Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Brief Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Acute and Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVES Nonpharmacologic approaches have been characterized as the preferred means to treat chronic noncancer pain by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is evidence that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) are effective for pain management, yet the typical MBI may not be feasible across many clinical settings due to resource and time constraints. Brief MBIs (BMBIs) could prove to be more feasible and pragmatic for safe treatment of pain. The aim of the present article is to systematically review evidence of BMBI's effects on acute and chronic pain outcomes in humans. METHODS A literature search was conducted using PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar and by examining the references of retrieved articles. Articles written in English, published up to August 16, 2017, and reporting on the effects of a BMBI (i.e., total contact time <1.5 h, with mindfulness as the primary therapeutic technique) on a pain-related outcome (i.e., pain outcome, pain affect, pain-related function/quality of life, or medication-related outcome) were eligible for inclusion. Two authors independently extracted the data and assessed risk of bias. RESULTS Twenty studies meeting eligibility criteria were identified. Studies used qualitative (n = 1), within-group (n = 3), or randomized controlled trial (n = 16) designs and were conducted with clinical (n = 6) or nonclinical (i.e., experimentally-induced pain; n = 14) samples. Of the 25 BMBIs tested across the 20 studies, 13 were delivered with audio/video recording only, and 12 were delivered by a provider (participant-provider contact ranged from 3 to 80 min). Existing evidence was limited and inconclusive overall. Nevertheless, BMBIs delivered in a particular format-by a provider and lasting more than 5 min-showed some promise in the management of acute pain. CONCLUSIONS More rigorous large scale studies conducted with pain populations are needed before unequivocally recommending BMBI as a first-line treatment for acute or chronic pain.
The academic, economic and societal impacts of Open Access: an evidence-based review

Ongoing debates surrounding Open Access to the scholarly literature are multifaceted and complicated by disparate and often polarised viewpoints from engaged stakeholders. At the current stage, Open Access has become such a global issue that it is critical for all involved in scholarly publishing, including policymakers, publishers, research funders, governments, learned societies, librarians, and academic communities, to be well-informed on the history, benefits, and pitfalls of Open Access. In spite of this, there is a general lack of consensus regarding the potential pros and cons of Open Access at multiple levels. This review aims to be a resource for current knowledge on the impacts of Open Access by synthesizing important research in three major areas: academic, economic and societal. While there is clearly much scope for additional research, several key trends are identified, including a broad citation advantage for researchers who publish openly, as well as additional benefits to the non-academic dissemination of their work. The economic impact of Open Access is less well-understood, although it is clear that access to the research literature is key for innovative enterprises, and a range of governmental and non-governmental services. Furthermore, Open Access has the potential to save both publishers and research funders considerable amounts of financial resources, and can provide some economic benefits to traditionally subscription-based journals. The societal impact of Open Access is strong, in particular for advancing citizen science initiatives, and leveling the playing field for researchers in developing countries. Open Access supersedes all potential alternative modes of access to the scholarly literature through enabling unrestricted re-use, and long-term stability independent of financial constraints of traditional publishers that impede knowledge sharing. However, Open Access has the potential to become unsustainable for research communities if high-cost options are allowed to continue to prevail in a widely unregulated scholarly publishing market. Open Access remains only one of the multiple challenges that the scholarly publishing system is currently facing. Yet, it provides one foundation for increasing engagement with researchers regarding ethical standards of publishing and the broader implications of 'Open Research'.
The choice between surgical scrubbing and sterile covering before or after induction of anaesthesia: A prospective study

Background: Day surgery is increasing, and safe and effective logistics are sought. One part of the in-theatre logistics commonly discussed is whether surgical scrub and sterile covering should be done before or after induction of anaesthesia. The aim of the present study was to compare the impact of surgical scrub and sterile covering before vs. after the induction of anaesthesia in male patients scheduled for open hernia repair. Methods: This is a prospective randomised study. Sixty ASA 1-3 patients scheduled for open hernia repair were randomised to surgical scrub and sterile covering before or after induction of anaesthesia; group “awake” and “anaesthetised”. Need for vasoactive medication during anaesthesia was primary study objective. Duration of anaesthesia and surgery, theatre time, recovery room stay and time to discharge, patients and theatre nurses experiences and willingness to have the same logistics on further potential surgeries, by a questionnaire provided before discharge was also assessed. Results: The duration of anaesthesia was shorter and doses of propofol and remifentanil were reduced by 10 and 13%, respectively, in the awake group. We found still no difference in the need for vasoactive medication during anaesthesia Time in recovery area was significantly reduced in the awake group 39 (SD 15) vs. 48 SD 16) (p<0.05), but time to discharge was not different. There was further no difference in the patients’ assessment of quality of care, and only one patient in the awake group would prefer to be anaesthetised on a future procedure. All nurses found pre-anaesthesia scrubbing acceptable as routine. Conclusion: Surgical scrub and sterile covering before the induction of anaesthesia can be done safely and without jeopardising patients’ quality of care and possibly improve perioperative logistics. Further studies are warranted assessing impact of awake scrubbing and sterile covering on quality and efficacy of perioperative care.
Microplastic ingestion ubiquitous in marine turtles

