Personalized automatic sleep staging with single-night data: a pilot study with Kullback-Leibler divergence regularization.

Objective: Brain waves vary between people. This work aims to improve automatic sleep staging for longitudinal sleep monitoring via personalization of algorithms based on individual characteristics extracted from sleep data recorded during the first night.

Approach: As data from a single night are very small, thereby making model training difficult, we propose a Kullback-Leibler (KL) divergence regularized transfer learning approach to address this problem.

Design and synthesis of new lupeol derivatives and their -glucosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities.

A series of lupeol derivatives , , , , and were designed, synthesised and evaluated for their -glucosidase inhibitory and cytotoxic activities. Among synthetic derivatives, lupeol analogues and containing a benzylidene chain exhibited the best activity against -glucosidase and superior to the positive agent with the IC values of 29.4 ± 1.

Microbial Communities of Orange Tubercles in Accelerated Low-Water Corrosion.

The rapid degradation of marine infrastructure at the low tide level due to accelerated low-water corrosion (ALWC) is a problem encountered worldwide. Despite this, there is limited understanding of the microbial communities involved in this process. We obtained samples of the orange-colored tubercles commonly associated with ALWC from two different types of steel sheet piling, located adjacent to each other but with different levels of localized corrosion, at a seaside harbor.

Building a Machine-Learning Framework to Remotely Assess Parkinson's Disease Using Smartphones.

Objective: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects multiple neurological systems. Traditional PD assessment is conducted by a physician during infrequent clinic visits. Using smartphones, remote patient monitoring has the potential to obtain objective behavioral data semi-continuously, track disease fluctuations, and avoid rater dependency.

Sustained effects of a multimodal campaign aiming at hand hygiene improvement on compliance and healthcare-associated infections in a large gynaecology/obstetrics tertiary-care centre in Vietnam.

Background: Hung Vuong Hospital (HVH) is a 900-bed maternity hospital in Ho-Chi-Minh-City, Vietnam. Due to low compliance, a quasi-experimental, observational study was conducted with the aim to improve hand hygiene.

Methods: A multimodal promotion strategy was established in 2010 and further developed towards ongoing, repetitive and inventive campaigns including patient participation.

Feasibility of dried blood spots for HIV viral load monitoring in decentralized area in North Vietnam in a test-and-treat era, the MOVIDA project.

Background: Access to HIV viral load is crucial to efficiently monitor patients on antiretroviral treatment (ART) and prevent HIV drug resistance acquisition. However, in some remote settings, access to viral load monitoring is still complex due to logistical and financial constraints. Use of dried blood spots (DBS) for blood collection could overcome these difficulties.

Safety of tumor necrosis factor inhibitor use in patients with concomitant malignancy.

Background/aims: Safety for tumor necrosis factor inhibitors (TNFi) in cancer has been focused on risk of incident malignancies, but studies on prognostic effects have been scarce. We determined survival and recurrence rates at 1, 2, and 5 years after cancer diagnosis in patients with and without concurrent TNFi use.

Methods: Chart reviews were performed between 1996 and 2015 at the VA North Texas Healthcare System.

Multimerization strategies for efficient production and purification of highly active synthetic cytokine receptor ligands.

Cytokine signaling is transmitted by cell surface receptors which act as natural biological switches to control cellular functions such as immune reactions. Recently, we have designed synthetic cytokine receptors (SyCyRs) consisting of green fluorescent protein (GFP)- and mCherry-nanobodies fused to the transmembrane and intracellular domains of cytokine receptors. Following stimulation with homo- and heterodimeric GFP-mCherry fusion proteins, the resulting receptors phenocopied signaling induced by physiologically occurring cytokines.

High temperature silicon-carbide-based flexible electronics for monitoring hazardous environments.

With its unprecedented properties over conventional rigid platforms, flexible electronics have been a significant research topic in the last decade, offering a broad range of applications from bendable display, flexible solar-energy systems, to soft implantable-devices for health monitoring. Flexible electronics for harsh and hazardous environments have also been extensively investigated. In particular, devices with stretchability and bend-ability as well as tolerance to extreme and toxic operating conditions are imperative.

A Rare Colonic Metastasis Case from Hepatocellular Carcinoma.

Background: Hepatocellularcarcinoma (HCC) metastasis include intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis. Similar to intrahepatic metastasis, extrahepatic metastases are not unusual in cases with HCC. However, colonic metastasis is infrequent.

Global Research on Quality of Life of Patients with HIV/AIDS: Is It Socio-Culturally Addressed? (GAP).

Quality of life (QOL) has been considered as an important outcome indicator in holistic care for HIV-infected people, especially as HIV/AIDS transforms from a fatal illness to a chronic condition. This study aimed to identify trends and emerging topics among research concerning the QOL of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). The analyzed data were English papers published from 1996 to 2017, searched and extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection.

Reconciling the Potentially Irreconcilable? Genotypic and Phenotypic Amoxicillin-Clavulanate Resistance in .

Resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate, a widely used beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination antibiotic, is rising globally, and yet susceptibility testing remains challenging. To test whether whole-genome sequencing (WGS) could provide a more reliable assessment of susceptibility than traditional methods, we predicted resistance from WGS for 976 bloodstream infection isolates from Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, comparing against phenotypes from the BD Phoenix (calibrated against EUCAST guidelines). A total of 339/976 (35%) isolates were amoxicillin-clavulanate resistant.

Modeling the Research Landscapes of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Diabetes (GAP).

The rising prevalence and global burden of diabetes fortify the need for more comprehensive and effective management to prevent, monitor, and treat diabetes and its complications. Applying artificial intelligence in complimenting the diagnosis, management, and prediction of the diabetes trajectory has been increasingly common over the years. This study aims to illustrate an inclusive landscape of application of artificial intelligence in diabetes through a bibliographic analysis and offers future direction for research.

