Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of 3 Nutritional Questionnaires to Determine Energy Intake Accuracy in Iranian Adults

A precision instrument is required to assess the nutritional status. This study was conducted on comparison of 3 nutritional questionnaires to determine energy intake (EI) accuracy in adults in Ravansar Non-Communicable Chronic Disease (RaNCD) cohort study. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 118 of participant's RaNCD. EI was evaluated with 3 questionnaires including food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), 24-hours recall (24HR), and food habits questionnaire (FHQ). Resting metabolic rate (RMR) was measured using indirect calorimetry. We used EI/RMR cut off to evaluate EI reporting status. The mean ± standard deviation of age in men and women were 44.1 ± 6.5 and 43.7 ± 5.25 respectively and 50.8% of participants were men. Among 3 EI estimating questionnaires, FFQ was more accurate than 2 other questionnaires (67.8%). We observed that implausible reporters of 24HR were likely overweight (p < 0.005) but we did not observe a significant difference between EI reporting of FFQ and FHQ with participants' body composition. Our finding showed that EI underreporting of 24HR and FHQ were high. Under reporters were seemed to be overweight. Therefore, these results suggested that among 3 nutritional questionnaires the FFQ was an appropriate approach to determine EI in this population due to plausible EI reporting was higher than 2 other nutritional questionnaires (24HR and FHQ).
Effect of the Adoption of a Comprehensive Electronic Health Record on Graduate Medical Education: Perceptions of Faculty and Trainees

Objectives Health systems are adopting electronic health records (EHRs). There are few studies on the effects of EHR implementation on graduate medical education. The authors sought to longitudinally assess perceptions of the impact of EHRs on graduate medical education during implementation and 2 years after implementation. Methods A survey was distributed to faculty and trainees during the first year (2013) of adoption of the EHR system. A follow-up survey was distributed 2 years later (2015). The &khgr;2 test was used to compare the quantitative responses, and factor analysis was conducted to identify correlations between items. Free text responses were analyzed qualitatively. Results The initial survey (in 2013) included 290 faculty and 106 trainees; the follow-up survey (in 2015) included 353 faculty and 226 trainees. In 2013, respondents had a positive impression of EHRs. During the implementation phase, participants believed that face-to-face teaching was negatively affected (P = 0.001). Faculty believed EHRs had a negative effect on trainees’ ability to take a history/conduct physical examinations (P = 0.002) and to formulate a differential diagnosis/plan independently (P = 0.003). In 2015, faculty opinions of the impact of the EHR remained unchanged; trainee responses were more positive than in 2013 in some areas. Qualitative analysis showed that the most frequent strategies to enhance the educational process were the development of EHR skills and improved chart access and note assistance. Conclusions Respondents remain positive about the EHR 2 years after implementation. Faculty remain concerned about its effect on the educational process, whereas residents appear more positive regarding the potential for EHRs to enhance their education.
Modification of Anti-Glycan IgG and IgM Profiles in Allergic Inflammation 1

Glycans and anti-glycan antibodies (AGAs) are essential for infiltration of inflammatory cells in various allergies. The glycocalyx structure of the cells is modified during disease progression, and this modification is possible to evaluate by assessment of AGAs. A printed glycan array with 55 immobilized glycans and immobilized antibodies to IgG, IgA, and IgM was used to study the changes in AGA profiles in bronchial asthma (BA). Levels of antibodies to certain glycans in BA patients statistically differed from levels in healthy donors (p < 0.0007 by the Mann–Whitney test); the glycan set included 6Su-6`-SiaLec, Sia LeX, Sia6Htype2; Tαα, Manβ1-4GlcNAc, and Manα1-4Manβ. The obtained results help to better understand the mechanisms of the cell-mediated immune response in bronchial asthma and other types of allergic reactions.
Impact of Home Care Admission Nurses' Goals on Electronic Health Record Documentation Strategies at the Point of Care

