Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bleeding Complications and Clinical Safety of Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

Purpose Patients with liver cirrhosis are considered to be at risk for additional adverse events during endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The present study was designed as a propensity-score matched analysis to investigate whether cirrhotic liver increases the risk of bleeding complications in patients undergoing ERCP. Materials and Methods In total, 8554 patients who underwent ERCP from January 2005 to December 2015 were retrospectively analyzed. To adjust for the imbalance between patients with and those without liver cirrhosis, 1:3 propensity score matching was performed according to age and sex. Results Liver cirrhosis was identified in 264 (3.1%) patients. After propensity score matching, a total of 768 patients were included in each of the cirrhotic (n=192) and non-cirrhotic groups (n=576). Post-procedure bleeding (10.9% vs. 4.7%, p=0.003) was more frequently observed in patients with liver cirrhosis than in those without. In multivariate analyses, liver cirrhosis was identified as an independent risk factor associated with post-ERCP bleeding (p=0.003) after further adjustment for prothrombin time, antiplatelet/coagulant, duration of ERCP, and stent insertion. Child-Pugh (CP) class C was found to be associated with an increased incidence of post-ERCP bleeding in patients with cirrhosis (odds ratio 6.144, 95% confidence interval 1.320–28.606; p=0.021). Conclusion The incidence of post-ERCP bleeding in patients with liver cirrhosis was higher than that in patients without liver cirrhosis. In particular, CP class C cirrhosis was significantly associated with post-ERCP bleeding.
IL‐6 counteracts the inhibitory effect of IL‐4 on osteogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells

Fracture repair is characterized by cytokine production and hypoxia. To better predict cytokine modulation of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)‐aided bone healing, we investigated whether interleukin 4 (IL‐4), IL‐6, and their combination, affect osteogenic differentiation, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production, and/or mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) activation by MSCs under normoxia or hypoxia. Human adipose stem cells (hASCs) were cultured with IL‐4, IL‐6, or their combination for 3 days under normoxia (20% O 2) or hypoxia (1% O 2), followed by 11 days without cytokines under normoxia or hypoxia. Hypoxia did not alter IL‐4 or IL‐6‐modulated gene or protein expression by hASCs. IL‐4 alone decreased runt‐related transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) and collagen type 1 (COL1) gene expression, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and VEGF protein production by hASCs under normoxia and hypoxia, and decreased mineralization of hASCs under hypoxia. In contrast, IL‐6 increased mineralization of hASCs under normoxia, and enhanced RUNX2 gene expression under normoxia and hypoxia. Neither IL‐4 nor IL‐6 affected phosphorylation of the mTORC1 effector protein P70S6K. IL‐4 combined with IL‐6 diminished the inhibitory effect of IL‐4 on ALP activity, bone nodule formation, and VEGF production, and decreased RUNX2 and COL1 expression, similar to IL‐4 alone, under normoxia and hypoxia. In conclusion, IL‐4 alone, but not in combination with IL‐6, inhibits osteogenic differentiation and angiogenic stimulation potential of hASCs under normoxia and hypoxia, likely through pathways other than mTORC1. These results indicate that cytokines may differentially affect bone healing and regeneration when applied in isolation or in combination.
microRNA‐messenger RNA regulatory network of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and the identification of miR‐1 as a biomarker of patient survival

Emerging evidence indicates that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in tumor carcinogenesis and progression by targeting gene expression. The goal of this study was to comprehensively analyze the vital functional miRNAs and their target genes in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) and to explore the clinical significance and mechanisms of miR‐1 in ESCC. First, the miRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression profiles of ESCC were determined with microarray technology. Using an integrated analysis of miRNAs and their target genes with multistep bioinformatics methods, the miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network in ESCC was constructed. Next, miR‐1 expression in 292 ESCC patients and its relationship with clinicopathological features and prognosis were detected by in situ hybridization. Furthermore, the biological functions of miR‐1 were determined with in vitro and in vivo functional experiments. Finally, real‐time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blot analysis, and luciferase reporter assays were performed to verify the target genes of miR‐1. In this study, 67 miRNAs and 2992 genes were significantly differentially expressed in ESCC tissues compared with their expression in adjacent normal tissues, and an miRNA‐mRNA regulatory network comprising 59 miRNAs and 162 target mRNAs was identified. Low miR‐1 expression was correlated with pathological T stage, lymph node metastasis, vessel invasion, and poor clinical outcome. miR‐1 suppressed ESCC cell proliferation and invasion and promoted ESCC cell apoptosis. Fibronectin 1 (FN1) was verified as a direct target of miR‐1. Taken together, the present results suggest that miR‐1 may be a valuable prognostic predictor for ESCC, and the miR‐1/FN1 axis may be a therapeutic target.
A hyperthermophilic protein G variant engineered via directed evolution prevents the formation of toxic SOD1 oligomers

