Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
No effect of fenugreek, bergamot and olive leaf extract on glucose homeostasis in patients with prediabetes: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study

Introduction The main pathophysiologic mechanism of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is insulin resistance, which exists several years before T2D diagnosis. The term ‘prediabetes’ applies to patients with insulin resistance but without overt T2D. The improvement of glucose homeostasis in these patients may prevent or delay the development of T2D and its complications. Data suggest that fenugreek, olive leaf polyphenols and bergamot extract may improve carbohydrate metabolism. We examined the effect of an agent containing fenugreek, olive leaf polyphenols and bergamot extract (active agent) on glucose homeostasis in patients with prediabetes. Material and methods This was a single-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial; patients with prediabetes (N = 100) were randomized to treatment with the active agent or placebo. The primary efficacy endpoint was the change in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) at 6 months after treatment initiation. Secondary endpoints included changes in other parameters of glucose metabolism and lipid profile. Results Overall 87 patients completed the study. No significant change in HbA1c was observed in either treatment group. Similarly, fasting plasma glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index and lipid profile remained unaltered in both groups. Conclusions The administration of an agent containing fenugreek, olive leaf polyphenols and bergamot extract for 6 months did not improve glycemia or lipid parameters in patients with prediabetes.
Seasonal Dynamics of Soil Fungal and Bacterial Communities in Cool-Temperate Montane Forests

Both fungal and bacterial communities in soils play key roles in driving forest ecosystem processes across multiple time scales, but how seasonal changes in environmental factors shape these microbial communities is not well understood. Here, we aimed to evaluate the importance of seasons, elevation, and soil depth in determining soil fungal and bacterial communities, given the influence of climate conditions, soil properties and plant traits. In this study, seasonal patterns of diversity and abundance did not synchronize between fungi and bacteria, where soil fertility explained the diversity and abundance of soil fungi but soil water content explained those of soil bacteria. Model-based clustering showed that seasonal changes in both abundant and rare taxonomic groups were different between soil fungi and bacteria. The cluster represented by ectomycorrhizal genus Lactarius was a dominant group across soil fungal communities and fluctuated seasonally. For soil bacteria, the clusters composed of dominant genera were seasonally stable but varied greatly depending on elevation and soil depth. Seasonally changing clusters of soil bacteria (e.g., Nitrospira and Pelosinus) were not dominant groups and were related to plant phenology. These findings suggest that the contribution of seasonal changes in climate conditions, soil fertility, and plant phenology to microbial communities might be equal to or greater than the effects of spatial heterogeneity of those factors. Our study identifies aboveground–belowground components as key factors explaining how microbial communities change during a year in forest soils at mid-to-high latitudes.
The Recognition of Solid Object Shape: The Importance of Inhomogeneity

A single experiment evaluated the haptic-visual cross-modal matching of solid object shape. One set of randomly shaped artificial objects was used (sinusoidally modulated spheres, SMS) as well as two sets of naturally shaped objects (bell peppers, Capsicum annuum and sweet potatoes, Ipomoea batatas). A total of 66 adults participated in the study. The participants’ task was to haptically explore a single object on any particular trial and subsequently indicate which of 12 simultaneously visible objects possessed the same shape. The participants’ performance for the natural objects was 60.9 and 78.7 percent correct for the bell peppers and sweet potatoes, respectively. The analogous performance for the SMS objects, while better than chance, was far worse (18.6 percent correct). All of these types of stimulus objects possess a rich geometrical structure (e.g., they all possess multiple elliptic, hyperbolic, and parabolic surface regions). Nevertheless, these three types of stimulus objects are perceived differently: Individual members of sweet potatoes and bell peppers are largely identifiable to human participants, while the individual SMS objects are not. Analyses of differential geometry indicate that these natural objects (e.g., bell peppers and sweet potatoes) possess heterogeneous spatial configurations of distinctly curved surface regions, and this heterogeneity is lacking in SMS objects. The current results therefore suggest that increases in surface structure heterogeneity facilitate human object recognition.
Factors Predicting Responses to HIV/AIDS Prevention Messages among Wollega University Students, Oromia, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background Since the first HIV/AIDS cases were reported in 1981, HIV has become one of the world's most serious health and development challenges. Messages should be persuasive and appealing in order to bring the desired effect among the target group. This study aims to assess the factors associated with responses to HIV/AIDS prevention messages among university students. Methods A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted using self-administered questionnaire. A total of 710 Wollega University regular students drawn by multi-stage sampling were included. The data were summarized and organized with different descriptive measures and regression analysis using SPSS 16.0. Results Six hundred ninety-three (693), 429(61.9%) male and 264 (38.1%) female students were participated making a response rate of 97.6%. The mean age of the respondents was (21.27±1.703) (males = 21.60±1.618; females = 20.72±1.701). About 252(36.4%) of the respondents were sexually active, and the mean age of sexual initiation was (18.08±2.416), male (18.47±2.294), and female (17.43±2.491). Perceived severity, perceived self and response efficacy of abstinence significantly predicted the current practice of abstinence (R=0.304, adjR2 =0.087). Perceived self-efficacy of being faithful significantly predicted the current practice of being monogamous (R=0.218, adjR2 =0.042). Perceived self and response efficacy of condom use significantly predicted practice of consistent condom use (R=0.398, adjR2 =0.153). Conclusion Perceived self and response efficacy more predicted HIV/AIDS prevention methods than other variables; so an intervention planned targeting those variables would be more successful on HIV/AIDS prevention in the university.
Early Pain Exposure Influences Functional Brain Connectivity in Very Preterm Neonates

