Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Burden of Severe Hypoglycemia on Quality of Life among Diabetes Mellitus Patients in a Tertiary Level Hospital of Bangladesh

Objective: This study aimed to determine the impact of hypoglycemia on health-related quality of life from a patient perspective. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 164 type 2 diabetes patients admitted due to severe hypoglycemia from August 2015 to October 2016 at Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders, in Dhaka. Impact of severe hypoglycemia on health-related quality of life in diabetic patients was evaluated using the disease-specific questionnaire audit of diabetes-dependent quality of life-19 (ADDQOL-19). Results: The median ADDQOL score was calculated at −3.31. Totally, 88 (53.7%) patients reported an ADDQOL score of − 3.31 or more, and 76 (46.3%) patients had an ADDQOL score of less than −3.31 (lower quality of life [QoL]). After considering weighting, “Freedom to eat” (mean Weighted Impact Score-6.32 ± 1.94) was the most and “Holidays” (mean Weighted Impact Score-0.96 ± 0.19) was the least affected QoL domains, respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, severe hypoglycemia impact on ADDQOL was related with age (odds ratio [OR] 0.932, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 0.897–0.969, P < 0.001), sex (OR 0.088, 95% CIs 0.023–0.338, P < 0.001), glycated hemoglobin (%) (OR 0.613, 95% CIs 0.422–0.890, P = 0.010), and marital status (OR 9.264, 95% CIs 2.467–34.790, P = 0.001). Conclusions: The results of this analysis suggest hypoglycemia impacts heavily on the well-being and quality of life of people with diabetes, and every effort should be made to minimize hypoglycemia while aiming for good glycemic control.
A protocol for urine collection and storage prior to DNA methylation analysis

Background Urine poses an attractive non-invasive means for obtaining liquid biopsies for oncological diagnostics. Especially molecular analysis on urinary DNA is a rapid growing field. However, optimal and practical storage conditions that result in preservation of urinary DNA, and in particular hypermethylated DNA (hmDNA), are yet to be determined. Aim To determine the most optimal and practical conditions for urine storage that result in adequate preservation of DNA for hmDNA analysis. Methods DNA yield for use in methylation analysis was determined by quantitative methylation specific PCR (qMSP) targeting the ACTB and RASSF1A genes on bisulfite modified DNA. First, DNA yield (ACTB qMSP) was determined in a pilot study on urine samples of healthy volunteers using two preservatives (Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and Urine Conditioning Buffer, Zymo Research) at four different temperatures (room temperature (RT), 4°C, -20°C, -80°C) for four time periods (1, 2, 7, 28 days). Next, hmDNA levels (RASSF1A qMSP) in stored urine samples of patients suffering from bladder cancer (n = 10) or non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC; n = 10) were measured at day 0 and 7 upon storage with and without the addition of 40mM EDTA and/or 20 μl/ml Penicillin Streptomycin (PenStrep) at RT and 4°C. Results In the pilot study, DNA for methylation analysis was only maintained at RT upon addition of preserving agents. In urine stored at 4°C for a period of 7 days or more, the addition of either preserving agent yielded a slightly better preservation of DNA. When urine was stored at -20 °C or -80 °C for up to 28 days, DNA was retained irrespective of the addition of preserving agents. In bladder cancer and NSCLC samples stored at RT loss of DNA was significantly less if EDTA was added compared to no preserving agents (p<0.001). Addition of PenStrep did not affect DNA preservation (p>0.99). Upon storage at 4°C, no difference in DNA preservation was found after the addition of preserving agents (p = 0.18). The preservation of methylated DNA (RASSF1A) was strongly correlated to that of unmethylated DNA (ACTB) in most cases, except when PCR values became inaccurate. Conclusions Addition of EDTA offers an inexpensive preserving agent for urine storage at RT up to seven days allowing for reliable hmDNA analysis. To avoid bacterial overgrowth PenStrep can be added without negatively affecting DNA preservation.
Human-information interaction in time-critical settings: Information needs and use in the emergency room

