Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association Between the Triglyceride–Glucose Index and Outcomes of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Large-Scale Health Management Cohort Study

Background Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasingly becoming a major health burden. Due to the difficulty of liver biopsy, there is no reliable indicator to evaluate the outcomes of NAFLD. The triglyceride–glucose (TyG) index is a simple and convenient marker of insulin resistance for use in medical practice. Whether the TyG index is predictive of later risk of NAFLD remains unknown. Objective To evaluate the relationship between TyG index with NAFLD progression and improvement during a median follow-up period of 21 months. Material and Methods A total of 11,424 subjects (9327 men) diagnosed with NAFLD were included. The TyG index was calculated as follows: ln [fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) * fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2]. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was applied to analyze the data. Results In this study, the severity of NAFLD remained the same in 38.8% of subjects, worsened in 17.4% of subjects, and improved in 43.8% of subjects. Compared with the lowest quartile of the TyG index, the adjusted HR of NAFLD progression in the highest quartile (TyG≥9.34) was 1.448 (1.229 to 1.706), and the adjusted HR of NAFLD improvement was 0.817 (0.723 to 0.923). Subgroup analysis found that smoking increased the correlation between the TyG index and the risk of NAFLD progression, while female, vegan diet, and weight control enhanced the correlation between the TyG index and the risk of NAFLD improvement. Conclusion The TyG index may be a simple and helpful indicator for further risk appraisal of NAFLD in daily clinical practice.
Construction and Validation of a Macrophage-Associated Risk Model for Predicting the Prognosis of Osteosarcoma

Background Osteosarcoma is one of the most common bone tumors among children. Tumor-associated macrophages have been found to interact with tumor cells, secreting a variety of cytokines about tumor growth, metastasis, and prognosis. This study aimed to identify macrophage-associated genes (MAGs) signatures to predict the prognosis of osteosarcoma. Methods Totally 384 MAGs were collected from GSEA software C7: immunologic signature gene sets. Differential gene expression (DGE) analysis was performed between normal bone samples and osteosarcoma samples in GSE99671. Kaplan–Meier survival analysis was performed to identify prognostic MAGs in TARGET-OS. Decision curve analysis (DCA), nomogram, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and survival curve analysis were further used to assess our risk model. All genes from TARGET-OS were used for gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA). Immune infiltration of osteosarcoma sample was calculated using CIBERSORT and ESTIMATE packages. The independent test data set GSE21257 from gene expression omnibus (GEO) was used to validate our risk model. Results 5 MAGs (MAP3K5, PML, WDR1, BAMBI, and GNPDA2) were screened based on protein-protein interaction (PPI), DGE, and survival analysis. A novel macrophage-associated risk model was constructed to predict a risk score based on multivariate Cox regression analysis. The high-risk group showed a worse prognosis of osteosarcoma (p < 0.001) while the low-risk group had higher immune and stromal scores. The risk score was identified as an independent prognostic factor for osteosarcoma. MAGs model for diagnosis of osteosarcoma had a better net clinical benefit based on DCA. The nomogram and ROC curve also effectively predicted the prognosis of osteosarcoma. Besides, the validation result was consistent with the result of TARGET-OS. Conclusions A novel macrophage-associated risk score to differentiate low- and high-risk groups of osteosarcoma was constructed based on integrative bioinformatics analysis. Macrophages might affect the prognosis of osteosarcoma through macrophage differentiation pathways and bring novel sights for the progression and prognosis of osteosarcoma.
Silicone and Pyrocarbon Artificial Finger Joints

Artificial finger joint design has been developed through different stages through the past. PIP (proximal interphalangeal) and MCP (metacarpophalangeal) artificial finger joints have come to replace the amputation and arthrodesis options; although, these artificial joints are still facing challenges related to reactive tissues, reduced range of motion, and flexion and extension deficits. Swanson silicone artificial finger joints are still common due to the physician's preferability of silicone with the dorsal approach during operation. Nevertheless, other artificial finger joints such as the pyrocarbon implant arthroplasty have also drawn the interests of practitioners. Artificial finger joint has been classified under three major categories which are constrained, unconstrained, and linked design. There are also challenges such as concerns of infections and articular cartilage necrosis associated with attempted retention of vascularity. In addition, one of the main challenges facing the silicone artificial finger joints is the fracture occurring at the distal stem with the hinge. The aim of this paper is to review the different artificial finger joints in one paper as there are few old review papers about them. Further studies need to be done to develop the design and materials of the pyrocarbon and silicone implants to increase the range of motion associated with them and the fatigue life of the silicone implants.
High-Normal Serum Thyrotropin Levels Increased the Risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Euthyroid Subjects with Type 2 Diabetes

