Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between thrombocytopenia and 180-day prognosis of COVID-19 patients in intensive care units: A two-center observational study

Background Thrombocytopenia has been proved to be associated with hospital mortality in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. However, the detailed association of thrombocytopenia with subsequent progression of organ functions and long-term prognosis in critically ill COVID-19 patients remains to be explored. Methods Medical records of 167 confirmed cases of critically ill COVID-19 from February 16 to March 21, 2020 were collected in this two-center retrospective study. 180-day’s outcome and clinical organ development in patients with thrombocytopenia and non-thrombocytopenia were analyzed. Findings Among all 167 patients, the median age was 66 years and 67.07% were male. Significant differences were noticed in laboratory findings including white blood cells, blood urea, total bilirubin, lactate dehydrogenase and SOFA score between groups of thrombocytopenia and non-thrombocytopenia. Older age, lower platelet count and longer activated partial thromboplastin time at admission were determined to be risk factors of 28-day mortality, and all three, together with higher white blood cells were risk factors of 180-day mortality. Subsequent changes of six-point ordinal scale score, oxygenation index, and SOFA score in patients with thrombocytopenia showed marked worsening trends compared with patients without thrombocytopenia. Patients with thrombocytopenia had significantly higher mortality not only in 28 days, but also in 90 days and 180 days. The time-course curves in non-survival group showed a downtrend of platelet count and oxygenation index, while the curve of six-point ordinal scale kept an uptrend. Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that patients with thrombocytopenia had much lower probability of survival (p<0.01). Interpretation The thrombocytopenia was associated with the deterioration of respiratory function. Baseline platelet count was associated with subsequent and long-term mortality in critically ill COVID-19 patients.
Integrated molecular network and HPLC-UV-FLD analysis to explore antioxidant ingredients in camellia nitidissima Chi.

At present, screening of active ingredients from natural products for pharmacological and clinical research is mostly time-consuming and costly. In this study, a molecular network (MN) guided high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet-fluorescence detector (HPLC-UV-FLD) method was carried out to profile the global antioxidant activity compounds, including the trace amount ingredients in Camellia nitidissima Chi (CNC). Firstly, HPLC-UV-FLD postcolumn derivatization system was utilized to screen the antioxidants. Then the MN of CNC was established via mass spectrometry (MS) data for getting the connection between ingredient structures. As a result, HPLC-UV-FLD indicated three antioxidant ingredients: gallic acid (126.3 mg/g), catechin (564.8 mg/g), and salicylic acid (24.3 mg/g). Combined with the MN, the actives' precise location and connection relationship were clarified based on the structural similarities. A new antioxidant ingredient, okicamelliaside, was suggested and evaluated at free radical scavenging and enzymatic protection. The novel method of activity and structural correlation analysis based on MN could provide a useful guide for screening trace active ingredients in natural products. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Three main ingredients were screened out from Camellia nitidissima Chi by HPLC-UV-FLD postcolumn derivatization system. Integrated molecular network and HPLC-UV-FLD analysis, a new type of antioxidant okicamelliaside was selected. The novel method of activity and structural correlation analysis based on molecular network could provide a useful guide for screening trace active ingredients in natural products.
Factors associated with anxiety and quality of life of the Wuhan populace during the COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract In December 2019, COVID‐19 broke out in Wuhan, China, affecting the mental health and quality of life (QoL) of its inhabitants. This study aimed at investigating the factors associated with anxiety and QoL in the Wuhan populace during the COVID‐19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was carried out during July 6–10, 2020. The questionnaire collected information on demography, anxiety, QoL, and social‐environmental support. The main statistical methods included descriptive statistics, independent‐samples t‐test, one‐way analysis of variance, and multivariate regression analysis. In total, 226 participants were recruited. The findings showed that females, elderly, middle‐income, poor health status, shortage of medical supplies, and insufficient basic commodities were associated with anxiety significantly. Multiple regression analysis indicated that social‐environmental support was significantly related to anxiety. Higher social‐environmental support was significantly associated with a higher QoL. Our findings showed that the social‐environmental support may reduce anxiety and improve the QoL for those living in an area heavily affected by the pandemic.
Earlier Boston Marathon Start Time Mitigates Environmental Heat Stress

