Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emergence delirium in children undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia

Emergence delirium is a well‐described complication in pediatric anesthesia, occurring more often following short surgical procedures using volatile anesthetics with a rapid recovery profile. Dental extractions and conservation dentistry are commonly performed in children and are not painful postoperatively. The use of nerve blocks and local anesthetic infiltration intraoperatively limits nociception and obviates the need for opioids, allowing for more objective assessment of emergence delirium.
Initial Survival and Development of Planted European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and Small-Leaved Lime (Tilia cordata Mill.) Seedlings Competing with Black Cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.)

Black cherry (Prunus serotina Ehrh.) is considered one of the most invasive tree species in central Europe and causes problems for both nature conservation and silviculture. Besides mechanical control treatments, a suggested control method to prevent its ongoing spread is to underplant shade-tolerant native tree species. Therefore, we combined two mechanical treatments, with underplanting of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) or small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata Mill.) on fenced and unfenced plots. After the first growing season, survival rates were evaluated, and selected seedlings were destructively harvested to analyze their growth performance and leaf morphology in association with the different light regimes resulting from mechanical treatments Survival rates for both seedlings were very high (>95%). Survival rates were higher on fenced plots than on unfenced plots, most likely as result of browsing. The mortality of F. sylvatica decreased with increasing light availability on fenced plots. The mortality of T. cordata did not change along the light gradient. After one vegetation period no differences with respect to biomass allocation could be detected along the light gradient. However, the specific leaf areas of both species responded similarly, decreasing with increasing light availability. In summary, both species were able to establish and survive in the dense P. serotina understory and might have the potential to outcompete the invasive alien species in the long run.
Inhibitory Effects of Dronedarone on Small Conductance Calcium Activated Potassium Channels in Patients with Chronic Atrial Fibrillation: Comparison to Amiodarone

Background Dysfunction of small conductance calcium activated potassium (SK) channels plays a vital role in atrial arrhythmogenesis. Amiodarone and dronedarone are the most effective class III antiarrhythmic drugs. It is unclear whether the antiarrhythmic effect of amiodarone and dronedarone is related to SK channel inhibition. Material/Methods Tissue samples were obtained from the right atria of 46 patients with normal sinus rhythm and 39 patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Isolated atrial myocytes were obtained by enzymatic dissociation. KCNN2 (SK2) channels were transiently expressed in human embryonic kidney (HEK)-293 cells. SK currents were recorded using whole-cell conventional patch clamp techniques. Results Amiodarone and dronedarone showed a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect on SK currents (IKAS) in atrial myocytes from normal sinus rhythm patients and chronic atrial fibrillation patients. The suppressed efficacy of dronedarone and amiodarone on IKAS was greater in atrial myocytes from chronic atrial fibrillation patients than that from normal sinus rhythm patients. Furthermore, in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation, the IC50 value was 2.42 μM with dronedarone and 8.03 μM with amiodarone. In HEK-293 cells with transiently transfected SK2 channels, both dronedarone and amiodarone had a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on IKAS. The IC50 value was 1.7 μM with dronedarone and 7.2 μM with amiodarone in cells from patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Compared to amiodarone, dronedarone is more efficacy to inhibit IKAS and could be a potential intervention for patients with chronic atrial fibrillation. Conclusions Dronedarone provides a great degree of IKAS inhibition in atrial myocytes from chronic atrial fibrillation than amiodarone. IKAS might be a potential target of amiodarone and dronedarone for the management of chronic atrial fibrillation.
Neurobiological influence of comorbid conditions in young patients diagnosed with gaming disorder: A whole-brain functional connectivity study based on a data driven method

Gaming disorder, which is characterized by multiple cognitive and behavioral symptoms, often has comorbid psychiatric conditions such as depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Neurobiological effects of the comorbid disorders so far reported are not converging, exhibiting positive and negative alterations of the connectivity in brain networks. In this study, we conducted resting-state functional magnetic-resonance imaging and whole brain functional connectivity analyses for young participants consisting of 40 patients diagnosed with the gaming disorder, with and without comorbid conditions, and 29 healthy controls. Compared to healthy controls, the gaming disorder-alone patients had partially diminished connectivities in the reward system and executive control network, within which there existed central nodes that served as a hub of diminished connections. In the gaming disorder patients who had comorbidity of autism spectrum disorder, the diminished connections were enlarged, with alteration of the hub nodes, to the entire brain areas involved in the reward system including cortical, subcortical and limbic areas that are crucial for reward processing, and to the whole cortical areas composing the executive control network. These observations suggest that the neurodevelopmental condition coexisting with the gaming disorder induced substantial impairment of the neural organizations associated with executive/cognitive and emotional functions, which are plausibly causal to the behavioral addiction, by rearranging and diminishing functional connectivities in the network.
Damage to saplings in mechanized selection cutting in uneven-aged Norway spruce stands

