Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Communication of Bad News in Palliative Care: The View of Professionals in Spain

Background Communication is one of the central axes around which end-of-life care revolves in the context of palliative care. Communication of bad news is reported as one of the most difficult and stressful tasks by palliative care professionals. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify aspects related to the communication of bad news in palliative care in Spain. Methods Descriptive cross-sectional study. An ad hoc questionnaire was designed and sent by e-mail to all palliative care teams in Spain. Results Overall, 206 professionals (102 nurses, 88 physicians and 16 psychologists) completed the questionnaire. A total of 60.2% considered their communication of bad news skills to be good or very good. This was related to older age, experience in both the profession and palliative care, and to having received specific postgraduate training (P < .001). Around 42.2% perform communication of bad news with the patient first, which is associated with lower skill (P = .013). About 78.15% of the professionals do not use any specific protocol. Conclusion This study suggests that patients access palliative care with little information about their diagnosis and prognosis. The barriers identified in the communication of bad news are the lack of specific education and training in protocol management, the difficult balance between hope and honesty, the young age of the patient, and the family.
Design of linear-phase recursive digital filters by optimization

An optimization method for the design of constant delay recursive digital filters is presented. The stability problem associated with current recursive-filter optimization algorithms is handled within the objective function which specifies the amplitude and phase characteristics simultaneously. Minimizing this objective function using specific starting points yields filter designs that satisfy arbitrary amplitude and phase specifications to within a preset degree of accuracy.
Overruled by nature: A plastic response to environmental change disconnects a gene and its trait

In Atlantic salmon, age at maturation is a life history trait governed by a sex‐specific trade‐off between reproductive success and survival. Following environmental changes across large areas of the Northeast Atlantic, many populations currently display smaller size at age and higher age at maturation. However, whether these changes reflect rapid evolution or plasticity is unknown. Approximately 1500 historical and contemporary salmon from the river Etne in Western Norway, genotyped at 50,000 SNPs, revealed three loci associated with age at maturation. These included vgll3 and six6 which collectively explained 36%–50% of the age at maturation variation in the 1983–1984 period. These two loci also displayed sex‐specific epistasis, as the effect of six6 was only detected in males bearing two copies of the late maturation allele for vgll3. Strikingly, despite allelic frequencies at vgll3 remaining unchanged, the combined influence of these genes was nearly absent in all samples from 2013 to 2016, and genome‐wide heritability strongly declined between the two time‐points. The difference in age at maturation between males and females was upheld in the population despite the loss of effect from the candidate loci, which strongly points towards additional causative mechanisms resolving the sexual conflict. Finally, because admixture with farmed escaped salmon was excluded as the origin of the observed disconnection between gene(s) and maturation age, we conclude that the environmental changes observed in the North Atlantic during the past decades have led to bypassing of the influence of vgll3 and six6 on maturation through growth‐driven plasticity.
Self‐reported gastrointestinal disorders among veterans with gulf war illness with and without posttraumatic stress disorder

Gulf War Illness (GWI) is a chronic, multi‐symptom disorder affecting 25%–32% of Gulf War veterans. Veterans with GWI disproportionately suffer from gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. Given the increasing evidence supporting a gut‐brain axis, we explore the relationship between post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), GWI, and self‐reported GI disorders among GW veterans.
Radioactivity of residues from waste incineration facilities in Finland

Waste incineration in Europe has been increasing in the past few decades as there is a need to reduce the burden on landfills and their associated environmental concerns. While incineration reduces the volume of the waste, the volume of slag and ash is still substantial. To find out potential radiation risks that incineration residues could set to workers or the public, the levels of radioactive elements in these residues were investigated from nine waste incineration plants in Finland. Natural and artificial radionuclides were detected in the residues, but in general the activity concentrations were low. This study shows that the level of Cs-137 in the fly ash from municipal waste incineration follows the pattern of 1986 fallout zones in Finland, although the levels are significantly lower than in ash from bioenergy production from the same areas. Am-241 was also detected in many samples, although the activity concentrations were very low. Based on the findings in this study, the typical ash and slag residues from municipal waste incineration do not need radiation protection measures for workers or the public even in regions that received up to 80 kBq m−2 of Cs-137 fallout in 1986. The further use of these residues need not be restricted due to radioactivity. Hazardous waste incineration residues and other special cases need to be considered separately, depending on the original waste composition.
Coping strategies during pregnancy and their relationship with anxiety and depression