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. ABSTRACT Historical environmental data from the Boston Marathon afford a pragmatic opportunity to retrospectively quantify how the 2007 earlier start time altered the odds of runner exposures to environmental conditions associated with exertional heat illness. Purpose This study aimed to compare the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) index and other environmental parameters between early and late Boston Marathon race start times from 1995 to 2016. Methods Environmental data from 1995 to 2016 (excluding 1996) were used to compare two identical time frames using the 0900–1300 h start versus the 1100–1500 h start. This included the WBGT, dry bulb (Tdb), black globe (Tbg), wet bulb (Twb), solar radiation, relative humidity, and air water vapor pressure. To make comparisons between start times, the difference in the area under the curve (AUC) for each environmental variable was compared within each year with a Wilcoxon signed rank test with a Holm–Bonferroni correction. Results AUC exposures for WBGT (P = 0.027), Twb (P = 0.031), Tdb (P = 0.027), Tbg (P = 0.055), and solar radiation (P = 0.004) were reduced with an earlier start, whereas those for relative humidity and air water vapor pressure were not. Overall, an earlier race start time by 2 h (0900 vs 1100 h) reduced the odds of experiencing a higher flag category 1.42 times (β = 0.1744, P = 0.032). Conclusions The 2007 decision to make the Boston Marathon start time earlier by 2 h has reduced by ~1.4 times the odds that runners will be exposed to environmental conditions associated with exertional heat illness.
Cell metabolomics analyses revealed a role of altered fatty acid oxidation in neurotoxicity pattern difference between nab-paclitaxel and solvent-based paclitaxel

Peripheral neuropathy (PN) is a dose-limiting, painful adverse reaction associated with the use of paclitaxel. This common side effect was often partially attributed to the solvent used for solubilization of the highly hydrophobic drug substance. Therefore, the development of alternative formulations thrived, which included that of Abraxane® containing nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel). However, studies demonstrated inconsistent conclusions regarding the mitigation of PN in comparison with the traditional formulation. The mass spectrometry-based cell metabolomics approach was used in the present study to explore the potentially associated mechanisms. Although no significant difference in the effects on cell viability was observed, fold changes in carnitine, several acylcarnitines and long-chain fatty acid(s) were significantly different between treatment groups in differentiated and undifferentiated SH-SY5Y cells. The most prominent difference observed was the significant increase of octanoylcarnitine in cells treated with solvent-based paclitaxel, which was found to be associated with significant decrease of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD). The findings suggested the potential role of altered fatty acid oxidation in the different neurotoxicity patterns observed, which may be a possible target for therapeutic interventions worth further investigation.
Deep Dichromatic Guided Learning for Illuminant Estimation

A new dichromatic illuminant estimation method using a deep neural network is proposed. Previous methods based on the dichromatic reflection model commonly suffer from inaccurate separation of specularity, thus being limited in their use in a real-world. Recent deep neural network-based methods have shown a significant improvement in the estimation of the illuminant color. However, why they succeed or fail is not explainable easily, because most of them estimate the illuminant color at the network output directly. To tackle these problems, the proposed architecture is designed to learn dichromatic planes and their confidences using a deep neural network with novel losses function. The illuminant color is estimated by a weighted least mean square of these planes. The proposed dichromatic guided learning not only achieves compelling results among state-of-the-art color constancy methods in standard real-world benchmark evaluations, but also provides a map to include color and regional contributions for illuminant estimation, which allow for an in-depth analysis of success and failure cases of illuminant estimation.
Child- compared with parent-report ratings on psychosocial measures following a mild traumatic brain injury among youth with persistent post-concussion symptoms

ABSTRACT Primary Objective: To compare child- and parent-report ratings on the Health Behavior Inventory, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale-Short Version (anxiety subscale), Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and Pediatric Quality of Life InventoryTM among children with persistent post-concussive symptoms following a sports- or recreation-related concussion, overall and by child age and gender. Research Design: Cross-sectional study examining baseline data from a randomized, comparative effectiveness trial. Methods and Procedures: Inter-rater reliability was assessed using two-way random effects model (absolute agreement) intraclass correlations, correlations were examined using Spearman’s rho, mean differences were determined using paired t-tests, and agreement was examined using Bland–Altman plots. Main Outcomes and Results: The final analytic sample was 200 parent–child dyads [child Mage = 14.7 (95% CI: 14.5, 15.0)]. Reliability and correlations were modest overall. When considering child age and gender, reliability ranged from poor to excellent (−1.01–0.95) and correlations ranged from weak to strong (−0.64–0.94). Overall, children reported more symptoms but better functioning than parents, and mean differences in scores were greater among females (versus males) and ages 16–18 (versus younger groups). Conclusions: Findings should inform the use and interpretation of psychosocial measures when developing appropriate youth concussion treatment plans.
Thiopurine adherence: high prevalence with low impact in UC outcomes.

