Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea among hypertensive patients: A multisite cross‐sectional survey study in Taiwan

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To investigate the distribution and risk factors associated with undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea among hypertensive patients. BACKGROUND Obstructive sleep Apnoea has been deemed a cardinal risk factor affecting cardiovascular event, and the condition is still frequently overlooked clinically. The lack of advanced diagnosis often causes hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnoea to miss opportunities for preventing chronic diseases. DESIGN A cross-sectional design. METHODS A total of 215 hypertensive participants were recruited from the cardiovascular outpatients of medical centre in northern and middle Taiwan. The Chinese version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Chinese version of the Epworth Sleep Scale and a portable sleep monitoring device were used for data collection. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors affecting hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnoea, and a multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to examine the major influence factors for each obstructive sleep apnoea severity level. RESULTS 81.9% of the hypertensive participants were found having obstructive sleep apnoea. Concerning to the obstructive sleep apnoea severity, 50.0% of participants had mild obstructive sleep apnoea. After controlling the confounding variables, the supine position (odds ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07), SO2 (odds ratio, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.89) and oxygen desaturation index (odds ratio, 2.70; 95% CI, 1.18-6.18) were significantly associated with obstructive sleep apnoea. Furthermore, severe obstructive sleep apnoea was significantly correlated with gender (odds ratio, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.00-0.66), excessive daytime sleepiness (odds ratio, 20.27; 95% CI, 1.58-26.97) and oxygen desaturation index (odds ratio, 4.05; 95% CI, 1.86-8.81). CONCLUSIONS Nearly 82% of the hypertensive participants were found having undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea, and 80% of them were mild or moderate severity. Oxygen desaturation index, SO2 and the supine position were found to be major predictors for obstructive sleep apnoea. Remarkably, oxygen desaturation index was the most significant predictor for mild, moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Healthcare providers should enhance their sensitivities to hypertensive patients at a high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea by actively assessing common obstructive sleep apnoea symptoms and providing strategies to alleviate obstructive sleep apnoea symptoms.
Family food insufficiency, but not low family income, is positively associated with dysthymia and suicide symptoms in adolescents.

Food insufficiency has been shown to be associated with poor health, academic and psychosocial outcomes in American children, but the relationship between food insufficiency and depressive disorders in U.S. adolescents has not been studied. Further, there are no national estimates of the prevalence of depressive disorders for U.S. adolescents, nor investigation of associations with sociodemographic characteristics using national data. Therefore, we analyzed data for 15- and 16-y-old adolescents from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III). Depressive disorders and suicidal symptoms were assessed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Adolescents were classified as "food insufficient" if a family respondent reported that the family sometimes or often did not have enough to eat. The prevalence of depression outcomes is reported by sociodemographic characteristics. Odds ratios for associations with food insufficiency are reported, adjusted for sociodemographic factors. Overall, lifetime prevalence of major depressive disorder was 6.3% and of dysthymia, 5.4%. Almost 5% of 15- to 16-y-old adolescents reported that they had ever attempted suicide and 38.8% reported at least one suicidal symptom. Female adolescents were significantly more likely than males to have had dysthymia, any depressive disorder and all symptoms of suicide. Low income adolescents were less likely to report suicide ideation than high income adolescents, but there were no other differences by family income. Food-insufficient adolescents were significantly more likely to have had dysthymia, thoughts of death, a desire to die and have attempted suicide. There is a strong association between food insufficiency and depressive disorder and suicidal symptoms in U.S. adolescents.
Lessons on nutrition of displaced people.