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the association between high-normal thyrotropin (TSH) levels and the prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in euthyroid patients with T2DM. Methods A total of 2289 euthyroid adults with T2DM were included in this cross-sectional study conducted at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University from January 2016 to December 2018. NAFLD was diagnosed by abdominal ultrasound. Thyroid function parameters, including the levels of TSH, free triiodothyronine (FT3) and free thyroxine (FT4), were analyzed. The patients were stratified by quartiles (Q1-4) of TSH levels. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association between the quartiles of TSH levels and the risk of NAFLD in euthyroid adults with T2DM. Results There were 940 (41.1%) euthyroid adults with T2DM who were diagnosed with NAFLD. The subjects were divided according to the thyroid function parameter quartiles. The prevalence of NAFLD increased with increasing TSH level quartiles (Q1 to Q4: 34.8%, 37.5%, 44.9% and 47.0%, P<0.01) but not with increasing FT3 or FT4 level quartiles. In the multivariate logistic regression model, compared with the lowest TSH level quartile (Q1), the highest TSH level quartile (Q4) (OR=1.610, 95% CI=1.131–2.289, P=0.008) was independently associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in euthyroid adults with T2DM after adjusting for multiple confounders. After additional stratification by the level of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and body mass index (BMI), the highest TSH level quartile was still independently associated with an increased risk of NAFLD in euthyroid patients with T2DM who had an HbA1c level≥7% or a BMI<28 kg/m2. Conclusion High-normal serum TSH levels are significantly associated with the presence of NAFLD in T2DM patients with euthyroid function, which provide novel insight for treating NAFLD.
An Intelligent Clinical Decision Support System for Predicting Acute Graft-versus-host Disease (aGvHD) following Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Background: Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) is a complex and often multisystem disease that causes morbidity and mortality in 35% of patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Objective: This study aimed to implement a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) for predicting aGvHD following AHSCT on the transplantation day. Material and Methods: In this developmental study, the data of 182 patients with 31 attributes, which referred to Taleghani Hospital Tehran, Iran during 2009–2017, were analyzed by machine learning (ML) algorithms which included XGBClassifier, HistGradientBoostingClassifier, AdaBoostClassifier, and RandomForestClassifier. The criteria measurement used to evaluate these algorithms included accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Using the machine learning developed model, a CDSS was implemented. The performance of the CDSS was evaluated by Cohen’s Kappa coefficient. Results: Of the 31 included variables, albumin, uric acid, C-reactive protein, donor age, platelet, lactate Dehydrogenase, and Hemoglobin were identified as the most important predictors. The two algorithms XGBClassifier and HistGradientBoostingClassifier with an average accuracy of 90.70%, sensitivity of 92.5%, and specificity of 89.13% were selected as the most appropriate ML models for predicting aGvHD. The agreement between CDSS prediction and patient outcome was 92%. Conclusion: ML methods can reliably predict the likelihood of aGvHD at the time of transplantation. These methods can help us to limit the number of risk factors to those that have significant effects on the outcome. However, their performance is heavily dependent on selecting the appropriate methods and algorithms. The next generations of CDSS may use more and more machine learning approaches.
Investigation of the effect of molar mass on coating properties of self-crosslinking latexes based on acrylic microgels

Abstract The effect of reducing the molar mass of the shell layer of core–shell latex particles on film-forming and final coating properties of self-crosslinking latexes was investigated. Latex particles were prepared by the semi-continuous non-seeded emulsion polymerization of methyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate and methacrylic acid as main monomers. The particle core was slightly cross-linked (using a constant amount of allyl methacrylate as a comonomer) to prevent the copolymers forming the core phase from migration into the shell phase. For interfacial cross-linking, diacetone acrylamide was copolymerized into the shell layer of latex particles to provide sites for subsequent reaction with adipic acid dihydrazide. The molar mass of copolymers forming the shell layer was systematically varied by isooctyl 3-mercaptopropionate chain transfer agent included in the synthesis of each of the shell layers and the molar mass distribution was determined using size exclusion chromatography coupled with a multi-angle light scattering detection. Fundamental properties of latexes and cast films were systematically compared. These properties included minimum film-forming temperature, pendulum hardness, adhesion, impact resistance, stress–strain properties as well as the characterization of water absorption. The results confirmed theoretical predictions and described empirically the effects of reducing the molar mass of the shell layer copolymer on final properties of coating films.
Identification of Enzalutamide Resistance-Related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA Regulatory Networks in Patients with Prostate Cancer