ABSTRACT How individuals perceive and cope with stressful situations may determine their level of anxiety or depression. The identification of coping strategies (CS) in pregnancy could help prevent depression and anxiety (D&A), and their consequent effects on the health of the mother and the baby. A cross-sectional descriptive correlational study was conducted to identify the CS most commonly used by pregnant women in a Spanish population and to evaluate the association of these CS with D&A. A consecutive sample of 282 pregnant women over 18 years of age were recruited when attended midwife consultations and through snowball sampling between December 2019 and January 2021 in the Basque public health system. CS were measured using the RevisedPrenatal Coping Inventory (NuPCI) questionnaire, assigning the score to an avoidant, preparatory or spiritual scale. Cutoff points were established to categorize anxiety and depressive symptomatology, using the STAI-S and EPDS scales. Multivariate logistic regression models were constructed to analyze the association between CS and D&A. The results show that the higher the score on the avoidance subscale, the higher the likelihood of having an anxiety disorder (OR: 8.88 (95 percent Confidence Interval [CI] 4.26–20.1), and depressive symptoms (OR: 8.29 (95 percent CI 4.24–17.4). Multiparous women are more likely to have anxiety (OR: 3.41 (95 percent CI 1.58–7.5) or depressive symptomatology (OR: 4.1 (95 percent CI 2.04–8.53) during pregnancy. These results highlight the need to consider the evaluation of CS used during pregnancy to tailor the care provided, but further studies on the implementation and effectiveness of interventions are needed.
Arabidopsis SRPKII family proteins regulate flowering via phosphorylation of SR proteins and effects on gene expression and alternative splicing.

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNAs is crucial for plant growth and development. Serine/arginine-rich (SR) proteins are a conserved family of RNA binding proteins that are critical for both constitutive and alternative splicing. However, how phosphorylation of SR proteins regulates gene transcription and alternative splicing during plant development is poorly understood. We found that the Arabidopsis thaliana L. SR protein-specific kinase II family proteins (SRPKIIs) play an important role in plant development, including flowering. SRPKIIs regulate the phosphorylation status of a subset of specific SR proteins, including SR45 and SC35, which subsequently mediates their subcellular localization. A phospho-dead SR45 mutant inhibits the assembly of the ASAP (apoptosis-and splicing-associated protein) complex and thereby upregulates the expression of FLC (FLOWERING LOCUS C) via epigenetic modification. The splicing efficiency of FLC introns was significantly increased in the shoot apex of the srpkii mutant. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that SRPKIIs regulate the alternative splicing of approximately four hundred genes, which largely overlap with those regulated by SR45 and SC35-SCL family proteins. In summary, we found that Arabidopsis SRPKIIs specifically affect the phosphorylation status of a subset SR proteins and regulate the expression and alternative splicing of FLC to control flowering time.
Mean pulse analysis and spectral character study of pulsar PSR B2111+46

PSR B2111+46 is studied and analyzed by the method of Gaussian fit separation of the average profile (GFSAP). It has been observed at six frequencies, 408, 610, 925, 1408, 1640, and 4850 MHz, serving as an excellent sample for a multifrequency analysis. Applying the GFSAP method we find that PSR B2111+46 has five components in its profile at all six frequencies. The result supports Rankin’s “core-double cone” model in emission region. On the basis of component decomposition, we discuss the geometrical structure of core, inner cone and outer cone, the emission beam radius, the emission region altitude and the geometry symmetry. We also examine the spectrum characteristics of core, inner cone and outer cone. It is found that the spectrum of the core is steeper than the inner and outer cone.
Creative thinking and brain network development in schoolchildren.