Trauma centers are stressful, noisy, and dynamic places, with many people performing complex tasks, and with no technological aids to support their operations. This paper describes research that uses an emergency room as a natural laboratory for investigating information behavior and information sources of trauma team members. Data from interviews, focus groups, and videotaped trauma resuscitations revealed specific information needs in four distinct phases of a trauma event. The most commonly utilized information sources include the patient, vital signs monitor, x-rays images, and other team members. Additionally, data indicated inefficiencies in teamwork and communication. Results from this study can be used to derive system requirements for the design of decision and communication support systems for trauma teams.
Insights into the release mechanism of astrocytic glutamate evoking in neurons NMDA receptor‐mediated slow depolarizing inward currents

The gliotransmitter glutamate in different brain regions modulates neuronal excitability and synaptic transmission through a variety of mechanisms. Among the hallmarks of astrocytic glutamate release are the slow depolarizing inward currents (SICs) in neurons mediated by N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate receptor activation. Different stimuli that evoke Ca2+ elevations in astrocytes induce neuronal SICs suggesting a Ca2+‐dependent exocytotic glutamate release mechanism of SIC generation. To gain new insights into this mechanism, we investigated the relationship between astrocytic Ca2+ elevations and neuronal SICs in mouse hippocampal slice preparations. Here we provide evidence that SICs, occurring either spontaneously or following a hypotonic challenge, are unchanged in the virtual absence of Ca2+ signal changes at astrocytic soma and processes, including spatially restricted Ca2+ microdomains. SICs are also unchanged in the presence of Bafilomycin A1 that after prolonged slice incubation depletes glutamate from astrocytic vesicles. We also found that hemichannels and TREK family channels‐that recent studies proposed to mediate astrocytic glutamate release ‐ are not involved in SIC generation. SICs are reduced by the volume‐sensitive anion channel antagonists diisothiocyanatostilbene‐2,2′‐disulfonic acid (DIDS), quinine and fluoxetine, suggesting a possible contribution of these channels in SIC generation. Direct measurements of astrocytic glutamate release further confirm that hypotonicity‐evoked gliotransmission is impaired following DIDS, quinine and fluoxetine while the exocytotic release of glutamate—that is proposed to mediate synaptic transmission modulation by astrocytes—remains unaffected. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that the release of glutamate generating SICs occurs independently on exocytotic Ca2+‐dependent glutamate release mechanism.
Not All Predictions Are Equal: “What” and “When” Predictions Modulate Activity in Auditory Cortex through Different Mechanisms

Using predictions based on environmental regularities is fundamental for adaptive behavior. While it is widely accepted that predictions across different stimulus attributes (e.g., time and content) facilitate sensory processing, it is unknown whether predictions across these attributes rely on the same neural mechanism. Here, to elucidate the neural mechanisms of predictions, we combine invasive electrophysiological recordings (human electrocorticography in 4 females and 2 males) with computational modeling while manipulating predictions about content (“what”) and time (“when”). We found that “when” predictions increased evoked activity over motor and prefrontal regions both at early (∼180 ms) and late (430–450 ms) latencies. “What” predictability, however, increased evoked activity only over prefrontal areas late in time (420–460 ms). Beyond these dissociable influences, we found that “what” and “when” predictability interactively modulated the amplitude of early (165 ms) evoked responses in the superior temporal gyrus. We modeled the observed neural responses using biophysically realistic neural mass models, to better understand whether “what” and “when” predictions tap into similar or different neurophysiological mechanisms. Our modeling results suggest that “what” and “when” predictability rely on complementary neural processes: “what” predictions increased short-term plasticity in auditory areas, whereas “when” predictability increased synaptic gain in motor areas. Thus, content and temporal predictions engage complementary neural mechanisms in different regions, suggesting domain-specific prediction signaling along the cortical hierarchy. Encoding predictions through different mechanisms may endow the brain with the flexibility to efficiently signal different sources of predictions, weight them by their reliability, and allow for their encoding without mutual interference. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Predictions of different stimulus features facilitate sensory processing. However, it is unclear whether predictions of different attributes rely on similar or different neural mechanisms. By combining invasive electrophysiological recordings of cortical activity with experimental manipulations of participants' predictions about content and time of acoustic events, we found that the two types of predictions had dissociable influences on cortical activity, both in terms of the regions involved and the timing of the observed effects. Further, our biophysical modeling analysis suggests that predictability of content and time rely on complementary neural processes: short-term plasticity in auditory areas and synaptic gain in motor areas, respectively. This suggests that predictions of different features are encoded with complementary neural mechanisms in different brain regions.
Creating and Exploring Semantic Annotation for Behaviour Analysis

