Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac contractility modulation for the treatment of moderate to severe HF

ABSTRACT Introduction: Heart failure (HF) affects over 6 million Americans and approximately 650,000 new cases are diagnosed annually, with patients evenly split between HFrEF and HFpEF. Recent advances in therapy for these patients have been limited to pharmaceutical agents, with CRT remaining the most reliable device therapy option since its advent almost twenty years ago. In 2019, after almost two decades without the introduction of a new device therapy for the treatment of moderate HF, the FDA approved CCM® therapy, delivered by the Optimizer Smart device, for patients with NYHA Class III HF who are on guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT), in normal sinus rhythm (NSR), and with EF ranging from 25% to 45%, and who are ineligible for CRT. Areas covered: Multiple clinical trials support the use of CCM to improve quality of life, functional class, and 6-min hall walk distance. This article will discuss the science behind CCM therapy, the presumed mechanisms of action, the pre-clinical studies that shaped subsequent endeavors, and the clinical trials that support its use. Expert opinion: The introduction of CCM therapy bridges a therapeutic gap for patients with few or no other therapeutic options for NYHA III heart failure.
Roboterassistierte Hemihepatektomie rechts bei hepatozellulärem Karzinom bei nicht alkoholischer Steatohepatitis – Video der chirurgischen Technik

Zusammenfassung Seit der Einführung der roboterassistierten Chirurgie können immer kompliziertere Operationen in dieser Technik durchgeführt werden. Auch in der hepatobiliären Chirurgie gewinnt die roboterassistierte Operation zunehmend an Bedeutung. Artikulierte und skalierte Bewegungen in einem 3-dimensionalen Operationsfeld ermöglichen eine präzise Präparation, notwendig für Majorresektionen an der Leber. Dieses Video demonstriert die Machbarkeit und Präzision der vollständig roboterassistierten Technik in der Durchführung einer Hemihepatektomie rechts bei einem hepatozellulären Karzinom (HCC) der Segmente V – VIII bei nicht alkoholischer Steatohepatitis (NASH). Der Patient ist bei Operation 72 Jahre und begleiterkrankt mit einem ausgeprägten metabolischen Syndrom.
A Tangle of Genomic Aberrations Drives Multiple Myeloma and Correlates with Clinical Aggressiveness of the Disease: A Comprehensive Review from a Biological Perspective to Clinical Trial Results

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a genetically heterogeneous disease, in which the process of tumorigenesis begins and progresses through the appearance and accumulation of a tangle of genomic aberrations. Several are the mechanisms of DNA damage in MM, varying from single nucleotide substitutions to complex genomic events. The timing of appearance of aberrations is well studied due to the natural history of the disease, that usually progress from pre-malignant to malignant phase. Different kinds of aberrations carry different prognostic significance and have been associated with drug resistance in some studies. Certain genetic events are well known to be associated with prognosis and are incorporated in risk evaluation in MM at diagnosis in the revised International Scoring System (R-ISS). The significance of some other aberrations needs to be further explained. Since now, few phase 3 randomized trials included analysis on patient’s outcomes according to genetic risk, and further studies are needed to obtain useful data to stratify the choice of initial and subsequent treatment in MM.
Electronic based reported anthropometry—A useful tool for interim monitoring of obesity prevalence in developing states

