Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Benzodiazepines and Z-hypnotics consumption in long-COVID-19 patients: Gender differences and associated factors

Background Psychotropic drug consumption has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. We describe here the prevalence and identifying factors associated with Benzodiazepine (BZD) and Z-hypnotics use among a sample of Spanish adults suffering from long-COVID-19 syndrome, from a gender perspective. Materials and methods Data were anonymously collected between 15th December 2021 and 15th March 2022. The collection form consisted of several questions gathering sociodemographic information, post-COVID symptom, health profile, and pharmacological drug intake. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on self-medicated consumption. Three models were generated (female, male, and both gender). Results Prevalence of BZD and Z-hypnotics use was 44.9% (46.5% for women; 37.8% for men). Zolpidem was the most consumed drug among male (20.7%), and lorazepam in female (31.1%). Patterns of drug consumption among female were related with number of post-COVID symptoms and smoking habit (AOR 2.76, 95%CI 1.16–6.52). Males under 40 years of age are more likely to consume BZD and Z-hypnotics (AOR 5.52, 95%CI 1.08–28.27). Conclusion The prevalence of consumption of BZD and Z-hypnotics in those subjects with long-COVID-19 in our study reaches values of 44.9%. Women with long-COVID-19 declare a higher prevalence of consumption than men. Predictors of BZD and Z-hypnotic in men were, age and number of medication use. Smoking habit and the number of post-COVID symptoms were predictive variables in women.
“Lock to Live” for firearm and medication safety: Feasibility and acceptability of a suicide prevention tool in a learning healthcare system

Objective Few patients with suicide risk are counseled on lethal means safety by health providers. This study tested the feasibility of different delivery methods for Lock to Live (L2L), a web-based decision aid of safe storage options for firearms and medications. Methods Patients reporting suicide ideation on the PHQ9 depression screener during outpatient health visits were included. Invitation messages to visit L2L were sent via combinations of email, text, Electronic Health Record (EHR) message, mailed letter, or provider referral, followed by a survey about storage behavior and acceptability. Provider interviews evaluated logistical considerations and acceptability. Results The population-based method reached 2,729 patients and the best method (EHR message plus 2 email reminders) had 11% uptake (L2L visitation rate). Provider referral had small reach (14 patients) and 100% uptake (all visited). Provider interviews identified several strategies to promote uptake including: EHR reminders, provider training, quality metrics with accountability, a clearly communicated lethal means screening/counseling policy, and strong organizational leadership support. Conclusion Despite the low uptake for population-based (11%), far more patients with suicide risk were engaged in the L2L tool through population-based outreach than provider-referral over the same time frame.
Pan-cancer analysis of prognostic and immunological role of DTYMK in human tumors

Background: Deoxythymidylate kinase (DTYMK) has been reported to correlate with the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, the role of DTYMK in human cancers is not studied. In this study, we studied the prognostic value, functional states, and correlations with immune infiltration of DTYMK in human cancers. Methods: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx), UALCAN, Clinical Proteomic Tumor Analysis Consortium (CPTAC), the search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes (STRING), GeneMANIA, cBioPortal, Cancer Single-cell State Atlas (CancerSEA), and Tumor IMmune Estimation Resource (TIMER) databases were utilized to analyze DTYMK in cancers. Results: In general, DTYMK is abnormally expressed between most human cancer and normal tissues from a pan-cancer perspective. DTYMK can be used as a diagnostic biomarker to differentiate tumor tissues from normal tissues in most tumors. Upregulation of DTYMK predicted poor survival status in most cancer types in TCGA. Moreover, DTYMK expression was correlated with the T stage in ACC, BRCA, KIRC, LIHC, and LUAD, with the N stage in BLCA, HNSC, KICH, KIRC, LUAD, LUSC, and THCA, with the M stage in ACC, KIRC, KIRP, and LUAD, with TNM stage in ACC, KIRC, LIHC, LUAD, and LUSC. In addition, based on single-cell sequencing data, we concluded that the expression of DTYMK was correlated with the functional status of the cell cycle, DNA damage, DNA repair, invasion, EMT, and proliferation. Finally, DTYMK expression was correlated with six infiltrating immune cells, including B cells, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, neutrophils, macrophages, and dendritic cells by investigating TIMER. Conclusion: Our findings suggested that abnormally expressed DTYMK was correlated with poor survival, malignant functional status, and immune infiltrates. DTYMK might be served as a potential biomarker for diagnosis and poor prognosis in various cancer types. DTYMK might act as a potential target for immune therapy.
Segregation over time in functional networks in prefrontal cortex for individuals suffering from pathological fatigue after traumatic brain injury

