Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Augmented reality-based training versus standard training in improvement of balance, mobility and fall risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Augmented reality (AR) technology is being used recently in healthcare, especially for rehabilitation purposes, owing to its ability for repetition, rapid feedback, and motivation for patients. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy of AR-based interventions to conventional physical interventions in improving balance, mobility, and fall risk. Material and methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched from inception to January 2023. Randomized trials and observational cohort studies comparing the effects of AR-based exercises with conventional training in patients 18 years and older were included in the analysis. Studies using virtual reality, case reports and series, reviews, meta-analyses, letters, and editorials were excluded. Post-intervention data on the Berg Balance Scale (BBS) and Timed Up and Go (TUG) Test were extracted and studied. The fixed-effects inverse variance model was utilized to pool the extracted data. Results: Out of 438 articles, seven articles (199 participants) comparing AR-based exercise with the standard training were included in the systematic review. Six articles with sufficient data on the parameters were included in the meta-analysis. AR-based exercises resulted in a significantly higher BBS score than conventional exercise (Hedge’s g=0.48, 95% CI=0.19–0.77, P<0.001). The BBS value was significantly higher in AR-based training of 8 weeks or more (Hedge’s g=0.88, 95% CI=0.46–1.31) when compared with trainings conducted for less than 8 weeks (Hedge’s g=0.11, 95% CI=−0.30 to 0.52), P=0.01). Likewise, the TUG Test score was found to be to be significantly lower in ARgroup than the controls (Hedge’s g= −0.54, 95% CI=−0.85 to −0.23, P<0.01). Conclusion: In comparison to conventional methods, AR-based exercises had higher improvements in balance, mobility, and fall risk parameters. The use of AR technology in elderly patients can promote independence while preventing falls and associated morbidity and mortality. There is a need for a larger randomized controlled trial to provide a more accurate comparison on efficacy and safety of different modalities of training.
Effects of participation in interdisciplinary rounds in the intensive care unit on family satisfaction: A cross-sectional study

Objective To investigate whether family participation in intensive care unit interdisciplinary bedside rounds affects family satisfaction. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted at a 56-bed, adult, mixed intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital in Southern Brazil. From May to June 2019, family members of patients who stayed in the intensive care unit for at least 48 hours were invited to participate in the study at the time of patient discharge. The main exposure variable was participation in intensive care unit bedside rounds during the intensive care unit stay. Family satisfaction was assessed by using the Brazilian version of the Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit questionnaire. Results Of the 234 screened individuals, 118 were included. Eleven participants withdrew consent. A total of 107 individuals were assessed; 58 (54%) reported being present during bedside rounds, and 49 (46%) reported never being present. General satisfaction and satisfaction with the decision-making process were higher among families who were present during rounds than among families who were not (p = 0.01 and p = 0.007, respectively). Conclusion The presence during interdisciplinary rounds was associated with improved general satisfaction and satisfaction with the decision-making aspect. This outcome indicates that efforts must be directed to conduct studies with more robust methodologies to confirm this association.
Environmental drivers of size-based population structure, sexual maturity and fecundity: A study of the invasive blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) in the Mediterranean Sea

The blue crab Callinectes sapidus (Rathbun, 1896) is one of the most invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea. Understand how the populations are maintained and how the environment is driving the populations in the areas invaded is the key to an effective future management. This current study is presenting a monthly long-term monitoring of the blue crabs’ population structure, body size, sexual maturity, reproduction periods and fecundity, and their relationships with environmental factors in a saltmarshes system in Italy. During winter, high densities (15 ± 8 ind m-2) of early juveniles (< 2 cm) were observed, and their numbers decreased due the population growth until summer. The size-spectra showed that across different temperature (18–26°C) and salinity (24–40 psu) gradients, the growth period for males is faster than for females. Based on abdominal analysis, sexual maturity was defined at ∼12 cm for males and females but the population was in favor of males that were more than 66% of the time mature throughout the year. Copulations periods were identified between spring and autumn when more than 50% of females were matures, and ovigerous females’ migrations were observed in late summer. Our study expand our understanding of how the environment interacts to effect physiological and biological processes of alien species and improve our ability to make predictions of how environmental change the distribution of the alien species in the future. Based on our results, we also discuss which population control strategy would be most effective based on the data available in the literature.
Autoinflammatory periodic fever, immunodeficiency, and thrombocytopenia (PFIT) caused by mutation in actin-regulatory gene WDR1

