Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integration of Genome-Wide DNA Methylation and Transcription Uncovered Aberrant Methylation-Regulated Genes and Pathways in the Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of Systemic Sclerosis

Objective. Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a systemic connective tissue disease of unknown etiology. Aberrant gene expression and epigenetic modifications in circulating immune cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of SSc. This study is to delineate the interaction network between gene transcription and DNA methylation in PBMC of SSc patients and to identify methylation-regulated genes which are involved in the pathogenesis of SSc. Methods. Genome-wide mRNA transcription and global DNA methylation analysis were performed on PBMC from 18 SSc patients and 19 matched normal controls (NC) using Illumina BeadChips. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially methylated positions (DMPs) were integrative analyzed to identify methylation-regulated genes and associated molecular pathways. Results. Transcriptome analysis distinguished 453 DEGs (269 up- and 184 downregulated) in SSc from NC. Global DNA methylation analysis identified 925 DMPs located on 618 genes. Integration of the two lists revealed only 20 DEGs which harbor inversely correlated DMPs, including 12 upregulated (ELANE, CTSG, LTBR, C3AR1, CSTA, SPI1, ODF3B, SAMD4A, PLAUR, NFE2, ZYX, and CTSZ) and eight downregulated genes (RUNX3, PRF1, PRKCH, PAG1, RASSF5, FYN, CXCR6, and F2R). These potential methylation-regulated DEGs (MeDEGs) are enriched in the pathways related to immune cell migration, proliferation, activation, and inflammation activities. Using a machine learning algorism, we identified six out of the 20 MeDEGs, including F2R, CXCR6, FYN, LTBR, CTSG, and ELANE, which distinguished SSc from NC with 100% accuracy. Four genes (F2R, FYN, PAG1, and PRKCH) differentially expressed in SSc with interstitial lung disease (ILD) compared to SSc without ILD. Conclusion. The identified MeDEGs may represent novel candidate factors which lead to the abnormal activation of immune regulatory pathways in the pathogenesis of SSc. They may also be used as diagnostic biomarkers for SSc and clinical complications.
Probiotics and Their Potential Preventive and Therapeutic Role for Cancer, High Serum Cholesterol, and Allergic and HIV Diseases

The potential health benefits of probiotics have long been elucidated since Metchnikoff and his coworkers postulated the association of probiotic consumption on human's health and longevity. Since then, many scientific findings and research have further established the correlation of probiotic and gut-associated diseases such as irritable bowel disease and chronic and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. However, the beneficial impact of probiotic is not limited to the gut-associated diseases alone, but also in different acute and chronic infectious diseases. This is due to the fact that probiotics are able to modify the intestinal microbial ecosystem, enhance the gut barrier function, provide competitive adherence to the mucosa and epithelium, produce antimicrobial substances, and modulate the immune activity by enhancing the innate and adaptive immune response. Nevertheless, the current literature with respect to the association of probiotic and cancer, high serum cholesterol, and allergic and HIV diseases are still scarce and controversial. Therefore, in the present work, we reviewed the potential preventive and therapeutic role of probiotics for cancer, high serum cholesterol, and allergic and HIV diseases as well as providing its possible mechanism of actions.
Long-Acting Injectable Second-Generation Antipsychotics Improve Negative Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation in Recent Diagnosed Schizophrenia Patients: A 1-Year Follow-up Pilot Study

Long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotics (LAI-SGA) are typically used to maintain treatment adherence in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Recent research suggests that they may also provide an effective treatment strategy for patients with early-phase disease. The aim of this study is to evaluate clinical and psychosocial outcomes among recent and long-term diagnosed schizophrenia outpatients treated with LAI-SGA during a follow-up period of 12 months. Stable schizophrenia patients receiving LAI-SGA with 5 or less years of illness duration (n = 10) were compared to those with more than 5 years of illness duration (n = 15). Clinical data was assessed through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), the Recovery Style Questionnaire (RSQ), and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) Managing Emotion branch. Recently diagnosed patients showed greater improvement versus patients diagnosed for more than 5 years in adjusted mean GAF score, in PANSS factor score for negative and depressive symptoms, and in severity and intensity of suicidal ideation. Our preliminary findings support the hypothesis that LAI-SGA may influence the course of the illness if administered at the early phase of the illness. However, replicate studies are needed, possibly with larger samples.
Risk Evaluation Model of Highway Tunnel Portal Construction Based on BP Fuzzy Neural Network

