Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-throughput quantification of carboxymethyl lysine in serum and plasma using high-resolution accurate mass Orbitrap mass spectrometry

Background Carboxymethyl lysine is an advanced glycation end product of interest as a potential biomarker of cardiovascular and other diseases. Available methods involve ELISA, with potential interference, or isotope dilution mass spectrometry (IDMS), with low-throughput sample preparation. Methods A high-throughput sample preparation method based on 96-well plates was developed. Protein-bound carboxymethyl lysine and lysine were quantified by IDMS using reversed phase chromatography coupled to a high-resolution accurate mass Orbitrap Exactive mass spectrometer. The carboxymethyl lysine concentration (normalized to lysine concentration) was measured in 1714 plasma samples from the British Regional Heart Study (BRHS). Results For carboxymethyl lysine, the lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) was estimated at 0.16 μM and the assay was linear between 0.25 and 10 μM. For lysine, the LLOQ was estimated at 3.79 mM, and the assay was linear between 2.5 and 100 mM. The intra-assay coefficient of variation was 17.2% for carboxymethyl lysine, 9.3% for lysine and 10.5% for normalized carboxymethyl lysine. The inter-assay coefficient of variation was 18.1% for carboxymethyl lysine, 14.8 for lysine and 16.2% for normalized carboxymethyl lysine. The median and inter-quartile range of all study samples in each batch were monitored. A mean carboxymethyl lysine concentration of 2.7 μM (IQR 2.0–3.2 μM, range 0.2–17.4 μM) and a mean normalized carboxymethyl lysine concentration of 69 μM/M lysine (IQR 54–76 μM/M, range 19–453 μM/M) were measured in the BRHS. Conclusion This high-throughput sample preparation method makes it possible to analyse large cohorts required to determine the potential of carboxymethyl lysine as a biomarker.
[Development of an Aging Anxiety Scale for Middle-Aged Women].

PURPOSE This was a methodological study that aimed to develop a measurement scale for aging anxiety among middle-aged women. METHODS In this study, construct factors were extracted, and a conceptual framework was established through an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with middle-aged women. Under the conceptual framework, 44 preliminary items were constructed, and a preliminary scale of 25 items was completed after two rounds of expert validation and item review. For this study, data were collected from 201 women aged 40~59 years, and the construct validity and reliability of the preliminary scale were verified. RESULTS To verify the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Four factors containing 19 items were extracted. Concurrent validity of the developed scale was verified with Pearson's correlation analysis. The final scale comprised 4 factors ("Social valueless", "Physical weakness", "Concern about changes in appearance", and "Expectations of old age") and 19 items. The Cronbach's α value was . 91. CONCLUSION The scale for measuring aging anxiety in middle-aged women developed in this study validly reflected the peculiarities of aging anxiety in middle-aged women, who experience many physical, emotional, and social changes. The scale can be said to reflect the cultural background, as it reflected real experiences gained through in-depth interviews with middle-aged women.
Effect of Thoracic Gas Volume Changes on Body Composition Assessed by Air Displacement Plethysmography after Rapid Weight Loss and Regain in Elite Collegiate Wrestlers

We investigated the effect of rapid weight loss (RWL) and weight regain (WR) on thoracic gas volume (VTG) and body composition assessment using air displacement plethysmography (ADP) in male wrestlers. Eight male elite collegiate wrestlers completed a RWL regimen (6% of body mass) over a 53-h period, which was followed by a 13-h WR period. ADP was used at three time points (baseline (T1), post-RWL (T2) and post-WR (T3)) according to the manufacturer’s testing recommendations. The total body water and bone mineral content were estimated using the stable isotope dilution method and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, respectively, at the same time points. Body composition was assessed with two-component (2C) or four-component (4C) models using either the measured VTG (mVTG) or predicted VTG (pVTG). Measured VTG increased from T1 to T2 (0.36 ± 0.31 L, p < 0.05) and decreased from T2 to T3 (−0.29 ± 0.15 L, p < 0.01). However, the changes in fat mass and fat free mass, which were calculated by both 2C and 4C models, were not significantly different when compared between calculations using mVTG and those using pVTG. Our results indicate that VTG significantly changes during RWL and WR, but both measured and predicted VTG can be used to assess changes in body composition during RWL and WR.
Coculture with monocytes/macrophages modulates osteogenic differentiation of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells on poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid/polycaprolactone scaffolds