Pathological fatigue is present when fatigue is perceived to continually interfere with everyday life. Pathological fatigue has been linked with a dysfunction in the cortico-striatal-thalamic circuits. Previous studies have investigated measures of functional connectivity, such as modularity to quantify levels of segregation. However, previous results have shown both increases and decreases in segregation for pathological fatigue. There are multiple factors why previous studies might have differing results, including: (i) Does the functional connectivity of patients with pathological fatigue display more segregation or integration compared to healthy controls? (ii) Do network properties differ depending on whether patients with pathological fatigue perform a task compared to periods of rest? (iii) Are the brain networks of patients with pathological fatigue and healthy controls differently affected by prolonged cognitive activity? We recruited individuals suffering from pathological fatigue after mild traumatic brain injury (n = 20) and age-matched healthy controls (n = 20) to perform cognitive tasks for 2.5 h. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess hemodynamic changes in the frontal cortex. The participants had a resting state session before and after the cognitive test session. Cognitive testing included the Digit Symbol Coding test at the beginning and the end of the procedure to measure processing speed. We conducted an exploratory network analysis on these resting state and Digit Symbol Coding sessions with no a priori hypothesis relating to how patients and controls differ in their functional networks since previous research has found results in both directions. Our result showed a Group vs. Time interaction (p = 0.026, ηp2 = 0.137), with a post hoc test revealing that the TBI patients developed higher modularity toward the end of the cognitive test session. This work helps to identify how functional networks differ under pathological fatigue compared to healthy controls. Further, it shows how the functional networks dynamically change over time as the patient performs tasks over a time scale that affect their fatigue level.
Coronary heart disease and gut microbiota: A bibliometric and visual analysis from 2002 to 2022

Background Existing studies have indicated that gut microbiota is closely related to the occurrence and development of coronary heart disease(CHD). Gut microbiota and its metabolites may be important diagnostic markers for CHD in the future and are expected to become new targets for the prevention and treatment of CHD. However, the current studies exploring the link between CHD and gut microbiota are miscellaneous and poorly targeted, without bibliometric analysis available. Objective The purpose of this research was to perform a bibliometric and visual analysis of published papers on the relationship between CHD and gut microbiota. The study also sought to identify principal authors, institutions, and countries to analyze the research status and trends of gut microbiota research in the field of CHD. Methods The Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database was searched for publications on CHD and gut microbiota between 2002 and 2022. CiteSpace 5.8. R1, VOSviewer 1.6. 16, and Microsoft Excel 2019 software tools were utilized to perform this bibliometric analysis and visualization. Results There were 457 qualified publications found in total, with the annual number of publications increasing. The United States dominated in this field. Hazen, Stanley l was the author of the most papers. Cleveland Clinic published the most papers of any institution. The six main clusters’ specific characteristics were discovered through analysis of the co-occurrence of keywords: inflammation, diet, trimethylamine n-oxide, metabolism, cardiovascular disease, and myocardial infarction. Newly emerging research has focused predominantly on gut microbiota metabolites and recent strategies for intervention in coronary atherosclerosis. Conclusion These results provided a useful perspective on current research and future prospects for the research on the link between CHD and gut microbiota, which may help researchers to select suitable collaborators and facilitate their research to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of CHD, including the causes, prevention, and treatment.
Serious games and eating behaviors: A systematic review of the last 5 years (2018–2022)

Background Serious game intervention has emerged over the years as a popular strategy for solving the problem of unhealthy eating behavior. This has prompted several scholars to explore its significant impact on eating behaviors, identifying its positive effect on nutritional knowledge and eating behaviors. However, since this research field is yet nascent, an update in knowledge is required to further inform the real-world practice as an alternative intervention for instating healthy eating behavior. Therefore, this current research utilized a systematic review method to reveal the latest state of this concept of a serious game and eating behavior, to identify the position of the literature and shed light on under-researched and emerging areas by recommending future investigations. Method To achieve the object of this research, four electronic databases- Science Direct, Web of Science (WoS), APA PsyclNFO, and Emerald- were searched using predefined keywords (search string) relating to the review topic. A total of 15,107 results were retrieved from the databases. After title, abstract, and full-text screening, 15 studies were included following inclusion criteria. Key findings The result of this research demonstrated that various designs of serious games comprise an effective intervention for changing eating behavior in both children and adults and addressed the risks of childhood obesity and overweight. The findings also show that the design of the games is co-designed by different specialists such as a nutritionist, psychologist and developer, among others, as either single or multiple players. The effectiveness of the games was attributed to behavior techniques (BT), cognitive theories (CT), and socio-cognitive theories (SCT) of behavior change technique (BCT), incorporating an element of implicit learning in serious games. Feedback and reward were the most reported influencing strategies and self-reporting the evaluation approach. Conclusion This research contributed significantly to the body of knowledge in the field of serious games as the most recent review of evidence in the research area. Evidence from 93.33% of the included studies confirmed the effectiveness of serious games in addressing eating behavior. This study concludes that serious games are an effective intervention for improving healthy eating behavior and decreasing unhealthy eating behavior and that various elements of behavior change techniques are essential components of implicit nutritional learning through the games. In addition, it is concluded that the risk of childhood obesity and overweight can be reduced or prevented by leveraging the strength of these games. The need for future research in this field was also pointed out by this study.
Planning for fauna-sensitive road design: A review

