Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diabetes Self-care Activities and Their Relation with Glycemic Control in Patients Presenting to The Indus Hospital, Karachi

Introduction Nowadays, chronic conditions are increasing globally, stressing on self-management and patients' responsibility toward recognizing and resolving issues related to their illness. Diabetes is also a chronic illness, and diabetes-related self-care activities have been shown to be promising towards preventing its complications and achieving optimal glycemic control. Objective 1) To assess the association between glycemic control and diabetes-related self-care activities 2) To evaluate the association of patients' sociodemographic characteristics with diabetes-related self-care activities 3) To examine the impact of patients' sociodemographic characteristics on glycemic control Materials and methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at The Indus Hospital Karachi from February 2019 to July 2019. A total of 288 patients of both genders, age ≥18 years, having type 2 diabetes mellitus with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) done within the last three months from the interview date were enrolled in the study using a non-probability consecutive sampling technique. Whereas patients not giving consent for participation in the study, ICU admitted patients, critically ill patients, pregnant women, comatose, patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, coexisting and chronic liver disease were excluded from the study. Results Majority of the patients were female (n=209; 72.6%) and had uncontrolled glycemic control (n=235; 81.6%). Furthermore, less than half of the patients had inadequate diabetes-related self-care activities (n=140; 48.6%). The Mean ± SD of age was 51.9±10.2 years. The significantly higher proportion of patients who have had a duration of illness and treatment ≥3 years had uncontrolled diabetes but adequate diabetes-related self-care activities. Moreover, there was no association between diabetes-related self-care activities and glycemic control. Conclusion There was no significant relationship between diabetes-related self-care activities and glycemic control. Moreover, a higher proportion of patients with a longer duration of diabetes (≥3 years) had poor glycemic control but adequate diabetes-related self-care activities.
The Effect of Zinc, Selenium, and Their Combined Supplementation on Androgen Receptor Protein Expression in the Prostate Lobes and Serum Steroid Hormone Concentrations of Wistar Rats

Background: Zinc (Zn) and selenium (Se) play a well-documented role in cancer prevention (e.g., for prostate cancer), and their combined supplementation is often given as a recommended prophylactic agent. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of Zn and/or Se supplementation on the androgen receptor (AR) in the prostate lobes and the serum selected hormone concentrations; a hitherto unresearched topic. Methods: Male rats (n = 84) were administered with Zn and/or Se intragastrically for up to 90 days. The effects of administration on the tested parameters were checked after 30 and 90 days of administration and additionally, 90 days after the end of 90 day administration. Results: Zn alone leads to an increase in serum testosterone concentrations, while the protein expression of AR in both parts of the prostate increases. Combined administration of Zn and Se eliminates the effect of Zn, which may suggest that these two elements act antagonistically. Se supplementation alone results in the same level of AR protein expression in administration and 90 days after administration periods. Conclusion: This paper presents the first report of the influence of Zn and/or Se supplementation on the protein expression of AR in the prostate. Our findings seem to indicate that simultaneous supplementation of both elements may be ineffective.
Strong Biomimetic Immobilization of Pt-Particle Catalyst on ABS Substrate Using Polydopamine and Its Application for Contact-Lens Cleaning with H2O2

Polydopamine (PDA)—a known adhesive coating material—was used herein to strongly immobilize a Pt-particle catalyst on an acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene copolymer (ABS) substrate. Previous studies have shown that the poor adhesion between Pt particles and ABS surfaces is a considerable problem, leading to low catalytic durability for H2O2 decomposition during contact-lens cleaning. First, the ABS substrate was coated with PDA, and the PDA film was evaluated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Second, Pt particles were immobilized on the PDA-coated ABS substrate (ABS-PDA) using the electron-beam irradiation reduction method. The Pt particles immobilized on ABS-PDA (Pt/ABS-PDA) were observed using a scanning electron microscope. The Pt-loading weight was measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy. Third, the catalytic activity of the Pt/ABS-PDA was evaluated as the residual H2O2 concentration after immersing it in a 35,000-ppm H2O2 solution (the target value was less than 100 ppm). The catalytic durability was evaluated as the residual H2O2 concentration after repeated use. The PDA coating drastically improved both the catalytic activity and durability because of the high Pt-loading weight and strong adhesion among Pt particles, PDA, and the ABS substrate. Plasma treatment prior to PDA coating further improved the catalytic durability.
Interventions and Operations 5 Years After Bariatric Surgery in a Cohort From the US National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network Bariatric Study.