Background Wide participation in electronic surveys and reliable reporting of anthropometry can serve to reduce costs associated with monitoring of obesity among adolescents where resources are limited. We conducted a single school pilot study among Caribbean adolescents to assess use of electronic surveys and whether face to face encouragement could promote enrollment. In addition, we assessed students’ ability to reliably report simple anthropometry. Methods Students were provided with access to an electronic survey on anthropometry and food preferences regarding school-based food offerings. Responses to survey questions were presented as percentages. A sample of students also had their heights and weights measured after reporting these measures from memory. Intra-class correlation coefficients were used to assess reliability among measurers and Bland-Altman plots, consistency between student reported and recorded anthropometric measures and Support Vector Machine to assess robustness of anthropometry prediction models. Results Response rate to the electronic survey was low (9%). Students were able to interpret questions; open-ended options were inappropriately used 13% of the time. Post survey qualitative responses indicated displeasure with use of school-associated e-mail addresses. Concerns with confidentiality were expressed as well as preference for completion of surveys during school time. Students reliably reported anthropometry most measures fell within the 95% CI of Bland-Altman plots. SVM classified with a prediction accuracy of 95%. Estimates of overweight from recorded and reported measures were similar. Conclusions Adolescents are able to report simple anthropometry, and this can be used to help with monitoring of growth and overweight. Although they are capable of competently completing electronic surveys, school-based email is an ineffective contact tool. In-person school-based contact and administration of surveys are preferred. Adolescents can reliably report simple anthropometry that can be utilized for estimation of overweight/obesity prevalence. This method can be widely applied.
Cutting Edge: NOX2 NADPH Oxidase Controls Infection by an Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen through Limiting the Type 1 IFN Response

Key Points NOX2 deficiency promotes systemic L. monocytogenes infection in a type I IFN–dependent manner. NOX2 limits ISG expression in response to type I IFN. Visual Abstract The NOX2 NADPH oxidase (NOX2) produces reactive oxygen species to kill phagosome-confined bacteria. However, we previously showed that Listeria monocytogenes is able to avoid the NOX2 activity in phagosomes and escape to the cytosol. Thus, despite the established role of NOX2 limiting L. monocytogenes infection in mice, the underlying mechanisms of this antibacterial activity remain unclear. In this article, we report that NOX2 controls systemic L. monocytogenes spread through modulation of the type I IFN response, which is known to be exploited by L. monocytogenes during infection. NOX2 deficiency results in increased expression of IFN-stimulated genes in response to type I IFN and leads to 1) promotion of cell-to-cell spread by L. monocytogenes, 2) defective leukocyte recruitment to infection foci, and 3) production of anti-inflammatory effectors IL-10 and thioredoxin 1. Our findings report a novel antimicrobial role for NOX2 through modulation of type I IFN responses to control bacterial dissemination.
Identification of Leptotrichia goodfellowii infective endocarditis by next-generation sequencing of 16S rDNA amplicons

The oral aerotolerant anaerobe Leptotrichia goodfellowii is an unusual cause of endocarditis and is amenable to treatment with β-lactam antibiotics. Because this organism is difficult to identify by conventional methods, molecular detection is a key diagnostic modality. Broad-range 16S rDNA PCR followed by Sanger sequencing constitute the first-line molecular approach, yet poor DNA quality, contaminating DNA, or low template quantity make identification challenging. Here we report a case of culture-negative, aortic and mitral valve endocarditis in a 66-yr-old woman with a history of cardiomyopathy, atrial fibrillation with intracardiac pacer, poor dentition, and recent tooth infection. In this case, 16S rDNA amplicon Sanger sequencing was not sufficient for pathogen identification because of interfering DNA, but deconvolution of the clinical sample using reflexive next-generation amplicon sequencing enabled confident identification of a single pathogenic organism, L. goodfellowii. The patient developed a sigmoid colon perforation and died despite additional surgical treatment. Most Leptotrichia endocarditis cases have been subacute and have been successfully treated with antibiotics, with or without valve replacement. This case highlights both an unusual etiologic agent of endocarditis, as well as the rational utilization of advanced molecular diagnostics tools for characterizing serious infections.
How to Utilize my App Reviews? A Novel Topics Extraction Machine Learning Schema for Strategic Business Purposes

