Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal Malaria Vaccination with or without Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention.

BACKGROUND Malaria control remains a challenge in many parts of the Sahel and sub-Sahel regions of Africa. METHODS We conducted an individually randomized, controlled trial to assess whether seasonal vaccination with RTS,S/AS01E was noninferior to chemoprevention in preventing uncomplicated malaria and whether the two interventions combined were superior to either one alone in preventing uncomplicated malaria and severe malaria-related outcomes. RESULTS We randomly assigned 6861 children 5 to 17 months of age to receive sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine and amodiaquine (2287 children [chemoprevention-alone group]), RTS,S/AS01E (2288 children [vaccine-alone group]), or chemoprevention and RTS,S/AS01E (2286 children [combination group]). Of these, 1965, 1988, and 1967 children in the three groups, respectively, received the first dose of the assigned intervention and were followed for 3 years. Febrile seizure developed in 5 children the day after receipt of the vaccine, but the children recovered and had no sequelae. There were 305 events of uncomplicated clinical malaria per 1000 person-years at risk in the chemoprevention-alone group, 278 events per 1000 person-years in the vaccine-alone group, and 113 events per 1000 person-years in the combination group. The hazard ratio for the protective efficacy of RTS,S/AS01E as compared with chemoprevention was 0.92 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 1.01), which excluded the prespecified noninferiority margin of 1.20. The protective efficacy of the combination as compared with chemoprevention alone was 62.8% (95% CI, 58.4 to 66.8) against clinical malaria, 70.5% (95% CI, 41.9 to 85.0) against hospital admission with severe malaria according to the World Health Organization definition, and 72.9% (95% CI, 2.9 to 92.4) against death from malaria. The protective efficacy of the combination as compared with the vaccine alone against these outcomes was 59.6% (95% CI, 54.7 to 64.0), 70.6% (95% CI, 42.3 to 85.0), and 75.3% (95% CI, 12.5 to 93.0), respectively. CONCLUSIONS Administration of RTS,S/AS01E was noninferior to chemoprevention in preventing uncomplicated malaria. The combination of these interventions resulted in a substantially lower incidence of uncomplicated malaria, severe malaria, and death from malaria than either intervention alone. (Funded by the Joint Global Health Trials and PATH; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03143218.).
Association of sports sampling and training frequency with injury among school-age athletes in Japan

ABSTRACT Background This study evaluated the status of sports participation and training frequency during school years to identify related factors for injuries in the general Japanese population. Methods A total of 1,533 adult participants (762 males, 771 females) retrospectively completed a questionnaire assessing sports participation (single/multisport), training frequency (weekly days of sports participation), and injury history (acute and overuse) at each stage of school (elementary, junior high, and high school). Results In total, 41.1% of participants reported playing multiple sports in elementary school; this rate decreased to 17.4% in junior high school and 8.9% in high school. Weekly days of sports participation were associated with almost all injuries at each age. Participants who still played multiple sports in junior high school had fewer overuse injuries in junior high school and high school (P = 0.017; odds ratio (OR) = 0.69; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.51–0.94; P = 0.006, OR = 0.66, 95% CI, 0.49–0.89, respectively). The ratio for sports sampling differed between elementary school and older ages. This trend was associated with the prevalence of overuse injuries. Conclusion Promoting sports sampling through junior high school ages and controlling the training frequency may decrease the occurrence of injuries in young athletes.
Advancing methodologies to improve RRB outcome measures in autism research: Evaluation of the RBS-R.

