Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consequences of rapid development owing to cohort splitting: just how costly is it to hurry?

ABSTRACT In cohort splitting, diverging sub-cohorts may show substantial differences in their growth and developmental rates. Although in the past, causes and adaptive value of cohort splitting were studied in detail, individual-level consequences of cohort splitting are still rather overlooked. Life history theory predicts that considerably increased growth and developmental rates should be traded off against other costly life history traits. However, it is not clear whether one should expect such associations in adaptive developmental plasticity scenarios, because natural selection might have promoted genotypes that mitigate those potential costs of rapid development. To address these contrasting propositions, we assessed life history traits in the wolf spider Pardosa agrestis, both collected from natural habitat and reared in laboratory. We found that some traits are negatively associated with developmental rates in spiders collected from the wild, but these associations were relaxed to a considerable extent in laboratory-reared specimens. In general, we observed no consistent trend for the presence of developmental costs, although some results might suggest higher relative fecundity costs in rapidly developing females. Our study provides a detailed approach to the understanding of individual-level consequences of cohort splitting, and to the associations between key life history traits in adaptive developmental plasticity scenarios. Summary: We provide a robust empirical contribution to the understanding of individual-level consequences of developmental plasticity leading to cohort splitting, and highlight its importance in shaping key life history traits.
Severe obesity and the impact of medical weight loss on estimated glomerular filtration rate

Objective To assess the impact of obesity, glucose tolerance, and weight loss on renal function, we measured serum creatinine and cystatin C and estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) indexed to 1.73m2 body surface area (BSA) and GFR indexed to actual BSA in subjects with normal and abnormal glucose tolerance before and up to 2 years after medical weight loss. Methods We studied 146 subjects at baseline and 3-to-6 months after 18% reduction in weight; 43 were also studied at 2-years. GFR was estimated using the MDRD, CKD-EPICr, CKD-EPICysCr, and the CKD-EPICys equations. Results eGFR was consistently lower when creatinine-based rather than cystatin C-based estimating equations were used. eGFR was lower when creatinine-based or cystatin C-based equations were indexed to 1.73m2 BSA than when they were indexed to actual BSA. eGFR indexed to actual BSA was more likely to demonstrate hyperfiltration (eGFR ≥135 ml/min) than eGFR indexed to 1.73m2 BSA and decreased into the normal range with weight loss. eGFR was highest in subjects with impaired fasting glucose but there was little difference in the patterns of change in eGFR across groups by glucose tolerance status. Conclusions With severe obesity, high fat-free mass and BSA result in low estimates of eGFR indexed to 1.73m2 BSA, especially when creatinine-based estimating equations are used. GFR indexed to actual BSA is approximately 50% higher. When eGFR is indexed to actual BSA, many subjects display evidence of renal hyperfiltration which improves with weight loss. In subjects with severe obesity undergoing medical weight loss, estimating equations that use cystatin C and are indexed to actual BSA may provide a more accurate assessment of renal function.
Emotional Intelligence Components as Predictors of Engagement in Nursing Professionals by Sex

Engagement of nursing professionals is related to their psychological wellbeing, and therefore, emotional intelligence acts as a predictor. The purpose of this study was to analyze the explanatory value of the dimensions of emotional intelligence in engagement in both sexes, as well as the conditional effect of interaction of sex as a moderating variable. The sample was comprised of 2126 nurses with a mean age of 31.66 years. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Brief Inventory of Emotional Intelligence for Senior Citizens (EQ-i-20M) were used for their evaluation. The results revealed the existence of significant differences in engagement depending on the sex of the nursing professionals. Furthermore, this study showed that the interpersonal component of emotional intelligence is the predictor of engagement of female professionals, while mood and the interpersonal dimensions have a higher predictive value of engagement in males. Finally, this study was able to emphasize the sex differences found along with the importance of the role emotional intelligence dimensions have in engagement levels, which must be taken into account when designing intervention programs to improve engagement and promote participation of nursing professionals in their workplace.
[Difficult biliary cannulation: early precut fistulotomy to avoid post ERCP pancreatitis. A retrospective analysis for two years].

