Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Growth among Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cross-Sectional Study of Factors Contributing to Stunting

Introduction: Diabetes is a worldwide health challenge. Research done among diabetic children concluded that the abnormalities in growth associated with diabetes are due to reduced insulin use and are reversible with adequate insulin therapy. A diabetic child who is on appropriate treatment should have no impairment of growth. In this study, we assessed the prevalence of stunting among a population of pediatric patients with diabetes. Methods: It is a descriptive cross-sectional study done from September to December 2015 in Rwanda. 136 children from 23 districts were included. Patients aged 1 to 18 years old were enrolled. Weight, height and Glycated hemoglobin were our study parameters. Stunting was defined as height for age below -2SD. Previous HbA1c readings were obtained from patient files. Interviews were used to code demographic, socio-economic factors, access to and affordability of food and clinical data information. Data entry was done in Epidata and analyzed by Stata 13. Result: 136 children were enrolled, aged 2 to 18 years with a mean age of 15.5. 39.7% were male and 60.3% were female. The prevalence of stunting was 30.9%. The mean HbA1c was 9.7%; 28% were well controlled with an HBA1c <7.5, whereas 41.2% had a poor glycemic control with HbA1c of 10% or above. Those with lower socioeconomic status were better controlled. The mean daily Insulin dose was 0.8 IU/kg/day. Regarding availability of meals, 4.4% reported to have only one meal per day. 34.6% admitted their nutrition was inadequate. No secondary school education for parents was associated with stunting. Districts Huye and Rusizi were the most affected with stunting. Insufficiently fed children were likely to be stunted. Conclusion: The prevalence of stunting among children with diabetes was high. There was no association between stunting and glycemic control, but there was an association between stunting and poor socio-economic condition.
Transiciones de entrada y salida en la movilidad geográfica circular y bienestar subjetivo

The present article discusses the analysis of the impact on four indicators of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of the transitions in geographical mobility patterns in four European countries. Based on both waves of the survey job Mobilities and family Life (2007 and 2011), we will discuss the impact of entering, leaving and staying in mobility compared to not being mobile in both waves on subjective wellbeing. The indicators to be analyzed are satisfaction with work, satisfaction with life, stress because of work and overall stress. As control variables we will use other relevant transitions in life as are transitions into and out of partnership, transition into parenthood, changes in health, changes in satisfaction with the financial situation and gender. As analytic strategy we will use OLS regression models of the changes between both waves of the SWB indicators. Results show that SWB indicators have changed for most of the interviewed persons during the period under observation: only one third of the interviewed have not changed their scoring on the four indicators, while the same proportion report a decrease and an increased in their SWB. These changes are not all random, but are related in different degree with the variables under analysis. In particular, while satisfaction with work is related with mobility transitions in the expected direction, in the case of life satisfaction the impact of spatial mobility operates mainly through its impact on job satisfaction, which in turn depends on the balance of advantages and cost derived from geographical mobility. In the case of stress, no clear relationship with mobility patterns can be identified once controlled for other relevant variables.
Boosting Memory by tDCS to Frontal or Parietal Brain Regions? A Study of the Enactment Effect Shows No Effects for Immediate and Delayed Recognition

Boosting memory with transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) seems to be an elegant way to optimize learning. Here we tested whether tDCS to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex or to the left posterior parietal cortex would boost recognition memory in general and/or particularly for action phrases enacted at study. During study, 48 young adults either read or enacted simple action phrases. Memory for the action phrases was assessed after a retention interval of 45 min and again after 7-days to investigate the long-term consequences of brain stimulation. The results showed a robust enactment effect in both test sessions. Moreover, the decrease in performance was more pronounced for reading than for enacting the phrases at study. However, tDCS did not reveal any effect on subsequent recognition memory performance. We conclude that memory benefits of tDCS are not easily replicated. In contrast, enactment at study reliably boosts subsequent memory.
Neurobiology of Chronic Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders: Evidence from Molecular Imaging Studies

Chronic stress accounts for billions of dollars of economic loss annually in the United States alone, and is recognized as a major source of disability and mortality worldwide. Robust evidence suggests that chronic stress plays a significant role in the onset of severe and impairing psychiatric conditions, including major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Application of molecular imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography in recent years has begun to provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which chronic stress confers risk for these disorders. The present paper provides a comprehensive review and synthesis of all positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography imaging publications focused on the examination of molecular targets in individuals with major depressive disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, or bipolar disorder to date. Critical discussion of discrepant findings and broad strengths and weaknesses of the current body of literature is provided. Recommended future directions for the field of molecular imaging to further elucidate the neurobiological substrates of chronic stress-related disorders are also discussed. This article is part of the inaugural issue for the journal focused on various aspects of chronic stress.
Device performance and polymer morphology in polymer light emitting diodes: The control of thin film morphology and device quantum efficiency

