Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement invariance of the World Assumptions Questionnaire across race/ethnic group, sex, and sexual orientation.

OBJECTIVE The World Assumptions Questionnaire (WAQ) was developed to assess optimism and assumptions about the world, which often shift after traumatic events. However, no known study has investigated whether the WAQ holds similar meaning across demographic groups. The objective of this study was to investigate measurement invariance of the WAQ across race/ethnic group, sex, and sexual orientation. METHOD Participants consisted of 1,181 college students (75% female; 25% Black, 13% Latinx, 18% Asian, 45% White; 90% heterosexual) who completed an online survey on stress, personality, substance use, and mental health. We investigated a unidimensional and the 4-factor structure of the WAQ using confirmatory factor analysis, and configural, metric, and scalar invariance using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS After dropping 3 items, a 4-factor structure fit the data well (comparative fit index = .92; root mean square error of approximation =.05; 95% confidence interval [.045, .054]; standardized root mean square residual = .06). Mean WAQ scores were higher for participants with probable posttraumatic stress disorder on 2 of the 4 factors. We also identified multiple items that were not invariant across race/ethnic group, sex, and sexual orientation. However, after invariant items were removed, evidence of configural, scalar, and metric invariance was found. CONCLUSIONS This study replicated the 4-factor structure, mapping onto the 4 WAQ subscales, and indicated that a unidimensional measure of world assumptions should not be used. After making the adjustments recommended herein, the WAQ can be used to investigate differences across race/ethnic group, sex, and sexual orientation. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
123I-FP-CIT SPECT in dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease: a new quantitative analysis of autopsy confirmed cases

Purpose The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the differentiation of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) using a quantitative analysis of 123I-FP-CIT SPECT scans. Methods Thirty-six patients with in vivo 123I-FP-CIT SPECT and neuropathological diagnoses were included. Based on neuropathological criteria, patients were further subclassified into nine AD, eight DLB, ten PD and nine with other diagnoses. An additional 16 healthy controls (HC) scanned with 123I-FP-CIT SPECT were also included. All images were visually assessed as normal versus abnormal uptake by consensus of five nuclear medicine physicians. Bihemispheric mean was calculated for caudate binding potential (CBP), putamen binding potential (PBP) and putamen-to-caudate ratio (PCR). Results Patients with DLB had significantly lower CBP and PBP than patients with AD and significantly higher PCR than patients with PD. Qualitative visual analysis of the images gave an accuracy of 88% in the evaluation of the status of the nigrostriatal pathway considering all individuals, and 96% considering only the patients with PD, AD and DLB. Quantitative analyses provided a balanced accuracy of 94%, 94% and 100% in binary classifications DLB versus AD, DLB versus PD and PD versus AD, respectively, and an accuracy of 93% in the differentiation among patients with DLB, AD and PD simultaneously. No statistically significant differences were observed between the AD and HC. Conclusions This study demonstrates a very high diagnostic accuracy of the quantitative analysis of(123I-FP-CIT SPECT data to differentiate among patients with DLB, PD and AD.
Risk factors for readmission with dehydration after ileostomy formation: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Ileostomy formation is a commonly performed procedure with substantial associated morbidity. Patients with an ileostomy experience high rates of unplanned hospital readmission with dehydration, and such events have a long‐term health and economic impact. Reports of the significant risk factors associated with these readmissions have been inconsistent. This study aimed to identify the significant risk factors for readmission with dehydration following ileostomy formation.
Breathing Exercise Called the Maximal Abdominal Contraction Maneuver