The effects of immune cells, in particular macrophages, on the behaviour of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have recently gained much attention for MSCs‐based tissue‐engineered constructs. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of monocytes/macrophages on the osteogenic differentiation of adipose‐derived mesenchymal stromal cells (ADMSCs) in three‐dimensional (3D) cocultures. For this, we cocultured THP‐1 monocytes, M1 macrophages, or M2 macrophages with ADMSCs on 3D poly(lactic‐co‐glycolic) acid (PLGA)/polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds using osteogenic medium for up to 42 days. We found that osteogenic differentiation of ADMSCs was inhibited by monocytes and both macrophage subtypes in 3D scaffolds. Furthermore, coculture of monocytes/macrophages with ADMSCs resulted in downregulated secretion of oncostatin M (OSM) and bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP‐2) and inhibited expression of osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), bone sialoprotein (BSP), and runt‐related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2). Compared with both macrophage subtypes, monocytes inhibited osteogenic differentiation of ADMSCs more significantly. These data suggest that the mutual interactions between monocytes/macrophages and ADMSCs negatively affect MSC osteogenic differentiation and thus possibly bone healing capacity, which highlights the importance of the micro‐environment in influencing cell‐based constructs to treat bone defects and the potential to improve their performance by resolving the inflammation ahead of treatment.
Adherence assessment practices in haemodialysis settings: A qualitative exploration of nurses and pharmacists' perspectives.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore clinician assessment of patient adherence and identify strategies to improve adherence assessment practices in haemodialysis settings. BACKGROUND Patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing haemodialysis are typically prescribed complex regimens; as such, they are at high risk of medication nonadherence. Current clinical practices focus on prescribing medications; however, little attention is paid to measuring and ensuring patient adherence to their prescribed treatments. DESIGN A qualitative study. METHODS Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in November and December 2016, with 12 nurses and 6 pharmacists, working in Australian haemodialysis settings. The study was conducted and reported in accordance with COREQ guidelines. RESULTS Participants were 25-60 years old and had 1-27 years of experience in dialysis. Seven themes related to assessing adherence were identified: prioritisation of resources, interplay between workload and available time, awareness of formalised adherence measures and training deficits, concerns about practicality/suitability of adherence measures, communication of assessment services, patient participation and trust. Three themes related to strategies for improving adherence assessment practices were identified: formalisation of adherence assessment process, integration of assessment processes and tools into routine, and use of multidisciplinary support to assess and promote adherence. CONCLUSIONS Current adherence assessment practices could be improved through formalisation and integration of the assessment process into dialysis unit policy/procedures. Additionally, as barriers to assessing adherence were identified at organisational, professional and patient levels, there is a need to address barriers from each level in order to improve adherence assessment practices in haemodialysis settings. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE This qualitative study highlights the challenges and practical ways by which adherence assessment practices could be improved in haemodialysis settings. This would encourage renal clinicians to actively participate in adherence assessment and promotion activities to ensure patients benefit from their therapies.
Nasal delivery of Fasudil‐modified immune cells exhibits therapeutic potential in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a relapsing‐remitting inflammatory demyelinating disease that requires long‐term treatment. Although Rho kinase inhibitor Fasudil shows good therapeutic effect in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of MS, certain side effects may limit its clinical use. This study aimed at observing the therapeutic potential of Fasudil‐modified encephalitogenic mononuclear cells (MNCs) via nasal delivery in EAE and exploring possible mechanisms of action.
Progeny from Dedifferentiated Bovine Adipocytes Display Protracted Adipogenesis