Home care nurses have multiple goals at the patient admission visit. Electronic health records support some of these goals, including high-quality documentation, but nurses may not complete the electronic documentation at the point of care. To characterize admission nurses' practices at the point of care and lay the foundation for design recommendations, this study investigates admission nurses' documentation strategies with respect to entering electronic data and how nursing goals affect them. We conducted 10 observations of home care agency admissions with five admission nurses in rural Pennsylvania. We collected screenshots and recorded the admission process. We asked the nurses questions outside the point of care. We coded the nurses' strategies at the data-entry screen level. Using thematic analysis, we investigated the influence of nursing goals on documentation strategies. Subject matter experts reviewed our findings. Several goals affect nurses' documentation strategies: ensure data accuracy, reduce time in the patient's home, and prevent infection. Home care admission nurses distribute the electronic documentation temporally due to their goals. Nurses developed memory aids to support completion of the documentation after leaving the patients' homes. Design and training should support the distributed manner in which home care nurses document patient encounters.
ΔFosB Decreases Excitability of Dorsal Hippocampal CA1 Neurons

Abstract Both the function of hippocampal neurons and hippocampus-dependent behaviors are dependent on changes in gene expression, but the specific mechanisms that regulate gene expression in hippocampus are not yet fully understood. The stable, activity-dependent transcription factor ΔFosB plays a role in various forms of hippocampal-dependent learning and in the structural plasticity of synapses onto CA1 neurons. The authors examined the consequences of viral-mediated overexpression or inhibition of ΔFosB on the function of adult mouse hippocampal CA1 neurons using ex vivo slice whole-cell physiology. We found that the overexpression of ΔFosB decreased the excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons, while inhibition increased excitability. Interestingly, these manipulations did not affect resting membrane potential or spike frequency adaptation, but ΔFosB overexpression reduced hyperpolarization-activated current. Both ΔFosB overexpression and inhibition decreased spontaneous excitatory postsynaptic currents, while only ΔFosB inhibition affected the AMPA/NMDA ratio, which was mediated by decreased NMDA receptor current, suggesting complex effects on synaptic inputs to CA1 that may be driven by homeostatic cell-autonomous or network-driven adaptations to the changes in CA1 cell excitability. Because ΔFosB is induced in hippocampus by drugs of abuse, stress, or antidepressant treatment, these results suggest that ΔFosB-driven changes in hippocampal cell excitability may be critical for learning and, in maladaptive states, are key drivers of aberrant hippocampal function in diseases such as addiction and depression.
Vulnerability Evaluation of Distributed Reputation Management Systems

In distributed environments, Reputation Management Systems (RMSs) aim to estimate agents' trustworthiness by exploiting different sources of information. The distributed nature of these systems makes them vulnerable to several types of security attacks, and the response provided by a specific RMS depends on various factors, such as the algorithms adopted for estimating the reputation values and the communication protocols used to enable the cooperation among agents. This work examines the most important security attacks against RMSs and proposes a set of metrics for a quantitative evaluation of the RMS vulnerabilities. A parallel simulation framework is used to automatically give a vulnerability score to a RMS according to the computed metrics. Experiments performed on a case-study RMS show the effectiveness of the metrics we defined, and the convenience of using a simulation environment to support the design of a secure RMS.
Electroacupuncture for patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common functional intestinal disease characterized by chronic or recurrent abdominal pain, abdominal distension, constipation and diarrhea. Many IBS sufferers are usually present with poor quality of life for the abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, constipation, and other complaints. At present, the commonly used drug therapy for IBS in the Western clinic, such as antidiarrheal, laxative, gastrointestinal antispasmodic, often cannot get satisfying curative effect. Thus complementary therapies like electroacupuncture (EA) which may be effective to decrease patients’ pain and fewer side-effects will be sought. EA, an innovative form of traditional acupuncture, is drawing more attention to the treatment of IBS due to its roles in symptom improvement. This systematic review protocol aims at describing a meta-analysis to critically evaluate the effectiveness and safety on EA for patients with IBS. Methods: We search Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (Cochrane Library), the Allied and Complementary Medicine Databases (AMED), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) for random controlled trials EA for IBS from their inception to April 1, 2018. Two reviewers will independently screen studies for data extraction and assess the quality and risk of bias. RevManV5. 3 will be applied to data extraction. Risk of bias for each RCT will be assessed according to criteria by the Cochrane Handbook to evaluate the methodological quality. Results: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis of current evidence of effectiveness and safety on EA for patients with IBS. Conclusion: The conclusion of our systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether EA is an effective intervention for patient with IBS. PROSPERO registration number: PROSPERO CRD42018081610.
The Dynamics of Replication in Trypanosoma cruzi Parasites by Single‐Molecule Analysis

