Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ligilactobacillus salivarius PS11610 exerts an effect on the microbial and immunological profile of couples suffering unknown infertility

Unknown or idiopathic infertility has been associated with urogenital tract dysbiosis, reducing pregnancy and delivery ratios during assisted reproductive treatments (ART). The Ligilactobacillus salivarius PS11610 strain has shown extraordinary antimicrobial activity in vitro against urogenital pathogens as well as other probiotic characteristics. Therefore, an intervention study was performed to evaluate the effect of L. salivarius PS11610 on the microbial composition of urogenital tract in infertile couples with bacterial dysbiosis.
Corporate social and community-oriented support by UK food retailers: a documentary review and typology of actions towards community wellbeing

Aim: This article provides a comprehensive exploration of the varied Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions in relation to supporting communities reported by the UK’s leading food retailers. Findings are discussed against a backdrop of enduring inequalities, exacerbated by the on-going global Coronavirus pandemic, with actions considered for their potential contribution to community-based approaches to addressing local wellbeing and inequalities. Method: This article presents the structure and key characteristics of community-oriented CSR in food retailing in the UK. A thematic analysis of comprehensive documentary evidence from the 11 principle UK food retailers was conducted, drawing on asset-based frameworks of community-centred actions towards wellbeing. Findings: The findings suggest an increasing acknowledgement in food retail that local community is of key importance. Initiatives were categorised according to a typology, comprising national partnerships, local store-based funding and support actions, targeted programmes on healthy lifestyles or employability, and changes to store operations, in the favour of priority groups, prompted by the pandemic. Conclusion: The article combines an up to date overview of community-focused CSR agendas and support by food retailers at a time of significant economic and social challenge for the UK. It highlights the potential of the sector to contribute more strategically to reducing inequalities and supporting community wellbeing, alongside statutory and voluntary sector partners.
Reducing social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic: Assessing the contribution of courtesy phone calls by volunteers

Context During the COVID-19 pandemic, restrictions were imposed on visits in hospitals in the province of Quebec, Canada in an effort to reduce the risk of viral exposure by minimizing face-to-face contact in order to protect patients, visitors and staff. These measures led to social isolation for patients. In order to reduce this isolation, CHUM (the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, a teaching hospital) shifted from in-person visits to courtesy telephone calls delivered by volunteers from CHUM’s Volunteers, Recreation and Leisure Department. Objectives To study: (1) the contribution made by these calls to reducing isolation and their limitations, (2) how the calls can be improved, and (3) whether they should be maintained, based on the views of patients and volunteers. Methodology This study examined two populations. The first one consisted of 189 adult patients hospitalized at CHUM who received a courtesy phone call from a volunteer and the second one consisted of the 25 CHUM volunteers who made these calls. Quantitative data were collected from patients and volunteers through questionnaires and a Smartsheet. The patient questionnaire evaluated isolation, the courtesy phone calls, the relationship of trust with the volunteer and sociodemographic questions. The volunteer questionnaire evaluated the appropriateness of the technology for the intervention, the support and training received, the impacts of the courtesy phone call on both the patients and the volunteers, an experience report and sociodemographic information. In addition, a focus group was held with 7 volunteers. Then the verbatim were transcribed and analyzed using QDA miner software. Results From April 27, 2020 to September 5, 2020 more than 11,800 calls were made, mainly concerning hospitalization conditions or home follow-ups (n = 83), and relationships with relatives, friends, and family (n = 79). For 73.6% of hospitalized patients, the courtesy calls from volunteers were a good response to their needs, and 72% of volunteers agreed. 64.5% of patients felt less isolated and 40% of volunteers felt useful. Conclusion Our data suggest that patients felt less isolated during their hospitalization because of the courtesy calls made by the volunteers, that smartphones could also be used for video calls and, finally, that maintaining this type of service seems as relevant after as during a pandemic to provide social interactions to people isolated for medical reasons.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Enhanced Recovery for Open Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Surgery

Introduction: Open abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) surgery is associated with significant morbidity, mortality and high length of stay (LOS). Enhanced recovery is now commonplace and has been shown to decrease these in other non-vascular surgery settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess the benefits of enhanced recovery (ERAS) in aortic surgery. Method: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were used to undertake a systematic review via Ovid MEDLINE and Embase on 10.07. 2021. The search terms were “aortic aneurysm” and “fast track” or “enhanced recovery”. Data was obtained on major complications, 30-day mortality and LOS. Results: 107 papers were identified and 10 papers included for meta-analysis. Complication rates were significantly reduced with ERAS compared to non-ERAS protocols (ERAS n = 709, non-ERAS n = 930) (odds ratio .38, .22 to .65: P = .0005). LOS was also significantly reduced with an ERAS protocol (ERAS n = 708, non-ERAS n = 956) with a mean reduction of 3 . 18 days (−5.01 to −1.35 days) (P = .0007: I2 = 97%). There was no significant difference however in 30-day mortality (P = .92). Conclusion: This meta-analysis demonstrates significant benefits to an enhanced recovery programme in open AAA surgery. There is a need for a multi-centre randomized controlled trial to assess this further.
Demographic, exposure and clinical characteristics in a multinational registry of engineered stone workers with silicosis