Importance Additional data comparing longer-term problems associated with various bariatric surgical procedures are needed for shared decision-making. Objective To compare the risks of intervention, operation, endoscopy, hospitalization, and mortality up to 5 years after 2 bariatric surgical procedures. Design, Setting, and Participants Adults who underwent Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) or sleeve gastrectomy (SG) between January 1, 2005, and September 30, 2015, within the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network. Data from 33 560 adults at 10 centers within 4 clinical data research networks were included in this cohort study. Information was extracted from electronic health records using a common data model and linked to insurance claims and mortality indices. Analyses were conducted from January 2018 through October 2019. Exposures Bariatric surgical procedures. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was time until operation or intervention. Secondary outcomes included endoscopy, hospitalization, and mortality rates. Results Of 33 560 adults, 18 056 (54%) underwent RYGB, and 15 504 (46%) underwent SG. The median (interquartile range) follow-up for operation or intervention was 3.4 (1.6-5.0) years for RYGB and 2.2 (0.9-3.6) years for SG. The overall mean (SD) patient age was 45.0 (11.5) years, and the overall mean (SD) patient body mass index was 49.1 (7.9). The cohort was composed predominantly of women (80%) and white individuals (66%), with 26% of Hispanic ethnicity. Operation or intervention was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.65-0.79; P < .001). The estimated, adjusted cumulative incidence rates of operation or intervention at 5 years were 8.94% (95% CI, 8.23%-9.65%) for SG and 12.27% (95% CI, 11.49%-13.05%) for RYGB. Hospitalization was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.78-0.87; P < .001), and the 5-year adjusted cumulative incidence rates were 32.79% (95% CI, 31.62%-33.94%) for SG and 38.33% (95% CI, 37.17%-39.46%) for RYGB. Endoscopy was less likely for SG than for RYGB (hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.43-0.52; P < .001), and the adjusted cumulative incidence rates at 5 years were 7.80% (95% CI, 7.15%-8.43%) for SG and 15.83% (95% CI, 14.94%-16.71%) for RYGB. There were no differences in all-cause mortality between SG and RYGB. Conclusions and Relevance Interventions, operations, and hospitalizations were relatively common after bariatric surgical procedures and were more often associated with RYGB than SG. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02741674.
Phthalocyanine-Cored Fluorophores with Fluorene-Containing Peripheral Two-Photon Antennae as Photosensitizers for Singlet Oxygen Generation

A series of free base and Zn(II) phthalocyanines featuring fluorenyl antennae linked by methoxy or oxo bridges to the phthalocyanine core (Pc) were synthesized and characterized. Selected linear and nonlinear (two-photon absorption) optical properties of these new compounds were subsequently studied. As previously observed for related porphyrin dendrimers bearing 2-fluorenyl peripheral dendrons, an efficient energy transfer occurs from the peripheral antennae to the central phthalocyanine core following excitation in the fluorenyl-based π–π* absorption band of these chromophores. Once excited, these compounds relax to the ground state, mostly by emitting intense red light or by undergoing intersystem crossing. As a result, the tetrafunctionalized Zn(II) phthalocyanines are fluorescent, but can also efficiently photosensitize molecular oxygen in tetrahydrofurane (THF), forming singlet oxygen with nearly comparable yields to bare Zn(II) phthalocyanine (ZnPc). In comparison with the latter complex, the positive role of the fluorenyl-containing antennae on one- and two-photon brightness (2PA) is presently demonstrated when appended in peripheral (β) position to the phthalocyanine core. Furthermore, when compared to known porphyrin analogues, the interest in replacing the porphyrin by a phthalocyanine as the central core to obtain more fluorescent two-photon oxygen photosensitizers is clearly established. As such, this contribution paves the way for the future development of innovative biphotonic photosensitizers usable in theranostics.
Time to exhaustion during cycling is not well predicted by critical power calculations.

