Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Increased Oxidative Stress, Loop Gain And The Arousal Threshold Are Clinical Predictors Of Increased Apnea Severity Following Exposure To Intermittent Hypoxia

Purpose: We determined if oxidative stress prior to sleep onset is correlated to loop gain (LG) and the arousal threshold (AT) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. We also explored if LG and AT are correlated with apnea severity and indices of upper airway collapsibility during NREM sleep. Methods: Thirteen male participants with obstructive sleep apnea (apnea – hypopnea index > 5 events/hr) were administered an antioxidant or placebo cocktail while exposed to mild intermittent hypoxia in the awake state. Thereafter, loop gain and measures of arousal, apnea severity and upper airway collapsibility were ascertained during NREM sleep. Results: Modi ﬁ cation in oxidative stress (i.e., 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine) prior to sleep onset was correlated to LG (r = 0.8, P = 0.003), the number (r = 0.71, P = 0.01) and duration (r = 0.63, P = 0.04) of apneic events and the percentage of time breathing was stable (r = − 0.66, P = 0.03) during sleep. Using a forward stepwise regression analysis, our results showed that LG, AT, the ventilatory response to arousal and nadir end-tidal carbon dioxide were determinants of the apnea – hypopnea index (P value range = 0.04 – 0.001). In addition, the AT was a predictor of measures of upper airway collapsibility, including the hypopnea/apnea + hypopnea ratio and the degree of ﬂ ow reduction that accompanied hypopneic events (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Modi ﬁ cations in oxidative stress following exposure to intermittent hypoxia during wakefulness are positively associated with loop gain and apnea severity during NREM sleep. Moreover, an increase in the arousal threshold is a predictor of increased upper airway collapsibility.
HIGHER COPING SELF-EFFICACY ASSOCIATED WITH LOW SELF-PERCEIVED LONELINESS IN OLDER ADULTS WITH CHRONIC DISEASE

Abstract Loneliness is an emotional state involving social network perceptions and linked to worse health outcomes. Coping self-efficacy evaluates confidence in ability to manage problems effectively using problem-solving, emotional regulation and social coping. The purpose of this cross-sectional study (N=151 community dwelling adults ages ≥ 65) was to evaluate associations between loneliness and coping self-efficacy. All participants had at least one chronic condition and were cognitively intact. In this sample, 32.08% were lonely (score ≥ 5 on UCLA 3-item loneliness scale (range 3-9). Higher coping self-efficacy was significantly associated with low loneliness after adjustment for age, sex, race/ethnicity, social support, depressive symptoms, body mass index, and a chronic disease-function score (β= -0.03, p=0.014). Causality could not be assessed; higher loneliness may lead to lower self-efficacy or lower self-efficacy may lead to higher loneliness. Nonetheless, loneliness and self-efficacy are both modifiable with great potential for improvement, possibly bettering health outcomes.
Glucose Control and Its associated Factors among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes at a Northern Community Health Center in Thailand

A community health center the primary setting for caring patients with type 2 diabetes is responsible for enabling them to control their glucose level adequately. The objective was to determine the proportion of patients with adequate glucose control and the factors which could associate with glucose control. The population were all patients with type 2 diabetes registered as patients of a community health center in Chiang Mai, Thailand (n=149). The sample was patients who had literacy and regular records of glucose levels. Patients’ information about demographics, intention, self-care behaviors and glucose levels during the last 6-month period was considered. Data were collected from a patient profile and a questionnaire in 2009. Adequate glucose control was defined as fasting glucose level ≤ 130 mg/dl. Results showed that 25.9% of respondents (n=135) were considered as adequate glucose control. Factors presenting negative association with glucose level were age, physical activity and intention to control diabetes but the positive one was eating habit. In conclusion, there are only one fourth of patients with adequate glucose control indicating that serious attempt and proper care are needed for the majority of patients with inadequate glucose control. Strengthening patients to keep strong intention to control diabetes and to engage in self-care behaviors of healthy eating and performing physical activity simultaneously and consistently is very necessary for succeeding in adequate glucose control. In particular, careful attention should be paid to the younger patients because of their tendency of inadequate control.
Donut‐Shaped Stretchable Kirigami: Enabling Electronics to Integrate with the Deformable Muscle

