Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Abuse Characteristics of Amphetamine-Type Stimulants in Patients Receiving Methadone Maintenance Treatment and Buprenorphine Maintenance Treatment

Objective The purpose of this study was to retrospectively investigate the abuse characteristics of amphetamine-type stimulants (ATS) in patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and buprenorphine maintenance treatment (BMT). Methods A total of 58 MMT and 51 BMT patients abusing ATS were recruited from the drug maintenance treatment clinic of Ningbo Addiction Research and Treatment Center from January 2018 to December 2019. They were assessed using the amphetamine abuse questionnaire (AAQ), addiction severity index (ASI) and Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS). Moreover, 40 MMT control patients, 40 BMT control patients and 20 healthy controls were also assessed using the BIS. All information was collected using the amphetamine abuse questionnaire (AAQ), Chinese version of addiction severity index (ASI-C) and Chinese version of Barratt impulsiveness scale (BIS-C) conducted by qualified psychologists. Results The interval of amphetamine use in the MMT group was shorter than the BMT group (P < 0.05). The drug use subscale score of ASI was higher in the MMT group than the BMT group (P < 0.05). The respective and total scores of attentional impulsiveness, motor impulsiveness and non-planning impulsiveness in BIS in the MMT group were all higher than the MMT control group (P < 0.05). The scores of motor impulsiveness and non-planning impulsiveness in the BMT group were higher than the BMT control group (P < 0.05). The respective and total scores in BIS in the MMT control group and the BMT control group were all higher than those in the healthy controls. Conclusion The patients showing amphetamine abuse in maintenance therapy had a greater impulsiveness than those having other simple maintenance treatments, and patients under MMT may be more addicted to amphetamines in comparison with those having BMT.
Eosinophil-to-Monocyte Ratio is a Potential Predictor of Prognosis in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients After Intravenous Thrombolysis

Background Eosinophil and monocyte have been demonstrated separately to be independent predictors of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). This study aimed to evaluate the association between eosinophil-to-monocyte ratio (EMR) and 3-month clinical outcome after treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) for AIS patients. Simultaneously, we made a simple comparison with other prognostic indicators, such as 24h neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and 24h platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) to investigate the prognostic value of EMR. Methods and Results A total of 280 AIS patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis were retrospectively recruited for this study. Complete blood count evaluations for EMR were conducted on 24 hours admission. The poor outcome at 3-month was defined as the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) of 3–6 and the mRS score for death was 6. The EMR levels in patients with AIS were lower than those in the healthy controls and showed a negative correlation with the NIHSS score. At the 3-month follow-up, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated an association among EMR, poor outcome and mortality. In addition, EMR had a higher predictive ability than popular biomarkers like NLR and PLR for 3-month mortality. Conclusion The lower levels of EMR were independently associated with poor outcome and dead status in AIS patients.
Mental health policy and system preparedness to respond to COVID-19 and other health emergencies: a case study of four African countries

As a result of a long colonial history and subsequent developmental and economic challenges, many African countries have struggled to put in place adequate policies, systems, and associated infrastructures to address the health and social needs of their citizens. With the COVID-19 pandemic threatening human lives and livelihoods, concerns are raised about the preparedness and readiness of health policies and systems in African countries to deal with these kinds of health calamities. More particularly, questions can be asked about the preparedness or even existence of mental health policies and associated systems to help individuals and communities in Africa to deal with the consequences of COVID-19 and other health emergencies. In this article, we analyse the existing mental health policies of four African countries paying attention to the capacity of these legislative provisions to enable psychology professionals to deal with psychosocial problems brought about by COVID-19. We use Walt and Gilson’s Policy Triangle Framework to frame our analysis of the existing mental health policies. In line with this conceptual framework, we review the role played by the different factors in shaping and influencing these mental health policies. We further explore the challenges and opportunities associated with existing legislation and mental health policies. We also reflect on the reports obtained from each of the four countries about the role that psychologists are playing to deal with the associated psychosocial problems. Based on our policy analysis and country reports, we highlight strengths and gaps in these policies and give recommendations on how mental health policies in these countries can be strengthened to respond to COVID-19 and future health emergencies.
Out-of-Pocket Health Expenditure and Poverty: Evidence from a Dynamic Panel Threshold Analysis