Introduction Thiopurines are used as maintenance therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). There are contradictory results regarding the relationship between adherence to treatment and risk of relapse. Objectives To quantify and evaluate the trends in thiopurines prescription rates, and to determine the impact and risk factors of non-adherence. Methods Analytical, observational and retrospective study of UC patients, on thiopurines, included in the ENEIDA single-center registry from October 2017 to October 2019. We included adult patients under clinical remission at the beginning of the study on thiopurines maintenance treatment for at least 6 months before recruitment. Adherence was evaluated with an electronic pharmaceutical prescription system. Adherence was considered when 80% or more of the prescribed medication was dispensed at the pharmacy. Kaplan-Meier curves and a regression model were used to examine year-to-year treatment dispensation and identify factors associated to non-adherence. Results A total of 41 patients were included, of whom 71% were males with a mean age of 44 (14) and 26.8% were concomitantly managed with biological therapy. Overall, 22% were non-adherent to thiopurines. No predictive factors of non-adherence were identified. Adherence rate did not correlate with disease activity for two years follow-up (OR 1.6; 95CI =0.3-9.1). Left-sided colitis and concomitant biological treatment were related with disease relapses (p ≤0.01). Conclusion The adherence to thiopurines in UC patients is high (78%). Non-adherence is not related to clinical or pharmacological factors. Adherence rate was not associated with disease activity.
A landscape for drug-target interactions based on network analysis

In this work, we performed an analysis of the networks of interactions between drugs and their targets to assess how connected the compounds are. For our purpose, the interactions were downloaded from the DrugBank database, and we considered all drugs approved by the FDA. Based on topological analysis of this interaction network, we obtained information on degree, clustering coefficient, connected components, and centrality of these interactions. We identified that this drug-target interaction network cannot be divided into two disjoint and independent sets, i.e., it is not bipartite. In addition, the connectivity or associations between every pair of nodes identified that the drug-target network is constituted of 165 connected components, where one giant component contains 4376 interactions that represent 89.99% of all the elements. In this regard, the histamine H1 receptor, which belongs to the family of rhodopsin-like G-protein-coupled receptors and is activated by the biogenic amine histamine, was found to be the most important node in the centrality of input-degrees. In the case of centrality of output-degrees, fostamatinib was found to be the most important node, as this drug interacts with 300 different targets, including arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase or ALOX5, expressed on cells primarily involved in regulation of immune responses. The top 10 hubs interacted with 33% of the target genes. Fostamatinib stands out because it is used for the treatment of chronic immune thrombocytopenia in adults. Finally, 187 highly connected sets of nodes, structured in communities, were also identified. Indeed, the largest communities have more than 400 elements and are related to metabolic diseases, psychiatric disorders and cancer. Our results demonstrate the possibilities to explore these compounds and their targets to improve drug repositioning and contend against emergent diseases.
Risk factors for depression. New evidence on selenium deficiency and depressive disorders.

OBJECTIVES This study aims to evaluate the effect of selenium deficiency on depressive disorders with adjustment for possible confounders. Its importance among non-dietary and dietary risk factors for depression is discussed using empirical evidence. METHODS A structural equation model was fitted using diagonally weighted least squares estimation with adjusted chi-square test statistics (WLSMV). The average daily intake of selenium and other nutrients was calculated to verify their possible association with self-reported depressive disorders. The effect of dietary patterns was adjusted for possible confounders, including the presence of chronic diseases, life problems, pain levels, physical activity, and income. The study was performed on a sample of 9,354 men and women aged 45-65 of the Polish-Norwegian Study (PONS) cohort. RESULTS The model shows a significant effect of low selenium intake (standardized total effect of 0.133), high lipids intake (0.102) and low iron intake (0.065) on depressive disorders. Other dietary factors fail to make a significant contribution to depressive disorders, according to the model (p > 0.05). Among the considered non-dietary risk factors, home stress (0.181), pain (0.179) and low income (0.178) show a strong correlation with depression. Pain mediates a small part of the effect of morbidity (0.140). Depressive disorders are also associated with work problems (0.123) and low physical activity (0.024). CONCLUSIONS Selenium intake is most strongly related to depression among all the dietary factors considered. In the model, the effect of dietary risk factors on depressive disorders is moderate when compared to non-dietary variables. Chronic pain, low income and morbidity are the main correlatives of depressive disorders.
Blind deconvolution estimation by multi-exponential models and alternated least squares approximations: Free-form and sparse approach