Background: Progeny adipofibroblast cells, derived from mature bovine adipocytes, were used to determine their ability to redifferentiate into lipid-assimilating adipocytes. Methods: Traditional cell biology methods were used, including the expression of adipogenic markers such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ). Results: When exposed to medium supplemented with fetal bovine serum, but not horse serum, cells began to form structures reminiscent of foci. Horse serum-supplemented medium resulted in a slowed progression towards cell conversion to lipid-assimilating adipocytes. When analyzed, horse serum was found to contain more cortisol and insulin-like growth factor-1 as well as differing fatty acid ratios. Histological observations of the horse serum-treated cultures (alone), cultures treated with a traditional differentiation induction medium (dexamethasone, methylisobutylxanthine and insulin), treated with insulin with or without different lipid compounds, or treated with a PPARγ agonist (rosiglitazone) resulted in the presence of intracellular vesicles, of which some contained lipid and some did not. Vesicles that did not stain for lipid did not possess glycogen or other types of storage moieties even though the cells expressed cellular markers thereby deeming them to be differentiated adipocytes (PPARγ protein and mRNA were expressed by cells possessing vesicles as were hormone-sensitive lipase and lipoprotein lipase proteins). Non-lipid-filled intracellular vesicle walls possessed the structural protein perilipin. Conclusion: These results are supportive of the progeny adipofibroblasts representing a unique adipogenic model that displays protracted adipogenesis.
Magnetic mesoporous nanoparticles modified with poly(ionic liquids) with multi-functional groups for enrichment and determination of pyrethroid residues in apples.

Considering that the determination of pyrethroid residues is of value for the safety of food, a new poly(ionic liquid)-functionalized magnetic mesoporous nanoparticle was designed and used as an adsorbent in magnetic solid-phase extraction for the enrichment of eight pyrethroids. The porous structure and large surface area of the mesoporous silica shell endow the adsorbent with abundant binding sites. In contrast to the reported poly(ionic liquids) with only one kind of functional group in the cationic part, the new poly(ionic liquids) with mixed cyano and phenyl groups in cationic part matched the chemical structure of the analytes to improve extraction efficiency. Under the optimum conditions, an effective method was established for the determination of eight pyrethroids in apples. Adsorption equilibrium can be quickly reached in 1 min, greatly decreasing the extraction time. The linearity range was found to be 10-200 ng/g, and the detection limits ranged from 0.24 to 1.99 ng/g. Recoveries of analytes in apple samples ranged from 87.3 to 119.0%, with relative standard deviations varying in the range of 3-21.2% (intraday) and 0.3-15.2% (interday). The results indicate that the proposed method is a good candidate for pyrethroid residues in apple samples.
When to Adjust Therapy in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis After Initiation of Etanercept plus Methotrexate or Methotrexate Alone: Findings from a Randomized Study (COMET)

Objective. The objective of these posthoc analyses was to evaluate short-term clinical outcomes as predictors of poor response after 1 year of treatment with combination etanercept/methotrexate (ETN/MTX) therapy versus MTX monotherapy in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Participants with moderate to severe RA [28-joint Disease Activity Score-Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (DAS28-ESR) ≥ 3.2] of 3–24 months’ duration received ETN 50 mg weekly plus MTX or MTX monotherapy for 52 weeks. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the likelihood of remission (DAS28-ESR < 2.6) after 1 year despite poor clinical short-term treatment effects (e.g., absolute or changes from baseline in DAS28-ESR after 4, 8, 12, 20, and 24 weeks of therapy). Results. The magnitude of disease activity and its improvement and timing influenced remission probability in both treatment groups; remission rate was diminished with higher disease activity levels and lower response levels over time from weeks 4 to 24. The rate of DAS28-ESR remission at 1 year was generally greater with ETN/MTX than with MTX alone at most timepoints from weeks 4 to 24. Despite persistent high disease activity (DAS28-ESR > 5.1) after 4, 8, 12, and 24 weeks of therapy, 35%, 27%, 25%, and 22% of patients, respectively, in the ETN/MTX group achieved DAS28-ESR remission after 1 year of continuous treatment; the respective proportions were 33%, 27%, 8%, and 13% in the MTX group. Conclusion. High disease activity and less improvement with treatment over time in the initial 24 weeks of treatment, particularly after 12 weeks, were predictive of a lower remission rate after 1 year.
Prevalence of and risk factors for chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology in India: secondary data analysis of three population-based cross-sectional studies