Electronic devices used to record biological signals are important in neuroscience, brain–machine interfaces, and medical applications. Placing electronic devices below the skin surface and recording the muscle offers accurate and robust electromyography (EMG) recordings. The device stretchability and flexibility must be similar to the tissues to achieve an intimate integration of the electronic device with the biological tissues. However, conventional elastomer‐based EMG electrodes have a Young's modulus that is ≈20 times higher than that of muscle. In addition, these stretchable devices also have an issue of displacement on the tissue surface, thereby causing some challenges during accurate and robust EMG signal recordings. In general, devices with kirigami design solve the issue of the high Young's modulus of conventional EMG devices. In this study, donut‐shaped kirigami bioprobes are proposed to reduce the device displacement on the muscle surface. The fabricated devices are tested on an expanding balloon and they show no significant device (microelectrode) displacement. As the package, the fabricated device is embedded in a dissolvable material‐based scaffold for easy‐to‐use stretchable kirigami device in an animal experiment. Finally, the EMG signal recording capability and stability using the fabricated kirigami device is confirmed in in vivo experiments without significant device displacements.
Cue-induced effects on decision-making distinguish subjects with gambling disorder from healthy controls

While an increased impact of cues on decision-making has been associated with substance dependence, it is yet unclear whether this is also a phenotype of non-substance related addictive disorders, such as gambling disorder (GD). To better understand the basic mechanisms of impaired decision-making in addiction, we investigated whether cue-induced changes in decision-making could distinguish GD from healthy control (HC) subjects. We expected that cue-induced changes in gamble acceptance and specifically in loss aversion would distinguish GD from HC subjects. 30 GD subjects and 30 matched HC subjects completed a mixed gambles task where gambling and other emotional cues were shown in the background. We used machine learning to carve out the importance of cue-dependency of decision-making and of loss aversion for distinguishing GD from HC subjects. Cross-validated classification yielded an area under the receiver operating curve (AUC-ROC) of 68.9% (p=0.002). Applying the classifier to an independent sample yielded an AUC-ROC of 65.0% (p=0.047). As expected, the classifier used cue-induced changes in gamble acceptance to distinguish GD from HC. Especially increased gambling during the presentation of gambling cues characterized GD subjects. However, cue-induced changes in loss aversion were irrelevant for distinguishing GD from HC subjects. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the classificatory power of addiction-relevant behavioral task parameters when distinguishing GD from HC subjects. The results indicate that cue-induced changes in decision-making are a characteristic feature of addictive disorders, independent of a substance of abuse. Remarks To ensure a more convenient reviewing process, we positioned figures and tables at their destined position.
Stability Analysis of Fractional-Order Bidirectional Associative Memory Neural Networks with Mixed Time-Varying Delays

This paper studies the stability analysis of fractional-order bidirectional associative memory neural networks with mixed time-varying delays. The orders of these systems lie in the interval 1,2. Firstly, a sufficient condition is derived to ensure the finite-time stability of systems by resorting to some analytical techniques and some elementary inequalities. Next, a sufficient condition is obtained to guarantee the global asymptotic stability of systems based on the Laplace transform, the mean value theorem, the generalized Gronwall inequality, and some properties of Mittag–Leffler functions. In particular, these obtained conditions are expressed as some algebraic inequalities which can be easily calculated in practical applications. Finally, some numerical examples are given to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the obtained main results.
Infección por Helicobacter pylori en niños. Su identificación en la placa dental

Palabras clave: Helicobacter pylori, placa dental, PCR. SUMMARY The clinical and epidemic importance of the Helicobacter pylori, is because it has been associated to gastric illnesses. The infection is acquired before the 10 years of age and the prevalence increase from the infancy to the adulthood and with low socio-economic level. The isolation of this microorganism could be in saliva and in dental plaque. There is some evidence that oral cavity is the reservoir of this bacteria. This revision emphasize the importance of the dental plaque in the diagnosis of infection for H. pylori in children.
Microtranscriptome analysis of sugarcane cultivars in response to aluminum stress

