Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A data driven approach to address missing data in the 1970 British birth cohort

Background: Missing data may induce bias when analysing longitudinal population surveys. We aimed to tackle this problem in the 1970 British Cohort Study (BCS70). Methods: We utilised a data-driven approach to address missing data issues in BCS70. Our method consisted of a 3-step process to identify important predictors of non-response from a pool of ~20,000 variables from 9 sweeps in 18037 individuals. We used parametric regression models to identify a moderate set of variables (predictors of non-response) that can be used as auxiliary variables in principled methods of missing data handling to restore baseline sample representativeness. Results: Individuals from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds, increased number of older siblings, non-response at previous sweeps and ethnic minority background were consistently associated with non-response in BCS70 at both early (ages 5-16) and later sweeps (ages 26-46). Country of birth, parents not being married and higher paternal age at completion of education were additional consistent predictors of non-response only at early sweeps. Moreover, being male, greater number of household moves, low cognitive ability, and non-participation in the UK 1997 elections were additional consistent predictors of non-response only at later sweeps. Using this information, we were able to restore sample representativeness, as we could replicate the original sample distribution of paternal social class and cognitive ability and reduce the bias due to missing data in the relationship between paternal socioeconomic status and mortality. Conclusions: We provide a set of variables that researchers can utilise as auxiliary variables to address missing data issues in BCS70 and restore sample representativeness.
Analyzing metaphor patterns in COVID-19 news pictures: A critical study in China

Drawing on Critical Metaphor Analysis, this study investigates major metaphors of the COVID-19 pandemic used by the Chinese government in the specific genre of news picture. It examines patterns of metaphor use in the first year of the pandemic in China and explains how and why the government employs the identified metaphors in the Chinese political context. Results reveal that pandemic metaphors (45%) are not as widely used in news pictures as presumed, the vast majority (95%) are rendered in verbal mode, and the most salient metaphors used in news pictures are the UP/DOWN (spatial), WAR, FAMILY, and COMPETITION metaphors. This study then addresses how COVID-19 metaphors are used in the Chinese political context and claims that the Chinese government uses specific metaphors with persuasive and ideological functions. The WAR metaphor aids comprehension of abstract concepts of the pandemic treatment, the FAMILY metaphor fosters empathy among Chinese individuals to counter blame and discrimination in society, UP/DOWN (spatial) and COMPETITION metaphors stimulate action to overcome the common “enemy. ” WAR and FAMILY metaphors also contribute to the construction of a greater sense of collectivism and play a crucial role in fostering a positive national identity. Implications, limitations and some directions for future research are suggested.
Comparable Efficacy of Oral Bendamustine versus Intravenous Administration in Treating Hematologic Malignancies

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze potential differences in antitumor efficacy and pharmacokinetics between intravenous (IV) bendamustine (BEN) and a novel orally administered bendamustine agent (PO) that is utilizing the beneficial properties of superstaturated solid dispersions formulated in nanoparticles. Methods: Pharmacokinetics of IV versus PO BEN were determined by analysis of plasma samples collected from NSG mice treated with either IV or PO BEN. Plasma samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) following a liquid-liquid extraction to determine peak BEN concentration (Cmax), area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) and the half-life (t1/2) in-vivo. in-vitro cytotoxicity of BEN against human non-Hodgkin’s Burkitt’s Lymphoma (Raji), multiple myeloma (MM.1s), and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (RS4;11) cell lines was determined over time using MTS assays. Luciferase-tagged versions of the aforementioned cell lines were used to determine in-vivo BEN cytotoxicity of IV versus PO BEN at two different doses. Results: Bendamustine at a high dose in-vitro causes cell death. There was no significant difference in antitumor efficacy between IV and novel PO BEN at a physiologically relevant concentration in all three xenograft models. In-vivo pharmacokinetics showed the oral bioavailability of BEN in mice to be 51.4%. Conclusions: The novel oral BEN agent tested exhibits good oral bioavailability and systemic exposure for in-vivo antitumor efficacy comparable to IV BEN. An oral BEN formulation offers exciting clinical potential as an additional method of administration for bendamustine and warrants further evaluation in clinical studies.
A Body Map Beyond Perceptual Experience

