percentage or time since diagnosis in the multivariable analysis. Conclusion Higher ALT and the presence of metabolic syndrome were associated with HS in patients with schizophrenia utilizing multivariable analysis. The findings suggest that risk factors for HS are similar in both the general population and in patients with schizophrenia.
Interspecific variation and functional traits of the gut microbiome in spiders from the wild: The largest effort so far

Spiders being one of the most diverse group in phylum arthropod are of great importance due to their role as predators, silk producer, and in medicinal applications. Spiders in prey–predator relationships play a crucial role in balancing the food-chain of any ecosystem; therefore it is essential to characterize the gut microbiota of spiders collected from natural environments. In the present work, the largest effort so far has been made to characterize the gut microbiota of 35 spider species belonging to four different families using 16S amplicon targeting sequencing. Further, we compared the gut microbiota composition including endosymbiont abundance in spider species collected from different geographical locations. The results obtained revealed the presence of genera like Acinetobacter (15%), V7clade (9%), Wolbachia (8%), Pseudomonas (5%), Bacillus (6%). Although comparative analysis revealed that the gut bacterial composition in all the spider families has a similar pattern, in terms of community richness and evenness. The bacterial diversity in the spider family, Lycosidae are more diverse than in Salticidae, Tetragnathidae and Araneidae. Furthermore, it was observed that the abundance of endosymbiont genera, i.e. Wolbachia and Rickettsia, leads to shift in the abundance of other bacterial taxa and may cause sexual alterations in spider species. Moreover, predicted functional analysis based on PICRUSt2 reveals that gut microbiota of spider species were involved in functions like metabolism of carbohydrates, cofactors and vitamins, amino acids; biosynthesis of organic compounds, fatty acids, lipids etc. Based on the results obtained, it can be said that different locations do not correlate with community composition of gut microbiota in spider species collected from natural environments.
Venetoclax enhances T cell–mediated antileukemic activity by increasing ROS production

The combination of venetoclax and the hypomethylating agent azacytidine induces a high rate of complete responses in treatment-naïve older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Lee and colleagues elucidate a novel mechanism of action for the synergy of these agents, demonstrating that venetoclax enhances reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and enhances T-cell effector function while azacytidine renders AML cells more susceptible to T cell–mediated cytotoxicity.
Hysteroscopic treatments for endometrial malignancies and premalignancies: state of the art

Abstract Endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy worldwide. One in four cases will be diagnosed before menopause. Endometrial atypical hyperplasia (EAH) is a precursor of endometrial cancer and tends to occur at a young age. Those who have early stage, grade 1 EEC or EAH and wish to preserve their fertility can be managed with hormonal therapy. Hysteroscopic treatment in addition to progestin therapy has been used more commonly in the last decade. Herein, a review of available data on hysteroscopic treatment in EEC and EAH is presented.
Validation study of canine serum cortisol measurement with the Immulite 2000 Xpi cortisol immunoassay

We report the results of validation of canine serum cortisol determination with the Immulite 2000 Xpi cortisol immunoassay (Siemens), with characterization of precision (CV), accuracy (spiking-recovery [SR] bias), and observed total error (TEo = bias + 2CV) across the reportable range, specifically at the most common interpretation thresholds for dynamic testing. Imprecision increased at increasing rate with decreasing serum cortisol concentration and bias was low, resulting in increasing TEo with decreasing serum cortisol concentration. Inter-laboratory comparison study allowed for determination of range-based bias (RB) and average bias (AB). At 38.6 and 552 nmol/L (1.4 and 20 μg/dL), between-run CV was 10% and 7.5%, respectively, and TEo ~30% and ~20%, respectively (TEo remained similar regardless of the considered bias: SR, RB, or AB). These analytical performance parameters should be considered in the interpretation of results and for future expert consensus discussions to determine recommendations for allowable total error (TEa). Importantly, the commonly used thresholds for interpretation of results were determined ~40 y ago with different methods of measurements and computation, hence updating is desirable. Quality control material (QCM) had between-run imprecision of 4% for QCM1 and 7% for QCM2; the bias was minimal for both levels. Acceptable QC rules are heavily dependent on the desired TEa for the QCM system (TEaQCM), itself limited by the desired clinical TEa. At low TEaQCM (20–33%), almost no rules were acceptable, whereas at high TEaQCM (50%), almost all rules were acceptable; further investigation is needed to determine which TEaQCM can be guaranteed by simple QC rules.
The Effect of Shape on Intermethod Correlation of Techniques for Characterizing the Size Distribution of Powder. Part 1: Correlating the Size Distribution Measured by Sieving, Image Analysis, and Diffractometer Methods

