Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are Corticosteroid Injections Associated With Secondary Adrenal Insufficiency in Adults With Musculoskeletal Pain? A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies

Abstract Background Corticosteroid injection is a common treatment for individuals experiencing musculoskeletal pain, and it is part of the management of numerous orthopaedic conditions. However, there is concern about offering corticosteroid injections for musculoskeletal pain because of the possibility of secondary adrenal insufficiency. Questions/purposes In this systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies, we asked: (1) Are corticosteroid injections associated with secondary adrenal insufficiency as measured by 7-day morning serum cortisol? (2) Does this association differ depending on whether the shot was administered in the spine or the appendicular skeleton? Methods We searched the Allied and Complementary Medicine (AMED), Embase, EmCare, MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Web of Science from inception to January 22, 2021. We retrieved 4303 unique records, of which 17 were eventually included. Study appraisal was via the Downs and Black tool, with an average quality rating of fair. A Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluations assessment was conducted with the overall certainty of evidence being low to moderate. Reflecting heterogeneity in the study estimates, a pooled random-effects estimate of cortisol levels 7 days after corticosteroid injection was calculated. Fifteen studies or subgroups (254 participants) provided appropriate estimates for statistical pooling. A total of 106 participants received a spine injection, and 148 participants received an appendicular skeleton injection, including the glenohumeral joint, subacromial bursa, trochanteric bursa, and knee. Results Seven days after corticosteroid injection, the mean morning serum cortisol was 212 nmol/L (95% confidence interval 133 to 290), suggesting that secondary adrenal insufficiency was a possible outcome. There is a difference in the secondary adrenal insufficiency risk depending on whether the injection was in the spine or the appendicular skeleton. For spinal injection, the mean cortisol was 98 nmol/L (95% CI 48 to 149), suggesting secondary adrenal insufficiency was likely. For appendicular skeleton injection the mean cortisol was 311 nmol/L (95% CI 213 to 409) suggesting hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis integrity was likely. Conclusion Clinicians offering spinal injections should discuss the possibility of short-term secondary adrenal insufficiency with patients, and together, they can decide whether the treatment remains appropriate and whether mitigation strategies are needed. Clinicians offering appendicular skeleton injections should not limit care because of concerns about secondary adrenal insufficiency based on the best available evidence, and clinical guidelines could be reviewed accordingly. Further research is needed to understand whether age and/or sex determine risk of secondary adrenal insufficiency and what clinical impact secondary adrenal insufficiency has on patients undergoing spinal injection. Level of Evidence Level IV, therapeutic study.
The roles of intolerance of uncertainty, anxiety sensitivity and distress tolerance in hoarding disorder compared with OCD and healthy controls

Abstract Background: It is suggested that the different psychological vulnerability factors of intolerance of uncertainty (IU), anxiety sensitivity (AS) and distress tolerance (DT) may be in important in hoarding disorder (HD). However, the extent to which these factors are specific to HD compared with other disorders remains unclear. Aims: The current study aimed to investigate differences in IU, AS and DT in three groups: HD (n=66), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD; n=59) and healthy controls (HCs; n=63). Method: Participants completed an online battery of standardised self-report measures to establish the independent variable of group membership (HD, OCD and HC) and the dependent variables (IU, AS and DT). Results: A MANOVA analysis indicated statistically significant differences in IU, AS and DT between the clinical groups and HCs. Follow-up analyses showed no statistically significant differences between the HD and OCD group for any of the three constructs. The results remained the same when examining the effects of co-morbid HD and OCD. An unexpected finding was the trend for IU, AS and DT to be more severe when HD and OCD were co-morbid. Conclusions: The evidence suggests the absence of a specific relationship between IU, AS or DT in HD and instead is consistent with existing research which suggests that these psychological vulnerability factors are transdiagnostic constructs across anxiety disorders. The implications of the findings are discussed.
Progressive haptic guidance for a dynamic task in a virtual training environment

