Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Melatonin modulates copper-induced anxiety-like, depression-like and memory impairments by acting on hippocampal oxidative stress in rat

Abstract Copper (Cu) is a heavy metal with the ability to induce, at high levels, neurobehavioral alterations, and oxidative stress (OS). On the other hand, melatonin (Mel) is a neurohormone that protects neurons from OS and has a modulatory effect on several behavioral processes. The present experiment was aimed to examine the effect of Mel treatment on Cu-induced anxiety-like, depression-like behaviors, memory impairment, and OS in hippocampus. Herein, adult Wistar rats of both genders received daily Mel (4 mg/kg) thirty minutes before CuCl2 (1 mg/kg), by intraperitoneal injections for 8 weeks. After the administration period, all rats were submitted to the behavioral tests. Thereafter, OS parameters and histology of the hippocampus were evaluated. The results demonstrate that Mel treatment attenuated Cu-induced anxiety-like and depression-like behaviors, and it improved memory deficits Cu-treated rats. Furthermore, Mel attenuated Cu-provoked OS by reducing lipid peroxidation (LPO) and nitric oxide (NO) levels and enhancing superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in the hippocampus. The histopathological analysis also supported these results. In conclusion, these findings show that Mel treatment exerted neuroprotective effects against Cu-induced neurobehavioral changes which may be related to reduction of hippocampal OS. Besides, the effects of Cu and Mel were gender dependent, being more marked in females compared to male rats.
Development and machine-learning optimization of mucoadhesive nanostructured lipid carriers loaded with fluconazole for treatment of oral candidiasis

Abstract The aim of this work was to prepare and optimize mucoadhesive nanostructured lipid carrier (NLC) impregnated with fluconazole for better management of oral candidiasis. The NLCs were fabricated using an emulsification/sonication technique. The nanoparticles consisted of stearic acid, oleic acid, Pluronic F127, and lecithin. Box–Behnken design, artificial neural networking, and variable weight desirability were employed to optimize the joint effect of drug concentration in the drug/lipid mixture, solid lipid concentration in the solid/liquid lipid mixture, and surfactant concentration in the total mixture on size and entrapment. The optimized NLCs were coated with chitosan. The nanoparticles were characterized by surface charge, spectroscopic, thermal, morphological, mucoadhesion, release, histopathological, and antifungal properties. The nanoparticles are characterized by a particle size of 335 ± 13.5 nm, entrapment efficiency of 73.1 ± 4.9%, sustained release, minor histopathological effects on rabbit oral mucosa, and higher fungal inhibition efficiency for an extended period of time compared with fluconazole solution. Coating the nanoparticles with chitosan increased its adhesion to rabbit oral buccal mucosa and improved its anti-candidiasis activity. It is concluded that mucoadhesive lipid-based nanoparticles amplify the effect of fluconazole on Candida albicans in vitro. This finding warrants pre-clinical and clinical studies in oral candidiasis disease models to corroborate in vitro findings.
Adaptation and validation of a German version of the Strengths Use and Deficit Correction (SUDCO) questionnaire

The Strength Use and Deficit Correction (SUDCO) Questionnaire has been shown to be a reliable instrument for the measurement of its four dimensions perceived organizational support for strengths use, perceived organizational support for deficit correction, strengths use behavior, and deficit correction behavior in the context of organizations. This paper aims to adapt and validate the SUDCO for the German-speaking population (SUDCO-G). Three studies were conducted. Confirmatory factor analyses and correlations with other psychological constructs on the data of three German samples (N1 = 302; N2 = 243, N3 = 295) were performed. The twenty-four item SUDCO-G exhibits the anticipated factorial structure with four factors and an acceptable model fit in all three studies (CFI = .920-.937, TLI = .911-.929, RMSEA = .063-.079, SRMR = 0.52-.075). The associations of the four dimensions to other constructs concur with previous findings (study 2) and the subscales of the SUDCO-G also show positive relations with general strengths use, meaning of work and Psychological Capital (study 3). We conclude that the SUDCO-G is a reliable and valid instrument for the use in the German-speaking population.
Investigation of Magnesium Incorporation within Gelatin/Calcium Phosphate Nanocomposite Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering

In this study, diffusional method was used to prepare a calcium phosphate/gelatin nanocomposite as a scaffold for bone tissue repair. Incorporation of magnesium (Mg) into mineral phase of the scaffold was also investigated. Addition of Mg ions to the synthesis process caused formation of magnesium phosphate (MgP) and hydroxyapatite (HAp). However, analyses data for the sample lacking Mg showed that the mineral formed within GEL had a low crystalline nature, consisting of HAp and octacalcium phosphate (OCP). With addition of Mg within the structure of precipitated minerals, morphology of minerals was dramatically changed toward being irregular and less ordered.
Anterior Bilateral Sacrospinous Fixation With Transvaginal Mesh: Is Hysterectomy a Risk Factor for Complications?

Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of hysterectomy on the risk of complications from transvaginal pelvic organ prolapse surgery with mesh. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study between October 2010 and December 2017. Transvaginal mesh surgery was performed in patients with symptomatic anterior and/or apical prolapse (Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification ≥ stage 2). The primary outcome was rate of severe surgical complications based on the Clavien-Dindo classification (defined as grade ≥3), and the secondary outcome was the anatomical success at the last postoperative follow-up visit. Results Three hundred and ninety-six patients were included, 289 of these patients underwent anterior sacrospinous fixation with uterine preservation, 50 had a previous hysterectomy and 57 underwent a concomitant hysterectomy. The median follow-up was 12 months (interquartile range, 7 months). The rate of severe complications was 2.1%, 6.0%, and 5.3% in the uterine preservation group, previous hysterectomy group, and concomitant hysterectomy group, respectively (P = 0.2). The operative time was significantly higher in the concomitant hysterectomy group, and the mesh exposure rate was significantly higher in the previous hysterectomy group. The overall recurrence rate was 7.6%, with no differences between the study groups. Conclusions Concomitant and previous hysterectomy did not appear to increase the severe complication rate or anatomical failure after transvaginal mesh surgery. However, a history of hysterectomy appears to be a risk factor for vaginal mesh exposure. This must be considered in the choice between prosthetic and autologous management options for the treatment of posthysterectomy vault prolapse.
Elder Abuse and Neglect in China: Prevalence, Co-occurrence, and Intergenerational Risk Factors

The prevalence and patterns of elder abuse and neglect in China have been understudied. The objectives of this study were to examine the chronicity and prevalence of different patterns of elder abuse, and the influence of individual and contextual risk factors. We used data from a sample of 7,466 adults randomly recruited from six regions in China. The participants responded to a questionnaire about their demographic characteristics, childhood abuse experiences, and instances of abuse and neglect against their elderly parents. Logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association of elder abuse and neglect with individual and contextual factors. The results showed that one in 10 participants reported that their elderly parents had experienced abuse or neglect in the past year. The elder victims were reported to have suffered different types of abuse and neglect on multiple occasions, ranging from 3.6 to 11.82 times on average. More than 5% of participants reported that their elderly parents had suffered two or more types of abuse and neglect in the past year, accounting for 40% of the elderly victims. The co-occurrence of elder abuse within elderly couples was also high. Reports of abuse and neglect of elderly parents were related to low socioeconomic status, living in rural areas, and the experience of childhood abuse of the participants. This study supports the model of intergenerational transmission of violence in the Chinese population. The high prevalence, chronicity, and co-occurrence of elder abuse and neglect underline the importance of screening for risk factors, and have implications for preventive practice and policy.
Novel modulators of p53-signaling encoded by unknown genes of emerging viruses

The p53 transcription factor plays a key role both in cancer and in the cell-intrinsic response to infections. The ORFEOME project hypothesized that novel p53-virus interactions reside in hitherto uncharacterized, unknown, or hypothetical open reading frames (orfs) of human viruses. Hence, 172 orfs of unknown function from the emerging viruses SARS-Coronavirus, MERS-Coronavirus, influenza, Ebola, Zika (ZIKV), Chikungunya and Kaposi Sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) were de novo synthesized, validated and tested in a functional screen of p53 signaling. This screen revealed novel mechanisms of p53 virus interactions and two viral proteins KSHV orf10 and ZIKV NS2A binding to p53. Originally identified as the target of small DNA tumor viruses, these experiments reinforce the notion that all viruses, including RNA viruses, interfere with p53 functions. These results validate this resource for analogous systems biology approaches to identify functional properties of uncharacterized viral proteins, long non-coding RNAs and micro RNAs.
Spatial and temporal autocorrelations affect Taylor's law for US county populations: Descriptive and predictive models

Understanding the spatial and temporal distributions and fluctuations of living populations is a central goal in ecology and demography. A scaling pattern called Taylor's law has been used to quantify the distributions of populations. Taylor's law asserts a linear relationship between the logarithm of the mean and the logarithm of the variance of population size. Here, extending previous work, we use generalized least-squares models to describe three types of Taylor's law. These models incorporate the temporal and spatial autocorrelations in the mean-variance data. Moreover, we analyze three purely statistical models to predict the form and slope of Taylor's law. We apply these descriptive and predictive models of Taylor's law to the county population counts of the United States decennial censuses (1790–2010). We find that the temporal and spatial autocorrelations strongly affect estimates of the slope of Taylor's law, and generalized least-squares models that take account of these autocorrelations are often superior to ordinary least-squares models. Temporal and spatial autocorrelations combine with demographic factors (e.g., population growth and historical events) to influence Taylor's law for human population data. Our results show that the assumptions of a descriptive model must be carefully evaluated when it is used to estimate and interpret the slope of Taylor's law.
Assessment of preferred methods to measure insulin resistance in Asian patients with hypertension