Acquiring knowledge about users’ opinion and what they say regarding specific features within an app, constitutes a solid steppingstone for understanding their needs and concerns. App review utilization helps project management teams to identify threads and opportunities for app software maintenance, optimization and strategic marketing purposes. Nevertheless, app user review classification for identifying valuable gems of information for app software improvement, is a complex and multidimensional issue. It requires foresight and multiple combinations of sophisticated text pre-processing, feature extraction and machine learning methods to efficiently classify app reviews into specific topics. Against this backdrop, we propose a novel feature engineering classification schema that is capable to identify more efficiently and earlier terms-words within reviews that could be classified into specific topics. For this reason, we present a novel feature extraction method, the DEVMAX.DF combined with different machine learning algorithms to propose a solution in app review classification problems. One step further, a simulation of a real case scenario takes place to validate the effectiveness of the proposed classification schema into different apps. After multiple experiments, results indicate that the proposed schema outperforms other term extraction methods such as TF.IDF and χ2 to classify app reviews into topics. To this end, the paper contributes to the knowledge expansion of research and practitioners with the purpose to reinforce their decision-making process within the realm of app reviews utilization.
Application of Cold-Osmotic Dehydration Method for Extending the Shelf Life during Frozen Storage of Filleted and Salted Fishes

The study was undertaken to extend the shelf life of filleted and salted fishes such as mackerel and jacopever. These filleted and salted fishes were dehydrated by dewatering sheet containing sodium polyacrylate resin at , wrapped with low density polyethylene film, and then stored at . During the frozen storage, the change of brown pigment formation, peroxide value, carbonyl value, drip formation content in the cold-osmotic dehydrated fishes after salt dipping were much lower than those of non-dehydrated ones. Moreover, the proteins and Ca-ATPase in the cold-osmotic dehydrated fishes after salt dipping were more stable than those of non-dehydrated ones during frozen storage. It was supposed that the cold-osmotic dehydration pretreatment processing for filleted and salted fishes was useful in improvement of the frozen storage stability.
Reflection-impulsivity in athletes: A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation

Abstract Reflection-impulsivity is a dimension of cognitive or decision-making style. We conducted two quasi-experimental studies to examine reflection-impulsivity in athletes using an information sampling task. In Study 1 (n = 108; Mage = 22.7 ± SDage = 1.42; 50% female), we used a cross-sectional design to compare performance across athletic expertise (super-elite, elite, amateur, novice or non-athlete) and sport type (external-paced or self-paced). In Study 2 (Time 1 n = 106; Mage = 21.32 ± SDage = 5.77; 53% female and Time 2 n = 64; Mage = 21.19 ± SDage = 5.12; 44% female), we examined changes in reflection-impulsivity across a 16-week playing season. Study 1 showed more accurate and more efficient performance as athletic expertise increased. Study 2 revealed better effectiveness and efficiency following sport participation, a 16-week playing season, most notably in elite-level performers. No sport-type differences were noted. Taken together, the studies demonstrate an association between reflection-impulsivity and athletic expertise, while also providing evidence that competitive sports participation leads to efficient decisions based on reflection, without sacrificing accuracy, which is often a consequence of impulsive decision-making.
A Bio-toolkit for Multi-Cardiac Abnormality Diagnosis Using ECG Signal and Deep Learning

Automated cardiac abnormality detection from an ever-expanding number of electrocardiogram (ECG) records has been widely used to assist physicians in the clinical diagnosis of a variety of cardiovascular diseases. Over the last few years, deep learning (DL) architectures have achieved state-of-the-art performances in various biomedical applications. In this work, we propose a bio-toolkit based on the DL framework comprising stacked convolutional and long short term memory neural network blocks for multi-label ECG signal classification. Our team participated under the name “Cardio-Challengers” in the “Phy-sioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge 2020” and obtained a challenge metric score of 0.337 in the validation data set and 0.258 in the full test data, placing us 16th out of 41 teams in the official ranking.
The γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase gene of Leishmania is essential and involved in response to oxidants