Fostering creative minds has always been a premise to ensure adaptation to new challenges of human civilization. While some alternative educational settings (i.e., Montessori) were shown to nurture creative skills, it is unknown how they impact underlying brain mechanisms across the school years. This study assessed creative thinking and resting-state functional connectivity via fMRI in 75 children (4-18 y.o.) enrolled either in Montessori or traditional schools. We found that pedagogy significantly influenced creative performance and underlying brain networks. Replicating past work, Montessori-schooled children showed higher scores on creative thinking tests. Using static functional connectivity analysis, we found that Montessori-schooled children showed decreased within-network functional connectivity of the salience network. Moreover, using dynamic functional connectivity, we found that traditionally-schooled children spent more time in a brain state characterized by high intra-default mode network connectivity. These findings suggest that pedagogy may influence brain networks relevant to creative thinking-particularly the default and salience networks. Further research is needed, like a longitudinal study, to verify these results given the implications for educational practitioners. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Most executive jobs are prospected to be obsolete within several decades, so creative skills are seen as essential for the near future. School experience has been shown to play a role in creativity development, however, the underlying brain mechanisms remained under-investigated yet. Seventy-five 4-18 years-old children, from Montessori or traditional schools, performed a creativity task at the behavioral level, and a 6-min resting-state MR scan. We uniquely report preliminary evidence for the impact of pedagogy on functional brain networks.
Using Plasma Vitellogenin in Loggerhead Sea Turtles to Assess Reproductive Maturation and Estrogen‐Like Contaminant Exposure

Vitellogenin (VTG), an egg yolk precursor, is abnormally produced by male and juvenile oviparous species after exposure to estrogens. Plasma VTG in loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) helped us understand their reproductive maturation and investigate it as a biomarker of contaminant exposure. The presence of VTG was screened in plasma from 404 loggerheads from the northwestern Atlantic Ocean using a freshwater turtle antibody in western blots. The concentrations of VTG were semiquantified using band intensities calibrated to results from a loggerhead antibody enzyme‐linked immunoassay. The detection and concentrations of VTG were in (from highest to lowest): nesting females, in‐water adult females, subadult females, smaller females, unknown sex, and males. Loggerheads from this region begin vitellogenesis at ≅77 cm straight carapace length. We classified VTG expression as abnormal in nine male or juvenile turtles. Organochlorine contaminant (OC) concentrations were measured in blood and/or fat biopsies of some turtles. One abnormal VTG female had the second highest fat polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and 4,4′‐dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene concentrations compared among 43 VTG‐negative juveniles. The nine VTG‐abnormal turtles had average blood PCB concentrations 8.5% higher, but not significantly different, than 46 VTG‐negative juveniles (p = 0.453). In turtles less than 77 cm, blood PCB concentrations were significantly, but weakly, correlated with semiquantified VTG concentrations (tau = 0.1, p = 0.004). Greater blood OC concentrations were found in adult females than in males, which motivated the creation of a conceptual model of OC, VTG, and hormone concentrations across a reproductive cycle. A decision tree is also provided incorporating VTG as a sexing tool. Abnormal VTG expression cannot conclusively be linked to endocrine disruption caused by these OC concentrations. Studies should further investigate causes of abnormal VTG expression in wild sea turtles. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:1309–1325. © 2023 SETAC. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.
Glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in premenopausal women: management for the rheumatologist

