Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Artists on the Research Team: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Team Science, Research Rigor, and Creative Dialogue

In an arts in public health research team, artists may be undervalued as key research collaborators because of the difficulties in skillful integration of experts who possess not only different bodies of knowledge but also different ways of examining and valuing the world. Under the stewardship of two Rhode Island state agencies, an innovative research-driven enterprise, comprising researchers, clinicians, and community artists, was brought together to integrate arts-based interventions into statewide public health policy and practice. Here, we examine our work with the Rhode Island Arts and Health Advisory Group as a case study to illuminate our experiences in collaborating with artists on public health policy and practice research. Using existing frameworks from the literature, we define the attributes of, and challenges to, successful research collaborations and identify from our work how these apply to interdisciplinary collaborations between artists and public health practitioners. To support others working at the nexus of arts in public health, we include key experiences that were specific to the engagement of artists in research teams.
Pneumococcal septic shock after neonatal respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis: A case report and literature review

Background: Bronchiolitis is a common cause of hospitalisation of infants less than a year old, with most infants recovering without complications. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of bronchiolitis. Antimicrobial stewardship programmes do not recommend antibiotics for viral infections in neonates unless documented evidence of secondary bacterial infection is present. Case report: We present the case of a 7-day-old infant admitted to hospital with chest retractions and fever. The baby was hospitalised, empirical antibiotic therapy was administered, and non-invasive ventilation was started. When the viral aetiology was identified and clinical conditions improved, antibiotics were discontinued. However, after 48 hours, the newborn’s condition worsened because of pneumococcal septic shock. Intravenous fluids, catecholamine support, and wide-spectrum antibiotics were administered. Non-invasive ventilation was re-started and continued until the full recovery. Conclusions: There is increasing evidence that RSV and S. pneumoniae co-infect and interact with each other, thus increasing respiratory diseases’ severity. We provide a brief overview of the main international guidelines for managing bronchiolitis. Guidelines suggest avoidance of antibiotics use when the diagnosis of viral bronchiolitis is confirmed. We discuss the uncertainties regarding antibiotic use, especially in younger infants, who are more exposed to risks of bacterial superinfection. (www.actabiomedica.it)
The Arts and Public Health: Changing the Conversation on Health

This argument rests on how we define public health. Fundamentally public health is a collective act, aimed at assuring that populations are as healthy as possible (Institute of Medicine, 1998). This then requires a reckoning with what it is that makes populations healthy to begin with. The health of populations is a product of multiple levels of influence. Political decisions begat policies that ultimately affect health. Our health is influenced by the conditions of the cities in which we live and by the state of our neighborhoods and the places where we live, work, and play. While our behaviors, whether we exercise, eat healthy foods, or refrain from risky behaviors, clearly have a role in shaping our health, many of these behaviors are constrained and are shaped by these same environments. We are more likely to exercise if we are living in a safe neighborhood where we can walk without fear of personal harm. Therefore, the health of populations is a product as much of the world around us, the conditions that characterize where we live and how we live, than it is about personal characteristics or, certainly, genetic predispositions.
Undernutrition and malaria among under-five children: findings from the 2018 Nigeria demographic and health survey

ABSTRACT Malaria and undernutrition have independently contributed to mortality and morbidity among the under-five population of Nigeria. However, there remains complexity in their association. This study evaluates the association between stunting, underweight, wasting, and malaria among under-five Nigerian children while assessing the effects of sociodemographic factors. Cross-sectional data from the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey were used, which included a study population of 12,996 children aged 0–59 months. Stunting (HAZ<-2.0 SD), underweight (WAZ<-2.0 SD), wasting (WHZ<-2.0 SD), malaria test results, and sociodemographic factors were obtained and examined. Logistic regression modeling was used to determine the associations between undernutrition, malaria, and sociodemographic factors. The prevalence of stunting was 37.0%, with 22.0% underweight, 6.9% wasting, and 22.6% tested positive for malaria. Stunting was frequent among 24–35 months old, 12–23 months old were mostly underweight and wasted, and 48–59 months old frequently suffered from malaria. Undernutrition and malaria frequently occurred among males, residents of rural areas, the poorest wealth quintile, and children of mothers with no formal education. The odds of having malaria was 89% higher among under-five stunted children (AOR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.00,1.40; p-value = <0.0001). However, underweight (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI = 0.91,1.36; p-value = 0.2982) and wasting (AOR = 0.89, 95% CI = 0.67,1.19; p-value = 0.4519) were not significantly associated with malaria. The development of appropriate strategies, especially in rural areas and for less-educated mothers are critical to combat undernutrition and malaria.
Mucoadhesive microspheres of glutaraldehyde crosslinked mucilage of Isabgol husk for sustained release of gliclazide

