Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catheter ablation vs. antiarrhythmic drugs as 'first-line' initial therapy for atrial fibrillation: a pooled analysis of randomized data.

AIMS Catheter ablation (CA) is recommended for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) after failure of antiarrhythmic drugs (AADs). The role of CA as 'initial therapy' for AF is to be determined. METHODS AND RESULTS Following PRISMA guideline an up-to-date pooled analysis of randomized data comparing ablation vs. AADs as first-line therapy for symptomatic AF was performed. The primary outcome was recurrence of atrial tachyarrhythmia. The secondary outcomes were improvement in quality-of-life (QoL) and major adverse events. A total of 997 patients from five randomized trials were enrolled (mean age 57.4 years, 68.6% male patients, 98% paroxysmal AF, mean follow-up 1.4 years). The baseline characteristics were similar between the ablation and AADs group. Overall pooled analysis showed that, as compared with AADs, CA as first-line therapy was associated with significantly higher freedom from arrhythmia recurrence (69% vs. 48%, odds ratio: 0.36, 95% confidence interval: 0.27-0.48, P < 0.001). This significance was maintained in subgroup analyses of 1- and 2-year follow-up (P < 0.001). Catheter ablation was associated with significantly greater improvement in QoL regarding AFEQT score and 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey score. The incidence of serious adverse events between ablation and AADs group (5.6% vs. 4.9%, P = 0.62) was similar. CONCLUSIONS Catheter ablation as 'initial therapy' was superior to AADs in maintenance of sinus rhythm and improving QoL for patients with symptomatic paroxysmal AF, without increasing risk of serious adverse events.
An NF‐κB‐responsive long noncoding RNA, PINT, regulates TNF‐α gene transcription by scaffolding p65 and EZH2

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are central regulators of the inflammatory response and play an important role in inflammatory diseases. PINT has been reported to be involved in embryonic development and tumorigenesis. However, the potential functions of PINT in the innate immune system are largely unknown. Here, we revealed the transcriptional regulation of inflammatory genes by PINT, whose expression is primarily dependent on the NF‐κB signaling pathway in human and mouse macrophage and intestinal epithelial cell lines. Functionally, PINT selectively regulates the expression of TNF‐α in basal and LPS‐stimulated cells. Mechanistically, PINT acts as a modular scaffold of p65 and EZH2 to coordinate their localization and specify their binding to the target genes. Further, a high expression level of PINT was detected in intestinal mucosal tissues from patients with ulcerative colitis (UC). Together, these findings demonstrate that PINT acts as an activator of inflammatory responses, highlighting the importance of this lncRNA as a potential therapeutic target in infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases.
Factors Associated With Noncontact Injury in Collegiate Soccer: A 12-Team Prospective Study of NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Soccer

Background: Multiteam, multi-institution prospective studies of both women’s and men’s sports are essential for collectively investigating injury and primary to the generalization and individualization of injury prevention strategies. Hypothesis: Characteristics of workload, sleep, and contextual factors will be associated with injury risk in collegiate soccer athletes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Injuries, workload, and sleep characteristics were recorded daily throughout a complete season for 256 athletes from 12 separate National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I men’s and women’s soccer teams. Workload and contextual factors were assessed via multilevel Poisson regression to capture differences in injury incidence rate ratio (IRR). Paired t test and multilevel logistic regressions were used to assess the relationship between sleep behavior and injury. Results: Collegiate soccer athletes had lower rates of noncontact injury in the in-season (IRR, 0.42) and postseason (IRR, 0.48) compared with preseason, lower rates of injury in training (IRR, 0.64) compared with matches, and higher injury rates with only 1 day of rest in the previous week (IRR, 1.58) compared with >1 day. Injury rates peaked when training occurred 4 days before a match (IRR, 2.24) compared with a match. Injury rate increased exponentially with increases in the number of noncontact injuries incurred throughout the season (IRR, 2.23). Lower chronic loading, higher training monotony, and acute spikes and lulls in workload were associated with higher noncontact injury rates. Alterations in previous week sleep quality were associated with injury, while chronic sleep behavior and acute alterations (<7 days) in sleep behavior were not (P > .05). Conclusion: Athlete and schedule-specific contextual factors, combined with characteristics of workload and weekly sleep behavior, are significantly associated with injury in collegiate soccer. Multiteam prospective cohort studies involving objective and subjective monitoring allow for the identification of multiple injury risk factors in sports, which can be used to guide injury prevention strategies. Maintaining higher chronic workloads, lowering training monotony, minimizing acute spikes or lulls in workloads, managing workloads during preseason and for athletes with previous injury, integrating more rest and recovery during congested periods, and optimizing sleep quality are all practical considerations for reducing injury risk in collegiate soccer.
Evaluating the Validity and Utility of Wearable Technology for Continuously Monitoring Patients in a Hospital Setting: Systematic Review