This study evaluates the psychometric properties (dimensionality, item bias, reliability) of the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised (RBS-R), provides scoring guidelines for the dimensional measure, and makes recommendations for future RRB measure development. Participants included individuals from three large autism data repositories; Simon Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge (SPARK), Simons Simplex Collection (SSC), and National Database for Autism Research (NDAR). The total sample included N = 15,318 autistic individuals ages 3-18. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to evaluate competing theoretical factor structures. Item response theory (IRT) was used to evaluate differential item functioning, estimate the reliability of each RBS-R subdomain, and score the subdomains. A unidimensional factor structure demonstrated clearly inadequate model fit, calling into question the practice of reporting a total score on the RBS-R. A five-dimensional factor structure was supported by the theoretical and empirical evidence, though the fifth factor (restricted interests) was not sufficiently reliable for use. IRT-based scoring tools were generated for use in research. The present study illustrates the promise in the future development of measures for RRBs, particularly in the development of measures to separately and specifically assess RRB constructs using rigorous methodological guidelines. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Isolation and Structural Elucidation of New Amphidinol Analogues from Amphidinium carterae Cultivated in a Pilot-Scale Photobioreactor

The demand for valuable products from dinoflagellate biotechnology has increased remarkably in recent years due to their many prospective applications. However, there remain many challenges that need to be addressed in order to make dinoflagellate bioactives a commercial reality. In this article, we describe the technical feasibility of producing and recovering amphidinol analogues (AMs) excreted into a culture broth of Amphidinium carterae ACRN03, successfully cultured in an LED-illuminated pilot-scale (80 L) bubble column photobioreactor operated in fed-batch mode with a pulse feeding strategy. We report on the isolation of new structurally related AMs, amphidinol 24 (1, AM24), amphidinol 25 (2, AM25) and amphidinol 26 (3, AM26), from a singular fraction resulting from the downstream processing. Their planar structures were elucidated by extensive NMR and HRMS analysis, whereas the relative configuration of the C-32→C-47 bis-tetrahydropyran core was confirmed to be antipodal in accord with the recently revised configuration of AM3. The hemolytic activities of the new metabolites and other related derivatives were evaluated, and structure–activity conclusions were established. Their isolation was based on a straightforward and high-performance bioprocess that could be suitable for the commercial development of AMs or other high-value compounds from shear sensitive dinoflagellates.
Do SARS-CoV-2 Infection (COVID-19) and the Medications Administered for Its Treatment Impair Testicular Functions?

Purpose: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is transmitted primarily via respiratory droplets and enters host cells through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptors. ACE-2 receptors have been identified in many tissues including testes. The aim of the study has been to investigate the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) and its relative treatment on male reproductive health. Methods: Cross-sectional analysis has been performed on 49 recovered COVID-19 patients who had semen analysis prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Those who had a recovery time lag of at least 3 months have been re-examined, and 29 eligible patients with no andrological problems have been enrolled in the study. Following a detailed physical examination and retrieval of medical history, the values of semen analysis and serum sex hormone parameters have been collected and compared before and after COVID-19 infection. The p value of <0.05 has been considered significant. Results: The average age of the 29 patients has been 31.21 ± 5.48 (range: 18–41) years. Favipiravir has been co-administered with hydroxychloroquine in 17 patients, while the remaining 12 received favipiravir treatment without hydroxychloroquine. The average time between clinical recovery from COVID-19 and collection of semen has been 4.52 ± 1.36 (range: 3–8) months. Before and after COVID-19, serum follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, total testosterone, and prolactin levels, as well as all semen parameters, have been comparable. Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that COVID-19 and its treatment with favipiravir and hydroxychloroquine did not affect spermatogenesis and serum androgen levels in the long-term period. Further clinical studies with larger sample size are needed to confirm and support our findings.
Neuropsychological outcomes in children and adolescents following anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis

ABSTRACT Anti-N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor encephalitis (ANMDARE) is a neurologic disorder that is becoming more recognized in children and adolescents. Early studies suggested that patients typically recover well, but more recent data suggests that children may experience persistent cognitive deficits, especially in verbal memory and executive functioning. The aims of this study are to evaluate areas of impairment and to characterize neuropsychological outcomes in pediatric patients with ANMDARE. This was a multi-centered retrospective chart review. We identified 23 pediatric patients who were, on average, 18.5 months from diagnosis. Patients underwent comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, including measures of intellectual functioning, memory, reading, verbal fluency, visuomotor skills, attention, and working memory. Caregiver ratings and information regarding resource utilization were also collected (e.g., formal school services, outpatient rehabilitation, psychological support). Neuropsychological impairment index (NPI) scores were calculated for each patient. Neuropsychological outcomes highlighted variability across individuals. Memory and fine motor dexterity were particularly impacted. Almost 90% of caregivers reported more concerns than average on at least one measure of emotional-behavioral, adaptive, or executive functioning. More than two-thirds of the sample were considered impaired based on NPI scores on performance measures. More than three quarters of the sample received outpatient intervention, most often consisting of school-based services. Our findings provide additional quantitative evidence that pediatric patients recovering from ANMDARE demonstrate ongoing cognitive concerns. While most patients experience remarkable recoveries following appropriate diagnosis and treatment, ongoing monitoring and support is recommended over time for these patients.
Trefoil Factor Family Member 2: From a High-Fat-Induced Gene to a Potential Obesity Therapy Target

Obesity has its epidemiological patterns continuously increasing. With controlling both diet and exercise being the main approaches to manage the energy metabolism balance, a high-fat (HF) diet is of particular importance. Indeed, lipids have a low satiety potential but a high caloric density. Thus, focusing on pharmacologically targetable pathways remains an approach with promising therapeutic potential. Within this context, trefoil factor family member 2 (Tff2) has been characterized as specifically induced by HF diet rather than low-fat diet. TFF2 has also been linked to diverse neurological mechanisms and metabolic patterns suggesting its role in energy balance. The hypothesis is that TFF2 would be a HF diet-induced signal that regulates metabolism with a focus on lipids. Within this review, we put the spotlight on key findings highlighting this line of thought. Importantly, the hypothetical mechanisms pointed highlight TFF2 as an important contributor to obesity development via increasing lipids intestinal absorption and anabolism. Therefore, an outlook for future experimental activities and evaluation of the therapeutic potential of TFF2 inhibition is given. Indeed, its knockdown or downregulation would contribute to an antiobesity phenotype. We believe this work represents an addition to our understanding of the lipidic molecular implications in obesity, which will contribute to develop therapies aiming to manage the lipidic metabolic pathways including the absorption, storage and metabolism via targeting TFF2-related pathways. We briefly discuss important relevant concepts for both basic and clinical researchers.
Improving Shingles Vaccination Rates in Family Medicine.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES At the end of the activity, participants will be able to: • Characterize the burden of herpes zoster infections. • Recommend the recombinant zoster vaccine to patients in accordance with guidance from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. • Implement strategies to increase patient acceptance of herpes zoster and other vaccinations. • Use available resources to increase awareness among patients about the importance and safety of recommended vaccinations.
Physicochemical Properties of Mesoporous Organo-Silica Xerogels Fabricated through Organo Catalyst

The physicochemical properties of organo-silica xerogels derived from organo catalyst were pervasively investigated, including the effect of one-step catalyst (citric acid) and two-step catalyst (acid-base), and also to observe the effect of sol pH of organo-silica xerogel toward the structure and deconvolution characteristic. The organo-silica xerogels were characterized by FTIR, TGA and nitrogen sorption to obtain the physicochemical properties. The silica sol–gel method was applied to processed materials by employing TEOS (tetraethyl orthosilicate) as the main precursor. The final molar ratio of organo-silica was 1:38:x:y:5 (TEOS:ethanol: citric acid: NH3:H2O) where x is citric acid concentration (0.1–10 × 10−2 M) and y is ammonia concentration (0 to 3 × 10−3 M). FTIR spectra shows that the one-step catalyst xerogel using citric acid was handing over the higher Si-O-Si concentration as well as Si-C bonding than the dual catalyst xerogels with the presence of a base catalyst. The results exhibited that the highest relative area ratio of silanol/siloxane were 0.2972 and 0.1262 for organo catalyst loading at pH 6 and 6.5 of organo-silica sols, respectively. On the other hand, the organo-silica matrices in this work showed high surface area 546 m2 g−1 pH 6.5 (0.07 × 10−2 N citric acid) with pore size ~2.9 nm. It is concluded that the xerogels have mesoporous structures, which are effective for further application to separate NaCl in water desalination.
Visual Impairment and Risk of Dementia: the UK Biobank Study