Objectives To assess whether chronic kidney disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) is present in India and to identify risk factors for it using population-based data and standardised methods. Design Secondary data analysis of three population-based cross-sectional studies conducted between 2010 and 2014. Setting Urban and rural areas of Northern India (states of Delhi and Haryana) and Southern India (states of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh). Participants 12 500 individuals without diabetes, hypertension or heavy proteinuria. Outcome measures Mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and prevalence of eGFR below 60 mL/min per 1.73 m2 (eGFR <60) in individuals without diabetes, hypertension or heavy proteinuria (proxy definition of CKDu). Results The mean eGFR was 105.0±17.8 mL/min per 1.73 m2. The prevalence of eGFR <60 was 1.6% (95% CI=1.4 to 1.7), but this figure varied markedly between areas, being highest in rural areas of Southern Indian (4.8% (3.8 to 5.8)). In Northern India, older age was the only risk factor associated with lower mean eGFR and eGFR <60 (regression coefficient (95% CI)=−0.94 (0.97 to 0.91); OR (95% CI)=1.10 (1.08 to 1.11)). In Southern India, risk factors for lower mean eGFR and eGFR <60, respectively, were residence in a rural area (−7.78 (-8.69 to –6.86); 4.95 (2.61 to 9.39)), older age (−0.90 (–0.93 to –0.86); 1.06 (1.04 to 1.08)) and less education (−0.94 (-1.32 to –0.56); 0.67 (0.50 to 0.90) for each 5 years at school). Conclusions CKDu is present in India and is not confined to Central America and Sri Lanka. Identified risk factors are consistent with risk factors previously reported for CKDu in Central America and Sri Lanka.
Practitioner Review: Unguided and guided self-help interventions for common mental health disorders in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Mental health problems are common in children and adolescents, yet evidence-based treatments are hard to access. Self-help interventions can increase such access. The aim of this paper was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of the use of guided and unguided self-help for children and young people with symptoms of common mental health disorders. In contrast to previous reviews of self-help in children, all types of self-help and multiple mental health disorders were investigated in order to increase power to investigate potential moderators of efficacy. Importantly, studies with control arms as well as those comparing against traditional face-to-face treatments were included. Fifty studies (n = 3396 participants in self-help/guided self-help conditions) met the inclusion criteria. Results demonstrated a moderate positive effect size for guided and unguided self-help interventions when compared against a control group (n = 44; g = 0.49; 95% CI: 0.37 to 0.61, p < .01) and a small but significant negative effect size when compared to other therapies (n = 15; g = -0.17; 95% CI: -0.27 to -0.07, p < .01). Few potential moderators had a significant effect on outcome. Most comparisons resulted in significant heterogeneity and therefore results are interpreted with caution.
In vitro toxicity evaluation of lomefloxacin-loaded MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles

Abstract Lomefloxacin (LF) is interesting as a model molecule from a safety point of view because of its high potential for serious adverse drug effects (i.e. phototoxic reactions). In this study, MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MCM-41) were loaded with lomefloxacin, aiming to overcome the drug’s intrinsic cytotoxicity. The good biocompatibility of the empty drug carrier (0.1–1.0 mg/ml) was established by the absence of red blood cell lysis (hemolysis assay). The cytotoxicity of empty MCM-41 and lomefloxacin-loaded MCM-41 (LF-MCM-41) was evaluated by using a battery of in vitro cytotoxicity assays: Alamar blue, lactate dehydrogenase release and reactive oxygen species formation by dichlorofluorescein assay. Three cell cultures models: hepatoma HepG2, fibroblasts L929 and endothelial EA.hy926 cells were used to compare the cytotoxicity and reactive oxygen species formation by free drug, empty MCM-41, and LF-MCM-41. The findings from the study indicated that empty MCM-41 (0.1–1.0 mg/ml) showed a low cytotoxic potential in HepG2, followed by L929 and EA.hy926 cells. Lomefloxacin loading in MCM-41 mesoporous silica nanocarrier reduced the cytotoxicity of the free lomefloxacin, especially in the high concentration (1.0 mg/ml MCM-41, containing 120 µg/ml LF). L929 and EA.hy926 cells were more sensitive to the protective effects of LF-MCM-41, compared to HepG2 cells. The results indicate that an improvement in lomefloxacin safety might be expected after incorporation in an appropriate drug delivery system.
Using Neural Multi-task Learning to Extract Substance Abuse Information from Clinical Notes

