Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Dietary Supplementation on Aggressive Behaviour in Australian Adult Male Prisoners: A Feasibility and Pilot Study for a Randomised, Double Blind Placebo Controlled Trial

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of conducting a nutrition trial in adult male prisoners. Adult male prisoners were recruited for a 16-week randomised control trial comparing the effect of ingestion of omega-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 LCPUFA) and multivitamin supplements versus placebo on aggressive behaviour. The baseline and post-intervention assessments from the participant blood samples were the erythrocyte n-3 LCPUFA levels as well as measures of aggressive behaviour determined through institutional records of misconduct (IRM), the Inmate Behaviour Observation Scale (IBOS), and questionnaires. A total of 136 adult male prisoners consented to the study with a retention rate of 60%, and 93% of blood samples were successfully collected. The IRM and IBOS scores were collected for 100% of participants, whilst 82–97% of participants completed the questionnaires. From the baseline data, the Odds Ratio shows that prisoners are 4.3 times more likely to have an IBOS >2 if they are below the 6% cut off on the omega-3 index. Both groups improved across all outcome measures and, at the current sample size, no significant differences were seen between them. A power calculation suggests a total sample size of 600 participants is required to detect the effects of this dietary supplementation, and that this supplementation study is feasible in a Correctional Centre. Important criteria for the exclusion and consideration of logistics and compliance are presented.
Implication of coronavirus pandemic on obsessive-compulsive-disorder symptoms

Abstract This review assesses various sources regarding obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms and the coronavirus pandemic via a study of literature related to OCD conditions in the United States, China, the United Kingdom, and India. Coronavirus’s morbidity and its status as a global pandemic transmittable from one person to another has subsequently intensified the personal perception of distress. The projected shortage of vital medical equipment to fight coronavirus due to daily increases in COVID-19 cases creates social unrest. The world confronts perpetual news about high numbers of coronavirus cases, more people in quarantine, and more deaths; those not infected feel increasing fear about its proximity. Social media, print media, and electronic sources offer much advice on how to prevent coronavirus infection. Pandemics extend beyond pathophysiology and medical phenomena to associations with intense psychosocial impact. Studies have established that people with existing mental disorders are prone to relapses, the fear of faulty COVID-19 prevention measures, distress, and suicidal thoughts during pandemics. Precautionary measures aim to slow the spread of coronavirus, but these radical repetitive measures create great anxiety in the mental health of individuals suffering from OCD. Despite the nature of their conditions, these people must adhere to routine processes, such as washing hands, wearing masks and gloves, and sanitizing hands. Given the asymptomatic nature of people suffering from OCD, the routine measures for addressing COVID-19 have a hectic and adverse effect on their mental health and their state of relaxation. Through a systematic literature review, this paper provides insight into the coronavirus pandemic’s implications for OCD symptoms.
Identification of Appropriate Endogenous Biomarker for Risk Assessment of Multidrug and Toxin Extrusion Protein‐Mediated Drug‐Drug Interactions in Healthy Volunteers

Endogenous biomarkers are emerging to advance clinical drug‐drug interaction (DDI) risk assessment in drug development. Twelve healthy subjects received a multidrug and toxin exclusion protein (MATE) inhibitor (pyrimethamine, 10, 25, and 75 mg) in a crossover fashion to identify an appropriate endogenous biomarker to assess MATE1/2‐K‐mediated DDI in the kidneys. Metformin (500 mg) was also given as reference probe drug for MATE1/2‐K. In addition to the previously reported endogenous biomarker candidates (creatinine and N1‐methylnicotinamide (1‐NMN)), N1‐methyladenosine (m1A) was included as novel biomarkers. 1‐NMN and m1A presented as superior MATE1/2‐K biomarkers since changes in their renal clearance (CLr) along with pyrimethamine dose were well‐correlated with metformin CLr changes. The CLr of creatinine was reduced by pyrimethamine, however, its changes poorly correlated with metformin CLr changes. Nonlinear regression analysis (CLr vs. mean total concentration of pyrimethamine in plasma) yielded an estimate of the inhibition constant (Ki) of pyrimethamine and the fraction of the clearance pathway sensitive to pyrimethamine. The in vivo Ki value thus obtained was further converted to unbound Ki using plasma unbound fraction of pyrimethamine, which was comparable to the in vitro Ki for MATE1 (1‐NMN) and MATE2‐K (1‐NMN and m1A). It is concluded that 1‐NMN and m1A CLr can be leveraged as quantitative MATE1/2‐K biomarkers for DDI risk assessment in healthy volunteers.
Learning Analytics to Assess Beliefs about Science: Evolution of Expertise as Seen through Biological Inquiry

