Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Polysubstance use classes and health outcomes among women attending specialist substance use treatment services.

INTRODUCTION Substance use is increasingly prevalent among women. Little research examines subgroups of women with substance use issues to identify their characteristics and thus enable treatment recommendations. The present study used latent class analysis to identify subgroups of substance use among women in substance-use treatment based on use in the 30 days prior to intake and examined changes in mental health and treatment outcomes following 60 days of treatment. METHODS Participants were women (N = 493) attending specialist non-government substance use treatment services in New South Wales, Australia. RESULTS Four distinct classes of substance users were identified: (i) Amphetamine Type Stimulants (ATS) Polysubstance (40.6%, n = 200); (ii) Alcohol Only (33.1%, n = 163); (iii) Cannabis and Alcohol (17.0%, n = 84) and (iv) Other Polysubstance (9.3%, n = 46). Women in the ATS Polysubstance class were the youngest and those in the Alcohol Only class were the oldest. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS Findings show that classes with high polysubstance use (ATS Polysubstance) differed from the single-substance use class (Alcohol Only). The ATS Polysubstance class had significantly greater improvements in health outcomes after 60 days compared to the Alcohol Only class. These findings suggest that although women with polysubstance use can benefit from substance use treatment, younger women (ATS Polysubstance) may benefit even more than older women (Alcohol Only). Future research should utilise a longitudinal design and examine additional psychosocial characteristics to extend on current findings.
Vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (SLC18A2) regulates monoamine turnover and brain development in zebrafish

We aimed at identifying potential roles of vesicular monoamine transporter 2, also known as Solute Carrier protein 18 A2 (SLC18A2) (hereafter, Vmat2), in brain monoamine regulation, their turnover, behaviour and brain development using a novel zebrafish model.
Confronting the Delta Variant of SARS-CoV-2, Summer 2021.

Availability of safe and highly effective SARS-CoV-2 vaccines increased the possibility of durable control of COVID-19 both in the US and worldwide. After initial challenges in vaccine supply and delivery, there was substantial progress in vaccinating US residents. The arrival of spring 2021 and increasing vaccination rates, particularly among individuals at high risk for severe infection and complications, was followed by a steady decline in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. As of August 16, 2021, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 168.7 million people have been fully vaccinated in the US, which represents 50.8% of the population and 59.4% of the vaccine-eligible population.1 However, there are large variations in vaccination rates by state, with a high of 76.9% in Vermont to a low of 44% in Alabama. Moreover, immunization rates have plateaued, largely due to a lack of focus on the various behavioral aspects of vaccine uptake, especially a new vaccine that would need to be given to virtually every eligible person in the US.
Brief Mindfulness Practice Course for Healthcare Providers

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the short-term and sustained effect on well-being, burnout, and mindful awareness of an abbreviated mindfulness practice course designed for nurses and other healthcare professionals. BACKGROUND Most mindfulness programs are impractical for frontline healthcare providers because of the intensive, off-site initial training and prolonged practice commitment. A psychiatric nurse educator developed a brief training program tailored for healthcare providers. METHODS Two institutional review board–approved studies examined the abbreviated mindfulness practice course for healthcare providers: the first, a single-group pretest-posttest design with 25 nursing employees in an academic medical center, and the second, a randomized controlled trial with 83 healthcare professionals. RESULTS Significant improvement in mindful awareness and at least 1 indicator of burnout were demonstrated. Improvements in quality of life were noted with nurses. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the short-term and sustained impact of this brief mindfulness curriculum on mindful awareness, quality of life, and aspects of burnout for healthcare professionals.
Understanding loss to follow-up in a longitudinal study of people with traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT Objective To examine factors related to attrition in a traumatic brain injury (TBI) study sample assessed up to 15 years after injury. Participants One thousand twenty-eight participants with TBI who completed the year 1 follow-up assessment at a TBI Model Systems Center between 1992 and 2018. Method Secondary analysis of data from a prospective longitudinal cohort study considering follow-up data collection completion status at years 1, 2, 5, 10, and 15. Results In univariable analyses, multiple factors were associated with loss to follow-up (LOFU) including being a member of a socially disadvantaged group, substance use history, residence, payor, cause of injury, and results of earlier follow-up attempts. In a multiple logistic regression analysis examining the prediction of follow-up condition at 10 or 15 years post-injury, only payor and race/ethnicity were significant predictors. Hispanic ethnicity was associated with higher odds of LOFU, and these participants often spoke Spanish and were born outside of the United States. Conclusions The findings suggest a need to understand sociodemographic variables and their influence on participant attrition in longitudinal TBI research. With a better understanding of these predictors, procedures can be developed to address retention of participants who are identified as being at increased risk for study drop out.
Diabetes risk reduction diet and the risk of breast cancer