Despite concerns regarding the environmental impacts of microplastics, knowledge of the incidence and levels of synthetic particles in large marine vertebrates is lacking. Here, we utilize an optimized enzymatic digestion methodology, previously developed for zooplankton, to explore whether synthetic particles could be isolated from marine turtle ingesta. We report the presence of synthetic particles in every turtle subjected to investigation (n = 102) which included individuals from all seven species of marine turtle, sampled from three ocean basins (Atlantic [ATL]: n = 30, four species; Mediterranean (MED): n = 56, two species; Pacific (PAC): n = 16, five species). Most particles (n = 811) were fibres (ATL: 77.1% MED: 85.3% PAC: 64.8%) with blue and black being the dominant colours. In lesser quantities were fragments (ATL: 22.9%: MED: 14.7% PAC: 20.2%) and microbeads (4.8%; PAC only; to our knowledge the first isolation of microbeads from marine megavertebrates). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) of a subsample of particles (n = 169) showed a range of synthetic materials such as elastomers (MED: 61.2%; PAC: 3.4%), thermoplastics (ATL: 36.8%: MED: 20.7% PAC: 27.7%) and synthetic regenerated cellulosic fibres (SRCF; ATL: 63.2%: MED: 5.8% PAC: 68.9%). Synthetic particles being isolated from species occupying different trophic levels suggest the possibility of multiple ingestion pathways. These include exposure from polluted seawater and sediments and/or additional trophic transfer from contaminated prey/forage items. We assess the likelihood that microplastic ingestion presents a significant conservation problem at current levels compared to other anthropogenic threats.
Vaccination Coverage Among Children in Kindergarten — United States, 2012–13 School Year

State and local school vaccination requirements are implemented to maintain high vaccination coverage and minimize the risk from vaccine preventable diseases. To assess school vaccination coverage and exemptions, CDC annually analyzes school vaccination coverage data from federally funded immunization programs. These awardees include 50 states and the District of Columbia (DC), five cities, and eight U.S.-affiliated jurisdictions. This report summarizes vaccination coverage from 48 states and DC and exemption rates from 49 states and DC for children entering kindergarten for the 2012-13 school year. Forty-eight states and DC reported vaccination coverage, with medians of 94.5% for 2 doses of measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine; 95.1% for local requirements for diphtheria, tetanus toxoid, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccination; and 93.8% for 2 doses of varicella vaccine among awardees with a 2-dose requirement. Forty-nine states and DC reported exemption rates, with the median total of 1.8%. Although school entry coverage for most awardees was at or near national Healthy People 2020 targets of maintaining 95% vaccination coverage levels for 2 doses of MMR vaccine, 4 doses of DTaP† vaccine, and 2 doses of varicella vaccine, low vaccination and high exemption levels can cluster within communities, increasing the risk for disease. Reports to CDC are aggregated at the state level; however, local reporting of school vaccination coverage might be accessible by awardees. These local-level data can be used to create evidence-based health communication strategies to help parents understand the risks for vaccine-preventable diseases and the benefits of vaccinations to the health of their children and other kindergarteners.
ADMM-CSNet: A Deep Learning Approach for Image Compressive Sensing

Compressive sensing (CS) is an effective technique for reconstructing image from a small amount of sampled data. It has been widely applied in medical imaging, remote sensing, image compression, etc. In this paper, we propose two versions of a novel deep learning architecture, dubbed as ADMM-CSNet, by combining the traditional model-based CS method and data-driven deep learning method for image reconstruction from sparsely sampled measurements. We first consider a generalized CS model for image reconstruction with undetermined regularizations in undetermined transform domains, and then two efficient solvers using Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers (ADMM) algorithm for optimizing the model are proposed. We further unroll and generalize the ADMM algorithm to be two deep architectures, in which all parameters of the CS model and the ADMM algorithm are discriminatively learned by end-to-end training. For both applications of fast CS complex-valued MR imaging and CS imaging of real-valued natural images, the proposed ADMM-CSNet achieved favorable reconstruction accuracy in fast computational speed compared with the traditional and the other deep learning methods.
Improvement in Recovery of Hemodynamic Responses by Extended Kalman Filter With Non-Linear State-Space Model and Short Separation Measurement