Epistemological beliefs about science (EBAS) or beliefs about the nature of science knowledge, and how that knowledge is generated during inquiry, are an essential yet difficult to assess component of science literacy. Leveraging learning analytics to capture and analyze student practices in simulated or game-based authentic science activities is a potential avenue for assessing EBAS. Our previous work characterized inquiry practices of experts and novices engaged in simulated authentic science inquiry and suggested that practices may reflect EBAS. Here, we extend our prior qualitative work to quantitatively examine differences in practices and EBAS between non–science majors, biology majors, and biology graduates. We observed that inquiry practices of non–science majors and biology graduates were similar to the novice and expert practices, respectively, in our prior work. However, biology majors sometimes appeared to act like their undergraduate peers (e.g., performing fewer planning actions) but other times were more similar to biology graduates (e.g., performing complex investigations). We noted that cognitive constructs like metacognition were also important for understanding which practices were most likely to be reflective of EBAS. This work advances how to assess EBAS using learning analytics and raises questions regarding the development of cognitive processes like EBAS among aspiring biologists.
In vivo experiments demonstrate the potent antileishmanial efficacy of repurposed suramin in visceral leishmaniasis

Background Treatment failure and resistance to the commonly used drugs remains a major obstacle for successful chemotherapy against visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Since the development of novel therapeutics involves exorbitant costs, the effectiveness of the currently available antitrypanosomatid drug suramin has been investigated as an antileishmanial, specifically for VL,in vitro and in animal model experiments. Methodology/Principal Leishmania donovani promastigotes were treated with suramin and studies were performed to determine the extent and mode of cell mortality, cell cycle arrest and other in vitro parameters. In addition, L. donovani infected BALB/c mice were administered suramin and a host of immunological parameters determined to estimate the antileishmanial potency of the drug. Finally, isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) and enzymatic assays were used to probe the interaction of the drug with one of its putative targets namely parasitic phosphoglycerate kinase (LmPGK). Findings The in vitro studies revealed the potential efficacy of suramin against the Leishmania parasite. This observation was further substantiated in the in vivo murine model, which demonstrated that upon suramin administration, the Leishmania infected BALB/c mice were able to reduce the parasitic burden and also generate the host protective immunological responses. ITC and enzyme assays confirmed the binding and consequent inhibition of LmPGK due to the drug. Conclusions/Significance All experiments affirmed the efficacy of suramin against L. donovani infection, which could possibly lead to its inclusion in the repertoire of drugs against VL.
Decoding the Real-Time Neurobiological Properties of Incremental Semantic Interpretation

Abstract Communication through spoken language is a central human capacity, involving a wide range of complex computations that incrementally interpret each word into meaningful sentences. However, surprisingly little is known about the spatiotemporal properties of the complex neurobiological systems that support these dynamic predictive and integrative computations. Here, we focus on prediction, a core incremental processing operation guiding the interpretation of each upcoming word with respect to its preceding context. To investigate the neurobiological basis of how semantic constraints change and evolve as each word in a sentence accumulates over time, in a spoken sentence comprehension study, we analyzed the multivariate patterns of neural activity recorded by source-localized electro/magnetoencephalography (EMEG), using computational models capturing semantic constraints derived from the prior context on each upcoming word. Our results provide insights into predictive operations subserved by different regions within a bi-hemispheric system, which over time generate, refine, and evaluate constraints on each word as it is heard.
Absence of SARS-CoV-2 in the effluent of peritoneal dialysis patients

The pandemic of respiratory disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is life-threatening in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. In PD patients with systemic viral infections, peritoneal effluent may be theoretically contaminated. We searched for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic material by real-time reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction assays in serial PD effluents of three PD infected patients. Nasopharyngeal swabs obtained at admission showed high viral load in all three patients, whereas none of the PD effluent specimen tested positive, even after dialysate concentration. Those results support at most a very low SARS-CoV-2 dissemination risk by the peritoneal effluent of PD patients. Imposing special disposal procedures, such as the instillation of hypochlorite in the drainage bags to prevent viral spread to health-care workers, are probably not required.
Facile Coupling of Droplet Magnetofluidic-Enabled Automated Sample Preparation to Digital Nucleic Acid Amplification Testing and Analysis.

