Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pulmonary Embolism in Women: A Systematic Review of the Current Literature

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most-common cause of cardiovascular death, after myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. We aimed to evaluate the attributes and outcomes of PE specifically in women and explore sex-based differences. We conducted a systematic review of the literature using electronic databases PubMed and Embase up to 1 April 2022 to identify studies investigating PE in women. Of the studies found, 93 studies met the eligibility criteria and were included. The risk of PE in older women (especially >40 years of age) superseded that of age-matched men, although the overall age- and sex-adjusted incidence of PE was found to be lower in women. Risk factors for PE in women included age, rheumatologic disorders, hormone replacement therapy or oral contraceptive pills, pregnancy and postpartum period, recent surgery, immobilization, trauma, increased body mass index, obesity, and heart failure. Regarding pregnancy, a relatively higher incidence of PE has been observed in the immediate postpartum period compared to the antenatal period. Women with PE tended to be older, presented more often with dyspnea, and were found to have higher NT-proBNP levels compared to men. No sex-based differences in in-hospital mortality and 30-day all-cause mortality were found. However, PE-related mortality was higher in women, particularly in hemodynamically stable patients. These differences form the basis of future research and outlets for reducing the incidence, morbidity, and mortality of PE in women.
Traction bronchiectasis: is it as benign as we think?

1. Departamento de Neumología. Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Valencia, España. 2. Centro de Investigación Biomédica En Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias – CIBERES – Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, España. Recently, a group of experts from around the world defined bronchiectasis as a dilation of the airway lumen mainly produced by the destruction of the bronchial wall, secondary to the action of various proteolytic substances from local inflammation—usually neutrophilic inflammation,(1) although sometimes also eosinophilic inflammation,(2-4) and even with a systemic component(5,6)—and/or secondary bacterial products (usually as a chronic infection). (7-9) Furthermore, this radiological finding must be accompanied by symptoms related to it, especially productive cough (usually with a purulent component), with or without exacerbations. (10-12) Therefore, the definition of bronchiectasis must meet not only radiological criteria but also clinical criteria. (1,13) As a consequence, traction bronchiectasis (TBE) has been systematically excluded from diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic studies of bronchiectasis because it is not usually associated with a secondary clinical picture of airway inflammation or infection. (14)
Optimal BS Sleeping Ratio for Energy-Delay Tradeoff in Wireless-Backhauling UDN

In this paper, we investigate the energy-delay tradeoff (EDT) problem to reduce energy consumption while ensure packet delay performance for wireless-backhauling ultra-dense network (UDN). We formulate the EDT problem as a cost minimization problem to find the optimal base stations (BS) sleeping ratio for sleeping mechanism. To solve the problem, a dynamic gradient descent iteration algorithm is used to obtain a locally optimal sleeping ratio. We prove it can converge to the global optimal BS sleeping ratio. The impacts of BS sleeping ratio on EC and packet delay are investigated and validated by simulation and numerical results.
Impact of Hidradenitis Suppurativa Surgical Treatment on Health-Related Life Quality

(1) Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a disease that affects the intimacy of patients. This disease reduces the quality of life and functioning of patients in everyday life. The surgical treatment of HS is one of the treatments for HS that can improve the quality of life. (2) Methods: The main goal of this study was to assess quality of life before the surgical treatment and after the surgical treatment of HS at Center for Burn Treatment in Siemianowice Śląskie, Poland, using the EQ-5D-5L survey before the operation and at follow-up (6 months after). (3) Results: The average quality of life measured with the EQ-5D-5L survey before therapy was 39.3 ± 20.1 (min., 0; max., 60; most frequent value, 50), whereas after surgical treatment, the mean quality of life was 89.5 ± 12.5 (min., 50; max., 100; most frequent value, 100). The average increase in the quality of life was 50.2 ± 19.5 (min., 30; max., 100; most frequent value, 30), and it was statistically significant (p < 0.001).
Toward Securing Cloud-Based Data Analytics: A Discussion on Current Solutions and Open Issues

In the last few years, organizations and business professionals have realized the value of collaborative data analytics in supporting decision-making. Where several activities are performed on online data by different stakeholders, such as cleansing, aggregation, analysis, and visualization, cloud-based data analytics has become a favored choice for business professionals due to the elasticity, availability, scalability, and pay-as-you-go features offered by cloud computing. However, large amounts of data stored on the cloud are very sensitive (e.g., innovation, financial, legal, and customers’ data), and so data privacy remains one of the top concerns for many reasons; mainly those relating to legal or competition issues. In this paper, we review the security and cryptographic mechanisms which aim to make data analytics secure in a cloud environment and discuss current research challenges.
Evolutionary Dynamics of Foot and Mouth Disease Virus Serotype A and Its Endemic Sub-Lineage A/ASIA/Iran-05/SIS-13 in Pakistan

