Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resting State BOLD Variability Is Linked to White Matter Vascular Burden in Healthy Aging but Not in Older Adults With Subjective Cognitive Decline

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia. A lack of curative treatments and a rapidly aging global population have amplified the need for early biomarkers of the disease process. Recent advances suggest that subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be one of the earliest symptomatic markers of the AD cascade. Previous studies have identified changes in variability in the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal in patients with AD, with a possible association between BOLD variability and cerebrovascular factors in the aging brain. The objective of the current study was to determine whether changes in BOLD variability can be identified in individuals with SCD, and whether this signal may be associated with markers of cerebrovascular integrity in SCD and older adults without memory complaints. Method: Data were obtained from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database from 19 participants with SCD and 19 similarly-aged controls. For each participant, a map of BOLD signal variability (SDBOLD) was computed as the standard deviation of the BOLD time-series at each voxel. Group comparisons were performed to examine differences in resting-state SDBOLD in SCD vs. healthy controls. Relationships were then examined between participant SDBOLD maps and neuroimaging markers of white matter vascular infarcts in each group separately. Results: Between-group comparisons showed no significant differences in whole-brain SDBOLD in individuals with SCD and controls. In the healthy aging group, higher white matter hyperintensity (WMH) burden was associated with greater SDBOLD in right temporal regions (p < 0.05), and lower scores on a measure of global executive functioning. These associations were not identified in individuals with SCD. Conclusion: The current study underscores previous evidence for a relationship between SDBOLD and white matter vascular infarcts in the healthy aging brain. The findings also provide evidence for a dissociable relationship between healthy aging and SCD, such that in healthy controls, increased WMH is associated with declines in executive function that is not observed in older adults who present with memory complaints. Further multimodal work is needed to better understand the contributions of vascular pathology to the BOLD signal, and its potential relationship with pathological aging.
Design of Optimal Model for Drainage Capacity of Marine Peripheral Building Drainage System

ABSTRACT Liao, L. , 2019. Design of optimal model for drainage capacity of marine peripheral building drainage system. In: Hoang, A.T. and Aqeel Ashraf, M. (eds.), Research, Monitoring, and Engineering of Coastal, Port, and Marine Systems. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 97, pp. 248–253. In order to improve the drainage ability of the water drainage system of the perimeter of the sea, an optimization model of the drainage capacity of the water drainage system of the marine surroundings based on the dynamic monitoring of the drainage capacity and the evaluation of the hysteretic behavior of the finite element is proposed. The dynamic load monitoring model of the marine peripheral building drainage system is constructed, a large amount of the strain mechanical monitoring data of the marine peripheral building drainage system is accumulated, the strain sensing mechanical characteristic reconstruction of the marine peripheral building drainage system is carried out based on the structural finite element model analysis method, and the statistic characteristic quantity of the drainage capacity optimization of the drainage structure is extracted. in that method, a column-hole expansion stress balance analysis method is adopted to analyze the distribution law of the strain field distribution in the water drainage of the marine peripheral building, the tensile strength of each unit of the drainage pipeline is obtained by adopting a column-hole expansion stress balance analysis method, and the concentrated force and the distributed force model of the water drainage system of the marine peripheral building are obtained, and the design of the drainage capacity optimization model of the water drainage system of the marine peripheral building drainage system is realized. The simulation results show that the method can effectively improve the drainage capacity of the water drainage system of the perimeter of the ocean, optimize the design and deployment of the drainage node, and improve the drainage capacity of the building on the periphery of the ocean.
Effectiveness of bone marrow-derived mononuclear stem cells for neurological recovery in participants with spinal cord injury: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Complete lesion after spinal cord injury (SCI) remains irreversible with little hope of neurological recovery. Newer interventions such as re-stimulation of damaged neurons using artificial agents and the use of stem cells for neuronal regeneration have shown promising results. AIM: This study was undertaken for evaluating the neurological status of acute SCI participants after stem cell augmentation and comparing them with other treatment methods. SETTING AND DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial in the northern Indian population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total 193 SCI participants of complete paraplegia with unstable T4–L2 injury having thoracolumbar injury severity score ≥4 were enrolled in this study. Participants were randomly allocated for three different treatment modalities, namely, conventional with stem cell augmentation (Group-1), conventional (Group-2), and conservative (Group-3). Neurological recovery after 1 year was evaluated through the ASIA Impairment Scale (AIS)-grading, sensory, and motor scores. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: T-test for sensory-motor score analysis of each group and analysis of variance for comparison of same variables between the groups. RESULTS: After 1-year significant difference was observed in the AIS-grade, sensory and motor scores in-Group 1 (P < 0.001). In Group-1 versus 2, the mean difference at 1 year for AIS grade, sensory and motor scores were 0.40 (P = 0.010, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.075–0.727), 8.52 (P = 0.030, 95% CI 0.619–16.419), and 4.55(P = 0.003, 95% CI 1.282–7.815), respectively. In Group-1 versus 3, 1.03, 19.02 and 7.22 (P < 0.001 for each of the parameters) and in Group-2 versus 3, 0.63 (P < 0.001), 10.49 (P = 0.009), and 2.68 (P = 0.019), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Significant motor neurological recovery and AIS-grade promotion was observed in Group-1 as compared to Group-2 and 3.
Intermittent Fasting Could Be Safely Achieved in People With Type 1 Diabetes Undergoing Structured Education and Advanced Glucose Monitoring