Background and objectives: The maximal abdominal contraction maneuver (MACM) was designed as an effective and efficient breathing exercise to increase the stability of the spinal joint. However, it has not been determined whether MACM is more effective and efficient than the maximal expiration method. Thus, the present study was undertaken to investigate whole abdominal muscle thickness changes after MACM. Materials and Methods: Thirty healthy subjects (17 males and 13 females) participated in this study. An experimental comparison between MACM and the maximal expiration task was conducted by measuring the change of abdominal muscle thickness such as the transverse abdominis (TrA), internal oblique (IO), external oblique (EO) and rectus abdominis (RA) using ultrasound images. Results: The results indicated that MACM resulted in significantly greater muscle thickness increases of the TrA and RA than the maximal expiration exercise (p < 0.05). Conclusion: MACM provided better exercise than the maximal expiration exercise in terms of increasing spine stability, at least from a co-contraction perspective.
Novel function of adrenocorticotropic hormone in the stimulation of vascular endothelial growth factor release in healthy children and adolescents: a proof-of-concept study

Purpose To assess the effect of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) on plasma vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in healthy children and adolescents and to inform future work on the effects of ACTH on VEGF in bone. Methods An Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study of 10 healthy subjects, ages 9–17, was conducted to assess the effect of ACTH on plasma VEGF levels. VEGF levels were collected at baseline and every 30 minutes for 3 hours. Cosyntropin (a synthetic ACTH analogue) was administered at a low-dose (1 μg) given at t=0 minutes and a high-dose (250 μg) given at t=60 minutes. A Friedman test was performed comparing baseline to peak VEGF levels after stimulation with low-dose and high-dose cosyntropin. Results Peak plasma VEGF levels significantly increased after high-dose cosyntropin compared with baseline (P=0.042). Peak plasma VEGF levels did not significantly increase after low-dose cosyntropin compared to baseline. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that ACTH administration causes a significant increase in plasma VEGF levels in humans. This finding may have important implications in the protective effects of ACTH on bone. Decreased bone mineral density and adrenal suppression are common side effects of glucocorticoid use in pediatrics. VEGF increases vascularity and may play a role in reducing glucocorticoid-induced bone disease. Animal studies have shown that ACTH stimulates release of VEGF in osteoblasts, though this effect has yet to be evaluated in humans.
Inclusion of Safety-Related Issues in Economic Evaluations for Seasonal Influenza Vaccines: A Systematic Review

(1) Background: Vaccines for seasonal influenza are a good preventive and cost-effective strategy. However, it is unknown if and how these economic evaluations include the adverse events following immunization (AEFI), and what the impact of such inclusion is on the health economic outcomes. (2) Methods: We searched the literature, up to January 2020, to identify economic evaluations of seasonal influenza vaccines that considered AEFIs. The review protocol was published in PROSPERO (CDR42017058523). (3) Results: A total of 52 economic evaluations considered AEFI-related parameters in their analyses, reflecting 16% of the economic evaluations on seasonal influenza vaccines in the initial study selection. Most studies used the societal perspective (64%) and evaluated vaccination of children (37%). Where considered, studies included direct medical costs of AEFIs (90%), indirect costs (27%), and disutilities/quality-adjusted life years loss due to AEFIs (37%). The majority of these studies accounted for the effects of the costs of AEFI on cost-effectiveness for Guillain–Barré syndrome. In those papers allowing cost share estimation, direct medical cost of AFEIs was less than 2% of total direct costs. (4) Conclusions: Although the overall impact of AEFIs on the cost-effectiveness outcomes was found to be low, we urge their inclusion in economic evaluations of seasonal influenza vaccines to reflect comprehensive reports for the decision makers and end-users of the vaccination strategies.
Midterm Outcomes on Primary Endovascular Treatment of 395 Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease Patients: A Single-Center Experience

