Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of rotational stability and repositioning rates of 2 presbyopia-correcting and 2 monofocal toric intraocular lenses

The toric Symfony and monofocal TECNIS toric IOLs both required significantly more returns to the operating room for repositioning than Acrysof. Purpose: To compare the rotational stability of 2 commonly used toric presbyopia-correcting (PC) intraocular lenses (IOLs) and their monofocal toric counterparts. Setting: Single 2-surgeon private practice. Design: Retrospective study. Methods: This study included 2 cohorts: (1) all eyes receiving a toric ReSTOR (n = 61 eyes, 49 patients) or toric Symfony (n = 779 eyes, 520 patients) IOL from September 2016 to January 2019; and (2) all eyes receiving an AcrySof (n = 2 393) or TECNIS (n = 731) monofocal toric IOL (TIOL) from April 2015 to January 2019. Eyes were only excluded if digital marking could not be used. All patients had image-guided digital marking to verify TIOL position at the conclusion of surgery. Postoperative rotation was determined by dilated examination performed later on the day of surgery or the following morning. Results: The toric ReSTOR IOL was more likely to rotate 5 degrees or less than the toric Symfony IOL, 91.8% vs 79.0% (P = .01). This remained true for rotation of 10 degrees or less (100% vs 89.5%, P < 0.003). The mean rotation was 2.3 degrees for toric ReSTOR IOL compared with 4.5 for toric Symfony IOL (P = .01). Statistically significantly more eyes with toric Symfony IOL required a return to the operating room for repositioning (6.9% vs 0%, P < .03). More TECNIS monofocal TIOL eyes required surgical repositioning than AcrySof monofocal TIOL eyes (3.5% vs 1.2%, P < .001). Conclusions: Between these PC-TIOLs, the Symfony IOL was more likely to rotate and to require surgical repositioning than the ReSTOR IOL. The TECNIS TIOL built on the same platform as the Symfony IOL was more likely to require surgical repositioning than that by the AcrySof TIOL. Despite comparable rotational stability between the Symfony and TECNIS monofocal TIOLs, the Symfony was twice as likely to require surgical repositioning.
Understanding ESD Characteristics of GGNMOS in Bulk FinFET Technology

Bulk FinFET is a main technology option for sub-20nm nodes. Device geometry and process options in advanced FinFET show effects on ESD performance. In this paper, the impacts of layout parameters of gate length and drain ballast distance on the grounded-gate NMOSFET (GGNMOS) are investigated and demonstrated by 3D TCAD simulation.
Influence of Days in Milk and Parity on Milk and Blood Fatty Acid Concentrations, Blood Metabolites and Hormones in Early Lactation Holstein Cows

Simple Summary At the onset of lactation, the energy intake is not sufficient to meet the high energy requirement due to milk production increase. Consequently, body reserve is mobilized to support this negative energy balance situation. Severe negative energy balance can lead to health and production concerns. Certain blood and milk parameters could be used as indicators of lipomobilization and can thus predict the energy status in postpartum cows. Therefore, the objective of this paper was to study the influence of physiological factors that affect the energy balance, such as lactation stage and parity, on blood and milk parameters in healthy early lactation cows. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows from five Belgian commercial farms were followed during two calving periods. This study confirms that lactation stage along with energy balance and parity significantly influence blood and milk parameters. Abstract The objective of this paper is to study the influence of physiological factors that affect the energy balance, such as lactation stage and parity, on milk yield and composition, milk and blood fatty acid concentrations, blood metabolites and hormones in healthy early lactation cows. Thirty-two Holstein dairy cows from five Belgian commercial farms were followed. The grass silage-based diets fed to cows fell within normal composition ranges typically offered to dairy cows on commercial dairy farms in the region. Milk and blood were sampled at each official milk recording and used for the determination of milk fat and protein, milk and blood fatty acids, blood metabolites and hormones concentrations. The considered period was 7 to 150 days in milk. As lactation progressed, concentrations of milk 18:0 and 18:1c9, as well as blood non-esterified fatty acids and β-hydroxybutyrate, decreased, and those of milk C4–C14, blood cholesterol, triglycerides, insulin and IGF-I increased, agreeing with the extensive mobilization of body reserves in early lactation. Lower concentrations of milk C4–C14 and 16:0 and concomitant higher concentrations of milk 18:0 and 18:1c9 suggest a larger body reserve mobilization in first parity cows compared with greater than or equal to second parity cows. This study confirms that early lactation stage along with parity significantly influence milk fatty acids, such as 18:1, and blood metabolites and hormones, such as NEFA and insulin.
On the Application of Time Frequency Convolutional Neural Networks to Road Anomalies’ Identification with Accelerometers and Gyroscopes