Benzidine/Quinoidal-Benzidine-Linked, Superbenzene-Based π-Conjugated Chiral Macrocycles and Cyclophanes.

Synthesis of fully conjugated cyclophanes containing large-size polycyclic aromatics is challenging. Now, three benzidine-linked, hexa-peri-hexabenzocoronene (superbenzene)-based ortho-, para-, and meta-cyclophanes are synthesized through intermolecular Yamamoto coupling reaction of structurally pre-organized precursors. Subsequent oxidative dehydrogenation gave the corresponding quinoidal benzidine-linked cyclophanes.

Pre-exposure Prophylaxis in HIV Research: A Latent Dirichlet Allocation Analysis (GAPRESEARCH).

Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been shown to be an effective approach to prevent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections; however, implementation of the service remains challenging. This global bibliometric analysis aims to describe the current trends in HIV research prevention through PrEP to reveal the potential gaps of knowledge and to put forward recommendations for future research. A bibliometric analysis was conducted through Web of Science from 1990 to 2017.

A Global Bibliometric Analysis of Services for Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: Implications for Impact Mitigation Programs (GAPRESEARCH).

Tremendous progress has been made over the past three decades in the fight against the HIV epidemic; however, children experienced substantial physical and psychosocial effects of HIV infection. To inform services and policy development, we analyzed research growth and current trends in studies on children with HIV/AIDS. A total of 17,598 research papers and reviews in English, which were published on Web of Science, were downloaded.

Studies of Thioamide Effects on Serine Protease Activity Enable Two-Site Stabilization of Cancer Imaging Peptides.

Thioamide substitutions in peptides can be used as fluorescence quenchers in protease sensors and as stabilizing modifications of hormone analogs. To guide these applications in the context of serine proteases, we here examine the cleavage of several model substrates, scanning a thioamide between the P3 and P3' positions, and identify perturbing positions for thioamide substitution. While all serine proteases tested were affected by P1 thioamidation, certain proteases were also significantly affected by other thioamide positions.

Advances in Rational Design and Materials of High-Performance Stretchable Electromechanical Sensors.

Stretchable and wearable sensor technology has attracted significant interests and created high technological impact on portable healthcare and smart human-machine interfaces. Wearable electromechanical systems are an important part of this technology that has recently witnessed tremendous progress toward high-performance devices for commercialization. Over the past few years, great attention has been paid to simultaneously enhance the sensitivity and stretchability of the electromechanical sensors toward high sensitivity, ultra-stretchability, low power consumption or self-power functionalities, miniaturisation as well as simplicity in design and fabrication.

Genomic Epidemiology of Complex, Multispecies, Plasmid-Borne Carbapenemase in in the United Kingdom from 2009 to 2014.

Carbapenem resistance in is a public health threat. carbapenemase (encoded by alleles of the family) is one of the most common transmissible carbapenem resistance mechanisms worldwide. The dissemination of historically has been associated with distinct lineages (clonal group 258 [CG258]), a particular plasmid family (pKpQIL), and a composite transposon (Tn).

Black tea polyphenol theaflavin as promising antioxidant and potential copper chelator.

Background: In this work, we investigated the antioxidant and copper chelating abilities of theaflavin, a polyphenol responsible for astringency, color, and sensation in black tea. Using voltammetric techniques, the analyses were conducted with disposable electrochemical printed carbon chips in conjunction with a portable hand-held potentiostat.

Results: Voltammograms of theaflavin showed five separate oxidation peaks, corresponding to the oxidation of five individual functional groups.

Low Amplitude Boom-and-Bust Cycles Define the Septoria Nodorum Blotch Interaction.

Introduction: Septoria nodorum blotch (SNB) is a complex fungal disease of wheat caused by the Dothideomycete fungal pathogen . The fungus infects through the use of necrotrophic effectors (NEs) that cause necrosis on hosts carrying matching dominant susceptibility genes. The Western Australia (WA) wheatbelt is a SNB "hot spot" and experiences significant under favorable conditions.

Medication Use in Schools.

This article serves as a Position Statement of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association (PPA), which supports safe and effective medication use in schools. PPA recommends that schools develop comprehensive medication use policies to support safe and appropriate administration of both chronic and emergency medication in schools. These policies must address issues specific to pediatric patients, including off-label and over-the-counter medication use, various pediatric dosage forms, as well as appropriate medication storage, administration, and disposal practices.

Passive Smoking Exposure and Perceived Health Status in Children Seeking Pediatric Care Services at a Vietnamese Tertiary Hospital.

Understanding the predictors of health conditions and exposure to secondhand smoke among children is necessary to determine the severity of the issues and identify effective solutions. Despite the significant prevalence in smoking and child exposure to secondhand smoke, there have been only a few studies focusing on this area in Vietnam, and thus the current study aims to fill in this gap. The questionnaires of 435 children aged between 0 and 6 and their caregivers, who agreed to participate in the research, were collected at the Pediatric Department of Bach Mai hospital, Hanoi, in 2016.

Fine Tuning of the Copper Active Site in Polysaccharide Monooxygenases.

Type 2 copper active sites, one of the several important copper active sites in biology, were recently found in the novel superfamily of polysaccharide monooxygenases (PMOs) that cleave recalcitrant polysaccharides via an unprecedented oxidative mechanism. The copper center in PMOs is ligated by the bidentate N-terminal histidine residue and another conserved histidine residue, forming a unique T-shaped core termed as . This core serves as the foundation for diverse structures and electronic properties among PMO families and subfamilies.