Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inter- and Intra-Hemispheric EEG Coherence Study in Adults with Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Abstract Functional connectivity between different regions of the brain in the resting state has been a recent topic of interest in neurophysiological research. EEG coherence happened to be an useful tool for measuring changes in neuro-psycho-physiological functioning which are not detectable by simply measuring amplitude or power spectra. The aim of our study was to investigate the changes in the EEG coherence in groups of different mental disorders such as: depression, general anxiety disorder, ADHD, Asperger syndrome and headaches, compared to control group. All measures were made in two conditions: eye opened (EO) and eyes closed (EC). The obtained results show that in EO condition there is a significantly lower coherence for delta waves between analyzed groups. For theta coherence only for Asperger syndrome we found lower coherence compared to control group, ADHD and headaches in parietal region (P3-P4). Obtained results for intrahemispheric coherence have shown that there was significantly lower coherence in both conditions for delta and theta bands in almost all sites for Asperger’s syndrome, and opposite increased intrahemispheric coherence for patients with headaches (for delta band in the anterior regions and for theta band in the posterior regions). ADHD patients expressed lower delta inter-hemispheric coherence in frontal regions, and increased coherence of theta in central regions but increased delta coherence in posterior regions only in EO condition. For depressive and anxiety patients we found decreased intrahemispheric coherence for EO condition for delta brain waves all over the cortex. Concerning the coherence in anxiety patients in our current study we have obtained hypo coherence in centro-parieto-occipital region only for delta in inter-hemispheric coherence and also lower delta coherence through the cortex for intrahemispheric coherence. Our findings for interhemispheric hyper coherence in subjects with depression specifically for alpha and beta bands were confirmed in other studies. We suggest that EEG coherence analysis could be a sensitive parameter in the detection of electrophysiological abnormalities in patients with anxiety, depression, ADHD, Asperger syndrome and headaches. These results can confirm the development of QEEG state and trait biomarkers for psychiatric disorders.
Characterisation of Campylobacter spp. Isolated from Poultry in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

This study investigated the antibiotic resistance, virulence profiles, and clonality of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli isolated from an intensive poultry farming system in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Following ethical approval, samples were collected over six weeks using the farm-to-fork approach. Campylobacter spp. were identified using culture, confirmed and differentiated to species level by PCR, and subjected to antibiotic susceptibility testing. Selected antibiotic resistance (and mutations) and virulence genes were screened by PCR and confirmed by DNA sequencing. Genetic relatedness amongst the isolates was ascertained using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In all, 105 isolates were confirmed as belonging to both Campylobacter coli (60; 57%) and C. jejuni (45; 43%). The highest resistance was recorded against erythromycin and clindamycin. The gyrA mutation, A20175C/A2074G point mutation, tet(O), and cmeB, all associated with antibiotic resistance, were detected. All the virulence genes (pldA, ciaB, cdtA, cdtB, cdtC, dnaJ, except for cadF) were also detected. Isolates were grouped into five pulsotypes displaying 85% similarity, irrespective of their resistance profiles. The numerous permutations of clonality, antibiotic resistance, and virulence profiles evident in Campylobacter spp. pose a challenge to food safety and necessitate a comprehensive understanding of the molecular epidemiology of this organism to decrease its spread in the food chain.
Progress in Organic Coatings

