Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance of the RACE Score for the Prehospital Identification of Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke in a Suburban/Rural EMS Service

Abstract Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers may identify and preferentially transport patients experiencing large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke to appropriate treatment centers. The Rapid Arterial oCclusion Evaluation (RACE) scale was created for prehospital LVO detection, yet few studies have evaluated its function in real-world EMS settings. Our objective was to assess the prehospital performance of the RACE scale for detecting LVO stroke following implementation at a large suburban/rural agency in the United States. Methods: In this retrospective analysis, all 9-1-1 patients with an EMS provider primary or secondary impression of stroke treated by the agency between June 1, 2016 and November 1, 2017 were eligible for inclusion. Patient data were abstracted using a standardized form completed by receiving hospitals. Performance for LVO detection at each RACE cutoff value was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate the discrimination of the RACE scale overall. A secondary analysis of RACE for patients experiencing strokes best treated at comprehensive stroke centers (LVO and intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH]) was conducted. Results: There were 440 patients with a documented RACE score and hospital outcome data included in the analysis. About half (51%, n = 220) were female and the median age was 70 years (IQR: 59–81). Last known well time was under 4.5 hours for 76% of patients (n = 261). Over half (61%, n = 269) had a hospital discharge diagnosis of stroke and 64/440 (15%) were classified as LVO. The ROC curve demonstrated adequate discrimination with a c-statistic of 0.72. Performance for identifying LVO in the prehospital setting was greatest for RACE scores ≥5 with a sensitivity of 66% and specificity of 72%, PPV of 29%, and NPV of 93%. A RACE score ≥5 for both LVO and ICH demonstrated sensitivity: 63%, specificity: 77%, PPV: 47% and NPV: 86%. Conclusion: The RACE scale demonstrated acceptable discrimination, yet the sensitivity and positive predictive value were lower in this cohort of EMS professionals in the United States than in the original validation study conducted in Spain. Further work is needed to determine the optimal prehospital screening tool for identification of LVO.
Kisspeptin Stimulation of Prolactin Secretion Requires Kiss1 Receptor but Not in Tuberoinfundibular Dopaminergic Neurons

Kisspeptin has been shown to stimulate prolactin secretion. We investigated whether kisspeptin acts through the Kiss1 receptor (Kiss1r) to regulate dopamine and prolactin. Initially, we evaluated prolactin response in a Kiss1r-deficient mouse line, in which Kiss1r had been knocked into GnRH neurons (Kiss1r-/-R). Intracerebroventricular kisspeptin-10 (Kp-10) increased prolactin release in wild-type but not in Kiss1r-/-R female mice. In ovariectomized, estradiol-treated rats, the Kiss1r antagonist kisspeptin-234 abolished the Kp-10-induced increase in prolactin release but failed to prevent the concomitant reduction in the activity of tuberoinfundibular dopaminergic (TIDA) neurons, as determined by the 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid/dopamine ratio in the median eminence. Using whole-cell patch clamp recordings in juvenile male rats, we found no direct effect of Kp-10 on the electrical activity of TIDA neurons. In addition, dual-label in situ hybridization in the hypothalamus of female rats showed that Kiss1r is expressed in the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (Pe) and arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus (ARC) but not in tyrosine hydroxylase (Th)-expressing neurons. Kisspeptin also has affinity for the neuropeptide FF receptor 1 (Npffr1), which was expressed in the majority of Pe dopaminergic neurons but only in a low proportion of TIDA neurons in the ARC. Our findings demonstrate that Kiss1r is necessary to the effect of kisspeptin on prolactin secretion, although TIDA neurons lack Kiss1r and are electrically unresponsive to kisspeptin. Thus, kisspeptin is likely to stimulate prolactin secretion via Kiss1r in nondopaminergic neurons, whereas the colocalization of Npffr1 and Th suggests that Pe dopaminergic neurons may play a role in the kisspeptin-induced inhibition of dopamine release.
Tripleurin XIIc: Peptide Folding Dynamics in Aqueous and Hydrophobic Environment Mimic Using Accelerated Molecular Dynamics

