Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immunoglobulin levels in systemic lupus erythematosus: A narrative review

Immunoglobulins play a fundamental role in the protection of the human body against internal and external threats. They also contribute to the immune system homeostasis and maintenance of self-tolerance. Hypogammaglobulinemia is occasionally encountered in routine clinical practice by rheumatologists. Low levels of immunoglobulins can occur as primary or secondary issues and may predispose patients to various forms of infection. However, the impact of the low immunoglobulin level abnormality varies with the underlying condition. In this narrative review, we shed light on the overall types and functions of immunoglobulins for clinicians. We discuss important principles of immunoglobulin measurements. We then consider the primary and secondary causes of low immunoglobulins with a special focus on hypogammaglobulinemia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
THE SPREADING OF AQUEOUS SURFACTANT SOLUTIONS ON GLASS

An investigation of the spreading behavior of drops of a number of aqueous anionic, cationic and non-ionic surfactant solutions has demonstrated, for the first-time, spreading to a maximum solid-solution contact area, and then contraction to a smaller final size. The nature and kinetics of the spreading and contraction are shown to be dependent on the type and concentration of the surfactant. Generally, the maximum contact area decreases with increasing surfactant concentration, to a minimum (or no spreading) in the vicinity of the CMC. Above the CMC, anionic and nonionic surfactant solutions spread with peripheral fingering, followed by contraction, while cationic surfactant solutions do not spread at these concentrations. The results are explained in terms of the thin primary film spreading ahead of the drop.
Perspectives of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy about involvement as research partners: a qualitative study

Abstract Purpose Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy have diverse needs and often engage with healthcare services, including paediatric rehabilitation. Partnering with these children and adolescents on research projects to inform practice has the potential to ensure services continue to remain relevant and appropriate. This study aimed to identify what children and adolescents with cerebral palsy suggest are effective ways for researchers to involve them as partners in research. Materials and methods This qualitative study was guided by interpretive description. Children and adolescents with cerebral palsy between 8 and 18 years participated in semi-structured, activity-based focus groups or interviews. Verbatim transcripts were coded and analysed using thematic analysis. One member of the research team was a young woman with cerebral palsy. Results Seventeen children and adolescents with cerebral palsy from NSW and Victoria (Australia) were involved. Participants were between 8 and 18 years (mean = 12 years), male (n = 11) and female (n = 6). Analysis identified four nested themes: “insider knowledge”, “reasons for involvement”, “roles in research” and “facilitating partnership”. Conclusion This study identified perspectives of children and adolescents on their involvement as research partners, and considerations for researchers to facilitate involvement of children and adolescents with cerebral palsy as partners in research. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION The commitment in healthcare to client-centred practice requires that consumers, including children and young people with cerebral palsy, have opportunities to influence the direction of research which impacts them. Children and young people with cerebral palsy are interested in research partnerships and motivated to be involved in various areas of research. Effective research partnerships with younger populations can be facilitated by researchers acknowledging a child or young person’s expertise, and employing strategies relating to open communication, flexibility and support.
The Method of Local Restriction: in search of potential great ape culture‐dependent forms