We present the results of a systematic study on how the processing conditions of spin casting affect the morphology of polymer thin films, and how the morphology affects polymer light-emitting diode (LED) performance. The absorption peaks of poly(2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylene vinylene) (MEH-PPV) thin films, which reflects the conjugation of π electrons, are strongly correlated to the spin-casting conditions. At high spin speed, better conjugation is observed. In addition, the photoluminescence emission peak of MEH-PPV films at ∼630 nm has a strong correlation to polymer aggregation. By proper selection of organic solvents, polymer solution concentrations, and spin speeds, we are able to control the aggregation of the polymer chains. Subsequently, we are able to control the emission color and the quantum efficiency of the MEH-PPV LEDs by simply adjusting the spin-casting conditions. Although spin casting is the most commonly used technique for the preparation of polymer thin films, our fin.
Tumor Necrosis Factor and Interleukin-1β Modulate Synaptic Plasticity during Neuroinflammation

Cytokines are constitutively released in the healthy brain by resident myeloid cells to keep proper synaptic plasticity, either in the form of Hebbian synaptic plasticity or of homeostatic plasticity. However, when cytokines dramatically increase, establishing a status of neuroinflammation, the synaptic action of such molecules remarkably interferes with brain circuits of learning and cognition and contributes to excitotoxicity and neurodegeneration. Among others, interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) are the best studied proinflammatory cytokines in both physiological and pathological conditions and have been invariably associated with long-term potentiation (LTP) (Hebbian synaptic plasticity) and synaptic scaling (homeostatic plasticity), respectively. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the prototypical neuroinflammatory disease, in which inflammation triggers excitotoxic mechanisms contributing to neurodegeneration. IL-β and TNF are increased in the brain of MS patients and contribute to induce the changes in synaptic plasticity occurring in MS patients and its animal model, the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). This review will introduce and discuss current evidence of the role of IL-1β and TNF in the regulation of synaptic strength at both physiological and pathological levels, in particular speculating on their involvement in the synaptic plasticity changes observed in the EAE brain.
A Suppressor Screen for AGO1 Degradation by the Viral F-Box P0 Protein Uncovers a Role for AGO DUF1785 in sRNA Duplex Unwinding[OPEN]

The AGO1 DUF1785, which is a target of the polerovirus F-box P0 protein, is required for unwinding perfectly matched siRNA duplexes and its mutation abolishes phasiRNA production and transgene S-PTGS In Arabidopsis thaliana, ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1) plays a central role in microRNA (miRNA) and small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing and is a key component in antiviral responses. The polerovirus F-box P0 protein triggers AGO1 degradation as a viral counterdefense. Here, we identified a motif in AGO1 that is required for its interaction with the S phase kinase-associated protein1-cullin 1-F-box protein (SCF) P0 (SCFP0) complex and subsequent degradation. The AGO1 P0 degron is conserved and confers P0-mediated degradation to other AGO proteins. Interestingly, the degron motif is localized in the DUF1785 domain of AGO1, in which a single point mutation (ago1-57, obtained by forward genetic screening) compromises recognition by SCFP0. Recapitulating formation of the RNA-induced silencing complex in a cell-free system revealed that this mutation impairs RNA unwinding, leading to stalled forms of AGO1 still bound to double-stranded RNAs. In vivo, the DUF1785 is required for unwinding perfectly matched siRNA duplexes, but is mostly dispensable for unwinding imperfectly matched miRNA duplexes. Consequently, its mutation nearly abolishes phased siRNA production and sense transgene posttranscriptional gene silencing. Overall, our work sheds new light on the mode of AGO1 recognition by P0 and the in vivo function of DUF1785 in RNA silencing.
Determinants of severe acute malnutrition among children under five years in a rural remote setting: A hospital based study from district Tharparkar-Sindh, Pakistan

Objectives: To understand and catalogue the specific determinants of this alarming rate of malnutrition among children of Tharparkar district, Sindh Pakistan. Methods: This was a hospital based analytical survey. Data was collected through a semi-structured questionnaire by interviewing mothers of the children (age 6-59 months), admitted in the hospital. Following WHO guidelines, weight and length/ height of 105 children were recorded. Study was conducted in District Headquarters Hospital, Tharparkar district of Sindh province. Results: Almost 48% children admitted in the hospital were identified with severe acute malnutrition. More males (55%) were malnourished as compared to females (45%). Maternal education, household income, family size, breastfeeding, vaccination status, and frequent infections were found to be significantly associated with the severe acute malnutrition. Conclusion: Specific interventions on promoting exclusive breastfeeding, vaccination, and timely health care seeking behaviors would definitely improve the outcomes. Nevertheless, sector wide approaches would be needed on girls’ education, poverty, and food security in the district in order to address the issue of malnutrition.
Genetic variation in humoral response to an Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine in beef cattle