Although several metallic elements are required for plant growth, excessive amounts of aluminum ions (Al3+) can result in the inhibition of root growth, thus triggering water and nutrient deficiencies. Plants under stress undergo gene expression changes in specific genes or post-transcriptional gene regulators, such as miRNAs, that can lead to stress tolerance. In this study, we investigated the miRNAs involved in the response of sugarcane to aluminum stress. Four miRNA libraries were generated using sugarcane roots of one tolerant and one sensitive sugarcane cultivar grown under aluminum stress and used to identify the miRNAs involved in the sugarcane aluminum toxicity response. The contrast in field phenotypes of sugarcane cultivars in the field during aluminum stress was reflected in the micro-transcriptome expression profiles. We identified 394 differentially expressed miRNAs in both cultivars, 104 of which were tolerant cultivar-specific, 116 were sensitive cultivar-specific, and 87 of which were common among cultivars. In addition, 52% of differentially expressed miRNAs were upregulated in the tolerant cultivar while the majority of differentially expressed miRNAs in the sensitive cultivar were downregulated. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to validate the expression levels of differentially expressed miRNAs. We also attempted to identify target genes of miRNAs of interest. Our results show that selected differentially expressed miRNAs of aluminum-stressed sugarcane cultivars play roles in signaling, root development, and lateral root formation. These genes thus may be important for aluminum tolerance in sugarcane and could be used in breeding programs to develop tolerant cultivars.
Esthetic and Smile Characteristics at Rest and during Smiling

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the role of smile in overall facial esthetics. Materials and methods: The sample comprised of photographs taken in natural head position of 100 normal Himachali subjects (50 males, 50 females) and they were divided in 3 age groups: Group I consisiting of 39 subjects aged (15-20) years, Group II consisiting of 35 subjects aged (21-24) years, Group III consisiting of 26 subjects aged (25-29) years. The various parameters were analyzed using the clever ruler software: Upper lip length during rest and smiling, lower lip length during rest and smiling, smile index, buccal corridor, upper lip thickness, lower lip thickness, interlabial gap, incisal display, widest visible maxillary display and intercommissural width. Student t-test and using oneway analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to compare the mean of different groups. Results: The results showed changes in the maxillary incisal display, interlabial gap and smile index were highly significant from Group I to Group III. There was a decrease of 2.2 mm in maxillary incisal display and 2.0 mm in interlabial gap whereas smile index showed an increase of 0.7 mm with the increasing age. Conclusion: It has been concluded from the study that with the increasing age, the smile gets wider transversely and narrow vertically.
Line Recognition for Generating Accessible Line Plots

Existing technologies identify individual lines in a line plot by matching the symbols in the legend. Identifying each symbol is crucial to create accessible graphics for people who are blind so that they provide the best resemblance possible to the original plot. This resemblance provides better communication between sighted and vision impaired users. In our work we use an existing network architecture and improve it in a way that it will get more semantic information out of the lines and their symbology. We present these line graphs in the GraVVITAS system, an approach for providing dynamic and refreshable accessible graphics, to be used by people who are blind.
A FOCUS ON COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA *

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is becoming a more prominent health problem in the United States, in part because of the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance. It is known that increased use of antibiotics heightens the level of resistance, yet in roughly 40% of CAP cases, the etiologic agent is not identified. Broad antibiotic use may cover for most pathogens, but this approach is not always the most judicious or safest. Complicating matters is the presence of illnesses that present like pneumonia; the most notorious in recent times is anthrax infection. Careful diagnosis based on established risk factors can help to narrow the choices for appropriate antibiotics. This article will review the changing epidemiology of CAP and bacterial resistance to several types of antibiotics, the identified risk factors for CAP in various patient populations, and the most likely target organisms based on the patient profile. (Advanced Studies in Medicine 2002;2(4):110-116)
SREBP2‐STARD4 is involved in synthesis of cholesteryl ester stimulated by mono‐butyl phthalate in MLTC‐1 cells