Foot and mouth disease (FMD) causes severe economic losses to the livestock industry of endemic countries, including Pakistan. Pakistan is part of the endemic pool 3 for foot and mouth disease viruses (FMDV), characterized by co-circulating O, A, and Asia 1 serotypes, as designated by the world reference laboratory for FMD (WRL-FMD). FMDV serotype A lineage ASIA/Iran-05 is widespread in buffalos and cattle populations and was first reported in Pakistan in 2006. This lineage has a high turnover, with as many as 10 sub-lineages reported from Pakistan over the years. In this study, we reconstructed the evolutionary, demographic, and spatial history of serotype A and one of its sub-lineages, A/ASIA/Iran-05/SIS-13, prevalent in Pakistan. We sequenced nearly complete genomes of three isolates belonging to sub-lineage A/ASIA/Iran-05/SIS-13. We estimated recombination patterns and natural selection acting on the serotype A genomes. Source and transmission routes in Pakistan were inferred, and the clustering pattern of isolates of the SIS-13 sub-lineage were mapped on a tree. We hereby report nearly complete genome sequences of isolates belonging to sub-lineage A/ASIA/Iran-05/SIS-13, along with purported recombinant genomes, and highlight that complete coding sequences can better elucidate the endemic history and evolutionary pressures acting on long-term co-circulating FMDV strains.
The Role of PSMA PET/CT in the Primary Diagnosis and Follow-Up of Prostate Cancer—A Practical Clinical Review

Simple Summary The combination of positron emission tomography (PET)-diagnostics with ligands binding to the prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been a diagnostic milestone in the situation of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer and is gaining importance in primary diagnostics, providing a highly specific and sensitive diagnostic method in various clinical situations. However, the clinical application of this method requires a comprehensive knowledge of its advantages and disadvantages, potential pitfalls and influencing factors. This review aims to provide a practical clinical review of the currently available background data on PSMA PET/CT, as well as the clinical implications. Although a large amount of data already exist, a thorough analysis is complicated by study heterogeneity, showing the need for future systematic and prospective research. Abstract The importance of PSMA PET/CT in both primary diagnostics and prostate cancer recurrence has grown steadily since its introduction more than a decade ago. Over the past years, a vast amount of data have been published on the diagnostic accuracy and the impact of PSMA PET/CT on patient management. Nevertheless, a large heterogeneity between studies has made reaching a consensus difficult; this review aims to provide a comprehensive clinical review of the available scientific literature, covering the currently known data on physiological and pathological PSMA expression, influencing factors, the differences and pitfalls of various tracers, as well as the clinical implications in initial TNM-staging and in the situation of biochemical recurrence. This review has the objective of providing a practical clinical overview of the advantages and disadvantages of the examination in various clinical situations and the body of knowledge available, as well as open questions still requiring further research.
Arthroscopic Direct Anterior‐to‐Posterior Suture Suspension Fixation for the Treatment of Posterior Cruciate Ligament Tibial Avulsion Fracture

A posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) avulsion fracture of the tibial attachment site is a specific type of PCL injury that is difficult and unpleasant to manage. The objective of this study is to report the preliminary results of a newly developed technique: arthroscopic endobutton‐suture fixation using a single tibial tunnel.
Mobility Management and Radio Resource Management: Scheduling Schemes Automatic Selection for Handover Mechanism

Handover (HO) algorithms, managed by Mobility Management Entity (MM), and Scheduling algorithms, managed by Radio Resource Management Entity (RRM) are both the most important aspects in the next-generation cellular systems 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE). When a User Equipment (UE) is in motion, the constraints of offering better Quality of Service (QoS), especially in Real Time applications, increase. This is why the design of a powerful handover algorithm is essential, in order to ensure a seamless transfer of a UE to a new cell. In this article, we propose a new HO algorithm based on the Available Bandwidth prediction at the eNBs level. The improvements proposed by our scheme compared to other HO algorithms such as LTE Hard Handover Algorithm (LHHA), Integrator Handover and LTE Hard Handover Algorithm with Average RSRP Constraint (LHHAARC) has been shown via different parameters namely throughput, system delay and Packet Loss Ratio (PLR). Using LTE-Sim simulator, all HO algorithms were simulated against the three well-known scheduling schemes, namely, Proportional Fair (PF), Exponential Proportional Fairness (EXP / PF) and Modified Largest Weighted Delay First (MLWDF). The objective is to define a synthesis allowing the automatic choice of the proper scheduling scheme to use, according to the HO decision algorithm predefined by the system.
MU-Massive MIMO for UWA Communication

