Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Value of Metagenomic Next-Generation Sequencing for Pneumonia in Immunocompromised Patients

Introduction The diagnosis of pulmonary infection and the identification of pathogens are still clinical challenges in immunocompromised patients. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) has emerged as a promising infection diagnostic technique. However, its diagnostic value in immunocompromised patients needs further exploration. Purposes This study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of mNGS compared with comprehensive conventional pathogen tests (CTs) in the etiology of pneumonia in immunocompromised patients and immunocompetent patients. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 53 patients who were diagnosed with pneumonia from May 2019 to June 2021. There were 32 immunocompromised patients and 21 immunocompetent patients with pneumonia who received both mNGS and CTs. The diagnostic performance was compared between mNGS and CTs in immunocompromised patients, using the composite diagnosis as the reference standard. And, the diagnostic value of mNGS for mixed infections was further analyzed. Results Compared to immunocompetent patients, the most commonly pathogens, followed by Cytomegalovirus, Pneumocystis jirovecii and Klebsiella pneumoniae in immunocompromised patients. Furthermore, more mixed infections were diagnosed, and bacterial-fungal-virus coinfection was the most frequent combination (43.8%). mNGS can detect more types of pathogenic microorganisms than CTs in both groups (78.1% vs. 62.5%, P = 0.016and 57.1% vs. 42.9%, P = 0.048). The overall diagnostic positive rate of mNGS for pathogens was higher in immunocompromised patients (P = 0.002). In immunocompromised patients, a comparable diagnostic accuracy of mNGS and CTs was found for bacterial, fungal, and viral infections and coinfection. mNGS had a much higher sensitivity for bacterial infections (92.9% vs. 50%, P < 0.001) and coinfections (68.8% vs. 48.3%, P < 0.05), and it had no significant advantage in the detection of fungal infections, mainly due to the high sensitivity for Pneumocystis jirovecii in both groups. Conclusion mNGS is more valuable in immunocompromised patients and exhibits apparent advantages in detecting bacterial and mixed infections. It may be an alternative or complementary diagnostic method for the diagnosis of complicated infections in immunocompromised patients.
Daily Rhythms in the IGF-1 System in the Liver of Goldfish and Their Synchronization to Light/Dark Cycle and Feeding Time

Simple Summary Insulin-like growth factor-1 is a peptide that acts both as a hormone and growth factor that participates in several physiological processes in vertebrates. Due to its pleiotropic actions, its functionality is regulated both by its linkage to binding proteins and the signaling through specific receptors. This system may be temporally synchronized to ensure the anticipatory physiological adaptations to cyclic environmental changes. The aim of this work is to study the daily variations in the expression of these components belonging to the insulin-like growth factor-1 system in the liver of goldfish, as well as the influence of two environmental synchronizers, the light/dark cycle and a scheduled feeding time, on such rhythmicity. Both environmental cues influence the daily rhythms of expression of the components of the insulin-like growth factor-1 system, and particularly, feeding time synchronizes these rhythms. Overall, this work evidences the relevance of insulin-like growth factor-1 and its binding proteins as potential rhythmic outputs of the liver clock in fish. A scheduled mealtime plays a key role in the functional organization of the circadian system in animals. Abstract The relevance of the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) system in several physiological processes is well-known in vertebrates, although little information about their temporal organization is available. This work aims to investigate the possible rhythmicity of the different components of the IGF-1 system (igf-1, the igf1ra and igf1rb receptors and the paralogs of its binding proteins IGFBP1 and IGFBP2) in the liver of goldfish. In addition, we also study the influence of two environmental cues, the light/dark cycle and feeding time, as zeitgebers. The hepatic igf-1 expression showed a significant daily rhythm with the acrophase prior to feeding time, which seems to be strongly dependent on both zeitgebers. Only igfbp1a-b and igfbp1b-b paralogs exhibited a robust daily rhythm of expression in the liver that persists in fish held under constant darkness or randomly fed. The hepatic expression of the two receptor subtypes did not show daily rhythms in any of the experimental conditions. Altogether these results point to the igf-1, igfbp1a-b, and igfbp1b-b as clock-controlled genes, supporting their role as putative rhythmic outputs of the hepatic oscillator, and highlight the relevance of mealtime as an external cue for the 24-h rhythmic expression of the IGF-1 system in fish.
Evaluating Germplasm of Cultivated Oat Species from the VIR Collection under the Russian Northwest Conditions

