Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Selenium on Hashimoto Thyroiditis with Normal Thyroid Function

Objective To observe the influence of selenium therapy on Hashimoto Thyroiditis(HT) with normal thyroid function.Methods 94 HT patients with thyroid enlargement and normal function were randomly divided into selenium therapy group(48 cases) and control group(46 cases). The size of thyroid and nodules,thyroid function,thyroid peroxidase antibody(TPO-Ab),thyroglobulin antibody(TGAb) and glycated hemoglobin(HbA1c) of the two groups were compared before and after six months treatment.Results The above mentioned indexes before treatment showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P 0.05). After treatment,the TGAb and TPO-Ab levels in the selenium therapy group were significantly lower than the control group(P 0.05). The size of thyroid and nodules before treatment showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups(P 0.05),but were significantly smaller in the selenium group after treatment compared with control group(P 0.05). Conclusion The supplementation therapy of selenium on HT patients with normal thyroid function may be beneficial to reduce the size of thyroid and nodule,lower the level of autoantibodies,but it shows no obvious influence on thyroid function and HbA1c.
Obstacles to skin self-examination: are frontier adults inclined abstainers?

ABSTRACT Individuals residing in U.S. frontier counties have limited access to dermatology care and higher melanoma mortality rates. Given these limitations, frontier residents rely disproportionately on skin self-examinations (SSE) for early detection of melanoma, though little is known about their SSE behaviors and barriers to conducting SSEs. The goal of the present study was to identify obstacles to SSE performance via a survey of adults (N = 107) living in a U.S. frontier county. Approximately 43% of participants were classified as inclined abstainers – individuals who intended to perform SSE, but failed to follow through. Compared to those who did follow through, inclined abstainers were more likely to be hindered by twelve barriers, including forgetting, letting other tasks get in the way of SSE, and struggling to identify a good time or routine for SSE performance. The barriers to action for these inclined abstainers are modifiable – for example, not remembering to do it – and well positioned for a behavioral intervention.
Clinical features of patients with high and normal CSFP in venous pulsating tinnitus

Abstract Background: Few doctors associate high cerebrospinal fluid pressure (CSFP) with vascular tinnitus. On the basis of predecessors, we found there were some differences in clinical data between patients with elevated versus normal CSFP. Aims/objectives: To explore the differences in clinical data between the elevated CSFP group and the normal CSFP group. Materials and methods: A total of 27 patients with venous pulsating tinnitus who underwent measurement of CSFP through IP were reviewed. Clinical data were compared between the two groups. Result: Twelve patients (44.44%) had high CSFP ranging from 210–245 mm H2O. Fifteen cases (55.56%) had normal CSFP ranging from 120–190 mm H2O. Tinnitus disappeared for several hours after IP in 9 patients in thehigh CSFP group but none of the patients in the normal CSFP group, and this difference was significant (p < .001). The mean tinnitus handicap inventory (THI) and visual analog scale (VAS) were 90.33 ± 3.06 and 8.25 ± 0.83, respectively, in the high CSFP group and 83.73 ± 2.81 and 7.73 ± 0.93, respectively, in the normal CSFP group. These differences were statistically significant (p < .001). Conclusion and significance: Patients in the high CSFP group had more severe tinnitus scores. Tinnitus temporarily disappeared after IP in some patients with high CSFP.
Reduced Apoptotic Injury by Phenothiazine in Ischemic Stroke through the NOX-Akt/PKC Pathway