The present paper considers the application of massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) to a multi-user (MU) underwater acoustic (UWA) communication system. In the scope to achieve a high throughput within a limited acoustic bandwidth, we consider filterbank multicarrier (FBMC) modulation for waveform shaping instead of the widely used orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). We assess the performance of the system in a 1 km simulated time-varying underwater acoustic channel (UAC) in terms of bit error rate (BER), packet error rate (PER) and maximum achievable throughput. The transmission scenario consists of four users, each one equipped with multiple transmitting hydrophones. We show that the implementation of massive MIMO at the receiver allows all the users to use the same frequency bandwidth to transmit their information reliably to the receiver. Therefore, a high spectral efficiency and throughput can be achieved, making the transmission of multimedia data such as high quality real-time video a reality.
Invited Perspective: Identifying Childhood Lead Exposure Hotspots for Action

Adrienne S. Ettinger1,2,3 Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, USA Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Rutgers School of Public Health, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
Russian adolescent mental health in 2002, 2015 and during the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2021

Background Adolescent mental health is a global concern, however, time trends and the COVID‐19‐related restrictions vary across countries. This study examined changes in adolescent mental health and substance use in Russia between 2002, 2015 and during the pandemic in 2021. Methods Cross‐sectional school‐based surveys of 12‐ to 18‐year‐olds were carried out in a Siberian city in 2002 (N = 713), 2015 (N = 840) and 2021 (N = 721) using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, data on tobacco, alcohol and drug use and socio‐demographic information. We examined the effect of cohort, gender, family composition and parental occupation on mental health and substance use. Results There were increases in emotional symptoms and internalising problems (B = 0.93, p < .001) and decreases in substance use over 19 years (B = ‐.73, p < .001). Changes in adolescent mental health and substance use were substantial from 2002 to 2015 and nonsignificant from 2015 to 2021. Increases in mental health problems were evident only among girls; a decrease in alcohol use was larger among boys. Family composition and parental occupation did not account for these changes. Conclusions These results suggest that the mental health of Russian adolescent girls has worsened in the 21st century; the gender gap in mental health has widened; the gender gap in alcohol use was reversed in 2021. The findings highlight the need for research into gender‐specific factors and for effective interventions. The lack of changes in Russian adolescent mental health and substance use from 2015 to during the pandemic in 2021 suggests successful coping; however, more research is needed.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation regulates neuroinflammation, relieves hyperalgesia and reverses despair‐like behaviour in chronic constriction injury rats

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could effectively relieve the pain and depression in neuropathic pain (NP) patients. However, the specific treatment parameters and exact mechanism are still unclear. Our purpose is to observe the effects of rTMS on pain and despair‐like behaviour in chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats and explore its possible mechanism. Thirty‐two 8‐week‐old male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: sham operation group (S, n = 8), CCI group (n = 8), 1 Hz‐rTMS group (n = 8) and 10 Hz‐rTMS group (n = 8). The rTMS was applied to the left dorsal anterior agranular insular (AId) 1 week after the operation, once a day, 5 days/week for 4 consecutive weeks. Mechanical hyperalgesia, despair‐like behaviours and sciatic nerve function were used to evaluate the effects of rTMS. Besides, glucose metabolism, the metabotropic glutamate receptors 5 (mGluR5), N‐Methyl‐D‐Aspartic acid receptor type 2B (NMDAR2B), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α), interleukin‐6 (Ll‐6) and interleukin‐1β (Ll‐1β) in AId were tested to explore the possible mechanism. Compared with 1 Hz‐rTMS, the rats of 10 Hz‐rTMS had higher the mechanical hyperalgesia, higher sugar preference and shorter swimming immobility time. Besides, the expressions of mGluR5, NMDAR2B, TNF‐α, Ll‐1β and Ll‐6 both in 1 Hz‐rTMS and 10 Hz‐rTMS groups were reduced compared with the CCI group; the 10 Hz‐rTMS group had a more decrease than that of 1 Hz‐rTMS. Furthermore, the [18]F‐FDG uptake was lower than that in the 1 Hz‐rTMS group. Compared with 1 Hz‐rTMS, 10 Hz‐rTMS could more effectively relieve mechanical hyperalgesia and reverse despair‐like behaviour in rats. The mechanism could be related to regulating mGluR5/NMDAR2B‐related inflammatory signalling pathways in the AId.
A Novel Method for Lung Image Processing Using Complex Networks

The High-Resolution Computed Tomography (HRCT) detection and diagnosis of diffuse lung disease is primarily based on the recognition of a limited number of specific abnormal findings, pattern combinations or their distributions, as well as anamnesis and clinical information. Since texture recognition has a very high accuracy percentage if a complex network approach is used, this paper aims to implement such a technique customized for diffuse interstitial lung diseases (DILD). The proposed procedure translates HRCT lung imaging into complex networks by taking samples containing a secondary lobule, converting them into complex networks and analyzing them in three dimensions: emphysema, ground glass opacity, and consolidation. This method was evaluated on a 60-patient lot and the results showed a clear, quantifiable difference between healthy and affected lungs. By deconstructing the image on three pathological axes, the method offers an objective way to quantify DILD details which, so far, have only been analyzed subjectively.
The adaptive nature of the plant circadian clock in natural environments

