Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
HIV Prevalence, Risk Factors for Infection, and Uptake of Prevention, Testing, and Treatment among Female Sex Workers in Namibia

Background: In most settings, Female Sex Workers (FSW) bear a disproportionate burden of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) disease worldwide. Representative data to inform the development of behavioral and biomedical interventions for FSW in Namibia have not been published. Objectives: Our objectives were to measure HIV prevalence, identify risk factors for infection, and describe uptake of prevention, testing, and treatment among FSW in Namibia. Methods: We conducted cross-sectional surveys using Respondent-driven Sampling (RDS) in the Namibian cities of Katima Mulilo, Oshikango, Swakopmund/Walvis Bay, and Windhoek. Participating FSW completed behavioral questionnaires and rapid HIV testing. Results: City-specific ranges of key indicators were: HIV prevalence (31.0–52.3%), reached by prevention programs in the past 12 months (46.9–73.6%), condom use at last sex with commercial (82.1–91.1%) and non-commercial (87.0–94.2%) partners, and tested for HIV within past 12 months or already aware of HIV-positive serostatus (56.9–82.1%). Factors associated with HIV infection varied by site and included: older age, having multiple commercial or non-commercial sex partners, unemployment, being currently out of school, and lower education level. Among HIV-positive FSW, 57.1% were aware of their HIV-positive serostatus and 33.7% were on antiretroviral treatment. Discussion: Our results indicate extremely high HIV prevalence and low levels of case identification and treatment among FSW in Namibia. Our results, which are the first representative community-based estimates among FSW in Namibia, can inform the scale-up of interventions to reduce the risk for HIV acquisition and onward transmission, including treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Novel Conjugated Polymers Containing 3-(2-Octyldodecyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene as a π-Bridge for Organic Photovoltaic Applications

3-(2-Octyldodecyl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophen was successfully synthesized as a new π-bridge with a long branched side alkyl chain. Two donor-π-bridge-acceptor type copolymers were designed and synthesized by combining this π-bridge structure, a fluorinated benzothiadiazole acceptor unit, and a thiophene or thienothiophene donor unit, (PT-ODTTBT or PTT-ODTTBT respectively) through Stille polymerization. Inverted OPV devices with a structure of ITO/ZnO/polymer:PC71BM/MoO3/Ag were fabricated by spin-coating in ambient atmosphere or N2 within a glovebox to evaluate the photovoltaic performance of the synthesized polymers (effective active area: 0.09 cm2). The PTT-ODTTBT:PC71BM-based structure exhibited the highest organic photovoltaic (OPV) device performance, with a maximum power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 7.05 (6.88 ± 0.12)%, a high short-circuit current (Jsc) of 13.96 mA/cm2, and a fill factor (FF) of 66.94 (66.47 ± 0.63)%; whereas the PT-ODTTBT:PC71BM-based device achieved overall lower device performance. According to GIWAXS analysis, both neat and blend films of PTT-ODTTBT exhibited well-organized lamellar stacking, leading to a higher charge carrier mobility than that of PT-ODTTBT. Compared to PT-ODTTBT containing a thiophene donor unit, PTT-ODTTBT containing a thienothiophene donor unit exhibited higher crystallinity, preferential face-on orientation, and a bicontinuous interpenetrating network in the film, which are responsible for the improved OPV performance in terms of high Jsc, FF, and PCE.
Treatment response of CNS high‐grade neuroepithelial tumors with MN1 alteration

Central nervous system high‐grade neuroepithelial tumor with MN1 alteration (CNS HGNET‐MN1) is a rare recently described entity. Fourteen CNS HGNET‐MN1 patients were identified using genome‐wide methylation arrays/RT‐PCR across seven institutions. All patients had surgery (gross total resection: 10; subtotal resection: four) as initial management followed by observation alone in three patients, followed by radiotherapy in eight patients (focal: five; craniospinal: two; CyberKnife: one) and systemic chemotherapy in three patients. Seven patients relapsed; five local and two metastatic, despite adjuvant radiotherapy, of which three died. Treatment of CNS HGNET‐MN1 remains a major treatment challenge despite aggressive surgical resections and upfront radiotherapy, warranting new approaches to this rare malignancy.
Histopathological Studies on Viral Anemia in Sea-cultured Coho Salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch)