Background The term posthospital syndrome has been used to describe the condition in which older patients are transiently frail after hospitalization and have a high chance of readmission. Since low activity and poor sleep during hospital stay may contribute to posthospital syndrome, the continuous monitoring of such parameters by using affordable wearables may help to reduce the prevalence of this syndrome. Although there have been systematic reviews of wearables for physical activity monitoring in hospital settings, there are limited data on the use of wearables for measuring other health variables in hospitalized patients. Objective This systematic review aimed to evaluate the validity and utility of wearable devices for monitoring hospitalized patients. Methods This review involved a comprehensive search of 7 databases and included articles that met the following criteria: inpatients must be aged >18 years, the wearable devices studied in the articles must be used to continuously monitor patients, and wearables should monitor biomarkers other than solely physical activity (ie, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, etc). Only English-language studies were included. From each study, we extracted basic demographic information along with the characteristics of the intervention. We assessed the risk of bias for studies that validated their wearable readings by using a modification of the Consensus-Based Standards for the Selection of Health Status Measurement Instruments. Results Of the 2012 articles that were screened, 14 studies met the selection criteria. All included articles were observational in design. In total, 9 different commercial wearables for various body locations were examined in this review. The devices collectively measured 7 different health parameters across all studies (heart rate, sleep duration, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, skin temperature, blood pressure, and fall risk). Only 6 studies validated their results against a reference device or standard. There was a considerable risk of bias in these studies due to the low number of patients in most of the studies (4/6, 67%). Many studies that validated their results found that certain variables were inaccurate and had wide limits of agreement. Heart rate and sleep were the parameters with the most evidence for being valid for in-hospital monitoring. Overall, the mean patient completion rate across all 14 studies was >90%. Conclusions The included studies suggested that wearable devices show promise for monitoring the heart rate and sleep of patients in hospitals. Many devices were not validated in inpatient settings, and the readings from most of the devices that were validated in such settings had wide limits of agreement when compared to gold standards. Even some medical-grade devices were found to perform poorly in inpatient settings. Further research is needed to determine the accuracy of hospitalized patients’ digital biomarker readings and eventually determine whether these wearable devices improve health outcomes.
Identifying barriers and facilitators of hearing protection use in early-career musicians: a basis for designing interventions to promote uptake and sustained use

Abstract Objective The current study aimed to: i) determine the patterns of hearing protection device (HPD) use in early-career musicians, ii) identify barriers to and facilitators of HPD use, and iii) use the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) to develop an intervention to increase uptake and sustained use of HPDs. Design A mixed-methods approach using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Study sample Eighty early-career musicians (age range = 18–26 years; women n = 39), across all categories of musical instrument. Results 42.5% percent of participants reported using HPDs at least once a week, 35% less than once a week, and 22.5% reported never using HPDs for music-related activities. Six barriers and four facilitators of HPD use were identified. Barriers include the impact of HPDs on listening to music and performing, and a lack of concern about noise exposure. Barriers/facilitators were mapped onto the Theoretical Domains Framework. Following the systematic process of the BCW, our proposed intervention strategies are based on ‘Environmental Restructuring’, such as providing prompts to increase awareness of noisy settings, and ‘Persuasion/Modelling’, such as providing credible role models. Conclusions For the first time, the present study demonstrates the use of the BCW for designing interventions in the context of hearing conservation.
Curcumin improves memory deficits by inhibiting HMGB1‐RAGE/TLR4‐NF‐κB signalling pathway in APPswe/PS1dE9 transgenic mice hippocampus