Purpose This study aimed to identify enzalutamide resistant-related (EnzR-related) circRNAs and to characterize and validate circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA regulatory network and corresponding prognostic signature of prostate cancer patients. Methods We obtained circRNA expression microarray from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database and performed differential expression analysis to identify EnzR-related circRNAs using the limma package. The miRNA and mRNA expression profiling were downloaded and performed differential expression analysis, then overlapped with predicted candidates. Next, we established circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network and PPI network utilized Cytoscape software and STRING database, respectively. In addition, univariate and Lasso Cox regression analyses were applied to generate a prognostic signature. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and Kaplan–Meier analysis were used to evaluate the reliability and sensitivity of the signature. Ultimately, we chose hsa_circ_0047641 to validate the feasibility of the EnzR-related ceRNA regulatory pathway using qRT-PCR, CCK8 and Transwell assays. Results We identified 13 EnzR-related circRNAs and constructed a ceRNA regulatory network that contained two downregulated circRNAs (has-circ-00000919 and has-circ-0000036) and two upregulated circRNAs (has-circ-0047641 and has-circ-0068697), and their sponged 6 miRNAs and 167 targeted mRNAs. Subsequently, these targeted mRNAs were performed to implement PPI analysis and to identify 10 Hub genes. Functional enrichment analysis provided new ways to seek potential biological functions. Besides, we established a prognostic signature of PCa patients based on 8 prognostic-associated mRNAs. We confirmed that the survival rates of PCa patients with high-risk subgroup were slightly lower than those with low-risk subgroup in the TCGA dataset (p<0.001), and ROC curves revealed that the AUC value for prognostic signature was 0.816. Finally, the functional analysis suggested that knockdown of hsa_circ_0047641 could inhibit the progression of PCa and could reverse Enz-resistance in vitro. Conclusion We identified 13 EnzR-related circRNAs, and constructed and confirmed that EnzR-related circRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network and corresponding prognostic signature could be a useful prognostic biomarker and therapeutic target.
Prognostic Significance of Serum PD-L1 Level in Patients with Locally Advanced or Metastatic Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treated with Combination Cytotoxic Chemotherapy

Background There are no useful biomarkers for the clinical outcome of advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the prognostic value of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1) in serum of patients with locally advanced or metastatic ESCC who received cytotoxic chemotherapy as first-line treatment. Materials and Methods This study evaluated the expression pattern of PD-L1 by immunohistochemistry and sPD-L1 concentration, and correlation with clinicopathological factors and overall survival (OS) in 190 patients with ESCC. Results sPD-L1 concentration was highly expressed in ESCC, especially in female patients. Patients with a high sPD-L1 level (≥0.63 ng/mL) had a shorter OS than those with a low sPD-L1 level (<0.63 ng/mL). In a multivariate analysis, high sPD-L1 concentration remained an independent prognostic factor of OS after adjustment for possible confounders. However, tissue PD-L1 expression level was non-prognostic in this study. Conclusion There was no significant correlation between serum sPD-L1 concentration and tissue PD-L1 expression level. sPD-L1 concentration before treatment could be an effective and convenient biomarker of prognosis in patients with locally advanced or metastatic ESCC treated with combination cytotoxic chemotherapy.
Clinical Characteristics, Iron Metabolism and Neuroinflammation: New Insight into Excessive Daytime Sleepiness in Parkinson’s Disease

Background To investigate the clinical characteristics, iron metabolism and neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). Methods We studied 379 patients with PD and 30 age-matched controls. All subjects were evaluated by Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and a series of rating scales and were divided into PD-EDS and PD-NEDS groups according to ESS score. The concentrations of iron and iron-related proteins and inflammatory cytokines in both cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum were examined. Results 1. The occurrence rate of EDS in total PD patients was 16.09%. 2. PD-EDS group had significantly severer disease stages, more severe motor and non-motor features of the disease. 3. In CSF, the concentrations of iron and IL-1β in the PD-EDS group were significantly higher and ferritin concentration was prominently lower when compared with the PD-NEDS group and the control group; ESS score was significantly associated with high concentrations of iron and IL-1β and low concentration of ferritin in the PD group. Iron concentration was positively correlated with IL-1β concentration in the PD-EDS group. 4. In serum, no changes were observed in iron and iron-related proteins and inflammatory cytokines among the three groups. Conclusion EDS was a common symptom in PD patients. PD patients with EDS had more severe motor and some non-motor symptoms. Overloaded iron-relevant inflammation in the brain might be an underlying mechanism of PD-EDS.
Effectiveness of Rehabilitation Nursing versus Usual Therapist-Led Treatment in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial

Purpose To determine the effectiveness of rehabilitation nursing program interventions in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Patients and Methods An assessment-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted at a tertiary referral hospital in China. Eligible patients were stratified according to their weighted corticospinal tract lesion load and then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 121) or a control group (n = 103). The experimental group received rehabilitation nursing from well-trained, qualified nurses (30 minutes per session, two sessions per day for seven consecutive days). The control group received therapist-led rehabilitation with the same timing and frequency. Comparative analysis of the primary outcomes was performed to determine non-inferiority with a predetermined non-inferiority margin. The primary outcomes were the Motor Assessment Scale, Fugl-Meyer Assessment, and the Action Research Arm Test assessed at baseline and after seven days of treatment. The secondary outcomes were the modified Barthel Index, the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and the modified Rankin Scale, evaluated before and after the intervention and at 4 and 12 weeks of follow-up. Results Two hundred participants completed the trial. In both groups, all outcomes improved significantly after seven days and at follow-ups. The rehabilitation nursing program was non-inferior to therapist-led treatment with lower 95% confidence limits beyond the margins for primary outcomes (P < 0.001). Conclusion Both treatments had comparable effects; however, no definite conclusion could be drawn. Adequately powered studies are required.
Who are the “Real” Experts? The Debate Surrounding COVID-19 Health Risk Management: An Israeli Case Study

Background The uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis and the different approaches taken to manage it have triggered scientific controversies among experts. This study seeks to examine how the fragile nature of Israeli democracy accommodated differences of opinion between experts during the COVID-19 crisis. Objective To map and analyze the discourse between experts surrounding issues that were the topic of scientific controversy. To examine the viewpoints of the public regarding the positions of the different experts. Methods and Sample A sequential mixed study design. The qualitative research was a discourse analysis of 435 items that entailed mapping the voices of different experts regarding controversial topics. In the quantitative study, a total of 924 participants answered a questionnaire examining topics that engendered differences of opinion between the experts. Results The results showed that there was no dialogue between opposition and coalition experts. Moreover, the coalition experts labeled the experts who criticized them as “coronavirus deniers” and “anti-vaxxers. ” The coalition changed its opinion on one issue only—the issue of lockdowns. When we asked the public how they see the scientific controversy between the coalition and the opposition experts, they expressed support for opposition policies on matters related to the implications of the lockdowns and to transparency, while supporting government policy mainly on topics related to vaccinations. The research findings also indicate that personal and socio-demographic variables can influence how the public responds to the debate between experts. The main differentiating variables were the personal attribute of conservatism, locus of control, age, and nationality. Conclusion Controversy must be encouraged to prevent misconceptions. The internal discourse in the committees that advise the government must be transparent, and coalition experts must be consistently exposed to the views of opposition experts, who must be free to voice their views without fear.
Prevalence and molecular identification of Sarcocystis spp. infecting water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in Sharkia province, Egypt 2

Sarcocystosis is regarded as one of the most important protozoal infections of buffaloes. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in slaughterhouses in Sharkia province, Egypt. In addition, effect of age and sex on the infection rates was reported. Therefore, Sarcocystis isolates were identified morphologically using macroscopic, microscopic and histopathological examinations, while molecular identification was carried out using amplification of 18S ribosomal subunit RNA (18S rRNA) by PCR and DNA sequencing. The current findings showed that the prevalence of Sarcocystis spp. in water buffaloes was 41.50%. Further, using both morphological and sequences analysis indicated that the isolates obtained from buffaloes were macroscopic S. fusiformis. This is the first morphological and genetic study of S. fusiformis in slaughtered buffaloes in Sharkia province which will provide useful information for monitoring and controlling of Sarcocystis infections.
Case report of a coronary artery-right ventricular fistula following repeat endomyocardial biopsies in a heart transplant patient

Abstract Background Endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) remains the gold standard for cellular rejection surveillance in heart transplant recipients. Coronary artery fistula formation is a rare late and potentially catastrophic complication of repeated endomyocardial biopsies, without contemporary evidence on incidence or management. Case summary A 47-year-old male was found to have a fistula between his right ventricle and his left anterior descending artery on an angiogram that was performed as a part of regular screening of coronary allograft vasculopathy. Given the low shunt fraction, asymptomatic nature, and lack of guidelines on definitive management, the patient is undergoing conservative management with regular surveillance. Discussion Coronary artery fistulas were once thought to be rare complications of repeated EMB, but the true prevalence is likely to be higher than previously believed. Ideal treatment and monitoring is unknown given the relative rarity of the condition.
Do it Yourself: Building a Low-Cost Iris Recognition System at Home Using Off-The-Shelf Components

Among the different biometric traits that can be used for person recognition, the human iris is generally considered to be among the most accurate. However, despite a plethora of desirable characteristics, iris recognition is not widely as widely used as competing biometric modalities likely due to the high cost of existing commercial iris-recognition systems. In this paper we contribute towards the availability of low-cost iris recognition systems and present a prototype system built using off-the-shelf components. We describe the prototype device, the pipeline used for iris recognition, evaluate the performance of our solution on a small in-house dataset and discuss directions for future work. The current version of our prototype includes complete hardware and software implementations and has a combined bill-of-materials of 110 e .