The detection and identification of road anomalies and obstacles in the road infrastructure has been investigated by the research community using different types of sensors. This paper evaluates the detection and identification of road anomalies/obstacles using the data collected from the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) installed in a vehicle and in particular from the data generated by the accelerometers’ and gyroscopes’ components. Inspired by the successes of the application of deep learning to various identification problems, this paper investigates the application of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to this specific problem. In particular, we propose a novel approach in this context where the time-frequency representation (i.e., spectrogram) is used as an input to the CNN rather than the original time domain data. This approach is evaluated on an experimental dataset collected using 12 different vehicles driving for more than 40 km of road. The results show that the proposed approach outperforms significantly and across different sampling rates both the application of CNN to the original time domain representation and the application of shallow machine learning algorithms. The approach achieves an identification accuracy of 97.2%. The results presented in this paper are based on an extensive optimization both of the CNN algorithm and the spectrogram implementation in terms of window size, type of window, and overlapping ratio. The accurate detection of road anomalies/obstacles could be useful to road infrastructure managers to monitor the quality of the road surface and to improve the accurate positioning of autonomous vehicles because road anomalies/obstacles could be used as landmarks.
Gut microbiota and metabolome distinctive features in Parkinson disease: Focus on levodopa and levodopa‐carbidopa intrajejunal gel

Recent data suggest that imbalances in the composition of the gut microbiota (GM) could exacerbate the progression of Parkinson disease (PD). The effects of levodopa (LD) have been poorly assessed, and those of LD‐carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG) have not been evaluated so far. The aim of this study was to identify the effect of LD and LCIG, in particular, on the GM and metabolome.
Analysis of Emergency Department Visits and Hospital Activity during Influenza Season, COVID-19 Epidemic, and Lockdown Periods in View of Managing a Future Disaster Risk: A Multicenter Observational Study

ED-visits and through-ED admissions to medical/surgical wards (MSW) and intensive care unit (ICU) during influenza, COVID-19 and lockdown periods were evaluated in a four-hospital prospective observational study from November 2018 to March 2020. ED visit characteristics and main diagnostic categories were assessed. Analysis of 368,262 ED-visits highlighted a significantly increasing trend in ED-visits during influenza followed by a significantly decreasing trend after lockdown. For MSW-admissions, a pattern of growth during influenza was followed by a fall that began during COVID-19 pandemic and intensified during the lockdown. For ICU-admissions, a significant rise during the COVID-19 pandemic was followed by diminution during the lockdown period. During lockdown, significantly diminishing trends were shown for all diagnostic categories (between −40.8% and −73.6%), except influenza-like illness/COVID cases (+31.6%), Pulmonary embolism/deep vein thrombosis (+33.5%) and frequent users (+188.0%). The present study confirms an increase in demand during the influenza epidemic and during the initial phase of the COVID-19 epidemic, but a drop in activity during the lockdown, mainly related to non-COVID conditions. Syndromic surveillance of ILI cases in ED is a tool for monitoring influenza and COVID-19, and it can predict ED activity and the need for MSW and ICU beds.
Optimising patient fitness: strategies to reduce the effects of cancer cachexia in patients with advanced lung cancer