Risk assessment for tunnel portals in the construction stage has been widely recognized as one of the most critical phases in tunnel construction as it easily causes accident than the overall length of a tunnel. However, the risk in tunnel portal construction is complicated and uncertain which has made such a neural network very attractive to the construction projects. This paper presents a risk evaluation model, which is obtained from historical data of 50 tunnels, by combining the fuzzy method and BP neural network. The proposed model is used for the risk assessment of the Tiefodian tunnel. The results show that the risk evaluation level is IV, slope instability is the greatest impact index among four risk events, and the major risk factors are confirmed. According to the evaluation results, corresponding risk control measures are suggested and implemented. Finally, numerical simulation is carried out before and after the implementation of risk measures, respectively. The rationality of the proposed risk evaluation model is proved by comparing the numerical simulation results.
Mathematical Analysis of Influenza A Dynamics in the Emergence of Drug Resistance

Every year, influenza causes high morbidity and mortality especially among the immunocompromised persons worldwide. The emergence of drug resistance has been a major challenge in curbing the spread of influenza. In this paper, a mathematical model is formulated and used to analyze the transmission dynamics of influenza A virus having incorporated the aspect of drug resistance. The qualitative analysis of the model is given in terms of the control reproduction number, Rc. The model equilibria are computed and stability analysis carried out. The model is found to exhibit backward bifurcation prompting the need to lower Rc to a critical value Rc∗ for effective disease control. Sensitivity analysis results reveal that vaccine efficacy is the parameter with the most control over the spread of influenza. Numerical simulations reveal that despite vaccination reducing the reproduction number below unity, influenza still persists in the population. Hence, it is essential, in addition to vaccination, to apply other strategies to curb the spread of influenza.
Different Anatomical Subsites of Colon Cancer and Mortality: A Population-Based Study

Background In terms of incidence and pathogenesis, right-sided colon cancer (RCC) and left-sided colon cancer (LCC) exhibit several differences. However, whether existing differences could reflect the different survival outcomes remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to ascertain the role of location in the prognosis. Methods We identified colon cancer cases from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database between 1973 and 2012. Differences among subsites of colon cancer regarding clinical features and metastatic patterns were compared. The Kaplan-Meier curves were conducted to compare overall and disease-specific survival in relation to cancer location. The effect of tumour location on overall and cancer-specific survival was analysed by Cox proportional hazards model. Results A total of 377,849 patients from SEER database were included in the current study, with 180,889 (47.9%) RCC and 196,960 (52.1%) LCC. LCC was more likely to metastasize to the liver and lung. Kaplan-Meier curves demonstrated that LCC patients had better overall and cancer-specific survival outcomes. Among Cox multivariate analyses, LCC was associated with a slightly reduced risk of overall survival (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.92-0.93) and cancer-specific survival (HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.91-0.93), even after adjusted for other variables. However, the relationship between location and prognosis was varied by subgroups defined by age, year at diagnosis, stage, and therapies. Conclusions We demonstrated that LCC was associated with better prognosis, especially for patients with distant metastasis. Future trails should seek to identify the underlying mechanism.
High Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Fitness Equipment from Selected Gymnasiums