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION: The association between visual impairment (VI) and the risk of dementia has been poorly understood. We sought to investigate the VI-dementia relationship in the UK Biobank Study. METHODS: A total of 117,187 volunteers (aged 40-69 years) deemed free of dementia at baseline were included. Habitual distance visual acuity worse than 0.3 logMAR units in the better-seeing eye was used to define VI. The incident dementia was based on electronically linked hospital inpatient and death records. RESULTS: During a median follow up of 5.96 years, the presence of VI was significantly associated with incident dementia (HR=1.78, 95% CI: 1.18-2.68, P=0.006). There was a clear trend between the severity of VI and the risk of dementia (P for trend=0.002). DISCUSSION: Visually impaired individuals were more likely to develop incident dementia, with a progressively greater risk among those with worse visual acuity. Our findings highlight the value of regular vision screening and elimination of VI.
Cell wall thickness and composition are related to photosynthesis in Antarctic mosses.

Cell wall thickness (Tcw ) has been proposed as an important anatomical trait that could determine photosynthesis through land plants' phylogeny, bryophytes being the plant group presenting the thickest walls and the lowest photosynthetic rates. Also, it has recently been suggested that cell wall composition may have the potential to influence both thickness and mesophyll conductance (gm ), representing a novel trait that could ultimately affect photosynthesis. However, only a few studies in spermatophytes have demonstrated this issue. In order to explore the role of cell wall composition in determining both Tcw and gm in mosses, we tested six species grown under field conditions in Antarctica. We performed gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence measurements, an anatomical characterization, and a quantitative analysis of cell wall main composition (i.e., cellulose, hemicelluloses and pectins) in these six species. We found the photosynthetic rates to vary between the species, and they also presented differences in anatomical characteristics and in cell wall composition. Whilst gm correlated negatively with Tcw and pectins content, a positive relationship between Tcw and pectins emerged, suggesting that pectins could contribute to determine cell wall porosity. Although our results do not allow us to provide conclusive statements, we suggest for the first time that cell wall composition -with pectins playing a key role- could strongly influence Tcw and gm in Antarctic mosses, ultimately defining photosynthesis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Biosurfactants: Properties and Applications in Drug Delivery, Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology

Surfactants are amphiphilic compounds having hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties in their structure. They can be of synthetic or of microbial origin, obtained respectively from chemical synthesis or from microorganisms’ activity. A new generation of ecofriendly surfactant molecules or biobased surfactants is increasingly growing, attributed to their versatility of applications. Surfactants can be used as drug delivery systems for a range of molecules given their capacity to create micelles which can promote the encapsulation of bioactives of pharmaceutical interest; besides, these assemblies can also show antimicrobial properties. The advantages of biosurfactants include their high biodegradability profile, low risk of toxicity, production from renewable sources, functionality under extreme pH and temperature conditions, and long-term physicochemical stability. The application potential of these types of polymers is related to their properties enabling them to be processed by emulsification, separation, solubilization, surface (interfacial) tension, and adsorption for the production of a range of drug delivery systems. Biosurfactants have been employed as a drug delivery system to improve the bioavailability of a good number of drugs that exhibit low aqueous solubility. The great potential of these molecules is related to their auto assembly and emulsification capacity. Biosurfactants produced from bacteria are of particular interest due to their antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties with therapeutic and biomedical potential. In this review, we discuss recent advances and perspectives of biosurfactants with antimicrobial properties and how they can be used as structures to develop semisolid hydrogels for drug delivery, in environmental bioremediation, in biotechnology for the reduction of production costs and also their ecotoxicological impact as pesticide alternative.
Efficacy and safety of daratumumab in the treatment of multiple myeloma: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination regimens containing daratumumab in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods A systematic search of publications listed on electronic databases (PubMed®, The Cochrane Library, Science Direct and Web of Science) between inception and 13 November 2020 was conducted to find randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included patients with MM that were treated with combination regimens containing daratumumab. Results A total of seven RCTs were included (n = 4268 patients). Meta-analysis showed that compared with the control group, the group containing daratumumab showed a significantly better overall response rate and a complete response or better. Daratumumab improved efficacy in both standard-risk and cytogenetically high-risk patients with MM. The prevalence of neutropenia (≥grade 3) and pneumonia was significantly higher in the daratumumab group compared with the control group. Conclusion The available evidence demonstrated that the clinical application of combination regimens containing daratumumab improved the efficacy in patients with MM and had acceptable safety.
Validation of the Japanese Version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale—Revised: A Preliminary Analysis