Abstract Mucoadhesive microspheres have their own significant amongst the various sustained release drug delivery systems. The prolonged residence time of these delivery devices at drug absorption site results in steep concentration gradient and enhanced bioavailability. In this study, the mucilage of Isabgol husk was applied as polymeric backbone to develop gliclazide loaded microspheres by crosslinking with glutaraldehyde. The formulations were studied for surface morphology, swelling behavior, particle size, in vitro release, release kinetics, in vitro mucoadhesion and gamma scintigraphy in rabbits. The release of gliclazide from microspheres was controlled by swelling of crosslinked microspheres followed by diffusion. Gamma scintigraphic images acquired for microspheres retention in gastrointestinal track of rabbits indicated the residence of formulation upto 24 h after oral administration. Gliclazide retained its integrity in polymeric matrix of microspheres as observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffractometry. The sustained release of gliclazide and prolonged retention of microspheres in gastrointestinal track disclosed the rationality of mucoadhesive Isabgol husk microspheres in controlling the hyperglycemia in diabetes.
Effect of Half-Dose vs Stable-Dose Conventional Synthetic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Disease Flares in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis in Remission: The ARCTIC REWIND Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance Sustained remission has become an achievable goal for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs), but how to best treat patients in clinical remission remains unclear. Objective To assess the effect of tapering of csDMARDs, compared with continuing csDMARDs without tapering, on the risk of flares in patients with RA in sustained remission. Design, Setting, and Participants ARCTIC REWIND was a multicenter, randomized, parallel, open-label noninferiority study conducted in 10 Norwegian hospital-based rheumatology practices. A total of 160 patients with RA in remission for 12 months who were receiving stable csDMARD therapy were enrolled between June 2013 and June 2018, and the final visit occurred in June 2019. Interventions Patients were randomly assigned to half-dose csDMARDs (n = 80) or stable-dose csDMARDs (n = 80). Main Outcomes and Measures The primary end point was the proportion of patients with a disease flare between baseline and the 12-month follow-up, defined as a combination of Disease Activity Score (DAS) greater than 1.6 (threshold for RA remission), an increase in DAS score of 0.6 units or more, and at least 2 swollen joints. A disease flare could also be recorded if both the patient and investigator agreed that a clinically significant flare had occurred. A risk difference of 20% was defined as the noninferiority margin. Results Of 160 enrolled patients (mean [SD] age, 55.1 [11.9] years; 66% female), 156 received the allocated therapy, of which 155 without any major protocol violations were included in the primary analysis population (77 receiving half-dose and 78 receiving stable-dose csDMARDs). Flare occurred in 19 patients (25%) in the half-dose csDMARD group compared with 5 (6%) in the stable-dose csDMARD group (risk difference, 18% [95% CI, 7%-29%]). Adverse events occurred in 34 patients (44%) in the half-dose group and 42 (54%) in the stable-dose group, none leading to study discontinuation. No deaths occurred. Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with RA in remission taking csDMARD therapy, treatment with half-dose vs stable-dose csDMARDs did not demonstrate noninferiority for the percentage of patients with disease flares over 12 months, and there were significantly fewer flares in the stable-dose group. These findings do not support treatment with half-dose therapy. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01881308.
The Translational Machine: A novel machine‐learning approach to illuminate complex genetic architectures