Phenothiazine treatment has been shown to reduce post-stroke ischemic injury, though the underlying mechanism remains unclear. This study sought to confirm the neuroprotective effects of phenothiazines and to explore the role of the NOX (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase)/Akt/PKC (protein kinase C) pathway in cerebral apoptosis. Sprague-Dawley rats underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h and were randomly divided into 3 different cohorts: (1) saline, (2) 8 mg/kg chlorpromazine and promethazine (C+P), and (3) 8 mg/kg C+P as well as apocynin (NOX inhibitor). Brain infarct volumes were examined, and cell death/NOX activity was determined by assays. Western blotting was used to assess protein expression of kinase C-δ (PKC-δ), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), Bax, Bcl-XL, and uncleaved/cleaved caspase-3. Both C+P and C+P/NOX inhibitor administration yielded a significant reduction in infarct volumes and cell death, while the C+P/NOX inhibitor did not confer further reduction. In both treatment groups, anti-apoptotic Bcl-XL protein expression generally increased, while pro-apoptotic Bax and caspase-3 proteins generally decreased. PKC protein expression was decreased in both treatment groups, demonstrating a further decrease by C+P/NOX inhibitor at 6 and 24 h of reperfusion. The present study confirms C+P-mediated neuroprotection and suggests that the NOX/Akt/PKC pathway is a potential target for efficacious therapy following ischemic stroke.
Distribution of β-Glucan, Phenolic Acids, and Proteins as Functional Phytonutrients of Hull-Less Barley Grain

Two hull-less barley varieties were roller-milled, and breaks (B) and reduction flours (C), shorts, and bran were collected. Shorts, which mainly originate from endosperm cells with a smaller amount of the outer layers, had the largest yield (48.87–51.54%). Ash (0.82–3.10%) and protein (9.95–14.8%) increased from flours toward shorts and bran, while starch decreased (82.31–48.69%). In contrast to clear distribution differences in protein content (bran > shorts > C > B), albumins/globulins content was lowest in bran (0.78–0.90 g/100 gdw), and their distribution between fractions was uneven and genotype dependent. Distribution of hordeins (6.69–10.49 g/100 gdw) was more distinct and generally decreased in order from bran > B > shorts > C. The proportion of nutritionally poor C-hordeins in total hordeins varied from 28.33% to 30.24%, without significant differences between fractions. The β-glucan content varied from 0.80% to 7.49% with decreasing content in the order bran, shorts > C > B. Shorts and bran could be classified as moderate and high β-glucan flour (5.70–7.22%). The total phenolic and antioxidant activities ranged from 0.91 to 2.21 mg GAE/gdw and 28.81–72.06%, respectively. Ferulic and sinapic acids determined by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were major contributors to the antioxidant activity (45.16–1026.91 ug/gdw and 18.93–206.52 ug/gdw), respectively. The yield and high content of phytonutrients make hull-less barley shorts suitable for the production of health-promoting food and food supplements.
Activity Recognition Using Wearable Physiological Measurements: Selection of Features from a Comprehensive Literature Study

Activity and emotion recognition based on physiological signal processing in health care applications is a relevant research field, with promising future and relevant applications, such as health at work or preventive care. This paper carries out a deep analysis of features proposed to extract information from the electrocardiogram, thoracic electrical bioimpedance, and electrodermal activity signals. The activities analyzed are: neutral, emotional, mental and physical. A total number of 533 features are tested for activity recognition, performing a comprehensive study taking into consideration the prediction accuracy, feature calculation, window length, and type of classifier. Feature selection to know the most relevant features from the complete set is implemented using a genetic algorithm, with a different number of features. This study has allowed us to determine the best number of features to obtain a good error probability avoiding over-fitting, and the best subset of features among those proposed in the literature. The lowest error probability that is obtained is 22.2%, with 40 features, a least squares error classifier, and 40 s window length.
Sleep patterns, genetic susceptibility, and incident cardiovascular disease: a prospective study of 385 292 UK biobank participants.