In recent years, powder technologists have been increasingly concerned with powder systems having irregular grain shape and texture. Of particular concern is the effect of the shape of the powder grains on the size distribution data generated by characterization methods based on various physical principles. In particular, as many laboratories switched to modern procedures based on analysis of diffraction patterns, the need to know the effect of particle shape on the data generated by the newer methods, as compared to information gathered using classical methods such as sieving or image analysis, has grown. In this study comparative data generated by sieving, image analysis, and diffractometer studies of four iron powders, arc reported and discussed.
Comparison of procedural efficacy, balloon nadir temperature, and incidence of phrenic nerve palsy between two cryoballoon technologies for pulmonary vein isolation: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

In May 2020, a novel cryoballoon system (POLARx; Boston Scientific) became available for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation (AF). The design of the cryoballoon is comparable to the Arctic Front Advance Pro (AFA‐Pro; Medtronic), but it is more compliant during freezing. We compared the procedural efficacy, biophysical parameters, and risk of phrenic nerve palsy (PNP) between the two cryoballoons.
A novel undergraduate biomedical laboratory course concept in synergy with ongoing faculty research

Optimal integration of education and ongoing faculty research in many undergraduate science programs is limited to the capstone project. Here, we aimed to develop a novel course‐based undergraduate research experience (CURE) in synergy with ongoing faculty research. This 10‐week course called Biomedical Research Lab is embedded in the curriculum of the undergraduate program Biomedical Sciences and grounded in the theoretical framework of research‐based learning. Four groups of four students work together in a dedicated laboratory on an actual ongoing research problem of faculty. All groups work on the same research problem, albeit from different (methodological) perspectives, thereby stimulating interdependence between all participants. Students propose new research, execute the experiments, and collectively report in a single research article. According to students, the course enhanced scientific, laboratory, and academic skills. Students appreciated ownership and responsibilities of the research, laboratory teachers as role models, and they were inspired and motivated by doing authentic actual research. The course resulted in a better understanding of what doing research entails. Faculty valued the didactical experience, research output and scouting opportunities. Since topics can change per course edition, we have showcased a widely applicable pedagogy creating synergy between ongoing research and undergraduate education.
MERTK retinopathy: biomarkers assessing vision loss

ABSTRACT Purpose Mer tyrosine kinase-retinitis pigmentosa (MERTK-RP) causes a primary defect in the retinal pigment epithelium, which subsequently affects rod and cone photoreceptors. The study aims to identify the most appropriate MERTK-RP biomarkers to measure disease progression for deciding the optimum therapeutic trial intervention time. Materials and Methods Patients’ data from baseline (BL) and last follow-up (LFU) were reviewed. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), spectral domain-optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), ultra-widefield fundus autofluorescence (UWF-FAF) patterns, kinetic perimetry (KP), and electroretinography (ERG) parameters were analyzed. Results Five patients were included with the mean age of 17.7 ± 14.4 years old (6.7–42.3) at BL and mean BCVA follow-up of 8.4 ± 5.1 years. Mean BCVA at BL and LFU were 0.84 ± 0.86 LogMAR and 1.14 ± 0.86 LogMAR, respectively. The BCVA decline rate was 0.05 ± 0.03 LogMAR units/year. Ellipzoid zones (EZ) were measurable in eight eyes with mean BL length of 1293.75 ± 421.07 µm and reduction of 140.95 ± 69.28 µm/year and mean BL CMT of 174.2 ± 37.52 µm with the rate of 11.2 ± 12.77 µm declining/year. Full-field ERG (ffERG) and pattern ERG (pERG) were barely recordable. UWF-FAF showed central macular hyper-autofluorescence (hyperAF). KP (III4e and V4e) was normal in two eyes, restricted nasally in four eyes, superior wedge defect in two eyes and undetectable in two eyes. The four restricted nasally KPs became worse, while the others stayed almost unchanged. Conclusions This cohort showed early visual loss, moderately rapid EZ reduction and macular hyperAF. EZ, CMT, and BCVA were consistently reduced. Relative rapid decline in these biomarkers reflecting visual function suggests an early and narrow timespan for intervention.
Amount of Hearing Aid Use Impacts Neural Oscillatory Dynamics Underlying Verbal Working Memory Processing for Children With Hearing Loss

