Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The potential of Artemisia species for use as broad-spectrum agents in the management of metabolic syndrome: a review

Abstract Although the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of cardiometabolic risk factors that predispose to the development of type 2 diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases, is increasing globally, there is no broad-spectrum agent for its holistic treatment. Natural plant-derived products with a wide spectrum of biological activities are currently being explored as alternatives in the management of diseases. Artemisia species are a heterozygous group of plants of the Compositae family that possess several health benefits. Here we highlight their antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-hyperlipidaemic, hepatoprotective and cardioprotective properties among others. These activities have been linked to the presence of phytochemicals that act on several molecular targets to exert their effects and the species of Artemisia are considered to be relatively safe. Artemisia species offer significant anti-MetS activity and thus are strong therapeutic candidates for the effective management of MetS.
Cryptogamic ground covers as analogues for early terrestrial biospheres: Initiation and evolution of biologically mediated proto‐soils

Modern cryptogamic ground covers (CGCs), comprising assemblages of bryophytes (hornworts, liverworts, mosses), fungi, bacteria, lichens and algae, are thought to resemble early divergent terrestrial communities. However, limited in situ plant and other fossils in the rock record, and a lack of CGC‐like soils reported in the pre‐Silurian sedimentological record, have hindered understanding of the structure, composition and interactions within the earliest CGCs. A key question is how the earliest CGC‐like organisms drove weathering on primordial terrestrial surfaces (regolith), leading to the early stages of soil development as proto‐soils, and subsequently contributing to large‐scale biogeochemical shifts in the Earth System. Here, we employed a novel qualitative, quantitative and multi‐dimensional imaging approach through X‐ray micro‐computed tomography, scanning electron, and optical microscopy to investigate whether different combinations of modern CGC organisms from primordial‐like settings in Iceland develop organism‐specific soil forming features at the macro‐ and micro‐scales. Additionally, we analysed CGCs growing on hard rocky substrates to investigate the initiation of weathering processes non‐destructively in 3D. We show that thalloid CGC organisms (liverworts, hornworts) develop thin organic layers at the surface (<1 cm) with limited subsurface structural development, whereas leafy mosses and communities of mixed organisms form profiles that are thicker (up to ~ 7 cm), structurally more complex, and more organic‐rich. We term these thin layers and profiles proto‐soils. Component analyses from X‐ray micro‐computed tomography data show that thickness and structure of these proto‐soils are determined by the type of colonising organism(s), suggesting that the evolution of more complex soils through the Palaeozoic may have been driven by a shift in body plan of CGC‐like organisms from flattened and appressed to upright and leafy. Our results provide a framework for identifying CGC‐like proto‐soils in the rock record and a new proxy for understanding organism–soil interactions in ancient terrestrial biospheres and their contribution to the early stages of soil formation.
Attenuation of baroreflex sensitivity and heart rate variability is linked to reduced levels of nitric oxide in pregnant women having risks of developing gestational hypertension

ABSTRACT Purpose: Decreased baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and sympathovagal imbalance (SVI) have been reported as a cardiovascular (CV) risk in gestational hypertension (GH). Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in pathophysiology of GH. In the present study, we assessed the link of CV risks (decreased BRS and SVI) to the plasma levels of NO in women having risk of developing GH. Materials and Methods: A total of 96 pregnant women having risk factors for GH were recruited for the study. The blood pressure variability (BPV), heart rate variability (HRV), plasma NO, marker of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), lipid risk factors, inflammatory markers (hsCRP, interleukin-6), and malondialdehyde (MDA), the marker of oxidative stress (OS) were measured at 16th and 36th week. Link of various parameters to NO was assessed by correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: Of HRV indices, parasympathetic components were decreased and sympathetic components were increased, BRS was decreased, NO was decreased, HOMA-IR, lipid risk factors, hsCRP, interleukin-6, and MDA were increased significantly at 36th week compared to 16th week of pregnancy. Most of the markers of cardiometabolic risk were correlated with NO. However, only the markers of CV risk (SVI and reduced BRS) were independently associated with decreased level of NO, but not the metabolic markers except interleukin-6. The independent contribution of BRS (β = 0.334, P < .001) to NO was found to be most significant. Conclusion: It was concluded that decreased BRS, SVI, and increased interleukin-6 are associated with reduction in NO in GH, which may possibly be linked to the development of CV risks in GH.
Fuzzy Neural Networks For Gas Sensing