We report the results of endovascular treatment of Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus II (TASC) A&B, TASC C, and TASC D aortoiliac lesions in a single vascular center. In this retrospective, observational cohort study, we analyzed 395 patients (mean age 61.2 ± 9.0; 359 men) between January 2015 and December 2017. Technical success was achieved in 96.5%; in-hospital mortality was 1.2% (n = 5). Median follow-up was 36 months (range 24-49 months). After 1 and 5 years, the primary patency rates were 99% and 85% for TASC A&B, 90%, and 78% for TASC C, and 90% and 74% for TASC D. Secondary patency rates were 99% and 90% for TASC A&B, 98% and 65% for TASC C, and 97% and 65% for TASC D. Previous peripheral revascularization (hazard ratio: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.01-3.08, P = .04) was associated with decreased primary patency along with lower age, TASC C, and TASC D class. This analysis reported the acceptable effectiveness and safety of stenting for all types of aortoiliac occlusive disease in a modern setting, with few complications and excellent long-term primary and secondary patency rates.
(Re)claiming Stories in the #MeToo Movement: Righting Epistemic Wrongs of Physical, Mental, and Emotional Harms of Sexual Violence

ABSTRACT Sexual violence is a major public health concern, and healthcare providers are in a unique position to offer care and support for survivors. Our study analyzes survivors’ stories of sexual violence posted on Twitter in the #MeToo movement between November 29 and December 25, 2017. In analyzing communicative traces that lie within digital data, we read survivors’ stories for emotional expressions that create practice. Three themes, informed by survivors of sexual violence reported in our study, included: 1) gaslighting: (re)claiming what I experienced; 2) shame and blame: redefining victimhood and redirecting pain; and 3) bystander: becoming a respectful witness. The practical implications of this piece identify healthcare providers, and in particular OB/GYNs, occupy an important role to create a space where survivors can reclaim their agency, experience, and seek the support they need to heal.
Oxidation of Innate Immune Checkpoint CD47 on Cancer Cells with Non-Thermal Plasma

Simple Summary Non-thermal plasma is being developed for cancer immunotherapy. The aim of our study was to determine the effect of non-thermal plasma on immunosuppressive immune checkpoint, CD47. The direct effect of non-thermal plasma on CD47 was measured in vitro and in vivo, and the mechanism of action was studied in silico. Non-thermal plasma immediately oxidized CD47, suggesting a dual role of non-thermal plasma therapy to simultaneously increase immunogenic signals and reduce immunosuppressive ones. Abstract Non-thermal plasma (NTP) therapy has been emerging as a promising cancer treatment strategy, and recently, its ability to locally induce immunogenic cancer cell death is being unraveled. We hypothesized that the chemical species produced by NTP reduce immunosuppressive surface proteins and checkpoints that are overexpressed on cancerous cells. Here, 3D in vitro tumor models, an in vivo mouse model, and molecular dynamics simulations are used to investigate the effect of NTP on CD47, a key innate immune checkpoint. CD47 is immediately modulated after NTP treatment and simulations reveal the potential oxidized salt-bridges responsible for conformational changes. Umbrella sampling simulations of CD47 with its receptor, signal-regulatory protein alpha (SIRPα), demonstrate that the induced-conformational changes reduce its binding affinity. Taken together, this work provides new insight into fundamental, chemical NTP-cancer cell interaction mechanisms and a previously overlooked advantage of present NTP cancer therapy: reducing immunosuppressive signals on the surface of cancer cells.
Knowledge and practice on prevention of mosquito-borne diseases in livestock-keeping and non-livestock-keeping communities in Hanoi city, Vietnam: A mixed-method study