Roads can have significant negative impacts on wildlife. Fauna-sensitive road design (FSRD) can alleviate adverse impacts on several species by installing specialised structures, such as wildlife crossing structures. This developing subfield has generally, however, had a limited impact on transportation planning and management. Indeed, most research is focused narrowly on technological solutions, instead of broader policy learnings. This systematic quantitative literature review (SQLR) of international literature sought to identify the biodiversity concerns acknowledged in transport planning policy, as well as the barriers to the adoption of environmental policies within transport planning. Despite considerable literature available on the impacts of roads on wildlife elsewhere, acknowledgement and consideration of both fauna movement and fauna-sensitive road design were limited in road transportation planning research. More broadly, failure to achieve environmental objectives within transport planning occurred primarily as a result of competing sector interests (conflicted knowledge), different political objectives (political interest), and incorrect interpretation of policies. In essence, the results add new layers of understanding to the field of transportation planning and policy, in particular, the gaps in acknowledgement of wildlife movements and the limitations of current fauna-sensitive road design considered. Importantly, the review identified multiple ecological support tools available to transport policy- and decision-makers. Integration of these in road transportation projects could facilitate enhanced uptake and adoption of FSRD measures and thus foster improved sustainability of the transport network. Graphical Abstract
Human-environmental interactions and seismic activity in a Late Bronze to Early Iron Age settlement center in the southeastern Caucasus

Long-term human-environmental interactions in naturally fragile drylands are a focus of geomorphological and geoarchaeological research. Furthermore, many dryland societies were also affected by seismic activity. The semi-arid Shiraki Plain in the tectonically active southeastern Caucasus is currently covered by steppe and largely devoid of settlements. However, numerous Late Bronze to Early Iron Age city-type settlements suggest early state formation between ca. 3.2-2.5 ka that abruptly ended after that time. A paleolake was postulated for the lowest plain, and nearby pollen records suggest forest clearcutting of the upper altitudes under a more humid climate during the Late Bronze/Early Iron Ages. Furthermore, also an impact of earthquakes on regional Early Iron Age settlements was suggested. However, regional paleoenvironmental changes and paleoseismicity were not systematically studied so far. We combined geomorphological, sedimentological, chronological and paleoecological data with hydrological modelling to reconstruct regional Holocene paleoenvironmental changes, to identify natural and human causes and to study possible seismic events during the Late Bronze/Early Iron Ages. Our results show a balanced to negative Early to Mid-Holocene water balance probably caused by forested upper slopes. Hence, no lake but a pellic Vertisol developed in the lowest plain. Following, Late Bronze/Early Iron Age forest clear-cutting caused lake formation and the deposition of lacustrine sediments derived from soil erosion. Subsequently, regional aridification caused slow lake desiccation. Remains of freshwater fishes indicate that the lake potentially offered valuable ecosystem services for regional prehistoric societies even during the desiccation period. Finally, colluvial coverage of the lake sediments during the last centuries could have been linked with hydrological extremes during the Little Ice Age. Our study demonstrates that the Holocene hydrological balance of the Shiraki Plain was and is situated near a major hydrological threshold, making the landscape very sensitive to small-scale human or natural influences with severe consequences for local societies. Furthermore, seismites in the studied sediments do not indicate an influence of earthquakes on the main and late phases of Late Bronze/Early Iron Age settlement. Altogether, our study underlines the high value of multi-disciplinary approaches to investigate human-environmental interactions and paleoseismicity in drylands on millennial to centennial time scales.
Adaptive mechanisms in no flow vs. low flow ischemia in equine jejunum epithelium: Different paths to the same destination

