Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crosstalk Between Platelets and Microbial Pathogens

Platelets, small anucleate cells circulating in the blood, are critical mediators in haemostasis and thrombosis. Interestingly, recent studies demonstrated that platelets contain both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules, equipping platelets with immunoregulatory function in both innate and adaptive immunity. In the context of infectious diseases, platelets are involved in early detection of invading microorganisms and are actively recruited to sites of infection. Platelets exert their effects on microbial pathogens either by direct binding to eliminate or restrict dissemination, or by shaping the subsequent host immune response. Reciprocally, many invading microbial pathogens can directly or indirectly target host platelets, altering platelet count or/and function. In addition, microbial pathogens can impact the host auto- and alloimmune responses to platelet antigens in several immune-mediated diseases, such as immune thrombocytopenia, and fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms that contribute to the bidirectional interactions between platelets and various microbial pathogens, and how these interactions hold relevant implications in the pathogenesis of many infectious diseases. The knowledge obtained from “well-studied” microbes may also help us understand the pathogenesis of emerging microbes, such as SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.
Bobath versus Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in Retraining of Balance and Functional Independence in Activities of Daily Living

Aim: To ascertain the comparative efficacy of Bobath and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in retraining of balance and functional independence in the activities of daily living. Study Design: Pre-post experimental design. Place and Duration: The study took place at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu between May and August 2013. Methodology: In this study, a total of 50 (29 men and 21 women) stroke survivors with a modal age of 60-65 years were purposively recruited, examined, treated and re-evaluated four-weekly. This study lasted for 12 weeks. Functional independence in activities of daily living (ADL) and balance were assessed using the Barthel Index (BI) and the Berg Balance Scale respectively. The gain in function was calculated as the differences between baseline and post-treatment scores. Data were analysed using SPSS version 23, with Î± set at 0.01. Original Research Article Ikechuwku et al.; AJORRIN, 1(1): 1-15, 2018; Article no.AJORRIN. 43528 2 Results: Comparing gain in functional independence in ADL between Bobath and PNF, the result showed significantly consistent higher gain with the use of Bobath (p < 0.001, 0.02 and 0.04). No statistically significant difference was found in the balance between Bobath and PNF in any of the months (p= 0.16, 0.25 and 0.08). However, going by the clinical important difference of 3 on the Berg balance scale, Bobath was found to be more efficacious than PNF after three months. Conclusion: Bobath appears superior to PNF in the retraining of balance and functional independence in ADL.
Clinicohematological profile of patients with peripheral blood cytopenias in clinical practice

BACKGROUND: In clinical practice, the cytopenias may result from relatively benign causes such as viral infections and Vitamin B12/folic acid deficiency to more sinister causes such as bone marrow failure. In this study, we looked into the clinicohematological profile and etiological factors of bicytopenia and pancytopenia. OBJECTIVES: To study the etiology and clinicohematological profile in patients of peripheral blood cytopenias. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital over a period of 1 year. Cytopenias were defined as pancytopenia when there was simultaneous presence of hemoglobin <10 g/dL, total leukocyte count <4000/dL, and platelets < 100000/dL or as bicytopenia when two of the three blood cell lines were depressed. All patients who presented with pancytopenia and bicytopenia were included, and their clinicohematological profile was recorded. RESULTS: A total of 204 patients (103 males and 101 females) were diagnosed to have cytopenias. Pancytopenia was observed in 69/204 and bicytopenia was seen in 135/204 cases. The various causes of cytopenias included infections (n = 126 [61.76%]), megaloblastic anemia (MA) (n = 48 [23.52%]), drugs (n = 12 [5.8%]), hypersplenism (n = 8 [3.9%]), bone marrow failure syndromes such as aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (n = 7 [3.4%]) and leukemias (n = 3 [1.4%]). We found a significant association between MA and pancytopenia (odds ratio [OR] = 2.47, P < 0.05) and also between infections and bicytopenia (OR = 5.8, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that infections and MA are the most common cause of bicytopenia and pancytopenia, respectively. The more serious disorders affecting the bone marrow constitute only <5% of all cases of cytopenias.
Differences in Pathological Composition Among Large Artery Occlusion Cerebral Thrombi, Valvular Heart Disease Atrial Thrombi and Carotid Endarterectomy Plaques