The deconvolution process is a key step for quantitative evaluation of fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) samples. By this process, the fluorescence impulse responses (FluoIRs) of the sample are decoupled from the instrument response (InstR). In blind deconvolution estimation (BDE), the FluoIRs and InstR are jointly extracted from a dataset with minimal a priori information. In this work, two BDE algorithms are introduced based on linear combinations of multi-exponential functions to model each FluoIR in the sample. For both schemes, the InstR is assumed with a free-form and a sparse structure. The local perspective of the BDE methodology assumes that the characteristic parameters of the exponential functions (time constants and scaling coefficients) are estimated based on a single spatial point of the dataset. On the other hand, the same exponential functions are used in the whole dataset in the global perspective, and just the scaling coefficients are updated for each spatial point. A least squares formulation is considered for both BDE algorithms. To overcome the nonlinear interaction in the decision variables, an alternating least squares (ALS) methodology iteratively solves both estimation problems based on non-negative and constrained optimizations. The validation stage considered first synthetic datasets at different noise types and levels, and a comparison with the standard deconvolution techniques with a multi-exponential model for FLIM measurements, as well as, with two BDE methodologies in the state of the art: Laguerre basis, and exponentials library. For the experimental evaluation, fluorescent dyes and oral tissue samples were considered. Our results show that local and global perspectives are consistent with the standard deconvolution techniques, and they reached the fastest convergence responses among the BDE algorithms with the best compromise in FluoIRs and InstR estimation errors.
Metabolic and behavioral features of acute hyperpurinergia and the maternal immune activation mouse model of autism spectrum disorder

Since 2012, studies in mice, rats, and humans have suggested that abnormalities in purinergic signaling may be a final common pathway for many genetic and environmental causes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study in mice was conducted to characterize the bioenergetic, metabolomic, breathomic, and behavioral features of acute hyperpurinergia triggered by systemic injection of the purinergic agonist and danger signal, extracellular ATP (eATP). Responses were studied in C57BL/6J mice in the maternal immune activation (MIA) model and controls. Basal metabolic rates and locomotor activity were measured in CLAMS cages. Plasma metabolomics measured 401 metabolites. Breathomics measured 98 volatile organic compounds. Intraperitoneal eATP dropped basal metabolic rate measured by whole body oxygen consumption by 74% ± 6% (mean ± SEM) and rectal temperature by 6.2˚ ± 0.3˚C in 30 minutes. Over 200 metabolites from 37 different biochemical pathways where changed. Breathomics showed an increase in exhaled carbon monoxide, dimethylsulfide, and isoprene. Metabolomics revealed an acute increase in lactate, citrate, purines, urea, dopamine, eicosanoids, microbiome metabolites, oxidized glutathione, thiamine, niacinamide, and pyridoxic acid, and decreased folate-methylation-1-carbon intermediates, amino acids, short and medium chain acyl-carnitines, phospholipids, ceramides, sphingomyelins, cholesterol, bile acids, and vitamin D similar to some children with ASD. MIA animals were hypersensitive to postnatal exposure to eATP or poly(IC), which produced a rebound increase in body temperature that lasted several weeks before returning to baseline. Acute hyperpurinergia produced metabolic and behavioral changes in mice. The behaviors and metabolic changes produced by ATP injection were associated with mitochondrial functional changes that were profound but reversible.
The Dark Side of Development: A Systems Characterization of the Negative Mentoring Experiences of Doctoral Students

Effective mentoring promotes the development and success of graduate students. Yet mentoring, like other relationships, can have negative elements. Little knowledge exists about the problematic mentoring that graduate students experience despite its potentially detrimental impacts. To begin to address this gap, we conducted an exploratory interview study to define and characterize negative mentoring experiences of 40 life science doctoral students. Students attributed their negative mentoring experiences to interacting factors at multiple levels—from interpersonal differences and poor relationship quality to issues at the research group, departmental, organizational, and discipline levels—all of which they perceived as harmful to their development. We found that doctoral students experienced forms of negative mentoring similar to those reported in workplace and undergraduate research settings, but they also experienced negative mentoring that was unique to academic research and their stage of development. Our results are useful to mentors for reflecting on ways their behaviors might be perceived, to mentees for avoiding situations that might be conducive to negative mentoring, and to programs and institutions for improving structures and processes to prevent negative mentoring. Our findings also serve as a foundation for future research on the prevalence and impacts of negative mentoring experiences in graduate education.
A Short Measure of Acceptability of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Development and Validation of the A-IPVAW-8 Scale

Attitudes of acceptability of intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) are considered one of the main risk factors of this type of violence. The aim of this study is to develop and validate a short version of the acceptability of IPVAW scale, the A-IPVAW-8, for large scale studies where space and time are limited. A panel of experts were asked to assess item content validity. Two samples were recruited to assemble an 8-item short version of the scale using automated test assembly, and to reassess the psychometric properties of the A-IPVAW-8 in an independent sample. Results showed that the A-IPVAW-8 had adequate internal consistency (α = .72-.76, ω = .73-.81), a stable one-factor latent structure (comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.94, Tucker–Lewis index = 0.92, root mean square error of approximation = 0.077), validity evidences based on its relationships to other variables in both samples, and was also invariant across gender (ΔCFI < |0.02|). This study provides a short, easy-to-use tool to evaluate attitudes of acceptability of IPVAW for large scale studies.