Here, we investigated the features of replication in Trypanosoma cruzi epimastigotes based on fork speed progression, which is influenced by distinct features such as DNA polymerase rate, susceptibility to DNA damage and repair, secondary structures, transcription and chromatin state. Although T. cruzi exhibits a mean fork speed (2.05 ± 0.10 kb/min) very similar to other trypanosomatids, we found that the majority of DNA molecules replicated more slowly, with a frequency distribution approximately 1 kb/min. This frequency distribution analysis provides more information about the replication profile of this organism.
Cost‐effectiveness of a quality improvement bundle for emergency laparotomy

The recent Emergency Laparotomy Pathway Quality Improvement Care (ELPQuiC) study showed that the use of a specific care bundle reduced mortality in patients undergoing emergency laparotomy. However, the costs of implementation of the ELPQuiC bundle remain unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the in‐hospital and societal costs of implementing the ELPQuiC bundle.
The sialic acid transporter NanT is necessary and sufficient for uptake of 3‐deoxy‐d‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid (Kdo) and its azido analog in Escherichia coli

3‐Deoxy‐d‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid (Kdo) is an essential component of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in the Gram‐negative bacterial outer membrane. Metabolic labeling of Escherichia coli LPS with 8‐azido‐3,8‐dideoxy‐d‐manno‐oct‐2‐ulosonic acid (Kdo‐N3) has been reported but is inefficient. For optimization, it is important to understand how exogenous Kdo‐N3 enters the cytoplasm. Based on similarities between Kdo and sialic acids, we proposed and verified that the sialic acid transporter NanT imports exogenous Kdo‐N3 into E. coli. We demonstrated that E. coli ΔnanT were not labeled with Kdo‐N3, while expression of NanT in the ΔnanT mutant restored Kdo‐N3 incorporation. Induced NanT expression in a strain lacking Kdo biosynthesis led to higher exogenous Kdo incorporation and restoration of full‐length core‐LPS, suggesting that NanT also transports Kdo. While Kdo‐N3 incorporation was observed in strains having NanT, it was not detected in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii, which lack nanT. However, heterologous expression of E. coli NanT in P. aeruginosa enabled Kdo‐N3 incorporation and labeling, though this led to abnormal morphology and growth arrest. NanT seems to define which bacteria can be labeled with Kdo‐N3, provides opportunities to enhance Kdo‐N3 labeling efficiency and spectrum, and raises the possibility of Kdo biosynthetic bypass where exogenous Kdo is present, perhaps even in vivo.
Delay Efficient Load Balancing Scheme for Component Carrier Selection in Carrier Aggregation in LTE-A

In LTE-A, Carrier Aggregation allows the user to simultaneously transmit and receive data on multiple carriers resulting in increased throughputs. The Radio Resource Management (RRM) framework of Long Term Evolution (LTE) is thus modified, as not one but more Component Carriers (CCs) are assigned to the user. The CC selection mechanism has to be carefully implemented to maximize the load balancing and the spectral efficiency. In this work, a load balancing CC selection scheme is proposed which can be optimized for the Quality of Service (QoS) required by users. Feedback fluid queue model is developed to analyze and optimize the performance of the proposed scheme. It is concluded that the proposed scheme is capable of balancing the load across carriers.
Direct identification and susceptibility testing of Gram-negative bacilli from turbid urine samples using VITEK2

