Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dose-Dependent Effect of Smoking on Risk of Diabetes Remains after Smoking Cessation: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study in Korea

Background This study aimed to evaluate the dose-dependent effects of smoking on risk of diabetes among those quitting smoking. Methods We analyzed clinical data from a total of 5,198,792 individuals age 20 years or older who received health care check-up arranged by the national insurance program of Korea between 2009 and 2016 using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Cumulative smoking was estimated by pack-years. Smokers were classified into four categories according to the amount of smoking: light smokers (0.025 to 5 smoking pack-years), medium smokers (5 to 14 smoking pack-years), heavy smokers (14 to 26 smoking pack-years), and extreme smokers (more than 26 smoking pack-years). Results During the study period, 164,335 individuals (3.2% of the total population) developed diabetes. Compared to sustained smokers, the risk of diabetes was significantly reduced in both quitters (hazard ratio [HR], 0.858; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.838 to 0.878) and nonsmokers (HR, 0.616; 95% CI, 0.606 to 0.625) after adjustment for multiple risk factors. The risk of diabetes gradually increased with amount of smoking in both quitters and current smokers. The risk of diabetes in heavy (HR, 1.119; 95% CI, 1.057 to 1.185) and extreme smokers (HR, 1.348; 95% CI, 1.275 to 1.425) among quitters was much higher compared to light smokers among current smokers. Conclusion Smoking cessation was effective in reducing the risk of diabetes regardless of weight change. However, there was a potential dose-dependent association between smoking amount and the development of diabetes. Diabetes risk still remained in heavy and extreme smokers even after smoking cessation.
LDH, CRP and ALB predict nucleic acid turn negative within 14 days in symptomatic patients with COVID-19

Aims To search for biochemical indicators that can identify symptomatic patients with COVID-19 whose nucleic acid could turn negative within 14 days, and assess the prognostic value of these biochemical indicators in patients with COVID-19. Patients and methods We collected the clinical data of patients with COVID-19 admitted to our hospital, by using logistic regression analysis and AUC curves, explored the relationship between biochemical indicators and nucleic acid positive duration, the severity of COVID-19, and hospital stay respectively. Results A total of two hundred and thirty-three patients with COVID-19 were enrolled in the study. We found patients whose nucleic acid turned negative within 14 days had lower LDH, CRP and higher ALB (P < 0.05). ROC curve results indicated that lower LDH, TP, CRP and higher ALB predicted the nucleic acid of patients turned negative within 14 days with statistical significance(P < 0.05), AST, LDH, CRP and PCT predicted the severe COVID-19 with statistical significance, and CRP predicted hospital stay >31days with statistical significance (P < 0.05). After verification, the probability of nucleic acid turning negative within 14 days in patients with low LDH (<256 U/L), CRP (<44.5 mg/L) and high ALB (>35.8 g/L) was about 4 times higher than that in patients with high LDH, CRP and low ALB (P < 0.05). Conclusions LDH, CRP and ALB are useful prognostic marker for predicting nucleic acid turn negative within 14 days in symptomatic patients with COVID-19.
A painful journey to antivenom: The therapeutic itinerary of snakebite patients in the Brazilian Amazon (The QUALISnake Study)

Access to antivenoms is not guarranteed for vulnerable populations that inhabit remote areas in the Amazon. The study of therapeutic itineraries (TI) for treatment of snakebites would support strategies to provide timely access to users. A TI is the set of processes by which individuals adhere to certain forms of treatment, and includes the path traveled in the search for healthcare, and practices to solve their health problems. This study aims to describe TIs of snakebite patients in the Brazilian Amazon. This study was carried out at the Fundação de Medicina Tropical Doutor Heitor Vieira Dourado, in Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil. The itinerary from the moment of the bite to the patient’s admission to the reference unit was analyzed. Sample size was defined by saturation. After an exploratory survey to collect epidemiological variables, in-depth interviews were conducted following a semi-structured guide. Patients originated from rural areas of 11 different municipalities, including ones located >500 kilometers from Manaus. A great fragmentation was observed in the itineraries, marked by several changes of means of transport along the route. Four themes emerged from the analysis: exposure to snakebite during day-to-day activities, use of traditional therapeutic practices, and personal perception of the severity, as well as the route taken and its contingencies. Access to healthcare requires considerable effort on the part of snakebite patients. Major barriers were identified, such as the low number of hospitals that offer antivenom treatment, poor access to healthcare due to long distances and geographic barriers, low acceptability of healthcare offered in countryside, lack of use of personal protective equipment, common use of ineffective or deleterious self-care practices, late recognition of serious clinical signs and resistance to seeking medical assistance. Health education, promotion of immediate transport to health centers and decentralization of antivenom from reference hospitals to community healthcare centers in the Brazilian Amazon are more effective strategies that would to maximize access to antivenom treatment.
Relative Frequency and Risk Factors of COVID-19 Related Headache in a Sample of Egyptian Population: A Hospital Based Study.