The Translational Machine (TM) is a machine learning (ML)‐based analytic pipeline that translates genotypic/variant call data into biologically contextualized features that richly characterize complex variant architectures and permit greater interpretability and biological replication. It also reduces potentially confounding effects of population substructure on outcome prediction. The TM consists of three main components. First, replicable but flexible feature engineering procedures translate genome‐scale data into biologically informative features that appropriately contextualize simple variant calls/genotypes within biological and functional contexts. Second, model‐free, nonparametric ML‐based feature filtering procedures empirically reduce dimensionality and noise of both original genotype calls and engineered features. Third, a powerful ML algorithm for feature selection is used to differentiate risk variant contributions across variant frequency and functional prediction spectra. The TM simultaneously evaluates potential contributions of variants operative under polygenic and heterogeneous models of genetic architecture. Our TM enables integration of biological information (e.g., genomic annotations) within conceptual frameworks akin to geneset‐/pathways‐based and collapsing methods, but overcomes some of these methods' limitations. The full TM pipeline is executed in R. Our approach and initial findings from its application to a whole‐exome schizophrenia case–control data set are presented. These TM procedures extend the findings of the primary investigation and yield novel results.
A Dynamic, Ring-Forming Bactofilin Critical for Maintaining Cell Size in the Obligate Intracellular Bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis

Bactofilins are polymer-forming cytoskeletal proteins that are widely conserved in bacteria. Members of this protein family have diverse functional roles such as orienting subcellular molecular processes, establishing cell polarity, and aiding in cell shape maintenance. ABSTRACT Bactofilins are polymer-forming cytoskeletal proteins that are widely conserved in bacteria. Members of this protein family have diverse functional roles such as orienting subcellular molecular processes, establishing cell polarity, and aiding in cell shape maintenance. Using sequence alignment to the conserved bactofilin domain, we identified a bactofilin ortholog, BacACT, in the obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia trachomatis. Chlamydia species are obligate intracellular bacteria that undergo a developmental cycle alternating between infectious nondividing elementary bodies (EBs) and noninfectious dividing reticulate bodies (RBs). As Chlamydia divides by a polarized division process, we hypothesized that BacACT may function to establish polarity in these unique bacteria. Utilizing a combination of fusion constructs and high-resolution fluorescence microscopy, we determined that BacACT forms dynamic, membrane-associated filament- and ring-like structures in Chlamydia’s replicative RB form. Contrary to our hypothesis, these structures are distinct from the microbe’s cell division machinery and do not colocalize with septal peptidoglycan or MreB, the major organizer of the bacterium’s division complex. Bacterial two-hybrid assays demonstrated BacACT interacts homotypically but does not directly interact with proteins involved in cell division or peptidoglycan biosynthesis. To investigate the function of BacACT in chlamydial development, we constructed a conditional knockdown strain using a newly developed CRISPR interference system. We observed that reducing bacACT expression significantly increased chlamydial cell size. Normal RB morphology was restored when an additional copy of bacACT was expressed in trans during knockdown. These data reveal a novel function for chlamydial bactofilin in maintaining cell size in this obligate intracellular bacterium.
A novel lncRNA promotes myogenesis of bovine skeletal muscle satellite cells via PFN1‐RhoA/Rac1