Humans possess a perhaps unique type of culture among primates called cumulative culture. In this type of culture, behavioural forms cumulate changes over time, which increases their complexity and/or efficiency, eventually making these forms culture‐dependent. As changes cumulate, culture‐dependent forms become causally opaque, preventing the overall behavioural form from being acquired by individuals on their own; in other words, culture‐dependent forms must be copied between individuals and across generations. Despite the importance of cumulative culture for understanding the evolutionary history of our species, how and when cumulative culture evolved is still debated. One of the challenges faced when addressing these questions is how to identify culture‐dependent forms that result from cumulative cultural evolution. Here we propose a novel method to identify the most likely cases of culture‐dependent forms. The ‘Method of Local Restriction’ is based on the premise that as culture‐dependent forms are repeatedly transmitted via copying, these forms will unavoidably cumulate population‐specific changes (due to copying error) and therefore must be expected to become locally restricted over time. When we applied this method to our closest living relatives, the great apes, we found that most known ape behavioural forms are not locally restricted (across domains and species) and thus are unlikely to be acquired via copying. Nevertheless, we found 25 locally restricted forms across species and domains, three of which appear to be locally unique (having been observed in a single population of a single species). Locally unique forms represent the best current candidates for culture‐dependent forms in non‐human great apes. Besides these rare exceptions, our results show that overall, ape cultures do not rely heavily on copying, as most ape behaviours appear across sites and/or species, rendering them unlikely to be culture‐dependent forms resulting from cumulative cultural evolution. Yet, the locally restricted forms (and especially the three locally unique forms) identified by our method should be tested further for their potential reliance on copying social learning mechanisms (and in turn, for their potential culture‐dependence). Future studies could use the Method of Local Restriction to investigate the existence of culture‐dependent forms in other animal species and in the hominin archaeological record to estimate how widespread copying is in the animal kingdom and to postulate a timeline for the emergence of copying in our lineage.
Effects of hydrocortisone and yohimbine on selective attention to emotional cues

Introduction: Facial expressions contain important affective information, and selective attention to facial expression provides an advantage in the face of loss, stress and danger. In addition, the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis mediate the organism’s response to loss and danger. Here, we aimed at investigating the influence of sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activation on selective attention to affective facial stimuli. Methods and materials: One hundred-and-four healthy men between 18–35 years old (mean (standard deviation) age: 24.1 (3.5) years) participated in the study. We used a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled design. Participants received either: (a) yohimbine, (b) hydrocortisone, (c) yohimbine and hydrocortisone or (d) placebo only and participated in a dot-probe task with sad, happy and neutral faces. We collected salivary samples to measure cortisol and alpha amylase activity in addition to measurements of blood pressure and heart rate. Salivary cortisol served as correlate of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis activation and salivary alpha amylase activity, blood pressure and heart rate as correlates of sympathetic nervous system activation. Measurements were carried out before and after drug administration. Results: We did not find a main effect or interaction effect of hydrocortisone or yohimbine administration on selective attention to happy faces. However, we found an interaction of yohimbine and hydrocortisone on selective attention to sad faces. Post-hoc t-test revealed an attentional bias away from sad stimuli and towards neutral faces in the hydrocortisone-only group. Discussion: Only hydrocortisone administration led to an attentional bias away from sad faces. Future studies should investigate these effects in major depression disorder, as this disorder is characterised by glucocorticoid resistance and increased processing of sad stimuli.
Model‐based robustness and bistability analysis for methylation‐based, epigenetic memory systems

In recent years, epigenetic memory systems have been developed based on DNA methylation and positive feedback systems. Achieving a robust design for these systems is generally a challenging and multifactorial task. We developed and validated a novel mathematical model to describe methylation‐based epigenetic memory systems that capture switching dynamics of methylation levels and methyltransferase amounts induced by different inputs. A bifurcation analysis shows that the system operates in the bistable range, but in its current setup is not robust to changes in parameters. An expansion of the model captures heterogeneity of cell populations by accounting for distributed cell division rates. Simulations predict that the system is highly sensitive to variations in temperature, which affects cell division and the efficiency of the zinc finger repressor. A moderate decrease in temperature leads to a highly heterogeneous response to input signals and bistability on a single‐cell level. The predictions of our model were confirmed by flow cytometry experiments conducted in this study. Overall, the results of our study give insights into the functional mechanisms of methylation‐based memory systems and demonstrate that the switching dynamics can be highly sensitive to experimental conditions.
A Low Cost, High Resolution Interface Circuit for Differential Capacitance Transducer