Three to five cycling tests to exhaustion allow prediction of time to exhaustion (TTE) at any power-output based on calculation of critical power (CP). We aimed to determine the accuracy of CP predictions of TTE at power-outputs habitually endured by cyclists. Fourteen endurance-trained male cyclists underwent 4 randomized cycle-ergometer TTE tests at power-outputs eliciting, i) mean Wingate anaerobic test (WAnTmean), ii) VO2max, iii) respiratory compensation threshold (VT2) and iv) maximal lactate steady state (MLSS). Tests were conducted in duplicate with coefficient of variation of 5-9%. Power-outputs were 710±63 W for WAnTmean, 366±26 W for VO2max, 302±31 W for VT2 and 247±20 W for MLSS. Corresponding TTE were 00:29 ± 00:06, 03:23±00:45, 11:29±05:07 and 76:05±13:53 mm:ss, respectively. Power-output associated with CP was only 2% lower than MLSS (242±19 vs. 247±20 W; P<0.001). The CP predictions overestimated TTE at WAnTmean (00:24 ± 00:10 mm:ss) and MLSS (04:41 ± 11:47 mm:ss), underestimated TTE at VT2 (-04:18 ± 03:20 mm:ss; P<0.05) and correctly predicted TTE at VO2max. In summary, CP accurately predicts MLSS power-output and TTE at VO2max. However, it should not be used to estimate time to exhaustion in trained cyclists at higher or lower power-outputs (e.g., sprints and 40 km time trials). Novelty bullets: • Critical power (CP) calculation enables to predict time to exhaustion (TTE) at any cycling power-output • We tested those predictions against measured TTE in a wide range of cycling power-outputs. • CP appropriately predicted TTE at VO2max intensity but err at higher and lower cycling power-outputs.
Ethical decision-making in biopharmaceutical research and development: applying values using the TRIP & TIPP model

ABSTRACT “Values-based decision-making” frameworks and models are widely described in the literature in various disciplines, including healthcare settings. However, there is a paucity of literature on the application of systematic methods or models in the biopharmaceutical research and development (R&D) field of drugs, vaccines, and immunotherapeutics. In this report, we describe our model that uses company values along with framing questions in a five-step process to guide ethical decisions in the vaccines R&D context. The model uniquely supports practical prospective decision-making: employees are engaged as moral agents applying values and principles to guide their decision in a specific situation. We illustrate, by way of case studies, how the model is being used in practice. The consistent application of company values during decision-making calls upon employees to use their judgment, therefore reducing the need for the organization to systematically generate written instructions. Finally, we report on preliminary results of model adoption by teams within our organization, discuss its limitations and likely future contribution. We applied our model within a vaccines R&D context and believe its use can be extended to other areas where business-related decisions impact patients.
Effect of 15 BMI-Associated Polymorphisms, Reported for Europeans, across Ethnicities and Degrees of Amerindian Ancestry in Mexican Children

In Mexico, the genetic mechanisms underlying childhood obesity are poorly known. We evaluated the effect of loci, known to be associated with childhood body mass index (BMI) in Europeans, in Mexican children from different ethnic groups. We performed linear and logistic analyses of BMI and obesity, respectively, in Mestizos and Amerindians (Seris, Yaquis and Nahuatl speakers) from Northern (n = 369) and Central Mexico (n = 8545). We used linear models to understand the effect of degree of Amerindian ancestry (AMA) and genetic risk score (GRS) on BMI z-score. Northern Mexican Mestizos showed the highest overweight-obesity prevalence (47.4%), followed by Seri (36.2%) and Central Mexican (31.5%) children. Eleven loci (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2/rs13130484, FAIM2/rs7132908, FAM120AOS/rs944990, LMX1B/rs3829849, ADAM23/rs13387838, HOXB5/rs9299) were associated with BMI and seven (SEC16B/rs543874, OLFM4/rs12429545/rs9568856, FTO/rs9939609, MC4R/rs6567160, GNPDA2 rs13130484, LMX1B/rs3829849) were associated with obesity in Central Mexican children. One SNP was associated with obesity in Northern Mexicans and Yaquis (SEC16B/rs543874). We found higher BMI z-score at higher GRS (β = 0.11, p = 0.2 × 10−16) and at lower AMA (β = −0.05, p = 6.8 × 10−7). The GRS interacts with AMA to increase BMI (β = 0.03, p = 6.08 × 10−3). High genetic BMI susceptibility increase the risk of higher BMI, including in Amerindian children.
Oxygen and ROS in Photosynthesis