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disorder characterized by selective death of motor neurons in the brainstem, motor cortex, and spinal cord, leading to muscle atrophy and eventually to death. It is currently held that various oligomerization‐inducing mutations in superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1), an amyloid‐forming protein, may be implicated in the familial form of this fast‐progressing highly lethal neurodegenerative disease. A possible therapeutic approach could therefore lie in developing inhibitors to SOD1 mutants. By screening a focused mutagenesis library, mutated randomly in specific “stability patch” positions of the B1 domain of protein G (HTB1), we previously identified low affinity inhibitors of aggregation of SOD1G93A and SOD1G85R mutants. Herein, with the aim to generate a more potent inhibitor with higher affinity to SOD1 mutants, we employed an unbiased, random mutagenesis approach covering the entire sequence space of HTB1 to optimize as yet undefined positions for improved interactions with SOD1. Using affinity maturation screens in yeast, we identified a variant, which we designated HTB1M3, that bound strongly to SOD1 misfolded mutants but not to wild‐type SOD1. In‐vitro aggregation assays indicated that in the presence of HTB1M3 misfolded SOD1 assembled into oligomeric species that were not toxic to NSC‐34 neuronal cells. In addition, when NSC‐34 cells were exposed to misfolded SOD1 mutants, either soluble or preaggregated, in the presence of HTB1M3, this inhibitor prevented the prion‐like propagation of SOD1 from one neuronal cell to another by blocking the penetration of SOD1 into the neuronal cells.
Reduction of sexist attitudes, romantic myths, and aggressive behaviors in adolescents: Efficacy of the DARSI program

Background: The DARSI program (Developing Healthy and Egalitarian Adolescent Relationships) aims to prevent peer aggressive behaviors inside and outside social networks and educate adolescents on gender equality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the program on the reduction of sexist attitudes, myths of romantic love and aggressive behaviors in adolescents. Method: 191 adolescents, aged 12 to 17 years (53.93% girls), assigned to an experimental group (3 classrooms) and two control groups (6 classrooms in two educational centers) participated in this study. A quasi‐experimental design with control group was used and the effectiveness of the program was evaluated using a repeated measures factorial design. Results: Findings showed a significant decrease in the experimental group in hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, myths of romantic love, direct aggression, relational aggression, and cyberaggression. Conclusions: The effectiveness of the evaluated program and the viability of joint interventions in the prevention of peer violence and teen dating violence are observed. &NA; Disminución de actitudes sexistas, mitos románticos y conductas agresivas en adolescentes: eficacia del programa DARSI. Antecedentes: el programa DARSI (Desarrollando en Adolescentes Relaciones Saludables e Igualitarias) tiene como finalidad prevenir conductas agresivas entre iguales dentro y fuera de las redes sociales y formar a los adolescentes en igualdad de género. El objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar los efectos del programa en la disminución de actitudes sexistas, mitos del amor romántico y conductas agresivas en adolescentes. Método: en este estudio participaron 191 adolescentes, de 12 a 17 años (53,93% chicas), asignados a un grupo experimental (3 aulas) y dos grupos control (6 aulas de dos centros educativos). Se utilizó un diseño cuasi‐experimental con grupo control y se evaluó la efectividad del programa mediante diseño factorial de medidas repetidas. Resultados: los resultados mostraron una disminución significativa en el grupo experimental en sexismo hostil, sexismo benevolente, mitos del amor romántico, agresión directa, agresión relacional y ciberagresión. Conclusiones: se constata la efectividad del programa evaluado y la viabilidad de intervenir conjuntamente en la prevención de la violencia entre iguales y la violencia de pareja en adolescentes.
BNP and NT-proBNP as Diagnostic Biomarkers for Cardiac Dysfunction in Both Clinical and Forensic Medicine

Currently, brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP) are widely used as diagnostic biomarkers for heart failure (HF) and cardiac dysfunction in clinical medicine. They are also used as postmortem biomarkers reflecting cardiac function of the deceased before death in forensic medicine. Several previous studies have reviewed BNP and NT-proBNP in clinical medicine, however, few articles have reviewed their application in forensic medicine. The present article reviews the biological features, the research and application status, and the future research prospects of BNP and NT-proBNP in both clinical medicine and forensic medicine, thereby providing valuable assistance for clinicians and forensic pathologists.
Meaningful Integration of Data from Heterogeneous Health Services and Home Environment Based on Ontology †