Silane based products are becoming an interesting material for pre-treatment deposition, because, for the environmental compatibility, they can be used as substitutes of traditional pre-treatments like chromates. Silanes have been studied as new pre-treatments before organic coating deposition for many different metals, including aluminium, copper and zinc. In this work, some results concerning the properties of water-based silane pre-treatments on galvanized steel will be presented. Galvanized sheets obtained by continuous hot dip process were considered. A silane based bath containing a mixture of three different silanes were used for the pre-treatment deposition (Glycidoxypropiltrimethoxysilane, Tetraethoxysilane and Methyltriethoxysilane). The obtained pre-treatments were characterized by SEM observations, FT-IR and ToF-Sims analysis. The corrosion protection properties of the pre-treated galvanized samples were studied using industrial accelerated tests (like salt spray exposure) and electrochemical measurements (polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements), as a function of the different curing conditions. The pre-treated galvanized sheets were further coated with an epoxy-polyester powder coating, in order to verify the adhesion promotion properties and the corrosion protection performances of the complete protective system. The coated samples were characterized by EIS measurements with artificial defect in order to study the interfacial stability (adhesion) in wet conditions and monitor the coating delamination. The electrochemical data were compared with adhesion measurements obtained by cathodic delamination tests. The electrochemical tests showed that the silane layer acts not only as a coupling agent between the inorganic substrate and the organic coating, but it also ensures a good barrier effect against water and oxygen. © 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism Following Surgery for Hip Fracture in Older Adults: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Introduction: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) decrease the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) without increasing the risk of hemorrhage in elective lower limb orthopedic surgery. However, the role of DOACs in preventing VTE following hip fracture surgery in the older adults remains unclear. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of DOACs in older adults undergoing surgery for hip fracture. Materials and methods: Single-center, retrospective, population-based cohort study of patients receiving either a DOAC or low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for VTE prophylaxis following hip fracture surgery. Data obtained included patient demographics, comorbidities, fracture classification, time to surgery, procedure performed, and length of stay. Main outcomes assessed were incidence of VTE, incidence of major hemorrhage, and death within 30 days of surgery. Results: A total of 321 patients were included. Incidence of VTE was 0% in the DOAC group and 3.4% in the LMWH group (risk ratio [RR]:0.26, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02-4.34, P = .35). Hemorrhage occurred in 7.4% and 3.0% of patients in the DOAC and LMWH groups, respectively (RR: 2.47, 95% CI: 0.77-7.91, P = .13). Mortality from VTE was 0% in the DOAC group and 0.7% in the LMWH group (RR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.05-20.02, P = .99). Mortality from hemorrhage was 1.9% in the DOAC group and 0.7% in the LMWH group (RR: 2.47, 95% CI: 0.23-26.78, P = .46). Discussion: The use of DOACs for VTE prophylaxis following surgery in older adults with hip fracture was associated with a similar rate of VTE compared to LMWH. However, there was a worrying trend toward an increased risk of hemorrhage. Conclusion: In the present study of a carefully selected cohort of patients, the effect of DOACs in reducing the risk of VTE following surgery for hip fracture in the older adults was comparable to LMWH. However, a trend toward increased risk of hemorrhage was noted. Larger prospective studies will be required to identify patients who will benefit the most from treatment.
Diffusion‐weighted MRI with intravoxel incoherent motion modeling for assessment of muscle perfusion in the thigh during post‐exercise hyperemia in younger and older adults

Aging is associated with impaired endothelium‐dependent vasodilation that leads to muscle perfusion impairment and contributes to organ dysfunction. Impaired muscle perfusion may result in inadequate delivery of oxygen and nutrients during and after muscle contraction, leading to muscle damage. The ability to study the relationship between perfusion and muscle damage has been limited using traditional muscle perfusion measures, which are invasive and risky. To overcome this limitation, we optimized a diffusion‐weighted MRI sequence and validated an intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) analysis based on Monte Carlo simulation to study muscle perfusion impairment with aging during post‐exercise hyperemia. Simulation results demonstrated that the bias of IVIM‐derived perfusion fraction (fp) and diffusion of water molecules in extra‐vascular tissue (D) ranged from −3.3% to 14% and from −16.5% to 0.002%, respectively, in the optimized experimental condition. The dispersion in fp and D ranged from 3.2% to 9.5% and from 0.9% to 1.1%, respectively. The mid‐thigh of the left leg of four younger (21–30 year old) and four older (60–90 year old) healthy females was studied using the optimized protocol at baseline and at seven time increments occurring every 3.25 min following in‐magnet dynamic knee extension exercise performed using a MR‐compatible ergometer with a workload of 0.4 bar for 2.5 min. After exercise, both fp and D significantly increased in the rectus femoris (active muscle during exercise) but not in adductor magnus (inactive muscle), reflecting the fact that the local increase in perfusion with both groups showed a maximum value in the second post‐exercise time‐point. A significantly greater increase in perfusion from the baseline (p < 0.05) was observed in the younger group (37 ± 12.05%) compared with the older group (17.57 ± 15.92%) at the first post‐exercise measurement. This work establishes a reliable non‐invasive method that can be used to study the effects of aging on dynamic changes in muscle perfusion as they relate to important measures of physical function.
Automated Diagnosis of Hepatitis B Using Multilayer Mamdani Fuzzy Inference System