Abstract The plant circadian clock coordinates developmental, physiological, and metabolic processes with diel changes in light and temperature throughout the year. The balance between the persistence and plasticity of the clock in response to predictable and unpredictable environmental changes may be key to the clock’s adaptive nature across temporal and spatial scales. Studies under controlled conditions have uncovered critical signaling pathways involved in light and temperature perception by the clock; however, they don’t account for the natural lag of temperature behind photoperiod. Studies in natural environments provide key insights into the clock’s adaptive advantage under more complex natural settings. Here, we discuss the role of the circadian clock in light and temperature perception and signaling, how the clock integrates these signals for a coordinated and adaptive response, and the adaptive advantage conferred by the clock across time and space in natural environments.
COVID-19 Infection Segmentation and Severity Assessment Using a Self-Supervised Learning Approach

Background: Automated segmentation of COVID-19 infection lesions and the assessment of the severity of the infections are critical in COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment. Based on a large amount of annotated data, deep learning approaches have been widely used in COVID-19 medical image analysis. However, the number of medical image samples is generally huge, and it is challenging to obtain enough annotated medical images for training a deep CNN model. Methods: To address these challenges, we propose a novel self-supervised deep learning method for automated segmentation of COVID-19 infection lesions and assessing the severity of infection, which can reduce the dependence on the annotation of the training samples. In the proposed method, first, many unlabeled data are used to pre-train an encoder-decoder model to learn rotation-dependent and rotation-invariant features. Then, a small amount of labeled data is used to fine-tune the pre-trained encoder-decoder for COVID-19 severity classification and lesion segmentation. Results: The proposed methods were tested on two public COVID-19 CT datasets and one self-built dataset. Accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score were used to measure classification performance and Dice coefficient was used to measure segmentation performance. For COVID-19 severity classification, the proposed method outperformed other unsupervised feature learning methods by about 7.16% in accuracy. For segmentation, when the amount of labeled data was 100%, the Dice value of the proposed method was 5.58% higher than that of U-Net. ; in 70% of the cases, our method was 8.02% higher than U-Net; in 30% of the cases, our method was 11.88% higher than U-Net; and in 10% of the cases, our method was 16.88% higher than U-Net. Conclusions: The proposed method provides better classification and segmentation performance under limited labeled data than other methods.
CD4+ Cytotoxic T Cells Involved in the Development of EBV-Associated Diseases

Activated cytotoxic CD4 T cells (HLA-DR+) play an important role in the control of EBV infection, especially in cells with latency I (EBNA-1). One of the evasion mechanisms of these latency cells is generated by gp42, which, via peripherally binding to the β1 domain of the β chain of MHC class II (HLA-DQ, -DR, and -DP) of the infected B lymphocyte, can block/alter the HLA class II/T-cell receptor (TCR) interaction, and confer an increased level of susceptibility towards the development of EBV-associated autoimmune diseases or cancer in genetically predisposed individuals (HLA-DRB1* and DQB1* alleles). The main developments predisposing the factors of these diseases are: EBV infection; HLA class II risk alleles; sex; and tissue that is infiltrated with EBV-latent cells, forming ectopic lymphoid structures. Therefore, there is a need to identify treatments for eliminating cells with EBV latency, because the current treatments (e.g., antivirals and rituximab) are ineffective.
Investigation of the Stability and Hydrogen Evolution Activity of Dual-Atom Catalysts on Nitrogen-Doped Graphene

Single atom catalysts (SACs) have received a lot of attention in recent years for their high catalytic activity, selectivity, and atomic utilization rates. Two-dimensional N-doped graphene has been widely used to stabilize transition metal (TM) SACs in many reactions. However, the anchored SAC could lose its activity because of the too strong metal-N interaction. Alternatively, we studied the stability and activity of dual-atom catalysts (DACs) for 24 TMs on N-doped graphene, which kept the dispersion state but had different electronic structures from SACs. Our results show that seven DACs can be formed directly compared to the SACs. The others can form stably when the number of TMs is slightly larger than the number of vacancies. We further show that some of the DACs present better catalytic activities in hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) than the corresponding SACs, which can be attributed to the optimal charge transfer that is tuned by the additional atom. After the screening, the DAC of Re is identified as the most promising catalyst for HER. This study provides useful information for designing atomically-dispersed catalysts on N−doped graphene beyond SACs.