OBJECTIVES Headache is considered one of the most frequent neurological manifestations of COVID-19. This work aimed to identify the relative frequency of COVID-19 related headache and to clarify the impact of clinical, laboratory findings of COVID-19 infection on headache occurrence and its response to analgesics. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Recovered COVID-19 patients. SUBJECTS 782 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 infection. METHODS Clinical, laboratory and imaging data were obtained from the hospital medical records. Regarding patients who developed COVID-19 related headache, a trained neurologist performed an analysis of headache and its response to analgesics. RESULTS The relative frequency of COVID-19 related headache among our sample was 55.1% with 95% CI (0.516-0.586) for the estimated population prevalence. Female gender, malignancy, primary headache, fever, dehydration, lower levels of hemoglobin and platelets and higher levels of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and CRP were significantly associated with COVID-19 related headache. Multivariate analysis revealed that female gender, fever, dehydration, primary headache, high NLR, and decreased platelet count were independent predictors of headache occurrence. By evaluating headache response to analgesics, old age, diabetes, hypertension, primary headache, severe COVID-19, steroid intake, higher CRP and ferritin and lower hemoglobin levels were associated with poor response to analgesics. Multivariate analysis revealed that primary headache, steroids intake, moderate and severe COVID-19 were independent predictors of non-response to analgesics. DISCUSSION Headache occurs in 55.1% of patients with COVID-19. Female gender, fever, dehydration, primary headache, high NLR, and decreased platelet count are considered independent predictors of COVID-19 related headache.
A Sleep Analysis of Elite Female Soccer Players During a Competition Week.

PURPOSE (1) To compare the sleep of female players from a professional soccer team to nonathlete controls across an in-season week and (2) to compare the sleep of core and fringe players from the same team on the night after a match to training nights. METHODS Using an observational design, 18 professional female soccer players and 18 female nonathlete controls were monitored for their sleep via wristwatch actigraphy across 1 week. Independent-sample t tests and Mann-Whitney U tests were performed to compare sleep between groups, while an analysis of variance compared sleep on training nights to the night after a match. RESULTS Soccer players had significantly greater sleep duration than nonathlete controls (+38 min; P = .009; d: 0.92), which may have resulted from an earlier bedtime (-00:31 h:min; P = .047; d: 0.70). The soccer players also had less intraindividual variation in bedtime than nonathletes (-00:08 h:min; P = .023; r: .38). Despite this, sleep-onset latency was significantly longer among soccer players (+8 min; P = .032; d: 0.78). On the night after a match, sleep duration of core players was significantly lower than on training nights (-49 min; P = .010; d: 0.77). In fringe players, there was no significant difference between nights for any sleep characteristic. CONCLUSIONS During the in-season period, sleep duration of professional female soccer players is greater than nonathlete controls. However, the night after a match challenges the sleep of players with more match involvement and warrants priority of sleep hygiene strategies.
Moral injury and suicidal behavior among US combat veterans: Results from the 2019–2020 National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study

Recent research suggests that exposure to potentially morally injurious experiences (PMIEs) may be associated with increased risk for suicidal behavior among US combat veterans, but population‐based data on these associations are scarce. This study examined the association between PMIEs with current suicidal ideation (SI), lifetime suicide plans (SP), and suicide attempts (SA) in a contemporary, nationally representative sample of combat veterans.
Atmospheric processing of organic aerosols

We suggest a chemical model for the composition, structure, and atmospheric processing of organic aerosols. This model is stimulated by recent field measurements showing that organic compounds are a significant component of atmospheric aerosols. The proposed model organic aerosol is an "inverted micelle" consisting of an aqueous core that is encapsulated in an inert, hydrophobic organic monolayer. The organic materials that coat the aerosol particles are surfactants of biological origin. We propose a chemical mechanism by which the organic surface layer will be processed by reactions with atmospheric radicals. The net result of an organic aerosol being exposed to an oxidizing atmosphere is the transformation of an inert hydrophobic film to a reactive, optically active hydrophilic layer. Consequently, processed organic aerosols can grow by water accretion and form cloud condensation nuclei, influencing atmospheric radiative transfer. Radiative transfer may be affected directly by the chromophores left on the surface of the aerosol after chemical transformation. The chemical model yields certain predictions which are testable by observations. Among them is a curve of the percent organic material as a function of particle diameter which predicts that a high fraction of the mass of the upper tropospheric aerosol will be organic. Atmospheric processing of organic aerosols will lead to the release of small organic fragments into the troposphere which will play a subsequent role in homogeneous chemistry. Organic aerosols are likely to act as a transport vehicle of organics and other water insoluble compounds into the atmosphere. We speculate that biomass burning will produce a similar coating of surfactants derived from land sources. Finally, it is pointed out that the radical-induced transformation of the surface layer of aerosol particles from hydrophobic to hydrophilic offers an additional means by which the biosphere, through atmospheric chemistry, can affect the radiative balance.
Palliative care education and research at US cancer centers: A national survey