The current study investigated the association between out-of-pocket health expenditure and poverty using macroeconomic data from a sample of 145 countries from 2000 to 2017. In particular, it was examined whether the relationship between out-of-pocket health expenditure and poverty was contingent on a certain threshold level of out-of-pocket health spending. The dynamic panel threshold method, which allows for the endogeneity of the threshold regressor (out-of-pocket health expenditure), was used. Three indicators were adopted as poverty measures, namely the poverty headcount ratio, the poverty gap index, and the poverty gap squared index. At the same time, out-of-pocket health expenditure was measured as a percentage of total health expenditure. The results showed the validity of the estimated threshold models, indicating that only beyond the turning point, which was about 29 percent, that out-of-pocket health spending led to increased poverty. When heterogeneity was controlled for in the sample, using the World Bank income classification, the findings showed variations in the estimated threshold, with higher values for the low- and lower-middle-income groups, as compared to the high-income group. For the lower-income groups, below the threshold for out-of-pocket health expenditure, it had a positive or insignificant effect on poverty reduction, while it led to higher poverty above the threshold. Further, the sampled countries were divided into regions, according to the World Health Organization. Generally, improving health care systems through tolerable levels of out-of-pocket health expenditure is an inevitable step toward better health coverage and poverty reduction in many developing countries.
Skeletal Muscle Gene Expression Profile in Response to Caloric Restriction and Aging: A Role for SirT1

SirT1 plays a crucial role in the regulation of some of the caloric restriction (CR) responsive biological pathways. Aging suppresses SirT1 gene expression in skeletal muscle, suggesting that aging may affect the role of CR in muscle. To determine the role of SirT1 in the regulation of CR regulated pathways in skeletal muscle, we performed high-throughput RNA sequencing using total RNA isolated from the skeletal muscles of young and aged wild-type (WT), SirT1 knockout (SirT1-KO), and SirT1 overexpression (SirT1-OE) mice fed to 20 wk ad libitum (AL) or 40% CR diet. Our data show that aging repressed the global gene expression profile, which was restored by CR via upregulating transcriptional and translational process-related pathways. CR inhibits pathways linked to the extracellular matrix and cytoskeletal proteins regardless of aging. Mitochondrial function and muscle contraction-related pathways are upregulated in aged SirT1 KO mice following CR. SirT1 OE did not affect whole-body energy expenditure or augment skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity associated pathways, regardless of aging or diet. Overall, our RNA-seq data showed that SirT1 and CR have different functions and activation of SirT1 by its activator or exercise may enhance SirT1 activity that, along with CR, likely have a better functional role in aging muscle.
On the Performance of Video Resolution, Motion and Dynamism in Transmission Using Near-Capacity Transceiver for Wireless Communication

This article investigates the performance of various sophisticated channel coding and transmission schemes for achieving reliable transmission of a highly compressed video stream. Novel error protection schemes including Non-Convergent Coding (NCC) scheme, Non-Convergent Coding assisted with Differential Space Time Spreading (DSTS) and Sphere Packing (SP) modulation (NCDSTS-SP) scheme and Convergent Coding assisted with DSTS and SP modulation (CDSTS-SP) are analyzed using Bit Error Ratio (BER) and Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR) performance metrics. Furthermore, error reduction is achieved using sophisticated transceiver comprising SP modulation technique assisted by Differential Space Time Spreading. The performance of the iterative Soft Bit Source Decoding (SBSD) in combination with channel codes is analyzed using various error protection setups by allocating consistent overall bit-rate budget. Additionally, the iterative behavior of SBSD assisted RSC decoder is analyzed with the aid of Extrinsic Information Transfer (EXIT) Chart in order to analyze the achievable turbo cliff of the iterative decoding process. The subjective and objective video quality performance of the proposed error protection schemes is analyzed while employing H.264 advanced video coding and H.265 high efficient video coding standards, while utilizing diverse video sequences having different resolution, motion and dynamism. It was observed that in the presence of noisy channel the low resolution videos outperforms its high resolution counterparts. Furthermore, it was observed that the performance of video sequence with low motion contents and dynamism outperforms relative to video sequence with high motion contents and dynamism. More specifically, it is observed that while utilizing H.265 video coding standard, the Non-Convergent Coding assisted with DSTS and SP modulation scheme with enhanced transmission mechanism results in Eb/N0 gain of 20 dB with reference to the Non-Convergent Coding and transmission mechanism at the objective PSNR value of 42 dB. It is important to mention that both the schemes have employed identical code rate. Furthermore, the Convergent Coding assisted with DSTS and SP modulation mechanism achieved superior performance with reference to the equivalent rate Non-Convergent Coding assisted with DSTS and SP modulation counterpart mechanism, with a performance gain of 16 dB at the objective PSNR grade of 42 dB. Moreover, it is observed that the maximum achievable PSNR gain through H.265 video coding standard is 45 dB, with a PSNR gain of 3 dB with reference to the identical code rate H.264 coding scheme.
Experimental virus evolution in cancer cell monolayers, spheroids, and tissue explants