Introduction Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of cutaneous bacterial infection involving community. Methods In this study, a total of 42 swab samples were collected from the surface of various fitness equipment such as back machines, exercise mats, dip stations, dumbbells, and treadmills. Identification of the bacterial isolates was conducted using biochemical tests and further analysed molecularly using the PCR method targeting nuc gene (270 bp). The nuc gene encodes for the thermonuclease enzyme, a virulent factor of S. aureus. Results The findings showed 31 out of 42 swab samples (73.81%) were positive with S. aureus. Conclusion This study showed that gymnasium equipment is a potential reservoir for S. aureus and might play an important role in transmitting the pathogen to humans. Objective This study was undertaken to assess the presence of S. aureus on the surface of fitness equipment from selected gymnasiums in Kuching and Kota Samarahan, Sarawak (Malaysia).
Como detectar pontos críticos na aplicação de métodos de ensino da matemática

O presente trabalho tem como objetivo detectar os pontos criticos nos metodos de ensino e aprendizagem da matematica. A qualidade do metodo depende da quantidade de pontos criticos detectados no processo. Os pontos criticos definidos neste trabalho sao alunos que estao fora de controle. Alunos que estao fora de controle sao aqueles que nao acompanham adequadamente o metodo aplicado na sala de aula. Para alcancar este objetivo serao utilizados os graficos de controle de regressao. O metodo permite identificar as causas que colocam o aluno fora de controle, se sao assinalaveis, podem ser corrigidas. Tambem permitem gerar informacoes que dao suporte a toma de decisoes sobre a qualidade do metodo utilizado.
Przyspieszenie estymacji ruchu oraz wyboru podziału CU w koderze HEVC

This paper is a summary of the research done on the use of additional data that are obtained during the preprocessing phases of a video sequence for improving the performance of the coding process using HEVC coder. It includes the description of the method for accelerating the motion estimation process as well as the CTU block division process into CU units. Słowa kluczowe: kodowanie HEVC, sekwencje wizyjne, wideo, estymacja ruchu, podział CU
Premier épisode psychotique: un défi particulier pour le diagnostic différentiel et le traitement

Au cours de ces 15 dernières années, le diagnostic et le traitement précoces des troubles psychotiques se sont développés et constituent désormais un domaine de recherche intensive en psychiatrie. Parallèlement aux efforts consentis dans de très nombreuses disciplines de la médecine somatique, l’ambition à l’égard des troubles psychotiques est de pouvoir dépister à temps ces maladies psychiatriques qui sont potentiellement graves, de manière à prévenir le développement de leur tableau clinique complet ou tout au moins d’en influencer favorablement l’évolution. La phase précoce des troubles psychotiques se divise en deux: la phase dite prodromale et le premier épisode psychotique qui lui fait suite [1]. L’adjectif prodromal ne peut par définition être utilisé que rétrospectivement, après la manifestation d’un premier épisode psychotique constitué. Prospectivement, avant que le seuil de psychose ne soit atteint, on doit parler «d’état de haut-risque» et les expressions «at-risk mental state» ou «clinical high risk» sont utilisées dans la littérature [1]. Dans le domaine des états à haut risque, la recherche se focalise avant tout sur l’identification de critères permettant de prédire le risque de transition vers la psychose constituée [2]. Dans le domaine des premiers épisodes psychotiques, l’attention est surtout portée à la mise en place d’un traitement adéquat et ce dans les plus brefs délais. Swiss Medical Forum a publié plusieurs articles sur la phase psychotique précoce ces dernières années. Ils s’intéressaient principalement aux questions relatives à la phase prodromale ou aux états à haut risque de psychose [1, 3–5]. Le présent article ne traite que du premier épisode psychotique et montre dans une première partie que le diagnostic différentiel est un défi complexe posé aux cliniciens, tant il est souvent difficile dans cette phase de la maladie de classifier les patients dans l’un des deux grands groupes de psychoses, affectives (trouble bipolaire et dépression) ou non affective (principalement la schizophrénie). Dans la seconde partie, nous discutons des éléments importants du traitement qui feront prochainement l’objet d’un symposium international organisé dans le cadre du réseau Swiss Early Psychosis Project (SWEPP).
A Tale of Two Isolates-Ainu Paradigm