Policies for protecting the nutrition of displaced people (including refugees) have evolved significantly since the sharp increase in numbers began in the 1970s. Food supplies have often been grossly inadequate, probably contributing to the very high mortality rates and severe malnutrition observed in camps. These are related, in part, to low estimates of food energy needs, moving from the idea of "survival" rations (1200-1800 kcal/person/day) through "minimum" (1900 kcal) to a current target level, likely to be usually adequate, of 2100 kcal. Some donors aim to provide 2400 kcal to preclude the need for supplementary feeding. Micronutrient needs in food supplies have received less attention, despite reemerging epidemics of micronutrient deficiencies (e.g., scurvy, pellagra) in camp populations. Supplied commodity baskets are still not routinely designed to meet micronutrient needs. The relative roles of different feeding programs need clarification; therapeutic feeding in severe malnutrition is well established, although experience of supplementary feeding is mixed. Better information on nutrition, health and survival is now routinely available; in particular, using trigger levels of mortality rates (e.g., 1/10,000/day as a crisis) has helped enhance action. The existence of severe wasting in children is highly predictive of increased mortality and could be tested as a readily observed indicator. Overall, procedures for alleviating and preventing malnutrition have indeed improved, but much more slowly than the scientific basis could allow. A general conclusion is that learning lessons and applying them more quickly could still prevent much malnutrition and save many lives among displaced people.
Interferometric SAR DEMs for Forest Change in Uganda 2000-2012

Monitoring changes in forest height, biomass and carbon stock is important for understanding the drivers of forest change, clarifying the geography and magnitude of the fluxes of the global carbon budget and for providing input data to REDD+. The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of covering these monitoring needs using InSAR DEM changes over time and associated estimates of forest biomass change and corresponding net CO2 emissions. A wall-to-wall map of net forest change for Uganda with its tropical forests was derived from two Digital Elevation Model (DEM) datasets, namely the SRTM acquired in 2000 and TanDEM-X acquired around 2012 based on Interferometric SAR (InSAR) and based on the height of the phase center. Errors in the form of bias, as well as parallel lines and belts having a certain height shift in the SRTM DEM were removed, and the penetration difference between X- and C-band SAR into the forest canopy was corrected. On average, we estimated X-band InSAR height to decrease by 7 cm during the period 2000–2012, corresponding to an estimated annual CO2 emission of 5 Mt for the entirety of Uganda. The uncertainty of this estimate given as a 95% confidence interval was 2.9–7.1 Mt. The presented method has a number of issues that require further research, including the particular SRTM biases and artifact errors; the penetration difference between the X- and C-band; the final height adjustment; and the validity of a linear conversion from InSAR height change to AGB change. However, the results corresponded well to other datasets on forest change and AGB stocks, concerning both their geographical variation and their aggregated values.
ZiSense: towards interference resilient duty cycling in wireless sensor networks

To save energy, wireless sensor networks often run in a low duty cycle mode, where the radios of sensor nodes are scheduled between ON and OFF states. For nodes to communicate with each other, Low Power Listening (LPL) and Low Power Probing (LPP) are two types of rendezvous mechanisms. Nodes with LPL or LPP rely on signal strength or probe packets to detect potential transmissions, and then keep the radio-on for communications. Unfortunately, in many cases, signal strength and probe packets are susceptible to interference, resulting in undesirable radio on time when the signal strength of interference is above a threshold or a probe packet is interfered. To address the issue, we propose ZiSense, an energy efficient rendezvous mechanism which is resilient to interference. Instead of checking the signal strength or decoding the probe packets, ZiSense detects the existence of ZigBee transmissions and wakes up nodes accordingly. On sensor nodes with limited information and resource, we carefully study and extract short-term features purely from the time-domain RSSI sequence, and design a rule-based approach to efficiently identify the existence of ZigBee. We theoretically analyze the benefit of ZiSense in different environments and implement a prototype in TinyOS with TelosB motes. We examine ZiSense performance under controlled interference and office environments. The evaluation results show that, compared with state-of-the-art rendezvous mechanisms, ZiSense significantly reduces the energy consumption.
Genetic, dietary, and other lifestyle determinants of plasma homocysteine concentrations in middle-aged and older Chinese men and women in Singapore.