Oxygen is a natural acceptor of electrons in the respiratory pathway of aerobic organisms and in many other biochemical reactions. Aerobic metabolism is always associated with the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS may damage biomolecules but are also involved in regulatory functions of photosynthetic organisms. This review presents the main properties of ROS, the formation of ROS in the photosynthetic electron transport chain and in the stroma of chloroplasts, and ROS scavenging systems of thylakoid membrane and stroma. Effects of ROS on the photosynthetic apparatus and their roles in redox signaling are discussed.
Characterization of the Gut Microbiota of Individuals at Different T2D Stages Reveals a Complex Relationship with the Host

In this work, we studied 217 Mexican subjects divided into six groups with different stages of glucose intolerance: 76 Controls (CO), 54 prediabetes (PRE), 14 T2D no medication (T2D−No−M), 14 T2D with Metformin (T2D−M), 22 T2D with polypharmacy (T2D−P), and 37 T2D with polypharmacy and insulin (T2D−P+I). We aimed to determine differences in the gut microbiota diversity for each condition. At the phylum level, we found that Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes outline major changes in the gut microbiota. The gut bacterial richness and diversity of individuals in the T2D−No−M group were lesser than other groups. Interestingly, we found a significant difference in the beta diversity of the gut microbiota among all groups. Higher abundance was found for Comamonadaceae in PRE, and Sutterella spp. in T2D−No−M. In addition, we found associations of specific microbial taxa with clinical parameters. Finally, we report predicted metabolic pathways of gut microbiota linked to T2D−M and PRE conditions. Collectively, these results indicate that each group has specific predicted metabolic characteristics and gut bacteria populations for each phenotype. The results of this study could be used to define strategies to modulate gut microbiota through noninvasive treatments, such as dietary intervention, probiotics or prebiotics, and to improve glucose tolerance of individuals with prediabetes or T2D.
Integrative Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analyses of Molecular Mechanism Responding to Salt Stress during Seed Germination in Hulless Barley

Hulless barley (Hordeum vulgare L. var. nudum) is one of the most important crops in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Soil salinity seriously affects its cultivation. To investigate the mechanism of salt stress response during seed germination, two contrasting hulless barley genotypes were selected to first investigate the molecular mechanism of seed salinity response during the germination stage using RNA-sequencing and isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation technologies. Compared to the salt-sensitive landrace lk621, the salt-tolerant one lk573 germinated normally under salt stress. The changes in hormone contents also differed between lk621 and lk573. In lk573, 1597 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 171 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were specifically detected at 4 h after salt stress, and correspondingly, 2748 and 328 specifically detected at 16 h. Most specific DEGs in lk573 were involved in response to oxidative stress, biosynthetic process, protein localization, and vesicle-mediated transport, and most specific DEPs were assigned to an oxidation-reduction process, carbohydrate metabolic process, and protein phosphorylation. There were 96 genes specifically differentially expressed at both transcriptomic and proteomic levels in lk573. These results revealed the molecular mechanism of salt tolerance and provided candidate genes for further study and salt-tolerant improvement in hulless barley.
Validation of Nanoparticle Response to the Sound Pressure Effect during the Drug-Delivery Process