“I hope, however, it will be a long time before any other supersedes the MUSICAL Yoruban tongue” [1] REV. R. H. STONE. ‘Yoruba is a tonal language. The same combination of vowels and consonants has different meanings depending on the pitch of the vowels. For example, the same word -ARO can mean ‘cymbal’, ‘indigo dye’, ‘lamentation’ and ‘granary’ depending on intonation’. -Junior World mark Encyclopaedia of World Cultures. In linguistics there is a phenomenon called a “language isolate”. This is when a group of people speak a language which is totally unrelated to the language or languages spoken by the peoples surrounding them. Usually people in each area speak related languagesoften because they are of the same or similar genetic stock. [2] Yoruba is a language isolate [3]. It is totally unrelated to all other languages within Nigeria and in North, Central, Western, Eastern and Southern Africa.
miR-1236-3 p represses the cell migration and invasion abilities by targeting ZEB 1 in high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma

Ovarian cancer, particularly high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HG-SOC), is still the main cause of death among gynecological malignancies. However, the molecular mechanisms related to its malignant biological behavior are still unclear. Recent studies indicate that microRNAs (miRNAs) play an important role in tumor metastasis. Here, we report that miR-1236-3p expression was downregulated in HG-SOC when compared to that in normal fallopian tube tissue. Manipulation of miR-1236-3p significantly influenced the morphology, migration and invasion of ovarian cancer cell lines (A2780 and SKOV3). With dual-luciferase reporter assay, we demonstrated that miR-1236-3p binds to the 3'UTR of zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) mRNA, and functions as a negative regulator of ZEB1. Furthermore, we revealed that manipulation of miR-1236-3p modulates ZEB1 expression and influences expression of its downstream genes E-cadherin and N-cadherin at both the mRNA and protein levels. We also found an inverse relationship between miR-1236-3p and ZEB1 expression in the HG-SOC tissue samples. Taken together, our results indicate that miR-1236-3p regulates ovarian cancer metastasis by directly targeting ZEB1, and it may play an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Métodos de contracepción en el control poblacional de perros: un punto de vista de los médicos veterinarios de clínica de animales de compañía

El objetivo del estudio fue evaluar los métodos de control de la reproducción de uso potencial en campañas masivas de control poblacional de perros a través de la percepción de médicos veterinarios que laboran en clínica de animales de compañía. En la primera fase del estudio se hizo una revisión de literatura para recopilar información de los métodos de control reproductivos que se encuentran disponibles. En la segunda se definieron los criterios a utilizar para la evaluación de los métodos de control reproductivo (practicidad, económico, seguridad, rapidez y menores efectos secundarios) y la elaboración y validación del instrumento a utilizar en el estudio. En la tercera se aplicó la encuesta a médicos veterinarios (n=14) que laboraban en el área reproductiva en clínica de animales de compañía. La información fue analizada mediante estadística descriptiva y se estableció un ranking de las metodologías más aceptadas para el control reproductivo de perros. Entre los métodos quirúrgicos, la histerectomía tuvo el mejor puntaje para las características evaluadas. De los métodos químicos el acetato de medroxiprogesterona y el acetato de megestrol en hembras fueron las mejor evaluadas. Los mayores puntajes promedios en general, para los métodos de control de la reproducción de perros, fueron para la orquiectomía (22,2), ovario histerectomía (20,2) y vasectomía (17,8), quienes resultaron como las mejores alternativas según la percepción de los médicos veterinarios evaluadores. La dificultad de sustentar un control poblacional de perros con base a métodos quirúrgicos, hace necesario indagar por otras alterativas; además de exigir cambios en las prácticas y costumbres en el manejo de los perros por parte de los propietarios, en favor de una tenencia responsable de estos animales.
Qué hacen y qué deben hacer los pacientes diabéticos para evitar errores con el tratamiento