Myogenesis, the process of skeletal muscle formation, is a highly coordinated multistep biological process. Accumulating evidence suggests that long non‐coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as a gatekeeper in myogenesis. Up to now, most studies on muscle development‐related lncRNAs are mainly focussed on humans and mice. In this study, a novel muscle highly expressed lncRNA, named lnc23, localized in nucleus, was found differentially expressed in different stages of embryonic development and myogenic differentiation. The knockdown and over‐expression experiments showed that lnc23 positively regulated the myogenic differentiation of bovine skeletal muscle satellite cells. Then, TMT 10‐plex labelling quantitative proteomics was performed to screen the potentially regulatory proteins of lnc23. Results indicated that lnc23 was involved in the key processes of myogenic differentiation such as cell fusion, further demonstrated that down‐regulation of lnc23 may inhibit myogenic differentiation by reducing signal transduction and cell fusion among cells. Furthermore, RNA pulldown/LC‐MS and RIP experiment illustrated that PFN1 was a binding protein of lnc23. Further, we also found that lnc23 positively regulated the protein expression of RhoA and Rac1, and PFN1 may negatively regulate myogenic differentiation and the expression of its interacting proteins RhoA and Rac1. Hence, we support that lnc23 may reduce the inhibiting effect of PFN1 on RhoA and Rac1 by binding to PFN1, thereby promoting myogenic differentiation. In short, the novel identified lnc23 promotes myogenesis of bovine skeletal muscle satellite cells via PFN1‐RhoA/Rac1.
Development and validation of glycolysis‐related prognostic score for prediction of prognosis and chemosensitivity of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a lethal malignancy with aggressive biological behaviour. Its rapid proliferation and tumour growth require reprogramming of glucose metabolism or the Warburg effect. However, the association between glycolysis‐related genes with clinical features and prognosis of PDAC is still unknown. Here, we used the meta‐analysis to correlate the hazard ratios (HR) of 106 glycolysis genes from MSigDB by the cox proportional hazards regression analysis in 6 clinical data sets of PDAC patients to form a training cohort, and a single group of PDAC patients from the TCGA, ICGC, Arrayexpress and GEO databases to form the validation cohort. Then, a glycolysis‐related prognosis (GRP) score based on 29 glycolysis prognostic genes was established in 757 PDAC patients from the training composite cohort and validated in 267 ICGC‐CA validation cohort (all P < .05). In addition, including PADC, the prognostic value was also confirmed in other 7 out of 30 pan‐cancer cohorts. The GRP score was significantly related to specific metabolism pathways, immune genes and immune cells in the patients with PADC (all P < .05). Finally, by combining with immune cells, the GRP score also well‐predicted the chemosensitivity of patients with PADC in the TCGA cohort (AUC = 0.709). In conclusion, this study developed a GRP score for patients with PDAC in predicting prognosis and chemosensitivity for PDAC.
Effects of prolonged interruption of rehabilitation routines in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients

Abstract Objective Patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) experienced prolonged interruption of their rehabilitation palliative care routines due to restrictive COVID-19 pandemic public health measures. This study assesses the effects of before and after the lockdown on functionality rates and quality of life (QoL) in patients with ALS. Methods A longitudinal observational study was conducted. Participants were assessed three times — early January (T0), before mandatory lockdown (T1), and during lockdown (T2) — using the ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and the ALS-Specific Quality of Life-Short Form (ALSSQOL-SF). The paired-sample t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used. Results Thirty-two patients were included with a mean age of 56.9 (SD 14.2) years and mean symptoms onset of 27.1 (SD 14.3) months. ALSFRS-R mean scores decayed significantly over time when comparing T0–T1 (0.26 ± 0.38) and T1–T2 (1.36 ± 1.43) slopes (p < 0.001). Significant differences were observed between T1 and T2 for ALSSQOL-SF scores (115.31 ± 17.06 vs. 104.31 ± 20.65), especially in four specific domains, and FSS scores (34.06 ± 16.84 vs. 40.09 ± 17.63). Negative correlations between negative emotions and physical symptoms assessed by ALSSQOL-SF and FSS were found. Significance of the results Rehabilitation treatment routines in palliative care, such as physiotherapy and speech therapy, appear to mitigate the ALSFRS-R slope. Prolonged interruption of rehabilitation during the lockdown may have accelerated the functional decline in ALS patients’ motor skills with as measured after 2 months by the ALSFRS-R in the limb and bulbar subscores, but not respiratory subscore. Other short-term effects, increased fatigue and negative impact on QoL, were also verified.
Placental SLC38A4 gene polymorphisms 1304 G > A and 292 C > T, and their association with glucose > 95 mg/dl in normal weight full-term healthy newborns.