Digital nucleic acid amplification testing (dNAAT) and analysis techniques, such as digital PCR, have become useful clinical diagnostic tools. However, nucleic acid sample preparation preceding dNAAT is generally laborious and performed manually, thus creating the need for a simple sample preparation technique and a facile coupling strategy to dNAAT. Therefore, we demonstrate a simple workflow which automates magnetic bead-based extraction of nucleic acids (NAs) with a 1-step transfer to a dNAAT. Specifically, we leverage droplet magnetofluidic (DM) to automate the movement of magnetic beads between small volumes of reagents commonly employed for nucleic acid extraction and purification. Importantly, the buffer typically used to elute the NAs off the magnetic beads is replaced by a carefully selected PCR solution enabling direct transfer from sample preparation to a dNAAT. Moreover, we demonstrate the potential for multiplexing using a digital high-resolution melt (dHRM) after the digital PCR (dPCR). The utility of this workflow is demonstrated with duplexed detection of bacteria in a sample imitating a co-infection. We first purify the bacterial DNA into a PCR solution using our DM-based sample preparation. We then transfer the purified bacterial DNA to our microfluidic nanoarray to amplify 16S rRNA using dPCR, then perform dHRM to identify the two bacterial species.
Nuclear Receptors as Autophagy-Based Antimicrobial Therapeutics

Autophagy is an intracellular process that targets intracellular pathogens for lysosomal degradation. Autophagy is tightly controlled at transcriptional and post-translational levels. Nuclear receptors (NRs) are a family of transcriptional factors that regulate the expression of gene sets involved in, for example, metabolic and immune homeostasis. Several NRs show promise as host-directed anti-infectives through the modulation of autophagy activities by their natural ligands or small molecules (agonists/antagonists). Here, we review the roles and mechanisms of NRs (vitamin D receptors, estrogen receptors, estrogen-related receptors, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors) in linking immunity and autophagy during infection. We also discuss the potential of emerging NRs (REV-ERBs, retinoic acid receptors, retinoic acid-related orphan receptors, liver X receptors, farnesoid X receptors, and thyroid hormone receptors) as candidate antimicrobials. The identification of novel roles and mechanisms for NRs will enable the development of autophagy-adjunctive therapeutics for emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases.
Location of Central Sulcus According to Coronal Suture in Turkey.

BACKGROUND It is essential to localize the central sulcus in patients with lesions within or nearby the sensorial and/or motor cortex. The coronal suture is a valuable bony landmark in neurosurgical practice; it could be used to localize the central sulcus. There are scarce amount of literature about normal values of the distance between the central sulcus and the coronal suture. In the present study, the authors aimed to learn normative values of the distance between the central sulcus and the coronal suture in a patient sample representing Turkish population. The authors also aimed to look for any difference in values according to sex and age. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed a prospectively collected database. Patients were evaluated on cranial computed tomography (CT) reformatted in 3 planes (axial, coronal, and sagittal). Intracranial and extracranial pathologies were scanned. If there was no pathology, the reviewed CT scan was added up to the database. The coronal suture and the central sulcus were identified at the midline location on axial and sagittal view CT images. Vertical distance between coronal suture and central sulcus was measured. RESULTS Mean distance of the central sulcus to the coronal suture was 47.5 ± 7.6 mm (range = 26.2-67.3 mm). CONCLUSIONS Identifying the central sulcus relative to the coronal suture is essential to preserve the primary motor and/or sensory cortices in neurosurgical procedures. The distance of the central sulcus to the coronal suture is approximately 4.7 cm in adult patients from Turkey, which did not differ according to age or sex.
Benoxacor is enantioselectively metabolized by rat liver subcellular fractions.

This study investigated the enantioselective metabolism of benoxacor, an ingredient of herbicide formulations, in microsomes or cytosol prepared from female or male rat livers. Benoxacor was incubated for ≤30 min with microsomes or cytosol, and its enantioselective depletion was measured using gas chromatographic methods. Benoxacor was depleted in incubations with active microsomes in the presence and absence of NADPH, suggesting its metabolism by hepatic cytochrome P450 enzymes (CYPs) and microsomal carboxylesterases (CESs). Benoxacor was depleted in cytosolic incubations in the presence of glutathione, consistent with its metabolism by glutathione S-transferases (GSTs). The depletion of benoxacor was faster in incubations with cytosol from male than female rats, whereas no statistically significant sex differences were observed in microsomal incubations. The consumption of benoxacor was inhibited by the CYP inhibitor 1-aminobenzotriazole, the CES inhibitor benzil, and the GST inhibitor ethacrynic acid. Estimates of the intrinsic clearance of benoxacor suggest that CYPs are the primary metabolic enzyme responsible for benoxacor metabolism in rats. Microsomal incubations showed an enrichment of the first eluting benoxacor enantiomer (E1-benoxacor). A greater enrichment occurred in incubations with microsomes from female (EF = 0.67 ± 0.01) than male rats (EF = 0.60 ± 0.01). Cytosolic incubations from female rats resulted in enrichment of E1-benoxacor (EF = 0.54 ± 0.01), while cytosolic incubations from male rats displayed enrichment of the second eluting enantiomer (E2-benoxacor; EF = 0.43 ± 0.01). Sex-dependent differences in the metabolism of benoxacor in rats could significantly impact ecological risks and mammalian toxicity. Moreover, changes in the enantiomeric enrichment of benoxacor may be a powerful tool for environmental fate and transport studies.
Austerity on the frontline- a preliminary study of physiotherapists working in the National Health Service in the UK

