Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Utility of the Absolute Lymphocyte Count and Neutrophil/Lymphocyte Ratio for Predicting Survival in Patients with Metastatic Breast Cancer on Eribulin: A Real-World Observational Study

Introduction: Previous studies have suggested that the efficacy of eribulin is influenced by the activity of antitumor immunity of patients. Absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are easily available parameters associated with the immunological status of patients. Objective: Here we tried to classify patients’ immunological status by using the scatter plot of ALC and NLR, and investigated its utility for predicting survival among patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving eribulin. Methods: The medical records of 125 patients who received eribulin for metastatic breast cancer at our hospital between July 2011 and April 2019 were retrospectively reviewed. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the association between baseline ALC/NLR and progression-free survival (PFS)/overall survival (OS). The cutoff values for ALC and NLR were determined using scatter plot analysis. Results: The entire cohort was classified into immunologically favorable (ALC ≥1,500/µL, 30 patients), intermediate (ALC <1,500/µL, NLR <5.0, 76 patients), and unfavorable (NLR ≥5.0, 19 patients) groups. Univariate analysis showed significant differences in PFS and OS between the groups, whereas multivariate analysis revealed that ALC ≥1,500/µL and NLR ≥5.0 were independent predictors of PFS, with adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) of 0.57 (0.33–0.99) and 1.78 (1.00–3.15), respectively. NLR ≥5.0 was also associated with worse OS (adjusted hazard ratio: 0.55; 95% CI 0.35–0.88; p = 0.013). Conclusions: Among patients with metastatic breast cancer receiving eribulin, survival outcomes were well stratified according to baseline peripheral blood ALC and NLR. Accordingly, high ALC and NLR can be used as predictive markers for longer disease control and worse survival, respectively.
Hierarchical networks of food exchange in the black garden ant Lasius niger

In most eusocial insects, the division of labor results in relatively few individuals foraging for the entire colony. Thus, the survival of the colony depends on its efficiency in meeting the nutritional needs of all its members. Here, we characterize the network topology of a eusocial insect to understand the role and centrality of each caste in this network during the process of food dissemination. We constructed trophallaxis networks from 34 food‐exchange experiments in black garden ants (Lasius niger). We tested the influence of brood and colony size on (i) global indices at the network level (i.e., efficiency, resilience, centralization, and modularity) and (ii) individual values (i.e., degree, strength, betweenness, and the clustering coefficient). Network resilience, the ratio between global efficiency and centralization, was stable with colony size but increased in the presence of broods, presumably in response to the nutritional needs of larvae. Individual metrics highlighted the major role of foragers in food dissemination. In addition, a hierarchical clustering analysis suggested that some domestics acted as intermediaries between foragers and other domestics. Networks appeared to be hierarchical rather than random or centralized exclusively around foragers. Finally, our results suggested that networks emerging from social insect interactions can improve group performance and thus colony fitness.
Pediatric Abusive Head Trauma: Multicentric Experience in Mexico

Abusive head trauma (AHT) is one of the most severe forms of child abuse due to its morbidity and mortality. However, AHT is still misdiagnosed in developing countries because of its nonspecific clinical picture and limited knowledge of it on the part of physicians. The aim of this study was to describe some characteristics of children with AHT, their families, and caregivers, as well as the clinical data that could serve as signs for its suspicion and the medical-legal resolution of the cases. Children suspect with AHT in emergency rooms in three Mexican hospitals were included after obtaining informed consent from the parents. All information was obtained from the parents by means of a questionnaire and from different clinical and radiological evaluations of the clinical records of the patients. 15 children, with a median age of 5 months and predominantly males (73.33%), were included in the study. 66% reported a history of irritability periods, and most of the patients (73.33%) had more than one habitual caregiver. The diagnosis of AHT was suspected in only 33.33% on admission in the Emergency Services. Acute symptomatology was present in 53.33%, while less severe symptoms were reported in the rest. Special attention should be paid on babies with history of irritable periods. When a child who is previously healthy and suddenly presents with a seizure or cardiorespiratory dysfunction or brought to the hospital dead, the diagnosis of AHT should be considered as a priority.
The ‘Parma‐Early Psychosis’ programme: Characterization of help‐seekers with first episode psychosis

Research on early psychosis paradigm has demonstrated the importance of early intervention (EI) in reducing illness severity and persistence. From January 2013, the Parma Department of Mental Health developed a specific care pathway [the ‘Parma‐Early Psychosis’ (Pr‐EP) programme] as a diffused EI infrastructure aimed to offer an evidence‐based protocol of care to help‐seekers with a first episode psychosis (FEP). Aim of this study was to investigate sources of referral, drop‐out rate, sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients enrolled in the Pr‐EP programme during the first 6 years of activity.
Endocrine and genetic factors affecting egg laying performance in chickens: a review