This thesis presents the motivation for and implementation of a novel progressive haptic guidance scheme designed to improve the efficiency of a virtual training environment used for skill acquisition. A detailed expertise-based analysis of the dynamic human motor task identifies the key skills required for success and motivates the progressive haptic guidance scheme. The thesis compares the effectiveness of the scheme to similar visual guidance, written guidance and no-guidance. The experimental training protocol presents a target-hitting training task in a virtual environment that utilizes an LCD display for visual feedback and a force feedback joystick for haptic interactions. This protocol lasts eleven sessions over a two-month period, thereby ensuring the performance saturation of participants. During each session, the number of target hits obtained becomes the objective measure of performance. Two additional measures, trajectory error and input frequency, are defined and implemented to calculate the performance of participants in two key skills. The guidance scheme then employs these last two measures as gain inputs to the guidance controller, which in turn progressively diminishes the forces that display guidance as virtual walls. The haptic controller design initially restricts a participant's motion to a preferred task path, but increased performance results in decreased guidance from one trial to the next. In addition to these measures, the protocol also presents the computerized version of the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) to all participants at each session, thereby providing cognitive workload measurements throughout the entire training period. The results demonstrate that this progressive haptic guidance scheme, one that integrates key skills and measures of performance, significantly outperforms three other guidance modes early on in the training and only when guidance is active. The data failed to show whether the haptic guidance scheme has significantly higher performance when the guidance is inactive. This scheme also generates less frustration and mental workload than visual guidance. Possible applications for these findings include virtual training environments designed for surgery and rehabilitation.
The mechanochemical synthesis of polymers

Mechanochemistry – the utilization of mechanical forces to induce chemical reactions – is a rarely considered tool for polymer synthesis. It offers numerous advantages such as reduced solvent consumption, accessibility of novel structures, and the avoidance of problems posed by low monomer solubility and fast precipitation. Consequently, the development of new high-performance materials based on mechanochemically synthesised polymers has drawn much interest, particularly from the perspective of green chemistry. This review covers the constructive mechanochemical synthesis of polymers, starting from early examples and progressing to the current state of the art while emphasising linear and porous polymers as well as post-polymerisation modifications.
The effect and mechanism of miR-30e-5p targeting SNAI1 to regulate epithelial-mesenchymal transition on pancreatic cancer

ABSTRACT Accumulating evidence indicates that abnormally expressed microRNAs (miRNAs, miRs) contribute to cancer progression. Nonetheless, the role of miR-30e-5p in pancreatic cancer (PCa) remains unclear. In this study, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, we found that miR-30e-5p expression was downregulated in human PCa tissues compared with that in normal para-cancerous tissues. After transfecting with miR-30e-5p inhibitors, miR-30e-5p mimics, or empty vectors in the BxPC-3 and PANC-1 cells, respectively, the experiments revealed that the upregulation of miR-30e-5p expression inhibited cell growth, invasion, migration and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), and promoted apoptosis, while miR-30e-5p downregulation had the opposite effects. RNA sequencing of miR-30e-5p inhibitor-, miR-30e-5p mimic-, and the negative control (NC)-treated groups revealed that miR-30e-5p may affect epithelial cell differentiation, cell growth and death. Next, the snail family transcriptional repressor 1 (SNAI1) was predicted and verified as the target gene of miR-30e-5p using bioinformatics analysis and luciferase assays. SNAI1 expression levels were decreased in the PCa cells transfected with miR-30e-5p mimics, whereas the opposite was observed in the cells transfected with miR-30e-5p inhibitors. Subsequently, PCa cells were transfected with a vector overexpressing SNAI1 (OE-SNAI1) and miR-30e-5p mimics, miR-30e-5p inhibitors, or empty vectors. Compared with that in the OE-SNAI1 + miR-30e-5p NC group, transfection with OE-SNAI1 + miR-30e-5p mimics inhibited the PCa cell growth, migration, and increased apoptosis, whereas transfection with OE-SNAI1 + miR-30e-5p inhibitors had the opposite effects. In conclusion, miR-30e-5p potentially inhibits PCa cell proliferation, migration, and invasion via the SNAI1/EMT axis.
The impact of transformational leadership on nurse faculty satisfaction and burnout during the COVID‐19 pandemic: A moderated mediated analysis