Background and Purpose: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) with large artery occlusion (LAO) may lead to severe disability or death if not promptly treated. To determine the source of cerebral artery occlusion thrombosis, we studied the pathological components of cerebral artery thrombosis with different etiological classifications to guide clinical formulation of preventive treatment. Materials and Methods: Eighty-eight thrombi from AIS patients with LAO, 12 atrial thrombi from patients with valvular heart disease (VHD), and 11 plaques obtained by carotid endarterectomy (CEA) from patients with carotid artery stenosis were included in this retrospective study. The hematoxylin and eosin–stained specimens were quantitatively analyzed for erythrocytes, white blood cells (WBCs) and fibrin; platelets were shown by immunohistochemistry for CD31. Results: The thrombi of VHD showed the highest percentage of fibrin, followed by those of cardioembolism (CE) and stroke of undetermined etiology (SUE), and these values were higher than those of the other groups. Plaques obtained by CEA showed the highest erythrocyte number, followed by the large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) thrombi, and showed significantly noticeable differences between other stroke subtypes. The proportions of fibrin and erythrocytes in the thrombi of CE and SUE were most similar to those in the thrombi of VHD, and the LAA thrombi were the closest to those obtained by CEA. CE thrombi and CEA plaques had a higher percentage of WBCs than thrombi of other stroke thrombus subtypes and VHD. Conclusions: CE and most cryptogenic thrombi may originate from the heart, and the formation of carotid atherosclerotic plaques may be related to atherosclerotic cerebral embolism. Inflammation may be involved in their formation.
Comparing a Novel Neuroanimation Experience to Conventional Therapy for High-Dose Intensive Upper-Limb Training in Subacute Stroke: The SMARTS2 Randomized Trial

Background Evidence from animal studies suggests that greater reductions in poststroke motor impairment can be attained with significantly higher doses and intensities of therapy focused on movement quality. These studies also indicate a dose-timing interaction, with more pronounced effects if high-intensity therapy is delivered in the acute/subacute, rather than chronic, poststroke period. Objective To compare 2 approaches of delivering high-intensity, high-dose upper-limb therapy in patients with subacute stroke: a novel exploratory neuroanimation therapy (NAT) and modified conventional occupational therapy (COT). Methods A total of 24 patients were randomized to NAT or COT and underwent 30 sessions of 60 minutes time-on-task in addition to standard care. The primary outcome was the Fugl-Meyer Upper Extremity motor score (FM-UE). Secondary outcomes included Action Research Arm Test (ARAT), grip strength, Stroke Impact Scale hand domain, and upper-limb kinematics. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, and days 3, 90, and 180 posttraining. Both groups were compared to a matched historical cohort (HC), which received only 30 minutes of upper-limb therapy per day. Results There were no significant between-group differences in FM-UE change or any of the secondary outcomes at any timepoint. Both high-dose groups showed greater recovery on the ARAT (7.3 ± 2.9 points; P = .011) but not the FM-UE (1.4 ± 2.6 points; P = .564) when compared with the HC. Conclusions Neuroanimation may offer a new, enjoyable, efficient, and scalable way to deliver high-dose and intensive upper-limb therapy.
Stem Cell Treatment in Degenerative Retinal and Optic Nerve Diseases