In this research, a new multilayered mamdani fuzzy inference system (Ml-MFIS) is proposed to diagnose hepatitis B. The proposed automated diagnosis of hepatitis B using multilayer mamdani fuzzy inference system (ADHB-ML-MFIS) expert system can classify the different stages of hepatitis B such as no hepatitis, acute HBV, or chronic HBV. The expert system has two input variables at layer I and seven input variables at layer II. At layer I, input variables are ALT and AST that detect the output condition of the liver to be normal or to have hepatitis or infection and/or other problems. The further input variables at layer II are HBsAg, anti-HBsAg, anti-HBcAg, anti-HBcAg-IgM, HBeAg, anti-HBeAg, and HBV-DNA that determine the output condition of hepatitis such as no hepatitis, acute hepatitis, or chronic hepatitis and other reasons that arise due to enzyme vaccination or due to previous hepatitis infection. This paper presents an analysis of the results accurately using the proposed ADHB-ML-MFIS expert system to model the complex hepatitis B processes with the medical expert opinion that is collected from the Pathology Department of Shalamar Hospital, Lahore, Pakistan. The overall accuracy of the proposed ADHB-ML-MFIS expert system is 92.2%.
Out of sight out of mind: an examination of mental health problems in UK military reservists and veterans

Abstract Background Reservists often have different experiences to regular military personnel which may impact their mental health. Aims To investigate the incidence of mental health problems in both active and veteran reservists and determine how this compares to regular service personnel and ex-regular veterans. Method Five studies which included reservist and/or veteran participants, a validated assessment of mental health problems, and provided primary data were included in the synthesis. Common mental health disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorder were examined. Results Nondeployed mobilized reservists were significantly less likely to report common mental health disorders than nondeployed regulars. There were no other significant differences between groups. Regardless deployed reservists reported more mental health problems than nondeployed reservists. Similarly, ex-regular deployed veterans were more likely to experience mental health difficulties than nondeployed ex-regular veterans. Notably, a large proportion of non-deployed reservists reported probable alcohol use disorders, indicating that problematic alcohol consumption may not be due to deployment in this group. Conclusion These results highlight the need for ongoing support for military regular, ex-regular and reservist personnel. Additional research is needed to examine potential risk and protective factors for mental health problems in both deployed and nondeployed reservists. Key points Overall, mobilized deployed reservists were more likely to experience mental health problems than non-deployed reservists. Nondeployed regulars reported significantly more common mental health problems than nondeployed mobilized reservists. Reservists and (ex-)regulars reported similar rates of PTSD. This suggests reservists are vulnerable to developing PTSD following non-combat related trauma that may not lead to PTSD in regulars and this warrants future research. Reservists were less likely to report problematic alcohol consumption compared to regular personnel and ex-regular veterans. The greatest amount of reservist problematic drinking was reported in non-deployed veteran reservists. This indicates problematic alcohol consumption is not deployment related in this group and highlights the need for ongoing formal support for alcohol use disorders in the UK Armed Forces.
LncRNA H19 is involved in myocardial ischemic preconditioning via increasing the stability of nucleolin protein