Abstract Aims To examine the effects of nursing deans/directors' transformational leadership behaviours on academic workplace culture, faculty burnout and job satisfaction. Background Transformational leadership is an imperative antecedent to organizational change, and employee well‐being and performance. However, little has been espoused regarding the theoretical and empirical mechanisms by which transformational leaders improve the academic workplace culture and faculty retention. Design A cross‐sectional survey design was implemented. Methods Nursing faculty employed in Canadian academic settings were invited to complete an anonymous online survey in May–July 2021. A total of 645 useable surveys were included in the analyses. Descriptive statistics and reliability estimates were performed. The moderated mediation model was tested using structural equation modelling in the Analysis of Moment software v24.0. Bootstrap method was used to estimate total, direct and indirect effects. Result The proposed study model was supported. Transformational leadership had both a strong direct effect on workplace culture and job satisfaction and an inverse direct effect on faculty burnout. While workplace culture mediated the effect of leadership on job satisfaction and burnout, the moderation effect of COVID‐19 was not captured in the baseline model. Conclusion The findings provide an in‐depth understanding of the factors that affect nursing faculty wellness, and evidence that supportive workplace culture can serve as an adaptive mechanism through which transformational leaders can improve retention. A transformational dean/director can proactively shape the nature of the academic work environment to mitigate the risks of burnout and improve satisfaction and ultimately faculty retention even during an unforeseen event, such as a pandemic. Implication Given the range of uncertainties associated with COVID‐19, administrators should consider practicing transformational leadership behaviours as it is most likely to be effective, especially in times of uncertainty and chaos. In doing so, academic leaders can work towards equitable policies, plans and decisions and rebuild resources to address the immediate and long‐term psychological and overall health impacts of COVID‐19.
The influence of unhealthy food and beverage marketing through social media and advergaming on diet‐related outcomes in children—A systematic review

Children are increasingly exposed to food and beverage marketing, but little is known about the specific effects of marketing through media most used by children. This study aims to systematically review the influence of unhealthy food and beverage marketing through social media and advergaming on diet‐related outcomes in children. Seven databases were systematically searched for English peer‐reviewed quantitative and qualitative scientific studies on the effects of marketing of unhealthy products through social media or advergaming on a range of diet‐related outcomes in children. Risk of bias was assessed with tools specific for the different study designs. Twenty‐six studies were included, of which 20 examined the effect of food and beverage marketing through advergaming and six through social media. Most studies had a high risk of bias. The results suggested that unhealthy food and beverage marketing through social media and advergaming has a significant effect on pester behaviors, food choice, and food intake of children. The studies demonstrate that unhealthy food and beverage marketing through media popular with children significantly impacts different diet‐related outcomes. Combined with existing evidence on this effect in other settings, this review provides clear evidence of the need for policies targeting screen‐based marketing.
Influence of E-commerce and its emerging innovations in banks

The study pursues to stretch an overall interpretation on E-commerce as an innovative hi-tech tool with distinct concentration of the emerging influence on customer relationship management (CRM) in banks. In present contemporary globalize scenario several innovative technologies especially the internet have been changing the ways of doing businesses through E-Commerce. The E-Commerce is an extensively information- intensive and thus makes it important to recognize new development in strategy to create value through the e-commerce on customer relationship management (CRM). We live in a technological epoch and customers are now fuelled by internet-induced potentials and an even increasing mood of resourcefulness. Actually presence of information technology, internet and other associated technologies provides an extraordinary support for the growth and development of E-commerce to create value through the system. We live in a technological epoch and customers are now fuelled by Internet induced potentials. E-commerce emerges from the internet and its associated web technologies to facilitate the implementation of Customer Relationship Management (CRM). This study is an attempt to understand E-commerce in present globalize scenario. It also focuses on the E-commerce from the perspective of customers and banks in India. This study is based on Internet or web –based interaction to create a high volatile relationship in the banking sector.
Cloning the barley nec3 disease lesion mimic mutant using complementation by sequencing