Retina hastaliklarinin tedavisinde kok hucrelerin kullanimi oftalmolojide yeni ve populer bir konudur. Embriyonik ve kemik iligi kaynakli kok hucreler tedavi icin kullanilabilir. Yasla bagli makula dejenerasyonu, Stargardt'in makula distrofisi ve retinitis pigmentosa, progresif gorme kaybina neden olan yaygin gorulen retina hastaliklaridir. Bu nedenle arastirmalar kok hucre tedavisinin etkinligini degerlendirmek icin herhangi bir kuratif tedavi modalitesine sahip olmayan bu hastaliklara odaklanmaktadir. Bu yayinda goz hastaliklarinda kok hucre tedavisi ile ilgili faz 1/2 klinik calismalarin sonuclarini incelemeyi amacladik. Kok hucre terapileri, retinal hastaliklarin tedavisinde yukselen bir trenddir ve tedavinin standardizasyonu, sonuclar hakkinda uzun vadeli veriler elde etmek ve komplikasyonlara iliskin daha ileri klinik calismalara ihtiyac vardir.
Expenditure and Financial Burden for Stomach Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment in China: A Multicenter Study

Background: Stomach cancer is a huge threat to the health of Chinese people. However, few studies have looked into the expenditure and financial burden due to stomach cancer in China. Methods: To estimate the direct (medical and non-medical) and indirect expenditure for diagnosis and treatment for stomach cancer patients in China, a multicenter survey was conducted in 37 tertiary hospitals in 13 provinces across China from 2012 to 2014. Each enrolled patient was interviewed through a structured questionnaire. The medical and non-medical expenditure at different clinical stages, the composition of non-medical expenditure, and the time loss for the cancer patient and their family were assessed. All expenditure data were inflated to the 2014 Chinese Yuan [CNY; 1 CNY = 0.163 USA dollar (USD)]. Results: A total of 2,401 stomach cancer patients with a mean age of 58.1 ± 11.4 years were included, predominately male. The overall average direct expenditure per patient was estimated to be US $9,899 (medical expenditure 91.2%, non-medical expenditure 8.8%), and the expenditures for stage I, II, III, and IV were $8,648, $9,004, $9,810, and $10,816, respectively; expenditure in stage III and IV was significantly higher than that in stages I and II (p < 0.05). One-year out-of-pocket expenditure of a newly diagnosed patient with stomach cancer was $5,368, accounting for 63.8% of their previous-year household income, which led to 79.2% families suffering an unmanageable financial burden. The average loss of time for patients and caregivers was $996. Conclusions: This study indicated that the economic burden of stomach cancer in urban China was onerous. Effective intervention is necessary to reduce the financial burden by reducing the personal payment ratio and increasing the reimbursement ratio.
Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry

Background: Psychological suffering by health professionals may be associated with the uncertainty of a safe workplace. Front-line professionals exposed and involved in the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 patients are more susceptible. Method: This review was conducted based on papers that were published at MEDLINE, BMJ, PsycINFO, and LILACS, the according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA). Results: Health professionals had a higher level of anxiety (13.0 vs. 8.5%, p < 0.01, OR = 1.6152; 95%CI 1.3283 to 1.9641; p < 0.0001) and depression 12.2 vs. 9.5%; p = 0.04; OR = 1.3246; 95%CI 1.0930 to 1.6053; p = 0.0042), besides somatizations and insomnia compared to professionals from other areas. Conclusion: Health professionals, regardless of their age, showed significant levels of mental disorders. We ob- served a prevalence of anxiety and depression. Insomnia was a risk factor for both
Multiple Pregnancy in Women of Advanced Reproductive Age

Assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs) allow women of advanced reproductive age to become pregnant. One of the most frequent complications of ART is twin pregnancy. Cases where both factors are present represent a specially vulnerable population for obstetric complications and medical perinatal and post-partum consequences for both the mother and babies. Pre-existing medical conditions are more frequent at advanced age, and the pregnancy physiological changes and the high metabolic demand associated with a twin pregnancy may reveal or worsen any previous disease. A careful counselling process is very important in this population and certain obstetric interventions might be particularly addressed to it. Single embryo transfer should be strongly enforced in advanced age women to minimise risk for the mother and children.
Early Detection of Depression and Anorexia from Social Media: A Machine Learning Approach