Background: Fasting during Ramadan is a form of intermittent fasting in which a person abstains from oral intake between the hours of sunrise and sunset. The fasting month of Ramadan is observed by Muslims worldwide. People with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) who choose to fast during Ramadan are at a particularly high risk of acute diabetes complications including hypoglycemia and significant hyperglycemia. We hypothesized that people with uncomplicated T1DM would be able to fast safely during Ramadan following structured education and with daily advanced glucose monitoring. Methods: People with stable and uncomplicated T1DM treated with multiple daily injections (MDIs) or continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) who chose to fast during Ramadan were recruited for the study. Participants attended Dose Adjustment for Normal Eating (DAFNE) structured education training, and basal insulin was reduced in a controlled fashion. Participants were assigned a sensor-augmented insulin pump or FreeStyle Libre for advanced glucose monitoring. The primary endpoint was the rate of hypoglycemia during Ramadan compared to before Ramadan. Secondary endpoints were percentage time spent <4 mmol/L, >10 mmol/L (range, 4–10 mmol/L), episodes of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), and acute kidney injury or hospitalization for any cause. Results: Rates of hypoglycemia were significantly reduced during Ramadan compared with rates before Ramadan (0.53 ± 0. 49 vs. 0.81 ± 0.69 episodes/day, p = 0.0015). No episodes of severe hypoglycemia, DKA, acute kidney injury, or hospitalization occurred during Ramadan period. Percentage time spent >10 mmol/L (46.7 ± 17.7% vs. 42.5 ± 16.4%, p = 0.03) was significantly increased, and percentage time [range, 4–10 mmol/L (48.8 ± 15.9% vs. 50.9 ± 15.9%, p = 0.13)] and percentage time spent <4 mmol/L (4.7 ± 5.4.7% vs. 5.7 ± 6.3%, p = 0.09) were reduced, but these differences were not significant. Conclusions: People with uncomplicated T1DM could safely participate in intermittent fasting similar to Ramadan fasting if equipped with structured education and advanced glucose monitoring systems.
The Effects of Bimanual Coordination in Music Interventions on Executive Functions in Aging Adults

Music training programs have been shown to enhance executive functions in aging adults; however, little is known regarding the extent to which different types of bimanual coordination (i.e., fine and gross motor) in music instruction contribute to these outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of bimanual coordination in music interventions on cognitive performance in healthy older adults (60–80 years). Participants (N = 135) completed motor measures and battery of standardized cognitive measures, before and after a 16-week music training program with a 3 h practice requirement. All participants were matched by age, education, and estimate of intelligence to one of three training programs: piano training (fine motor); percussion instruction (gross motor), and music listening instruction (MLI) (no motor control condition). Results of a Repeated Measures ANOVA revealed significant enhancements in bimanual synchronization and visual scanning/working memory abilities for fine and gross motor training groups as compared to MLI. Pairwise comparisons revealed that piano training significantly improved motor synchronization skills as compared to percussion instruction or music listening. Results suggest that active music performance may benefit working memory, the extent of these benefits may depend upon coordination demands.
Umbilical cord blood quality and quantity: Collection up to transplantation

Umbilical cord blood (UCB) is an attractive source of hematopoietic stem cells for transplantation in some blood disorders. One of the major factors that influence on transplantation fate is cord blood (CB) cell count, in addition to human leukocyte antigen similarity and CD34+ cell number. Here, we review the factors that could effect on quality and quantity of CBUs. Relevant English-language literatures were searched and retrieved from PubMed using the terms: CB, quality, collection, and transplantation. The numbers of total nucleated cells (TNCs) and CD34+ cells are good indicators of CB quality because they have been associated with engraftment; thereby, whatever the TNCs in a CB unit (CBU) are higher, more likely they led to successful engraftment. Many factors influence the quantity and quality of UCB units that collect after delivery. Some parameters are not in our hands, such as maternal and infant factors, and hence, we cannot change these. However, some other factors are in our authority, such as mode of collection, type and amount of anticoagulant, and time and temperature during collection to postthaw CBUs and freeze-and-thaw procedures. By optimizing the CB collection, we can improve the quantity and quality of UCB for storage and increase the likelihood of its use for transplantation.
Advancements in AAV-mediated Gene Therapy for Pompe Disease