ABSTRACT Background Organizational reform has been commonplace in the response to global socio-economic changes. Rising managerialism, consumerism and marketization has accelerated reforms; providing challenges for the healthcare professions. The latest socio-economic challenge, austerity, and its professional implications have scarcely been researched. This study aims to explore the lived reality of austerity as experienced by physiotherapists working on the frontline of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. Methods Ethical approval was granted by the University of Nottingham; the study was advertised via the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy online network. Two participants took part; semi-structured interviews were completed, audio recorded, and transcribed. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings Three themes arose from the data: (1) Fulfilling professional responsibilities; (2) Changing organizational landscape; and (3) Professional reality of rationalizing and accommodating austerity. The clinical implications of austerity included increased length of hospital stay, insufficient community services, constrained resources, and understaffing. Participants demonstrated attempts to preserve their professional status and services through restratification throughout the intra-professional hierarchy, changing division of labor, and re-professionalization. Conclusions Despite claims that austerity is coming to an end, it remained a reality for these clinicians in the NHS. Physiotherapists in this study used similar methods to preserve practice when faced with exogenous constraints as seen in medicine, such as re-professionalization and restratification. However, this attempt to defend professionalism by a non-medical healthcare profession was met with both successes and losses and has implications for the wider healthcare profession ecology, identifying an area for future research.
How Midlife Chronic Stress Combines with Stressful Life Events to Influence Later Life Mental and Physical Health for Husbands and Wives in Enduring Marriages

Objectives: To investigate how midlife chronic stress (40–50 years) and subsequent acute stressful events (50–65 years) influence husbands’ and wives’ later life mental and physical health (65+ years). Methods: Dyadic structural equation modeling was used with prospective data over 25 years from 256 husbands and wives in enduring marriages. Results: For both spouses, midlife chronic stress influenced the occurrence of subsequent acute stressful life events, which in turn influenced both depressive symptoms and poor physical health in later years. For both spouses, midlife chronic stress also directly influenced depressive symptoms. Wives’ midlife chronic stress also directly influenced their own poor physical health and husbands’ depressive symptoms in later years. Discussion: These findings enhance our knowledge about the long-term joint influence of midlife chronic stress and acute stressful life events on health outcomes of husbands and wives in later years and identify dependencies between spouses, which can inform health preventive intervention programs.
Cystatin C is ready for clinical use

Purpose of review The goal of this update is to raise awareness of clinical scenarios where cystatin C has clear and immediate benefits as an alternative glomerular filtration rate (GFR) biomarker to supplement creatinine. An additional goal is to focus the estimated GFR (eGFR) controversy onto medication prescribing for agents with narrow therapeutic windows where better GFR estimation will lead to improved medical care. Recent findings Equations that include cystatin C predict GFR more accurately than serum creatinine in children, adults, and older adults with larger effects among persons who are acutely ill. Numerous studies have evaluated medication dosing based on either GFR estimate; vancomycin was the most frequently studied drug and its target level and elimination were better predicted by cystatin C. Overall, approaches to medication dosing and monitoring that include cystatin C concentrations have been shown to result in a better achievement of drug trough levels. Furthermore, cystatin C offers the opportunity to avoid the race coefficient that is required for any current creatinine-based eGFR equation, which has been appropriately criticized for introducing unnecessary imprecision, assumptions and values on GFR estimation. Summary Hospital laboratories must make cystatin C available for clinical care to improve the safety and efficacy of medications that have narrow therapeutic windows.
Ultrasound for the Brain: A Review of Physical and Engineering Principles, and Clinical Applications

The emergence of new ultrasound technologies has improved our understanding of the brain functions and offered new opportunities for the treatment of brain diseases. Ultrasound has become a valuable tool in preclinical animal and clinical studies as it not only provides information about the structure and function of brain tissues but can also be used as a therapy alternative for brain diseases. High-resolution cerebral flow images with high sensitivity can be acquired using novel functional ultrasound and super-resolution ultrasound imaging techniques. The noninvasive treatment of essential tremors has been clinically approved and it has been demonstrated that the ultrasound technology can revolutionize the currently existing treatment methods. Microbubble-mediated ultrasound can remotely open the blood–brain barrier enabling targeted drug delivery in the brain. More recently, ultrasound neuromodulation received a great amount of attention due to its noninvasive and deep penetration features and potential therapeutic benefits. This review provides a thorough introduction to the current state-of-the-art research on brain ultrasound and also introduces basic knowledge of brain ultrasound including the acoustic properties of the brain/skull and engineering techniques for ultrasound. Ultrasound is expected to play an increasingly important role in the diagnosis and therapy of brain diseases.