Objective Diabetes and insulin levels may increase the risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. In the present investigation, we aimed at evaluating whether adherence to a diabetes risk reduction diet (DRRD) lowers the risk of breast cancer. Methods We used data from an Italian, multicentric case-control study (1991–1994) including 2569 incident histologically-confirmed breast cancer cases and 2588 hospital controls. A food frequency questionnaire collected subjects’ usual diet. We derived a DRRD score on the basis of eight items: intake of cereal fiber, total fruit, coffee, polyunsaturated to saturated fats ratio and nuts (higher scores for higher intakes), and dietary glycemic index, red/processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages/fruit juices (higher scores for lower intakes). The score theoretically ranged 8–37, with higher values indicating greater DRRD adherence. Odds ratios (ORs) of breast cancer according to the DRRD score were estimated using multiple logistic regression models. Results The DRRD score was inversely related to the risk of breast cancer. The ORs were 0.93 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.89–0.98] for a three-point score increment and 0.76 (95% CI, 0.64–0.89) for the highest versus the lowest quartile (P for trend 0.001). Inverse associations were observed in subgroups of covariates. Conclusions Higher DRRD adherence may decrease the risk of breast cancer.
Social-specific impairment of negative emotion perception in alexithymia

Abstract Alexithymia has been characterized as an impaired ability of emotion processing and regulation. The definition of alexithymia does not include a social component. However, there is some evidence that social cognition may be compromised in individuals with alexithymia. Hence, emotional impairments associated with alexithymia may extend to socially relevant information. Here, we recorded electrophysiological responses of individuals meeting the clinically relevant cutoff for alexithymia (ALEX; n = 24) and individuals without alexithymia (NonALEX; n = 23) while they viewed affective scenes that varied on the dimensions of sociality and emotional valence during a rapid serial visual presentation task. We found that ALEX exhibited lower accuracy and larger N2 than NonALEX in the perception of social negative scenes. Source reconstruction revealed that the group difference in N2 was localized at the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Irrespective of emotional valence, ALEX showed stronger alpha power than NonALEX in social but not non-social conditions. Our findings support the hypothesis of social processing being selectively affected by alexithymia, especially for stimuli with negative valence. Electrophysiological evidence suggests altered deployment of attentional resources in the perception of social-specific emotional information in alexithymia. This work sheds light on the neuropsychopathology of alexithymia and alexithymia-related disorders.
Genome-wide association study reveals susceptibility loci for self-reported headache in a large community-based Asian population

Background The genetic substrate for headache in the general population has not been identified in Asians. We investigated susceptible genetic variants for self-reported headache in a large community-based Asian population. Methods We conducted a genome-wide association study in participants recruited from a community-based cohort to identify the genetic variants associated with headache in Taiwanese. All participants received a structured questionnaire for self-reported headache. A total of 2084 patients with “self-reported headache” and 11,822 age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. Gene enrichment analysis using the Genotype-Tissue Expression version 6 database was performed to explore the potential function of the identified variants. Results We identified two novel loci, rs10493859 in TGFBR3 and rs13312779 in FGF23, that are functionally relevant to vascular function and migraine to be significantly associated with self-reported headache after adjusting age, sex and top 10 principal components (p = 8.53 × 10−11 and p = 1.07 × 10−8, respectively). Gene enrichment analysis for genes with GWAS suggestive significance (p < 10−6) demonstrated that the expression of these genes was significantly enriched in the artery (p = 8.18 × 10−4) and adipose tissue (p = 8.95 × 10−4). Conclusion Our results suggest that vascular dysfunction might play important roles in the pathogenesis of self-reported headache in Asian populations.
A Child Infected with COVID-19 in China—A Case Report

Abstract A 16-month-old boy was admitted with cough for 2 days and fever for 1 day. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan of the child revealed large areas of ground-glass opacities in both lungs. Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) were performed repeatedly to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), but the results were all negative. On day 13 of hospitalization, no clinical symptoms except diarrhea were present in the patient, and re-examination by chest CT revealed lesion shrinkage, but the NAAT on throat swabs was positive. On day 22 of hospitalization, the NAAT on throat swabs was negative and the fecal samples were positive. Positive fecal samples nucleic acid lasted for 62 days. Suggesting that pediatric patients may be important sources of infection during the recovery phase of clinical symptoms and whether SARS-CoV-2 has fecal–oral transmission needs further study.
Intravenous Injection of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA Vaccine Can Induce Acute Myopericarditis in Mouse Model