Purpose of review Outcomes for patients with advanced lung cancer have traditionally been very poor. This patient group are often comorbid, less fit and experience multiple symptoms. This review discusses strategies for minimizing the impact of cachexia on patients with advanced lung cancer. This is timely, as in recent years there has been a rapid increase in available systemic therapy options, with the potential of long-term survival for some patients. Recent findings The review discusses current strategies in combating cachexia, including: symptom control, systemic therapy for cancer and for cachexia, nutritional interventions and exercise interventions. It discusses current clinical trials, combining interventions and the paradigm of prehabilitation. Summary It is likely that the optimal way of minimizing the impact of cachexia in advanced lung cancer is through a combination of early interventions including symptom management.
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers toward Genetic Testing and Pharmacogenomics among Healthcare Workers in the United Arab Emirates: A Cross-Sectional Study

In order to successfully translate the scientific models of genetic testing and pharmacogenomics into clinical practice, empowering healthcare workers with the right knowledge and functional understanding on the subject is essential. Limited research in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have assessed healthcare worker stances towards genomics. This study aimed to assess healthcare workers’ knowledge and attitudes on genetic testing. A cross-sectional study was conducted among healthcare workers practicing in either public or private hospitals or clinics as pharmacists, nurses, physicians, managers, and allied health. Participants were recruited randomly and via snowball techniques. Surveys were collected between April and September 2019; out of 552 respondents, 63.4% were female, the mean age was 38 (±9.6) years old. The mean knowledge score was 5.2 (±2.3) out of nine, which shows a fair level of knowledge. The scores of respondents of pharmacy were 5.1 (±2.5), medicine 6.0 (±2.0), and nursing 4.8 (±2.1). All participants exhibited a fair knowledge level about genetic testing and pharmacogenomics. Of the respondents, 91.9% showed a positive attitude regarding availability of genetic testing. The top identified barrier to implementation was the cost of testing (62%), followed by lack of training or education and insurance coverage (57.8% and 57.2%, respectively). Building upon the positive attitudes and tackling the barriers and challenges will pave the road for full implementation of genetic testing and pharmacogenomics in the UAE. We recommend empowering healthcare workers by improving needed and tailored competencies related to their area of practice. We strongly urge the stakeholders to streamline and benchmark the workflow, algorithm, and guidelines to standardize the health and electronic system. Lastly, we advocate utilizing technology and electronic decision support as well as the translational report to back up healthcare workers in the UAE.
The Safety and Efficacy of Phage Therapy for Bone and Joint Infections: A Systematic Review

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has catalysed interest in alternative antimicrobial strategies. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses of bacteria with a long history of successful therapeutic use. Phage therapy is a promising antibacterial strategy for infections with a biofilm component, including recalcitrant bone and joint infections, which have significant social, financial and human impacts. Here, we report a systematic review of the safety and efficacy of phage therapy for the treatment of bone and joint infections. Three electronic databases were systematically searched for articles that reported primary data about human phage therapy for bone and joint infections. Two authors independently assessed study eligibility and performed data extraction. Seventeen reports were eligible for inclusion in this review, representing the treatment of 277 patients. A cautionary, crude, efficacy estimate revealed that 93.1% (n = 258/277) achieved clinical resolution, 3.3% (n = 9/277) had improvement and 3.6% (n = 10/277) showed no improvement. Seven of the nine reports that directly commented on the safety of phage therapy did not express safety concerns. The adverse effects reported in the remaining two were not severe and were linked to the presence of contaminating endotoxins and pre-existing liver pathology in a patient treated with high-titre intravenous phage therapy. Three other reports, from 1940–1987, offered general comments on the safety of phage therapy and documented adverse effects consistent with endotoxin co-administration concomitant with the use of raw phage lysates. Together, the reports identified by this review suggest that appropriately purified phages represent a safe and highly efficacious treatment option for complex and intractable bone and joint infections.
Harnessing early life immunity to develop a pediatric HIV vaccine that can protect through adolescence