Mosquito-borne diseases (MBDs) are causing high morbidity and mortality for humans. Urban livestock keeping is still common in cities around the world. The animals may serve as reservoirs for zoonotic MBDs, which increase the risks for humans. Here we assess the knowledge and practices related to MBDs in households with livestock and without livestock and explore the perceptions of the health care sector about MBDs and livestock keeping in Hanoi city of Vietnam in a cross-sectional study. A quantitative survey was conducted including 513 households with and without livestock-keeping in six districts and complemented with qualitative surveys with four health staff from Hanoi Center of Disease Control and three district health centers. The quantitative survey indicated that the participants possessed basic knowledge on MBDs with an average score of 18.3 out of 35, of which non-livestock-keeping households had a better knowledge than households keeping livestock (p<0.05). Both household categories had low score, 3.5 out of 11, regarding preventive practices against MBDs. The negative binomial model showed that occupation and location of living were factors associated to the knowledge on MBDs. Farmers were likely to have better preventive practices as compared to office workers (p<0.05). Those who had better knowledge also had more adequate preventive practices against MBDs (p<0.001). The qualitative survey revealed that livestock keeping was determined as increasing risks of MBDs due to the increase of mosquito population. It is recommended that community campaigns to raise the awareness and change behavior on MBDs should be organized based on collaboration between the health sector and the veterinary sector for households with and without livestock living in central urban and peri-urban areas. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between urban livestock keeping and potential increasing risks of MBDs such as dengue and Japanese encephalitis.
The relation of fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia symptoms to self-reported seizures

Objective Several epidemiological and clinical reports associate fibromyalgia (FM) with seizure disorders, and clinical studies associate FM diagnosis with psychogenic non-epileptic seizures. However, these associations rely on self-reports of being diagnosed with FM or unstandardized clinical diagnosis in combination with small samples. We investigated the association of FM and self-reported seizures using a large rheumatic disease databank and the current established self-reported, symptom-based FM diagnostic criteria. Methods We selected a random observation from 11,378 subjects with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), 2,390 (21.0%) of whom satisfied 2016 revised criteria for FM. Patients were inquired about the presence of any kind of seizures in the previous 6 months, anti-epileptic medications, and patient-reported symptoms and outcomes. Results Seizures were reported by 89 RA patients who met FM criteria (FM+) and by 97 patients who did not (FM-), resulting in an age- and sex-adjusted seizure prevalence of 3.74 (95% CI 2.95 to 4.53) per 100 FM+ subjects and 1.08 (95% CI 0.87 to 1.30) in FM- subjects. The seizure odds ratio of FM+ to FM- cases was 3.54 (95% CI 2.65 to 4.74). Seizures were associated to a very similar degree with symptom reporting (somatic symptom count and comorbidity index) as to FM diagnosis variables. RA patients reporting seizures also reported worse pain, quality of life, and functional status. Seizure patients treated with anti-seizure medication had worse outcomes and more comorbidities than seizure patients with no seizure drugs. Conclusions We found a significant and similar association of both FM diagnostic variables and FM-related symptom variables, including the number of symptoms and comorbidities, with self-reported seizures in people with RA. The observed association was similar to those found in previous studies of symptoms variables and seizures and does not suggest a unique role for fibromyalgia diagnosis. Rather, it suggests that multi-symptom comorbidity is linked to seizures in a complex and not yet clearly understood way. As the current study relied on self-reported seizures and was not able to distinguish between epileptic and psychogenic nonepileptic seizures, future studies are needed to replicate the findings using both validated FM criteria assessments and clinically verified diagnoses of epileptic and psychogenic seizures.
Development of an Automated Minimum Foot Clearance Measurement System: Proof of Principle

Over half of older adult falls are caused by tripping. Many of these trips are likely due to obstacles present on walkways that put older adults or other individuals with low foot clearance at risk. Yet, Minimum Foot Clearance (MFC) values have not been measured in real-world settings and existing methods make it difficult to do so. In this paper, we present the Minimum Foot Clearance Estimation (MFCE) system that includes a device for collecting calibrated video data from pedestrians on outdoor walkways and a computer vision algorithm for estimating MFC values for these individuals. This system is designed to be positioned at ground level next to a walkway to efficiently collect sagittal plane videos of many pedestrians’ feet, which is then processed offline to obtain MFC estimates. Five-hundred frames of video data collected from 50 different pedestrians was used to train (370 frames) and test (130 frames) a convolutional neural network. Finally, data from 10 pedestrians was analyzed manually by three raters and compared to the results of the network. The footwear detection network had an Intersection over Union of 85% and was able to find the bottom of a segmented shoe with a 3-pixel average error. Root Mean Squared (RMS) errors for the manual and automated methods for estimating MFC values were 2.32 mm, and 3.70 mm, respectively. Future work will compare the accuracy of the MFCE system to a gold standard motion capture system and the system will be used to estimate the distribution of MFC values for the population.
Evaluation of ozone technology as an alternative for degradation of free gossypol in cottonseed meal: a prospective study