The development of electronic health records, wearable devices, health applications and Internet of Things (IoT)-empowered smart homes is promoting various applications. It also makes health self-management much more feasible, which can partially mitigate one of the challenges that the current healthcare system is facing. Effective and convenient self-management of health requires the collaborative use of health data and home environment data from different services, devices, and even open data on the Web. Although health data interoperability standards including HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) and IoT ontology including Semantic Sensor Network (SSN) have been developed and promoted, it is impossible for all the different categories of services to adopt the same standard in the near future. This study presents a method that applies Semantic Web technologies to integrate the health data and home environment data from heterogeneously built services and devices. We propose a Web Ontology Language (OWL)-based integration ontology that models health data from HL7 FHIR standard implemented services, normal Web services and Web of Things (WoT) services and Linked Data together with home environment data from formal ontology-described WoT services. It works on the resource integration layer of the layered integration architecture. An example use case with a prototype implementation shows that the proposed method successfully integrates the health data and home environment data into a resource graph. The integrated data are annotated with semantics and ontological links, which make them machine-understandable and cross-system reusable.
Prevalence of coronary artery calcification and its association with mortality, cardiovascular events in patients with chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Purpose: To date, the prevalence and prognostic role of coronary artery calcification (CAC) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) have been investigated in several studies, but have yielded conflicting results. The aim of this meta-analysis is to derive a more precise estimation of CAC prevalence in CKD patients and its association with cardiovascular events and mortality. Methods: The relevant literature was identified and evaluated from inception until July 2018 through multiple search strategies on PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Cross-sectional or cohort (baseline data) studies reporting CAC prevalence were included. Data extracted from eligible studies were used to calculate effect estimates (ESs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). We searched databases for observational studies that explored baseline CAC and subsequent cardiovascular or all-cause mortality risk in CKD patients. Results: The meta-analysis included 47 studies; 38 of these were included in the final analysis of CAC prevalence. The pooled prevalence of CAC in random effect model was 60% (95%CI 53–68%). CAC was positively associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR] 3.44; 95%CI 2.40–4.94), cardiovascular mortality (HR 3.87; 95%CI 2.06–7.26), and cardiovascular events (HR 2.09; 95%CI 1.19–3.67), when comparing individuals in the top CAC score group to those in the bottom CAC score group. Conclusions: The pooled prevalence of CAC is highly prevalent. CAC is independently associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality risk as well as cardiovascular events among CKD patients. In view of the high heterogeneity, larger clinical trials are still needed.
Finite Element Analysis for Surface Acoustic Wave Device Characteristic Properties and Sensitivity

The most vital step in the development of novel and existing surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based sensors and transducers is their design and optimization. Demand for SAW devices has been steadily increasing due to their low cost, portability, and versatility in electronics, telecommunications, and biosensor applications. However, a full characterization of surface acoustic wave biosensors in a three-dimensional (3D) finite element model has not yet been developed. In this study, a novel approach is developed for analyzing shear horizontal Love wave resonator devices. The developed modeling methodology was verified using fabricated devices. A thorough analysis of the 3D model and the experimental device was performed in this study including scattering parameters (S-parameters), reflection coefficient parameters, transmission parameters, and phase velocity. The simulated results will be used as a design guideline for future device design and optimization, which has thus far resulted in close matching between prediction and experimental results. This manuscript is the first to demonstrate a 3D finite element model to correlate the sensitivity of the SAW device with the magnitude of the phase shift, the real and imaginary part of the response, insertion loss, and the frequency shift. The results show that the imaginary part of the response shift has a higher sensitivity compared to other parameters.
Plasma Free Fatty Acids Metabolic Profile with LC-MS and Appetite-Related Hormones in South Asian and White European Men in Relation to Adiposity, Physical Activity and Cardiorespiratory Fitness: A Cross-Sectional Study

South Asians have a greater cardiovascular disease (CVD) and type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk than white Europeans, but the mechanisms are poorly understood. This study examined ethnic differences in free fatty acids (FFAs) metabolic profile (assessed using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry), appetite-related hormones and traditional CVD and T2D risk markers in blood samples collected from 16 South Asian and 16 white European men and explored associations with body composition, objectively-measured physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness. South Asians exhibited higher concentrations of five FFAs (laurate, myristate, palmitate, linolenic, linoleate; p ≤ 0.040), lower acylated ghrelin (ES = 1.00, p = 0.008) and higher leptin (ES = 1.11, p = 0.004) than white Europeans; total peptide YY was similar between groups (p = 0.381). South Asians exhibited elevated fasting insulin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, triacylglycerol and ratio of total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and lower fasting HDL-C (all ES ≥ 0.74, p ≤ 0.053). Controlling for body fat percentage (assessed using air displacement plethysmography) attenuated these differences. Despite similar habitual moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (ES = 0.18, p = 0.675), V˙O2max was lower in South Asians (ES = 1.36, p = 0.001). Circulating FFAs in South Asians were positively correlated with body fat percentage (r2 = 0.92), body mass (r2 = 0.86) and AUC glucose (r2 = 0.89) whereas in white Europeans FFAs were negatively correlated with total step counts (r2 = 0.96). In conclusion, South Asians exhibited a different FFA profile, lower ghrelin, higher leptin, impaired CVD and T2D risk markers and lower cardiorespiratory fitness than white Europeans.
Author's Personal Copy Laser-evoked Potential P2 Single-trial Amplitudes Covary with the Fmri Bold Response in the Medial Pain System and Interconnected Subcortical Structures