Insulin resistance (IR), a metabolic risk factor, is linked to the pathogenetic mechanism of primary hypertension. Detecting IR in the patients with hypertension will help to predict and stratify the added cardiovascular risk, institute appropriate IR management, and manage hypertension optimally. There are many methods for assessing IR, each with distinct advantages and disadvantages. The euglycemic insulin clamp and intravenous glucose tolerance test, gold standards for measuring IR, are used in research but not in clinical practice. Homeostatic model assessment (HOMA‐IR), a method for assessing β‐cell function and IR, is frequently applied presently, particularly in Asia. Besides, the triglyceride–glucose index (TyG) first published by South American authors showed a good correlation with the insulin clamp technique and HOMA‐IR index. This simple, convenient, and low‐cost TyG index is of research interest in many countries in Asia and can be used to screen for IR in the Asian hypertensive community.
Deep Learning Methods and Their Application to Nursing Workflows: Technology and Perspectives.

KEY POINTS Deep learning is a paradigm of statistical inference that offers the potential for successful application to clinical care, as it extracts nonobvious insights from health data to drive best-in-class predictive power. Recent studies across various types of deep learning models have confirmed that the application of deep learning methods to predictive problems can offer more prescriptive care, improved cost efficiency, and advanced screening. The nursing workforce is well suited to manage the validation and rollout of deep learning methods due to expertise in care operations. Care providers and technologists must partner closely to ensure that statistical models are easily usable and understandable by frontline clinicians. A veritable explosion of data has confronted health system participants as healthcare has digitized in the past decade. In this process, health data have dispersed among numerous knowledge bases: electronic health records (EHRs), images, notes, unstructured text, sensors, equipment, and mobile data. While these data have come to play many roles for patients, providers, and payers, systems that produce forward-looking inference from existing data have remained limited, particularly in real-time, clinical workflows. Indeed, systematic reviews and trials of such tools have shown that fully deployed clinical guidance systems based on statistical methods are not yet widely adopted or trusted in healthcare. Historical precedent notwithstanding, various teams are investigating potential health and efficiency gains driven by bringing predictive modeling to healthcare. Many health researchers and clinicians have been introduced to some predictive machine learning (ML) methods, particularly linear regression and clustering algorithms such as nearestneighbors. However, a complementary paradigm known as deep learning (DL) is far less widely understood or appreciated, even though it offers the possibility for rapid advances in care delivery and clinical practice. In particular, DL methods have dramatically outperformed many traditional ML approaches in settings both old and new. As a result, it shows potential to enable more effective and cost-efficient diagnostics, provide rapid care to patients most in need, improve personalization of care, and ease provider fatigue. It is therefore paramount that all stakeholders—from patient to provider—are informed about the DL paradigm and its relevance to healthcare. In practice, nurses frequently possess a contextual awareness of patient-specific needs and wellness goals, though these
Impact of Diet and Exercise on Weight and Cognition in Older Adults: A Rapid Review

Objective: To determine where the current literature stands in regard to diet/exercise interventions on cognition in overweight or obese individuals. Data Source: A rapid review was conducted of English-language studies published in Medline from January 1965 to January 2020. Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: Included studies were intervention studies lasting ≥12 weeks, with participants aged ≥65 years, with a body mass index ≥25 kg/m2 Data Extraction: Data extracted included study population, duration, intervention design, outcomes, and results. Data Synthesis: Outcomes were qualitatively measured due to paucity of RTC. Results: 1845 citations were identified, 31 full-text articles were reviewed, and 5 studies were included. Studies had usual care control groups and combined exercise/diet intervention groups with 31-3,526 participants randomized to each arm. Mean age of participants was 69.2-83.4 years. Studies reporting on cognitive changes showed marginally significant positive changes in cognition, and those that reported BMI indicated potential improvements in cognition. Conclusions: The number of interventions assessing the combined effects of both diet and exercise is low. Future studies should evaluate the impact of combined effects to ascertain whether cognitive decline may be reversed in older adults with a BMI ≥25 kg/m2.
Presumptive heterophil extracellular traps recognized cytologically in nine reptile patients with inflammatory conditions