Gamma‐glutamylcysteine synthetase, encoded by the GSH1 gene, is the rate‐limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of glutathione and of trypanothione in Leishmania. The importance of GSH1 was assessed by generating GSH1 null mutants in Leishmania infantum. Removal of even a single wild‐type allelic copy of GSH1 invariably led to the generation of an extra copy of GSH1, maintaining two intact wild‐type alleles. However, by first supplementing the parasites with a rescue plasmid, we succeeded in obtaining both a single and null chromosomal GSH1 mutants. Parasites with one intact GSH1 chromosomal allele lost the rescuing plasmid but not the double knockout, when grown in the absence of antibiotic, indicating the essentiality of the GSH1 gene in Leishmania. Heterozygous mutants with one allele‐inactivated transcribed less GSH1 mRNA and synthesized less glutathione and trypanothione. These mutants were more susceptible to oxidative stresses in vitro as promastigotes and showed decreased survival inside activated macrophages producing reactive oxygen or nitrogen species. These mutants showed a significant decreased survival in the presence of antimony (SbV) compared with control cells. All phenotypes were reverted in the add‐back mutant, thus proving the importance of thiols in dealing with oxidants including the action of antimonials.
The plasticity of well-being: A training-based framework for the cultivation of human flourishing

Research indicates that core dimensions of psychological well-being can be cultivated through intentional mental training. Despite growing research in this area and an increasing number of interventions designed to improve psychological well-being, the field lacks a unifying framework that clarifies the dimensions of human flourishing that can be cultivated. Here, we integrate evidence from well-being research, cognitive and affective neuroscience, and clinical psychology to highlight four core dimensions of well-being—awareness, connection, insight, and purpose. We discuss the importance of each dimension for psychological well-being, identify mechanisms that underlie their cultivation, and present evidence of their neural and psychological plasticity. This synthesis highlights key insights, as well as important gaps, in the scientific understanding of well-being and how it may be cultivated, thus highlighting future research directions.
Mutational networks of escape from transmitted HIV-1 infection

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is subject to immune selective pressure soon after it establishes infection at the founder stage. As an individual progresses from the founder to chronic stage of infection, immune pressure forces a history of mutations that are embedded in envelope sequences. Determining this pathway of coevolving mutations can assist in understanding what is different with the founder virus and the essential pathways it takes to maintain infection. We have combined operations research and bioinformatics methods to extract key networks of mutations that differentiate founder and chronic stages for 156 subtype B and 107 subtype C envelope (gp160) sequences. The chronic networks for both subtypes revealed strikingly different hub-and-spoke topologies compared to the less structured transmission networks. This suggests that the hub nodes are impacted by the immune response and the resulting loss of fitness is compensated by mutations at the spoke positions. The major hubs in the chronic C network occur at positions 12, 137 (within the N136 glycan), and 822, and at position 306 for subtype B. While both founder networks had a more heterogeneous connected network structure, interestingly founder B subnetworks around positions 640 and 837 preferentially contained CD4 and coreceptor binding domains. Finally, we observed a differential effect of glycosylation between founder and chronic subtype B where the latter had mutational pathways significantly driven by N-glycosylation. Our study provides insights into the mutational pathways HIV takes to evade the immune response, and presents features more likely to establish founder infection, valuable for effective vaccine design.
Single molecule investigations of DNA looping using the tethered particle method and translocation by acto-myosin using polarized total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy

Single molecule biophysics aims to understand biological processes by studying them at the single molecule level in real time. The proteins and nucleic acids under investigation typically exist in an aqueous environment within approximately ten degrees of room temperature. These seemingly benign conditions are actually quite chaotic at the nanoscale, where single bio-molecules perform their function. As a result, sensitive experiments and statistical analyses are required to separate the weak single molecule signal from its background. ProteinDNA interactions were investigated by monitoring DNA looping events in tethered particle experiments. A new analysis technique, called the Diffusive hidden Markov method, was developed to extract kinetic rate constants from experimental data without any filtering of the raw data; a common step that improves the signal to noise ratio, but at the expense of lower time resolution. In the second system, translocation of the molecular motor myosin along its actin filament track was studied using polarized total internal reflection (polTIRF) microscopy, a technique that determines the orientation and wobble of a single fluorophore attached to the bio-molecule of interest. The range of resolvable angles was increased 4-fold to include a hemisphere of possible orientations. As a result, the handedness of actin filament twirling as it translocated along a myosin-coated surface was determined to be left-handed. The maximum time resolution of a polTIRF setup was increased 50-fold, in part by recording the arrival times and polarization state of single photons using a modified time-correlated single photon counting device. A new analysis, the Multiple Intensity Change Point algorithm, was developed to detect changes in molecular orientation and wobble using the raw time-stamped data with no user-defined bins or thresholds. The analysis objectively identified changes in the orientation of a bifunctional-rhodamine labeled calmodulin that was attached to a myosin V molecule translocating along an actin filament. Long intervals corresponding to stable positions between tilting motions of the lever arm during each step were routinely observed. Substeps in the cycle that preceded these long dwells were measured, but only occasionally most likely because of the low number of photons detected during these rapid events. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Physics & Astronomy First Advisor Philip C. Nelson This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/199 Second Advisor Yale E. Goldman
Factors Associated With Prediabetes and Diabetes Among Public Employees in Northern Ethiopia

The increasing burden of diabetes mellitus is one of the major public health challenges in African countries, including Ethiopia. This is the first study aimed to identify factors associated with prediabetes and diabetes defined by both fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin in Ethiopians. We analyzed data of a cross-sectional survey (1372 adults aged 25-64 years) conducted between October 2015 and February 2016; multinomial logistic regression models were applied. Abdominal obesity, total cholesterol, and non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independently associated with prediabetes and diabetes in both sexes. Increased triglycerides and religious fasting practices were independently associated with prediabetes and diabetes only in men; hypertension was associated with prediabetes and diabetes only in women, while high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was not associated with prediabetes and diabetes in either sex. Sex differences in the association of triglycerides, hypertension, and dietary habit suggest that different approaches of lifestyle modification may be required for men and women.
A hip–knee–ankle exoskeleton emulator for studying gait assistance

Lower-limb exoskeletons could improve the mobility of people with disabilities, older adults, workers, first responders, and military personnel. Despite recent advances, few products are commercially available and exoskeleton research is still often limited by hardware constraints. Many promising multi-joint assistance strategies, especially those with high-torque and high-power components, have yet to be tested because they are beyond the capabilities of current devices. To study these untested assistance strategies, we present a hip–knee–ankle exoskeleton emulator that can apply high torques and powers that match or exceed those observed in uphill running. The system has powerful off-board motors that actuate a 13.5 kg exoskeleton end effector worn by the user. It can apply up to 200 Nm of torque in hip flexion, hip extension, and ankle plantarflexion, 250 Nm of torque in knee extension, and 140 Nm of torque in knee flexion, with over 4.5 kW of power at each joint and a closed-loop torque bandwidth of at least 18 Hz in each direction of actuation. The exoskeleton is compliant in unactuated directions, adjustable for a wide range of users and comfortable during walking and running. When paired with human-in-the-loop optimization, we expect that this system will identify new assistance strategies to improve human mobility. A complete computer-aided design (CAD) model of the exoskeleton and a bill of materials are included and available for download.
The Role of Vitamin D in Small Animal Bone Metabolism

Dogs and cats have differences in vitamin D metabolism compared to other mammalian species, as they are unable to perform vitamin D cutaneous synthesis through sun exposure. Therefore, they are dependent on the dietary intake of this nutrient. The classic functions of vitamin D are to stimulate intestinal calcium and phosphate absorption, renal calcium and phosphate reabsorption and regulate bone mineral metabolism. Thus, it is an important nutrient for calcium and phosphorus homeostasis. This review highlights the evidence of the direct and indirect actions of vitamin D on bone mineral metabolism, the consequences of nutritional imbalances of this nutrient in small animals, as well as differences in vitamin D metabolism between different size dogs.