Individuals often respond differently to the same vaccine; some of this variation may be caused by genetic differences among animals. Our objective was to estimate heritability and identify genomic regions associated with humoral response to an Escherichia coli O157:H7 vaccine in beef cattle. Crossbred beef cattle (n = 651) were vaccinated with a commercially available E. coli O157:H7 vaccine. Serum was collected at time of initial vaccination (d 0), booster (d 21), and d 56 after initial vaccination. Total antibodies specific to siderophore receptor and porin proteins in the vaccine were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood and genotyped with the bovine GeneSeek Genomic Profiler-High Density 78K or 26K Single Nucleotide Polymorphism BeadChip and imputed to 777,000 SNP genotypes. Heritability was estimated by restricted maximum likelihood (REML) using both 1) pedigree and 2) genomic relationships among individuals. Fixed effects were contemporary group, calf age, sex, principal components from SNP genotype data, and pedigree-derived heterozygosity effects. Additive and dominance effects of SNPs were estimated individually while accounting for contemporary group, sex, and the top 20 principal components calculated from the genomic relationship matrix. Heritability of initial response to vaccination (d 21 –d 0) was 0.10 ± 0.175 using pedigree relationships and 0.14 ± 0.149 using genomic relationships, but neither estimate was statistically different from zero. Heritability of booster (d 56 –d 21) and overall (d 56 –d 0) responses were low and not statistically significant from zero. There were no clusters of linked SNP associated with vaccine response, but eight regionally isolated SNPs were significantly associated with initial or overall response to vaccination. Regional genetic variation for initial response to an E. coli O157:H7 vaccine was observed, although overall heritability of this response was not statistically significant from zero.
Clinical outcomes of arthroscopic repair of acetabular labral tears

Purpose To evaluate the primary clinical outcomes of arthroscopic labral repair. Methods All patients who underwent arthroscopic repair of the acetabular labrum performed by a senior surgeon between October 2010 and December 2013 were invited to participate in this prospective study. Patients included were those who had a preoperative diagnosis of labral tears, a lateral centre edge greater than 25° and a labral tear believed to be suturable during the intraoperative evaluation. Patients with Tönnis grade 2 or grade 3 hip osteoarthritis and those who had undergone a previous hip surgery were excluded. All patients were evaluated using the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS) during the final appointment before surgery, 4 months after surgery and at the final evaluation. Interviews were conducted by the senior surgeon. Results Eighty-four patients (90 hips) underwent arthroscopic repair. The mean age was 44.2 years and the mean follow-up period was 43.0 months (minimum of 25 months and maximum of 59 months). The mean mHHS was 80.4 preoperatively, 95.0 at 4 months postoperatively and 96.6 at final evaluation. A statistically significant difference existed among these scores (p<0.001). Conclusion Arthroscopic labral repair was associated with a clinically significant improvement in mHHS after short-term (4 months) and medium-term (43 months) follow-up. Level of evidence Level IV, therapeutic case series.
Host-Specific Bacteroides Markers-Based Microbial Source Tracking in Aquaculture Areas

Various waterborne pathogens originate from human or animal feces and may cause severe gastroenteric outbreaks. Bacteroides spp. that exhibit strong host- or group-specificities are promising markers for identifying fecal sources and their origins. In the present study, 240 water samples were collected from two major aquaculture areas in Republic of Korea over a period of approximately 1 year, and the concentrations and occurrences of four host-specific Bacteroides markers (human, poultry, pig, and ruminant) were evaluated in the study areas. Host-specific Bacteroides markers were detected widely in the study areas, among which the poultry-specific Bacteroides marker was detected at the highest concentration (1.0–1.2 log10 copies L−1). During the sampling period, high concentrations of host-specific Bacteroides markers were detected between September and December 2015. The host-specific Bacteroides marker-combined geospatial map revealed the up-to-downstream gradient of fecal contamination, as well as the effects of land-use patterns on host-specific Bacteroides marker concentrations. In contrast to traditional bacterial indicators, the human-specific Bacteroides marker correlated with human specific pathogens, such as noroviruses (r=0.337; P<0.001). The present results indicate that host-specific Bacteroides genetic markers with an advanced geospatial analysis are useful for tracking fecal sources and associated pathogens in aquaculture areas.
Clinical Expectations for Better Influenza Virus Vaccines—Perspectives from the Young Investigators’ Point of View