Peptaibols are a special class of fungal peptides with an acetylated N-terminus and a C-terminal 1,2-amino alcohol along with non-standard amino acid residues. New peptaibols named tripleurins were recently identified from a strain of the filamentous fungal species Trichoderma pleuroti, which is known to cause green mould disease on cultivated oyster mushrooms. To understand the mode of action of these peptaibols, the three-dimensional structure of tripleurin (TPN) XIIc, an 18-mer peptide, was elucidated using an enhanced sampling method, accelerated MD, in water and chloroform solvents. Non-standard residues were parameterized by the Restrained Electrostatic Potential (RESP) charge fitting method. The dihedral distribution indicated towards a right-handed helical formation for TPN XIIc in both solvents. Dihedral angle based principal component analysis revealed a propensity for a slightly bent, helical folded conformation in water solvent, while two distinct conformations were revealed in chloroform: One that folds into highly bent helical structure that resembles a beta-hairpin and another with an almost straight peptide backbone appearing as a rare energy barrier crossing event. The hinge-like movement of the terminals was also observed and is speculated to be functionally relevant. The convergence and efficient sampling is addressed using Cartesian PCA and Kullback-Leibler divergence methods.
The relationship between interviewer-respondent familiarity and family planning outcomes in the Democratic Republic of Congo: a repeat cross-sectional analysis

Objectives The typical approach of survey data collection is to use interviewers who are not from the study site and do not know the participants, yet the implications of this approach on data quality have seldom been investigated. We examine the relationship between interviewer–respondent familiarity and selected family planning outcomes, and whether this relationship changes over time between 2015 and 2016. Setting We use data from the Performance Monitoring and Accountability 2020 Project in Kongo Central Province, Democratic Republic of Congo. Participants Participants include representative samples of women of reproductive ages (15 to 49), 1565 interviewed in 2015 and 1668 in 2016. The study used a two-stage cluster design: first randomly selecting enumeration areas (EAs), then randomly selecting households within each EA. Design We first identify individual characteristics associated with familiarity between RE and respondent. Next, we examine the relationship between RE–respondent acquaintance and family planning outcomes. Finally, we use two waves of data to examine whether this relationship changes over time between 2015 and 2016. Results In multivariate analysis, interviewer–respondent acquaintance is significantly associated with last birth unintended (OR 1.91, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.13) and reported infertility in 2015 (OR 2.26, 95% CI 1.03 to 4.95); and any contraceptive use (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.01 to 2.28), traditional contraceptive use (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.89), reported infidelity (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.02 to 3.49) and age at first sex (coefficient −0.48, 95% CI −0.96 to −0.01) in 2016. The impact of acquaintance on survey responses changed over time for any contraceptive use (OR 2.09, 95% CI 1.33 to 3.30). Conclusions The standard in many large-scale surveys is to use interviewers from outside the community. Our results show that interviewer–respondent acquaintance is associated with a range of family planning outcomes; therefore, we recommend that the approach to hiring interviewers be examined and reconsidered in survey data collection efforts.
Optimal fiducial points for pulse rate variability analysis from forehead and finger photoplethysmographic signals