In this paper, we present an approach on social media mining to help early detection of two mental illnesses: depression and anorexia. We aim at detecting users that are likely to be ill, by learning from annotated examples. We mine texts to extract features for text representation and also use word embedding representation. The machine learning based model we proposed uses these two types of text representation to predict the likelihood of each user to be ill. We use 58 features from state of the art and 198 features new in this domain that are part of our contribution. We evaluate our model on the CLEF eRisk 2018 reference collections. For depression detection, our model based on word embedding achieves the best performance according to the measure ERDE 50 and the model based on features only achieves the best performance according to precision. For anorexia detection, the model based on word embedding achieves the second-best results on ERDE 50 and recall. We also observed that many of the new features we added contribute to improve the results.
A Novel Siglec-4 Derived Spacer Improves the Functionality of CAR T Cells Against Membrane-Proximal Epitopes

A domain that is often neglected in the assessment of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) functionality is the extracellular spacer module. However, several studies have elucidated that membrane proximal epitopes are best targeted through CARs comprising long spacers, while short spacer CARs exhibit highest activity on distal epitopes. This finding can be explained by the requirement to have an optimal distance between the effector T cell and target cell. Commonly used long spacer domains are the CH2-CH3 domains of IgG molecules. However, CARs containing these spacers generally show inferior in vivo efficacy in mouse models compared to their observed in vitro activity, which is linked to unspecific Fcγ-Receptor binding and can be abolished by mutating the respective regions. Here, we first assessed a CAR therapy targeting membrane proximal CD20 using such a modified long IgG1 spacer. However, despite these mutations, this construct failed to unfold its observed in vitro cytotoxic potential in an in vivo model, while a shorter but less structured CD8α spacer CAR showed complete tumor clearance. Given the shortage of well-described long spacer domains with a favorable functionality profile, we designed a novel class of CAR spacers with similar attributes to IgG spacers but without unspecific off-target binding, derived from the Sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-type lectins (Siglecs). Of five constructs tested, a Siglec-4 derived spacer showed highest cytotoxic potential and similar performance to a CD8α spacer in a CD20 specific CAR setting. In a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma model, a Siglec-4 spacer CAR targeting a membrane proximal (TSPAN8) epitope was efficiently engaged in vitro, while a membrane distal (CD66c) epitope did not activate the T cell. Transfer of the TSPAN8 specific Siglec-4 spacer CAR to an in vivo setting maintained the excellent tumor killing characteristics being indistinguishable from a TSPAN8 CD8α spacer CAR while outperforming an IgG4 long spacer CAR and, at the same time, showing an advantageous central memory CAR T cell phenotype with lower release of inflammatory cytokines. In summary, we developed a novel spacer that combines cytotoxic potential with an advantageous T cell and cytokine release phenotype, which make this an interesting candidate for future clinical applications.
Neurophysiological Biomarkers in Schizophrenia—P50, Mismatch Negativity, and TMS-EMG and TMS-EEG

Impaired early auditory processing is a well characterized finding in schizophrenia that is theorized to contribute to clinical symptoms, cognitive impairment, and social dysfunction in patients. Two neurophysiological measures of early auditory processing, P50 gating (“P50”) and mismatch negativity (MMN), which measure sensory gating and detection of change in auditory stimuli, respectively, are consistently shown to be impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) may also be a potential method by which sensory processing can be assessed, since TMS paradigms can be used to measure GABAB-mediated cortical inhibition that is linked with sensory gating. In this review, we examine the potential of P50, MMN and two TMS paradigms, cortical silent period (CSP) and long-interval intracortical inhibition (LICI), as endophenotypes as well as their ability to be used as predictive markers for interventions targeted at cognitive and psychosocial functioning. Studies consistently support a link between MMN, P50, and cognitive dysfunction, with robust evidence for a link between MMN and psychosocial functioning in schizophrenia as well. Importantly, studies have demonstrated that MMN can be used to predict performance in social and cognitive training tasks. A growing body of studies also supports the potential of MMN to be used as an endophenotype, and future studies are needed to determine if MMN can be used as an endophenotype specifically in schizophrenia. P50, however, has weaker evidence supporting its use as an endophenotype. While CSP and LICI are not as extensively investigated, growing evidence is supporting their potential to be used as an endophenotype in schizophrenia. Future studies that assess the ability of P50, MMN, and TMS neurophysiological measures to predict performance in cognitive and social training programs may identify markers that inform clinical decisions in the treatment of neurocognitive impairments in schizophrenia.
Myosteatosis in the Context of Skeletal Muscle Function Deficit: An Interdisciplinary Workshop at the National Institute on Aging