1987年2月から1989年5月にかけて宮城県の下のギンザケ養殖場に発生したウイルス感染が疑われる病魚について血液学的ならびに組織学的に検査した。 赤血球数, Ht値, Hb値, MCHCの低下がみられた。 赤血球のミトコンドリアに障害が観察され, 心筋線維の懐死, 脾, 腎, 肝のマクロファージ様細胞内にヘモジデリンおよびセロイド様物質が認められた。 病魚は溶血に起因する低酸素と過酸化脂質の影響をうけているものと思われた
Identification of Melanoma From Hyperspectral Pathology Image Using 3D Convolutional Networks

Skin biopsy histopathological analysis is one of the primary methods used for pathologists to assess the presence and deterioration of melanoma in clinical. A comprehensive and reliable pathological analysis is the result of correctly segmented melanoma and its interaction with benign tissues, and therefore providing accurate therapy. In this study, we applied the deep convolution network on the hyperspectral pathology images to perform the segmentation of melanoma. To make the best use of spectral properties of three dimensional hyperspectral data, we proposed a 3D fully convolutional network named Hyper-net to segment melanoma from hyperspectral pathology images. In order to enhance the sensitivity of the model, we made a specific modification to the loss function with caution of false negative in diagnosis. The performance of Hyper-net surpassed the 2D model with the accuracy over 92%. The false negative rate decreased by nearly 66% using Hyper-net with the modified loss function. These findings demonstrated the ability of the Hyper-net for assisting pathologists in diagnosis of melanoma based on hyperspectral pathology images.
Simplified quantification of [18F]FE-PE2I PET in Parkinson’s disease: Discriminative power, test–retest reliability and longitudinal validity during early peak and late pseudo-equilibrium

Quantification of dopamine transporter (DAT) availability with [18F]FE-PE2I PET enables the detection of presynaptic dopamine deficiency and provides a potential progression marker for Parkinson`s disease (PD). Simplified quantification is feasible, but the time window of short acquisition protocols may have a substantial impact on the reliability of striatal binding estimates. Dynamic [18F]FE-PE2I PET data of cross-sectional (33 PD patients, 24 controls), test–retest (9 patients), and longitudinal (12 patients) cohorts were used to assess the variability and reliability of specific binding ratios (SBR) measured during early peak and late pseudo-equilibrium. Receiver operating characteristics area under the curve (PD vs. controls) was high for early (0.996) and late (0.991) SBR. Early SBR provided more favourable effect size, absolute variability, and standard error of measurement than late SBR (caudate: 1.29 vs. 1.23; 6.9% vs. 9.8%; 0.09 vs. 0.20; putamen: 1.75 vs. 1.67; 7.7% vs. 14.0%; 0.08 vs. 0.17). The annual percentage change was comparable for both time windows (−7.2%–8.5%), but decline was significant only for early SBR. Whereas early and late [18F]FE-PE2I PET acquisitions have similar discriminative power to separate PD patients and controls, the early peak equilibrium acquisition can be recommended if [18F]FE-PE2I is used to measure longitudinal changes of DAT availability.
Diabetic Macular Edema Management in Asian Population: Expert Panel Consensus Guidelines

Purpose: The aim of this consensus article was to provide comprehensive recommendations in the management of diabetic macular edema (DME) by reviewing recent clinical evidence. Design: A questionnaire containing 47 questions was developed which encompassed clinical scenarios such as treatment response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor and steroid, treatment side effects, as well as cost and compliance/reimbursement in the management of DME using a Dephi questionnaire as guide. Methods: An expert panel of 12 retinal specialists from Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, India and Vietnam responded to this questionnaire on two separate occasions. The first round responses were compiled, analyzed and discussed in a round table discussion where a consensus was sought through voting. Consensus was considered achieved, when 9 of the 12 panellists (75%) agreed on a recommendation. Results: The DME patients were initially profiled based on their response to treatment, and the terms target response, adequate response, nonresponse, and inadequate response were defined. The panellists arrived at a consensus on various aspects of DME treatment such as need for classification of patients before treatment, first-line treatment options, appropriate time to switch between treatment modalities, and steroid-related side effects based on which recommendations were derived, and a treatment algorithm was developed. Conclusions: This consensus article provides comprehensive, evidence-based treatment guidelines in the management of DME in Asian population. In addition, it also provides recommendations on other aspects of DME management such as steroid treatment for stable glaucoma patients, management of intraocular pressure rise, and recommendations for cataract development.
Evaluation of Hemodynamics in a Murine Hindlimb Ischemia Model Using Spatial Frequency Domain Imaging

Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI), an optical imaging technique capable of quantitatively measuring tissue hemodynamics over a large field‐of‐view, has captured the interest of scientists and clinicians due to its ability to image rapidly and noninvasively. The goal of this study was to apply SFDI in a preclinical murine model to assess its ability to measure hemodynamic changes due to hindlimb ischemia in vivo longitudinally.
Exploration of biomarkers to predict clinical improvement of atopic dermatitis in patients treated with dupilumab

Abstract Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a common eczematous skin disorder that profoundly reduces the quality of life due to intractable pruritus. Excellent therapeutic success of the anti-interleukin 4 receptor-α antibody dupilumab in clinical trials and a real-world clinical context indicates the crucial roles of interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13 in the pathogenesis of AD. Along with the clinical improvement in skin scores and pruritus, dupilumab significantly and progressively reduces and normalizes the upregulated expression of T helper type 2 signatures such as Chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL)17, CCL18, CCL22, and CCL26 in the lesional skin of AD. However, no blood/serum biomarkers are known to predict good or poor outcome in patients with AD treated with dupilumab. Methods: Patients are at least 18 years of age and have moderate-to-severe AD with Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) ≥16, Investigator's Global Assessment ≥3, and body surface area ≥10%. We are going to enroll more than 130 subjects from 18 medical facilities. Clinical objective findings will be evaluated by EASI. Subjective symptoms will be assessed by Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure, Numerical Rating Scale for Pruritus (Pruritus-NRS), Skin Comfort-NRS, and Treatment Satisfaction-NRS. We will measure 18 blood/serum biomarkers including % eosinophils in blood cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, total IgE, soluble interleukin 2 receptor, CCL17, CCL18, CCL22, CCL26, CCL27, IL-13, IL-22, IL-24, IL-25, IL-31, IL-33, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, periostin, and squamous cell carcinoma antigen-2. The clinical evaluation and biomarker sampling will be performed at 0, 2, 4, 8, and 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment. We will also perform proteomic analysis (of roughly 300 proteins) of the patients’ sera obtained at 0 and 2 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint is the association between “baseline levels of 18 biomarkers” and “% change from baseline of EASI at 16 weeks of dupilumab treatment. ” Discussion: This is the first clinical trial to explore the biomarkers, including potential proteomic markers, most strongly associated with improvement in EASI in patients with moderate-to-severe AD treated with dupilumab for 16 weeks (B-PAD study). A limitation is that we will only enroll Japanese patients.
Synthesis, structure-activity relationship and antimalarial efficacy of 6-chloro-2-arylvinylquinolines.

There is an urgent need to develop new efficacious antimalarials to address the emerging drug-resistant clinical cases. Our previous phenotypic screening identified styrylquinoline UCF501 as a promising antimalarial compound. To optimize UCF501, we herein report a detailed structure-activity relationship study of 2-arylvinylquinolines, leading to the discovery of potent, low nanomolar antiplasmodial compounds against a P. falciparum CQ-resistant Dd2 strain, with excellent selectivity profiles (RI < 1 and SI > 200). Several metabolically stable 2-arylvinylquinolines are identified as fast-acting agents that kill asexual blood stage parasites at the trophozoite phase, and the most promising compound 24 also demonstrates transmission blocking potential. Additionally, the monophosphate salt of 24 exhibits excellent in vivo antimalarial efficacy in the murine model without noticeable toxicity. Thus, the 2-arylvinylquinolines represent a promising class of antimalarial drug leads.
Community-based maternal health workers’ perspectives on heat risk and safety: a pilot qualitative study

Abstract In this study the authors examined how maternal health workers (MHWs) perceive the health risks of extreme heat exposure to pregnant women and fetuses. The authors conducted interviews with 12 MHWs (including midwives and doulas) in El Paso, Texas. Using qualitative analysis, the researchers identified numerous themes. Although heat was not communicated as a major health risk, participants expressed some concern with growing heat exposure and communicated standard protective measures. While all participants were familiar with some heat illness symptoms, they were generally unaware of their clients’ vulnerability. MHWs’ minimal heat-risk knowledge leaves pregnant women and developing fetuses at risk of preventable harm.
Circulating Cell-Free Nucleic Acids: Main Characteristics and Clinical Application