The implementation of a fuzzy neural network with an array of tin oxide based gas sensors for both quantitative and qualitative gas sensing is demonstrated. The architecture of the system is presented with some references to the general theory of fuzzy sets and fuzzy calculus. Experimental results are presented in the case of gas identification between CO,ethanol and methane and in the case of CO detection in different levels of relative humidity. Finally the effect of network parameters to the functionality of the system is discussed, especially in the case of functions evaluating the fuzzy AND and OR operations.
Effect of 131I Therapy on Complete Blood Count in Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Background The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of 131I therapy on complete blood count (CBC) in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC). Materia/Methods We analyzed CBC in 542 patients with DTC who were grouped according to treatment cycles and cumulative dose and then subdivided by sex and age. The effects of 131I therapy among the different groups and subgroups were analyzed. Results After sorting patients by treatment cycles and doses, 131I therapy was found to have different effects on CBC depending on patient sex and age. The effect on white blood cell (WBC) counts persisted longer in women, while increases in hemoglobin (Hb) were more significant in men. The influence on red blood cell (RBC) counts was short-lived in patients aged 45 to 54 years. Monocyte counts were significantly decreased only in patients aged 55 years and older who had undergone 3 or 4 treatment cycles. In men, CBC was more affected by cumulative dose. 131I therapy only influenced platelet and monocyte counts in patients aged 55 years or older. Hb was significantly decreased and increased in the high- and low-dose groups, respectively. No significant complications were observed during follow-up. Conclusions 131I therapy had a greater impact on WBC counts in women, while changes in RBC counts and Hb were more obvious in men. During 131I therapy, clinicians should pay attention to different CBC indicators based on a patient’s sex and age, but risks associated with an altered CBC are unlikely to outweigh the benefits of 131I. The results of the present study may help alleviate the concerns of a large proportion of patients with DTC and their families about the effects of 131I therapy on CBC.
Spectroscopy analysis of endometrial metabolites is a powerful predictor of success of embryo transfer in women with implantation failure: a preliminary study

Abstract Objective To investigate whether prior endometrium spectroscopy predicts the success of embryo transfer in patients with recurrent implantation failure (RIF). Materials and methods Twenty women with RIF who were scheduled for IVF-ET and six fertile women were included the study. All women with RIF and fertile controls underwent endometrium spectroscopy before embryo transfer. A multi-voxel spectroscopy sequence was used for the detection of choline (Cho), creatine (Cr), lactate, and lipids. Women with RIF were divided into two subgroups as successful (n = 8) and unsuccessful RIF (n = 12) according to both Cho and Cr metabolite characteristics and whether pregnancy was achieved. Associations between the metabolite intensities of the RIF subjects and the implantation rate (IR) and clinical pregnancy rate (CPR) were assessed. Results While 8 of 20 RIF cases became pregnant, pregnancy could not be achieved in 12 cases. The common spectroscopy finding in all 8 cases who conceived was high Cho and low lactate. The main metabolite change detected in 12 patients who could not conceive was the increase in lactate and lipid signals. The cutoff value of Cho, Cr, lactate and lipid were 1.01 ppm, 1.44 ppm, 0.86 ppm and 1.22 ppm respectively in patients who achieved pregnancy following ET. A positive and significant correlation was found between Cho and Cr intensities and IR or CPR. Conclusions Receptive endometrium represents some specific metabolites in spectroscopy that can be used for prediction of the success or failure of embryo transfer in women suffering implantation failure.
A Low-Cost Jamming Detection Approach Using Performance Metrics in Cluster-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

Wireless Sensor Networks constitute an important part of the Internet of Things, and in a similar way to other wireless technologies, seek competitiveness concerning savings in energy consumption and information availability. These devices (sensors) are typically battery operated and distributed throughout a scenario of particular interest. However, they are prone to interference attacks which we know as jamming. The detection of anomalous behavior in the network is a subject of study where the routing protocol and the nodes increase power consumption, which is detrimental to the network’s performance. In this work, a simple jamming detection algorithm is proposed based on an exhaustive study of performance metrics related to the routing protocol and a significant impact on node energy. With this approach, the proposed algorithm detects areas of affected nodes with minimal energy expenditure. Detection is evaluated for four known cluster-based protocols: PEGASIS, TEEN, LEACH, and HPAR. The experiments analyze the protocols’ performance through the metrics chosen for a jamming detection algorithm. Finally, we conducted real experimentation with the best performing wireless protocols currently used, such as Zigbee and LoRa.
Long-Term Technical Performance of the Osypka QT-5® Ventricular Pacemaker Lead