Background Early exposure to nociceptive events may cause brain structural alterations in preterm neonates, with long-lasting consequences on neurodevelopmental outcome. Little is known on the extent to which early pain may affect brain connectivity. We aim to evaluate brain functional connectivity changes in preterm neonate that underwent multiple invasive procedures during the postnatal period, and to correlate them with the neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months. Methods In this prospective case-control study, we collected information about exposure to painful events during the early postnatal period and resting-state BOLD-fMRI data at term equivalent age from two groups of preterm neonate: 33 subjected to painful procedures during the neonatal intensive care (mean gestational age 27.9 ± 1.8 weeks) and 13 who did not require invasive procedures (average gestational age 31.2 ± 2.1 weeks). A data-driven principal-component-based multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) was used to investigate the effect of early pain exposure on brain functional connectivity, and the relationship between connectivity changes and neurodevelopmental outcome at 24 months, assessed with Griffiths, Developmental Scale-Revised: 0–2. Results Early pain was associated with decreased functional connectivity between thalami and bilateral somatosensory cortex, and between the right insular cortex and ipsilateral amygdala and hippocampal regions, with a more evident effect in preterm neonate undergoing more invasive procedures. Functional connectivity of the right thalamocortical pathway was related to neuromotor outcome at 24 months (P = 0.003). Conclusion Early exposure to pain is associated with abnormal functional connectivity of developing networks involved in the modulation of noxious stimuli in preterm neonate, contributing to the neurodevelopmental consequence of preterm birth.
The Influence of Standardized Residency Training on Trainees’ Willingness to Become a Doctor: A Comparison between Traditional Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

A standardized residency training program (SRT) was launched in Shanghai in 2010, for both Western Medicine (WM) and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). This study aimed to assess whether the program impacted trainees’ willingness to become a doctor and whether the program had different effects among WM and TCM trainees. A structured questionnaire was distributed to 2114 trainees to assess their perceptions and satisfaction with the program and their willingness to become a doctor after the exposure to the program. The trainees’ characteristics were compared between WM and TCM specialties using X2 tests. The potential factors associated with trainees’ perception of the program and willingness to become a doctor after the exposure to the SRT program were assessed by multiple linear and logistic regression models. Compared to WM trainees (n = 1853), TCM trainees (n = 261) would be more likely to become doctors if there were no SRT program (p = 0.003). Both individual and program-wide (different specialties) factors contributed to trainees’ perception, overall satisfaction, and willingness. Only specialty played an independent role in the associations with all three outcome variables. Inequality of characteristics between TCM and WM trainees reduced TCM trainees’ willingness to become a doctor after the exposure to the SRT program.
Absence of Gravin Mediated Signaling Inhibits Development of High Fat Diet-Induced Hyperlipidemia and Atherosclerosis.

Gravin, an A-kinase anchoring protein (AKAP), is known to play a role in regulating key processes that lead to inflammation and atherosclerosis development; namely, cell migration, proliferation, and apoptosis. We investigated the role of gravin in the development of high-fat-diet (HFD) induced atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia. Five-week-old male wild-type (WT) and gravin-t/t mice were fed normal-diet (ND) or HFD for 16-weeks. Gravin-t/t mice showed significantly lower liver-to-body-weight ratio, cholesterol, triglyceride, and very low-density lipoprotein levels in serum as compared to WT mice on HFD. Further, there was less aortic plaque formation coupled with decreased lipid accumulation and liver damage as the gravin-t/t mice had lower levels of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Additionally, gravin-t/t HFD-fed mice had decreased expression of liver HMG-CoA reductase, an essential enzyme for cholesterol synthesis and lower fatty acid synthase expression. Gravin-t/t HFD-fed mice also exhibited inhibition of sterol regulatory element binding protein-2 (SREBP-2) expression, a liver transcription factor associated with the regulation of lipid transportation. In response to platelet-derived growth factor receptor treatment, gravin-t/t vascular smooth muscle cells exhibited lower intracellular calcium transients and decreased PKA and PKC-dependent substrate phosphorylation, notably involving the Erk1/2 signaling pathway. Collectively, these results suggest the involvement of gravin-dependent regulation of lipid metabolism via the reduction of SREBP-2 expression. The absence of gravin-mediated signaling lowers blood pressure, reduces plaque formation in the aorta, and decreases lipid accumulation and damage in the liver of HFD mice. Through these processes, the absence of gravin-mediated signaling complex delays the HFD-induced hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis.
Construction of Disease Similarity Networks Using Concept Embedding and Ontology