BACKGROUND Epidemiologic studies have identified the plasma homocysteine concentration as a risk factor for atherothrombotic vascular disease. There is little information on the distributions and determinants of homocysteine concentrations in Asian populations. OBJECTIVE The present study was designed to examine the relations between genetic and lifestyle factors and plasma homocysteine concentrations among Chinese in Singapore. DESIGN Plasma total homocysteine, folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 concentrations and genetic variation at the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) locus were measured in 486 Chinese men and women aged 45-74 y in Singapore. Data on dietary and other lifestyle factors were collected in face-to-face interviews. RESULTS Men had higher plasma concentrations of total homocysteine than women (P = 0.0001). Age was positively associated with plasma homocysteine in both sexes (P for trend = 0.0001). Plasma concentrations of folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin B-6 were inversely associated with homocysteine concentrations. Among individuals with low plasma folate, those possessing 2 copies of MTHFR mutant alleles had significantly higher homocysteine concentrations than did those with > or = 1 copy of the wild-type allele. Cigarette smoking, daily coffee consumption, and physical inactivity were positively related to plasma homocysteine concentrations in both sexes (P < 0.05). However, these associations disappeared after adjustment for plasma folate concentrations. CONCLUSIONS Age, sex, plasma folate, vitamin B-12 and B-6 concentrations, and MTHFR genotype are independent determinants of plasma homocysteine in middle-aged and older Chinese in Singapore. These factors combined could account for up to 40% of the total variation in homocysteine concentrations in this Asian population.
Spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization effects in III-V nitride heterostructures

The role of spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization in III–V nitride heterostructures is investigated. Polarization effects and crystal polarity are reviewed in the context of nitride heterostructure materials and device design, and a detailed analysis of their influence in nitride heterostructure field-effect transistors is presented. The combined effects of spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization are found to account well for carrier concentrations observed in AlGaN/GaN transistor structures with low to moderate Al concentrations, while the data for higher Al concentrations are consistent with defect formation in the AlGaN barrier. Theoretical analysis suggests that incorporation of In into the barrier and/or channel layers can substantially increase polarization charge at the heterojunction interface. The use of polarization effects to engineer Schottky barrier structures with large enhancements in barrier height is also discussed, and electrical characteristics of transistors with conventional a.
Pomegranate juice consumption reduces oxidative stress, atherogenic modifications to LDL, and platelet aggregation: studies in humans and in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND Dietary supplementation with nutrients rich in antioxidants is associated with inhibition of atherogenic modifications to LDL, macrophage foam cell formation, and atherosclerosis. Pomegranates are a source of polyphenols and other antioxidants. OBJECTIVE We analyzed, in healthy male volunteers and in atherosclerotic apolipoprotein E-deficient (E(0)) mice, the effect of pomegranate juice consumption on lipoprotein oxidation, aggregation, and retention; macrophage atherogenicity; platelet aggregation; and atherosclerosis. DESIGN Potent antioxidative effects of pomegranate juice against lipid peroxidation in whole plasma and in isolated lipoproteins (HDL and LDL) were assessed in humans and in E(0) mice after pomegranate juice consumption for </=2 and 14 wk, respectively. RESULTS In humans, pomegranate juice consumption decreased LDL susceptibility to aggregation and retention and increased the activity of serum paraoxonase (an HDL-associated esterase that can protect against lipid peroxidation) by 20%. In E(0) mice, oxidation of LDL by peritoneal macrophages was reduced by up to 90% after pomegranate juice consumption and this effect was associated with reduced cellular lipid peroxidation and superoxide release. The uptake of oxidized LDL and native LDL by mouse peritoneal macrophages obtained after pomegranate juice administration was reduced by 20%. Finally, pomegranate juice supplementation of E(0) mice reduced the size of their atherosclerotic lesions by 44% and also the number of foam cells compared with control E(0) mice supplemented with water. CONCLUSION Pomegranate juice had potent antiatherogenic effects in healthy humans and in atherosclerotic mice that may be attributable to its antioxidative properties.
Long-term cognitive and neuroanatomical stability in patients with anoxic amnesia: A Case Report