Substance abuse carries many negative health consequences. Detailed information about patients' substance abuse history is usually captured in free-text clinical notes. Automatic extraction of substance abuse information is vital to assess patients' risk for developing certain diseases and adverse outcomes. We introduce a novel neural architecture to automatically extract substance abuse information. The model, which uses multi-task learning, outperformed previous work and several baselines created using discrete models. The classifier obtained 0.88-0.95 F1 for detecting substance abuse status (current, none, past, unknown) on a withheld test set. Other substance abuse entities (amount, frequency, exposure history, quit history, and type) were also extracted with high-performance. Our results demonstrate the feasibility of extracting substance abuse information with little annotated data. Additionally, we used the neural multi-task model to automatically annotate 59.7K notes from a different source. Manual review of a subset of these notes resulted 0.84-0.89 precision for substance abuse status.
Ambient Ionization Mass Spectrometry: Recent Developments and Applications.

The early 2000s brought a new age in the field of mass spectrometry (MS) with the introduction of ambient ionization MS techniques. As defined by one of its early visionaries, Prof. R. Graham Cooks, ambient ionization refers to "the ionization of unprocessed or minimally modified samples in their native environment, and it typically refers to the ionization of condensed phase samples in air. " Since its inception in 2004, many researchers and laboratories have contributed with approaches for sampling and ionization at atmospheric conditions, greatly decreasing experimental complexity and time required for mass spectrometry analyses. In the last 15 years, innovations in the field of ambient ionization MS have grown expansively, pushing these technologies far past their point of conception and integrating them into the broader scientific community in creative and stimulating ways.
Application of UHF Sensors in Power System Equipment for Partial Discharge Detection: A Review

Condition monitoring of an operating apparatus is essential for lifespan assessment and maintenance planning in a power system. Electrical insulation is a critical aspect to be monitored, since it is susceptible to failure under high electrical stress. To avoid unexpected breakdowns, the level of partial discharge (PD) activity should be continuously monitored because PD occurrence can accelerate the aging process of insulation in high voltage equipment and result in catastrophic failure if the associated defects are not treated at an early stage. For on-site PD detection, the ultra-high frequency (UHF) method was employed in the field and showed its effectiveness as a detection technique. The main advantage of the UHF method is its immunity to external electromagnetic interference with a high signal-to-noise ratio, which is necessary for on-site monitoring. Considering the detection process, sensors play a critical role in capturing signals from PD sources and transmitting them onto the measurement system. In this paper, UHF sensors applied in PD detection were comprehensively reviewed. In particular, for power transformers, the effects of the physical structure on UHF signals and practical applications of UHF sensors including PD localization techniques were discussed. The aim of this review was to present state-of-the-art UHF sensors in PD detection and facilitate future improvements in the UHF method.
LJELSR: A Strengthened Version of JELSR for Feature Selection and Clustering

Feature selection and sample clustering play an important role in bioinformatics. Traditional feature selection methods separate sparse regression and embedding learning. Later, to effectively identify the significant features of the genomic data, Joint Embedding Learning and Sparse Regression (JELSR) is proposed. However, since there are many redundancy and noise values in genomic data, the sparseness of this method is far from enough. In this paper, we propose a strengthened version of JELSR by adding the L1-norm constraint on the regularization term based on a previous model, and call it LJELSR, to further improve the sparseness of the method. Then, we provide a new iterative algorithm to obtain the convergence solution. The experimental results show that our method achieves a state-of-the-art level both in identifying differentially expressed genes and sample clustering on different genomic data compared to previous methods. Additionally, the selected differentially expressed genes may be of great value in medical research.