Purpose of review This review seeks to summarize the literature relevant to the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in premenopausal women; an issue commonly encountered by rheumatologists and yet lacking good clinical practice guidelines. Recent findings Although most of the relevant literature on osteoporosis includes postmenopausal women only, data from both randomized controlled trials and case reports suggest bisphosphonates can be an effective and well tolerated treatment for premenopausal patients. Data for other medications to treat premenopausal osteoporosis is less robust. Summary The use of bisphosphonates in young women may be safer than initially thought and should likely be used for the treatment of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis in rheumatology clinics. Further research is needed to continue to understand long-term risk.
X-ray emission from accretion disks in low-mass X-ray binaries

General relativity is used to model the X-ray emission from geometrically thin disks in low-mass X-ray binaries. For a neutron star with a mass of 1.4 solar masses and an accretion rate of 10 to the 18th g/s, the maximum color temperature is found to be lower in the general relativistic model (about 1.1 keV) than in the Newtonian model (3.3 keV). It is suggested that differences between the two models are due to the gravitational redshift, the relativistic Doppler shift, the change in the inner boundary condition, and the change in the motion in the gas disk. 36 refs.
Efficacy of resveratrol against breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

Objectives: To evaluate the anti-cancer effect of resveratrol on Michigan cancer foundation-7 (MCF-7) and hepatoblastoma cell line (HepG2) cells. Methods: The study was carried out at the Department of Botany and Microbiology, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Al-kharj, Saudi Arabia, from August 2022 to October 2022. Different concentrations of resveratrol were added to the MCF-7 and HepG2 cell lines. Cell death and proliferation were measured with MTT and Trypan blue exclusion assays. Apoptosis markers were assessed by using a quantitative PCR assay (qPCR). Results: The resveratrol was shown to suppress the proliferation of MCF-7 and HepG2 cells at dose- and time-dependent. The cytotoxic effect of resveratrol was observed even at 100 μM after 24 hours. In comparison to untreated cells, resveratrol treatment reduced the viability of MCF-7 cells to roughly 57.5% with a half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 51.18 μM and HepG2 cells to 56.2% with an IC50 of 57.4 μM. Furthermore, in the tested cell lines, resveratrol was able to induce apoptosis mediated by elevated apoptosis markers. Conclusion: Resveratrol appears to be an excellent candidate agent in anticancer therapy in various human cancers.
Tracking sleep in the field: sleep quality and sleep behaviours of elite track and field athletes during preparation and competition

ABSTRACT Elite athletes are susceptible to inadequate sleep, which may peak during competition and be exacerbated by poor sleep behaviours. This study sought to characterise and compare the sleep quality and sleep behaviours of elite track and field athletes during preparation and major competitions. Forty elite international track and field athletes (50% female, aged 25.1 ± 3.9 years) completed the Athlete Sleep Screening Questionnaire and the Athlete Sleep Behaviour Questionnaire on three separate occasions: during habitual training, during a pre-meet training camp and during a major international competition. Overall, 62.5% of athletes reported at least mild sleep difficulty during competition. Athletes reported higher sleep difficulty and poorer sleep behaviour during major competitions and the pre-meet training camp compared to habitual training (P = .001–.025). No significant differences were observed between the training camp and major competition. Global sleep behaviour scores were underpinned by unique characteristics at each timepoint. Sleep behaviour (R2 = .330, P = .017), injury status (R2 = .253, P = .003) and major championship experience (R2 = .113, P = .034) were associated with sleep difficulty during competition. Sleep quality and behaviours vary according to stage of the track and field season, providing a foundation for targeted intervention.
Pleural CEA, CA-15-3, CYFRA 21-1, CA-19-9, CA-125 discriminating malignant from benign pleural effusions: Diagnostic cancer biomarkers