Discovering disease similarities are beneficial for the diagnosis and treatment of mental diseases. In this research, we proposed a data driven method, that is, integrating a variety of publicly available data resources including Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) Metathesaurus, Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine -- Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) and cui2vec concept embedding to construct a mental disease similarity network. The resulting mental disease similarity network offered a new view for navigating and investigating disease relations; it also revealed popular mental disease in the literature in terms of the number of connections and similarities with other diseases. It shows that depressive disorder is directly connected with nine other popular diseases and connects 52 other diseases in the network. The top three popular mental diseases are depressive disorder, dysthymia (now known as persistent depressive disorder), and neurosis. Future research will focus on studying the clusters generated from the similarity network.
Towards a Framework for National eHealth Evaluation and Monitoring: A Combined Top-Down and Bottom-Up Approach Using Sweden as Example

Conducting evaluation and monitoring of national eHealth implementation aligned with national eHealth strategies should be prioritized concerning the insufficient scientific evidence and the current challenges in measuring eHealth effects and impacts where most approaches aim to measure at the micro level. This study aimed to build an evaluation and monitoring framework for national eHealth, using the Swedish national eHealth strategy as example, and to develop the process in doing so. Combining both top-down and bottom-up approaches, the WHO-ITU national eHealth strategy toolkit, as a systematic guidance, and two Swedish reports were used for development of the framework. Experts' opinions on the framework were collected and converged by the Delphi technique. The final draft suggested a framework containing 19 eHealth outcomes, 13 eHealth outputs, and 107 eHealth outcome and output indicators for 4 prioritized stakeholders, which can support comprehensive measurements to follow up the current advancement of eHealth in Sweden.
Decision Support Tools for Drugs Prescription Process in a Hospital in Argentina

While medications can improve the health of patients, the prescription process is complex and prone to errors. The structured medical order entry systems (CPOE) with clinical decision support (CDS) are increasingly implemented to improve patient safety, however the organizations that decide to implement them will have several challenges: understanding which classes of CDS can admit their systems, ensure that clinical knowledge is adequate and design tools for proper monitoring. We share our experience of over ten years of development and implementation of clinical decision support tools during drugs prescription process and tools that have allowed us to monitor them correctly.
Sex Differences in Long‐Term Survival After Major Cardiac Surgery: A Population‐Based Cohort Study

Background Little attention has been paid to the importance of sex in the long‐term prognosis of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Methods and Results We conducted a retrospective cohort study of Ontario residents, aged ≥40 years, who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) and/or aortic, mitral, or tricuspid valve surgery between October 1, 2008, and December 31, 2016. The primary outcome was all‐cause mortality. The mortality rate in each surgical group was calculated using the Kaplan‐Meier method. The risk of death was assessed using multivariable Cox proportional hazard models. Sex‐specific mortality risk factors were identified using multiplicative interaction terms. A total of 72 824 patients were included in the study (25% women). The median follow‐up period was 5 (interquartile range, 3–7) years. The long‐term age‐standardized mortality rate was lowest in patients who underwent isolated CABG and highest among those who underwent combined CABG/multiple valve surgery. Women had significantly higher age‐standardized mortality rate than men after CABG and combined CABG/mitral valve surgery. Men had lower rates of long‐term mortality than women after isolated mitral valve repair, whereas women had lower rates of long‐term mortality than men after isolated mitral valve replacement. We observed a statistically significant association between female sex and long‐term mortality after adjustment for key risk factors. Conclusions Female sex was associated with long‐term mortality after cardiac surgery. Perioperative optimization and long‐term follow‐up should be tailored to younger women with a history of myocardial infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention and older men with a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and depression.
Adjustments in the control of mitochondrial respiratory capacity to tolerate temperature fluctuations