Sterol is synthesized from cholesterol which is from the hydrolysis of stored cholesteryl esters. The process of maintaining cholesterol homeostasis is regulated by SREBP2‐STARD4. Lots of researches demonstrated that male steroidogenesis could be interfered by di‐n‐butyl phthalate (DBP) or monobutyl phthalate (MBP). However, mechanisms of MBP exposure in this process have not been uncovered clearly. The objectiveof this study was to explore roles of SREBP2 and STARD4 in cholesteryl estersynthesis stimulated by MBP in mouse Leydig tumor cells (MLTC‐1). MLTC‐1 exposedto 10‐8, 10‐7, 10‐6, 10‐5 M MBP showed that levels of cholestery ester were increased significantly at 10‐7 M MBP. Besides, cholesteryl ester synthesis stimulated by MBP was down‐regulate when STARD4 or SREBP2 were inhibited. Activity of SREBP2 binding to the promoter of STARD4 was increased after MBP exposure. This study suggests that MBP can increase cholesteryl ester synthesis through SREBP2‐STARD4 signal pathway in MLTC‐1 cells.
Non-intubated anesthesia in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction Non-intubated anesthesia (NIA) has been proposed for video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), although how the benefit-to-risk of NIA compares to that of intubated general anesthesia (IGA) for certain types of patients remains unclear. Therefore, the aim of the present meta-analysis was to understand whether NIA or IGA may be more beneficial for patients undergoing VATS. Methods A systematic search of Cochrane Library, Pubmed and Embase databases from 1968 to April 2019 was performed using predefined criteria. Studies comparing the effects of NIA or IGA for adult VATS patients were considered. The primary outcome measure was hospital stay. Pooled data were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model to determine the standard mean difference (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results and discussion Twenty-eight studies with 2929 patients were included. The median age of participants was 56.8 years (range 21.9–76.4) and 1802 (61.5%) were male. Compared to IGA, NIA was associated with shorter hospital stay (SMD -0.57 days, 95%CI -0.78 to -0.36), lower estimated cost for hospitalization (SMD -2.83 US, 95% CI -4.33 to -1.34), shorter chest tube duration (SMD -0.32 days, 95% CI -0.47 to -0.17), and shorter postoperative fasting time (SMD, -2.76 days; 95% CI -2.98 to -2.54). NIA patients showed higher levels of total lymphocytes and natural killer cells and higher T helper/T suppressor cell ratio, but lower levels of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and C-reactive protein (CRP). Moreover, NIA patients showed lower levels of fibrinogen, cortisol, procalcitonin and epinephrine. Conclusions NIA enhances the recovery from VATS through attenuation of stress and inflammatory responses and stimulation of cellular immune function.
CLINICAL PRESENTATION IN AN OUTBREAK OF HEPATITIS E

Introduction: In many cases of acute hepatitis, hepatitis E virus (HEV) is a common cause. Hepatitis E is a self limiting disease which shares many epidemiological, clinical and morphological similarities with hepatitis A. Both are enterically transmitted. Materials and Methods: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical presentation of hepatitis E during an epidemic and correlate the clinical features with liver function tests (LFTs). It is a cross sectional retrospective study. The study was conducted at Army Medical College (National University of Sciences and Technology) and Military Hospitals Rawalpindi from July to December 2009. One hundred patients admitted to the hospital with clinical features of acute hepatitis including anorexia, nausea, vomiting, pain epigastrium, jaundice, raised serum total bilirubin (TBil) and serum aminotransferase (ALT) were included in the study. Hepatitis E in these patients was confirmed by detecting the presence of anti HEV IgM. The patients were monitored during their stay in the hospital and changes in their clinical condition were correlated with liver function tests (LFTs). Results: The most prominent symptoms in all patients were fatigue, nausea, anorexia, jaundice and dark urine, followed by pain epigastrium (50%), low grade fever (48%) and hiccups (2-3%). Jaundice developed when mean total bilirubin was 127µmol/L, mean ALT was 1527 U/L and mean ALP 127 U/L. Serum bilirubin correlates with the development of jaundice. Conclusion: Hepatitis E presents with varying clinical features. The presentation is acute with marked anorexia, nausea and fatigue coupled with sharp rise in LFTs. Any adult presenting with acute onset of these symptoms should be investigated for LFTs and anti HEV IgM.
Immune responses to tyrophagus putrescentiae-induced airway inflammation in mice.