BACKGROUND Difficult biliary cannulation is a risk factor for post-ERCP pancreatitis. In these cases, precutting is the most used technique. OBJECTIVE To demonstrate that precut fistulotomy is safe and effective. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from May 2016 to May 2018 were reviewed. Difficult cannulation was defined as: impacted lithiasis, inadvertent cannulation of the pancreatic duct on three occasions and inability to achieve deep biliary cannulation in 3 minutes. The outcome measures were successful biliary cannulation and post-ERCP Pancreatitis. RESULTS Precut fistulotomy was performed in 96 cases (67 women, 29 men). The success rate of biliary cannulation was 95.8% (92/96). Eighty patients had risk factors for post-ERCP pancreatitis: 29 had 1 risk factor, 26 had 2 risk factors, 19 had 3 risk factors, and 6 had four risk factors. Ampullary risk factors of difficult cannulation: impacted stone in the papilla: 9 cases, papilla bulging: 10 cases, lower location of the hole papillary 38 cases, partial location of the papillary pore 23 and papillary orifice stenosis 16 cases. Ten patients had periampullary diverticulum, 7 patients had normal bile duct. None of the patients experienced Pancreatitis. Three patients had early bleeding, one patient had late bleeding. One patient (2%) had a fever and was hospitalized. CONCLUSIONS In cases of difficult biliary cannulation, the precut fistulotomy is safe and effective.
Stage II endometrial cancer requires stratification according to uterine risk factor and sentinel lymph node sampling

An appropriate strategy of surgery and adjuvant treatment are controversial because of heterogenous characteristics of stage II EM cancer. According to current National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines [1], options for adjuvant therapy of stage II cases are external beam radiation therapy, vaginal brachytherapy, or combination of both. And there has been controversy whether a pelvic and/or para-aortic lymph node (LN) dissection should be recommended. Although no difference of survival benefit in stage I EM cancer between surgery with and without lymphadenectomy [2], combined pelvic and para-paraaortic lymphadenectomy showed significantly better overall survival than pelvic lymphadenectomy in patients with intermediateor high-risk of recurrence group [3]. However, higher risk of leg edema with increasing number of LNs dissected was also reported [4]. In a prospective cohort study of measuring the value of sentinel LN mapping compared to the complete lymphadenectomy in detecting metastatic LN, they showed a high degree of diagnostic accuracy [5]. Therefore, the sentinel node sampling may be a new approach in the evaluation of EM cancer.
Draft Genome Assembly of Floccularia luteovirens, an Edible and Symbiotic Mushroom on Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Floccularia luteovirens, also known as “Yellow mushroom”, is an edible ectomycorrhizal fungus widely distributed in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau alpine meadow. So far, little genomic information is known about F. luteovirens, which is not conductive to the protection and utilization of it. In this manuscript, we present a first draft genome assembly and annotation of F. luteovirens. The fruiting body of F. luteovirens was sequenced with PacBio Sequel and Illumina Hiseq 2500 system. The assembled genome size was 28.8 Mb, and comprising 183 contigs with a N50 contig size of 571 kb. A total of 8,333 protein-coding genes were predicted and 7,999 genes were further assigned to different public protein databases. Besides, 400 CAZymes were identified in F. luteovirens. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that F. luteovirens should belong to the Agaricaceae family. Time tree result showed that the speciation of F. luteovirens happened approximately 170 Million years ago. Furthermore, 357 species-specific gene families were annotated against KEGG and GO database. This genome assembly and annotation should be an essential genomic foundation for understanding the phylogenetic, metabolic and symbiotic traits of F. luteovirens.
Multiple risk factors: A challenge in the management of Autism.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is an emerging health problem involving 1 out of every 68 children. The incidence rate of autism has increased 3 folds during last 3 decades. Due to the illusive picture of aetiology a considerable number of autistic children fail to receive proper behavioural and medicational treatment. The present study provides a cumulative account of autism risk factors. Several factors including the gene expression and gene mutations, environmental pollution, metal ion accumulation, exposure to pesticides, immune deficiencies, viral infections, mother's age, health, mental status, mother's interactions with the foetus, vaccination of mother and children, and modulations in gut microbiota have been debated. These risk factors may contribute to the development of autism either independently or synergistically leading to a broad spectrum of characteristics observed in the autistic patients. The variable quantitative influence of a wide spectrum of risk factors may result in a unique set of features in each autistic individual. However, the exact mechanism behind the combined impact of various aetiological factors is poorly understood hindering the adaptation of specified and effective therapies.
Hybrid Methodology to Improve Health Status Utility Values Derivation Using EQ-5D-5L and Advanced Multi-Criteria Techniques