The human body is perhaps the most ubiquitous and salient visual stimulus that we encounter in our daily lives. Given the prevalence of images of human bodies in natural scene statistics, it is no surprise that our mental representations of the body are thought to strongly originate from visual experience. Yet, little is still known about high-level cognitive representations of the body. Here, we retrieved a body map from natural language, taking this as a window into high-level cognitive processes. We first extracted a matrix of distances between body parts from natural language data and employed this matrix to extrapolate a body map. To test the effectiveness of this high-level body map, we then conducted a series of experiments in which participants were asked to classify the distance between pairs of body parts, presented either as words or images. We found that the high-level body map was systematically activated when participants were making these distance judgments. Crucially, the linguistic map explained participants’ performance over and above the visual body map, indicating that the former cannot be simply conceived as a by-product of perceptual experience. These findings, therefore, establish the existence of a behaviorally relevant, high-level representation of the human body.
Leukocytoclastic vasculitis caused by sulfamethoxazole‐trimethoprim

Key Clinical Message Leukocytoclastic vasculitis is a rare, small‐vessel vasculitis that can be caused by sulfamethoxazole‐trimethoprim. Most presentations involve skin rash but serious systemic involvement is possible. The precise mechanism is unclear but genetic and immune‐based tissue damage has been postulated. The rash often resolves with discontinuation of sulfamethoxazole‐trimethoprim with or without steroids.
Minimisation of the Uncertainty in Estimation of Extreme Coastal Wave Heights

ABSTRACT You, Z.J., Yin, B.S., Ji, Z.Z. , and Hu, C. , 2016. Minimisation of Uncertainty in Estimation of Extreme Waves. In: Vila-Concejo, A. ; Bruce, E. ; Kennedy, D.M. , and McCarroll, R.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the 14th International Coastal Symposium (Sydney, Australia). Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue, No. 75, pp. 1277 - 1281. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Accurate information on extreme wave conditions is often required for inshore and offshore structure designs, coastal inundation and erosion hazard studies, coastal construction planning, and coastal port operations. Estimates of extreme wave heights are commonly extrapolated from historical wave records based on extreme-value theory. Although a large number of studies have been undertaken to develop and improve methodologies in extreme wave analysis, there still exists much uncertainty in estimates of extreme waves. This study is to investigate main causes of this uncertainty based on historical wave buoy data collected off the NSW coast of Australia. It is found that the uncertainty is caused mainly by short wave record, missing storm wave data, different methods for generation of return wave height data, too low/high POT thresholds, subjective plotting positions, unsuitable distribution functions, different distribution parameter estimators, and ad-hoc criteria on selection of the best-fit function. The likelihood errors of the uncertainty are evaluated and the detail on how to minimise the uncertainty is also proposed.
Characterizing Age-related Changes in Intact Mitochondrial Proteoforms in Murine Hearts using Quantitative Top-Down Proteomics