Background: Lead-associated complications and technical issues in patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices are common but underreported in the literature. Methods: All patients undergoing implantation of the Osypka QT-5® ventricular lead at the University Clinic St. Pölten between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2012 were retrospectively analyzed (n = 211). Clinical data including pacemaker follow-up examinations and the need for lead revisions were assessed. Kaplan–Meier analysis to estimate the rate of lead dysfunction during long-term follow-up was conducted. Results: Patients were followed for a median of 5.2 years (interquartile range (IQR) 2.0–8.7). R-wave sensing properties at implantation, compared to last follow-up, remained basically unchanged: 9.9 mV (IQR 6.8–13.4) and 9.6 mV (IQR 5.6–12.0), respectively). Ventricular pacing threshold significantly increased between implantation (0.5 V at 0.4 ms; IQR 0.5–0.8) and the first follow-up visit (1.0 V at 0.4 ms; IQR 0.8–1.3; p < 0.001) and this increase persisted throughout to the last check-up (0.9 V at 0.4 ms; IQR 0.8–1.2). Impedance significantly declined from 1142 Ω (IQR 955–1285) at implantation to 814 Ω (IQR 701–949; p < 0.001) at the first check-up, followed by a further decrease to 450 Ω (IQR 289–652; p < 0.001) at the last check-up. Overall, the Osypka QT-5® ventricular lead was replaced in 36 patients (17.1%). Conclusions: This report shows an unexpected high rate of technical issues of the Osypka QT-5® ventricular lead during long-term follow-up.
Detecting non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and risk factors in health databases: accuracy and limitations of the ICD-10-AM

Objective The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) cirrhosis is often underestimated in healthcare and administrative databases that define disease burden using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. This retrospective audit was conducted to explore the accuracy and limitations of the ICD, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) to detect NAFLD, metabolic risk factors (obesity and diabetes) and other aetiologies of chronic liver disease. Design/Method ICD-10-AM codes in 308 admitted patient encounters at two major Australian tertiary hospitals were compared with data abstracted from patients’ electronic medical records. Accuracy of individual codes and grouped combinations was determined by calculating sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and Cohen’s kappa coefficient (κ). Results The presence of an ICD-10-AM code accurately predicted the presence of NAFLD/NASH (PPV 91.2%) and obesity (PPV 91.6%) in most instances. However, codes underestimated the prevalence of NAFLD/NASH and obesity by 42.9% and 45.3%, respectively. Overall concordance between clinical documentation and ‘grouped alcohol’ codes (κ 0.75) and hepatitis C codes (κ 0.88) was high. Hepatitis B codes detected false-positive cases in patients with previous exposure (PPV 55.6%). Accuracy of codes to detect diabetes was excellent (sensitivity 95.8%; specificity 97.6%; PPV 94.9%; NPV 98.1%) with almost perfect concordance between codes and documentation in medical records (κ 0.93). Conclusion Recognition of the utility and limitations of ICD-10-AM codes to study the burden of NAFLD/NASH cirrhosis is imperative to inform public health strategies and appropriate investment of resources to manage this burgeoning chronic disease.
Study Analysis of Thermal, Dielectric, and Functional Characteristics of an Ethylene Polyethylene Diene Monomer Blended with End-of-Life Tire Microparticles Amounts

The recycling and disposal of disused tires is a topic of great concern to today’s companies, researchers, and society in general. In this sense, our research aims to recycle end-of-life tires (GTRs) through the separation of the fraction of vulcanized rubber from the other compounds in order to later grind this fraction and separate it into lower particle sizes. Finally, we aim to incorporate these GTR particles as a filler of an ethylene-polyethylene-diene monomer (EPDM). The obtained composites with EPDM and GTR are tested (5%, 10%, 20%) comparing these values with neat EPDM as a control sample. Thermal tests such as differential calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) as well as dielectric tests (DEA) are performed in order to characterize these materials and check their viability as dielectric or semiconductor, for industrial use. It is checked how the presence of GTR increases functional properties such as conductivity/permittivity. The influence of temperature (40 to 120 °C) and addition of GTR particles in electrical properties has also been analyzed. The dielectric behavior of these composites is fully characterized, analyzing the different types of relaxation with increasing frequency (10 mHz to 3 MHz), using the electric modulus, and Argand diagrams among other measures. The influence of GTR and temperature in the dielectric and thermal behavior of these materials has been analyzed, where CB of GTR creates interfacial polarization phenomena in the dielectric behavior of the composite and increases the permittivity (real and imaginary) as well as the conductivity. Finally, with these obtained properties, the possible application of EPDM/GTR composites as industrial dielectrics has been studied.
Enhanced neural responses in specific phases of reward processing in individuals with Internet gaming disorder