Abstract Damage to 0.5–2.5 m saplings in selection cuttings in uneven-aged Norway spruce stands was studied in three stands in Finland. Harvest removals were 96–122 m3ha−1 or 32–41% of initial basal area. Harvesting was carried out with one-grip harvester and forwarder in March–April 2007. The strip road network had been established in previous cuttings. Before harvesting, trees higher than 2.5 m were measured and mapped with coordinates. Saplings 0.5–2.5 m were measured on circular sample plots of 10 m2 on a square grid, where line and plot intervals were 7.07 m. Trees to remove were selected with a computerized tree selection procedure and marked before cutting. Factors affecting the probability and severity of injury to an individual sapling were studied with logistic regression models. Percentage of injured saplings was 17.6, 29.8, and 61.0%, depending on study stand. Stem breakage was the most common type of injury. Distance of the sapling from the nearest strip road, sapling height, harvested basal area within 25 m of the sapling, and the distance to the nearest remaining tree were statistically significant factors in the model of the probability of injury. In the model for the severity of injury, only the distance from the nearest strip road and the sapling height were significant. Saplings near strip roads were vulnerable during both cutting and forwarding, and they often ended up under slash or logs. Development in working methods and machinery are potentially effective in reducing sapling damage in selection cuttings.
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Treatment of Tinnitus: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the treatment efficacy of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in patients with tinnitus. DATA SOURCES PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched for the following concepts: "Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation" and "Tinnitus. " STUDY SELECTION Inclusion: 1) double- or single-blinded randomized controlled trials; 2) double- or single-blinded randomized comparison trials; 3) prospective or retrospective observational studies; and 4) case series. Exclusion: Non-English studies, nonhuman studies, case reports (n ≤ 5), and review articles. DATA EXTRACTION Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI), the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and perceived tinnitus suppression after treatment. Additional data collected included tinnitus laterality, duration of symptoms, location of electrode placement, time to follow-up, etiology of tinnitus, and treatment side effects. DATA SYNTHESIS The literature search yielded 2941 unique articles. After reviewing 118 full-text articles, 17 studies reporting on 1,215 patients were included for final analysis. Four studies provided data available for meta-analysis of pre- and posttreatment THI and VAS (Cochrane Review Manager). TENS showed significant overall reduction on THI (-7.55 [-10.93 to -4.18], p < 0.0001) and VAS (-0.65 [-0.99 to -0.30], p < 0.0002). Subjective improvement of tinnitus was pooled across 13 studies using meta-analysis of proportions (MedCalc). Tinnitus suppression occurred in 40.0% [28.9-51.7%] patients. Among those who responded, 22.2% [12.2-29.7%] experienced complete suppression and 10.2% [0.2-31.9%] experienced persistent improvement at 3 months. CONCLUSIONS TENS represents a safe and feasible treatment option for tinnitus and might be a worthy consideration among the spectrum of interventions developed for tinnitus.
Kappa Free Light Chains and IgG Combined in a Novel Algorithm for the Detection of Multiple Sclerosis

Background: It is well known that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of free light chains (FLC) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) are elevated in multiple sclerosis patients (MS). Therefore, in this study we aimed to develop a model based on the concentrations of free light chains and IgG to predict multiple sclerosis. We tried to evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of the novel κIgG index and λIgG index, here presented for the first time, and compare them with the κFLC index and the λFLC index in multiple sclerosis patients. Methods: CSF and serum samples were obtained from 76 subjects who underwent lumbar puncture for diagnostic purposes and, as a result, were divided into two groups: patients with multiple sclerosis (n = 34) and patients with other neurological disorders (control group; n = 42). The samples were analyzed using turbidimetry and isoelectric focusing. The κIgG index, λIgG index, κFLC index, and λFLC index were calculated using specific formulas. Results: The concentrations of CSF κFLC, CSF λFLC, and serum κFLC and the values of κFLC index, λFLC index, and κIgG index were significantly higher in patients with multiple sclerosis compared to controls. CSF κFLC concentration and the values of κFLC index, λFLC index, and κIgG index differed in patients depending on their pattern type of oligoclonal bands. κFLC concentration was significantly higher in patients with pattern type 2 and type 3 in comparison to those with pattern type 1 and type 4. The κFLC index, λFLC index, and κIgG index were significantly higher in patients with pattern type 2 in comparison to those with pattern type 4. The κFLC index and κIgG index were significantly higher in patients with pattern type 2 in comparison to those with pattern type 1, and in patients with pattern type 3 compared to those with pattern type 4. The κIgG index was markedly elevated in patients with pattern type 3 compared to those with pattern type 1. In the total study group, κFLC, λFLC, κFLC index, λFLC index, κIgG index, and λIgG index correlated with each other. The κIgG index showed the highest diagnostic power (area under the curve, AUC) in the detection of multiple sclerosis. The κFLC index and κIgG index showed the highest diagnostic sensitivity, and the κIgG index presented the highest ability to exclude multiple sclerosis. Conclusion: This study provides novel information about the diagnostic significance of four markers combined in the κIgG index. More investigations in larger study groups are needed to confirm that the κIgG index can reflect the intrathecal synthesis of immunoglobulins and may improve the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis.
Inbreeding and disease avoidance in a free‐ranging koala population