ABSTRACT As the world's climate changes, life faces an evolving thermal environment. Mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) is critical to ensure sufficient cellular energy production, and it is strongly influenced by temperature. The thermally induced changes to the regulation of specific steps within the OXPHOS process are poorly understood. In our study, we used the eurythermal species of planarian Dugesia tigrina to study the thermal sensitivity of the OXPHOS process at 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30°C. We conducted cold acclimation experiments where we measured the adjustment of specific steps in OXPHOS at two assay temperatures (10 and 20°C) following 4 weeks of acclimation under normal (22°C) or low (5°C) temperature conditions. At the low temperature, the contribution of the NADH pathway to the maximal OXPHOS capacity, in a combined pathway (NADH and succinate), was reduced. There was partial compensation by an increased contribution of the succinate pathway. As the temperature decreased, OXPHOS became more limited by the capacity of the phosphorylation system. Acclimation to the low temperature resulted in positive adjustments of the NADH pathway capacity due, at least in part, to an increase in complex I activity. The acclimation also resulted in a better match between OXPHOS and phosphorylation system capacities. Both of these adjustments following acclimation were specific to the low assay temperature. We conclude that there is substantial plasticity in the mitochondrial OXPHOS process following thermal acclimation in D. tigrina, and this probably contributes to the wide thermal range of the species. Summary: In Dugesia tigrina, complex I and the ADP phosphorylation system are involved in the loss of oxidative phosphorylation capacity when temperature decreases. These steps are able to adjust following cold acclimation, allowing the animals to occupy a wide thermal range.
Sodium Intake and Hypertension

The close relationship between hypertension and dietary sodium intake is widely recognized and supported by several studies. A reduction in dietary sodium not only decreases the blood pressure and the incidence of hypertension, but is also associated with a reduction in morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. Prolonged modest reduction in salt intake induces a relevant fall in blood pressure in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals, irrespective of sex and ethnic group, with larger falls in systolic blood pressure for larger reductions in dietary salt. The high sodium intake and the increase in blood pressure levels are related to water retention, increase in systemic peripheral resistance, alterations in the endothelial function, changes in the structure and function of large elastic arteries, modification in sympathetic activity, and in the autonomic neuronal modulation of the cardiovascular system. In this review, we have focused on the effects of sodium intake on vascular hemodynamics and their implication in the pathogenesis of hypertension.
Developing an Intuitive Intelligent Inpatient Medical Record System

Chimei Medical Center developed an intuitive intelligent inpatient medical record system which integrates structured, unstructured, and textual medical records and provides health insurance payment suggestions from the collaborative medical record writer's point of view. Combined with the use of intelligent technology (Python language with the smart Content Difference Recognition software component), the system can ensure medical record quality by focusing on the differencse in recorded progress notes.
Early Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury in Critical Care Setting Using Clinical Notes and Structured Multivariate Physiological Measurements

The onset of acute kidney injury (AKI) during an intensive care unit (ICU) admission is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Developing novel methods to identify early AKI onset is of critical importance in preventing or reducing AKI complications. We built and applied multiple machine learning models to integrate clinical notes and structured physiological measurements and estimate the risk of new AKI onset using the MIMIC-III database. From the clinical notes, we generated clinically meaningful word representations and embeddings. Four supervised learning classifiers and mixed-feature deep learning architecture were used to construct prediction models. The best configurations consistently utilized both structured and unstructured clinical features and yielded competitive AUCs above 0.83. Our work suggests that integrating structured and unstructured clinical features can be effectively applied to assist clinicians in identifying the risk of incident AKI onset in critically-ill patients upon admission to the ICU.
Optimization and characterization of calcium phosphate transfection in mesenchymal stem cells.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been used as a therapy to modulate diverse biological processes. To fulfill the requirements for different MSC therapies, safe and effective gene transfer methods for MSCs are critical. Calcium phosphate transfection is an inexpensive and well-described method without discernible biosafety issues; however, an optimal protocol has not been developed for MSCs. In this report, we optimized the protocol of calcium phosphate transfection for murine MSCs, and compared this protocol with other gene transfer methods in different strains of mice and in human cells. We found that transfection efficiency and cell viability showed an inverse relationship depending on serum concentration during the process of calcium phosphate transfection, in which 2% serum was chosen in the optimized protocol. The optimized protocol of calcium phosphate transfection showed a fine balance between efficiency (about 70-80%) and viability (doubling original cell number) compared to other methods. Human MSCs were more resistant to this protocol (about 30% efficiency) compared with murine MSCs. Moreover, MSC potential for osteogenesis, adipogenesis, and chondrogenesis was not affected by calcium phosphate transfection. Finally, MSCs transfected with the luciferase gene were injected into the murine distal femoral bone marrow cavity to monitor gene expression overtime in vivo. MSCs in the bone marrow environment showed extended expression of the luciferase that was transfected by calcium phosphate. This report provides an optimized protocol for calcium phosphate transfection for murine MSCs and characterizes gene over-expression in MSCs in the in vitro and in vivo environments.