Providing ground truth is essential for activity recognition and behaviour analysis as it is needed for providing training data in methods of supervised learning, for providing context information for knowledge-based methods, and for quantifying the recognition performance. Semantic annotation extends simple symbolic labelling by assigning semantic meaning to the label, enabling further reasoning. In this paper, we present a novel approach to semantic annotation by means of plan operators. We provide a step by step description of the workflow to manually creating the ground truth annotation. To validate our approach, we create semantic annotation of the Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) grand challenge dataset, which is often cited, but, due to missing and incomplete annotation, almost never used. We show that it is possible to derive hidden properties, behavioural routines, and changes in initial and goal conditions in the annotated dataset. We evaluate the quality of the annotation by calculating the interrater reliability between two annotators who labelled the dataset. The results show very good overlapping (Cohen’s κ of 0.8) between the annotators. The produced annotation and the semantic models are publicly available, in order to enable further usage of the CMU grand challenge dataset.
PQISEM: BN's structure learning based on partial qualitative influences and SEM algorithm from missing data

The structure learning of Bayesian Network (BN) is an important issue for probabilistic inference of BN. In this paper, for missing data, we have proposed a BN's structure learning algorithm by making full use of some partial qualitative influences and SEM algorithm. Specifically, firstly, we address the problem that how to modify BN's parameters based on partial qualitative influence knowledge, which makes these parameters meet the given qualitative constraint relationship. Then, based on qualitative influences, we give random search operators in hill climbing method, and then analyse the selection rule of the initial network and selection strategy of candidate networks. Further, the PQISEM algorithm is proposed based on partial qualitative influences and SEM algorithm. Its complexity and convergence are analysed. Finally, the experiment illustrates PQISEM's performance by comparing with other algorithms on standard networks and discussing on different sample sizes and different missing value proportion.
Prognostic value of long noncoding RNAs in gastric cancer: a meta-analysis

Background In the last few years, accumulating evidence has indicated that numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are abnormally expressed in gastric cancer (GC) and are associated with the survival of GC patients. This study aimed to conduct a meta-analysis on 19 lncRNAs (AFAP1 antisense RNA 1 [AFAP1-AS1], CDKN2B antisense RNA 1 [ANRIL], cancer susceptibility 15 [CASC15], colon cancer associated transcript 2 [CCAT2], gastric adenocarcinoma associated, positive CD44 regulator, long intergenic noncoding RNA [GAPLINC], H19, imprinted maternally expressed transcript [H19], HOX transcript antisense RNA [HOTAIR], HOXA distal transcript antisense RNA [HOTTIP], long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 673 [LINC00673], metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 [MALAT1], maternally expressed 3 [MEG3], promoter of CDKN1A antisense DNA damage activated RNA [PANDAR], Pvt1 oncogene [PVT1], SOX2 overlapping transcript [Sox2ot], SPRY4 intronic transcript 1 [SPRY4-IT1], urothelial cancer associated 1 [UCA1], X inactive specific transcript [XIST], ZEB1 antisense RNA 1 [ZEB1-AS1] and ZNFX1 antisense RNA 1 [ZFAS1]) to systematically estimate their prognostic value in GC. Methods The qualified literature was systematically searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (up to March 16, 2018), and one meta-analysis relating to the relationship between lncRNA expression and overall survival (OS) of GC patients was performed. The only evaluation criterion of survival results was OS. Results A total of 6,095 GC patients and 19 lncRNAs from 51 articles were included in the present study. Among the listed 19 lncRNAs, 18 lncRNAs (other than SPRY4-IT1) showed a significantly prognostic value (P<0.05). Conclusion This meta-analysis suggested that the abnormally expressed lncRNAs (AFAP1-AS1, ANRIL, CASC15, CCAT2, GAPLINC, H19, HOTAIR, HOTTIP, LINC00673, MALAT1, MEG3, PANDAR, PVT1, Sox2ot, UCA1, XIST, ZEB1-AS1 and ZFAS1) were significantly associated with the survival of GC patients, among which AFAP1-AS1, CCAT2, LINC00673, PANDAR, PVT1, Sox2ot, ZEB1-AS1 and ZFAS1 were strong candidates in predicting the prognosis of GC patients.
A New Entropy-Based Approach to Determine the Weights of Decision Makers for Each Criterion With Crisp and Interval Data in Group Decision Making Under Multiple Attribute