AIMS To quantify the association of combined sleep behaviours and genetic susceptibility with the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). METHODS AND RESULTS This study included 385 292 participants initially free of CVD from UK Biobank. We newly created a healthy sleep score according to five sleep factors and defined the low-risk groups as follows: early chronotype, sleep 7-8 h per day, never/rarely insomnia, no snoring, and no frequent excessive daytime sleepiness. Weighted genetic risk scores of coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke were calculated. During a median of 8.5 years of follow-up, we documented 7280 incident CVD cases including 4667 CHD and 2650 stroke cases. Compared to those with a sleep score of 0-1, participants with a score of 5 had a 35% (19-48%), 34% (22-44%), and 34% (25-42%) reduced risk of CVD, CHD, and stroke, respectively. Nearly 10% of cardiovascular events in this cohort could be attributed to poor sleep pattern. Participants with poor sleep pattern and high genetic risk showed the highest risk of CHD and stroke. CONCLUSION In this large prospective study, a healthy sleep pattern was associated with reduced risks of CVD, CHD, and stroke among participants with low, intermediate, or high genetic risk.
Measurement of Microcystin and Nodularin Activity in Human Urine by Immunocapture-Protein Phosphatase 2A Assay

Microcystins (MC) and nodularin (NOD) are toxins released by cyanobacteria during harmful algal blooms. They are potent inhibitors of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (PP1 and PP2A) and cause a variety of adverse symptoms in humans and animals if ingested. More than 250 chemically diverse congeners of MCs have been identified, but certified reference materials are only available for a few. A diagnostic test that does not require each reference material for detection is necessary to identify human exposures. To address this need, our lab has developed a method that uses an antibody to specifically isolate MCs and NOD from urine prior to detection via a commercially available PP2A kit. This assay quantitates the summed inhibitory activity of nearly all MCs and NOD on PP2A relative to a common MC congener, microcystin-LR (MC-LR). The quantitation range for MC-LR using this method is from 0.050–0.500 ng/mL. No background responses were detected in a convenience set of 50 individual urines. Interday and intraday % accuracies ranged from 94%–118% and relative standard deviations were 15% or less, meeting FDA guidelines for receptor binding assays. The assay detected low levels of MCs in urines from three individuals living in close proximity to harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Florida.
Dynamic changes of amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuations in patients with generalized anxiety disorder

Previous neuroimaging studies have mainly focused on alterations of static and dynamic functional connectivity in patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). However, the characteristics of local brain activity over time in GAD are poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the abnormal time‐varying local brain activity of GAD by using the amplitude of low‐frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method combined with sliding‐window approach. Group comparison results showed that compared with healthy controls (HCs), patients with GAD exhibited increased dynamic ALFF (dALFF) variability in widespread regions, including the bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, striatum; and left orbital frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, temporal pole, inferior temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. The abnormal dALFF could be used to distinguish between patients with GAD and HCs. Increased dALFF variability values in the striatum were positively correlated with GAD symptom severity. These findings suggest that GAD patients are associated with abnormal temporal variability of local brain activity in regions implicated in executive, emotional, and social function. This study provides insight into the brain dysfunction of GAD from the perspective of dynamic local brain activity, highlighting the important role of dALFF variability in understanding neurophysiological mechanisms and potentially informing the diagnosis of GAD.
Rabbit Enteropathies on Commercial Farms in the Iberian Peninsula: Etiological Agents Identified in 2018–2019