INTRODUCTION: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious diseases occurring in either the community or healthcare setting. Turnaround time for urine culture is about 24 h, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) requires another 24 h. Consequently, initial antibiotic therapy is mostly empirical. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted at Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, Hyderabad. Turbid urine samples which showed pus cells and Gram-negative (GN) bacilli of single morphotype were included. The turbidity of the urine was adjusted to 0.5 McFarland and uploaded directly in the VITEK 2 identification (ID) GN and N-280 panel for AST. The specimen was also inoculated on CHROMagar, and the ID and AST of the isolates from the agar plate were repeated on VITEK 2, and the results were compared. RESULTS: Out of 844 turbid urines screened, 62 met the inclusion criteria. Escherichia coli was the most common isolate (71.9%). Complete agreement for ID was 80.7%, misidentified were 12.2%, and unidentified were 7%. Complete agreement with AST was 94.3%, very major errors 0.5%, major errors 2.2%, and minor errors 3%. CONCLUSION: With a 94.3% agreement for AST and a reduced turnaround time by 24 h, the direct inoculation had a potential clinical benefit for initiating timely and appropriate antibiotic therapy for UTI.
BioBits™ Bright: A fluorescent synthetic biology education kit

We report portable, user-friendly reagents and equipment for visual, hands-on biology activities with supporting curriculum. Synthetic biology offers opportunities for experiential educational activities at the intersection of the life sciences, engineering, and design. However, implementation of hands-on biology activities in classrooms is challenging because of the need for specialized equipment and expertise to grow living cells. We present BioBits™ Bright, a shelf-stable, just-add-water synthetic biology education kit with easy visual outputs enabled by expression of fluorescent proteins in freeze-dried, cell-free reactions. We introduce activities and supporting curricula for teaching the central dogma, tunable protein expression, and design-build-test cycles and report data generated by K-12 teachers and students. We also develop inexpensive incubators and imagers, resulting in a comprehensive kit costing <US$100 per 30-person classroom. The user-friendly resources of this kit promise to enhance biology education both inside and outside the classroom.
Comparisons of metabolite profile from paired serum and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid–plasma samples using dry chemistry technology: An emergency department perspective

BACKGROUND: No data is available evaluating the difference in serum versus plasma sample assay of commonly tested parameters in the emergency department, where the sample processing time can be significantly reduced if plasma is used for analysis instead of conventionally used serum. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the differences in serum versus plasma sample estimation of commonly evaluated biochemical parameters using dry chemistry technology. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Paired blood samples were collected from a single venipuncture of 405 patients admitted to the emergency department. Dry chemistry autoanalyzer (Vitros-350, Ortho Clinical Diagnostics) was used to process all the samples. RESULTS: Data from 401 patients were analyzed. Percentage differences between serum versus plasma samples for all analytes ranged from 0.0% to 57.44% and were <±4% for a majority of parameters, except uric acid (−6.25%), albumin (+11.90%), chloride (–5.05%), phosphorus (−6.06%), creatine phosphokinase (CPK) total (−57.44%), amylase (−37.53%), lipase (−42.74%), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (−8.53%), and C-reactive protein (−7.44%). For albumin, CPK total, amylase, and lipase, the difference between serum and plasma samples was more than the accepted upper range recommended by College of American Pathologists. CONCLUSION: Glucose, urea, creatinine, bilirubin, total protein, serum glutamate-pyruvate transaminase, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, sodium, and CPK-mb can be reliably assayed from either serum or plasma samples in emergency/routine practice. CPK total, amylase, and lipase should always be assayed from serum and not plasma due to significant variations. Uric acid, chloride, phosphorous, and LDH only in emergency situations should be assayed from plasma. For routine assays, serum should be preferred.
Glutathione peroxidase‐1 overexpressing transgenic mice are protected from neurotoxicity induced by microcystin‐leucine‐arginine

Although it has been well‐recognized that microcystin‐leucine‐arginine (MCLR), the most common form of microcystins, induces neurotoxicity, little is currently known about the underlying mechanism for this neurotoxicity. Here, we found that MCLR (10 ng/μL/mouse, i.c.v.) induces significant neuronal loss in the hippocampus of mice. MCLR‐induced neurotoxicity was accompanied by oxidative stress, as shown by a significant increase in the level of 4‐hydroxynonenal, protein carbonyl, and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Superoxide dismutase‐1 (SOD‐1) activity was significantly increased, but glutathione peroxidase (GPx) level was significantly decreased following MCLR insult. In addition, MCLR significantly inhibited GSH/GSSG ratio, and significantly induced NFκB DNA binding activity. Because reduced activity of GPx appeared to be critical for the imbalance between activities of SODs and GPx, we utilized GPx‐1 overexpressing transgenic mice to ascertain the role of GPx‐1 in this neurotoxicity. Genetic overexpression of GPx‐1 or NFκB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) significantly attenuated MCLR‐induced hippocampal neuronal loss in mice. However, PDTC did not exert any additive effect on neuroprotection mediated by GPx‐1 overexpression, indicating that NFκB is a neurotoxic target of MCLR. Combined, these results suggest that MCLR‐induced neurotoxicity requires oxidative stress associated with failure in compensatory induction of GPx, possibly through activation of the transcription factor NFκB.
Enhanced uptake of potassium or glycine betaine or export of cyclic-di-AMP restores osmoresistance in a high cyclic-di-AMP Lactococcus lactis mutant

