Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atypical myopathy-associated hypoglycin A toxin remains in sycamore seedlings despite mowing, herbicidal spraying or storage in hay and silage.

BACKGROUND Several pasture management strategies have been proposed to avoid hypoglycin A (HGA) intoxication in horses, but their efficacy has never been investigated. OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of mowing and herbicidal spraying on HGA content of sycamore seedlings and the presence of HGA in seeds and seedlings processed within haylage and silage. STUDY DESIGN Experimental study. METHODS Groups of seedlings were mowed (n = 6), sprayed with a dimethylamine-based (n = 2) or a picolinic acid-based herbicide (n = 1). Seedlings were collected before intervention, and at 48 h, 1 and 2 weeks after. Cut grass in the vicinity of mowed seedlings was collected pre-cutting and after 1 week. Seeds and seedling (n = 6) samples processed within haylage and silage were collected. HGA concentration in samples was measured using a validated LC-MS-based method. RESULTS There was no significant decline in HGA content in either mowed or sprayed seedlings; indeed, mowing induced a temporary significant rise in HGA content of seedlings. HGA concentration increased significantly (albeit to low levels) in grass cut with the seedlings by 1 week. HGA was still present in sycamore material after 6-8 months storage within either hay or silage. MAIN LIMITATIONS Restricted number of herbicide compounds tested. CONCLUSIONS Neither mowing nor herbicidal spraying reduces HGA concentration in sycamore seedlings up to 2 weeks after intervention. Cross contamination is possible between grass and sycamore seedlings when mowed together. Mowing followed by collection of sycamore seedlings seems the current best option to avoid HGA toxicity in horses grazing contaminated pasture. Pastures contaminated with sycamore material should not be used to produce processed hay or silage as both seedlings and seeds present in the bales still pose a risk of intoxication.
Supportive care needs and quality of life in patients with breast and gynecological cancer attending inpatient rehabilitation. A prospective study

Abstract Background: Among patients with breast or gynecological cancer, supportive care needs are both highly prevalent and enduring. However, little is known about whether meeting patients’ needs is accompanied by increased quality of life (QoL). We aimed to explore patients’ supportive care needs reported at the beginning of inpatient rehabilitation and examined whether meeting these needs resulted in improved QoL. Material and methods: In a multicenter, prospective cohort study with 2 measurement occasions (beginning and end of inpatient rehabilitation), 292 patients with breast and gynecological cancer (mean age 55 years; 71% breast cancer) were enrolled. In 73%, time since diagnosis was longer than 6 months. We obtained self-reports of supportive care needs in 12 domains and measured QoL using the EORTC QLQ-C30 functioning subscales. Results: At the beginning of inpatient rehabilitation, top-ranking severe supportive care needs concerned coordination of care (48%), medical information (45%), alleviation of physical symptoms (42%) and support with improving health behaviors (36%). At the end of inpatient rehabilitation, all needs assessed declined significantly, although many patients still expressed strong needs in some domains. However, meeting patients’ needs was accompanied by improvements in all functioning subscales. Conclusions: This is the first study to show that meeting breast and gynecological cancer patients’ supportive care needs during inpatient rehabilitation resulted in improved QoL. Given the considerable proportions of patients still reporting unmet needs at the end of their stay, stronger and continuing efforts seem warranted to meet these needs and thus further increase QoL.
Detection of Ascaris lumbricoides by Capsule Endoscopy

Address for Correspondence: Pavel P. Poliakov, Department of Pathophysiology, Kuban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia e-mail: palpal.p@yandex.ru ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9532-0626 Received: 9 October 2018 Accepted: 21 December 2018 • DOI: 10.4274/balkanmedj.galenos. 2018.2018. 1548 Available at www.balkanmedicaljournal. org Cite this article as: Poliakov PP, Alimetov AY, Onopriev AV, Avakimyan AV, Kade A. Detection of Ascaris lumbricoides by Capsule Endoscopy. Balkan Med J 2019;36:143-4 ©Copyright 2019 by Trakya University Faculty of Medicine / The Balkan Medical Journal published by Galenos Publishing House. 1Department of Pathophysiology, Kuban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia 2Department of Postgraduate Surgery, Kuban State Medical University, Krasnodar, Russia 3Klinika-A OOO (Limited Liability Company), Krasnodar, Russia Pavel P. Poliakov1, Anar Y. Alimetov2, Alexandr V. Onopriev2, Andrey V. Avakimyan3, Azamat Kh. Kade1
Visual Search Without Selective Attention: A Cognitive Architecture Account