This paper presented a new approach to the calculation of quality-adjusted life years (QALY) based on multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods and using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. The health status utility values were calculated through a hybrid methodology. We combined the analytic hierarchy process (AHP), the AHP with a D-number extended fuzzy preference relation (D-AHP), the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (F-AHP), and the technique for order preference by similarity to the ideal solution (TOPSIS) to obtain individual and aggregated utility values. The preference data were elicited using a sample of individuals from a Colombian university. In all tested methods, the ordinal preferences were consistent, and the weights were compared using the Euclidean distance criterion (EDC). We identified F-AHP-TOPSIS as the optimal method; its benefits were associated with modeling the response options of the EQ-5D in linguistic terms, it gave the best approximation to the initial preferences according to EDC, and it could be used as an alternative to the known prioritization method. This hybrid methodology was particularly useful in certain medical decisions concerned with understanding how a specific person values his or her current health or possible health outcomes from different interventions in small population samples and studies carried out in low- and middle-low-income countries.
Effects of Acetaminophen, NSAIDs, Gabapentinoids, and Their Combinations on Postoperative Pulmonary Complications After Total Hip or Knee Arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE Multimodal analgesia has gained popularity in total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA), but large multicenter studies evaluating specific analgesic combinations are lacking. DESIGN A retrospective study using the Premier Healthcare Database (2009-2014). SUBJECTS Adults who underwent elective primary THA or TKA. METHODS We categorized day-of-surgery analgesic exposure using eight mutually exclusive categories: acetaminophen (Ac), nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (Ns), gabapentinoids (Ga; gabapentin or pregabalin), Ac+Ns, Ac+Ga, Ns+Ga, Ac+Ns+Ga, and none of the three drugs. Multilevel models measured associations of the analgesic categories with a composite of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs). RESULTS Among 863,139 patients, 75.2% received at least one of the three drugs. In multilevel models, compared with none of the three drugs, Ga use was associated with increased odds of PPCs when used alone (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.27 to 1.44), combined with Ac (aOR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.26), or combined with Ns (aOR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.21 to 1.34). In contrast, the Ac+Ns pair was associated with decreased odds of PPCs (OR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.83 to 0.90) and lower opioid consumption. Ac+Ns+Ga was not associated with PPCs, whereas it was associated with the lowest opioid consumption on the day of surgery. CONCLUSIONS Gabapentinoids, alone and in single combination with either acetaminophen or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, were associated with higher PPCs, whereas the Ac+Ns pair was associated with fewer PPCs and an opioid-sparing effect. Ac+Ns+Ga was not associated with PPCs, whereas it was associated with the lowest opioid consumption on the day of surgery.
What is your definition of Big Data? Researchers’ understanding of the phenomenon of the decade

The term Big Data is commonly used to describe a range of different concepts: from the collection and aggregation of vast amounts of data, to a plethora of advanced digital techniques designed to reveal patterns related to human behavior. In spite of its widespread use, the term is still loaded with conceptual vagueness. The aim of this study is to examine the understanding of the meaning of Big Data from the perspectives of researchers in the fields of psychology and sociology in order to examine whether researchers consider currently existing definitions to be adequate and investigate if a standard discipline centric definition is possible. Methods Thirty-nine interviews were performed with Swiss and American researchers involved in Big Data research in relevant fields. The interviews were analyzed using thematic coding. Results No univocal definition of Big Data was found among the respondents and many participants admitted uncertainty towards giving a definition of Big Data. A few participants described Big Data with the traditional “Vs” definition—although they could not agree on the number of Vs. However, most of the researchers preferred a more practical definition, linking it to processes such as data collection and data processing. Conclusion The study identified an overall uncertainty or uneasiness among researchers towards the use of the term Big Data which might derive from the tendency to recognize Big Data as a shifting and evolving cultural phenomenon. Moreover, the currently enacted use of the term as a hyped-up buzzword might further aggravate the conceptual vagueness of Big Data.
RECQ5: A Mysterious Helicase at the Interface of DNA Replication and Transcription

RECQ5 belongs to the RecQ family of DNA helicases. It is conserved from Drosophila to humans and its deficiency results in genomic instability and cancer susceptibility in mice. Human RECQ5 is known for its ability to regulate homologous recombination by disrupting RAD51 nucleoprotein filaments. It also binds to RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) and negatively regulates transcript elongation by RNAPII. Here, we summarize recent studies implicating RECQ5 in the prevention and resolution of transcription-replication conflicts, a major intrinsic source of genomic instability during cancer development.
Cochlear nerve aplasia: its importance in cochlear implantation.

Objective: The objective of this study was to outline the possible implications and potentially valuable techniques for managing cases in which the neural integrity of the peripheral auditory system is in question. Study Design: This study was a retrospective case review. Subject and Method: A 3-year-old child with a profound blilateral sensorineural hearing loss was assessed for suitability of cochlear implantation. Audiologic tests confirmed that the child met the audiologic criteria for cochlear implantation. Computed tomographic scanning and magnetic resonance imaging were undertaken. Results: Computed tomographic scanning showed bilateral narrow internal auditory canals. Magnetic resonance imaging showed the absence of the acousticofacial bundle on the left side and possible atrophy of the bundle on the right. After detailed discussion, the parents elected to proceed with implantation on the right ear using the Nucleus mini-22 cochlear implant. Tuning of the device resulted in myogenic facial activity with no electrically stimulated auditory sensation. Postoperative electrophysiologic testing confirmed the presence of a compound muscle action potential only. Conclusions: Seven months after implantation, the child was explanted uneventfully. The electrical auditory nerve action potential and the electrically evoked auditory brainstem response, using intracochlear stimulation, are potentially valuable measurements to assess neural integrity before the decision to proceed with implantation is made.
Inducing ketogenesis via an enteral formulation in patients with acute brain injury:a phase II study