BACKGROUND The SLC38A4 gene encodes for the SNAT4 protein, which has been related to glucose metabolic alterations in human newborns. This study aimed to determine whether the 1304 G > A and 292 C > T polymorphisms of the SLC38A4 gene are associated with the presence of glucose levels > 95 mg/dL in normal weight full-term healthy newborns. METHODS We conducted a case-control study and analyzed 50 normal weight full-term healthy newborns. Groups were defined based on glucose levels: > 95 mg/dL (cases; n = 13) and < 95 mg/dL (controls; n = 37). The 1304 G > A and 292 C > T polymorphisms of the SLC38A4 gene were determined through quantitative polymerase chain reaction using placental DNA. The association between polymorphism and glucose levels > 95 mg/dL was established using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS No significant differences were observed either for gestational age or body weight at birth between groups. In the case group, newborns showed significantly higher homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance than those in the control group (p < 0.0005). The odds ratio (OR) between the SLC38A4 gene 292 C > T single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and glucose levels > 95 mg/dL was 7.78 (p = 0.024), whereas no significant association was found for the 1304 G > A SNP (OR 1.46; p = 0.77). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the SLC38A4 gene 292 C > T SNP is associated with glucose levels > 95 mg/dL in normal weight full-term healthy newborns.
When reintegration fails: Stigmatization drives the ongoing violence of ex‐combatants in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

Reintegration of ex‐combatants involves multiple challenges. In addition to the trauma‐related psychological sequelae, social obstacles in the community can aggravate psychopathological aggressive tendencies and lead to the continuation of violence in civilian life. However, the association between others’ negative attitudes and ex‐combatants’ ongoing perpetration of violence remains largely unexplored. Between September 2018 and May 2019, we assessed a representative community sample of adults in Eastern DR Congo (N = 1,058) and measured trauma exposure, perpetration, mental health problems (PTSD, depression, and appetitive aggression), perceived stigma (shame, perceived lack of social acknowledgement), experienced stigma, and skepticism toward reintegration with ex‐combatants. Male ex‐combatants (12%, n = 129) had more past trauma and violence perpetration than other community members and a greater number of recent conflicts (including both victimization and perpetration) within the community and with strangers/organized violence. They reported more experienced stigma, more severe PTSD symptoms but were less skeptical about reintegration. Ex‐combatants’ ongoing violence was predicted by an interplay of the community's skepticism toward reintegration and ex‐combatants’ perceived and recently experienced stigma (often attributed to the armed group history) and mental health problems, in addition to lifetime traumatization. These findings promote the need for combined interventions that address individual mental health problems including aggression and collective discriminatory attitudes and behaviors.
Synaptotagmins at the endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane contact sites maintain diacylglycerol homeostasis during abiotic stress

Abstract Endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane contact sites (ER–PM CS) play fundamental roles in all eukaryotic cells. Arabidopsis thaliana mutants lacking the ER–PM protein tether synaptotagmin1 (SYT1) exhibit decreased PM integrity under multiple abiotic stresses, such as freezing, high salt, osmotic stress, and mechanical damage. Here, we show that, together with SYT1, the stress-induced SYT3 is an ER–PM tether that also functions in maintaining PM integrity. The ER–PM CS localization of SYT1 and SYT3 is dependent on PM phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate and is regulated by abiotic stress. Lipidomic analysis revealed that cold stress increased the accumulation of diacylglycerol at the PM in a syt1/3 double mutant relative to wild-type while the levels of most glycerolipid species remain unchanged. In addition, the SYT1-green fluorescent protein fusion preferentially binds diacylglycerol in vivo with little affinity for polar glycerolipids. Our work uncovers a SYT-dependent mechanism of stress adaptation counteracting the detrimental accumulation of diacylglycerol at the PM produced during episodes of abiotic stress.