Amyloid‐β (Aβ) deposition in the brain has been implicated in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and neuroinflammation generates AD progression. Therapeutic effects of anti‐inflammatory approaches in AD are still under investigation. Curcumin, a potent anti‐inflammatory and antioxidant, has demonstrated therapeutic potential in AD models. However, curcumin's anti‐inflammatory molecular mechanisms and its associated cognitive impairment mechanisms in AD remain unclear. The high‐mobility group box‐1 protein (HMGB1) participates in the regulation of neuroinflammation. Herein, we attempted to evaluate the anti‐inflammatory effects of chronic oral administration of curcumin and HMGB1 expression in APP/PS1 transgenic mice AD model. We found that transgenic mice treated with a curcumin diet had shorter escape latencies and showed a significant increase in percent alternation, when compared with transgenic mice, in the Morris water maze and Y‐maze tests. Additionally, curcumin treatment could effectively decrease HMGB1 protein expression, advanced glycosylation end product‐specific receptor (RAGE), Toll‐like receptors‐4 (TLR4) and nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) in transgenic mice hippocampus. However, amyloid plaques detected with thioflavin‐S staining in transgenic mice hippocampus were not affected by curcumin treatment. In contrast, curcumin significantly decreased GFAP‐positive cells, as assessed by immunofluorescence staining. Taken together, these data indicate that oral administration of curcumin may be a promising agent to attenuate memory deterioration in AD mice, probably inhibiting the HMGB1‐RAGE/TLR4‐NF‐κB inflammatory signalling pathway.
Effect of regioisomers of hydroxystearic acids as peroxisomal proliferator‐activated receptor agonists to boost the anti‐ageing potential of retinoids

We report on the in vitro and ex vivo effects of chiral (R)‐10‐hydroxystearic acid (10‐HSA) compared with other mono‐hydroxystearic acid regioisomers and stearic acid (SA) together with its benefit when combined with retinol.
Device Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HEMTs with p-GaN Cap Layer

In this study, AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors with a 5-nm p-GaN cap layer were investigated to compare their performance under various activation conditions. Speciﬁcally, p-GaN cap layers were activated using rapid thermal annealing at 700 ◦ C for 5, 10, and 15 min in an N 2 environment before device fabrication. The gate leakage current reduced considerably when the p-GaN cap layer activation time was longer. The measured on/off current ratio was improved to 9 × 10 7 for a Schottky-gate device with 15-min annealing time. The breakdown voltage was increased using the activated p-GaN cap layer. In pulsed I–V measurements, the device with the p-GaN cap layer with a 15-min activation time exhibited less current dispersion.
Delaying or delivering: identification of novel NAM-1 alleles that delay senescence to extend wheat grain fill duration

Abstract Senescence is a complex trait under genetic and environmental control, in which resources are remobilized from vegetative tissue into grain. Delayed senescence, or ‘staygreen’ traits, can confer stress tolerance, with extended photosynthetic activity hypothetically sustaining grain filling. The genetics of senescence regulation are largely unknown, with senescence variation often correlated with phenological traits. Here, we confirm staygreen phenotypes of two Triticum aestivum cv. Paragon ethyl methane sulfonate mutants previously identified during a forward genetic screen and selected for their agronomic performance, similar phenology, and differential senescence phenotypes. Grain filling experiments confirmed a positive relationship between onset of senescence and grain fill duration, reporting an associated ~14% increase in final dry grain weight for one mutant (P<0.05). Recombinant inbred line (RIL) populations segregating for the timing of senescence were developed for trait mapping purposes and phenotyped over multiple years under field conditions. Quantification and comparison of senescence metrics aided RIL selection, facilitating exome capture-enabled bulk segregant analysis (BSA). Using BSA we mapped our two staygreen traits to two independent, dominant, loci of 4.8 and 16.7 Mb in size encompassing 56 and 142 genes, respectively. Combining association analysis with variant effect prediction, we identified single nucleotide polymorphisms encoding self-validating mutations located in NAM-1 homoeologues, which we propose as gene candidates.
Vestibular nerve deficiency and vestibular function in children with unilateral hearing loss caused by cochlear nerve deficiency