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t a r t i c l e i n f o Pain is a complex experience with sensory, emotional and cognitive aspects. The cortical representation of pain – the pain matrix – consists of a network of regions including the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) sensory cortex, insula, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). These structures interact with brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex and the amygdalae. Simultaneous EEG/fMRI (electroencephalography/functional magnetic resonance imaging) has recently been introduced as a method to study the spatiotemporal characteristics of cognitive processes with high spatial and high temporal resolution at the same time. The present study was conducted to clarify if single trial EEG-informed BOLD modeling supports the definition of functional compartments within the pain matrix and interconnected regions. Twenty healthy subjects received painful laser stimulation while EEG and the fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal were recorded simultaneously. While the laser-evoked N2 potential provided no additional information for BOLD modeling, the regressor obtained from the single trial laser-evoked P2 potential explained additional variance in a network of cortical and subcortical structures that largely overlapped with the pain matrix. This modeling strategy yielded pronounced activation in the ACC, right amygdala and thalamus. Our results suggest that laser-evoked potential (LEP) informed fMRI can be used to visualize BOLD activation in the pain matrix with an emphasis on functional compartments (as defined by the temporal dynamics of the LEP) such as the medial pain system. Furthermore, our findings suggest a concerted effort of the ACC and the amygdala in the cognitive-emotional evaluation of pain. Introduction The cortical and subcortical representation of pain – the pain matrix – involves a network of brain regions that are differentially involved in the sensory, emotional and cognitive aspects of a painful experience (Wade et al., 1996; Apkarian et al., 2005; Tracey and Mantyh, 2007). Despite the complex nature of this network, a rough distinction can be made between the lateral and the medial pain systems that are thought to be predominantly involved in sensory-discriminative and emotional-cognitive aspects of pain, respectively. The key structures of the lateral pain system are the primary …
Representation of Geometric Borders in the Entorhinal Cortex

We report the existence of an entorhinal cell type that fires when an animal is close to the borders of the proximal environment. The orientation-specific edge-apposing activity of these “border cells” is maintained when the environment is stretched and during testing in enclosures of different size and shape in different rooms. Border cells are relatively sparse, making up less than 10% of the local cell population, but can be found in all layers of the medial entorhinal cortex as well as the adjacent parasubiculum, often intermingled with head-direction cells and grid cells. Border cells may be instrumental in planning trajectories and anchoring grid fields and place fields to a geometric reference frame.
Lessons learned from the resilience of public health systems, hospitals and their personnel to the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review protocol. v1

Rationale 2 Beyond essential biomedical research, it is imperative that the COVID-19 pandemic be studied in terms of its impact on public health, health care systems and professionals. There is an urgent need to understand how public health institutions, hospitals and their staff have faced the current crisis. Understanding the resilience of health care and public health systems is central to this study and to the HoSPiCOVID research project1 within which this study is being
Attitudes of staff towards their job and organisation: an empirical study in the University

In the current competitive environment, human resources management is a complex activity that determines, to a large extent, the organisational effectiveness. The main purpose of this article is to analyse attitudes of staff towards their job and organisation as a mechanism for human resources management. An empirical study is carried out in the university sector. A survey is conducted with academic staff through a process of different stages. The variables job satisfaction, self-efficacy, and organisational commitment are examined. In order to produce a meaningful grouping of the academic staff, the factors related to job satisfaction are used. Three different profiles of individuals are identified. Hence, a better knowledge of individuals is available for the organisation in order to encourage behaviours that will produce better results.
A new sequence distance measure for phylogenetic tree construction

MOTIVATION Most existing approaches for phylogenetic inference use multiple alignment of sequences and assume some sort of an evolutionary model. The multiple alignment strategy does not work for all types of data, e.g. whole genome phylogeny, and the evolutionary models may not always be correct. We propose a new sequence distance measure based on the relative information between the sequences using Lempel-Ziv complexity. The distance matrix thus obtained can be used to construct phylogenetic trees. RESULTS The proposed approach does not require sequence alignment and is totally automatic. The algorithm has successfully constructed consistent phylogenies for real and simulated data sets. AVAILABILITY Available on request from the authors.