ABSTRACT 1. Egg-laying performance reflects the overall reproductive performance of breeding hens. The genetic traits for egg-laying performance have low or medium heritability, and, depending on the period involved, usually ranges from 0.16 to 0.64. Egg-laying in chickens is regulated by a combination of environmental, endocrine and genetic factors. 2. The main endocrine factors that regulate egg-laying are gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), prolactin (PRL), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). 3. In the last three decades, many studies have explored this aspect at a molecular genetic level. Recent studies identified 31 reproductive hormone-based candidate genes that were significantly associated with egg-laying performance. With the development of genome-sequencing technology, 64 new candidate genes and 108 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) related to egg-laying performance have been found using genome-wide association studies (GWAS), providing novel insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms governing egg production. At the same time, microRNAs that regulate genes responsible for egg-laying in chickens were reviewed. 4. Research on endocrinological and genetic factors affecting egg-laying performance will greatly improve the reproductive performance of chickens and promote the protection, development, and utilisation of poultry. This review summarises studies on the endocrine and genetic factors of egg-laying performance in chickens from 1972 to 2019.
The effects of a supportive-educational intervention on women with type 2 diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy: a randomized controlled trial

Purpose: To determine the effect of a supportive educational intervention based on the Orem self-care model on women with type 2 diabetes and diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Design: A randomized controlled trial. Setting: Hospital outpatient diabetes clinic. Subjects: Adult women with type 2 diabetes and mild-to-moderate diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Out of 410 patients, 120 diabetic patients were recruited and randomly assigned to trial group (N = 60) and control group (N = 60). Intervention: The trial group received a designed intervention consist of one-month supportive educational program with three months of follow-up (totally four months), based on self-care requisites according to the Orem self-care regarding diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The control group only received a routine care program in the diabetes clinic. Main measurements: The main outcomes were symptoms and severity of diabetic neuropathy. Further outcomes were fasting blood sugar and glycosylated hemoglobin. Results: By the end of the intervention, the number of participants reduced from 60 to 58 in the trial group and to 57 in the control group (totally 115). The intervention significantly decreased mean score of diabetic neuropathy symptoms (trial group: 3.26 vs. control group: 9.57, P = 0.001), severity (trial group: 5.86 vs. control group: 9.02, P = 0.001), fasting blood sugar (trial group: 151 vs. control group: 204, P = 0.001), and glycosylated hemoglobin (trial group: 7.85 vs. control group: 8.62, P = 0.004). Conclusion: Delivering a supportive-educational intervention based on the Orem self-care model on outpatient diabetes clinic can decrease the symptoms and severity of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Trial registration: It was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT2015021521095N1).
Heterogeneity in Brain Microstructural Development Following Preterm Birth

Abstract Preterm-born children are at increased risk of lifelong neurodevelopmental difficulties. Group-wise analyses of magnetic resonance imaging show many differences between preterm- and term-born infants but do not reliably predict neurocognitive prognosis for individual infants. This might be due to the unrecognized heterogeneity of cerebral injury within the preterm group. This study aimed to determine whether atypical brain microstructural development following preterm birth is significantly variable between infants. Using Gaussian process regression, a technique that allows a single-individual inference, we characterized typical variation of brain microstructure using maps of fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity in a sample of 270 term-born neonates. Then, we compared 82 preterm infants to these normative values to identify brain regions with atypical microstructure and relate observed deviations to degree of prematurity and neurocognition at 18 months. Preterm infants showed strikingly heterogeneous deviations from typical development, with little spatial overlap between infants. Greater and more extensive deviations, captured by a whole brain atypicality index, were associated with more extreme prematurity and predicted poorer cognitive and language abilities at 18 months. Brain microstructural development after preterm birth is highly variable between individual infants. This poorly understood heterogeneity likely relates to both the etiology and prognosis of brain injury.
A Behavior‐Learned Cross‐Reactive Sensor Matrix for Intelligent Skin Perception