Abstract Background and aims Internet gaming disorder (IGD) has become a global health problem. The self-regulation model noted that a shift to reward system, whether due to overwhelming reward-seeking or impaired control, can lead to self-regulation failures, e.g., addiction. The present study focused on the reward processing of IGD, aiming to provide insights into the etiology of IGD. Reward processing includes three phases: reward anticipation, outcome monitoring and choice evaluation. However, it is not clear which phases of reward processing are different between individuals with IGD and healthy controls (HC). Methods To address this issue, the present study asked 27 individuals with IGD and 26 HC to complete a roulette task during a functional MRI scan. Results Compared with HC, individuals with IGD preferred to take risks in pursuit of high rewards behaviorally and showed exaggerated brain activity in the striatum (nucleus accumbens and caudate) during the reward anticipation and outcome monitoring but not during the choice evaluation. Discussion These results reveal that the oversensitivity of the reward system to potential and positive rewards in college students with IGD drives them to approach risky options more frequently although they are able to assess the risk values of options and the correctness of decisions properly as HC do. Conclusions These findings provide partial support for the application of the self-regulation model to the IGD population. Moreover, this study enriches this model from the perspective of three phases of reward processing and provides specific targets for future research regarding effective treatment of IGD.
Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):Poly(styrenesulfonic Acid) (PEDOT:PSS) Conductivity Enhancement through Addition of Imidazolium-Ionic Liquid Derivatives

Here, insignificant conductivity enhancement of PEDOT:PSS through adding different amounts of 2-methylimidazolium ionic liquids into PEDOT:PSS aqueous solutions is reported. Maximum conductivity was reached through 2-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (5 wt.%) addition. It seems that observed conductivity enhancement mainly results from the impact of ionic liquids on the electrical properties and conformational change of PEDOT chains, and through weakening of the electrostatic interactions between PEDOT and PSS. Also, better conductivity was achieved through weak interactions between PEDOT and the PSS chain, which changes the PEDOT conformation and further delocalizes the polarons, as well as changes the electron transport properties. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Outcomes for localized treatment of large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the lung in the United States

Background Treatment paradigms for large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (LCNEC) of the lung are based largely upon small retrospective studies and smaller prospective trials. It is unclear if these tumors behave like non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Data are lacking with regard to the role of radiotherapy (RT). U. S. guidelines recommend that LCNEC be treated as a NSCLC. We sought to perform a cross-sectional study of LCNEC cases to understand treatment paradigms and outcomes in this disease. Methods The Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database was queried for cases of stage I–III pulmonary LCNEC diagnosed 2004–2013. Treatment groups were defined as no surgery, RT alone, surgery alone, and surgery + RT. The Cox-proportional hazards regression model was used to compare overall survival and cause-specific survival (OS/CSS), stratified by AJCC 6th Staging. Factors that were significant on univariable analysis were included in multivariable analysis. Results We identified 1,523 cases of LCNEC, with 748, 177, and 598 cases of stage I, II, and III disease, respectively. In stage I and II disease, RT was associated with improved survival for non-surgical patients, but not for those who underwent surgery. In stage I disease, the adjusted hazard ratios for OS for RT alone, surgery, and surgery + RT were 0.39, 0.21, and 0.22, respectively (P<0.001). In stage II disease, the adjusted hazard ratios for RT alone, surgery, and surgery + RT were 0.51 (P=0.15), 0.39 (P=0.004), and 0.38 (P=0.01), respectively. For patients with stage III disease, RT was associated with improved survival in surgical and non-surgical patients. The adjusted hazard ratios for RT alone, surgery, and surgery + RT were 0.49, 0.43, and 0.36, respectively (P<0.001). Conclusions Our findings indicate that non-metastatic LCNEC may be treated as a NSCLC with respect to RT. Prospective studies are necessary to increase our understanding of optimal treatment regimens.
Localization, epidemic transitions, and unpredictability of multistrain epidemics with an underlying genotype network

Mathematical disease modelling has long operated under the assumption that any one infectious disease is caused by one transmissible pathogen spreading among a population. This paradigm has been useful in simplifying the biological reality of epidemics and has allowed the modelling community to focus on the complexity of other factors such as population structure and interventions. However, there is an increasing amount of evidence that the strain diversity of pathogens, and their interplay with the host immune system, can play a large role in shaping the dynamics of epidemics. Here, we introduce a disease model with an underlying genotype network to account for two important mechanisms. One, the disease can mutate along network pathways as it spreads in a host population. Two, the genotype network allows us to define a genetic distance between strains and therefore to model the transcendence of immunity often observed in real world pathogens. We study the emergence of epidemics in this model, through its epidemic phase transitions, and highlight the role of the genotype network in driving cyclicity of diseases, large scale fluctuations, sequential epidemic transitions, as well as localization around specific strains of the associated pathogen. More generally, our model illustrates the richness of behaviours that are possible even in well-mixed host populations once we consider strain diversity and go beyond the "one disease equals one pathogen" paradigm.