Objective: The purpose of this study is to describe the noise reduction in the hemodynamic responses, obtained by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), using the proposed extended Kalman filter (EKF) with a non-linear state-space model, aided by the short separation (SS) measurement. Methods: The authors used the simulated data by adding the synthetic hemodynamic response function (HRF) to the multi-distance four-channel fNIRS signals obtained during the resting state. EKF was used to estimate the non-linear state-space model designed based on the Balloon model. The SS channel was used as a regressor that is sensitive only to superficial noises. The whole segments were grouped by the existence of motion artifacts (MAs) to investigate the improvement by EKF compared to the linear Kalman filter (LKF) and adaptive filter (AF) in extracting neural-evoked hemodynamic. Results: Kalman-based approaches were better than AF in reducing noises. Using EKF, the averages of the decreased errors and increased correlation between the recovered and true HRF were 34% in oxy-hemoglobin and 62% in deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations in segments having MAs, compared with LKF. In the MA-free condition, EKF is more robust to the poor quality of signals in noise reduction than LKF. Conclusion: The proposed non-linear Kalman approach is better in noise reduction than AF and LKF especially in noisy deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations, and less affected by the conditions of measurements and contaminations by MAs. Significance: The proposed method can be used for reducing superficial noises and MAs from fNIRS signals as an upgraded alternative to existing AFs.
The future vision of simulation in health care

Simulation is a technique—not a technology—to replace or amplify real experiences with guided experiences that evoke or replicate substantial aspects of the real world in a fully interactive manner. The diverse applications of simulation in health care can be categorised by 11 dimensions: aims and purposes of the simulation activity; unit of participation; experience level of participants; health care domain; professional discipline of participants; type of knowledge, skill, attitudes, or behaviours addressed; the simulated patient’s age; technology applicable or required; site of simulation; extent of direct participation; and method of feedback used. Using simulation to improve safety will require full integration of its applications into the routine structures and practices of health care. The costs and benefits of simulation are difficult to determine, especially for the most challenging applications, where long term use may be required. Various driving forces and implementation mechanisms can be expected to propel simulation forward, including professional societies, liability insurers, health care payers, and ultimately the public. The future of simulation in health care depends on the commitment and ingenuity of the health care simulation community to see that improved patient safety using this tool becomes a reality.
Debate continues: Gastric bypass surgery does not increase the risk for sight‐threatening diabetic retinopathy

I read with great interest the article by Mor en et al. (2018) with reference to their research on ‘Gastric bypass surgery does not increase the risk for sight-threatening diabetic retinopathy’. I thank them for their important contribution in clarifying an enigmatic disease complex that was lacking definitive data and that had insufficient guidelines for treatment and follow-up. The authors investigated the occurrence and level of diabetic retinopathy (DRP) before and after planned bariatric surgery and the potential risk factors for deterioration of DRP. However, of the 117 patients in this study, the total number of the eyes with severe non-proliferative DRP and proliferative DRP were lower than 2% (two patients). This means that there were almost no patients with serious diabetic eye disease. However, a previous study (Murphy et al. 2015) reported that higher preoperative DRP grade is an independent risk factor for the progression of DRP following bariatric surgery. On the other hand, the present study reported a significant reduction of glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels, and there is a known paradoxical relationship between the rapid reduction in HbA1c and exacerbated DRP (Brinchmann-Hansen et al. 1985). I would like to ask the researchers, do they think that having a lowgrade DRP population is the reason for these results? Nutrient deficiency is another problem related to bariatric surgery, and a recent study reported (Kikkas et al. 2018) a cumulative ferritin deficiency in 47% of the patients. Iron deficiency is a very old phenomenon that is accused of being a risk factor for the progression of DRP (Shorb 1985). I would like to ask the researchers if they had any patients with iron deficiency or another nutritional deficiency such as B12? To sum up, I believe that further studies will reveal new aspects on DRP and its relation to bariatric surgery not only for mild to moderate diseases but also for serious DRP. However, with the current knowledge available, we still have to be careful of the consequences.
Add some fat to vascular progenitor cell therapy.