ABSTRACT Objective: Although extensively studied in children, the safety and tolerability of ketone supplementation in adults is unclear, particularly in the acute brain injury population. The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility and safety of inducing ketosis using an enteric ketogenic formulation and determine its impact on intracranial and cerebral perfusion pressures and metabolic parameters. Methods: Prospective interventional Phase II trial of ventilated critically ill patients with acute brain injury administered a ketogenic feed over a 6 day period. Results: 20 patients were recruited, 5 females and 15 males, 3 with stroke, 2 with subarachnoid haemorrhage and 15 with traumatic brain injury. Feeds were well tolerated with 19 patients completing study. There was a significant increase in both plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate from 0.24± 0.31 mmol/l and 0.19 ± 0.16 mmol/l to 0.61 ± 0.53 mmol/l (p =0.0005) and 0.52 ± 0.40 mmol/l (p<0.0001) respectively over the 6 day period. Total daily Ketocal® caloric intake was positively correlated with plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate concentrations (p=0.0011). There was no significant correlation between the cerebral hypertension and cerebral hypoperfusion indices and plasma ketone concentrations. In 95% of patients there were no clinically significant changes in acid/base status over the 6 days with pH remaining within normal range. Conclusion: In patients with acute brain injury, an enterally administered ketogenic formulation increased plasma ketone concentrations, was well tolerated, did not impact on cerebral hemodynamics and can be safely administered. Clinical trial registered at the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12616000332426) Abbreviations: BHB: betahydroxybutyrate; AcAc: acetoacetate; ABI: acute brain injury; TBI: traumatic brain injury; CSF: cerebrospinal fluid; SAH: subarachnoid injury; CVA: cerebrovascular accidents; ICP: intracranial pressure; CPP: cerebral perfusion pressure; ICU: intensive care unit; EVD: external ventricular device; CHI: cerebral hypoperfusion index; IHI: intracranial hypertension index; GCS: Glasgow Coma Scale
Effects of Cocaine Exposure on Astrocytic Glutamate Transporters and Relapse-Like Ethanol-Drinking Behavior in Male Alcohol-Preferring Rats.

AIM Glutamate has been considered as neurotransmitter that is critical in triggering relapse to drugs of abuse, including ethanol and cocaine. Extracellular glutamate concentrations are tightly regulated by several mechanisms, including reuptake through glutamate transporters. Glutamate transporter type 1 (GLT-1) is responsible for clearing the majority of extracellular glutamate. The astrocytic cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) regulates also glutamate homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the effects of cocaine exposure and ampicillin/sulbactam (AMP/SUL), a β-lactam antibiotic known to upregulate GLT-1 and xCT, on relapse-like ethanol intake and the expression of astrocytic glutamate transporters in mesocorticolimbic brain regions. METHODS Male alcohol-preferring (P) rats had free access to ethanol for 5 weeks. On Week 6, rats were exposed to either cocaine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline for 12 consecutive days. Ethanol bottles were then removed for 7 days; during the last 5 days, either AMP/SUL (100 or 200 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline was administered to the P rats. Ethanol bottles were reintroduced, and ethanol intake was measured for 4 days. RESULTS Cocaine exposure induced an alcohol deprivation effect (ADE), which was associated in part by a decrease in the expression of GLT-1 and xCT in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core. AMP/SUL (100 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the ADE, while AMP/SUL (200 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced ethanol intake during 4 days of ethanol re-exposure and upregulated GLT-1 and xCT expression in the NAc core, NAc shell and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC). CONCLUSION This study suggests that these astrocytic glutamate transporters might be considered as potential targets for the treatment of polysubstance abuse.
Telomeres and Telomerase in Heart Ontogenesis, Aging and Regeneration

The main purpose of the review article is to assess the contributions of telomere length and telomerase activity to the cardiac function at different stages of development and clarify their role in cardiac disorders. It has been shown that the telomerase complex and telomeres are of great importance in many periods of ontogenesis due to the regulation of the proliferative capacity of heart cells. The review article also discusses the problems of heart regeneration and the identification of possible causes of dysfunction of telomeres and telomerase.