Abstract Background Post-vaccination myopericarditis is reported after immunization with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. The effect of inadvertent intravenous injection of this vaccine on the heart is unknown. Methods We compared the clinical manifestations, histopathological changes, tissue mRNA expression, and serum levels of cytokine/chemokine and troponin in Balb/c mice at different time points after intravenous (IV) or intramuscular (IM) vaccine injection with normal saline (NS) control. Results Although significant weight loss and higher serum cytokine/chemokine levels were found in IM group at 1–2 days post-injection (dpi), only IV group developed histopathological changes of myopericarditis as evidenced by cardiomyocyte degeneration, apoptosis, and necrosis with adjacent inflammatory cell infiltration and calcific deposits on visceral pericardium, although evidence of coronary artery or other cardiac pathologies was absent. Serum troponin level was significantly higher in IV group. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike antigen expression by immunostaining was occasionally found in infiltrating immune cells of the heart or injection site, in cardiomyocytes and intracardiac vascular endothelial cells, but not skeletal myocytes. The histological changes of myopericarditis after the first IV-priming dose persisted for 2 weeks and were markedly aggravated by a second IM- or IV-booster dose. Cardiac tissue mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-1β, interferon (IFN)-β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α increased significantly from 1 dpi to 2 dpi in the IV group but not the IM group, compatible with presence of myopericarditis in the IV group. Ballooning degeneration of hepatocytes was consistently found in the IV group. All other organs appeared normal. Conclusions This study provided in vivo evidence that inadvertent intravenous injection of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines may induce myopericarditis. Brief withdrawal of syringe plunger to exclude blood aspiration may be one possible way to reduce such risk.
Aplastic anemia, cellular and molecular aspects

Aplastic anemia (AA) is an autoimmune disorder characterized by bone marrow and peripheral blood pancytopenia. Different environmental and genetical conditions could be effective in an outbreak of this disease. The exact pathogenesis of this disease, however, is still idiopathic. The present study is based on Pubmed database information (2002–2021) using the words “Aplastic Anemia,” “Hematopoietic Stem Cells niche,” “Signaling pathway,” “Cytokines,” and “Immuno cells. ” In this disease, both hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stromal cells are impaired, which is associated with impaired hematopoiesis and decreased hematopoietic cells. Inflammatory cytokines increase, which changes the ratio of T lymphocytes and leads to disease progression. In addition, the most common mechanism of AA is damage by the immune system, which leads to increased apoptosis in progenitor cells. We have shown in this review that the disease involves quantitative defects in stem cell numbers and qualitative abnormalities in the function of these cells and the activity of many different cellular and molecular factors can damage hematopoietic cells and the protective substrate of these cells in this disease.
The use of Gammarus pulex as a model organism for ecotoxicological assessment of ibuprofen and propranolol at environmental relevant concentrations

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to assess the toxicity of ibuprofen (IBU) and propranolol (PRO) drugs usingGammarus pulex as a model organism. Firstly, the 96 h LC50 values of IBU and PRO were determined and then three sublethal concentrations of the drugs were exposed to G. pulex . The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were evaluated. SOD activity decreased in G. pulex exposed to IBU and PRO compared to control. In all groups exposed to IBU, CAT activity increased at different concentrations at 24 and 96 h. In the groups exposed to different PRO concentrations, CAT activities increased after 24 h compared to the control group (p < 0.05). AChE activities increased in all application groups exposed to IBU for 96 hours (p < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure to IBU and PRO resulted in increased oxidative damage. PRO has been found to cause neurotoxicity.
Improving the Dewaterability of Sewage Sludge Using Rice Husk and Fe2+-Sodium Persulfate Oxidation

Physical conditioners or skeleton builders are usually used to improve the dewaterability of sewage sludge. In this study, low-cost rice husk (RH) was evaluated as an alternative skeleton builder and combined with Fe2+ and sodium persulfate (SPS) for sewage sludge conditioning. The results show that the sewage sludge conditioned with RH and Fe2+/SPS showed good dewaterability, and the capillary suction time was reduced by 92.8% under optimal conditions. With use of response surface methodology, the optimal composite conditioner concentrations were 151.5 mg/g dry solid (DS) of SPS, 46 mg/g DS of Fe2+, and 333 mg/g DS of RH. After the sludge was conditioned with Fe2+/SPS, some extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) were destroyed, which resulted in the dissolved protein and polysaccharide amounts in the filtrate increasing. The water content analysis indicated the bound water was converted to free water because of the EPS degradation. The particle size analysis showed that the sludge flocs became smaller.
Impact of exogenous nicotine on the morphological, physio-biochemical, and anatomical characteristics in Capsicum annuum