Intravenous delivery is the fastest conventional method of delivering drugs to their targets in seconds, whereas intramuscular and subcutaneous injections provide a slower continuous delivery of drugs. In recent years, nanoparticle-based drug-delivery systems have gained considerable attention. During the progression of nanoparticles into the blood, the sound waves generated by the particles create acoustic pressure that affects the movement of nanoparticles. To overcome this issue, the impact of sound pressure levels on the development of nanoparticles was studied herein. In addition, a composite nanostructure was developed using different types of nanoscale substances to overcome the effect of sound pressure levels in the drug-delivery process. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed nanostructure based on a group of different nanoparticles. This study suggests five materials, namely, polyimide, acrylic plastic, Aluminum 3003-H18, Magnesium AZ31B, and polysilicon for the design of the proposed structure. The best results were obtained in the case of the movement of these molecules at lower frequencies. The performance of acrylic plastic is better than other materials; the sound pressure levels reached minimum values at frequencies of 1, 10, 20, and 60 nHz. Furthermore, an experimental setup was designed to validate the proposed idea using advanced biomedical imaging technologies. The experimental results demonstrate the possibilities of detecting, tracking, and evaluating the movement behaviors of nanoparticles. The experimental results also demonstrate that the lowest sound pressure levels were observed at lower frequency levels, thus proving the validity of the proposed computational model assumptions. The outcome of this study will pave the way to understand the interaction behaviors of nanoparticles with the surrounding biological environments, including the sound pressure effect, which could lead to the useof such an effect in facilitating directional and tactic movements of the micro- and nano-motors.
Faecal Glucocorticoid Metabolites and H/L Ratio Are Related Markers of Stress in Semi-Captive Asian Timber Elephants

Simple Summary Animals are kept in captivity for various reasons worldwide. Throughout its range countries, the Asian elephant is used for various purposes, with a significant proportion of the remaining population working as draft and transport animals in the timber industry. However, captivity can also lead to compromises in welfare that need to be quantified for successful intervention. A key way of assessing an animal’s well-being in wildlife and zoo biology is to measure its stress. Previous studies have found positive, negative, or no relationship between two commonly used measures of stress: stress hormones and the ratio of two types of white blood cells—heterophils to lymphocytes. Our study is one of the first to show a positive and consistent link between these two measures in semi-captive Asian elephants from Myanmar, irrespective of sex, age, or environmental context. Our results show that using the heterophil/lymphocyte ratio from blood smears on-site may offer a potentially cheaper and faster way to determine stress than measuring faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in the laboratory. Abstract Animals are kept in captivity for various reasons, but species with a slower pace of life may adapt to captive environments less easily, leading to welfare concerns and the need to assess stress reliably in order to develop effective interventions. Our aim was to assess welfare of semi-captive timber elephants from Myanmar by investigating the relationship between two physiological markers of stress commonly used as proxies for welfare, faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations (FGM) and heterophil/lymphocyte ratios (H/L), and link these measures to changes in body condition (determined by body weight). We further assessed how robustly these two markers of stress performed in animals of different age or sex, or in different ecological contexts. We measured FGM concentrations and H/L ratios between 2016 and 2018 from 316 samples of 75 females and 49 males ranging in age from 4 to 68. We found a positive and consistent link between FGMs and H/L ratios in Asian elephants, irrespective of their sex, age, or ecological context. Our results will help to inform managers of (semi-) captive elephants about using heterophil/lymphocyte ratio data from blood smears on site as a potentially cheaper and faster alternative to determining stress than measuring faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations in the laboratory.
Sensor Technologies to Manage the Physiological Traits of Chronic Pain: A Review

Non-oncologic chronic pain is a common high-morbidity impairment worldwide and acknowledged as a condition with significant incidence on quality of life. Pain intensity is largely perceived as a subjective experience, what makes challenging its objective measurement. However, the physiological traces of pain make possible its correlation with vital signs, such as heart rate variability, skin conductance, electromyogram, etc., or health performance metrics derived from daily activity monitoring or facial expressions, which can be acquired with diverse sensor technologies and multisensory approaches. As the assessment and management of pain are essential issues for a wide range of clinical disorders and treatments, this paper reviews different sensor-based approaches applied to the objective evaluation of non-oncological chronic pain. The space of available technologies and resources aimed at pain assessment represent a diversified set of alternatives that can be exploited to address the multidimensional nature of pain.