Habitat destruction and fragmentation are increasing globally, forcing surviving species into small, isolated populations. Isolated populations typically experience heightened inbreeding risk and associated inbreeding depression and population decline; although individuals in these populations may mitigate these risks through inbreeding avoidance strategies. For koalas, as dietary specialists already under threat in the northern parts of their range, increased habitat fragmentation and associated inbreeding costs are of great conservation concern. Koalas are known to display passive inbreeding avoidance through sex‐biased dispersal, although population isolation will reduce dispersal pathways. We tested whether free‐ranging koalas display active inbreeding avoidance behaviours. We used VHF tracking data, parentage reconstruction, and veterinary examination results to test whether free‐ranging female koalas avoid mating with (a) more closely related males; and (b) males infected with sexually transmitted Chlamydia pecorum. We found no evidence that female koalas avoid mating with relatively more related available mates. In fact, as the relatedness of potential mates increases, so did inbreeding events. We also found no evidence that female koalas can avoid mating with males infected with C. pecorum. The absence of active inbreeding avoidance mechanisms in koalas is concerning from a conservation perspective, as small, isolated populations may be at even higher risk of inbreeding depression than expected. At risk koala populations may require urgent conservation interventions to augment gene flow and reduce inbreeding risks. Similarly, if koalas are not avoiding mating with individuals with chlamydial disease, populations may be at higher risk from disease than anticipated, further impacting population viability.
Density-dependent and -independent effects on the joint use of space by predators and prey in terrestrial arthropod food-webs

The spatial distribution of predators and their prey is affected by their joint use of space. While the formation of such spatial patterns may be driven by density-dependent and -independent factors our knowledge on the contribution of different land-use activities on the formation of spatial patterns between predators and prey remains very limited. Agriculture is one of the most prevailing land-use activities with strong effects on invertebrate densities and structural habitat conditions. Here, we used replicated conventionally and organically managed winter wheat fields to investigate the effects of agricultural land-use on the spatial patterns of generalist predators and decomposer prey. We then identified the explanatory power of density-dependent (prey and predator activity density) and density-independent (vegetation structure) predictors for the observed spatial patterns. Generalist predators were regularly distributed only in conventionally managed fields and this pattern intensified with decreasing Collembola prey availability and increasing spider activity density. Segregation between carabid and spider predators was strongest in fields with lowest wheat plant height, suggesting more intense intraguild interactions in structurally less complex habitats. Collembola were aggregated independent of management and aggregation was strongest in fields with highest Collembola and carabid activity density. Spiders and Collembola prey were associated, but higher aphid densities under conventional management weakened or interrupted this spatial relationship. We conclude that active control of crop plant physiognomy by growth hormones and herbicides in conventionally managed fields promotes predator–predator segregation and that a high availability of aphid prey seems to decouple predator–Collembola prey associations. Our results emphasise the need for a more mechanistic understanding of the effects of land-use on the formation of spatial patterns and species interactions, especially under scenarios of environmental change and an ongoing loss of biodiversity.
Nurses’ Perceptions of Professional Practice Environment and Its Relation to Missed Nursing Care and Nurse Satisfaction

The professional practice environment is a factor that can have a significant impact on missed nursing care. The study aimed to find a relationship between nurses’ perceptions of their professional practice environment and missed nursing care and job satisfaction. An additional aim was to find differences in nurses’ perceived rating of the professional practice environment according to hospital location and job position. A descriptive correlational study was performed. The sample included 513 general and practical nurses providing direct care in nine Czech hospitals. The Revised Professional Practice Environment scale and the Missed Nursing Care (MISSCARE) survey were used to collect data. The professional practice environment was most correlated with satisfaction with the current position (0.4879). The overall score of missed care correlated most strongly with the subscale “staff relationships” (−0.2774). Statistically significant differences in the rating of two subscales, “control over practice” and “cultural sensitivity”, were found between nurses from hospitals in district capitals and those from hospitals in smaller cities. Statistically significant differences in the rating of the “leadership and autonomy in clinical practice” and “teamwork” subscales were found between general nurses and practical nurses. The professional practice environment is related to nurse satisfaction and missed nursing care.
Quantifying microbial growth and carbon use efficiency in dry soil environments via 18O water vapor equilibration