Abstract For accurately detecting capacitance changes of the differential‐capacitance transducer, which is widely used in environmental and chemical engineering, a low‐cost interface circuit was developed. The circuit uses a “lock‐in detection” circuit with feedback loop containing a DC amplifier and a modulator to yield such advantages over the others that it reduces the sensitivity to element parameter variations in the “lock‐in detection” circuit, that it decreases the sensitivity to the disturbances within closed‐loop, and that it is immune to parasitic capacitance, resistance, amplitude, and frequency of the excitation voltage source. The circuit has the capability to detect a capacitance change as small as 0.0078% of the total capacitance, up to 80 pF. A capacitance diaphragm pressure transducer and a standard pressure source (Rusca 2465 piston gauge) are connected to the interface to confirm the analysis.
Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability and Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Whether visit-to-visit blood pressure variability (BPV) is associated with adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction is unclear. We assessed these associations in 3184 patients with HF (51.0% women; mean age, 68.6 years) with preserved ejection fraction (≥45%) enrolled in the TOPCAT trial (Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist). BPV indexes were the SD, variability independent of the mean, and average real variability. The primary end point consisted of total mortality, myocardial infarction, stroke, and hospitalized HF. We computed hazard ratios for the risks associated with 1-SD increase in BPV indexes, using multivariable Cox regression to adjust for the BP level and confounders. In the placebo group (n=1577), the primary composite end point, stroke, and hospitalized HF were significantly associated with systolic and diastolic BPV (hazard ratios, ≥1.28; P≤0.008) and total mortality with systolic BPV (hazard ratios ≥1.20; P≤0.010). In the spironolactone group (n=1607), the primary end point and hospitalized HF were associated with both systolic and diastolic BPV (hazard ratios ≥1.17; P≤0.006). Sensitivity analyses stratified by sex, median age, and region generated confirmatory results. Most of the interactions between randomized group and BPV indexes were not significant. In conclusion, in patients with HF with preserved ejection fraction, greater systolic and diastolic BPV were associated with adverse health outcomes over and beyond the BP level.
Influence of Ripening Stage at Harvest on Chilling Injury Symptoms of Persimmon cv. Rojo Brillante Stored at Different Temperatures

Changes in the quality during storage of persimmon fruits cv. Rojo Brillante harvested at two different maturity stages were studied. Early and late harvested fruit were stored at 1°C or 15°C for different periods of time. Harvest time had a relevant influence on chilling injury (CI) sensitiveness, since CI symptoms were found in fruits stored at 1°C only when they were early harvested. The most important CI manifestation was a drastic decrease of firmness that occurred when fruit were transferred from cold storage to 20°C. Other observed CI symptoms were internal browning, darkness of the skin, flesh structural changes, and increase of ethylene and CO2 production. Harvest date had also a considerable effect on the storage at 15°C, in this way, late harvested fruits maintained good quality for more time than early harvested ones.
Persistent Spinal Pain Syndrome: A Proposal for Failed Back Surgery Syndrome and ICD-11

Abstract Objective For many medical professionals dealing with patients with persistent pain following spine surgery, the term Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) as a diagnostic label is inadequate, misleading, and potentially troublesome. It misrepresents causation. Alternative terms have been suggested, but none has replaced FBSS. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) published a revised classification of chronic pain, as part of the new International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), which has been accepted by the World Health Organization (WHO). This includes the term Chronic pain after spinal surgery (CPSS), which is suggested as a replacement for FBSS. Methods This article provides arguments and rationale for a replacement definition. In order to propose a broadly applicable yet more precise and clinically informative term, an international group of experts was established. Results 14 candidate replacement terms were considered and ranked. The application of agreed criteria reduced this to a shortlist of four. A preferred option—Persistent spinal pain syndrome—was selected by a structured workshop and Delphi process. We provide rationale for using Persistent spinal pain syndrome and a schema for its incorporation into ICD-11. We propose the adoption of this term would strengthen the new ICD-11 classification. Conclusions This project is important to those in the fields of pain management, spine surgery, and neuromodulation, as well as patients labeled with FBSS. Through a shift in perspective, it could facilitate the application of the new ICD-11 classification and allow clearer discussion among medical professionals, industry, funding organizations, academia, and the legal profession.
A Comparative Study of Oxo‐Ligand Effects in the Gas‐Phase Chemistry of Atomic Lanthanide and Actinide Cations