1 Duke Human Vaccine Institute, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America, 2 Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America, 3 Children’s Research Institute, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States of America, 4 California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, California, United States of America, 5 Department of Pediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America
Prevalence and Impact of Reported Drug Allergies among Rheumatology Patients

Background: Drug allergies (DA) are immunologically mediated adverse drug reactions and their manifestations depend on a variety of drug- and patient-specific factors. The dysregulated immune system underpinning rheumatological diseases may also lead to an increase in hypersensitivity reactions, including DA. The higher prevalence of reported DA, especially anti-microbials, also restricts the medication repertoire for these already immunocompromised patients. However, few studies have examined the prevalence and impact of reported DA in this group of patients. Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were recruited from the rheumatology clinics in a tertiary referral hospital between 2018 and 2019. Prevalence and clinical outcomes of reported DA among different rheumatological diseases were calculated and compared to a cohort of hospitalized non-rheumatology patients within the same period. Results: A total of 6081 patients (2541 rheumatology patients: 1286 RA, 759 SpA, and 496 SLE; and 3540 controls) were included. DA was more frequently reported among rheumatology patients compared to controls (23.8% vs. 13.8%, p < 0.01). Antibiotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were the two most commonly reported categories of DA with a prevalence of 12.0% and 5.1%, respectively. Reported antibiotics allergies were more frequent in patients with RA (OR = 1.20, 95% CI = 1.02–1.62, p = 0.03) and SLE (OR = 4.69, 95% CI = 3.69–5.95, p < 0.01); and associated with increased infection-related admissions among rheumatology patients (OR = 1.79, 95% CI = 1.09–2.95, p = 0.02). Among the subgroup of patients referred for allergy testing, 85.7% of beta-lactam antibiotic allergy labels were found to be inaccurate and de-labelled after negative drug provocation testing. Conclusion: The prevalence of reported DA was significantly higher in rheumatology patients. Reported antibiotic allergy was associated with increased rate of infection-related admissions. However, the rate of genuine antibiotic allergy was low. Further studies are needed to guide proper assessment of reported DA and impact of comprehensive allergy testing in this group of patients.
’Less is more’: validation with Rasch analysis of five short-forms for the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Personality Questionnaires (BIRT-PQs)

ABSTRACT Background Previous analyses demonstrated a lack of unidimensionality, item redundancy, and substantial administrative burden for the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust Personality Questionnaires (BIRT-PQs). Objective To use Rasch Analysis to calibrate five short-forms of the BIRT-PQs, satisfying the Rasch model requirements. Methods BIRT-PQs data from 154 patients with severe Acquired Brain Injury (s-ABI) and their caregivers (total sample = 308) underwent Rasch analysis to examine their internal construct validity and reliability according to the Rasch model. Results The base Rasch analyses did not show sufficient internal construct validity according to the Rasch model for all five BIRT-PQs. After rescoring 18 items, and deleting 75 of 150 items, adequate internal construct validity was achieved for all five BIRT-PQs short forms (model chi-square p-values ranging from 0.0053 to 0.6675), with reliability values compatible with individual measurements. Conclusions After extensive modifications, including a 48% reduction of the item load, we obtained five short forms of the BIRT-PQs satisfying the strict measurement requirements of the Rasch model. The ordinal-to-interval measurement conversion tables allow measuring on the same metric the perception of the neurobehavioral disability for both patients with s-ABI and their caregivers.
Mammary Cistern Size during the Dry Period in Healthy Dairy Cows: A Preliminary Study for an Ultrasonographic Evaluation