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide, and the prevalence of CVDs increases markedly with age. Due to the high energetic demand, the heart is highly sensitive to mitochondrial dysfunction. The complexity of the cardiac mitochondrial proteome hinders the development of effective strategies that target mitochondrial dysfunction in CVDs. Mammalian mitochondria are composed of over 1000 proteins, most of which can undergo post-translational protein modifications (PTMs). Top-down proteomics is a powerful technique for characterizing and quantifying all protein sequence variations and PTMs. However, there are still knowledge gaps in the study of age-related mitochondrial proteoform changes using this technique. In this study, we used top-down proteomics to identify intact mitochondrial proteoforms in young and old hearts and determined changes in protein abundance and PTMs in cardiac aging. METHODS: Intact mitochondria were isolated from the hearts of young (4-month-old) and old (24–25-month-old) mice. The mitochondria were lysed, and mitochondrial lysates were subjected to denaturation, reduction, and alkylation. For quantitative top-down analysis, there were 12 runs in total arising from 3 biological replicates in two conditions, with technical duplicates for each sample. The collected top-down datasets were deconvoluted and quantified, and then the proteoforms were identified. RESULTS: From a total of 12 LC-MS/MS runs, we identified 134 unique mitochondrial proteins in the different sub-mitochondrial compartments (OMM, IMS, IMM, matrix). 823 unique proteoforms in different mass ranges were identified. Compared to cardiac mitochondria of young mice, 7 proteoforms exhibited increased abundance and 13 proteoforms exhibited decreased abundance in cardiac mitochondria of old mice. Our analysis also detected PTMs of mitochondrial proteoforms, including N-terminal acetylation, lysine succinylation, lysine acetylation, oxidation, and phosphorylation. CONCLUSION: By combining mitochondrial protein enrichment using mitochondrial fractionation with quantitative top-down analysis using ultrahigh-pressure liquid chromatography (UPLC)-MS and label-free quantitation, we successfully identified and quantified intact proteoforms in the complex mitochondrial proteome. Using this approach, we detected age-related changes in abundance and PTMs of mitochondrial proteoforms in the heart.
Social-ecological perspective on the suicidal behaviour factors of early adolescents in China: a network analysis

Background In early adolescence, youth are highly prone to suicidal behaviours. Identifying modifiable risk factors during this critical phase is a priority to inform effective suicide prevention strategies. Aims To explore the risk and protective factors of suicidal behaviours (ie, suicidal ideation, plans and attempts) in early adolescence in China using a social-ecological perspective. Methods Using data from the cross-sectional project ‘Healthy and Risky Behaviours Among Middle School Students in Anhui Province, China’, stratified random cluster sampling was used to select 5724 middle school students who had completed self-report questionnaires in November 2020. Network analysis was employed to examine the correlates of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts at four levels, namely individual (sex, academic performance, serious physical illness/disability, history of self-harm, depression, impulsivity, sleep problems, resilience), family (family economic status, relationship with mother, relationship with father, family violence, childhood abuse, parental mental illness), school (relationship with teachers, relationship with classmates, school-bullying victimisation and perpetration) and social (social support, satisfaction with society). Results In total, 37.9%, 19.0% and 5.5% of the students reported suicidal ideation, plans and attempts in the past 6 months, respectively. The estimated network revealed that suicidal ideation, plans and attempts were collectively associated with a history of self-harm, sleep problems, childhood abuse, school bullying and victimisation. Centrality analysis indicated that the most influential nodes in the network were history of self-harm and childhood abuse. Notably, the network also showed unique correlates of suicidal ideation (sex, weight=0.60; impulsivity, weight=0.24; family violence, weight=0.17; relationship with teachers, weight=−0.03; school-bullying perpetration, weight=0.22), suicidal plans (social support, weight=−0.15) and suicidal attempts (relationship with mother, weight=−0.10; parental mental illness, weight=0.61). Conclusions This study identified the correlates of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts, and provided practical implications for suicide prevention for young adolescents in China. Firstly, this study highlighted the importance of joint interventions across multiple departments. Secondly, the common risk factors of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts were elucidated. Thirdly, this study proposed target interventions to address the unique influencing factors of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts.
Agreement between arterial and end-tidal carbon dioxide in adult patients admitted with serious traumatic brain injury