Palliative care (PC) education and research are essential to developing a skilled workforce and evidence base to support the delivery of quality cancer care. The current state of PC education and research at US cancer centers is unclear. In this national survey, the education and research programs of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)–designated and nondesignated cancer centers and the changes between 2009 and 2018 are compared.
Cuba’s cardiovascular risk factors: International comparison of levels and education gradients

Background Cuba’s life expectancy at 79 is third highest in Latin America. Many attribute this to social investments in health and education, but comparative research is sparse, thus we compare Cuba with neighboring Dominican Republic, Costa Rica due to its strong social protections, and the U.S. Given high cardiovascular mortality, we focus on cardiovascular risk factor levels. To assess the role of health care, we distinguish medically amenable biomarkers from behavioral risk factors. To assess the role of Cuba’s focus on equity, we compare education gradients in risk factors. Methods We analyze Cuban data from the 10/66 Dementia Research Group baseline survey of urban adults ages 65 plus. Comparison samples are drawn from the Dominican Republic 10/66 survey, the Costa Rican CRELES, and U.S. NHANES. We analyze cross-country levels and education gradients of medically amenable (hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, access to health care) and behavioral (smoking, obesity) risk factors,–using sex-stratified weighted means comparisons and age-adjusted logistic regression. Results Neither medically amenable nor behavioral risk factors are uniformly better in Cuba than comparison countries. Obesity is lower in Cuba, but male smoking is higher. Hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia levels are high in all countries, though Cuba’s are lower than Costa Rica. Hypertension awareness in Cuba is similar to Costa Rica. Cuba has a higher proportion of hypertensives on treatment than Costa Rica, though lower than the U.S. Comparative gradients by education are similarly mixed. For behavioral factors, Cuba shows the strongest gradients (primarily for men) among the countries compared: smoking improves, but obesity worsens with education. Hypertension awareness also improves with education in Cuba, but Cuba shows no significant differences by education in hypertension treatment. Conclusion Smoking is comparatively high in Cuba, but obesity is low, and the resulting biomarkers show comparatively mixed patterns. Cuba’s social protections have not eliminated strong educational gradients in behavioral risk factors, but the healthcare system appears to have eliminated disparities such as in hypertension treatment.
Stool samples versus nasopharyngeal specimens for the initial diagnosis of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

Some practionners are tempted to use stool samples, as an easier alternative to nasopharyngeal specimens (NPS) for initial diagnosis of COVID-19. This report shows that stool samples cannot be used as alternative to NPS for the initial diagnosis of COVID-19, but as an additional tool in patients presenting with gastrointestinal symptoms. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Lessons learned 1 year after SARS-CoV-2 emergence leading to COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Without modern medical management and vaccines, the severity of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) might approach the magnitude of 1894-plague (12 million deaths) and 1918-A(H1N1) influenza (50 million deaths) pandemics. The COVID-19 pandemic was heralded by the 2003 SARS epidemic which led to the discovery of human and civet SARS-CoV-1, bat SARS-related-CoVs, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)-related bat CoV HKU4 and HKU5, and other novel animal coronaviruses. The suspected animal-to-human jumping of 4 betacoronaviruses including the human coronaviruses OC43(1890), SARS-CoV-1(2003), MERS-CoV(2012), and SARS-CoV-2(2019) indicates their significant pandemic potential. The presence of a large reservoir of coronaviruses in bats and other wild mammals, culture of mixing and selling them in urban markets with suboptimal hygiene, habit of eating exotic mammals in highly populated areas, and the rapid and frequent air travels from these areas are perfect ingredients for brewing rapidly exploding epidemics. The possibility of emergence of a hypothetical SARS-CoV-3 or other novel viruses from animals or laboratories, and therefore needs for global preparedness should not be ignored. We reviewed representative publications on the epidemiology, virology, clinical manifestations, pathology, laboratory diagnostics, treatment, vaccination, and infection control of COVID-19 as of 20 January 2021, which is 1 year after person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 was announced. The difficulties of mass testing, labour-intensive contact tracing, importance of compliance to universal masking, low efficacy of antiviral treatment for severe disease, possibilities of vaccine or antiviral-resistant virus variants and SARS-CoV-2 becoming another common cold coronavirus are discussed.
The dangers of blind trust: Examining the interplay among social media news use, misinformation identification, and news trust on conspiracy beliefs