Liquid biopsy recently became a very promising diagnostic method that has several advantages over conventional invasive methods. Liquid biopsy may serve as a source of several important biomarkers including cell-free nucleic acids (cf-NAs). Cf-DNA is widely used in prenatal testing in order to characterize fetal genetic disorders. Analysis of cf-DNA may provide information about the mutation profile of tumor cells, while cell-free non-coding RNAs are promising biomarker candidates in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. Many of these markers have the potential to help clinicians in therapy selection and in the follow-up of patients. Thus, cf-NA-based diagnostics represent a new path in personalized medicine. Although several reviews are available in the field, most of them focus on a limited number of cf-NA types. In this review, we give an overview about all known cf-NAs including cf-DNA, cf-mtDNA and cell-free non-coding RNA (miRNA, lncRNA, circRNA, piRNA, YRNA, and vtRNA) by discussing their biogenesis, biological function and potential as biomarker candidates in liquid biopsy. We also outline possible future directions in the field.
Fermented Feed Modulates Meat Quality and Promotes the Growth of Longissimus Thoracis of Late-Finishing Pigs

Simple Summary Little is known about the effect of fermented feed on lean mass production of finishing pigs and the underlying mechanism. This study aimed to investigate the effect of fermented diet on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and growth of longissimus thoracis (LT) of finishing pigs. Our results found that fermented diet significantly increased loin eye area and lean mass percentage, decreased backfat thickness and improved meat quality of LT by decreasing shear force and drip loss at 48 h post slaughter and improving meat sensory characteristics compared with control diet. Fermented diet also increased the abundance of insulin, insulin receptor, myoblast determination protein (MyoD) and myosin heavy chain-I (MyHC-I) transcripts, and the phosphorylation levels of protein kinase B (AKT), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTORC1), initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) and S6 kinase 1 (S6K1) in LT, while decreasing the expression of muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and forkhead Box O1 (Foxo1) mRNA transcripts. Our results indicated that fermented diet improved meat quality and enhanced LT growth of finishing pigs by increasing insulin/AKT/mTORC1 protein synthesis cascade and activating Foxo1/MAFbx pathway, along with the regulation of ribosomal protein and proteins involved in muscle contraction and muscle hypertrophy. Abstract This study investigated the effect of fermented diet on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality and growth of longissimus thoracis (LT) of finishing pigs. A total of 48 finishing pigs [Duroc × (Landrace × Large White), male, 126 ± 5-d-old] weighing 98.76 ± 1.27 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments (eight pens per treatment and three pigs per pen) for a 28-d feeding trial, including control diet and fermented diet. Fermented diet significantly increased the loin eye area and lean mass percentage, decreased backfat thickness and improved meat quality of LT by decreasing the shear force and drip loss at 48 h post slaughter and improving meat sensory characteristics compared with control diet. A fermented diet also significantly increased the abundance of insulin, insulin receptor (IR), myoblast determination protein (MyoD) and myosin heavy chain-I (MyHC-I) transcripts, and the phosphorylation levels of AKT, mTORC1, 4EBP1 and S6K1 in LT, while decreasing the expression of muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and forkhead Box O1 (Foxo1) mRNA transcripts. Moreover, proteomic analysis revealed that differentially expressed proteins predominantly involved in protein synthesis and muscle development were modulated by fermented diet. Our results indicated that a fermented diet improved meat quality and enhanced LT growth of finishing pigs by increasing insulin/AKT/mTORC1 protein synthesis cascade and activating the Foxo1/MAFbx pathway, along with the regulation of ribosomal protein and proteins involved in muscle contraction and muscle hypertrophy.
Psychological nursing intervention reduces psychological distress in patients with thyroid cancer