Objectives To investigate differences in workplace exposure, demographic and clinical findings in engineered stone (ES) workers from a multinational consortium using the Engineered Stone Silicosis Investigators (ESSI) Global Silicosis Registry. Methods With ethics board approval in Israel, Spain, Australia and the USA, ES workers ages 18+ with a physician diagnosis of work-related silicosis were enrolled. Demographic, occupational, radiologic, pulmonary function and silica-related comorbidity data were compared cross-sectionally among countries using analysis of variance, Fisher’s exact tests and logistic regression. Results Among 169 ES workers with silicosis, most were men, with mean age 51.7 (±11.4) years. Mean work tenure in stone fabrication or masonry was 19.9 (±9.8) years. Different methods of case ascertainment explained some inter-country differences, for example, workers in Queensland, Australia with a state-based surveillance program were likely to be identified earlier and with shorter work tenure. Overall, 32.5% of workers had progressive massive fibrosis, the most severe form of dust-related pneumoconiosis, of whom 18.5% reported ≤10 years of work tenure. Lung function impairment including restriction, reduced diffusion capacity and hypoxaemia was common, as was autoimmunity. Conclusions Findings from a multinational registry represent a unique effort to compare demographic, exposure and clinical information from ES workers with silicosis, and suggest a substantial emerging population of workers worldwide with severe and irreversible silica-associated diseases. This younger worker population is at high risk for disease progression, multiple comorbidities and severe disability. The ESSI registry provides an ongoing framework for investigating epidemiological trends and developing prospective studies for prevention and treatment of these workers.
Menstrual blood-derived stem cells and its mitochondrial treatment improve the ovarian condition of aged mice

Aging causes a decline in ovarian function and may contribute to ovarian failure and infertility. We investigated the effect of menstrual blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MenSCs) and their mitochondria on ovarian function in aged mice. We performed two treatment protocols: i) ovaries of recipient aged mice were treated in vivo with MenSCs 3D alginate gel; ii) ovaries were injected with mitochondria suspension and then incubated with mitochondrial 3D gel. Seven days after treatment, ovaries were harvested for histological assessment by HE staining and transcriptomic analysis by RNA-seq. Our data showed that after incubation with stem cell 3D gel, the MenSCs could be detected in the recipient mouse ovary. HE staining showed that the follicular state of aging ovary improved with both treatments. RNA-seq analysis showed that mitochondrial pathway-related genes were upregulated and significantly enriched in the ovaries treated by MenSCs or their mitochondria. Conclusions: Treatment with MenSCs or their mitochondria can enhance the expression of mitochondrial pathway-related genes and promote the recovery of ovarian function in aged mice.
AGREE‐S: AGREE II extension for surgical interventions – United European Gastroenterology and European Association for Endoscopic Surgery methodological guide

Abstract Background The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument has been developed to inform the methodology, reporting and appraisal of clinical practice guidelines. Evidence suggests that the quality of surgical guidelines can be improved, and the structure and content of AGREE II can be modified to help enhance the quality of guidelines of surgical interventions. Objective To develop an extension of AGREE II specifically designed for guidelines of surgical interventions. Methods In the tripartite Guideline Assessment Project (GAP) funded by United European Gastroenterology and the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery, (i) we assessed the quality of surgical guidelines and we identified factors associated with higher quality (GAP I); (ii) we applied correlation analysis, factor analysis and the item response theory to inform an adaption of AGREE II for the purposes of surgical guidelines (GAP II); and (iii) we developed an AGREE II extension for surgical interventions, informed by the results of GAP I, GAP II, and a Delphi process of stakeholders, including representation from interventional and surgical disciplines; the Guideline International Network (GIN); the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) Working Group; the Enhancing the QUAlity and Transparency Of health Research (EQUATOR) initiative; and representation of surgical journal editors and patient/public. Results We developed AGREE‐S, an AGREE II extension for surgical interventions, which comprises 24 items organized in 6 domains; Scope and purpose, Stakeholders, Evidence synthesis, Development of recommendations, Editorial independence, and Implementation and update. The panel of stakeholders proposed 3 additional items: development of a guideline protocol, consideration of practice variability and surgical/interventional expertise in different settings, and specification of infrastructures required to implement the recommendations. Three of the existing items were amended, 7 items were rearranged among the domains, and one item was removed. The domain Rigour of Development was divided into domains on Evidence Synthesis and Development of Recommendations. The new domain Development of Recommendations incorporates items from the original AGREE II domain Clarity of Presentation. Conclusion AGREE‐S is an evidence‐based and stakeholder‐informed extension of the AGREE II instrument, that can be used as a guide for the development and adaption of guidelines on surgical interventions.
Retraction ATPase Motors from Three Orthologous Type IVa Pilus Systems Support Promiscuous Retraction of the Vibrio cholerae Competence Pilus