Objective: The aim of this work is to evaluate and compare five fiducial points for the temporal location of each pulse wave from forehead and finger photoplethysmographic (PPG) pulse wave signals to perform pulse rate variability (PRV) analysis as a surrogate for heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Approach: Forehead and finger PPG signals were recorded during a tilt-table test simultaneously with the electrocardiogram (ECG). Artefacts were detected and removed and five fiducial points were computed: apex, middle-amplitude and foot points of the PPG signal, apex point of the first derivative signal and the intersection point of the tangent to the PPG waveform at the apex of the derivative PPG signal and the tangent to the foot of the PPG pulse, defined as the intersecting tangents method. Pulse period (PP) time interval series were obtained from both PPG signals and compared with the RR intervals obtained from the ECG. HRV and PRV signals were estimated and classical time and frequency domain indices were computed. Main results: The middle-amplitude point of the PPG signal (nM), the apex point of the first derivative (), and the tangent intersection point (nT) are the most suitable fiducial points for PRV analysis, resulting in the lowest relative errors estimated between PRV and HRV indices and higher correlation coefficients and reliability indices. Statistically significant differences according to the Wilcoxon test between PRV and HRV signals were found for the apex and foot fiducial points of the PPG, as well as the lowest agreement between RR and PP series according to Bland–Altman analysis. Hence, these signals have been considered less accurate for variability analysis. In addition, the relative errors are significantly lower for nM and using Friedman statistics with a Bonferroni multiple-comparison test, and we propose that nM is the most accurate fiducial point. Based on our results, forehead PPG seems to provide more reliable information for a PRV assessment than finger PPG. Significance: The accuracy of the pulse wave detection depends on the morphology of the PPG. There is therefore a need to widely define the most accurate fiducial point for performing a PRV analysis under non-stationary conditions based on different PPG sensor locations and signal acquisition techniques.
Evaluating the effect of antiscalants on membrane biofouling using FTIR and multivariate analysis

Abstract A combination of Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, multivariate analysis and conventional microbiological assays were utilized to characterize and differentiate membrane biofouling formed in the presence of antiscalants. Based on the FTIR spectra of biofouled reverse osmosis membranes obtained after incubating with antiscalants and H. aquamarina (as model microorganism), it was found that the biofouling intensity and composition was dependent on the type of antiscalants used. The growth of the bacterium was also highly affected by the type of antiscalants as shown by the colony forming unit (CFU) counts. By combining the techniques of principle component analysis (PCA) and FTIR, it was demonstrated that the biofouling was more intense and composed of proteins, polysaccharides and lipids, when polymer antiscalant was used. By applying PCA-FTIR with CFU counts, faster prediction of the effect of antiscalants on biofouling was made possible.
Reduced White Matter Fiber Density in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Differences in brain networks and underlying white matter abnormalities have been suggested to underlie symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, robustly characterizing microstructural white matter differences has been challenging. In the present study, we applied an analytic technique that calculates structural metrics specific to differently-oriented fiber bundles within a voxel, termed “fixels”. Fixel-based analyses were used to compare diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data from 25 individuals with ASD (mean age = 16.8 years) and 27 typically developing age-matched controls (mean age = 16.9 years). Group comparisons of fiber density (FD) and bundle morphology were run on a fixel-wise, tract-wise, and global white matter (GWM) basis. We found that individuals with ASD had reduced FD, suggestive of decreased axonal count, in several major white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum (CC), bilateral inferior frontal-occipital fasciculus, right arcuate fasciculus, and right uncinate fasciculus, as well as a GWM reduction. Secondary analyses assessed associations with social impairment in participants with ASD, and showed that lower FD in the splenium of the CC was associated with greater social impairment. Our findings suggest that reduced FD could be the primary microstructural white matter abnormality in ASD.
Early results from a combined low-intensive psychoeducational intervention for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract Purpose: Early and Intensive Behavioral Treatments are considered to be evidence-based interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Nevertheless, children with ASD might not always have the opportunity to benefit from intensive treatment; new, more accessible and alternative treatment options need to be tested. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Combined Low-intensive Psychoeducational Intervention (CLI-PEI) delivered to preschoolers with ASD at the end of the pre-primary school day. Methods: A quasi-experimental design study, namely a pretest–posttest alternative-treatment comparison groups design, was used. Treatment sessions were carried out over a period of 12 months. Forty-three individuals with autism were included in the study: 24 received the CLI-PEI and 19 were administered the Treatment As Usual. A pre- and posttreatment assessment was carried out using the Psychoeducational Profile-Third edition and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale. Results: The children who received the CLI-PEI showed better gains in both developmental and maladaptive behaviors; furthermore, increased skills were found in all adaptive domains. Conclusions: The CLI-PEI might seems to be a viable treatment option for children with ASD, when intensive behavioral treatments are not accessible. Implication for rehabilitation Children with ASD might not always have the opportunity to benefit from intensive treatment. The identification of more accessible, less intensive and less expensive evidence-based psychoeducational interventions might represent an appealing challenge for rehabilitation therapists. Less intensive and less expensive evidence-based interventions might also represent a viable option for children and their families, especially in communities with limited resources for autism. A pragmatic approach including components from evidence-based treatments might guarantee flexibility and the possibility to implement an intervention well-tailored to the specific child needs. CLI-PEI for preschoolers with ASD seems to be a promising pragmatic approach, promoting improvements in developmental, adaptive and maladaptive domains.
TargetDBP: Accurate DNA-Binding Protein Prediction Via Sequence-Based Multi-View Feature Learning