Abstract Viral laboratory evolution has been used for different applications, such as modeling viral emergence, drug-resistance prediction, and therapeutic virus optimization. However, these studies have been mainly performed in cell monolayers, a highly simplified environment, raising concerns about their applicability and relevance. To address this, we compared the evolution of a model virus in monolayers, spheroids, and tissue explants. We performed this analysis in the context of cancer virotherapy by performing serial transfers of an oncolytic vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV-Δ51) in 4T1 mouse mammary tumor cells. We found that VSV-Δ51 gained fitness in each of these three culture systems, and that adaptation to the more complex environments (spheroids or explants) correlated with increased fitness in monolayers. Most evolved lines improved their ability to suppress β-interferon secretion compared to the VSV-Δ51 founder, suggesting that the selective pressure exerted by antiviral innate immunity was important in the three systems. However, system-specific patterns were also found. First, viruses evolved in monolayers remained more oncoselective that those evolved in spheroids, since the latter showed concomitant adaptation to non-tumoral mouse cells. Second, deep sequencing indicated that viral populations evolved in monolayers or explants tended to be more genetically diverse than those evolved in spheroids. Finally, we found highly variable outcomes among independent evolutionary lines propagated in explants. We conclude that experimental evolution in monolayers tends to be more reproducible than in spheroids or explants, and better preserves oncoselectivity. Our results also suggest that monolayers capture at least some relevant selective pressures present in more complex systems.
Understanding ADHD: Toward an Innovative Therapeutic Intervention

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a pervasive condition affecting persons across all age groups, although it is primarily diagnosed in children. This neurological condition affects behavior, learning, and social adjustment and requires specific symptomatic criteria to be fulfilled for diagnosis. ADHD may be treated with a combination of psychological or psychiatric therapeutic interventions, but it often goes unattended. People with ADHD face societal bias challenges that impact how they manage the disorder and how they view themselves. This paper summarizes the present state of understanding of this disorder, with particular attention to early diagnosis and innovative therapeutic intervention. Contemporary understanding of the mind–brain duality allows for innovative therapeutic interventions based on neurological stimulation. This paper introduces the concept of neurostimulation as a therapeutic intervention for ADHD and poses the question of the relationship between patient adherence to self-administered therapy and the aesthetic design features of the neurostimulation device. By fabricating devices that go beyond safety and efficacy to embrace the aesthetic preferences of the patient, it is proposed that there will be improvements in patient adherence to a device intended to address ADHD.
Validation of a Method Scope Extension for the Analysis of POPs in Soil and Verification in Organic and Conventional Farms of the Canary Islands

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are among the most relevant and dangerous contaminants in soil, from where they can be transferred to crops. Additionally, livestock animals may inadvertently consume relatively high amounts of soil attached to the roots of the vegetables while grazing, leading to indirect exposure to humans. Therefore, periodic monitoring of soils is crucial; thus, simple, robust, and powerful methods are needed. In this study, we have tested and validated an easy QuEChERS-based method for the extraction of 49 POPs (8 PBDEs, 12 OCPs, 11 PAHs, and 18 PCBs) in soils and their analysis by GC-MS/MS. The method was validated in terms of linearity, precision, and accuracy, and a matrix effect study was performed. The limits of detection (LOD) were established between 0.048 and 3.125 ng g−1 and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were between 0.5 and 20 ng g−1, except for naphthalene (50 ng g−1). Then, to verify the applicability of the validated method, we applied it to a series of 81 soil samples from farms dedicated to mixed vegetable cultivation and vineyards in the Canary Islands, both from two modes of production (organic vs. conventional) where residues of OCPs, PCBs, and PAHs were found.
Toward a Better Understanding of Metal Nanoparticles, a Novel Strategy from Eucalyptus Plants

Nanotechnology is a promising tool that has opened the doors of improvement to the quality of human’s lives through its potential in numerous technological aspects. Green chemistry of nanoscale materials (1–100 nm) is as an effective and sustainable strategy to manufacture homogeneous nanoparticles (NPs) with unique properties, thus making the synthesis of green NPs, especially metal nanoparticles (MNPs), the scientist’s core theme. Researchers have tested different organisms to manufacture MNPs and the results of experiments confirmed that plants tend to be the ideal candidate amongst all entities and are suitable to synthesize a wide variety of MNPs. Natural and cultivated Eucalyptus forests are among woody plants used for landscape beautification and as forest products. The present review has been written to reflect the efficacious role of Eucalyptus in the synthesis of MNPs. To better understand this, the route of extracting MNPs from plants, in general, and Eucalyptus, in particular, are discussed. Furthermore, the crucial factors influencing the process of MNP synthesis from Eucalyptus as well as their characterization and recent applications are highlighted. Information gathered in this review is useful to build a basis for new prospective research ideas on how to exploit this woody species in the production of MNPs. Nevertheless, there is a necessity to feed the scientific field with further investigations on wider applications of Eucalyptus-derived MNPs.
Robust and Accurate Mandible Segmentation on Dental CBCT Scans Affected by Metal Artifacts Using a Prior Shape Model