One way in which bacteria interact with their environments is via hair-like appendages called type IVa pili (T4aP). These appendages dynamically extend and retract from the cell surface via the action of distinct ATPase motors. ABSTRACT Bacterial surface appendages called type IVa pili (T4aP) promote diverse activities, including DNA uptake, twitching motility, and virulence. These activities rely on the ability of T4aP to dynamically extend and retract from the cell surface. Dynamic extension relies on a motor ATPase commonly called PilB. Most T4aP also rely on specific motor ATPases, commonly called PilT and PilU, to dynamically and forcefully retract. Here, we systematically assess whether motor ATPases from three orthologous T4aP can functionally complement Vibrio cholerae mutants that lack their endogenous motors. We found that the PilT and PilU retraction ATPases from the three T4aP systems tested are promiscuous and promote the retraction of the V. cholerae competence T4aP despite a high degree of sequence divergence. In contrast, the orthologous extension ATPases from the same T4aP systems were not able to mediate the extension of the V. cholerae competence T4aP despite exhibiting a similar degree of sequence divergence. Also, we show that one of the PilT orthologs characterized does not support PilU-dependent retraction and provide some data to indicate that the C terminus of PilT is important for PilU-dependent retraction. Together, our data suggest that retraction ATPases may have maintained a high degree of promiscuity for promoting the retraction of T4aP, while extension ATPases may have evolved to become specific for their cognate systems. IMPORTANCE One way in which bacteria interact with their environments is via hair-like appendages called type IVa pili (T4aP). These appendages dynamically extend and retract from the cell surface via the action of distinct ATPase motors. T4aP are present in diverse bacterial species. Here, we demonstrate that retraction motors from three T4aP are promiscuous and capable of promoting the retraction of a heterologous T4aP system. In contrast, the extension ATPase motors from these same T4aP systems are specific and cannot promote the extension of a heterologous T4aP. Thus, these results suggest that T4aP extension may be more tightly regulated than T4aP retraction.
Insights in detection and analysis of organophosphates using organophosphorus acid anhydrolases (OPAA) enzyme-based biosensors

Abstract The human population is dependent on agriculture for its food requirements and survival. Several insecticides and pesticides have found their use for improvements in agricultural yields. Organophosphates (OP) are one of the many compounds used as insecticides and pesticides. OPs have also been used to develop G and V-series chemicals which act as highly toxic nerve agents that can severely influence the normal function of the nervous system in all living beings. Thus, OP compounds utilized as insecticides/pesticides and nerve agents are hazardous to the environment, lethal for humans and other non-target animals. To avoid their toxicity, approaches to detect and neutralize them have become essential. A variety of analytical procedures such as electrochemical processes and chromatography methods, namely liquid and gas chromatography, have been employed to detect OPs. Though these techniques are sensitive and highly accurate they suffer from drawbacks, for instance: their bulky nature and expensive instrumentation, the difficulty of operation, long detection times, and they can yield unpredictable results with variable sample complexities. With the advent of several types of biosensors, the assay of OP compounds has become simpler, faster, cost-effective with improved sensitivity, and provides the capability for onsite detection. OP biosensor assays typically utilize several enzymes with the capability to hydrolyze/degrade OP compounds, such as organophosphate hydrolase (OPH) and organophosphate acid hydrolase (OPAA). This review focuses on discussing various aspects of OPAA as biological recognition unit in terms of its: structure, properties, activity enhancement methods, and utilization for developing OPAA-based biosensing technologies for insecticides, pesticides, and nerve agents.
The Measurement of Intimate Partner Violence Using International Classification of Diseases Diagnostic Codes: A Systematic Review

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is challenging to measure yet systematic surveillance of IPV is critical to informing public health prevention and response efforts. Administrative medical data provide opportunities for such surveillance, and often use the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The primary purpose of this systematic review was to document which ICD codes have been used in empirical literature to identify IPV, understand the justification used to select specific codes to develop IPV case definitions, and identify the data sources and types of research questions addressed by the existing literature. We searched 11 databases and of the initial 2182 results, 21 empirical studies from 2000 to 2020 met the study inclusion criteria including using ICD codes to measure IPV. The majority of these studies (90.5%) used either national samples of data or population-based administrative data from emergency departments (52.4%) or inpatient hospitalizations (38.1%). We found wide variation of ICD diagnostic codes to measure IPV and categorized the sets of codes used based on the number of codes. The most commonly used ICD-9 codes were E967.3, 995.81, 995.80, 995.85 and the most common ICD-10 codes were T74.1 and Z63.0. Few studies validated the ICD codes used to measure IPV. Most included studies (81.0%) answered epidemiological research questions. The current study provides suggestions for future research, including justifying the selection of ICD codes and providing a range of estimates based on narrow and broad sets of codes. Implications for policy and practice, including enhanced training for healthcare professionals in documenting IPV, are discussed.
Realization, Self-View, and Disclosure of Pedophilia: A Content Analysis of Online Posts