Disease lesion mimic (DLM) or necrotic mutants display necrotic lesions in the absence of pathogen infections. They can show improved resistance to some pathogens and their molecular dissection can contribute to revealing components of plant defense pathways. Although forward‐genetics strategies to find genes causal to mutant phenotypes are available in crops, these strategies require the production of experimental cross populations, mutagenesis, or gene editing and are time‐ and resource‐consuming or may have to deal with regulated plant materials. In this study, we described a collection of 34 DLM mutants in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and applied a novel method called complementation by sequencing (CBS), which enables the identification of the gene responsible for a mutant phenotype given the availability of two or more chemically mutagenized individuals showing the same phenotype. Complementation by sequencing relies on the feasibility to obtain all induced mutations present in chemical mutants and on the low probability that different individuals share the same mutated genes. By CBS, we identified a cytochrome P450 CYP71P1 gene as responsible for orange blotch DLM mutants, including the historical barley nec3 locus. By comparative phylogenetic analysis we showed that CYP71P1 gene family emerged early in angiosperm evolution but has been recurrently lost in some lineages including Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Complementation by sequencing is a straightforward cost‐effective approach to clone genes controlling phenotypes in a chemically mutagenized collection. The TILLMore (TM) collection will be instrumental for understanding the molecular basis of DLM phenotypes and to contribute knowledge about mechanisms of host–pathogen interaction.
Similar But Different: Integrated Phylogenetic Analysis of Austrian and Swiss HIV-1 Sequences Reveal Differences in Transmission Patterns of the Local HIV-1 Epidemics

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Objectives: Phylogenetic analyses of 2 or more countries allow to detect differences in transmission dynamics of local HIV-1 epidemics beyond differences in demographic characteristics. Methods: A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree was built using pol-sequences of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) and the Austrian HIV Cohort Study (AHIVCOS), with international background sequences. Three types of phylogenetic cherries (clusters of size 2) were analyzed further: (1) domestic cherries; (2) international cherries; and (3) SHCS/AHIVCOS-cherries. Transmission group and ethnicities observed within the cherries were compared with the respective distribution expected from a random distribution of patients on the phylogeny. Results: The demographic characteristics of the AHIVCOS (included patients: 3′141) and the SHCS (included patients: 12′902) are very similar. In the AHIVCOS, 36.5% of the patients were in domestic cherries, 8.3% in international cherries, and 7.0% in SHCS/AHIVCOS cherries. Similarly, in the SHCS, 43.0% of the patients were in domestic cherries, 8.2% in international cherries, and 1.7% in SHCS/AHIVCOS cherries. Although international cherries in the SHCS were dominated by heterosexuals with men who have sex with men being underrepresented, the opposite was the case for the AHIVCOS. In both cohorts, cherries with one patient belonging to the transmission group intravenous drug user and the other one non–intravenous drug user were underrepresented. Conclusions: In both cohorts, international HIV transmission plays a major role in the local epidemics, mostly driven by men who have sex with men in the AHIVOS, and by heterosexuals in the SHCS, highlighting the importance of international collaborations to understand global HIV transmission links on the way to eliminate HIV.
Dictyostelium spastin is involved in nuclear envelope dynamics during semi-closed mitosis

ABSTRACT Dictyostelium amoebae perform a semi-closed mitosis, in which the nuclear envelope is fenestrated at the insertion sites of the mitotic centrosomes and around the central spindle during karyokinesis. During late telophase the centrosome relocates to the cytoplasmic side of the nucleus, the central spindle disassembles and the nuclear fenestrae become closed. Our data indicate that Dictyostelium spastin (DdSpastin) is a microtubule-binding and severing type I membrane protein that plays a role in this process. Its mitotic localization is in agreement with a requirement for the removal of microtubules that would hinder closure of the fenestrae. Furthermore, DdSpastin interacts with the HeH/ LEM-family protein Src1 in BioID analyses as well as the inner nuclear membrane protein Sun1, and shows subcellular co-localizations with Src1, Sun1, the ESCRT component CHMP7 and the IST1-like protein filactin, suggesting that the principal pathway of mitotic nuclear envelope remodeling is conserved between animals and Dictyostelium amoebae.
Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Biomarkers of Cardiac Damage and Stress in Aortic Stenosis