Pompe disease (glycogen storage disease type II) is caused by mutations in acid α-glucosidase (GAA) resulting in lysosomal pathology and impairment of the muscular and cardio-pulmonary systems. Enzyme replacement therapy (ERT), the only approved therapy for Pompe disease, improves muscle function by reducing glycogen accumulation but this approach entails several limitations including a short drug half-life and an antibody response that results in reduced efficacy. To address these limitations, new treatments such as gene therapy are under development to increase the intrinsic ability of the affected cells to produce GAA. Key components to gene therapy strategies include the choice of vector, promoter, and the route of administration. The efficacy of gene therapy depends on the ability of the vector to drive gene expression in the target tissue and also on the recipient’s immune tolerance to the transgene protein. In this review, we discuss the preclinical and clinical studies that are paving the way for the development of a gene therapy strategy for patients with early and late onset Pompe disease as well as some of the challenges for advancing gene therapy.
The premature closure of ROMPA clinical trial: mortality reduction in septic shock by plasma adsorption

Objectives Coupled Plasma Filtration and Adsorption (CPFA) use in septic shock remains controversial. The objective is to clarify whether the application of high doses of CPFA in addition to the current clinical practice could reduce hospital mortality in septic shock patients in Intensive Care Units at 28 days and at 90 days follow-up. Design We designed a prospective randomised clinical trial, Reducción de la Mortalidad Plasma-Adsorción (ROMPA), to demonstrate an absolute mortality reduction of 20% (α=0.05; 1-β=0.8; n=190 (95×2)). Setting Being aware of the pitfalls associated with previous medical device trials, we developed a training programme to improve CPFA use (especially clotting problems). The protocol was approved by the ethics committees of all participating centres. Circumstances beyond our control produced a change in recruitment conditions unacceptable to ROMPA researchers and the trial was discontinued. Participants By closure, five centres from an initial 10 fulfilled the necessary trial criteria, with 49 patients included, 30 in the control group (CG) and 19 in the intervention group (IG). Intervention CPFA. Main outcome measures Hospital mortality at 28 days and 90 days follow-up. Results After 28 days, 14 patients died (46.7%) from the CG and 11 (57.9%) from the IG, not reaching statistical significance (p=0.444). At 90 days, 19 patients had died (63.3%) from the CG and 11 patients (57.9%) from the IG, (p=0.878). The adjustment by propensity score or the use of the Kaplan-Meier technique failed to achieve statistical difference, neither by Intention to Treat nor by the Actual Intervention Received. Conclusion We herewith present the results gained from the prematurely closed trial. The results are inconclusive due to low statistical power but we consider that this data is of interest for the scientific community and potentially necessary for any ensuing debate. Register NCT02357433 in clinicaltrials.gov.
Free and Bound Phenolics of Buckwheat Varieties: HPLC Characterization, Antioxidant Activity, and Inhibitory Potency towards α-Glucosidase with Molecular Docking Analysis

Free and bound phenolic fractions from six buckwheat varieties were investigated for their compositions, antioxidant activities, and inhibitory effects on α-glucosidase. The results showed that different buckwheat varieties have significant differences in phenolic/flavonoid contents, and these contents were found in higher quantities in free form than in bound form. HPLC results revealed that rutin, quercetin, and kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside were the most abundant components in free and bound forms, whereas dihydromyricetin was found only in the bound form. Free phenolics showed higher antioxidant activities of DPPH, ABTS+, OH•, and FRAP than those of bound phenolics. Strong inhibitory effects against α-glucosidase by the free/bound phenolic fractions were found in all buckwheat varieties, and free phenolics showed stronger α-glucosidase inhibition than that of the corresponding bound phenolics. More importantly, the main phenolic compounds observed in the buckwheat varieties were subjected to molecular docking analysis to provide insight into their interactions with α-glucosidase. The contributions by individual phenolics to the observed variation was analysed by Pearson correlation coefficient analysis and principal component analysis. The present study provides a comprehensive comparison for the phenolic fractions of buckwheat varieties and identify the main contributors to antioxidant and α-glucosidase inhibitory activity.
Quality of life: A universal or a disability specific concept?