Mimicking human skin sensation such as spontaneous multimodal perception and identification/discrimination of intermixed stimuli is severely hindered by the difficulty of efficient integration of complex cutaneous receptor‐emulating circuitry and the lack of an appropriate protocol to discern the intermixed signals. Here, a highly stretchable cross‐reactive sensor matrix is demonstrated, which can detect, classify, and discriminate various intermixed tactile and thermal stimuli using a machine‐learning approach. Particularly, the multimodal perception ability is achieved by utilizing a learning algorithm based on the bag‐of‐words (BoW) model, where, by learning and recognizing the stimulus‐dependent 2D output image patterns, the discrimination of each stimulus in various multimodal stimuli environments is possible. In addition, the single sensor device integrated in the cross‐reactive sensor matrix exhibits multimodal detection of strain, flexion, pressure, and temperature. It is hoped that his proof‐of‐concept device with machine‐learning‐based approach will provide a versatile route to simplify the electronic skin systems with reduced architecture complexity and adaptability to various environments beyond the limitation of conventional “lock and key” approaches.
It is a family affair: individual experiences and sibling exposure to emotional, physical and sexual abuse and the impact on adult depressive symptoms

Abstract Background Childhood abuse and neglect often occurs within families and can have a large influence on mental well-being across the lifespan. However, the sibling concordance of emotional abuse and neglect (i.e. together referred to as emotional maltreatment; EM), physical abuse (PA) and sexual abuse (SA) and the long-term impact on the context of siblings' maltreatment experiences are unclear. To examine the influence of EM, PA and SA on adult depressive symptoms within the family framework we differentiate between (a) the family-wide (mean level of all siblings) effects and (b) the individual deviation from the mean family level of maltreatment. Methods The sample (N = 636) consists of 256 families, including at least one lifetime depressed or anxious individual and their siblings. Multilevel modeling was used to examine the family-wide and relative individual effects of childhood maltreatment (CM). Results (a) Siblings showed most similarity in their reports of EM followed by PA. SA was mostly reported by one person within a family. In line with these observations, the mean family levels of EM and PA, but not SA, were associated with more depressive symptoms. In addition, (b) depression levels were more elevated in individuals reporting more EM than the family mean. Conclusions Particularly in the case of more visible forms of CM, siblings' experiences of EM and PA are associated with the elevated levels of adult depressive symptoms. Findings implicate that in addition to individual maltreatment experiences, the context of siblings' experiences is another crucial risk factor for an individuals' adult depressive symptomatology.
Validation of a quantitative PCR assay for the detection of 2 Flavobacterium columnare genomovars

Flavobacterium columnare is the causative agent of columnaris disease in a variety of fish hosts. Using modifications to previously established protocols, a quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay was validated for the detection of 2 predominant F. columnare genomovars. The oligonucleotide primer and probe combination was designed to amplify a 203-bp region of the chondroitin AC lyase gene (GenBank AY912281) of F. columnare. There were no significant differences in amplification between genomovars. Comparable quantities of genomic DNA from 10 F. columnare strains, 5 representatives of each genomovar, produced similar results. Serial dilutions of purified PCR product demonstrated the limit of sensitivity for the assay was ~ 10 copies per reaction. The presence of gill and spleen tissue did not significantly affect the sensitivity of the assay. Comparably, bacterial DNA detected from the liver and kidney was less sensitive than pure bacterial DNA. However, detection from these tissues was within one order of magnitude of other tissues, indicating this reduction may have minimal analytic significance. This validated assay was used to approximate the minimum infectious dose for F. columnare isolate 94-081 in channel catfish and assess bacterial loads in gill and kidney tissues 48 h post-infection.
Iconicity in Word Learning and Beyond: A Critical Review

Interest in iconicity (the resemblance-based mapping between aspects of form and meaning) is in the midst of a resurgence, and a prominent focus in the field has been the possible role of iconicity in language learning. Here we critically review theory and empirical findings in this domain. We distinguish local learning enhancement (where the iconicity of certain lexical items influences the learning of those items) and general learning enhancement (where the iconicity of certain lexical items influences the later learning of non-iconic items or systems). We find that evidence for local learning enhancement is quite strong, though not as clear cut as it is often described and based on a limited sample of languages. Despite common claims about broader facilitatory effects of iconicity on learning, we find that current evidence for general learning enhancement is lacking. We suggest a number of productive avenues for future research and specify what types of evidence would be required to show a role for iconicity in general learning enhancement. We also review evidence for functions of iconicity beyond word learning: iconicity enhances comprehension by providing complementary representations, supports communication about sensory imagery, and expresses affective meanings. Even if learning benefits may be modest or cross-linguistically varied, on balance, iconicity emerges as a vital aspect of language.
Assessment of dynamic balance during step initiation in Parkinson's disease patients and elderly - a validity study.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the novel posturographic procedure and to investigate the relationships between parameters of this procedure and clinical tests. We hypothesised the proposed step initiation procedure to be reliable method of balance and motor disability assessment, especially in patients with neurological deficits. Also, we assumed high significant correlation between parameters of step initiation procedures and clinical tests. METHODS The 35 subjects with idiopathic PD and 35 agedmatched healthy controls participated in this study. The gait initiation was measured using two force platforms. The procedure consisted of three phases: (1) quiet standing on a first platform (2) crossing on the second platform, (3) quiet standing on a second platform. Testing was carried out in four conditions: unperturbed trial, obstacle crossing, step-up and step-down. RESULTS In the proposed gait initiation procedure, the vCOP, raCOP and rmsCOP showed an excellent reliability (ICC > 0.80). For transit phase, reliability of all variables in all conditions also was excellent (ICC = 0.8-0.9). There were only a few associations between Tinetti scores and posturographic variables in controls, but in PD patients the significant correlations were found between the proposed measures and the UPDRS, Tinetti, FRT, TUG and with the BBS. CONCLUSIONS The proposed gait initiation procedure is reliable and very suitable for the assessment of patients with Parkinson's disease. It can be used as an objective assessment of the clinical condition and dynamic balance, and help in the designing and programming of the appropriate rehabilitation and treatment.
Assessing Contribution of Higher Order Clinical Risk Factors to Prediction of Outcome in Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Patients