A key phenomenon in visual search experiments is the linear relation of reaction time (RT) to the number of objects to be searched (set size). The dominant theory of visual search claims that this is a result of covert selective attention operating sequentially to "bind" visual features into objects, and this mechanism operates differently depending on the nature of the search task and the visual features involved, causing the slope of the RT as a function of set size to range from zero to large values. However, a cognitive architectural model presented here shows these effects on RT in three different search task conditions can be easily obtained from basic visual mechanisms, eye movements, and simple task strategies. No selective attention mechanism is needed. In addition, there are little-explored effects of visual crowding, which is typically confounded with set size in visual search experiments. Including a simple mechanism for crowding in the model also allows it to account for significant effects on error rate (ER). The resulting model shows the interaction between visual mechanisms and task strategy, and thus it represents a more comprehensive and fruitful approach to visual search than the dominant theory.
Multiomics of azacitidine-treated AML cells reveals variable and convergent targets that remodel the cell-surface proteome

Significance Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease commonly treated with azacitidine (AZA), but additional therapeutic strategy is needed. We found that AZA treatment in four AML cell lines had diverse effects at the individual gene and protein level, and these changes converged to common responses at the pathway level. The most prominent responses were the down-regulation of metabolism and up-regulation of immune defense. Given the heterogeneous responses in the four cell lines, we discuss serval potential therapeutic strategies for AML in combinations with AZA. In addition, the surface proteomics experiment has identified the greatest number of surface proteins for these cell lines to date and represents a valuable resource to others who use these cell lines as AML models. Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are diseases of abnormal hematopoietic differentiation with aberrant epigenetic alterations. Azacitidine (AZA) is a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor widely used to treat MDS and AML, yet the impact of AZA on the cell-surface proteome has not been defined. To identify potential therapeutic targets for use in combination with AZA in AML patients, we investigated the effects of AZA treatment on four AML cell lines representing different stages of differentiation. The effect of AZA treatment on these cell lines was characterized at three levels: the DNA methylome, the transcriptome, and the cell-surface proteome. Untreated AML cell lines showed substantial overlap at all three omics levels; however, while AZA treatment globally reduced DNA methylation in all cell lines, changes in the transcriptome and surface proteome were subtle and differed among the cell lines. Transcriptome analysis identified five commonly up-regulated coding genes upon AZA treatment in all four cell lines, TRPM4 being the only gene encoding a surface protein, and surface proteome analysis found no commonly regulated proteins. Gene set enrichment analysis of differentially regulated RNA and surface proteins showed a decrease in metabolic pathways and an increase in immune defense response pathways. As such, AZA treatment led to diverse effects at the individual gene and protein levels but converged to common responses at the pathway level. Given the heterogeneous responses in the four cell lines, we discuss potential therapeutic strategies for AML in combination with AZA.
Psychometric properties of the chinese version of autism spectrum quotient‐children's version: A sex‐specific analysis

A Simplified Chinese translation of the Autism Spectrum Quotient‐Children's Version (AQ‐C) is needed for research in mainland China. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that differs in presentation and prevalence by sex. Thus, evaluating the psychometric validity of the AQ‐C in males and females is an important step in its validation. The present study aims to develop a Chinese translation of the parent‐report AQ‐C, and test its psychometric properties among Mandarin Chinese speaking boys and girls. A total of 1,020 non‐clinical children and 134 children with ASD were assessed. Factor analyses were performed for the whole sample, as well as for girls and boys separately. A 30‐item, 5‐factor model (the Chinese AQ‐C) showed adequate goodness of fit (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.037; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.907; Tucker‐Lewis index [TLI] = 0.901) for the whole sample. According to parents' reports, non‐clinical boys had significantly higher scores than non‐clinical girls on the Chinese AQ‐C. Sex‐specific factor structures were identified resulting in a 4‐factor model with 32 items for girls (the Chinese AQ‐Girls), and a 4‐factor model with 34 items for boys (the Chinese AQ‐Boys). The cut‐off scores of the Chinese AQ‐C, AQ‐Girls, and AQ‐Boys were 44.5, 42.5, and 46.5, respectively. These three Chinese versions of the AQ‐C all showed satisfactory internal consistency (α = 0.786–0.840) and concurrent validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale (r = 0.789–0.814) for the total scale. Differences have been found in the sex‐specific factor structures of the AQ‐C which would be more reliable to use for future research when measuring autistic traits in the general population. Autism Res 2019, 12: 303–315 © 2018 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A Survey on Massive MIMO Systems in Presence of Channel and Hardware Impairments

Massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology is one of the promising technologies for fifth generation (5G) cellular communications. In this technology, each cell has a base station (BS) with a large number of antennas, allowing the simultaneous use of the same resources (e.g., frequency and/or time slots) by multiple users of a cell. Therefore, massive MIMO systems can bring very high spectral and power efficiencies. However, this technology faces some important issues that need to be addressed. One of these issues is the performance degradation due to hardware impairments, since low-cost RF chains need to be employed. Another issue is the channel estimation and channel aging effects, especially in fast mobility environments. In this paper we will perform a comprehensive study on these two issues considering two of the most promising candidate waveforms for massive MIMO systems: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and single-carrier frequency domain processing (SC-FDP). The studies and the results show that hardware impairments and inaccurate channel knowledge can degrade the performance of massive MIMO systems extensively. However, using suitable low complex estimation and compensation techniques and also selecting a suitable waveform can reduce these effects.
Apolipoprotein C-III Strongly Correlates with Activated Factor VII–Anti-Thrombin Complex: An Additional Link between Plasma Lipids and Coagulation

Abstract Activated factor VII–anti-thrombin (FVIIa-AT) complex is a potential biomarker of pro-thrombotic diathesis reflecting FVIIa–tissue factor (TF) interaction and has been associated with mortality in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Previous data indicated plasma lipids as predictors of FVIIa-AT variability, and plasma lipoproteins as potential stimulators of the coagulation cascade. Our aim was to evaluate the relationships between FVIIa-AT plasma concentration and a broad apolipoprotein profile (including ApoA-I, ApoB, ApoC-III and ApoE). Within the framework of the observational Verona Heart Study, we selected 666 subjects (131 CAD-free and 535 CAD, 75.4% males, mean age: 61.1 ± 10.9 years) not taking anticoagulant drugs and for whom plasma samples were available for both FVIIa-AT assay and a complete lipid profile. Plasma concentration of FVIIa-AT levels significantly and directly correlated with total and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, ApoA-I, ApoC-III and ApoE levels. ApoC-III showed the strongest correlation (R = 0.235, p = 7.7 × 10−10), confirmed in all the sub-group analyses (males/females and CAD/CAD-free). Only ApoC-III remained associated with FVIIa-AT plasma concentration, even after adjustment for sex, age, CAD diagnosis, body mass index, renal function, smoking status, lipid-lowering therapies and FVIIa levels. The APOC3 gene locus-tagging polymorphism rs964184, previously linked with cardiovascular risk and plasma lipids by genome-wide association studies, was associated with both ApoC-III and FVIIa-AT plasma concentration. Our results indicate a strong association between ApoC-III and FVIIa-AT levels, thereby suggesting that an increased ApoC-III concentration may identify subjects with a pro-thrombotic diathesis characterized by an enhanced TF-FVIIa interaction and activity.
Advanced Heterogeneous Feature Fusion Machine Learning Models and Algorithms for Improving Indoor Localization

In the era of the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, the Wi-Fi fingerprinting-based indoor positioning system (IPS) has been recognized as the most promising IPS for various applications. Fingerprinting-based algorithms critically rely on a fingerprint database built from machine learning methods. However, currently methods are based on single-feature Received Signal Strength (RSS), which is extremely unstable in performance in terms of precision and robustness. The reason for this is that single feature machines cannot capture the complete channel characteristics and are susceptible to interference. The objective of this paper is to exploit the Time of Arrival (TOA) feature and propose a heterogeneous features fusion model to enhance the precision and robustness of indoor positioning. Several challenges are addressed: (1) machine learning models based on heterogeneous features, (2) the optimization of algorithms for high precision and robustness, and (3) computational complexity. This paper provides several heterogeneous features fusion-based localization models. Their effectiveness and efficiency are thoroughly compared with state-of-the-art methods.
Extent and Predictors of Poor Glycaemic Control among Elderly Pakistani Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Multi-Centre Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: This study aimed to explore the relationship between glycaemic control and factors that may influence this among elderly type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Jinnah and Sir Ganga Ram Hospitals, Lahore using convenience sampling techniques between 1 December 2015 and 28 February 2016. The sample consisted of elderly (>65 years) T2DM patients. Glycaemic values and patient characteristics were obtained from medical charts. Consenting patients were interviewed to complete the Barthel Index, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale, Clinical Frailty Scale, Iowa Pain Thermometer Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment tool, Mini Nutritional Assessment Scale—Short Form and Self Care Inventory—Revised Version. Multiple logistic regression analysis was carried out to determine the predictors of poor glycaemic control. Results: A total of 490 patients were approached and 400 agreed to participate. Overall, nearly one-third (32.2%, n = 129) of patients had glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) at the target level. Fasting and random plasma glucose levels were within the target range to much the same extent; (36.8%, n = 147) and (27%, n = 108), respectively. HbA1c levels were also higher in patients with co-morbidities (67.4%, n = 229) with diabetes-related complications (73.5%, n = 227). Significant predictors of impaired glycaemic control (HbA1c) included poor diabetes self-care (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.96; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95, 0.98), not being prescribed oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHA) (AOR 6.22; 95% CI 2.09, 18.46), regular hypoglycaemic attacks (AOR 2.53; 95% CI 1.34, 4.81) and falling tendency (AOR 0.19; 95% CI 0.10, 0.36). Conclusions: Poor glycaemic control prevailed among the majority of elderly Pakistani diabetic patients in this study. Triggering factors of poor glycaemic control should be taken into consideration by the healthcare professionals in targeting multifaceted interventions to achieve good glycaemic control.
Signalling by hydrogen sulfide and polysulfides via protein S‐sulfuration