Simple Summary Digestive disorders are the main cause of economic damage in rabbit farms and, usually, antibiotic treatment is the first choice to control them. Nevertheless, a broad range of infectious agents can be involved in such disorders, as we have observed in our diagnosis work as a veterinary diagnostic laboratory. In this study, a global and updated overview of the frequency of detection of those etiological agents is provided. We have seen differences depending on the age of the affected rabbits, with young rabbits (<15 days old) being the most affected by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli strains, while in preweaning and growing rabbits, a coinfection of two or three pathogens is the most prevalent situation. Clostridium spiroforme and E. coli are the main bacterial agents detected in preweaning rabbits, but enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis has just appeared as a new possible emergent pathogen. Coinfections between bacteria (C. spiroforme and E. coli), parasites (Eimeria spp.), and viruses (rotavirus) are much more frequent than simple infections in growing rabbits; for this reason, complete laboratory studies are required to establish on-farm disease control measures. Abstract Digestive disorders are the main cause of economic damage to rabbit farms. This article provides a global and updated overview of the diverse etiological agents causing them, since 757 clinical cases were analyzed during 2018 and 2019—Ninety-five from young rabbits (<15 days old), 117 from preweaning rabbits (15–35 days old), and 545 from growing rabbits. Etiological diagnosis was carried out by bacteriological culture and a set of real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) tests for the detection of enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC), Clostridium spiroforme, C. perfringens, rotavirus A, Bacteroides fragilis, and Eimeria spp. Also, 40 EPEC and 38 non EPEC isolates were investigated for the presence of other colonization factors (afr2, ral, liftA, and paa) by qPCR. EPEC is the most prevalent agent in young rabbits, and although different virulence profiles have been found among EPEC isolates, the liftA+, ral+, and paa+ profile is the most prevalent. C. spiroforme and EPEC are the more frequently detected pathogens in preweaning rabbits, but B. fragilis appears to be a new possible emergent pathogen. In growing rabbits, diverse co-infections between C. spiroforme, Eimeria spp. , EPEC, and rotavirus are much more frequent than infections due to only one of them. Other pathogens detected in very few cases are Salmonella spp. and Enterococcus hirae.
Prolonged QRS associated with left bundle branch conduction defect is a prognostic red flag in asymptomatic patients at risk for heart failure (ACCF/AHA stages A and B): Insights from the DAVID-Berg study

Electrocardiographic abnormalities are often observed in patients with heart failure. One of the most frequent is prolonged QRS duration (QRS> 120ms), with a prevalence ranging from 14% to 47%, increasing in patients with lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and higher New York Heart Association class. In patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction a prolonged QRS (electrocardiogram (ECG)) has been associated with poor outcome and, along with the presence of left bundle branch block (LBBB), is considered a marker of worse prognosis. Similar findings have been reported in patients with heart failure and preserved LVEF. Indeed, in the I-Preserve (Irbesartan in Patients with Heart Failure and Preserved Ejection Fraction) trial, those patients with prolonged QRS were more likely to have signs and symptoms of decompensated heart failure. These studies suggest that in symptomatic chronic heart failure patients may exist a direct correlation between QRS duration and structural/functional myocardial abnormalities. As a matter of fact, an ECG vector study of 146 patients with LBBB or right bundle branch block (RBBB) demonstrated that QRS prolongation was associated with myocardial infarction, ventricular hypertrophy and altered strain. Although the authors did not provide any clinical data regarding the study population, it could be inferred that comorbidities, associated with higher risk of myocardial ischaemia and hypertrophy (i.e. diabetes mellitus and hypertension) may have a crucial role in inducing a QRS prolongation. While QRS duration has been extensively investigated in symptomatic heart failure patients, no data have been reported in patients at high risk for heart failure (American College of Cardiology Foundation/ American Heart Association stages A and B). We aimed to assess whether the presence of a prolonged QRS is associated with poor outcome in a clinical setting of patients at high risk for heart failure enrolled in the prospective DAVID-Berg (Detection of Asymptomatic VentrIcular Dysfunction in Bergamo) study. Patients aged 55 to 80 years were screened between January 2008 and May 2009. We selected patients without signs and symptoms of heart failure and with at least one of the following criteria: (a) ischaemic heart disease, as defined by angina pectoris with documented ischaemic changes at stress test, or angiographic evidence of coronary stenosis >70% in
Neuroendocrine and Inflammatory Effects of Childhood Trauma Following Psychosocial and Inflammatory Stress in Women with Remitted Major Depressive Disorder