Accurate mandible segmentation is significant in the field of maxillofacial surgery to guide clinical diagnosis and treatment and develop appropriate surgical plans. In particular, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images with metal parts, such as those used in oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMFS), often have susceptibilities when metal artifacts are present such as weak and blurred boundaries caused by a high-attenuation material and a low radiation dose in image acquisition. To overcome this problem, this paper proposes a novel deep learning-based approach (SASeg) for automated mandible segmentation that perceives overall mandible anatomical knowledge. SASeg utilizes a prior shape feature extractor (PSFE) module based on a mean mandible shape, and recurrent connections maintain the continuity structure of the mandible. The effectiveness of the proposed network is substantiated on a dental CBCT dataset from orthodontic treatment containing 59 patients. The experiments show that the proposed SASeg can be easily used to improve the prediction accuracy in a dental CBCT dataset corrupted by metal artifacts. In addition, the experimental results on the PDDCA dataset demonstrate that, compared with the state-of-the-art mandible segmentation models, our proposed SASeg can achieve better segmentation performance.
Dental Trauma Management in a Young Teenager through Endodontics and Implantology: A Case Report

Endodontic treatment is often the first-line procedure to manage the immediate or long-term aftermath of dental trauma, particularly in cases of luxation or avulsion. Failure to manage trauma in the short or medium term leads to significant functional or aesthetic consequences, especially in the adolescence period. Under this specific conditions, endodontic treatment could provide a temporary solution by keeping teeth with poor prognosis on the arch while waiting for better anatomical conditions for implantology. This clinical case aimed to describe the management of a maxilla-facial dental trauma and the following consequences in a 10-year-old male patient. Clinical and radiological examination showed complete extrusive luxation of 11 and 21 and intrusive luxation of 12 and 22. Endodontic treatment of 11 and 21 was performed six months after the trauma. Two years later, the patient was referred to the endodontic department because pink spot lesions appeared on 12 and 22 due to cervical invasive resorptions (class III for 12 and class II for 22). Endodontic treatment of 12 and filling with resin composite of 22 were performed. During the following two years, complication management finally led to placement of four OBI® (Euroteknika, Sallanches, France)-type mini-implants after avulsion of all four maxillary incisors. Palliative endodontic treatment helped maintain the prosthetic space and the volume of supporting tissue needed for future implant placement. The interest of using delaying procedures (palliative endodontic treatments and mini-implants) was to allow the patient to complete growth. Managing early treatment failure of trauma in adolescents has to be pluridisciplinary and should take into account the evaluation of the treatment’s difficulty, the prognosis of the endodontic treatment, the available bone volume and the pubertal growth stage.
Comorbidities and Factors Determining Medical Expenses and Length of Stay for Admitted COVID-19 Patients in Korea

Purpose No previous investigations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have estimated medical expenses, length of stay, or factors influencing them using administrative datasets. This study aims to fill this research gap for the Republic of Korea, which has over 10,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Patients and Methods Using the nationwide health insurance claims data of 7590 confirmed COVID-19 patients, we estimated average medical expenses and inpatient days per patient, and performed multivariate negative binomial, and gamma regressions to determine influencing factors for higher outcomes. Results According to the results, COVID-19 patients with history of ICU admission, chest CT imaging, lopinavir/ritonavir and hydroxychloroquine use stayed longer in the hospital and spent more on medical expenses, and anti-hypertensive drugs were insignificantly associated with the outcomes. Female patients stayed longer in the hospital in the over 65 age group but spent less in medical expenses that the 20–39 group. In the 40–69 age group, patients with health insurance stayed longer in the hospital and spent more on medical expenses than those aged over 65 years. Comorbidities did not affect outcomes in most age groups. Conclusion In summary, contrary to popular beliefs, medical expenses and length of hospitalization were mostly influenced by age, and not by comorbidities, anti-viral, or anti-hypertensive drugs. Thus, responses should focus on infection prevention and control rather than clinical countermeasures.