The effects of oxo ligands on lanthanide and actinide cations have been examined for the mono- and dioxocations MO+ and MO+2 of cerium, neodymium, thorium, and uranium by probing C-H and C-C bond activation of hydrocarbons in an FT-ICR mass spectrometer. The metal monoxide cations are readily available by reaction of the “bare” metal cations with O2, CO2, N2O, or H2O. In the ensuing oxidation of MO+, UO+2 is obtained by each of these oxidants, while CeO+ could only be oxidized by N2O. NO2 was necessary for the generation of ThO+2, and NdO+2 could not be prepared at all. The monoxides are rather unreactive and only dehydrogenate reactive substrates such as 1-butene and 1,4-cyclohexadiene to generate the corresponding butadiene or benzene complexes. In contrast, CeO+2 and ThO+2 react efficiently with different substrates by abstraction of a hydrogen atom and formation of the closed-shell species OMOH+, or by oxygen atom transfer to unsaturated hydrocarbons. In marked contrast, UO+2 only undergoes very slow adduct formation with unsaturated hydrocarbons. The results are compared with the reactions of the “bare” metals with respect to the influence of the oxo ligand as well as to the underlying electronic features of the investigated complexes.
c,T - DEPENDENCE OF THE TRANSLATIONAL DIFFUSION COEFFICIENT FOR HEN EGG-WHITE LYSOZYME IN AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS OBTAINED FROM VISCOSITY MEASUREMENTS AND GENERALIZED STOKES-EINSTEIN RELATION.

Translational diffusion coefficient D of a protein in a solution depends both on temperature (T) and the protein’s volume fraction (Φ). At infinitely dilute solutions the translational diffusion coefficient Do(T) can be calculated from Stokes-Einstein formula, if the hydrodynamic radius of dissolved protein is known. For hydrated hen egg-white lysozyme this quantity is equal to 1.95 nm, and it gives Do(T) in the range from 6.89×10 -11 m 2 /s (at 5 o C) to 24.4×10 -11 m 2 /s (at 55 o C). For higher concentrations D can obtain from the relation: D(T,Φ) = Do(T)ηo(T)/η(T,Φ), where ηo(T) and η(T,Φ) are viscosities of water and solution, respectively, at temperature T. To obtain D(T,Φ) the viscosity of hen egg-white lysozyme aqueous solutions has been measured at temperatures ranging from 5 o C to 55 o C and for volume fraction from 0.023 to 0.315. The dependence of D(T,Φ) – obtained indirectly on the basis of viscosity measurements - on Φ (at fixed temperature) has been analyzed on the basis of a stretched exponential function: D(T,Φ) = Do(T)exp(βΦ ν ), where β and ν are scaling parameters. Both parameters decreases with increasing temperature: β from 13.2 (5 o C) to 7.83 o C) and ν from 1.4 (5 o C) to 1.26 (55 o C). The dependence of D(T,Φ) on T (at fixed volume fraction), in turn, has been analyzed on the basis of the Vogel-Tammann-Fulcher’s equation.
Assessing Mobile Phone Attachment: Validation of the Mobile Attachment Questionnaire in Turkish University Students and Examination of Related Variables

The main aim of this study was to adapt the Mobile Attachment Questionnaire (MAQ) to Turkish culture. It was also aimed to investigate whether mobile phone attachment (MPA) exists in Turkish university students and whether it has the main characteristics of interpersonal attachment. This study also aimed to investigate the MPA’s relationship with nomophobia, smartphone addiction and materialism, and to examine the predictive power of them on MPA. The study group consisted of a total of 242 university students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted to determine the structural validity of the MAQ-TR. The goodness of fit indices met the model fit requirements for the four-factor 13-item MAQ-TR. Reliability analyses results provided high internal consistency coefficients. Correlation analyses results showed that individuals highly attached to their phones experienced more severe symptoms of nomophobia and smartphone addiction and materialists were more likely to accept their phones as attachment object. Regression analysis showed that nomophobia, smartphone addiction and materialism were significant predictors of MPA. Given that MPA is an understudied concept, this study provides a starting point for future researches on problematic and non-problematic phone use.
The invisible barrier: Providing end of life support to pediatric oncology families during COVID-19