Oat is one of the most widespread and important cereal crops in the global agricultural production. Searching for new high-yielding and nutritious forms continues to be relevant, especially under the global trend of climate change, when most local oat cultivars may become economically inefficient. Spring oat accessions from VIR collection served as the material for this study; their origin is diverse, as they came from 11 countries. The basic nutritional value (the content of protein, oil, starch, and β-glucans) and characters important for breeding (plant height, panicle length, number of spikelets, number of grains per panicle, 1000 grain weight, and grain yield) were analyzed in 49 accessions of the cultivated covered oat species: Avena sativa L. , A. strigosa Schreb. , A. abyssinica Hochst. , and A. byzantina Coch. , grown under the conditions of the Russian Northwest (Leningrad Province) for two years. Variability parameters, interspecific and intervarietal differences, and the effect of weather conditions were assessed. Sources of useful agronomic traits were identified; they can be used to expand the range of the source material for the development of new high-yielding and highly nutritious oat cultivars adapted to local cultivation conditions. It is demonstrated that the VIR collection has a great potential for contemporary food and feed production and for the breeding of new oat cultivars for various purposes. Thus, the contribution of Nikolai Vavilov to the plant genetic resources investigation for the benefit of humanity is invaluable.
Pomegranate Pomace Extract with Antioxidant, Anticancer, Antimicrobial, and Antiviral Activity Enhances the Quality of Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie

Valorizing the wastes of the food industry sector as additives in foods and beverages enhances human health and preserves the environment. In this study, pomegranate pomace (PP) was obtained from the company Schweppes and exposed to the production of polyphenols and fiber-enriched fractions, which were subsequently included in a strawberry-yogurt smoothie (SYS). The PP is rich in carbohydrates and fibers and has high water-absorption capacity (WAC) and oil-absorption capacity (OAC) values. The LC/MS phenolic profile of the PP extract indicated that punicalagin (199 g/L) was the main compound, followed by granatin B (60 g/L) and pedunculagin A (52 g/L). Because of the high phenolic content of PP extract, it (p ≤ 0.05) has high antioxidant activity with SC50 of 200 µg/mL, besides scavenging 95% of DPPH radicals compared to ascorbic acid (92%); consequently, it reduced lung cancer cell lines’ viability to 86%, and increased caspase-3 activity. Additionally, it inhibited the growth of pathogenic bacteria and fungi i.e., L. monocytogenes, P. aeruginosa, K. pneumonia, A. niger, and C. glabrata, in the 45–160 µg/mL concentration range while killing the tested isolates with 80–290 µg/mL concentrations. These isolates were selected based on the microbial count of spoiled smoothie samples and were identified at the gene level by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. The interaction between Spike and ACE2 was inhibited by 75.6%. The PP extract at four levels (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.4 mg/mL) was added to strawberry-yogurt smoothie formulations. During 2 months storage at 4 °C, the pH values, vitamin C, and total sugars of all SYS decreased. However, the decreases were gradually mitigated in PP-SYS because of the high phenolic content in the PP extract compared to the control. The PP-SYS3 and PP-SYS4 scored higher in flavor, color, and texture than in other samples. In contrast, acidity, fat, and total soluble solids (TSS) increased at the end of the storage period. High fat and TSS content are observed in PP-SYS because of the high fiber content in PP. The PP extract (1.2 and 1.6 mg/mL) decreases the color differences and reduces harmful microbes in PP-SYS compared to the control. Using pomegranate pomace as a source of polyphenols and fiber in functional foods enhances SYS’s physiochemical and sensory qualities.
Amplification and directional emission of surface acoustic waves by a two-dimensional electron gas

Amplification of surface acoustic waves (SAWs) by electron drift in a two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) is analyzed analytically and confirmed experimentally. Calculations suggest that peak power gain per SAW radian occurs at a more practical carrier density for a 2DEG than for a bulk material. It is also shown that SAW emission with tunable directionality can be achieved by modulating a 2DEG's carrier density (to effect SAW generation) in the presence of an applied DC field that amplifies SAWs propagating in a particular direction while attenuating those propagating in the opposite direction.
Efficacy and safety of proton pump inhibitors versus vonoprazan in treatment of erosive esophagitis: A PRISMA-compliant systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background: Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) and vonoprazan are recommended as first-line therapies for erosive esophagitis (EE). However, it is uncertain how the magnitude of efficacy and safety of first-line therapy, the choice of individual PPIs or vonoprazan in the treatment of EE remains controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of vonoprazan and PPIs in healing esophageal mucosal injury in patients with EE. Methods: Relevant databases were searched to collect randomized controlled trials of proton pump inhibitors and vonoprazan in the treatment of reflux esophagitis up to December 2021. Studies on standard-dose PPIs or vonoprazan that were published in Chinese or English and assessed healing effects in EE were included in the analysis. Stata16.0 was used to conduct a network Meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the treatment. Results: A total of 41 literatures were included with 11,592 enrolled patients. For the endoscopic cure rate, all the PPIs and vonoprazan significantly improve compared to Placebo; Based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve, Ilaprazole ranked first, followed by esomeprazole, vonoprazan, pantoprazole, lansoprazole, omeprazole, rabeprazole and placebo therapy ranked the last. For the rate of adverse events, there was no significant difference among all the PPIs, vonoprazan, and placebo. Conclusions: Ilaprazole, esomeprazole and vonoprazan have more advantages in mucosal erosion healing, there was no significant difference in the comparative safety among all interventions.
Retrospective analysis of genetic etiology and obstetric outcome of fetal cystic hygroma: A single-center study