Myocardial ischemic preconditioning (IP) is defined as a brief period of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) that significantly reduces injury during the subsequent exposure to long‐term I/R. However, the underlying mechanisms of myocardial IP are yet to be elucidated. This study investigated the expression and roles of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) H19 in myocardial IP in vitro and in vivo. LncRNA H19 expression levels were analyzed by quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction, cell viability was determined by the Cell Counting Kit‐8 assay, apoptosis was evaluated based on the caspase 3 activity, and RNA immunoprecipitation was performed to examine the interaction between lncRNA H19 and nucleolin. The results of this study showed that lncRNA H19 expression was significantly upregulated in mouse hearts subjected to myocardial IP, in rat H9C2 cells exposed to H2O2 preconditioning (H2O2‐PC), and in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes subjected to hypoxia preconditioning. H19 knockdown abrogated the H2O2‐PC‐mediated protection in cardiomyocytes evidenced by the decreased cell viability and increased caspase‐3 activity. Conversely, H19 overexpression enhanced the protective role of H2O2‐PC in cardiomyocytes. In addition, H19 overexpression increased the expression of nucleolin, whereas H19 ablation abrogated H2O2‐PC‐induced upregulation of nucleolin in cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, H19 overexpression increased the stabilization of nucleolin; an interaction between H19 and nucleolin was identified using the RNA–protein interaction studies. Furthermore, nucleolin small interfering RNA relieved the protective role of lncRNA H19. These findings demonstrated that the lncRNA H19 is involved in myocardial IP via increasing the stability of nucleolin protein and lncRNA H19 may represent a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of the myocardial injury.
Two-Sided Matching for mentor-mentee allocations—Algorithms and manipulation strategies

In scenarios where allocations are determined by participant’s preferences, Two-Sided Matching is a well-established approach with applications in College Admissions, School Choice, and Mentor-Mentee matching problems. In such a context, participants in the matching have preferences with whom they want to be matched with. This article studies two important concepts in Two-Sided Matching: multiple objectives when finding a solution, and manipulation of preferences by participants. We use real data sets from a Mentor-Mentee program for the evaluation to provide insight on realistic effects and implications of the two concepts. In the first part of the article, we consider the quality of solutions found by different algorithms using a variety of solution criteria. Most current algorithms focus on one criterion (number of participants matched), while not directly taking into account additional objectives. Hence, we evaluate different algorithms, including multi-objective heuristics, and the resulting trade-offs. The evaluation shows that existing algorithms for the considered problem sizes perform similarly well and close to the optimal solution, yet multi-objective heuristics provide the additional benefit of yielding solutions with better quality on multiple criteria. In the second part, we consider the effects of different types of preference manipulation on the participants and the overall solution. Preference manipulation is a concept that is well established in theory, yet its practical effects on the participants and the solution quality are less clear. Hence, we evaluate the effects of three manipulation strategies on the participants and the overall solution quality, and investigate if the effects depend on the used solution algorithm as well.
Randomized, Multicenter, Phase II Trial of Gemcitabine and Cisplatin With or Without Veliparib in Patients With Pancreas Adenocarcinoma and a Germline BRCA/PALB2 Mutation.

PURPOSE Five percent to 9% of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDACs) develop in patients with a germline BRCA1/2 or PALB2 (gBRCA/PALB2+) mutation. Phase IB data from a trial that used cisplatin, gemcitabine, and veliparib treatment demonstrated a high response rate (RR), disease control rate (DCR), and overall survival (OS) in this population. We designed an open-label, randomized, multicenter, two-arm phase II trial to investigate cisplatin and gemcitabine with or without veliparib in gBRCA/PALB2+ PDAC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eligible patients had untreated gBRCA/PALB2+ PDAC with measurable stage III to IV disease and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 to 1. Treatment for patients in arm A consisted of cisplatin 25 mg/m2 and gemcitabine 600 mg/m2 intravenously on days 3 and 10; treatment for patients in arm B was the same as that for patients in arm A plus veliparib 80 mg orally twice per day on days 1 to 12 cycled every 3 weeks. The primary end point was RRs of arm A and arm B evaluated separately using a Simon two-stage design. Secondary end points were progression-free survival, DCR, OS, safety, and correlative analyses. RESULTS Fifty patients were evaluated by modified intention-to-treat analysis. The RR for arm A was 74.1% and 65.2% for arm B (P = .55); both arms exceeded the prespecified activity threshold. DCR was 100% for arm A and 78.3% for arm B (P = .02). Median progression-free survival was 10.1 months for arm A (95% CI, 6.7 to 11.5 months) and 9.7 months for arm B (95% CI, 4.2 to 13.6 months; P = .73). Median OS for arm A was 15.5 months (95% CI, 12.2 to 24.3 months) and 16.4 months for arm B (95% CI, 11.7 to 23.4 months; P = .6). Two-year OS rate for the entire cohort was 30.6% (95% CI, 17.8% to 44.4%), and 3-year OS rate was 17.8% (95% CI, 8.1% to 30.7%). Grade 3 to 4 hematologic toxicities for arm A versus arm B were 13 (48%) versus seven (30%) for neutropenia, 15 (55%) versus two (9%) for thrombocytopenia, and 14 (52%) versus eight (35%) for anemia. CONCLUSION Cisplatin and gemcitabine is an effective regimen in advanced gBRCA/PALB2+ PDAC. Concurrent veliparib did not improve RR. These data establish cisplatin and gemcitabine as a standard approach in gBRCA/PALB2+ PDAC.
Fibrosis reversal after hepatitis C virus elimination