In order to treat individuals with pedophilia 1 who are at risk of committing offenses, disclosure of the attraction must first take place. The aim of this study was to understand processes of initial recognition of pedophilic attraction, disclosure, and help-seeking. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of online posts from self-identified individuals with pedophilia, finding four categories: (1) Awareness and Initial Self-View (with emotions including denial, shame, and fear), (2) Disclosure (typically made to family, friends, or therapists, but also done online in an anonymous way), (3) People’s Reactions to Disclosure (ranging from rejection to support), and (4) Current Self-View (including minimization, distortions, despair, resignation, and non-offending/anti-contact commitment). Our findings highlight the internal process experienced by individuals with pedophilia when first recognizing their attraction to minors, what is involved in disclosure, the importance of others’ reactions after disclosure, and the factors that can reinforce a non-offending commitment. Clinical and social implications are discussed.
Epstein–Barr virus and COVID‐19

As the number of infections with the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 rise beyond 430 million documented cases (1), the post infection sequelae and long term symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among the survivors has become a growing concern (2, 3). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Interleukin-4 reduces lesion volume and improves neurological function in the acute phase after experimental traumatic brain injury in mice.

Little is known about the impact of Interleukin-4 (IL-4) on secondary brain damage in the acute phase after experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI). Therefore, we evaluated the effect of IL-4-Knockout on structural damage as well as functional impairment in the acute phase after experimental TBI in mice. 28 C57Bl/6 wildtype and 20 C57BL/6-Il4tm1Nnt/J Interleukin-4-Knockout (IL-4-KO) mice were subjected to Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI). Contusion volumes, body weight and functional outcome (Video Open Field Test (VOF), Hole Board Test (HB), CatWalkXT®) were determined on postoperative days one (D1), three (D3) and seven (D7). Contusion volume (13.45 +/- 0.88 mm³ vs. 9.50 +/- 0.97 mm³, p=0.015) and weight loss (-2.92 +/- 0.52% vs. -0.85 +/- 0.67%, p=0.027) were significantly higher and exploration behavior significantly more impaired (e.g., 150.44 +/- 18.71 fields explored vs. 211.56 +/- 18.90 fields explored, p=0.028 in the VOF; 23.31 +/- 2.03 holes explored vs. 35.65 +/- 1.93 holes explored, p<0.001 in the HB) in IL-4-KO mice on D1. Gait impairment was significantly more pronounced in IL-4-KO mice throughout the first week after CCI (e.g., 0.07 +/- 0.01s vs. 0.00 +/- 0.01s, p=0.047 for right hindpaw Swing on D1; -1.76 +/- 1.34 U vs. 2.53 +/- 0.90 U, p=0.01 for right forepaw Mean Intensity on D3; -0.01 +/- 0.01cm² vs. 0.05 +/- 0.01cm², p=0.015 for left forepaw Mean Area on D7). In conclusion, IL-4 reduces structural damage and improves functional outcome in the acute phase after CCI. Neurobehavioral outcome assessment in IL-4-related studies should focus on motor function on the first three days after trauma induction.
Ayahuasca Ritual, Personality and Sociality: Observational Research Conducted in a Substance Use Disorder Rehabilitation Center in Uruguay

ABSTRACT The current article presents a mixed qualitative-quantitative observational study of the effect of ayahuasca ritual on subjective experiences and personality traits on participants of a center specialized in the treatment of substance use disorder in Uruguay. When comparing the psychological traits of ayahuasca participants to a control group, quantitative results using the Zuckerman-Kuhlman-Aluja Personality Questionnaire showed statistically significant higher scores in Impulsive Sensation Seeking, Boredom Susceptibility, and Social Warmth scales. Qualitative analysis of ayahuasca experiences resulted in five main categories: emotional experiences (including social emotions such as love and empathy), corporal experiences, spiritual/transcendental experiences, personal experiences, and visions. Last, qualitative descriptions provide support for the importance of social interactions in the phenomenological manifestations of the psychedelic experience. Both quantitative and qualitative results suggest that the combination of social interactions and the pharmacological action of ayahuasca could facilitate the manifestation of social emotions during the ritual, and may contribute to the long-term increase of empathic and social aspects of personality.