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a signalling molecule that regulates neuronal transmission, vascular tone, cytoprotection, inflammatory responses, angiogenesis, and oxygen sensing. Some of these functions have recently been ascribed to its oxidized form polysulfides (H2Sn), which can be produced by 3‐mercaptopyruvate sulfurtransferase (MPST), also known as a H2S‐producing enzyme. H2Sn activate ion channels, tumour suppressors, transcription factors, and protein kinases. H2Sn S‐sulfurate (S‐sulfhydrate) cysteine residues of these target proteins to modify their activity by inducing conformational changes through the formation of a disulfide bridge between the two cysteine residues involved. The chemical interaction between H2S and NO also generates H2Sn, which may be a chemical entity that exerts the synergistic effect of H2S and NO. MPST also produces redox regulators cysteine persulfide (CysSSH), GSH persulfide (GSSH), and persulfurated proteins. In addition to MPST, haemoproteins such as haemoglobin, myoglobin, neuroglobin, and catalase as well as SOD can produce H2Sn, and sulfide quinone oxidoreductase and cysteinyl tRNA synthetase can make GSSH and CysSSH. This review focuses on the recent progress in the study of the production and physiological roles of these persulfurated and polysulfurated molecules.
Accessible and inclusive transportation for youth with disabilities: exploring innovative solutions

Abstract Background: Although access to reliable transportation is an essential component of quality of life, young people with disabilities encounter many transportation-related obstacles. Objective: To explore solutions to the challenges that youth with disabilities encounter in accessing and navigating transportation. Methods: A nominal group technique was used in two consultation workshops (one involving rehabilitation clinicians and accessible transportation stakeholders; and one with youth with disabilities and parents). Fifteen participants across two workshops took part and prioritized their solutions and we used a comparative analysis within and between groups to explore overarching themes. Results: The workshops resulted in 122 solutions (76 from youth/parents; 46 from stakeholders). Although there was considerable overlap within the ideas generated between the groups, they each prioritized them differently. The following themes emerged across the two group’s prioritized solutions: training, funding, enhancing access, and improved efficiency. Conclusions: Our findings highlight that youth with disabilities, parents and key stakeholders offered many practical solutions for enhancing accessible transportation for youth with disabilities. Implications for Rehabilitation Clinicians and educators should explore different apps and transportation training programs that could help support youth with disabilities to enhance their independence and participation in the community Clinicians and educators should be involved in the development of disability awareness training programs for public transit and school bus drivers to enhance youth’s inclusion and participation in society. Clinicians, educators, youth and parents should continue to advocate for inclusive, accessible, affordable and efficient transportation for people with disabilities.
Alkyl hydroperoxide reductase is important for oxidative stress resistance and symbiosis in Azorhizobium caulinodans

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are not only toxic products of oxygen from aerobic metabolism or stress but also signalling molecules involved in the development of the legume-Rhizobium symbiosis. To assess the importance of alkyl hydroperoxide reductase (AhpCD) in the nitrogen-fixating bacterium Azorhizobium caulinodans, we investigated the phenotypes of the ∆ahpCD strain with regards to ROS resistance and symbiotic interactions with Sesbania rostrata. The ∆ahpCD strain was notably more sensitive than its parent strain to hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) but not to two organic peroxides, in the early log phase. The expression of ahpCD was not controlled by a LysR-type transcriptional activator either in vitro or in vivo. The catalase activity of the ∆ahpCD strain was affected at a relatively low level of H2O2 stress. Furthermore, the ∆ahpCD strain induced a reduced number of stem nodules in S. rostrata with lowering of nitrogenase activity. These data suggest that A. caulinodans AhpCD is not only important for H2O2 detoxification in vitro but also critical for symbiosis with S. rostrata. Functional analysis of AhpCD is worth investigating in other rhizobia to gain a comprehensive view of its contributions to ROS defence and symbiotic association with legumes.