Accurately identifying DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) from protein sequence information is an important but challenging task for protein function annotations. In this paper, we establish a novel computational method, named TargetDBP, for accurately targeting DBPs from primary sequences. In TargetDBP, four single-view features, i.e., AAC (Amino Acid Composition), PsePSSM (Pseudo Position-Specific Scoring Matrix), PsePRSA (Pseudo Predicted Relative Solvent Accessibility), and PsePPDBS (Pseudo Predicted Probabilities of DNA-Binding Sites), are first extracted to represent different base features, respectively. Second, differential evolution algorithm is employed to learn the weights of four base features. Using the learned weights, we weightedly combine these base features to form the original super feature. An excellent subset of the super feature is then selected by using a suitable feature selection algorithm SVM-REF+CBR (Support Vector Machine Recursive Feature Elimination with Correlation Bias Reduction). Finally, the prediction model is learned via using support vector machine on the selected feature subset. We also construct a new gold-standard and non-redundant benchmark dataset from PDB database to evaluate and compare the proposed TargetDBP with other existing predictors. On this new dataset, TargetDBP can achieve higher performance than other state-of-the-art predictors. The TargetDBP web server and datasets are freely available at http://csbio.njust. edu.cn/bioinf/targetdbp/ for academic use.
Transfection with GLS2 Glutaminase (GAB) Sensitizes Human Glioblastoma Cell Lines to Oxidative Stress by a Common Mechanism Involving Suppression of the PI3K/AKT Pathway

GLS-encoded glutaminase promotes tumorigenesis, while GLS2-encoded glutaminase displays tumor-suppressive properties. In glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive brain tumor, GLS is highly expressed and in most cases GLS2 is silenced. Previously, it was shown that transfection with a sequence encoding GAB, the main GLS2 isoform, decreased the survival, growth, and ability to migrate of human GBM cells T98G and increased their sensitivity towards an alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) and oxidative stress compared to the controls, by a not well-defined mechanism. In this study we report that GAB transfection inhibits growth and increases susceptibility towards TMZ and H2O2-mediated oxidative stress of two other GBM cell lines, U87MG and LN229. We also show that in GAB-transfected cells treated with H2O2, the PI3K/AKT pathway is less induced compared to the pcDNA-transfected counterparts and that pretreatment with PDGF-BB, an activator of AKT, protects GAB-transfected cells from death caused by the H2O2 treatment. In conclusion, our results show that (i) GAB suppresses the malignant phenotype of the GBM cells of different tumorigenic potentials and genetic backgrounds and (ii) the GAB-mediated increase of sensitivity to oxidative stress is causally related to the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. The upregulation of the GLS2 expression and the inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway may become a novel combined therapeutic strategy for anti-glioma preclinical investigations.
EphA2 phosphorylation at Ser897 by the Cdk1/MEK/ ERK/RSK pathway regulates M‐phase progression via maintenance of cortical rigidity