Simple Summary The dry period is a crucial moment for dairy cows since the udder may develop pathological conditions that could influence the next lactation. We propose a preliminary study for the ultrasonographic evaluation of the udder cistern during the dry period in healthy dairy cows. All four udder cisterns were evaluated and measured by ultrasound at different times. Our results showed a statistically significant negative linear correlation between the time and udder cistern size. In addition, this study showed that the udder cistern size decreased throughout the whole dry period and started to increase at the beginning of the next lactation. Abstract We evaluated the udder cistern (UC) size during the dry period using ultrasound. Forty healthy quarters were evaluated in both the longitudinal and cross-section of the UC. Quarters were evaluated at the drying-off (T0) and 24 h later (T1), then regularly until the end of the dry period (T7–T58), during the colostrum production phase (TCPP) and at 7 days in milking (T7PP). The Spearman test was applied to find the correlation between the ultrasonographic UC size (UUCS) assessment and time. The Friedman test and Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons as a post-hoc test were performed to compare the forequarter and hindquarter cross-sections (FQCSs and HQCSs, respectively) and the forequarter and hindquarter longitudinal sections (FQLSs and HQLSs, respectively) at T0 vs. T58 vs. TCPP vs. T7PP. A total of 440 images were evaluated. A negative linear correlation between time and FQCS and FQLS (r = −0.95; p < 0.0004) and between time and HQCS and HQLS (r = −0.90; p < 0.002) was found. The UUCS decreased throughout the dry period, starting to increase at the beginning of the next lactation. Measuring the UUCS provides useful information for monitoring the dry period.
Disappearance of TBEV Circulation among Rodents in a Natural Focus in Alsace, Eastern France

Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) depends mainly on a fragile mode of transmission, the co-feeding between infected nymphs and larvae on rodents, and thus persists under a limited set of biotic and abiotic conditions. If these conditions change, natural TBEV foci might be unstable over time. We conducted a longitudinal study over seven years in a mountain forest in Alsace, Eastern France, located at the western border of known TBEV distribution. The objectives were (i) to monitor the persistence of TBEV circulation between small mammals and ticks and (ii) to discuss the presence of TBEV circulation in relation to the synchronous activity of larvae and nymphs, to the densities of questing nymphs and small mammals, and to potential changes in meteorological conditions and deer densities. Small mammals were trapped five times per year from 2012 to 2018 to collect blood samples and record the presence of feeding ticks, and were then released. Questing nymphs were collected twice a year. Overall, 1344 different small mammals (Myodes glareolus and Apodemus flavicollis) were captured and 2031 serum samples were tested for the presence of antibodies against TBEV using an in-house ELISA. Seropositive rodents (2.1%) were only found from 2012 to 2015, suggesting that the virus disappeared afterwards. In parallel, we observed unusual variations in inter-annual nymph abundance and intra-annual larval activity that could be related to exceptional meteorological conditions. Changes in the densities of questing nymphs and deer associated with the natural stochastic variations in the frequency of contacts between rodents and infected ticks may have contributed to the endemic fadeout of TBEV on the study site. Further studies are needed to assess whether such events occur relatively frequently in the area, which could explain the low human incidence of TBE in Alsace and even in other areas of France.
Comparing an All-RN Unit to a Mixed-Skill Unit at a Hospital

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the differences in patient complications as well as patient and staff satisfaction between a mixed-skill unit and an all–registered nurse (RN) unit. BACKGROUND It is recognized that nursing care delivered by RNs results in better outcomes; however, more evidence is needed to support a change to an all-RN unit. METHODS A mixed unit with RNs and unlicensed assistive personnel was compared with an all-RN unit. Each unit had similar resources. Patient complications and patient and staff satisfaction were measured. Patient complications were reported in terms of 1,000 patient days over the study period to minimize noise fluctuations; t test and χ2 compared means and frequencies, respectively. RESULTS The all-RN unit had a lower prevalence of patient complications. Patients reported better pain management, and nurse explanation, and reported higher satisfaction on the all-RN unit. CONCLUSIONS An all-RN unit provided superior outcomes compared with a mixed-skill unit without additional costs.