The importance of actin dynamics in the activation of the inflammasome is becoming increasingly apparent. IL-1&bgr;, which is activated by the inflammasome, is known to be central to the pathogenesis of many monogenic autoinflammatory diseases. However, evidence from an autoinflammatory murine model indicates that IL-18, the other cytokine triggered by inflammasome activity, is important in its own right. In this model, autoinflammation was caused by mutation in the actin regulatory gene WDR1. We report a homozygous missense mutation in WDR1 in two siblings causing periodic fevers with immunodeficiency and thrombocytopenia. We found impaired actin dynamics in patient immune cells. Patients had high serum levels of IL-18, without a corresponding increase in IL-18–binding protein or IL-1&bgr;, and their cells also secreted more IL-18 but not IL-1&bgr; in culture. We found increased caspase-1 cleavage within patient monocytes indicative of increased inflammasome activity. We transfected HEK293T cells with pyrin and wild-type and mutated WDR1. Mutant protein formed aggregates that appeared to accumulate pyrin; this could potentially precipitate inflammasome assembly. We have extended the findings from the mouse model to highlight the importance of WDR1 and actin regulation in the activation of the inflammasome, and in human autoinflammation.
Biomarkers of neuropsychiatric dysfunction in intensive care unit survivors: a prospective cohort study

Objective To assess factors associated with long-term neuropsychiatric outcomes, including biomarkers measured after discharge from the intensive care unit. Methods A prospective cohort study was performed with 65 intensive care unit survivors. The cognitive evaluation was performed through the Mini-Mental State Examination, the symptoms of anxiety and depression were evaluated using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and posttraumatic stress disorder was evaluated using the Impact of Event Scale-6. Plasma levels of amyloid-beta (1-42) [Aβ (1-42)], Aβ (1-40), interleukin (IL)-10, IL-6, IL-33, IL-4, IL-5, tumor necrosis factor alpha, C-reactive protein, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor were measured at intensive care unit discharge. Results Of the variables associated with intensive care, only delirium was independently related to the occurrence of long-term cognitive impairment. In addition, higher levels of IL-10 and IL-6 were associated with cognitive dysfunction. Only IL-6 was independently associated with depression. Mechanical ventilation, IL-33 levels, and C-reactive protein levels were independently associated with anxiety. No variables were independently associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. Conclusion Cognitive dysfunction, as well as symptoms of depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder, are present in patients who survive a critical illness, and some of these outcomes are associated with the levels of inflammatory biomarkers measured at discharge from the intensive care unit.
Teste de caminhada de seis minutos: valores de referência para adultos saudáveis no Brasil

OBJETIVO: Desenvolver equacoes de regressao para a distância caminhada no teste de caminhada de seis minutos (DTC6) em adultos saudaveis (20-80 anos de idade) no Brasil. METODOS: Foram incluidos 132 voluntarios (66 homens) sem doencas respiratorias ou cardiacas, assim como sem comorbidades que afetassem a deambulacao. Os voluntarios completaram tres testes de caminhada de seis minutos. Foram obtidos antes e ao final de cada teste: SpO2, FC maxima e escores da escala de Borg para dispneia e fadiga de pernas. Os dados incluidos na analise final foram os derivados do teste com a maior DTC6. RESULTADOS: Os valores medios de DTC6 foram de 566 ± 87 m e 538 ± 95 m em homens e mulheres, respectivamente (p = 0,08). A DTC6 aumentou com a estatura e diminuiu com a idade e com o indice de massa corporea (IMC). O melhor modelo ajustado foi o quadratico. A equacao derivada para ambos os sexos foi: DTC6 = 511 + altura2 (cm) × 0,0066 - idade2 × 0,030 - IMC2 × 0,068. Esta equacao explicou 55% da variacao na DTC6. CONCLUSOES: Valores de referencia com uma elevada variância explicada foram derivados por um modelo quadratico de regressao em adultos saudaveis com ampla variacao de idade no Brasil.
No-biopsy diagnostic approach to coeliac disease

This brief review outlines contributions that Michael Marsh and others made to understanding the structure and function of the upper small bowel mucosa and the formation of abnormalities that occur in coeliac disease (CD). He introduced his classification of lesions 30 years ago that has been widely adopted. The development and use of serological tests to screen for and diagnose CD in children and adults without the need for a small bowel biopsy in a considerable proportion is also recognised and will gain traction.
Green synthesised AuNps using Ajuga Bracteosa extract and AuNps-Free supernatant exhibited equivalent antibacterial and anticancerous efficacies