ABSTRACT Background: Anoxia can result in selective hippocampal damage with associated impairments in declarative memory. Whilst memory impairments and brain structures are thought to be stable, there are little data regarding the effects of ageing or change over time in patients with amnesia from anoxic brain injury. Methods: To assess change over time, we compared structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with data obtained over ten years previously in two well-characterized patients with amnesia (JRW and RS) who experienced an anoxic brain injury. Six healthy, age-matched control participants were recruited to compare brain volumes with the patients at Time 2. Wechsler adult intelligence scale-revised and Wechsler memory scale-revised scores were compared to scores on the same tests administered 13 and 19 years prior. Results: Patients with amnesia had significantly smaller hippocampal volumes than controls, but comparable medial temporal lobe and ventricular volumes. Memory, intellectual function and brain volumes were stable over time. Conclusion: Patients with an amnesia due to anoxia have memory impairments and smaller hippocampal volumes compared to controls; however, memory, intelligence and structural volumes remain stable over time. At ages 50 and 57, they do not appear to have early age-associated cognitive decline that is sometimes observed in patients with traumatic brain injury.
Temperature Buildup in Bonded Rubber Blocks Due to Hysteresis

Abstract The comparison between theoretical and experimental results of the temperature distribution in bonded cyclindrical rubber blocks due to compressive cyclic loading was largely dependent on the value of Poisson's ratio. It was found that, for thin rubber blocks (D/h>6), the third significant figure in the value of v appreciably altered the temperature distribution, while for thick blocks (D/h<4), the same change in v had much smaller effect on the temperature distribution within the rubber block. The theoretical analysis used in the paper can easily be adapted for blocks of different geometries, and hence the temperature distribution within a desirable limit can be achieved by changing the geometry of the rubber block.
Genetic signatures of microbial altruism and cheating in social amoebas in the wild

Significance Microbes are surprisingly social organisms and are providing model systems for the study of the evolution of cooperation and conflict. Despite their many advantages in the laboratory, such as experimental evolution, it is rarely possible to study them in the field. We therefore know little about whether cooperation and conflict are adaptively important in nature. Here we use approaches from population genetics and molecular evolution to test the adaptive relevance of social behavior in a social amoeba. We find signatures of adaptation for both kin selection and social cheating. This provides evidence that these behaviors have been important in the natural evolution of this species and more generally shows a way to study microbial social adaptation in the wild. Many microbes engage in social interactions. Some of these have come to play an important role in the study of cooperation and conflict, largely because, unlike most animals, they can be genetically manipulated and experimentally evolved. However, whereas animal social behavior can be observed and assessed in natural environments, microbes usually cannot, so we know little about microbial social adaptations in nature. This has led to some difficult-to-resolve controversies about social adaptation even for well-studied traits such as bacterial quorum sensing, siderophore production, and biofilms. Here we use molecular signatures of population genetics and molecular evolution to address controversies over the existence of altruism and cheating in social amoebas. First, we find signatures of rapid adaptive molecular evolution that are consistent with social conflict being a significant force in nature. Second, we find population-genetic signatures of purifying selection to support the hypothesis that the cells that form the sterile stalk evolve primarily through altruistic kin selection rather than through selfish direct reproduction. Our results show how molecular signatures can provide insight into social adaptations that cannot be observed in their natural context, and they support the hypotheses that social amoebas in the wild are both altruists and cheaters.
Betaine supplementation decreases plasma homocysteine concentrations but does not affect body weight, body composition, or resting energy expenditure in human subjects.