Intestinal ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is a frequent complication of equine colic. Several mechanisms may be involved in adaptation of the intestinal epithelium to IRI and might infer therapeutic potential, including hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) 1α, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2), and induction of autophagy. However, the mechanisms supporting adaptation and thus cellular survival are not completely understood yet. We investigated the activation of specific adaptation mechanisms in both no and low flow ischemia and reperfusion simulated in equine jejunum epithelium in vivo. We found an activation of HIF1α in no and low flow ischemia as indicated by increased levels of HIF1α target genes and phosphorylation of AMPKα tended to increase during ischemia. Furthermore, the protein expression of the autophagy marker LC3B in combination with decreased expression of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes indicates an increased rate of mitophagy in equine intestinal IRI, possibly preventing damage by mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS). Interestingly, ROS levels were increased only shortly after the onset of low flow ischemia, which may be explained by an increased antioxidative defense, although NFR2 was not activated in this setup. In conclusion, we could demonstrate that a variety of adaptation mechanisms manipulating different aspects of cellular homeostasis are activated in IRI irrespective of the ischemia model, and that mitophagy might be an important factor for epithelial survival following small intestinal ischemia in horses that should be investigated further.
Impact of an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculum and exogenous methyl jasmonate on the performance of tall fescue under saline-alkali condition

Hormonal regulation and symbiotic relationships provide benefits for plants to overcome stress conditions. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) inoculum, methyl jasmonate (MeJA), and saline-alkali effects on the growth and physiology of tall fescue (Festuca elata “Crossfire II”). Treatments included AMF-inoculation, and non-AMF inoculation, four MeJA application concentrations (0, 50, 100, and 200 mg/L), and two saline-alkali levels (0 and 200 mmol/L). The results showed that AMF inoculation significantly enhanced saline-alkali resistance of the plants, and the beneficial effects were increased by MeJA at a concentration of 50 mg/L (50 MeJA) and decreased by MeJA at a concentration both of 100 (100 MeJA) and 200 mg/L (200 MeJA). AMF inoculation plants when treated with 50 MeJA accumulated significantly more biomass, had greater proline and total phenolic concentration, and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration than plants only treated either with AMF or 50 MeJA. However, no significant differences in growth or physiological characteristics were observed between AMF and non-AMF plants when treated either with 100 or 200 MeJA. All of these results suggest that the interaction between a certain concentration of MeJA and AMF can significantly increase saline-alkali resistance of the tall fescue by regulating the biomass, proline, total phenolic, and MDA. Our findings provide new information on the effect of biological and chemical priming treatments on plant performance under saline-alkali stress.
Functional near-infrared spectroscopy imaging of the prefrontal cortex during a naturalistic comedy movie

Naturalistic stimulation (i.e., movies and auditory narratives of some minutes’ length) has been a powerful approach to bringing more real-life experiences into laboratory experiments. Data-driven, intersubject correlation (ISC) analysis permits examining to what extent activity in a specific brain region correlates across participants during exposure to a naturalistic stimulus, as well as testing whether neural activity correlates with behavioral measures. Notably, most of the previous research with naturalistic stimuli was conducted using functional fMRI (fMRI). Here, we tested whether a naturalistic approach and the ISC are feasible using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) - the imaging method particularly suited for populations of patients and children. Fifty-three healthy adult participants watched twice a 3-min segment of a Charlie Chaplin movie while we recorded the brain activity on the surface of their prefrontal cortex using fNIRS. In addition, an independent group of 18 participants used a continuous scoring procedure to rate the extent to which they felt that different parts of the movie fragment were funny. Our two findings were as follows. First, we found higher-than-zero ISC in fNIRS signals in the prefrontal cortex lobes, a result that was particularly high in the oxygenated channels during the first repetition of the movie. Second, we found a significant negative correlation between oxygenated brain signals and ratings of the movie’s humorousness. In a series of control analyses we demonstrated that this latter correlation could not be explained by various non-humor-related movie sensory properties (e.g., auditory volume and image brightness). The key overall outcome of the present study is that fNIRS in combination with the naturalistic paradigms and the ISC might be a sensitive and powerful research method to explore cognitive processing. Our results also suggest a potential role of the prefrontal cortex in humor appreciation.
Advanced injectable hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

The rapid development of tissue engineering makes it an effective strategy for repairing cartilage defects. The significant advantages of injectable hydrogels for cartilage injury include the properties of natural extracellular matrix (ECM), good biocompatibility, and strong plasticity to adapt to irregular cartilage defect surfaces. These inherent properties make injectable hydrogels a promising tool for cartilage tissue engineering. This paper reviews the research progress on advanced injectable hydrogels. The cross-linking method and structure of injectable hydrogels are thoroughly discussed. Furthermore, polymers, cells, and stimulators commonly used in the preparation of injectable hydrogels are thoroughly reviewed. Finally, we summarize the research progress of the latest advanced hydrogels for cartilage repair and the future challenges for injectable hydrogels.