Objective: To report the precautions taken by diabetic patients to avoid treatment errors and to provide advice to increase their safety. Methods: A descriptive study of patients’ behaviors to minimize errors and tips by professionals to improve safety. Ninety-nine insulin-treated patients were randomly recruited from 3 primary healthcare centers and 2 hospitals. An opportunity sample of 33 doctors and nurses was also surveyed. Results: Information of all prescriptions (p = 0.005), review of doubts before the visit (p = 0,009), and diet adherence (p = 0.02) were the only precautions reported by patients that related to a lower number of patient errors. Female patients better follow at home instructions for blood glucose monitoring (odds ratio 0.07; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.1-0.6) and use pillboxes to avoid errors (odds ratio 0.23; 95% CI 0.1-0.6) more frequently than male patients. Male patients more commonly carry with them a card with information about allergies (odds ratio 5.03; 95% CI 1.4-17.5). Patients with a longer course of disease tend to withhold information about other treatments from their doctors ( -15.8; 95% CI -23.2-8.4). For healthcare professionals, safety may increase if patients: play a more active role in their treatment (91%), and inform their doctors about their different treatments (88%). Conclusions: Promotion of patient autonomy, improved communication to patients, and systematic information about the most common medication errors may contribute to patient safety. © 2012 SEEN. Published by Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.
Screening of high-risk newborns for hearing in MRMC using OAE and BERA

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Hearing is necessary to learn languages and speech and to develop cognitive skills. As hearing is important for normal educational and social development, hearing loss can be disastrous and for the family it can be very distressing. With early detection of hearing loss using OAE and BERA, we can ensure normal language development and help the growing child to lead a near normal life. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> 500 cases- out of which 400 normal babies and 100 high risk babies are taken for the study who attend Pediatric OPD and IPD of Basaweshwara Teaching and General Hospital (BTGH) and Sangameshwar hospital attached to MRMC. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Out of 400 cases 2 cases have impaired hearing and out of 100 cases with high risk 6 cases have hearing loss. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> This study highlights the need for OAE and BERA for early identification of hearing loss and that although universal hearing screening programs are warranted but most of the cases with hearing loss can be identified based on the risk factors and High-risk Screening can suffice in areas with limited resources. </p>
Nuclear Fuel in a Reactor Accident

Mechanics of a Meltdown For all the potential hazards presented by nuclear power plants, there have been very few incidents that have caused human or environmental harm. However, those that have happened have often had disastrous consequences, for example, the accidents at Chernobyl in Ukraine and, just last year, at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. Burns et al. (p. 1184; see the cover) review the state of knowledge on the chemical and physical processes following the nuclear reactor accident and how these results may inform decision-making during future events. Because a large portion of prior research has focused on radionuclide transport following leaks from nuclear waste repositories, and not active reactors, experiments at the more extreme conditions experienced in major nuclear core-melt accidents may have more predictive value. Nuclear accidents that lead to melting of a reactor core create heterogeneous materials containing hundreds of radionuclides, many with short half-lives. The long-lived fission products and transuranium elements within damaged fuel remain a concern for millennia. Currently, accurate fundamental models for the prediction of release rates of radionuclides from fuel, especially in contact with water, after an accident remain limited. Relatively little is known about fuel corrosion and radionuclide release under the extreme chemical, radiation, and thermal conditions during and subsequent to a nuclear accident. We review the current understanding of nuclear fuel interactions with the environment, including studies over the relatively narrow range of geochemical, hydrological, and radiation environments relevant to geological repository performance, and discuss priorities for research needed to develop future predictive models.
La Psicología del Self en su modalidad grupal. Consideraciones desde un Hospital de Dia

© Derechos reservados/Copyright de Clínica e investigación Relacional y los autores. Prohibida la reproducción total o parcial sin autorización expresa. Este material es para uso científico y profesional exclusivamente y puede contener información clínica sensible. Los editores no se responsabilizan de los contenidos de los autores. Dirigir las consultas sobre derechos y autorizaciones a ceir@psicoterapiarelacional.es La psicología del self en su modalidad grupal. Consideraciones en un hospital de día