Abstract Background High-resolution MR imaging enables the visualization of individual nerves in the internal auditory canal (IAC). Cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) is recognized as one of the major causes of sensory neural hearing loss (SNHL), especially in cases of unilateral hearing loss in childhood. Some patients with CND are thought to have accompanying vestibular nerve deficiency (VND). However, there have been few reports focusing on VND and vestibular function in these children. Aims The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of VND and vestibular dysfunction in children with unilateral SNHL caused by CND. Material and Methods Thirty-eight children with unilateral SNHL, who were diagnosed with CND by 3 T-MRI, were evaluated for VND and underwent caloric testing and cervical vestibular evoked potential (cVEMP). Results Fourteen of 38 patients (37%) had VND, and eleven (29%) of the patients [ten of the patients (71%) with VND] had at least one vestibular dysfunction. The patients with VND had significantly worse hearing and an IAC of smaller diameter than did patients without VND. Conclusions and significance We should pay attention to VND as well as vestibular dysfunction in hearing loss patients with CND.
Hydrogen Production by the Steam Reforming of Bio-Ethanol over Nickel-Based Catalysts for Fuel Cell Applications

The bio-ethanol steam reforming over nickel-based catalysts when the temperature is within the range of 700 to 800 K is studied for fuel cell applications. The effect of operating conditions such as the temperature, space time, water-to-ethanol molar ratio, and oxygen-to-ethanol molar ratio on the product distribution is evaluated. The water-gas shift reaction is examined in the reforming process. Adjusting feed ratios to favor carbon removal from the surface is discussed in detail. It is shown that a nickel-supported-on-alumina catalyst completely converts bio-ethanol and high hydrogen yields are obtained. High temperatures and water-to-ethanol ratios can promote hydrogen production. There is no evidence that the water-gas shift reaction occurs over nickel-based catalysts. Carbon formation can be minimized by using high water-to-ethanol ratios. The presence of oxygen in the feed plays a favorable effect on the carbon deposition, but the carbon monoxide production is not reduced. There are several reaction pathways that could occur in the bio-ethanol steam reforming process, and the catalyst produces ethylene and acetaldehyde as intermediate products. The region of carbon formation depends on the temperature as well as the water-to-ethanol and oxygen-to-ethanol molar ratios. Finally, an overall reaction scheme as a function of temperature is proposed. The best catalysts appear to be those that are sufficiently basic to inhibit the dehydration of ethanol to ethylene, which subsequently polymerizes and causes coke formation.
A systematic review of treatment for patients with burning mouth syndrome

Background Burning mouth syndrome is a chronic idiopathic intractable intraoral dysaesthesia that remains a challenge to clinicians due to its poorly understood pathogenesis and inconsistent response to various treatments. Aim This review aimed to study the short- (≤3 months) and long-term (>3 months) effectiveness and sustainable benefit of different burning mouth syndrome treatment strategies and the associated side effects. Materials and methods Randomised controlled trials of burning mouth syndrome treatment compared with placebo or other interventions with a minimum follow up of 2 months were searched from the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane database (published to July 2020). Results Twenty-two studies were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and analysed. Nine categories of burning mouth syndrome treatment were identified: Anticonvulsant and antidepressant agents, phytomedicine and alpha lipoic acid supplements, low-level laser therapy, saliva substitute, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and cognitive behaviour therapy. Cognitive behaviour therapy, topical capsaicin and clonazepam, and laser therapy demonstrated favourable outcome in both short- and long-term assessment. Phytomedicines reported a short-term benefit in pain score reduction. The pooled effect of alpha lipoic acid (ALA) pain score improvement was low, but its positive effects increased in long term assessment. Conclusion A more significant volume in terms of sample size, multi-centres, and multi-arm comparison of therapeutic agents with placebo and longitudinal follow-up studies is recommended to establish a standardised burning mouth syndrome treatment protocol. Further studies are required to assess the analgesic benefits of topical clonazepam and capsaicin, alternative medicines with neurodegenerative prevention capability and psychology support in treating burning mouth syndrome and reducing systemic adverse drug reactions. Registration International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO): Protocol ID - CRD42020160892.
Longitudinal Clinical and Patient-Reported Outcomes After Transversus Abdominis Release for Complex Hernia Repair With a Review of the Literature