See related articles, pages 1410–1420 Are cell therapy approaches aiming for the improvement of tissue neovascularization still a big hope for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases? Yes indeed, even after the big hype about cell therapy has settled, now it is apparent that cardiovascular morbidity and mortality is still leading in industrial countries requiring novel advanced therapies to deal with. However, it has become clear now that cell-based treatment strategies require much more strategic advancement than initially anticipated from preclinical studies in mouse models of tissue ischemia. Indeed, we have just achieved to climb up to the very first level of small improvements in tissue perfusion and function that are unlikely to translate into major changes in the clinical outcome of our patients.1 Limited neovascularization, however, is not only a major obstacle for cardiovascular diseases but also affects different kinds of transplants. Apart from whole organ transplants that most likely could also benefit from improved neovascularization to improve long-term graft survival, a clinically very important example represents pancreatic islet transplantation in patients with type I diabetes. Transplantation of human β-cell islets is a procedure that has already helped a number of patients to at least temporarily reduce their demand for insulin. However, long-term engraftment of the infused islets has been a major limitation of this novel treatment approach. Successful islet transplantation does not only depend on the infusion of sufficient numbers of islets but even more on their immediate and adequate neovascularization.2 Compared to the transplantation of whole organs, where perfusion is rapidly obtained by the reconnection of blood supply, β-cell islets completely lack vascularization during the first days after transplantation. Ischemia and insufficient oxygen supply seem …
Effectiveness and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of solid tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors have been implicated as potentially effective anti-cancer therapies. Some clinical randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been completed for a variety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors to treat various malignancies, and more RCTs are still under way. We carried out this systematic meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in the treatment of solid tumors. Methods We searched PubMed, EMBASE, clinical trial registers, conference reports, and related reviews. Eligible RCTs that compared PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors with other chemotherapy agents or placebo in solid tumor patients were included. For each RCT, progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), stable disease rate (SDR), progressive disease rate (PDR), and adverse events (AEs) were pooled for meta-analysis. Findings Based on an analysis of 10 eligible RCTs, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors were found to significantly improve PFS (Hazard ratio (HR), 0.65; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.53 to 0.79, P<0.001), OS (HR, 0.69; 95%CI 0.62 to 0.76, P<0.001), and ORR (Risk Ratio (RR) 292; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.06 to 4.15, P<0.00001) in all populations, including melanoma and NSCLC subgroups. However, they failed to increase the DCR of cancer patients (RR 1.15; 95%CI 0.91 to 1.45, P=0.25). Furthermore, less AEs were observed in the PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor groups than the control groups. Interpretation PD-1 inhibitors are more effective for improving the PFS, OS, and ORR of cancer patients with little toxicity, despite having little effect on increasing of the DCR.
Moralizing religions: Prosocial or a privilege of wealth?

Abstract Today's major religions are moralizing religions that encourage material sacrifice for spiritual rewards. A key issue is whether moralizing religions gradually evolved over several millennia to enable cooperation among genetic strangers in the spiraling competition between increasingly large groups occupying Eurasia's middle latitudes, or whether they emerged only with the onset of the Axial Age, about 2,500 years ago, as societal wealth increased to allow privileging long-term goals over immediate needs.
Fetal ECG extraction from time-varying and low-rank noninvasive maternal abdominal recordings

Objective: Noninvasive fetal electrocardiography is emerging as a low-cost and high-accuracy technology for fetal cardiac monitoring. Signal processing techniques have been used over the past fifty years in this domain. The current major challenges of this domain, addressed in this study are (1) fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) extraction from few numbers of maternal abdominal channels in low signal-to-noise ratios; (2) online fECG extraction; (3) automatic and online signal quality assessment and channel selection; and (4) accurate and robust fetal R-peak detection and ECG parameter extraction. Approach: Based on the theory of cyclostationarity, auxiliary maternal ECG channel(s) are synthetically constructed and augmented with the input channels. The augmented data are used to develop a robust multichannel source separation algorithm for online/offline fECG extraction, from as few as a single channel, and an accurate fetal R-peak detector using a two-pass matched filter. Several robust signal quality indexes (SQI) and a voting strategy are also proposed for automatic fetal signal quality assessment. Main results: It is shown that the fECG and the fetal R-peaks can be accurately extracted from standard online available datasets, for which classical source separation methods (requiring many channels) had previously failed. The signal quality indexes fully automate the extraction and channel selection procedure. Finally, the proposed R-peak detector is highly robust to background noise and residual maternal R-peak components. Significance: The proposed methods for fECG extraction, R-peak detection and automatic channel selection are evaluated (visually and numerically), on two online available datasets and compared with recently developed algorithms. The proposed algorithm is statistically shown to outperform the benchmarks in terms of average and standard deviation.