The broadly conserved bacterial signalling molecule cyclic-di-adenosine monophosphate (c-di-AMP) controls osmoresistance via its regulation of potassium (K+) and compatible solute uptake. High levels of c-di-AMP resulting from inactivation of c-di-AMP phosphodiesterase activity leads to poor growth of bacteria under high osmotic conditions. To better understand how bacteria can adjust in response to excessive c-di-AMP levels and to identify signals that feed into the c-di-AMP network, we characterised genes identified in a screen for osmoresistant suppressor mutants of the high c-di-AMP Lactococcus ΔgdpP strain. Mutations were identified which increased the uptake of osmoprotectants, including gain-of-function mutations in a Kup family K+ importer (KupB) and inactivation of the glycine betaine transporter transcriptional repressor BusR. The KupB mutations increased the intracellular K+ level while BusR inactivation increased the glycine betaine level. In addition, BusR was found to directly bind c-di-AMP and repress expression of the glycine betaine transporter in response to elevated c-di-AMP. Interestingly, overactive KupB activity or loss of BusR triggered c-di-AMP accumulation, suggesting turgor pressure changes act as a signal for this second messenger. In another group of suppressors, overexpression of an operon encoding an EmrB family multidrug resistance protein allowed cells to lower their intracellular level of c-di-AMP through active export. Lastly evidence is provided that c-di-AMP levels in several bacteria are rapidly responsive to environmental osmolarity changes. Taken together, this work provides evidence for a model in which high c-di-AMP containing cells are dehydrated due to lower K+ and compatible solute levels and that this osmoregulation system is able to sense and respond to cellular water stress.
Chronic Kidney Disease Is Associated With Greater Bone Marrow Adiposity

Bone marrow adiposity is associated with aging, osteoporosis, and reduced hematopoiesis, as well as anorexia nervosa, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms that affect marrow adiposity. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) may influence bone marrow adipose tissue (BMAT), possibly through loss of lean mass or higher circulating levels of sclerostin. To test these hypotheses, we investigated the cross‐sectional association between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) as a measure of kidney function and 1H‐MRS‐based measurement of vertebral BMAT (L1 to L4) in 475 older adults from the Age Gene/Environment Susceptibility (AGES)‐Reykjavik study. Mean BMAT was compared in those with eGFR >60 (n = 297) versus those with eGFR 45 to 60 (n = 120) or eGFR <45 (n = 58) using linear regression models. Participants had a mean age of 81.5 (SD 4.1) years, mean eGFR of 64.3 (SD 16.1) mL/min/1.734 cm2, mean BMAT of 54.5% (SD 8.5); 48.2% were women. In unadjusted and adjusted models (age, visit window, gender, diabetes and visceral adipose tissue), BMAT was higher in those with eGFR <45 (adjusted mean 58.5%; 95% CI, 56.2 to 60.7) compared with those with eGFR >60 (adjusted mean 53.8%; 95% CI, 52.8 to 54.8) (p = 0.0002). BMAT did not differ in those with eGFR 45 to 60 (adjusted mean 54.3%; 95% CI, 52.8 to 55.9) compared with those with eGFR >60 (p = 0.58). In a subgroup of participants with serum sclerostin available (n = 253), additional adjustment for sclerostin attenuated the difference in adjusted mean vertebral BMAT between those with eGFR <45 versus >60 from 3.7% (p = 0.04) to 2.4% (p = 0.20). CKD stage 3b or worse was associated with greater bone marrow adiposity; this association may be partially mediated by sclerostin. © 2018 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.