Successful cell division is accomplished by the proper formation of the mitotic spindle. Here, we show that EphA2 knockdown causes mitotic errors, including a delay in M‐phase progression, asymmetric spindle positioning, multipolar spindles, and cell blebs. It has been known that EphA2 is phosphorylated at Tyr588, which is triggered by the ligand binding, and at Ser897 downstream of growth factor signaling. Upon mitotic entry, EphA2 is phosphorylated at Ser897, accompanied by a reduction in Tyr588 phosphorylation. This EphA2 phosphorylation at Ser897 is inhibited by MEK/ERK and 90 kDa ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) inhibitors and is induced by the introduction of active cyclin‐dependent kinase 1 (Cdk1) and cyclin B1. EphA2 knockdown‐induced M‐phase delay and cell blebs are rescued by wild type EphA2 expression but not by Ser897Ala mutant. The Ras homolog gene family member G (RhoG) guanine nucleotide exchange factor Ephexin4 interacts with EphA2 in a Ser897 phosphorylation–dependent manner, and its knockdown delays M‐phase progression and causes RhoG delocalization. RhoG knockdown delays M‐phase progression, and EphA2 knockdown‐induced M‐phase delay is partially rescued by the constitutively active RhoG mutant. These results suggest that, in EphA2‐expressing cells, EphA2 phosphorylation at Ser897 participates in proper M‐phase progression downstream of the Cdk1/MEK/ERK/RSK pathway because of its role in maintaining cortical rigidity via Ephexin4 and RhoG and thereby regulating mitotic spindle formation. —Kaibori, Y. Saito, Y. , Nakayama, Y. EphA2 phosphorylation at Ser897 by the Cdk1/MEK/ERK/RSK pathway regulates M‐phase progression via maintenance of cortical rigidity. FASEB J. 33, 5334–5349 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Estonian hip fracture data from 2009 to 2017: high rates of nonoperative management and high 1-year mortality

Background and purpose — There are no national guidelines for treatment of hip fractures in Estonia and no studies on management. We assessed treatment methods and mortality rates for hip fracture patients in Estonia. Patients and methods — We studied a population-based retrospective cohort using validated data from the Estonian Health Insurance Fund’s database. The cohort included patients aged 50 and over with an index hip fracture diagnosis between January 1, 2009 and September 30, 2017. The study generated descriptive statistics of hip fracture management methods and calculated in-hospital, 1-, 3, 6-, and 12-month unadjusted all-cause mortality rates. [CrossRef] Results — 91% (number of hips: 11,628/12,731) of the original data were included after data validation. Median patient age was 81 years, 83 years for women and 74 years for men. 28% were men. Treatment methods were: total hip arthroplasty 7%; hemiarthroplasty 25%; screws 6%; sliding hip screw 25%; intramedullary nail 27%; and nonoperative management 10%. Unadjusted all-cause mortality rates for in-hospital, 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were: 3%, 9%, 18%, 24%, and 31% respectively. The 12-month mortality rate for nonoperative management was 58%. [CrossRef] Interpretation — High rates of nonoperative management and overall high 1-year mortality rates after an index hip fracture indicate the need to review exclusion criteria for surgery and subacute care in Estonia.
Prevalence of G6PD deficiency and molecular characterization of G202A, A376G and C563T polymorphisms in newborns in Southeastern Brazil

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate the prevalence of G6PD deficiency and characterize G202A, A376G and C563T polymorphisms in neonates using molecular assays. Methods A total of one thousand samples were tested through quantitative analysis of enzyme activity, detecting 25 G6PD-deficient individuals. Patients identified as deficient were submitted to molecular analysis quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction – (qPCR) to investigate the presence of variants associated with the deficiency. Results The total prevalence of G6PD deficient was 2.5%. Of the 25 samples identified as deficient, 21 were submitted to qPCR assay to analyze the presence of G202A, A376G and C563T variants. All samples showed the G202A/A376G genotype, characterizing G6PD A- phenotype. Conclusion The prevalence of G6PD deficiency in the present study was similar to that observed in other study populations in Brazil. Molecular analysis identified in all patients the presence of the genetic polymorphism G202A/A376G, more common in the Brazilian population with G6PD deficiency, which is directly estimated by enzyme activity level.