Objectives: Children with hearing loss (CHL) may exhibit spoken language delays and may also experience deficits in other cognitive domains including working memory. Consistent hearing aid use (i.e., more than 10 hours per day) ameliorates these language delays; however, the impact of hearing aid intervention on the neural dynamics serving working memory remains unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the association between the amount of hearing aid use and neural oscillatory activity during verbal working memory processing in children with mild-to-severe hearing loss. Design: Twenty-three CHL between 8 and 15 years-old performed a letter-based Sternberg working memory task during magnetoencephalography (MEG). Guardians also completed a questionnaire describing the participants’ daily hearing aid use. Each participant’s MEG data was coregistered to their structural MRI, epoched, and transformed into the time–frequency domain using complex demodulation. Significant oscillatory responses corresponding to working memory encoding and maintenance were independently imaged using beamforming. Finally, these whole-brain source images were correlated with the total number of hours of weekly hearing aid use, controlling for degree of hearing loss. Results: During the encoding period, hearing aid use negatively correlated with alpha-beta oscillatory activity in the bilateral occipital cortices and right precentral gyrus. In the occipital cortices, this relationship suggested that with greater hearing aid use, there was a larger suppression of occipital activity (i.e., more negative relative to baseline). In the precentral gyrus, greater hearing aid use was related to less synchronous activity (i.e., less positive relative to baseline). During the maintenance period, hearing aid use significantly correlated with alpha activity in the right prefrontal cortex, such that with greater hearing aid use, there was less right prefrontal maintenance-related activity (i.e., less positive relative to baseline). Conclusions: This study is the first to investigate the impact of hearing aid use on the neural dynamics that underlie working memory function. These data show robust relationships between the amount of hearing aid use and phase-specific neural patterns during working memory encoding and maintenance after controlling for degree of hearing loss. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that wearing hearing aids for more than ~8.5 hours/day may serve to normalize these neural patterns. This study also demonstrates the potential for neuroimaging to help determine the locus of variability in outcomes in CHL.
Transgenerational evidence of increases in dopamine D2 receptor sensitivity in rodents: Impact on sensorimotor gating, the behavioral response to nicotine and BDNF

Background/Aims: Neonatal quinpirole (NQ) treatment to rats increases dopamine D2 (DAD2) receptor sensitivity in adult animals. We investigated if increased DAD2 sensitivity would be passed to the next (F1) generation, and if these animals demonstrated sensorimotor gating deficits and enhanced behavioral responses to nicotine. Methods: Male and female rats were intraperitoneal (IP) administered quinpirole (1 mg/kg) or saline (NS) from postnatal day (P)1–21. Animals were either behaviorally tested (F0) or raised to P60 and mated, creating F1 offspring. Results: Experiment 1 revealed that F1 generation animals that were the offspring of at least one NQ-treated founder increased yawning behavior, a DAD2-mediated behavioral event, in response to acute quinpirole (0.1 mg/kg). F1 generation rats also demonstrated increased striatal β arrestin-2 and decreased phospho-AKT signaling, consistent with increased G-protein independent DAD2 signaling, which was equal to F0 NQ-treated founders, although this was not observed in all groups. RNA-Seq analysis revealed significant gene expression changes in the F1 generation that were offspring of both NQ-treated founders compared to F0 NQ founders and controls, with enrichment in sensitivity to stress hormones and cell signaling pathways. In Experiment 2, all F1 generation offspring demonstrated sensorimotor gating deficits compared to controls, which were equivalent to F0 NQ-treated founders. In Experiment 3, all F1 generation animals demonstrated enhanced nicotine behavioral sensitization and nucleus accumbens (NAcc) brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) protein. Further, F1 generation rats demonstrated enhanced adolescent nicotine conditioned place preference equivalent to NQ-treated founders conditioned with nicotine. Conclusions: This represents the first demonstration of transgenerational effects of increased DAD2 sensitivity in a rodent model.