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, misinformation has been circulating on social media and multiple conspiracy theories have since become quite popular. We conducted a U.S. national survey for three main purposes. First, we aim to examine the association between social media news consumption and conspiracy beliefs specific to COVID-19 and general conspiracy beliefs. Second, we investigate the influence of an important moderator, social media news trust, that has been overlooked in prior studies. Third, we further propose a moderated moderation model by including misinformation identification. Our findings show that social media news use was associated with higher conspiracy beliefs, and trust in social media news was found to be a significant moderator of the relationship between social media news use and conspiracy beliefs. Moreover, our findings show that misinformation identification moderated the relationship between social media news use and trust. Implications are discussed.
Biological investigations of antioxidant, antimicrobial properties and chemical composition of essential oil from Warionia saharae

Objective: Several aromatic plants and their essential oils are known to possess antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Warionia saharae Benth & Coss, an endemic species of North Africa, is traditionally used in the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and for gastrointestinal disorders. The aims of this study were to examine the chemical composition of the essential oil isolated from W.saharae, and to test the efficacy of the essential oil as a potential antimicrobial and antioxidant. Methods: The essential oil was investigated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Thirty-six compounds, accounting 96.8% of total oil with 1.1% oil yield were identified. The major compents of W.saharae essential oils were β-eudesmol (24.6%), trans-nerolidol (18.2%), linalool (16.8%), 1,8 cineole (6.2%), camphor (4.6%), p-cymene (3.7%) and terpinen-4-ol (3.6%). In this study, we analyzed biological activities of Warionia essential oil from Errachidia region, Morocco. Indeed, we investigated mainly, the antimicrobial activity against four referenced and representative human diseases health bacteria. Also this essential oil was tested against phytopathogenic fungi. Results: The results showed that W.saharae oil exhibited significant antibacterial and antifungal activities; with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging between 0.039 and 0.156 mg/ml for all bacteria and remarkable antifungal effect that exceeds 50% inhibition of mycelial growth for all fungal strains. We also checked whether this oil exhibited an antioxidant property via radical scavenging ability and antioxidant activity, determined by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and β-carotene bleaching test. Conclusion: Our results show an important antioxidant property for W.saharae essential oil.
Effects of therapeutic instrumental music performance and motor imagery on chronic post-stroke cognition and affect: A randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND The burden of post-stroke cognitive impairment, as well as affective disorders, remains persistently high. With improved stroke survival rates and increasing life expectancy, there is a need for effective interventions to facilitate remediation of neurocognitive impairments and post-stroke mood disorders. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of Therapeutic Instrumental Music Performance (TIMP) training with and without Motor Imagery on cognitive functioning and affective responding in chronic post-stroke individuals. METHODS Thirty chronic post-stroke, community-dwelling participants were randomized to one of three experimental arms: (1) 45 minutes of active TIMP, (2) 30 minutes of active TIMP followed by 15 minutes of metronome-cued motor imagery (TIMP+cMI), (3) 30 minutes of active TIMP followed by 15 minutes of motor imagery without cues (TIMP+MI). Training took place three times a week for three weeks, using a selection of acoustic and electronic instruments. Assessments, administered at two baselines and post-training, included the Trail Making Test (TMT) - Part B to assess mental flexibility, the Digit Span Test (DST) to determine short-term memory capacity, the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist - Revised (MAACL-R) to ascertain current affective state, and the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE) to assess perceived self-efficacy. The Self-Assessment Maniqin (SAM) was also administered prior to and following each training session. RESULTS Thirty participants completed the protocol, ten per arm [14 women; mean age = 55.9; mean time post-stroke = 66.9 months]. There were no statistically significant differences between pooled group baseline measures. The TIMP+MI group showed a statistically significant decrease in time from pre-test 2 to post-test on the TMT. The TIMP group showed a significant increase on MAACL sensation seeking scores, as well as on the Valence and Dominance portions of the SAM; TIMP+cMI showed respective increases and decreases in positive and negative affect on the MAACL, and increases on the Valence, Dominance, and Arousal portions of the SAM. No statistically significant association between cognitive and affective measures was obtained. CONCLUSIONS The mental flexibility aspect of executive functioning appears to be enhanced by therapeutic instrumental music training in conjunction with motor imagery, possibly due to multisensory integration and consolidation of representations through motor imagery rehearsal following active practice. Active training using musical instruments appears to have a positive impact on affective responding; however, these changes occurred independently of improvements to cognition.