Background. Quality of life (QoL) is an important outcome of occupational therapy practice. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impacts the individual throughout their lifespan and may substantially affect QoL. Measuring QoL of people with ASD presents a challenge and a debate whether to use general versus disability-specific adapted measures. Purpose. This paper aims to (a) revisit the construct of QoL and discuss specific dilemmas pertaining to its measurement, and (b) discuss implications to the assessment of QoL in individuals with ASD while highlighting the potential contribution of occupational therapy to the development of measures. Key Issues. We suggest adding the domain of accessibility into QoL assessments, including, physical, sensory, social, and cognitive aspects, and to use disability-specific QoL measures. Implications. The paper presents a call for occupational therapists to be involved in developing specific ASD disability-oriented measures that consider the unique characteristics of the disorder and environmental supports.
Shared morphological consequences of global warming in North American migratory birds

Increasing temperatures associated with climate change are predicted to cause reductions in body size, a key determinant of animal physiology and ecology. Using a four-decade specimen series of 70,716 individuals of 52 North American migratory bird species, we demonstrate that increasing annual summer temperature over the 40-year period drove consistent reductions in body size across these diverse taxa. Concurrently, wing length – which impacts nearly all aspects of avian ecology and behavior – has consistently increased across taxa. Our findings suggest that warming-induced body size reduction is a general response to climate change, and reveal a similarly consistent shift in an ecologically-important dimension of body shape. We hypothesize that increasing wing length represents a compensatory adaptation to maintain migration as reductions in body size have increased the metabolic cost of flight. An improved understanding of warming-induced morphological changes, and their limits, are important for predicting biotic responses to global change.
CORR Insights®: Isolated Trochanteric Descent and Greater Trochanteric Apophyseodesis Are Not Effective in the Treatment of Post-Perthes Deformity.

Osteonecrosis of the femoral head in children, known as Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD), behaves unpredictably [1, 5, 9]. A long list of factors can influence the surgeon’s treatment options, including age of the onset, size of the lesion, femoral head subluxation, presence or absence of greater trochanter hypertrophy, premature growth plate arrest, bilaterality, limitation of hip motion (particularly in abduction). Surgeons can use radiographs to diagnose LCPD, although MRI has proven more useful [2, 12]. There is a debate regarding the choice of treatment for patients in the Herring B, B/C, or C groups, and among patients with Catterall Group III or IV LCPD [5, 9, 16]. Using the Stulberg classification, which has prognostic implications for further function and development of hip degeneration [5, 9, 16], comparable results have been found at the end of growth whether we treat LCPD with non-surgical containment treatment methods or surgically. Hypertrophy of the greater trochanter in the course of LCPD sometimes results in shortening of the resting length and lever arm of the abductors, leading to functional hip weakness and/or restricting the abduction in the hip joint. To assess greater trochanteric hypertrophy, we can use articulotrochanteric distance, articulotrochanteric distance index, and center-trochanteric distance [3, 6, 13]. Two surgical procedures—greater trochanteric apophyseodesis and greater trochanteric descent—have been used to try to prevent this condition, which can impair functional hip biomechanics [4, 8, 15]. The current study by Haskel and colleagues [7] quantifies the change in the hip joint morphology and strength of gluteus muscles under greater trochanteric apophyseodesis or greater trochanteric descent and compared those changes with patients who did not have surgery. Even after surgical treatment, neither greater trochanteric apophyseodesis nor greater trochanteric descent improved the neck-shaft angle, neck length, Stulberg type, or gluteus muscle strength of patients with LCPD compared with those treated non-surgically [7].
Tangential Flow Filtration for the Concentration of Oncolytic Measles Virus: The Influence of Filter Properties and the Cell Culture Medium

The therapeutic use of oncolytic measles virus (MV) for cancer treatment requires >108 infectious MV particles per dose in a highly pure form. The concentration/purification of viruses is typically achieved by tangential flow filtration (TFF) but the efficiency of this process for the preparation of MV has not been tested in detail. We therefore investigated the influence of membrane material, feed composition, and pore size or molecular weight cut-off (MWCO) on the recovery of MV by TFF in concentration mode. We achieved the recovery of infectious MV particles using membranes with a MWCO ≤ 300 kDa regardless of the membrane material and whether or not serum was present in the feed. However, serum proteins in the medium affected membrane flux and promoted fouling. The severity of fouling was dependent on the membrane material, with the cellulose-based membrane showing the lowest susceptibility. We found that impurities such as proteins and host cell DNA were best depleted using membranes with a MWCO ≥ 300 kDa. We conclude that TFF in concentration mode is a robust unit operation to concentrate infectious MV particles while depleting impurities such as non-infectious MV particles, proteins, and host cell DNA.