Background Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is associated with increased mortality risk and rehospitalization after transcatheter aortic valve replacement among those with severe aortic stenosis. Whether cardiac troponin (cTnT) and NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide) risk stratify patients with aortic stenosis and without LVH is unknown. Methods and Results In a multicenter prospective registry of 923 patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement, we included 674 with core‐laboratory‐measured LV mass index, cTnT, and NT‐proBNP. LVH was defined by sex‐specific guideline cut‐offs and elevated biomarker levels were based on age and sex cut‐offs. Adjusted Cox proportional hazards models evaluated associations between LVH and biomarkers and all‐cause death out to 5 years. Elevated cTnT and NT‐proBNP were present in 82% and 86% of patients with moderate/severe LVH, respectively, as compared with 66% and 69% of patients with no/mild LVH, respectively (P<0.001 for each). After adjustment, compared with no/mild LVH, moderate/severe LVH was associated with an increased hazard of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 1.34; 95% CI 1.01–1.77, P=0.043). cTnT and NT‐proBNP each risk stratified patients with moderate/severe LVH (P<0.05). In a model with both biomarkers and LVH included, elevated cTnT (aHR, 2.08; 95% CI 1.45–3.00, P<0.001) and elevated NT‐proBNP (aHR, 1.46; 95% CI 1.00–2.11, P=0.049) were each associated with increased mortality risk, whereas moderate/severe LVH was not (P=0.15). Conclusions Elevations in circulating cTnT and NT‐proBNP are more common as LVH becomes more pronounced but are also observed in those with no/minimal LVH. As measures of maladaptive remodeling and cardiac injury, cTnT and NT‐proBNP predict post‐transcatheter aortic valve replacement mortality better than LV mass index. These findings may have important implications for risk stratification and treatment of patients with aortic stenosis.
Interferon‐α promotes MHC I antigen presentation of islet β cells through STAT1‐IRF7 pathway in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a T cell‐mediated autoimmune disease. Increased incidence of T1D was reported in patients receiving IFN‐α treatment. However, the exact mechanisms of IFN‐α that facilitate the pathogenesis of T1D are not fully understood. To explore the mechanism of IFN‐α on the immune system and islets, non‐obese diabetic (NOD) mice were injected with IFN‐α and the progression of autoimmune insulitis was assessed by haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, immunohistochemical and flow cytometry analysis. Transcriptional profiling of islets treated with IFN‐α was explored by RNA‐seq. IFN‐α induced antigen presentation was evaluated by qRT‐PCR, western blot and immunofluorescence, and key transcription factors were inhibited by small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). Our data show that IFN‐α contributed to the progression of autoimmune insulitis in NOD mice by promoting the proliferation of CD8+ T cells. IFN‐α upregulated antigen presentation related genes MHC I, TAP1, B2M, PSMB8, NLRC5 and transcriptional regulator STAT1, STAT2, IRF7 at a time and dose‐dependent manner. The silence of STAT1 or STAT2 both weakened IFN‐α‐induced increase of antigen presenting related molecules. IRF7 was also merely influenced by STAT1 silence. The knockdown of IRF7 decreased the IFN‐α induced expressions of TAP1, PSMB8 and MHC I and prevented the expression of STAT2 but not STAT1. Our study demonstrated that STAT1‐IRF7‐MHC I complex axis were crucial for IFN‐α signalling in islets, and created positive feedback through IRF7‐STAT2 cascade amplifying signals which accelerated the process of T1D.