To make the Japanese version of the CESD-R—a revised version of the Center for Epidemiologic Studies depression scale (CES-D)—in the assessment of depressive symptoms in a general population. The English version of CESD-R was translated into Japanese, and back-translated into English by three native speakers of Japanese and English; then, we selected the version most completely consistent with the original items. The CESD-R was applied to 398 community-dwelling people (191 men: 48.0%, and 207 women: 52.0%) who were over 40 years old. The Japanese version of the CES-D was also carried out in the same population. Factor analysis was performed. Additionally, the correlations between the CESD-R and CES-D results were identified. The CESD-R scores showed a significantly positive correlation with CES-D scores (r = 0.74, p < 0.0005). Analysis of the CESD-R yielded a Cronbach’s alpha result of 0.90. Factor analysis revealed one principal factor in the CESD-R, whereas the original CES-D had two factors because of reversed items. The Japanese version of the CESD-R appears to have the reliability to be applicable for assessing depressive symptoms in population-based samples. However, because the Japanese expressions for some items might be unusual, our study population was also limited; further studies on other populations and on incorporating improved Japanese terminology will be needed.
Development of immunosuppressive myeloid cells to induce tolerance in solid organ and hematopoietic cell transplant recipients.

Replacement of failed organs followed by safe withdrawal of immunosuppressive drugs have long been the goals of organ transplantation. We studied changes in the balance of T and myeloid cells in blood of HLA-matched and -mismatched patients given living donor kidney transplants (KTx) followed by total lymphoid irradiation (TLI), anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) conditioning, and donor hematopoietic cell transplant (HCT) to induce mixed chimerism and immune tolerance. The clinical trials were based on a conditioning regimen used to establish mixed chimerism and tolerance in mice. In pre-clinical murine studies, there was a profound depletion of T cells and an increase in immunosuppressive, polymorphonuclear (pmn), myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in the spleen and blood following transplant. Selective depletion of the pmn-MDSCs in mice abrogated mixed chimerism and tolerance. In our clinical trials, patients given an analogous tolerance conditioning regimen developed similar changes including profound depletion of T cells and a marked increase in MDSCs in blood post-transplant. Post-transplant pmn-MDSCs transiently increased expression of lectin-type, oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1), a marker of immunosuppression, and production of the T cell inhibitor, arginase-1. These post-transplant pmn-MDSCs suppressed the activation, proliferation, and inflammatory cytokine secretion of autologous, TCR microbead-stimulated, pre-transplant T cells when co-cultured in vitro. In conclusion, we elucidated changes in receptors, and function of immunosuppressive myeloid cells in patients enrolled in the tolerance protocol that were nearly identical to the that of MDSCs required for tolerance in mice. The clinical trials are registered in Clinicaltrials.gov under NCT #s 00319657 and 01165762.