BACKGROUND Betaine (trimethylglycine) is found in several tissues in humans. It is involved in homocysteine metabolism as an alternative methyl donor and is used in the treatment of homocystinuria in humans. In pigs, betaine decreases the amount of adipose tissue. OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to examine the effect of betaine supplementation on body weight, body composition, plasma homocysteine concentrations, blood pressure, and serum total and lipoprotein lipids. DESIGN Forty-two obese, white subjects (14 men, 28 women) treated with a hypoenergetic diet were randomly assigned to a betaine-supplemented group (6 g/d) or a control group given placebo for 12 wk. The intervention period was preceded by a 4-wk run-in period with a euenergetic diet. RESULTS Body weight, resting energy expenditure, and fat mass decreased significantly in both groups with no significant difference between the groups. Plasma homocysteine concentrations decreased in the betaine group ( +/- SD: 8.76 +/- 1.63 micro mol/L at 4 wk, 7.93 +/- 1.52 micro mol/L at 16 wk; P = 0.030 for the interaction of time and treatment). Diastolic blood pressure decreased without a significant difference between the groups. Serum total and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were higher in the betaine group than in the control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION A hypoenergetic diet with betaine supplementation (6 g daily for 12 wk) decreased the plasma homocysteine concentration but did not affect body composition more than a hypoenergetic diet without betaine supplementation did.
A CD18 monoclonal antibody reduces multiple organ injury in a model of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.

The role of CD18 antibody (anti-CD18) in remote and local injury in a model of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm repair was investigated. Rats were divided into sham, shock, clamp, and shock + clamp groups. Shock + clamp animals received anti-CD18 or a control monoclonal antibody. One hour of hemorrhagic shock was followed by 45 min of supramesenteric aortic clamping. Intestinal and pulmonary permeability to125I-labeled albumin was determined. Myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity, F2-isoprostane levels, and transaminases were also measured. Only shock + clamp resulted in statistically significant increases in pulmonary and intestinal permeability, which were associated with significant increases in MPO activity and F2-isoprostane levels. Treatment with anti-CD18 significantly decreased intestinal and pulmonary permeability in shock + clamp animals. These reductions were associated with significantly reduced intestinal and hepatic MPO activity and pulmonary F2-isoprostane levels and reduced alanine and aspartate aminotransferase levels; however, anti-CD18 had no effect on intestinal or hepatic F2-isoprostane levels or on pulmonary MPO activity. These results suggest CD18-dependent and -independent mechanisms of local and remote organ injury in this model of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Severe linear growth retardation in rural Zambian children: the influence of biological variables.

BACKGROUND The prevalence of stunting in preschool children in Zambia is high; stunting has detrimental effects on concurrent psychomotor development and later working capacity. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to investigate biological variables that may contribute to linear growth retardation in preschool children in Samfya District, Zambia. DESIGN Children aged 6-9 mo (n = 108) and 14-20 mo (n = 102) attending mother-and-child health clinics were included. With a mixed-longitudinal design, they were followed up 9 and 21 mo later. Height and weight of children and their mothers were measured. Biochemical measures (eg, serum zinc, retinol, thyrotropin, iron, and acute phase protein concentrations), malaria parasitemia, and intestinal parasitosis were assessed. RESULTS Height-for-age z scores (HAZ) were low, indicating a high prevalence of stunting (36-79%). Ninety percent of the children were anemic, 53-71% had elevated acute phase proteins, and 80% had malaria parasitemia. Regression analyses showed that maternal height predicted the children's height at 6-9 mo (regression coefficient = 0.05; 95% CI: 0.02, 0.08). The children's height at an early age (6-9 and 14-20 mo) showed a strong relation with their height at later ages (22-30 and 34-41 mo). Serum micronutrient status did not show a significant relation with later HAZ. CONCLUSION Unlike other studies, we did not identify specific biological factors, such as health and micronutrient status, which contribute to the retardation of linear growth. The normal zinc and iodine statuses of the children suggest that at least these factors are not causal.