The influenza virus is one of a few viruses that is capable of rendering an otherwise healthy person acutly bedridden for several days. This impressive knock-out effect, without prodromal symptoms, challenges our immune system. The influenza virus undergoes continuous mutations, escaping our pre-existing immunity and causing epidemics, and its segmented genome is subject to reassortment, resulting in novel viruses with pandemic potential. The personal and socieoeconomic burden from influenza is high. Vaccination is the most cost-effective countermeasure, with several vaccines that are available. The current limitations in vaccine effectivness, combined with the need for yearly updating of vaccine strains, is a driving force for research into developing new and improved influenza vaccines. The lack of public concern about influenza severity, and misleading information concerning vaccine safety contribute to low vaccination coverage even in high-risk groups. The success of future influeza vaccines will depend on an increased public awarness of the disease, and hence, the need for vaccination—aided through improved rapid diagnositics. The vaccines must be safe and broadly acting, with new, measurable correlates of protection and robust post-marketing safety studies, to improve the confidence in influenza vaccines.
Clinical Relevance of Postoperative Neutrophil–Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR) to Recurrence After Adjuvant Chemotherapy of S-1 for Gastric Cancer

Background/Aim: The clinical significance of postoperative neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of postoperative NLR on prediction for postoperative recurrence of gastric cancer. Patients and Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on data from 170 patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer who underwent surgery followed by adjuvant chemotherapy using S-1 between 2006 and 2015. Postoperative NLR was calculated every 6 months and the data at the time of recurrence or last survival were used for analysis. Results: Postoperative NLR was associated with Prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). In multivariate analysis, we found that elevated CA19-9, CEA and NLR were independent predictive markers. The patients with low values of both NLR and CEA after surgery had the most favorable prognosis. Conclusion: The postoperative NLR might be one of the surrogate markers for recurrence after curative surgery for patients with Stage II/III gastric cancer.
Chronic intermittent hypoxia and obstructive sleep apnea : an experimental and clinical approach emilia

© 2016 Sforza and Roche. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress. com/ terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php). Hypoxia 2016:4 99–108 submit your manuscript | www.dovepress. com
Association of Metformin Treatment with Reduced Severity of Diabetic Retinopathy in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Purpose To evaluate effects of long-term metformin on the severity of diabetic retinopathy (DR) in high-risk type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. Methods A retrospective chart review study was conducted involving 335 DR patients with T2D ≥ 15 years from 1990 to 2013. The severity of DR was determined by Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study scale. The associations between metformin and DR severity were evaluated. Comparison with stratification for the use of sulfonylurea and insulin was performed to identify possible confounding effects. Results Severe nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy or proliferative diabetic retinopathy (SNPDR/PDR) was more often diagnosed in nonmetformin users (67/142, 47%) versus metformin users (48/193, 25%) (p < 0.001), regardless of gender and race of the patients. The odds ratio of metformin associated with SNPDR/PDR was 0.37 in all cases (p < 0.001), 0.35 in sulfonylurea use cohort (p < 0.05), 0.45 in nonsulfonylurea use cohorts (p < 0.01), and 0.42 in insulin use cohort (p < 0.01). Insulin users had a higher rate of SNPDR/PDR. Metformin had no influence on the occurrence of clinical significant diabetic macular edema. Conclusions Long-term use of metformin is independently associated with a significant lower rate of SNPDR/PDR in patients with type 2 diabetes ≥ 15 years.
Quantifying ingested debris in marine megafauna: a review and recommendations for standardization

Plastic pollution has become one of the largest environmental challenges we currently face. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has listed it as a critical problem, comparable to climate change, demonstrating both the scale and degree of the environmental problem. Mortalities due to entanglement in plastic fishing nets and bags have been reported for marine mammals, turtles and seabirds, and to date over 690 marine species have been reported to ingest plastics. The body of literature documenting plastic ingestion by marine megafauna (i.e. seabirds, turtles, fish and marine mammals) has grown rapidly over the last decade, and it is expected to continue grow as researchers explore the ecological impacts of marine pollution. Unfortunately, a cohesive approach by the scientific community to quantify plastic ingestion by wildlife is lacking, which is now hindering spatial and temporal comparisons between and among species/organisms. Here, we discuss and propose standardized techniques, approaches and metrics for reporting debris ingestion that are applicable to most large marine vertebrates. As a case study, we examine how the use of standardized methods to report ingested debris in Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) has enabled long term and spatial trends in plastic pollution to be studied. Lastly, we outline standardized metric recommendations for reporting ingested plastics in marine megafauna, with the aim to harmonize the data that are available to facilitate large-scale comparisons and meta-analyses of plastic accumulation in a variety of taxa. If standardized methods are adopted, future plastic ingestion research will be better able to inform questions related to the impacts of plastics across taxonomic, ecosystem and spatial scales.