Abstract Background: Thyroidectomy has been considered an effective method to treat thyroid cancer. However, about 20% of patients have psychological distress before surgery. Psychological distress is considered common mental illnesses and it has been reported that the patients who suffer psychological distress have poor clinical outcomes than the patients without psychosocial disorder. Therefore, we design this randomized controlled study to explore the effect of psychological nursing intervention against quality of life and psychological distress of the patients with thyroid cancer. Method: The trial will be conducted from September 2020 to December 2020 at Wuhan Fourth Hospital on the basis of the International Council for Harmonisation's Good Clinical Practice Guidelines and the principles of the Helsinki Declaration. The study was authorized via the Research Ethics Committee of the Wuhan Fourth Hospital (Approval number: 20200721-046). This study is a single-center, randomized, 2-arm, evaluator-blinded clinical trial. In all, 90 patients with thyroid cancer undergoing thyroidectomy will be enrolled in this study. The inclusion criteria includes: patients aged between 20 and 60 years old; ASA I-II classification; normal platelet coagulation and count function. The exclusion criteria contains: people with the intellectual and cognitive impairment (behavioral-cognitive intervention); BMI above 35 kg/m2; the history of renal and hepatic dysfunction; and patients refuse to participate in this study. Both the patients in psychological intervention group and control group should receive the routine care, while the psychological intervention group also needs to receive the additional proper psychological nursing interventions. The emotional disorders are detected with the Chinese version of Profile of Mood States-Brief. And the patients’ life quality is evaluated with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core Questionnaire (QLQ-C30, version 3.0). All the data are collated into Microsoft Excel 2010 and analyzed with SPSS 12.0 (IBM). Results: It is assumed that psychological nursing intervention could alleviate the psychological distress of patients with thyroid cancer and improve their quality of life. Conclusion: This study can provide the reliable evidence regarding the influence of psychological nursing intervention against the life quality and psychological distress of the patients with thyroid cancer. Trial registration: This study protocol is registered in Research Registry (researchregistry5937).
Reaction of Juntendo Shizuoka Hospital at Izu Peninsula to Typhoon Hagibis (2019) and an Analysis of Twitter Concerning Izunokuni City

Abstract Objective: This research was carried out to report the activity of the headquarters for disaster control at our hospital, and investigate the usefulness of obtaining information from Twitter when Typhoon Hagibis hit Izu Peninsula. Methods: First, we recounted the activity of the headquarters for disaster control. We then collected information from Twitter from October 12-14, 2019, using the keyword Izunokuni. ’ We took into consideration the contents of Twitter user posts as well as the number of reactions (‘retweets’ and ‘likes’). Twitter information was classified into photo (+) and (-) groups, depending on whether or not the post had a photo or video included. The number of reactions between the two groups was then analyzed. Results: We counted 122 Twitter posts containing Hagibis-related information for Izunokuni City. The average number of both ‘retweets’ and ‘likes’ in the photo (+) group were significantly greater than those in the photo (-) group. All photos and videos depicted specific places in Izunokuni City and included actual footage of disaster scenes or local warning signs. Conclusion: Based on our experience at the headquarters for disaster control during Typhoon Hagibis, Twitter was considered to be a useful tool for obtaining local disaster information based on its timeliness, reality and specificity.
Dual Polarized Monopole Patch Antennas for UWB Applications with Elimination of WLAN Signals

This paper presents the design, fabrication and measurement of dual polarized microstrip patch antennas for ultra wideband (UWB) applications with notch at 5-6 GHz band. The proposed antenna rejects the wireless local area network (WLAN) signals and work properly in the entire remaining ultra-wideband. Two antennas are designed for two different frequency bands of ultra wideband and both antennas together produce the entire ultra wideband with notch at 5-6 GHz band. The antennas are fed by a 50 coaxial probe and the entire design is optimized using CST Microwave Studio. The bandwidth of 3.1-5 GHz is achieved by the optimized design of Antenna-1 and the bandwidth of 6 -10.6 GHz is achieved by the optimized design of Antenna-2. The bandwidth of the optimized combined antenna is 3.1-10.6 GHz with elimination of the 5-6 GHz band. Both antennas are simulated, developed and measured. The simulated and measured results are presented. The two designed dual polarized antennas i.e. Antenna-1 and Antenna-2 can be used for 3.1-5 GHz band and 6-10.6 GHz band dual polarized applications, respectively, and the combined antenna structure can be used for UWB dual polarized applications with elimination of 5-6 GHz band signals.