Abstract Nicotine is an alkaloid which only highly exists in tobacco plants. It accounts for 95% of its total alkaloid content. Nicotine is synthesized in the roots and transported via the xylem to the shoot. This study aimed to investigate the morphological, physio-biochemical, structural, and ultrastructural impacts of different nicotine concentrations in bell pepper. Capsicum annuum seedlings were grown hydroponically in a growth chamber with different nicotine concentrations (0, 100, 400, 700, 1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 µM). Nicotine-treated leaves (3,000 and 5,000 µM) exhibited severe chlorosis and necrosis. Moreover, nicotine-treated seedlings (1,000, 3,000, and 5,000 µM) exhibited severe reduction in leaf area (p < 0.0001) and photosynthetic efficiency (p < 0.0001), which significantly reduce the photosynthetic rate (p < 0.0001). Also, the drop in the photosynthetic rate was associated with significant drop in stomatal conductance (p < 0.0001). The electron transmission micrographs revealed that nicotine-treated seedlings (3,000 and 5,000 µM) exhibited deformed chloroplasts with numerous plastoglobules reducing the photosynthetic rates. Novelty statement This is one of few studies that deal with the impact of exogenous nicotine on plants. However, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first hydroponic study that used liquid pure nicotine implied to the plants. The morphological, physio-biochemical, and anatomical characteristics were investigated using Capsicum annuum as a model plant, a plant that synthesizes little endogenous nicotine. This study will shed more light about nicotine toxicity in plants.
Collaborative Approach to Supporting Staff in a Mental Healthcare Setting: “Always There” Peer Support Program

ABSTRACT This paper describes the development and implementation of a peer-support program Always There in a large public mental health service in Queensland, Australia. The program is modelled on Scott’s three tier model of peer support, with trained responders providing emotional support to staff following a traumatic adverse event, or when experiencing acute or cumulative stress. Support is provided in complete confidentiality. Main lessons learned in the 2 years since the launch of the program are shared in this paper, outlining successes such as improvements in staff’s perception of organisational culture, and challenges related to embedding the program to “business as usual”.
Local Field Potential-Based Programming: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVES Programming deep brain stimulation (DBS) is still based on a trial-and-error approach, often becoming a time-consuming process for both treating physicians and patients. Several strategies have been proposed to streamline DBS programming, most of which are preliminary and mainly address Parkinson's disease, a condition readily responsive to DBS adjustments. In the present proof-of-principle pilot study, we successfully demonstrate that local field potentials (LFP)-based programming can be an effective approach when used for DBS indications that have a delayed temporal onset of benefit. MATERIALS AND METHODS A recently commercialized implantable pulse generator (IPG) with the capability to non-invasively and chronically stream live and/or record LFPs from DBS electrode after implantation was used to program one pediatric patient with generalized dystonia and an adult with seizures refractory to multiple medications and vagal nerve stimulation. RESULTS The IPG survey function detected a peak in the delta range (1.95 Hz) in the left globus pallidus of first patient. This LFP was detected when recording in the brain area adjacent to contacts 9 and 10 and absent when recording from other areas. The chronic recording of the 1.95 Hz LFP with two sets of stimulation showed a greater power increase with the settings associated with a worsening of dystonia. Broadband LFP home recording of "absence seizure" and "focal/partial seizure" was used in the second patient and reviewer with the IPG "timeline" and "event" functions. The chronic recording of the 2.93 Hz and 8.79 Hz (spit sensing) showed a reduced power with the stimulation setting associated with seizure control. CONCLUSIONS The approach presented in this pilot proof-of-concept study may inform and streamline the DBS programming for conditions requiring clinicians and patients to wait weeks before appreciating any clinical benefit. Prospective studies on larger samples of patients are warranted.
Percutaneous radiofrequency ablation near large vessels in beagle livers: the impact of time and distance on the ablation zone

Abstract Purpose To investigate the effects of ablation time and distance between the radiofrequency ablation (RFA) electrode tip and a large vessel on the ablation zone in beagle livers. Methods Sixty-one percutaneous RFA coagulation zones were created near large vessels in 10 beagle livers in vivo. The ablated lesions were divided into four groups based on ablation time and distance between the electrode tip and a large vessel (group A, 3 min 0.5 cm; group B, 3 min 0 cm; group C, 5 min 0.5 cm; group D, 5 min 0 cm). The ablated area, long-axis diameters, short-axis diameters, and vessel wall injury were examined. Results With a fixed ablation time, the ablation zone created with the electrode tip at 0.5 cm from the large vessel was significantly larger than at 0 cm (p < .05). At a fixed distance between the electrode tip and vessel, the ablation zone created for 5 min was significantly larger than for 3 min (p < .05). The frequency of vessel wall injury in the 0 cm groups was significantly higher than that in the 0.5 cm groups (37.5% vs. 6.9%; p = .003, odds ratio, 7.43). The ratio of width to depth (Dw/Dz) was larger in the 0.5 cm groups than in the 0 cm groups (p < .001). Conclusion The ablation zone increased with longer ablation times and greater distances between the RFA tip and large vessels for perivascular lesions. The distance between the needle tip and blood vessels is an important factor that affects the overall ablation outcome.