Abstract Background Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) represent a novel cellular mechanism of antimicrobial defense activity. Intravascular neutrophils produce extracellular web-like structures composed of chromatin, histones, and cytoplasmic granule proteins to attack and kill microbes. They may impact both pathogen and host; NETs correlate strongly with disseminated intravascular coagulation and mortality in critically ill humans. The mechanism was first discovered in human neutrophils in 2004. Presumptive heterophil extracellular traps (HETs) in a non-avian reptile species were first described in blood films of a gopher tortoise with systemic inflammation. Objective While prior reports are limited to blood film review and in vitro studies, this descriptive case series highlights the cytological identification of presumptive HETs in nine reptile patients. Methods Subjects included six gopher tortoises, one blood python (Python curtus), one Burmese python (P. bivittatus), and one desert king snake (Lampropeltis getula splendida). All six gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus) had upper respiratory disease with bacterial etiology (including Helicobacter sp. and/or Mycoplasma sp.), and snakes had upper respiratory tract infection confirmed with serpentovirus (n = 2) or bacterial dermatitis (n = 1). Results Cytology samples with identified HETs included tissue imprints (n = 4), nasal discharge (n = 3), an oral swab (n = 1), and a fine needle aspirate of a skin lesion (n = 1). The identification of specific bacterial (n = 6) and/or viral pathogens (n = 2) was notable. Clinical relevance To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first report of presumptive HETs recognized in reptile cytology specimens, suggesting an active cellular process in vivo in response to systemic inflammation in non-avian reptiles, and contributing to further understanding of extracellular traps in these species.
Characteristics of Fly Ashes from Full-Scale Coal-Fired Power Plants and Their Relationship to Mercury Adsorption

Nine fly ash samples were collected from the particulate collection devices (baghouse or electrostatic precipitator) of four full-scale pulverized coal (PC) utility boilers burning eastern bituminous coals (EB−PC ashes) and three cyclone utility boilers burning either Powder River Basin (PRB) coals or PRB blends (PRB−CYC ashes). As-received fly ash samples were mechanically sieved to obtain six size fractions. Unburned carbon (UBC) content, mercury content, and Brunauer−Emmett−Teller (BET)−N2 surface areas of as-received fly ashes and their size fractions were measured. In addition, UBC particles were examined by scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission microscopy, and thermogravimetry to obtain information on their surface morphology, structure, and oxidation reactivity. It was found that the UBC particles contained amorphous carbon, ribbon-shaped graphitic carbon, and highly ordered graphite structures. The mercury contents of the UBCs (Hg/UBC, in ppm) in raw ash samples were comparabl.
Model based planners reflect on their model-free propensities

Dual-reinforcement learning theory proposes behaviour is under the tutelage of a retrospective, value-caching, model-free (MF) system and a prospective-planning, model-based (MB), system. This architecture raises a question as to the degree to which, when devising a plan, a MB controller takes account of influences from its MF counterpart. We present evidence that such a sophisticated self-reflective MB planner incorporates an anticipation of the influences its own MF-proclivities exerts on the execution of its planned future actions. Using a novel bandit task, wherein subjects were periodically allowed to design their environment, we show that reward-assignments were constructed in a manner consistent with a MB system taking account of its MF propensities. Thus, in the task participants assigned higher rewards to bandits that were momentarily associated with stronger MF tendencies. Our findings have implications for a range of decision making domains that includes drug abuse, pre-commitment, and the tension between short and long-term decision horizons in economics.
Inpatient Exergames for Children with Cerebral Palsy following Lower Extremity Orthopedic Surgery: A Feasibility Study

ABSTRACT Objective: Evaluate the feasibility of implementing cycling-based exergames for children with cerebral palsy (CP) following lower extremity orthopedic surgery and explore its impact on pain and well-being. Methods: Ten children with CP were recruited; the first five received physiotherapy (comparison) and next five received fifteen exergame sessions over 3 weeks and physiotherapy (case) (NCT0376907). Feasibility indicators evaluated recruitment, questionnaire and exergame completion. Faces Pain Scale-Revised (FPS-R), PROMIS Pediatric Pain Interference Scale (PPIS), and KIDSCREEN-27 were administered. Wilcoxon signed-rank and effect size (r) tests evaluated within-group differences and between-group differences were assessed using Mann–Whitney U tests. Results: All feasibility indicators were met. Large effects for improved case group pain were identified (FPS-R r = 0.60, PPIS r = 0.58), as well as significant improvement in KIDSCREEN-27 total (U = 0.50, p = .05) and psychological well-being (U = 3.00, p = .01) scores, favoring the case group. Conclusions: Incorporating pediatric exergames is feasible and demonstrates potential for improving pain and well-being.