Soil microbial physiology controls large fluxes of C to the atmosphere, thus, improving our ability to accurately quantify microbial physiology in soil is essential. However, current methods to determine microbial C metabolism require liquid water addition, which makes it practically impossible to measure microbial physiology in dry soil samples without stimulating microbial growth and respiration (namely, the “Birch effect”). We developed a new method based on in vivo 18O‐water vapor equilibration to minimize soil rewetting effects. This method allows the isotopic labeling of soil water without direct liquid water addition. This was compared to the main current method (direct 18O‐liquid water addition) in moist and air‐dry soils. We determined the time kinetics and calculated the average 18O enrichment of soil water over incubation time, which is necessary to calculate microbial growth from 18O incorporation in genomic DNA. We tested isotopic equilibration patterns in three natural and six artificially constructed soils covering a wide range of soil texture and soil organic matter content. We then measured microbial growth, respiration and carbon use efficiency (CUE) in three natural soils (either air‐dry or moist). The proposed 18O‐vapor equilibration method provided similar results as the current method of liquid 18O‐water addition when used for moist soils. However, when applied to air‐dry soils the liquid 18O‐water addition method overestimated growth by up to 250%, respiration by up to 500%, and underestimated CUE by up to 40%. We finally describe the new insights into biogeochemical cycling of C that the new method can help uncover, and we consider a range of questions regarding microbial physiology and its response to global change that can now be addressed.
Ferric citrate in the management of hyperphosphataemia and iron deficiency anaemia: A meta‐analysis in patients with chronic kidney disease

Phosphate‐lowering effects of ferric citrate were reported in several clinical trials, but mostly in small‐scale studies. The aim of this meta‐analysis was to investigate the efficacy and safety of ferric citrate in controlling hyperphosphataemia and iron‐deficiency anaemia in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients.
Designing mixed H2/H∞ structure specified controllers using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm

This paper proposes an efficient method for designing accurate structure-specified mixed H2/H∞ optimal controllers for systems with uncertainties and disturbance using particle swarm (PSO) algorithm. It is designed to find a suitable controller that minimizes the performance index of error signal subject to an unequal constraint on the norm of the closed-loop system. Although the mixed H2/H∞ for the output feedback approach control is considered as a robust and optimal control technique, the design process normally comes up with a complex and non-convex optimization problem, which is difficult to solve by the conventional optimization methods. The PSO can efficiently solve design problems of multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) optimal control systems, which is very suitable for practical engineering designs. It is used to search for parameters of a structure-specified controller, which satisfies mixed performance index. The simulation and experimental results show high feasibility, robustness and practical value compared with the conventional proportional-integral-derivative (PID) and proportional-Integral (PI) controller, and the proposed algorithm is also more efficient compared with the genetic algorithm (GA).
An Optimized Protocol of Single Spore Isolation for Fungi

Abstract Pure culture is important for taxonomic, physiological and various application studies of fungi. Many protocols for obtaining pure cultures have been reported, of which single spore isolation was used most frequently in mycological studies. However, previously reported methods were relatively complicated and time consuming. In this paper, an optimized protocol of single spore isolation is introduced. Compared to previous protocols, this protocol is favorable in terms of its lower contamination rate, is less time consuming, and requires only simplified procedures with common and easily accessible apparatus.
Acute Hyperglycemia and Spatial Working Memory in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of acute hyperglycemia on brain function in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Twenty participants with T1D (aged 14.64 ± 1.78 years) and 20 age-matched healthy control subjects (aged 14.40 ± 2.82 years) performed two functional MRI sessions. Participants with T1D performed the first scanning session under euglycemic and the second under hyperglycemic clamp (20 mmol/L [360 mg/dL]). RESULTS Lower spatial working memory (sWM) capacity during acute hyperglycemia and significant differences in activation of regions of interest during different stages of the sWM task (P = 0.014) were observed. CONCLUSIONS Acute hyperglycemia negatively affected sWM capacity in adolescents with T1D, which is relevant for daily functioning and academic performance.
Thinking outside the (acrylic) box: a framework for the local use of custom‐made medical devices

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, clinicians were already adept at creating workarounds for day-to-day shortages of equipment, inventively cobbling together substitute gadgets together to fulfil a clinical need. This is colloquially known as 'jury-rigging' or 'MacGyvering', the latter taken from the eponymous 1980s television series of a problem-solving crime fighter who could seemingly manufacture anything from a few paperclips and some chewing gum [1].