ABSTRACT Free gossypol is a toxic compound which naturally occurs in cottonseed and its derivates, affecting animal and possibly human health. Consequently, alternatives for gossypol destruction must be evaluated. This work evaluated the emerging technology of ozone processing for free gossypol destruction in cottonseed meal. Ozonation was carried out in the actual cottonseed meal and also a model system, designed to describe the involved mode of action. The model system consisted of glass pearls beads covered with free gossypol. Ozonation was performed in two ways: as a static process, i.e., without homogenising the sample after placing them in the reactor, and also homogenising it. Ozone degraded free gossypol in all the systems, but reaching different levels. Free gossypol reduction was higher in the model system than the cottonseed meal, and higher in the homogenised processing than the static one: cottonseed meal in homogenised (56%) and static (25%); model system homogenised (98%) and static (80%). The obtained differences suggest a problem of gas penetration in the solid particles, the effect of unexposed surfaces due to contact areas, and the reaction with other organic molecules further than the target. Ozonation is a promising technique for gossypol degradation in cottonseed meal, but additional strategies are needed to optimise the ozonation process and evaluate toxicological aspects. Graphical Abstract
National perinatal survey demonstrates a decreasing seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection among pregnant women in France, 1995 to 2016: impact for screening policy

Background Toxoplasmosis during pregnancy can result in congenital anomalies or fetal death. Universal antenatal screening is recommended in France, a strategy in place since the 1970s. Aim We determined the seroprevalence of toxoplasmosis among pregnant women participating in the 2016 national perinatal survey (ENP), compared results with previous ENPs, and investigated factors associated with Toxoplasma gondii infection. Methods Using the 2016 ENP data, which contain sociodemographic and clinical information from all women giving birth during a one week period, we calculated adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) by sociodemographic factors. Using available data from prior ENPs (1995, 2003 and 2010), we calculated age-standardised seroprevalences and aPRs for French women. Results In 2016, seroprevalence was 31.3% overall. Among French women, associations with increasing age (aPR: 1.54; 95% CI: 1.39–1.70), residence in Paris (aPR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08–1.31) or south-western regions (aPR: 1.19; 95% CI: 1.08–1.31), and higher professional status (aPR: 1.12; 95%CI 1.04–1.21) were observed. An association with increasing age was also evident among women from North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. Age-standardised seroprevalence decreased from 55.0% in 1995 to 33.7% in 2016. Among French women, significant associations with age, Paris and south-west regions persisted across all ENPs. Conclusion Higher prevalences in older women may reflect a higher past risk of exposure while persistent geographical differences may reflect dietary or environmental differences. Toxoplasma seroprevalence among pregnant women continues to fall and will impact screening effectiveness. This warrants a comprehensive review to determine the appropriate future of prevention in France.
Antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 protect against re-infection during outbreaks in care homes, September and October 2020

Two London care homes experienced a second COVID-19 outbreak, with 29/209 (13.9%) SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR-positive cases (16/103 residents, 13/106 staff). In those with prior SARS-CoV-2 exposure, 1/88 (1.1%) individuals (antibody positive: 87; RT-PCR-positive: 1) became PCR-positive compared with 22/73 (30.1%) with confirmed seronegative status. After four months protection offered by prior infection against re-infection was 96.2% (95% confidence interval (CI): 72.7–99.5%) using risk ratios from comparison of proportions and 96.1% (95% CI: 78.8–99.3%) using a penalised logistic regression model.