■ Abstract Background: Storage mites are a source of aeroallergens that affect patients with allergic rhinitis and asthma. Tyrophagus putrescentiae is a causative factor of airway hypersensitivity, but the mechanisms and pathogenesis of T putrescentiae–induced allergy are not well understood. Objective: This study aimed to develop a murine model of T putrescentiae–induced allergic asthma. Methods: Immune responses and physiologic variations in immunoglobulins (Ig), leukocyte subpopulations, cytokines, gene expression, pulmonary function, and lung pathology were evaluated after intraperitoneal sensitization and intratracheal challenge with crude extract of T putrescentiae. Results: After sensitization with aluminum hydroxide and challenge with T putrescentiae in mice, levels of T putrescentiae–specifi c IgE and IgG1 in sera increased signifi cantly compared to the normal saline group (P<.01). Values for infl ammatory leukocytes (neutrophils and eosinophils) and cytokines (interleukin [IL] 4, IL-5, and IL-13) increased signifi cantly after sensitization. In terms of pulmonary function, pause values were signifi cantly enhanced in T putrescentiae–sensitized mice after intratracheal challenge with T putrescentiae (P<.05). Expression of type 2 helper T cell (TH2)–related genes (IL4, IL5, IL13, and RANTES), TH2-specifi c transcription factor (GATA-3), and proinfl ammatory genes (IL6), and TH17-related genes (IL17F) increased signifi cantly after airway challenge. Sensitization with T putrescentiae crude extract led to infl ammation of lung tissue, thickening of the tracheal wall, and tracheal rupture. Conclusions: Intraperitoneal sensitization followed by intratracheal challenge with crude extract of T putrescentiae can induce airway infl ammation in BALB/c mice. The symptoms observed in a mouse model of allergic asthma, in terms of immune and clinical parameters, are reminiscent of the symptoms of allergic asthma in humans. A mouse model can be used to evaluate the therapeutic effectiveness of drugs on T putrescentiae–induced airway infl ammation in humans.
Cell-Cycle Asynchrony Generates DNA Damage at Mitotic Entry in Polyploid Cells

Polyploidy arises from the gain of complete chromosomes sets [1] and is known to promote cancer genome evolution. Recent evidence suggests that a large proportion of human tumours experience whole genome duplications (WGDs), which might favour the generation of highly abnormal karyotypes within a short time frame, rather than in a stepwise manner [2–6]. However, the molecular mechanisms linking whole genome duplication to genetic instability remain poorly understood. Further, possible mechanisms responsible for rapid genome reshuffling have not been described yet. Using repeated cytokinesis failure to induce polyploidization of Drosophila neural stem cells (NSCs, also called neuroblasts - NBs), we investigated the consequences of polyploidy in vivo. Here, we show that polyploid NSCs accumulate high levels of chromosome instability. Surprisingly, we found that DNA damage is generated in a subset of nuclei of polyploid NBs during mitosis, in an asymmetric manner. Importantly, our observations in flies were confirmed in mouse NSCs (mNSCs) after acute cytokinesis inhibition. Interestingly, DNA damage occurs in nuclei that were not ready to enter mitosis but were forced to do so when exposed to the mitotic environment of neighbouring nuclei within the same cell. Additionally, we found that polyploid cells are cell cycle asynchronous and forcing cell cycle synchronization is sufficient to lower the levels of DNA damage generated during mitosis. Overall, this work supports a model in which DNA damage at mitotic entry can generate a mutated genetic landscape that contributes to the onset of genetic instability.