Background: Cystic hygroma (CH) is a relatively common observation in prenatal ultrasounds; however, there are few studies about copy number variations (CNVs) of fetuses with CH. Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis on 40 pregnant patients (out of 8000 pregnant patients) whose fetuses had CH from November 2016 to June 2021. Villus, amniotic fluid, or umbilical cord blood samples were collected, based on the corresponding gestational age, for karyotype analysis and single-nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array). Results: Among the 40 fetuses with CH, 16 (40.0%, 16/40) exhibited isolated CH and 24 (60.0%, 24/40) exhibited CH combined with other ultrasound abnormalities. The most common CH-comorbid ultrasound abnormalities observed in this study were congenital heart disease (25.0%, 6/24), thickened nuchal translucency (20.8%, 5/24), and fetal edema (12.5%, 3/24). Karyotype and SNP-array analysis resulted in an overall detection rate of 30.0% (12/40). Karyotype analysis led to the detection of eight cases of pathogenic CNVs, among which 45, X was the most common. In addition to the above pathogenic CNV, four additional cases were detected by SNP-array. There was no significant difference in the observed pathogenic CNVs between isolated CH and CH combined with other ultrasound (31.3% vs 29.2%, P > .99). Karyotype analysis and SNP-array results influence whether parents terminate the pregnancy. When genetic abnormalities are detected in the fetus, the parents often choose to terminate the pregnancy. Conclusions: Our study emphasizes that genomic examination should be performed on fetuses with CH to confirm the etiology as soon as possible. During genetic counseling, all fetal characteristics should be carefully and comprehensively evaluated.
Impact of oscillometric measurement artefacts in ambulatory blood pressure monitoring on estimates of average blood pressure and of its variability: a pilot study

Objective: Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) plays an important role in the diagnosis of hypertension. However, methodological factors and the measurement conditions affect the results and may lead to incorrect classification of the patient. We performed a pilot study to evaluate the impact of oscillometric measurement artefacts on ABPM-derived variables. Methods: Four classes of artefacts have been detected: motor activity artefacts, cuff errors, cardiovascular arousals, and arrhythmias. The data consisted of uncorrected measurements (all data), corrected measurements (all artefact free data), and artefact affected data. Results: A total of 30 individuals (9 female/21 male), aged between 36 and 86 years, mean: 65.5 (standard deviation: 9.5) were included in the study. The average blood pressure (BP) was higher in artefacts-affected measurements compared the artefact-free measurements both for systolic (4.6 mmHg) and diastolic (1.3 mmHg) measurements. Further, artefact-affected systolic BP (SBP) was 6.4 mmHg higher than artefact-free measurements during daytime. Nocturnal measurements showed no artefact-depended differences. Individual comparisons yielded that 23% of the participants crossed the threshold for BP classification for either 24-h, daytime or nocturnal hypertension when comparing uncorrected and artefact-free measurements. Dipping classification changed within 24% of participants. BP variability was 21 and 12% higher for SPB and DBP, respectively, during daytime. These differences were even higher (27% for SBP and 21% for DPB) during night-time. Conclusion: The study reveals that measurement artefacts are frequently present during cuff-based ABPM and do relevantly affect measurement outcome. Exclusion of measurement artefacts is a promising approach to improving cuff-based ABPM accuracy.
Dermatology Match Preference Signaling Tokens: Impact and Implications

BACKGROUND The dermatology residency application process implemented a new system of preference signaling tokens (PSTs) in the 2021-2022 cycle to allow applicants to express a higher level of interest in specific programs. Limited data are available on the utilization and impact of these tokens. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of PSTs on the application process and where in the process PSTs had the greatest influence. MATERIALS AND METHODS A 14-question survey was sent to 62 ACGME-accredited dermatology residency programs. Primary outcomes were PST impact on 2021-2022 applications. Variables were evaluated using open-ended questions, yes/no responses, and importance ratings from 0 to 100. RESULTS An average of 7.1% of applicants were offered interviews, but 21.1% of applicants that submitted PSTs were interviewed versus 3.7% of nonsubmitters. 22.5% of ranked applicants and 19% of matched applicants submitted a PST to that program. Limitations Not all programs responded, and PST submission restrictions could not be assessed. CONCLUSION The greatest PST impact was on the interview decision but had minimal subsequent impact. Given PSTs cannot be submitted to home programs or in-person away rotations, the actual impact was probably greater than found. Programs will continue to implement PSTs in future cycles.
Association of sodium intake with adverse left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling in Chinese