Introduction There is a need for a rapid, accurate, less-invasive approach to distinguishing malignant from benign pleural effusions. We investigated the diagnostic value of five pleural tumor markers in exudative pleural effusions. Methods By immunochemiluminescence assay, we measured pleural concentrations of tumor markers. We used the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to assess their diagnostic values. Results A total of 281 patients were enrolled. All tumor markers were significantly higher in malignant pleural effusions than benign ones. The area under the curve of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15-3, cytokeratin fragment 19 (CYFRA) 21-1, CA-19-9, and CA-125 were 0.81, 0.78, 0.75, 0.65, and 0.65, respectively. Combined markers of CEA + CA-15-3 and CEA + CA-15-3 + CYFRA 21-1 had a sensitivity of 87% and 94%, and specificity of 75% and 58%, respectively. We designed a diagnostic algorithm by combining pleural cytology with pleural tumor marker assay. CEA + CYFRA 21-1 + CA-19-9 + CA-15-3 was the best tumor markers panel detecting 96% of cytologically negative malignant pleural effusions, with a negative predictive value of 98%. Conclusions Although cytology is specific enough, it has less sensitivity in identifying malignant pleural fluids. As a result, the main gap is detecting malignant pleural effusions with negative cytology. CEA was the best single marker, followed by CA-15-3 and CYFRA 21-1. Through both cytology and suggested panels of tumor markers, malignant and benign pleural effusions could be truly diagnosed with an accuracy of about 98% without the need for more invasive procedures, except for the cohort with negative cytology and a positive tumor markers panel, which require more investigations.
How Tilly’s WUNC Works: Bystander Evaluations of Social Movement Signals Lead to Mobilization

Social movements must mobilize participation from bystanders to survive, yet there is little research on how bystanders’ evaluations of social movements predict their likelihood to join. Charles Tilly offered a four-part theoretical “scorecard” by which people evaluate movements: worthiness, unity, numbers, and commitment. The authors created a novel and psychometrically valid measure (WUNC-12) and then used three online experiments to test its predictive validity for participatory action. They found broad support for WUNC as a mediating mechanism and show that WUNC perceptions are correlated with impressions of the legitimacy and efficacy of a movement. Finally, they found that movements that simultaneously signal a single-issue focus and the presence of a demographically heterogeneous set of members elicit greater WUNC perceptions and higher intentions to mobilize. With these results taken together, the authors demonstrate how social movement signaling translates into WUNC perceptions, which in turn mediate how signaling leads to social movement support and mobilization.
Psychotherapeutische Arbeit mit Angehörigen und Paaren bei psychischen und körperlichen Erkrankungen

Eine körperliche oder psychische Erkrankung trifft neben Patient*innen auch das familiäre Umfeld. Gerade den direkten (pflegenden) Angehörigen kommt dabei eine besondere Bedeutung in der Krankheitsbewältigung zu. Sie werden allerdings oft als unsichtbare Patient*innen in der zweiten Reihe übersehen. An den Beispielen Krebs, Demenz und Schmerz wird die psychotherapeutische Arbeit mit Angehörigen und Paaren dargestellt.
Metabolically active angiosperms survive passage through the digestive tract of a large-bodied waterbird

Avian vectors, such as ducks, swans and geese, are important dispersers of plant propagules. Until recently, it was thought that small vegetative propagules were reliant on adherence to vectors and are unlikely to survive passage through the avian digestive tract. Here, we conclusively demonstrate that metabolically active angiosperms can survive passage through the digestive tract of a large-bodied waterbird. In addition, we show that extended periods of air exposure for up to 7 days does not inhibit the survival of plantlets embedded in faecal matter. Following air exposure, plantlets (n = 3000) were recovered from 75 faecal samples of mute swans, Cygnus olor, with the survival of 203 plantlets. The number of recovered and surviving plantlets did not significantly differ among durations of air exposure. For recovered plantlets, the long-term viability and clonal reproduction of two duckweed species, Lemna minor and L. gibba, were confirmed following greater than eight months of growth. These data further amplify the key role of waterbirds as vectors for aquatic plant dispersal and demonstrate the internal transport (i.e. endozoochory) of metabolically active plantlets. These data suggest dispersal of vegetative plant propagules by avian vectors is likely to be a common occurrence, underpinning connectivity, range expansion and invasions of some aquatic plants.