The current study is designed to synthesize gold nanoparticles using Ajuga bracteosa extract, which is a highly known medicinal herb found in the northern Himalayas. The synthesized gold nanoparticles were initially characterized by UV-Vis spectrophotometer, SEM, FTIR, pXRD, and, GC-MS. Antibacterial efficacy of A. bracteosa extract, AuNps, and AuNps-free supernatant activity was checked against highly pathogenic clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa via agar well diffusion method, assuming that supernatant might have active compounds. The Nps-free supernatant showed the maximum antibacterial activity against E. coli (20.8±0.3 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (16.5±0.5), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (13±0.6). While green synthesized AuNps showed effective antibacterial activity (Escherichia coli (16.4±0.3mm), Staphylococcus aureus (15.05±0.5mm), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (11.07±0.6mm)) which was high compared to A. bracteosa extract. Anticancer activity was assessed by MTT assay on U87 and HEK293 cell lines. Aj-AuNps have an antigrowth effect on both the cell lines however Aj-AuNps-free supernatant which was also evaluated along with the Aj-AuNps, showed high toxicity toward HEK293 cell line compared to U87. Further, the GC-MS analysis of supernatant showed the presence of resultant toxic compounds after the reduction of gold salt, which include Trichloromethane, Propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, methyl ester, Methyl isovalerate, Pentanoic acid, 2-hydroxy-4-methyl-, Benzene-propanoic acid, and alpha-hydroxy. Based on the observation small molecular weight ligands of Ajuga bracteosa were analyzed in-silico for their binding efficacy towards selected membrane proteins of our target pathogens. RMSD is also calculated for the best docked protein ligand pose. The results revealed that among all listed ligands, Ergosterol and Decacetylajugrin IV have high virtuous binding affinities towards the membrane proteins of targeted pathogens. The current findings revealed that the Aj-AuNps are good antibacterial as well as anticancerous agents while the Nps-free supernatant is also exceedingly effective against resistant pathogens and cancer cell lines.
An extension of the glasso estimator to multivariate censored data

Glasso is one of the most used estimators for inferring genetic networks. Despite its diffusion, there are several fields in applied research where the limits of detection of modern measurement technologies make the use of this estimator theoretically unfounded, even when the assumption of a multivariate Gaussian distribution is satisfied. In this paper we propose an extension to censored data.
A comparison of Atlas and Leo Baby stents-assisted coiling of intracranial aneurysms with small parent vessels

Background: Some studies have reported the efficacy and safety of the Atlas stent and the Leo Baby stent-assisted coiling (SAC) of intracranial aneurysms arising from small cerebral vessels. The authors aimed to compare the clinical performance of the Atlas and the Leo Baby stents in small parent arteries. Methods and materials: Between January 2019 and November 2022, 56 patients at our centre were treated using either Atlas or Leo Baby SAC of intracranial aneurysms arising from small parent vessels (<2 mm). The clinical and angiographic imaging data of the two cohorts were retrospectively collected and comparatively analyzed. Results: A total of 56 patients were included in this study. Thirty-two patients were treated with the Atlas SAC, and 24 patients were treated with the Leo Baby SAC. The mean age of the Atlas stent cohort was older, and the mean aneurysm size was smaller than the Leo Baby stent. The immediate complete occlusion rate was 68.6% in the Atlas stent cohort and 62.5% in the Leo Baby stent cohort. The mean angiographic follow-up time for Atlas stent cohort was 8.9±2.5 months, and the final aneurysm complete occlusion rate was 81.0%. The mean follow-up time for Leo Baby stent cohort was 18.9±6.0 months, and the final aneurysm complete occlusion rate was 83.3%. Conclusions: At the final follow-up, the Atlas or the Leo baby stent SAC of intracranial aneurysms with small parent vessels resulted in favourable angiographic results and clinical outcomes, with a low rate of associated complications.
Étude d'un système de localisation 3-D haute précision basé sur les techniques de transmission Ultra Large Bande à basse consommation d'énergie pour les objets mobiles communicants.

Les systemes de localisations existants presentent des insuffisances au niveau desapplications en environnement indoor. Ces insuffisances se traduisent soit par la non-disponibilite des signaux (le GPS) dans ce type d’environnement, soit par leur manque de precision quand ils sont prevus a cet effet. Ces limites ont motive la recherche de nouvelles techniques. Les transmissions Ultra-Large Bande (ULB) de par leur singularite en matiere de precision et de faible puissance d’emission, s’averent etre la meilleure reponse a la problematique ci-dessus. Nous avons donc choisi cette technique pour mettre au point un procede de localisation endogene permettant d’assurer, avec precision, la continuite des services de localisation dans les environnements indoor. Ce procede s’appuie sur la localisation en trois dimensions (3-D). Il utilise la technique temporelle de differenciation du temps d’arrivee (TDOA). Cette technique permet de mieux tirer profit de la bonne resolution temporelle de l’ULB et de pallier au probleme de synchronisation entre l’emetteur et le recepteur. Deux techniques de transmission ULB ont ete etudiees : la technique d’acces multiples par sequence directe (DS-CDMA) et la technique d’acces multiples par sauts temporels (TH-CDMA). Une autre etape importante de notre etude a ete de developper un algorithme non-iteratif de localisation en 3-D pour reduire le temps de calcul. En effet, l’utilisation d’un algorithme non-iteratif permet d’optimiser les performances du systeme en termes de temps de calcul voire de couts de consommation energetique. Apres l’etude theorique des differents blocs du systeme, le systeme a ete tout d’abord simule dans le canal Gaussien (AWGN) et les canaux IEEE.802. 15.4a indoor. Il a ete ensuite teste dans differents environnements reels de types laboratoires. Les resultats obtenus demontrent que l’utilisation des techniques de transmission basees sur la technologie radio impulsionnelle ULB permet d’obtenir un systeme de localisation en 3-D avec une precision centimetrique pour les applications indoor.
FAN1 removes triplet repeat extrusions via a PCNA- and RFC-dependent mechanism