Background Low-normal levels of arterial carbon dioxide (PaCO2) are recommended in the acute phase of traumatic brain injury (TBI) to optimize oxygen and CO2 tension, and to maintain cerebral perfusion. End-tidal CO2 (ETCO2) may be used as a surrogate for PaCO2 when arterial sampling is less readily available. ETCO2 may not be an adequate proxy to guide ventilation and the effects on concomitant injury, time, and the impact of ventilatory strategies on the PaCO2-ETCO2 gradient are not well understood. The primary objective of this study was to describe the correlation and agreement between PaCO2 and ETCO2 in intubated adult trauma patients with TBI. Methods This study was a retrospective analysis of prospectively-collected data of intubated adult major trauma patients with serious TBI, admitted to the East of England regional major trauma centre; 2015–2019. Linear regression and Welch’s test were performed on each cohort to assess correlation between paired PaCO2 and ETCO2 at 24-hour epochs for 120 hours after admission. Bland-Altman plots were constructed at 24-hour epochs to assess the PaCO2-ETCO2 agreement. Results 695 patients were included, with 3812 paired PaCO2 and ETCO2 data points. The median PaCO2-ETCO2 gradient on admission was 0.8 [0.4–1.4] kPa, Bland Altman Bias of 0.96, upper (+2.93) and lower (-1.00), and correlation R2 0.149. The gradient was significantly greater in patients with TBI plus concomitant injury, compared to those with isolated TBI (0.9 [0.4–1.5] kPa vs. 0.7 [0.3–1.1] kPa, p<0.05). Across all groups the gradient reduced over time. Patients who died within 30 days had a larger gradient on admission compared to those who survived; 1.2 [0.7–1.9] kPa and 0.7 [0.3–1.2] kPa, p<0.005. Conclusions Amongst adult patients with TBI, the PaCO2-ETCO2 gradient was greater than previously reported values, particularly early in the patient journey, and when associated with concomitant chest injury. An increased PaCO2-ETCO2 gradient on admission was associated with increased mortality.
Arid1a-dependent canonical BAF complex suppresses inflammatory programs to drive efficient Germinal Center B cell responses

Differentiating B cells in germinal centers (GC) require tightly coordinated transcriptional and epigenetic transitions to generate efficient humoral immune responses. The mammalian Brg1/Brm-associated factor (BAF) complexes are major regulators of nucleosomal remodeling, crucial for cellular differentiation and development, and are commonly mutated in several cancers, including GC-derived B cell lymphomas. However, the specific roles of distinct BAF complexes in GC B cell biology and generation of functional humoral immune responses are not well understood. Here, we show that the A–T Rich Interaction Domain 1a (Arid1a) containing canonical BAF (cBAF) complex is required for maintenance of GCs and therefore high affinity antibody responses. While Arid1a-deficient B cells undergo activation to initiate GC responses, they fail to sustain the GC program resulting in premature GC collapse. We discovered that Arid1a-dependent cBAF activity establishes permissive chromatin landscapes during B cell activation and is concomitantly required to suppress inflammatory gene programs to maintain transcriptional fidelity in early GC B cells. Interestingly, the inflammatory signatures instigated by Arid1a deficiency in early GC B cells recruited neutrophils and inflammatory monocytes and eventually disrupted GC homeostasis. Dampening of inflammatory cues with anti-inflammatory glucocorticoid receptor signaling rescued GC B cell differentiation of Arid1a-deficient B cells, thus highlighting a critical role of inflammation in impeding GC responses. In sum, our work identifies essential functions of Arid1a-dependent BAF activity in promoting efficient GC responses. These findings further support an emerging paradigm in which unrestrained inflammation limits GC-derived humoral responses, as reported in the context of severe bacterial and viral infections.
Health systems impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on malaria control program implementation and malaria burden in Benin: A mixed-method qualitative and mathematical modelling and study

The COVID-19 pandemic has sent ripple effects across health systems and impacted the burden of many other diseases, such as malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. This study takes a mixed method approach to assess the impact of COVID-19 on malaria control programs in three rural communes in Benin. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews with key informants who play important roles in malaria control in Benin at three levels of the health system–national, health zone, and commune. Using a purposive sampling technique, informants were interviewed regarding their roles in malaria control, the impact of the pandemic on their activities, and the mitigation strategies adopted. Relevant themes were identified by content analysis. We then formulated an agent-based model of malaria epidemiology to assess the impacts of treatment disruption on malaria burden. The key informant interviews revealed that essential aspects of malaria control were upheld in Benin due to the close collaboration of public health practitioners and health care providers at all levels of the health system. There were some disruptions to case management services for malaria at the start of the pandemic due to the public avoiding health centers and a brief shortage of malaria treatment that may not be entirely attributable to the pandemic. Results from the agent-based model suggest that duration, severity, and timing of treatment disruption can impact malaria burden in a synergistic manner, though the effects are small given the relatively mild disruptions observed. This study highlights the importance of top-down leadership in health emergencies, as well as the critical role of community health workers in preventing negative health outcomes for their communities. We also showcased the integration of qualitative research and mathematical models–an underappreciated form of mixed methods research that offer immense value in the continued evaluation of rapidly evolving health emergencies.
ARAapp: filling gaps in the ecological knowledge of spiders using an automated and dynamic approach to analyze systematically collected community data