The aim of this article is to develop a modified version of the original entropy approach to determine weights of decision makers (DMs) in multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) contexts with both crisp and interval data, in which the weights of experts (or DMs) are derived from the decision matrices and DMs have different weights for different criteria. In the proposed method, the experts' weight for each criterion depends on the uncertainty measure of DMs comparisons. In other words, the DMs who give less uncertainty judgments (or less entropy measures), will be evaluated as more importance, and vice-versa. Finally, a numerical example is given to demonstrate the feasibility of the developed method.
Profile of intravenous glyburide for the prevention of cerebral edema following large hemispheric infarction: evidence to date

Glyburide (also known as glibenclamide) is a second-generation sulfonylurea drug that inhibits sulfonylurea receptor 1 (Sur1) at nanomolar concentrations. Long used to target KATP (Sur1–Kir6.2) channels for the treatment of diabetes mellitus type 2, glyburide was recently repurposed to target Sur1–transient receptor potential melastatin 4 (Trpm4) channels in acute central nervous system injury. Discovered nearly two decades ago, SUR1–TRPM4 has emerged as a critical target in stroke, specifically in large hemispheric infarction, which is characterized by edema formation and life-threatening brain swelling. Following ischemia, SUR1–TRPM4 channels are transcriptionally upregulated in all cells of the neurovascular unit, including neurons, astrocytes, microglia, oligodendrocytes and microvascular endothelial cells. Work by several independent laboratories has linked SUR1–TRPM4 to edema formation, with blockade by glyburide reducing brain swelling and death in preclinical models. Recent work showed that, following ischemia, SUR1–TRPM4 co-assembles with aquaporin-4 to mediate cellular swelling of astrocytes, which contributes to brain swelling. Additionally, recent work linked SUR1–TRPM4 to secretion of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) induced by recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in activated brain endothelial cells, with blockade of SUR1–TRPM4 by glyburide reducing MMP-9 and hemorrhagic transformation in preclinical models with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator. The recently completed GAMES (Glyburide Advantage in Malignant Edema and Stroke) clinical trials on patients with large hemispheric infarctions treated with intravenous glyburide (RP-1127) revealed promising findings with regard to brain swelling (midline shift), MMP-9, functional outcomes and mortality. Here, we review key elements of the basic science, preclinical experiments and clinical studies, both retrospective and prospective, on glyburide in focal cerebral ischemia and stroke.
Knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of tuberculosis among community members in Ntcheu district, Malawi

Introduction The global burden of tuberculosis (TB) remains significantly high, with overreliance on biomedical interventions and inadequate exploration of the socioeconomic and cultural context of the infected population. A desired reduction in disease burden can be enhanced through a broader theoretical understanding of people’s health beliefs and concerns about TB. In this qualitative study, we explore the knowledge, beliefs, and perceptions of community members and people diagnosed with TB toward TB in Ntcheu district, Malawi. Methods Using a qualitative phenomenological study design, data were obtained from eight focus-group discussions and 16 individual in-depth interviews. The community’s experiences and perceptions of TB were captured without using any preconceived framework. Adult participants who had had or never had a diagnosis of TB were purposively selected by sex and age and enrolled for the study. Discussions and individual interviews lasting about 60 minutes each were audiotaped, transcribed, and translated into English and analyzed using MaxQDA 10 software for qualitative analysis. Results Most participants believed that TB was curable and would go for diagnosis if they had symptoms suggestive of the disease. However, based on their beliefs, individuals expressed some apprehension about the spread of TB and the social implications of being diagnosed with the disease. This perception affected participants’ responses about seeking diagnosis and treatment. Conclusion A supportive and collective approach consisting of a combination of mass media, interactive communication campaigns, emphasizing TB symptoms, transmission, and stigma could be useful in addressing barriers to early diagnosis and care-seeking behavior.
Effects of 6 Weeks of Different High-Intensity Interval and Moderate Continuous Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Performance