Significance FAN1 is a DNA repair enzyme, and variants of FAN1 modify Huntington’s disease (HD) onset and progression. However, the biological function of FAN1 in HD etiology is poorly understood. Here, we show that FAN1 is a strand-directed nuclease that requires PCNA and RFC for its activation on DNAs harboring triplet repeat extrusions. This process competes with MutSβ-initiated DNA mismatch repair (MMR) both in minimal systems composed of purified proteins as well as in cell extracts and likely counteracts the causative role of the MMR system in repeat expansion. We propose that the balance between these opposing pathways likely determines the rate of repeat expansion and may be critical for the maintenance of genomic stability.
Making chronic pain count: empirical support for the ICD-11 classification of chronic pain

Purpose of review The purpose is to review the evidence that has been collected with regard to the new classification of chronic pain. In 2022, the World Health Assembly endorsed the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-11), and with it a new classification of chronic pain. Recent findings The evidence from the formative field testing indicated that the categories were clearly delineated and the coverage of chronic pain excellent (<3% in remainder categories). Official WHO field tests showed that the classification works well within the technical parameters WHO classifications must conform to and outperformed the ICD-10 diagnoses in all respects. International field tests, in which clinicians diagnosed consecutive patients in settings of medium and high resources, showed substantial interrater reliability (κ = 0.596 to κ = 0.783) for the diagnoses and the clinicians rated their clinical utility as very high. Studies using complete hospital records demonstrated that with the information they contain, retrospective coding of the new diagnoses is possible and provides much more meaningful information than the ICD-10 diagnoses. Summary The evidence supports the use of the new classification and highlights its informational gains – using it will contribute to making chronic pain count in many contexts.
Novel surgical technique to manage iStent inject over-implantation

Purpose To describe a novel surgical technique to manage over-implantation of the iStent inject intra-operatively, utilizing only the iStent inject delivery system itself to perform both device extraction and reimplantation, without the need for additional instrumentation. Methods A demonstration of managing over-implantation of the iStent inject, with two case examples. Results Over-implantation of the iStent inject can be successfully managed intra-operatively to ensure ideal positioning to optimise post-operative outcomes, with the use of only the iStent inject delivery system itself for both device extraction and reimplantation. Conclusion This novel technique provides a cost-effective and feasible means to intra-operatively manage over-implantation of the iStent inject.
Vocabulary Diversity in Personal Narratives Produced in Response to the Global TALES Protocol in Dutch-Speaking Students with and without Dyslexia

Introduction: This study examines whether there are differences in expressive vocabulary between participants with and without dyslexia in personal narratives in response to the Global TALES protocol. Methods: 22 monolingual Dutch-speaking participants aged 11–16 with dyslexia and 22 age and gender-matched peers without dyslexia were assessed on measures of decoding, reading comprehension, and spelling of words, pseudowords, verbs, and sentences. The participants also produced personal narratives in response to the six prompts contained in the Global TALES protocol. We analyzed the personal narratives for expressive vocabulary and counted the total number of different words (TNDW). Results: The study revealed a significant relationship between TNDW and reading comprehension (r = 0.45, p = 0.002, BF10 = 17.70), spelling words (r = 0.42, p = 0.005, BF10 = 8.93), and spelling and writing conventions in sentences (r = 0.37, p = 0.016, BF10 = 3.11). The Global TALES protocol was successful in eliciting personal narratives in the Dutch-speaking participants with and without dyslexia. Participants with dyslexia used fewer different words (M = 192.27, SD = 64.37; 95% CI: [151.84–232.71]) compared to peers without dyslexia (M = 265.50, SD = 116.28; 95% CI: [225.06–305.93]; F(1, 42) = 6.68; p = 0.013; η2 = 0.14). When we compared the probability of models, Bayesian factors revealed moderate evidence for group differences in TNDW (BF = 3.94). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that older school-age participants with dyslexia may lag behind their peers in expressive vocabulary in a personal narrative discourse task that is relevant to everyday functioning. The results of this study highlight the relationship between expressive vocabulary and reading comprehension and the importance of the assessment of spoken language skills in children with dyslexia. Reading problems might lead to less advanced spoken language, which in turn may negatively affect the expressive vocabulary growth in individuals with dyslexia.