Purpose Posterior component separation with transversus abdominis release (TAR) enables medial myofascial flap advancement in complex abdominal wall reconstruction. Here, we add to a growing body of literature on TAR by assessing longitudinal clinical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) after complex ventral hernia repair (VHR) with TAR. Methods Adult patients undergoing VHR with TAR between 10/15/2015 and 1/15/2020 were retrospectively identified. Patients with parastomal hernias and <12 months of follow-up were excluded. Clinical outcomes and PROs were assessed. Results Fifty-six patients were included with a median age and body mass index of 60 and 30.8 kg/m2, respectively. The average hernia defect was 384 cm2 [IQR 205-471], and all patients had retromuscular mesh placed. The most common complications were delayed healing (19.6%) and seroma (14.3%). There were no cases of mesh infection or explantation. Previous hernia repair and concurrent panniculectomy were risk factors for developing complications (P < .05). One patient (1.8%) recurred at a median follow-up of 25.2 months [IQR 18.2-42.4]. Significant improvement in disease-specific PROs was maintained throughout the follow-up period (before to after P < .05). Conclusion Transversus abdominis release is a safe and efficacious technique to achieve fascial closure and retromuscular mesh in the repair of complex hernia defects.
Low molecular weight polysialic acid prevents lipopolysaccharide‐induced inflammatory dopaminergic neurodegeneration in humanized SIGLEC11 transgenic mice

Parkinson's disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in the elderly population, with a pathophysiology linked to neuroinflammation, complement activation, and oxidative damage. Soluble polysialic acid with an average degree of polymerization 20 (polySia avDP20) prevents inflammation and oxidative burst in human macrophages via sialic acid‐binding immunoglobulin like lectin‐11 (SIGLEC11) receptor and interferes with alternative complement activation. Here, we confirmed the anti‐inflammatory capacity of polySia avDP20 on cultured murine embryonic stem cell‐derived microglia and analyzed the effect of polySia avDP20 in a lipopolysaccharide‐triggered animal model of Parkinson's disease. We demonstrated a neuroprotective effect of intraperitoneally applied polySia avDP20 in humanized SIGLEC11 transgenic mice after repeated systemic challenge with lipopolysaccharide. Pathway enrichment analysis of the brain transcriptome on day 19 after disease initiation showed that intraperitoneal application of 10 μg/g body weight polySia avDP20 prevented excessive inflammation. In line with these data, polySia avDP20 attenuated the lipopolysaccharide‐triggered increase in mRNA levels of immune‐related genes (Il1b, Cd14, Myd88, Fcer1g, Itgam, C4, Cybb, Iba1 and Cd68) and cell death‐related genes (Casp8, Ripk1 and Ripk3) in the brains of SIGLEC11 transgenic mice on day 19, but not on day 5. Moreover, immunohistochemistry demonstrated that polySia avDP20 reduced the lipopolysaccharide‐induced increase in immunoreactivity of IBA1 and CD68 in the substantia nigra pars reticulata in SIGLEC11 transgenic and wild type mice on day 19. Furthermore, treatment with polySia avDP20 prevented the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta induced by lipopolysaccharide challenge in both SIGLEC11 transgenic and wild type mice on day 19. Thus, our data demonstrate that polySia avDP20 ameliorates inflammatory dopaminergic neurodegeneration and therefore is a promising drug candidate to prevent Parkinson's disease‐related inflammation and neurodegeneration.