The goal of this study was to investigate the application of machine learning models capable of capturing multiplica tive and temporal clinical risk factors for outcome prediction inpatients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). We examined a cohort of 575 aSAH patients from Emory Healthcare, identified via digital subtraction angiog- raphy. The outcome measure was the modified Ranking Scale (mRS) after 90 days. Predictions were performed with longitudinal clinical and imaging risk factors as inputs into a regularized Logistic Regression, a feedforward Neural Network and a multivariate time-series prediction model known as the long short-term memory (LSTM) architecture. Through extraction of higher-order risk factors, the LSTM model achieved an AUC of 0.89 eight days into hospitaliza tion, outperforming other techniques. Our preliminary findings indicate the proposed model has the potential to aid treatment decisions and effective imaging resource utilization in high-risk patients by providing actionable predictions prior to the development of neurological deterioration.
Rooting depth as a key woody functional trait in savannas.

Dimensions of tree root systems in savannas are poorly understood, despite being essential in resource acquisition and post-disturbance recovery. We studied tree rooting patterns in Southern African savannas to ask: how tree rooting strategies affected species responses to severe drought; and how potential rooting depths varied across gradients in soil texture and rainfall. Firstly, detailed excavations of 8 species in Kruger National Park suggest that the ratio of deep to shallow taproot diameters provides a reasonable proxy for potential rooting depth, facilitating extensive inter-specific comparison. Detailed excavations also suggest that allocation to deep roots traded off with shallow lateral root investment, and that drought-sensitive species rooted more shallowly than drought-resistant ones. More broadly across 57 species in Southern Africa, potential rooting depths were phylogenetically constrained, with investment to deep roots evident among miombo Detarioids, consistent with results suggesting they green up before onset of seasonal rains. Soil substrate explained variation, with deeper roots on sandy, nutrient-poor soils relative to clayey, nutrient-rich ones. Although potential rooting depth decreased with increasing wet season length, mean annual rainfall had no systematic effect on rooting depth. Overall, our results suggest that rooting depth systematically structures the ecology of savanna trees. Further work examining other anatomical and physiological root traits should be a priority for understanding savanna responses to changing climate and disturbances.
EPA-enriched phosphoethanolamine plasmalogens alleviated atherosclerosis by remodeling gut microbiota to regulate bile acid metabolism in LDLR -/- mice.

EPA-enriched phosphoethanolamine plasmalogens (EPA-PlsEtns) might be retained in intestine rich in gut microbiota for a long time after treatment. It reminded us that EPA-PlsEtns might affect intestinal microbiota composition and its metabolites, which have been identified as a contributing factor in the development of cardiovascular. In the present study, EPA-PlsEtns administration for 8 weeks significantly reduced the atherosclerotic lesion area in LDLR-/- mice. Notably, the serum TC and LDL-c levels were significantly reduced by 33.6% and 38.2%, respectively, by EPA-PlsEtns instead of EPA in form of ethyl ester (EPA-EE) treatment compared with model group. EPA-PlsEtns administration also increased total neutral sterol and bile acids in feces by 92% and 39%, respectively, rather than EPA-EE. Mechanistically, EPA-PlsEtns might affect the abundance of gut microbiota contributing to the alteration of bile acid profiles, which might further accelerate bile acid synthesis via increasing CYP7A1 expression induced by the inhibition of FXR activation.