With the emergence of a global pandemic, the landscape for psychosocial service delivery to pediatric cancer patients and their families shifted. There was a transition to provide psychosocial support and interventions increasingly via phone or through the utilization of both audio and visual technology (i.e., telehealth). While the ability to provide some in-person interventions and support remained, this looked drastically different, predominantly due to the necessity of physical distancing to ensure safety. This article aims to provide an overview of unique challenges psychosocial providers experienced in offering end of life support to pediatric oncology patients and their families during COVID-19, as well as lessons learned from these experiences, and recommendations for other psychosocial providers offering support to pediatric oncology patients and their families at end of life during COVID-19. Multiple necessary considerations exist when offering care remotely at end of life. One important component of providing support to patients and families is the therapeutic pause, which allows for reflection prior to the patient or family responding to the provider. Therapeutic pauses are often well-received when supporting patients and families face-to-face; however, the effect was often lost when providing end of life care remotely. These silences occasionally led to confusion, with patients and families asking “Hello? ” and “Are you still there? ” presumably wondering whether the technology was still working correctly. Other patients and families struggled to tolerate this silence, particularly over the phone, when unable to see the provider. In reflecting on the impact of shifting to this mode of care delivery, one provider stated, “I found myself doing much more of the talking than I would otherwise, and I didn’t like this. I worried that, without allowing those silences, much of the substance of our sessions would be lost. ” One risk to utilizing alternative formats, such as telephone or telehealth, to deliver interventions and provide support at end of life has been the
Right Ventricular Pulmonary Artery Coupling and Mortality in Cardiac Intensive Care Unit Patients

Background Impaired right ventricular (RV) pulmonary artery coupling has been associated with higher mortality in patients with chronic heart disease, but few studies have examined this metric in critically ill patients. We sought to evaluate the association between RV pulmonary artery coupling, defined by the ratio of tricuspid annular peak systolic tissue Doppler velocity (TASV)/estimated RV systolic pressure (RVSP), and mortality in cardiac intensive care unit patients. Methods and Results Using a database of unique cardiac intensive care unit admissions from 2007 to 2018, we included patients with TASV/RVSP ratio measured within 1 day of hospitalization. Hospital mortality was analyzed using multivariable logistic regression, and 1‐year mortality was analyzed using multivariable Cox proportional‐hazards analysis. We included 4259 patients with a mean age of 69±15 years (40.1% women). Admission diagnoses included acute coronary syndrome in 56%, heart failure in 52%, respiratory failure in 24%, and cardiogenic shock in 12%. The mean TASV/RVSP ratio was 0.31±0.14, and in‐hospital mortality occurred in 7% of patients. Higher TASV/RVSP ratio was associated with lower in‐hospital mortality (adjusted unit odds ratio, 0.68 per each 0.1‐unit higher ratio; 95% CI, 0.58–0.79; P<0.001) and lower 1‐year mortality among hospital survivors (adjusted unit hazard ratio, 0.83 per each 0.1‐unit higher ratio; 95% CI, 0.77–0.90; P<0.001). Stepwise decreases in hospital and 1‐year mortality were observed in each higher TASV/RVSP quintile. The TASV/RVSP ratio remained associated with mortality after adjusting for left ventricular systolic and diastolic function. Conclusions A low TASV/RVSP ratio is associated with increased short‐term and long‐term mortality among cardiac intensive care unit patients, emphasizing importance of impaired RV pulmonary artery coupling as a determinant of poor prognosis. Further study is required to determine whether interventions to optimize RV pulmonary artery coupling can improve outcomes.