Abstract The ARAMOB data repository compiles meticulously curated spider community datasets from systematical collections, ensuring a high standard of data quality. These datasets are enriched with crucial methodological data that enable the datasets to be aligned in time and space, facilitating data synthesis across studies, respectively, collections. To streamline the analysis of these datasets in a species-specific context, a suite of tailored ecological analysis tools named ARAapp has been developed. By harnessing the capabilities of ARAapp, users can systematically evaluate the spider species data housed within the ARAMOB repository, elucidating intricate relationships with a range of parameters such as vertical stratification, habitat occurrence, ecological niche parameters (moisture and shading) and phenological patterns. Database URL: ARAapp is available at www.aramob. de/en
Targeting colon cancer via antimicrobial RT2 peptide: a system biology study

Aim: This study aims to investigate the anticancer molecular mechanism of RT2 through protein-protein interaction (PPI) network analysis. For this aim, a bioinformatics evaluation of the proteome profile of colon cancer is carried out. Background: Antimicrobial peptides such as RT2 showed anticancer properties against various tumors. The molecular mechanism of the anticancer effect of RT2 is a challenging subject. Methods: By applying Cytoscape V.3. 9.1 and integrated apps, the profile of the interaction network and related centrality is analyzed. An enrichment analysis of hub bottlenecks was also performed, and highlighted biological processes were visualized and determined. Results: Several 207 differentially expressed proteins were retrieved by PPI network analysis, and 10 hub bottlenecks were introduced. Among these differentially expressed proteins (DEPs), only AKT1 is from the queried DEPs. Key biological processes contributing to RT2 targeting mechanism include “Regulation of fibroblast proliferation”, “Positive regulation of cyclin-dependent protein serine/threonine kinase activity”, “positive regulation of miRNA transcription”, and “fungiform papilla formation”. Conclusion: In conclusion, central proteins Tp53, MYC, EGFR, AKT1, HDAC1, and SRC can be introduced as a targeted biomarker panel of bioactive peptide treatments. However, extensive research is required to establish this claim before clinical application.
International Journal of Public Health Science (IJPHS)

Received Dec 14, 2022 Revised May 24, 2023 Accepted Jun 13, 2023 Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) experienced diabetes burnout, which influences the patient’s daily living. Some treatments had been introduced to reduce this burnout, but self-instructional training method remained unknown for its effectiveness. This study was aimed to analyse the influence of self-instructional training toward diabetes burnout syndrome. This research was a quasy-experimental study involving patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. About 72 respondents were chosen using purposive sampling. This study divided the respondents into control and treatment groups. The treatment group gained self-instructional training in 4 meetings. Data was obtained from pre-test and post-test using diabetes burnout scale questionnaire and analysed with Paired T-test and Independent T-test. Study results showed that the treatment group had a significant decrease in diabetes burnout (severe to low level) (p=0.000). Diabetes burnout score among treatment group was lower compared to the control group (24.69±4.73; 19.19±4.24). In the control group, there was no significant statistical reduction about diabetes burnout (p=0.110). Besides, this study presented the difference diabetes burnout syndrome between treatment and control group (p=0.000; p<0.05). This study showed self-instructional training could minimize the occurrence of diabetes burnout syndrome among T2DM patients. This method has been proven to influence patient’s behaviour positively.