The dysregulation of the inflammatory and neuroendocrine systems seen in major depressive disorder (MDD) may persist after remission and this is associated with a higher risk of relapse. This vulnerable subgroup may be characterized by a history of childhood trauma. In a single-blind randomized placebo-controlled crossover study, 21 women with remitted recurrent MDD and 18 healthy controls were exposed to psychosocial stress (Trier social stress test) or inflammatory stress (typhoid vaccine), or both, to investigate the effects of childhood trauma on the neuroendocrine and inflammatory responses. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and participants were dichotomized into a traumatized and non-traumatized group. Serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), cortisol, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and interleukin (IL)-6 were measured at regular intervals after each intervention. The effects of trauma, time, and intervention on these parameters were modeled by fitting linear mixed models. Childhood trauma in itself did not have a main effect on the outcome measurements. However, an interactional effect of trauma with stressor type was found in the remitted MDD group: trauma was associated with higher cortisol levels only after adding immunological to psychosocial stress, and with lower TNF-α levels in response to vaccination. This suggests the existence of a vulnerable trauma-associated MDD endophenotype.
Effects of menopause on sleep quality and sleep disorders: Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

OBJECTIVES Sleep complaints are common during the menopause transition. However, it is difficult to disentangle changes in sleep related to aging from those directly due to menopause. We compared sleep disorders in 45 to 60-year-old women in a large population-based study, according to menopausal status. METHODS Women aged between 45 and 60 years who self-reported menopausal status were selected from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, excluding those with prior hysterectomy. Participants completed assessments for overall sleep satisfaction, hours of daily sleep, sleep-onset insomnia, sleep-maintenance insomnia, daytime somnolence, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), restless leg syndrome (RLS), and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Each sleep variable was compared between postmenopausal and pre/perimenopausal women using multivariate regression, adjusting for potential confounders. RESULTS Among 6,179 women included, 3,713 (60.1%; age 55.7 ± 3.3 years) were postmenopausal and 2,466 (39.9%) were pre/perimenopausal (age 49.80 ± 3.1 years). Compared with pre/perimenopausal women, postmenopausal women were more often reported requiring ≥30 minutes to fall asleep (20.4% vs 15.5%; adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00-1.53) and were more likely to meet criteria for possible sleep-onset insomnia disorder (10.8% vs 7.3%; AOR 1.51, 95% CI 1.07-2.12). Postmenopausal women were also more likely to screen positive for OSA (14.6% vs 10.4%; AOR 1.48, 95% CI 1.14-1.92). The two groups did not differ on sleep dissatisfaction (32.4% vs 29%), daytime somnolence disorder (1.6% vs 1.3%), sleep-maintenance insomnia disorder (17% vs 14.5%), RLS (23.5% vs 20.9%), or RBD (3.9% vs 4.0%). CONCLUSIONS Menopause is associated with increased sleep-onset insomnia. Postmenopausal women also are more likely to screen positive for OSA. However, menopausal status is not associated with sleep maintenance, somnolence, or RLS, and RBD. : Video Summary:http://links.lww. com/MENO/A501.
Isolation, Optimization of Fermentation Conditions, and Characterization of an Exopolysaccharide from Pseudoalteromonas agarivorans Hao 2018

In recent years, the wide application of exopolysaccharides (EPSs) in food, cosmetics, medicine, and other fields has drawn tremendous attention. In this study, an EPS produced by Pseudoalteromonas agarivorans Hao 2018 was isolated and purified, and its fermentation conditions were optimized. Its structure and biological functions were also studied. The purity and molecular weight of EPS were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and the EPS exhibited a number average of 2.26 × 105 and a weight average of 2.84 × 105. EPS has good adsorption for Cu2+ and Pb2+. The adsorption rates can reach up to 69.79% and 82.46%, respectively. The hygroscopic property of EPS was higher than that of chitosan, but slightly lower than that of sodium hyaluronate. However, the water-retaining activity of EPS was similar to that of chitosan and sodium hyaluronate. EPS has strong ability to scavenge free radicals, including OH radical and O2− radical. Further, its activity on O2− radicals has similarities with that of vitamin C. EPS has broad application prospects in many fields, such as cosmetics, environmental protection.