Objectives: High sodium intake is strongly associated with hypertension and obesity. This study aims to investigate the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium (a surrogate measure of sodium intake), ambulatory blood pressure parameters, left atrial function, and left atrioventricular coupling. Further, we intend to examine whether blood pressure and BMI might be mediators of the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium and subclinical cardiac function. Methods: Our study had 398 participants, all of whom were subjected to 24-h urine collection, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurement, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Results: The average age of the participants was 55.70 ± 11.30 years old. The mean urinary sodium of the participants was 172.01 ± 80.24 mmol/24 h. After adjusting for age, sex, history of diabetes, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and use of diuretics, 24-h urinary sodium was correlated with multiple ambulatory blood pressure parameters, BMI, left atrial function, and the left atrioventricular coupling index (LACI) (P < 0.05). Mediation analysis showed that BMI explained 16% of the indirect effect of 24-h urinary sodium and left atrial function and 30% of the indirect effect of LACI. Independent of the mediator, 24-h urinary sodium had a significant direct effect on left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling. Conclusions: Higher 24-h urinary sodium was associated with a greater BMI as well as poor left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling, and the BMI mediated the relationship between 24-h urinary sodium and subclinical left cardiac function. Furthermore, and more importantly, 24-h urinary sodium may have directly affected the left atrial function and left atrioventricular coupling independent of intermediary factors.
Clinical characteristics and prognosis of patients with glioblastoma: A review of survival analysis of 1674 patients based on SEER database

Background: To fully understand the clinical features and prognosis of Glioblastoma (GBM), we extracted the data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and performed a series of analyses. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of 1674 patients with GBM obtained from the SEER database from 1983 to 2015. Kaplan–Meier analysis was performed to calculate the survival rate, and the log-rank test was used to analyze the survival outcomes. Results: Older patients with GBM had a worse survival period (P < .05). Laterality had no effect on the prognosis (P > .05). Patients with high-grade gliomas may have a shorter lifespan (P < .05). In terms of overall survival (OS) and disease specificity, all 3 classical treatments failed to improve the life expectancy (P > .05). In adult patients with GBM, we found that age, tumor grade, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality. In the univariate disease-specific analysis, age, tumor grade, surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy were independent risk factors. However, in multivariate disease-specific analysis, the results showed that only tumor grade and surgery were independent risk factors for GBM. Conclusions: Older patients diagnosed with GBM have worse survival, and patients with glioma of higher grades have a shorter lifespan. Age, grade, surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy were independent prognostic factors for patients with GBM.
The association between incidentally found breast arterial calcification on routine screening mammography and the development of coronary artery disease and stroke: results of a 10-year prospective study

The presence of breast arterial calcifications on routine screening mammography was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing coronary artery disease and stroke after 10 years of prospective follow-up. Mammography may be an ideal, noninvasive way to assess the risk of future cardiovascular disease. Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to assess whether the presence of breast arterial calcifications (BACs) found on routine mammography is prospectively associated with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) events after 10 years of follow-up. Methods Women presenting for screening mammography were enrolled in this prospective cohort. Baseline data were collected including history of CVD and CVD risk factors. Mammograms were assessed for the presence or absence of BAC. Participants completed questionnaires 10 years after baseline that assessed the development of CVD (coronary artery disease [CAD] and stroke) and CVD risk factors. Results Of the 1,995 participants who enrolled at baseline, complete 10-year follow-up data were available for 1,039; of those, 114 (11.0%) were BAC-positive and 925 (89.0%) were BAC-negative at baseline. After controlling for age, BAC-positive women were more likely to develop CAD (odds ratio, 3.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.86-5.27; P < 0.001) compared with BAC-negative women after 10 years of follow-up. After controlling for age, BAC-positive women were more likely to have had a stroke (odds ratio, 5.10; 95% CI, 1.82-14.30) compared with BAC-negative women after 10 years. Conclusions The presence of BAC on routine screening mammography was associated with a significantly increased risk of developing CAD and stroke after 10 years of follow-up. Additional large prospective, population-based studies are needed to confirm BAC as a predictor of future CVD events and its utility in stratifying a woman's risk of CVD.