Abstract Cavar, M, Marsic, T, Corluka, M, Culjak, Z, Cerkez Zovko, I, Müller, A, Tschakert, G, and Hofmann, P. Effects of 6 weeks of different high-intensity interval and moderate continuous training on aerobic and anaerobic performance. J Strength Cond Res 33(1): 44–56, 2019—To provide practical data, we compared the training effects of 3 different programs, using a shuttle run stimulus, on aerobic and anaerobic performance, measured using the 20-m maximal shuttle run (Beep) test and 300-yd shuttle run, respectively. Forty-five physically trained men, with a mean age of 21.1 ± 1.8 years, participated. The 6-week, 12-session training programs included 2 high-intensity interval training (HIIT) protocols, with either a short (SH) or long (LH) shuttle run interval, and a continuous shuttle run (CON), which was used as a control. The training intensity was based on the maximal shuttle run speed (MASS), measured on the Beep test, to elicit the relevant values of the time to exhaustion (TTE). Short (SH) training was performed at 115–120%(MASS), with a 10-second work to 10-second rest scheme, and the number of repetitions to be completed set to 70% of each participant's maximum (∼15 repetitions). LH training was performed at an intensity of 90–95%(MASS), with the duration set to 70%(TTE) (∼4 minutes). For both SH and LH, 3 sets were completed at each session, with a 2–3 minutes of rest between sets. CON training consisted of continuous shuttle running for 35 minutes at an intensity of 70%(MASS). Both SH and LH yielded a large training effect (p < 0.01), with SH preferentially improving anaerobic performance and LH preferentially improving aerobic performance. No effect of CON training was identified. Our findings indicate that these different training protocols cannot be used interchangeably and that the Beep test is useful in prescribing the intensity and duration of HIIT.
CDCA8 expression and its clinical relevance in patients with bladder cancer

Abstract Cell division cycle associated 8 (CDCA8) overexpression is detected in various malignant tumors and closely associated with tumor growth. However, the correlations of CDCA8 expression with clinicopathological factors and prognosis of bladder cancer (BC) remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to identify the expression of CDCA8 and its clinical relevance in BC patients. GEO datasets were employed to obtain CDCA8 expression data and its clinical information in BC samples. Real-time PCR (RT-PCR) was performed to detect the expression of CDCA8 in BC and the adjacent normal tissues. Nonpaired t test was used to statistically analyze the difference between the 2 groups. Cox univariable and multivariable analyses of overall survival (OS) and cancer specific survival (CSS) among BC patients were performed. Biological processes or signaling pathways that might mediate the activity of CDCA8 in BC were analyzed. CDCA8 levels were significantly higher in BC (8.870 ± 0.08281 vs 7.472 ± 0.07035, P < .0001). CDCA8 expression was significantly associated with tumor progression (P = .001), T stage (P < .0001), N stage (P = .013), and grade (P < .0001). Higher expression of CDCA8 predicted poor cancer-specific survival (P < .0001, HR = 0.2752, 95% CI:0.1364-0.5554) and overall survival (P < .0001, HR = 0.4270, 95% CI: 0.2630–0.6930) in patients with BC. Cox univariable and multivariable analyses showed that intravesical therapy, N stage and progression were the independent influence factors of overall survival among bladder cancer patients, CDCA8 expression, tumor grade and progression were the independent influence factors of cancer specific survival among bladder cancer patients. The results of GSEA indicated that CDCA8-regulated gene sets associated with spermatogenesis, G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, Myc targets, mTORC1 signaling, mitotic spindle angiogenesis, PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, cholesterol homeostasis and glycolysis. Finally, RT-PCR results confirmed that CDCA8 expression was upregulated in BC (P = .0039). CDCA8 is overexpressed in BC and its high levels are correlated with poor clinicopathological features of BC patients. Therefore, CDCA8 may act as a novel prognostic marker and therapeutical target in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with BC.