Skeletal muscle fat infiltration (known as myosteatosis) is an ectopic fat depot that increases with aging and is recognized to negatively correlate with muscle mass, strength, and mobility and disrupt metabolism (insulin resistance, diabetes). An interdisciplinary workshop convened by the National Institute on Aging Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology on September 2018, discussed myosteatosis in the context of skeletal muscle function deficit (SMFD). Its purpose was to gain a better understanding of the roles of myosteatosis in aging muscles and metabolic disease, particularly its potential determinants and clinical consequences, and ways of properly assessing it. Special attention was given to functional status and standardization of measures of body composition (including the value of D3-creatine dilution method) and imaging approaches [including ways to better use dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) through the shape and appearance modeling] to assess lean mass, sarcopenia, and myosteatosis. The workshop convened innovative new areas of scientific relevance to light such as the effect of circadian rhythms and clock disruption in skeletal muscle structure, function, metabolism, and potential contribution to increased myosteatosis. A muscle-bone interaction perspective compared mechanisms associated with myosteatosis and bone marrow adiposity. Potential preventive and therapeutic approaches highlighted ongoing work on physical activity, myostatin treatment, and calorie restriction. Myosteatosis’ impact on cancer survivors raised new possibilities to identify its role and to engage in cross-disciplinary collaboration. A wide range of research opportunities and challenges in planning for the most appropriate study design, interpretation, and translation of findings into clinical practice were discussed and are presented here.
Advances in Astrocyte Computational Models: From Metabolic Reconstructions to Multi-omic Approaches

The growing importance of astrocytes in the field of neuroscience has led to a greater number of computational models devoted to the study of astrocytic functions and their metabolic interactions with neurons. The modeling of these interactions demands a combined understanding of brain physiology and the development of computational frameworks based on genomic-scale reconstructions, system biology, and dynamic models. These computational approaches have helped to highlight the neuroprotective mechanisms triggered by astrocytes and other glial cells, both under normal conditions and during neurodegenerative processes. In the present review, we evaluate some of the most relevant models of astrocyte metabolism, including genome-scale reconstructions and astrocyte-neuron interactions developed in the last few years. Additionally, we discuss novel strategies from the multi-omics perspective and computational models of other glial cell types that will increase our knowledge in brain metabolism and its association with neurodegenerative diseases.
USING OF AN ADAPTIVE MATCHED FILTER IN SELF ADAPTIVE EQUALIZATION

This paper deals with a new proposal technique for improving the performance of a communication link. This is carried out by using an adaptive filter cascaded with the matched filter at the receiving end. When this proposal is used to equalizing a communication channel , no need to a training data sequence at the start of the system operation. So, it is important to use it in self adaptive equalization [1]. The matched filter is used to maximize signal to noise ratio at the receiving end. Since the matched filter is designed to match the transmitted signal, which is different from the received signal due to the channel effect the output of the matched filter is different from the designed one. An adaptive filter may be used to avoid these drawbacks caused by the channel since it has the ability to track the channel variation. The paper presents a system based on using adaptive filter together with a matched filter at the receiver. To check the performance of the proposal, a BARKER code is used to modulate four level data. At the receiver, the adaptive filter is cascaded with the matched filter and adapts its weights to get ideal auto-correlation function of the BARKER code. The basic idea in the adaptation process is based on the shape of the auto-correlation function, which has alternative zeroes. So, the adaptive filter adapts its output to zero at these instants and stop adaptation at the next instants, which solves the problem of the distortion in the matched filter output. The main advantage of the adaptation processor of the adaptive filter will modify the tap weights at double the baud interval i.e, slower processor is sufficient to be used. Computer simulation is carried out to test the performance of the proposal. It clarifies the improvement caused when the proposal is used.