Purpose of review Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been the leading cause of cirrhosis in the United States now for the last several decades. With the introduction of highly effective direct acting antiviral (DAA) drugs, cure rates are now almost 100%. With this explosion of effective therapy, it is possible that many patients with HCV may have reversion in fibrosis. The purpose of this review is, therefore, to report on recent findings in this field. Recent findings Older data that examined the effect of interferon-based HCV therapy indicate that fibrosis reverses after HCV eradication. More recent work in the DAA era similarly indicates that fibrosis is reversible. A caveat is that DAA therapy causes rapid viral clearance, and appears to lead to rapid reductions in inflammation. Some tools (such as transient elastography), which may also reflect the inflammatory response, and thus may ‘overestimate’ of fibrosis reversal. However, emerging data suggesting improved outcomes in patients with cirrhosis after HCV clearance support the concept that even cirrhosis reverses in some patients. Summary Fibrosis (and cirrhosis) reversion, to some extent, occurs after HCV clearance. This topic is vitally important and information continues to emerge; more data on this subject are expected and needed.
Physiological and transcriptomic responses of Lanzhou Lily (Lilium davidii, var. unicolor) to cold stress

Low temperature induces changes in plants at physiological and molecular levels, thus affecting growth and development. The Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii, var. unicolor) is an important medicinal plant with high economic value. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its photosynthetic and antioxidation responses to low temperature still remain poorly understood. This study subjected the Lanzhou lily to the two temperatures of 20°C (control) and 4°C (low temperature) for 24 h. Physiological parameters related to membrane integrity, photosynthesis, antioxidant system, and differentially expressed genes were investigated. Compared with control, low temperature increased the relative electrical conductivity by 43.2%, while it decreased net photosynthesis rate, ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence, and catalase activity by 47.3%, 10.1%, and 11.1%, respectively. In addition, low temperature significantly increased the content of soluble protein, soluble sugar, and proline, as well as the activity of superoxide dismutase and peroxidase. Comparative transcriptome profiling showed that a total of 238,109 differentially expressed genes were detected. Among these, 3,566 were significantly upregulated while 2,982 were significantly downregulated in response to low temperature. Gene Ontology enrichment analysis indicated that in response to low temperature, the mostly significantly enriched differentially expressed genes were mainly involved in phosphorylation, membrane and protein kinase activity, as well as photosynthesis, light harvesting, light reaction, and alpha,alpha-trehalose-phosphate synthase activity. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis also indicated that the most significantly enriched pathways involved ribosome biogenesis in eukaryotes, phenylalanine metabolism, circadian rhythm, porphyrin and chlorophyll metabolism, photosynthesis of antenna proteins, photosynthesis, and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. Moreover, the expression patterns of 10 randomly selected differentially expressed genes confirmed the RNA-Seq results. These results expand the understanding of the physiological and molecular mechanisms underlying the response of the Lanzhou lily to low temperature stress.