Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prognostic Factors for Early and Long-Term Remission in Pediatric Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: The Role of Sex, Age, Clinical Presentation, and the Newly Proposed American Thyroid Association Risk Stratification System.

BACKGROUND The incidence of pediatric differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) has been rising in recent years, and the main risk factors for recurrence are lymph node and distant metastasis at diagnosis. Other clinical features remain unclear, such as the impact of age, sex, and puberty. Furthermore, until now, this population has been treated using the same strategies used to treat adults. In 2015, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) published the first guidelines targeted at this age group. The aims of this study were to investigate the prognostic factors for early and long-term remission and also to validate the ATA risk stratification proposal in a population outside the United States. METHODS Clinical records from 118 patients <18 years old followed in two referral centers were reviewed. The median age was 12 years (range 4-18 years), and 20.3% (24 patients) were <10 years old at diagnosis. The median follow-up was 9.1 years. The majority were female (72%) and received total thyroidectomy and radioiodine therapy (RAI), and 61.8% were treated with more than one dose of RAI. The majority were classified as high risk (48.3%) by the new ATA pediatric guidelines due to distant metastasis (30 patients) or extensive lymph node involvement (27 patients). The remained were classified as low risk (31.3%) and intermediate risk (20.4%). RESULTS Females with no lymph node or distant metastasis and low ATA pediatric risk were more likely to have no evidence of disease (p < 0.05) within the first year and also in the long term. In this study, age did not significantly predict outcomes. Furthermore, patients also benefitted from multiple doses of RAI, but when the cumulative activity was >400 mCi, this benefit was diminished. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that the ATA risk stratification proposal for pediatric patients is useful in predicting early and long-term outcomes in pediatric patients with DTC. In addition, it shows that sex and metastatic disease are important prognostic factors in pediatric populations.
Digestive plasticity of the small intestine and the fermentative hindgut in a marsupial herbivore, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii)

We investigated the effects of a ground, pelleted diet versus natural forage on the gross morphology of the gastrointestinal tract of a medium-sized (5–7 kg body mass) macropodid marsupial, the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii). The empty wet mass (g) of the small intestine of tammar wallabies maintained on a pelleted diet for 6 weeks was 22% greater than that of animals maintained on natural forage, once body mass was taken into account by ANCOVA. Similarly, the body-mass-adjusted length of the tammar wallaby caecum and proximal colon combined was 25% longer in animals maintained on the pelleted diet compared with those maintained on forage. Our data suggest that food particle size may be directly involved in controlling the size of the post-gastric alimentary tract in tammar wallabies, and thus in their diet choice and nutritional ecology. Notably, this is the first study that links phenotypic plasticity of the gut directly to diet in a marsupial and we conclude that the tammar wallaby is an excellent model for exploring the causes and consequences of digestive plasticity in macropodid marsupials.
Selective effects of fenitrothion on murine splenic T-lymphocyte populations and cytokine/granzyme production

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to investigate in vitro effects of fenitrothion (FNT) on mouse splenic lymphocytes. Here, naïve mice had their spleens harvested and splenocytes isolated. After exposure to FNT for 48 hr: splenocyte viability was measured using a tetrazolium dye assay; cell phenotypes, i.e., B-cells (CD19+), T-cells (CD3+), and T-cell subsets (CD4+ and CD8+), were quantified by flow cytometry; and, production of cytokines/granzyme-B was assessed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The ability for FNT to induce oxidative stress in the cells was evaluated by measuring hydroxyl radical (·OH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) production and changes in glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity. The results showed that FNT significantly inhibited splenocyte proliferation, and decreased production of interleukin (IL)-2, interferon gamma, IL-4, and granzyme B, but had no impact on IL-6 production. FNT also selectively decreased splenic T-cell levels but did not induce changes in CD19+ B-cells. Further, within the T-cell populations, percentages of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T-cells (particularly CD8+ T-cells) were reduced. Lastly, FNT selectively increased MDA and ·OH production and inhibited SOD and GSH-Px activities in the splenic lymphocytes. These findings suggest that, due to oxidative damage, FNT selectively inhibits splenic T-lymphocyte survival and cytokine/granzyme production in vitro.
Blood calcium, glucose and haematology profiles of parturient bitches diagnosed with uterine inertia or obstructive dystocia

Bitches with dystocia most often present with clinical signs of uterine inertia (UI). The aetiology of myometrial dysfunction in most of these cases is still not elucidated. We compared blood ionized calcium (iCa) and glucose concentrations in bitches diagnosed with primary UI (PUI, n = 14), secondary UI (SUI, n = 6) or obstructive dystocia (OD, n = 6), and we described their haematology profiles. Bitches diagnosed with UI had a patent birth canal and delivered no puppies yet (PUI) or only part of the whole litter (SUI). The OD group had no UI and showed strong abdominal contractions. Blood iCa did not differ between the PUI, SUI and OD groups and was not influenced by litter size. There was a significant positive relationship (R2 = .241, p = .013) between iCa concentrations and the dam's body weight. Glucose concentrations were also not significantly different between dystocia groups or influenced by body weight and litter size. Hypocalcaemia was detected in 11 bitches, and hypoglycaemia in two bitches. Pregnancy-associated anaemia was seen in about one-third of the bitches. Eight of 12 dogs had increased platelet counts, and ten had leukocytosis with mature neutrophilia. Although iCa did not differ between dystocia groups, low concentrations may have contributed to the development of UI in some of the small size bitches. Hypoglycaemia was uncommon, and therefore, we consider low glucose concentrations not to have played an important role in the pathogenesis of UI in our study population. Pregnancy-associated anaemia, thrombocytosis, leukocytosis and mature neutrophilia were common findings in otherwise healthy bitches diagnosed with different forms of dystocia.
Plants Can Benefit from Herbivory: Stimulatory Effects of Sheep Saliva on Growth of Leymus chinensis

Background Plants and herbivores can evolve beneficial interactions. Growth factors found in animal saliva are probably key factors underlying plant compensatory responses to herbivory. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about how animal saliva interacts with herbivory intensities and how saliva can mobilize photosynthate reserves in damaged plants. Methodology/Principal Findings The study examined compensatory responses to herbivory and sheep saliva addition for the grass species Leymus chinensis in three experiments over three years. The first two experiments were conducted in a factorial design with clipping (four levels in 2006 and five in 2007) and two saliva treatment levels. The third experiment examined the mobilization and allocation of stored carbohydrates following clipping and saliva addition treatments. Animal saliva significantly increased tiller number, number of buds, and biomass, however, there was no effect on height. Furthermore, saliva effects were dependent on herbivory intensities, associated with meristem distribution within perennial grass. Animal saliva was found to accelerate hydrolyzation of fructans and accumulation of glucose and fructose. Conclusions/Significance The results demonstrated a link between saliva and the mobilization of carbohydrates following herbivory, which is an important advance in our understanding of the evolution of plant responses to herbivory. Herbivory intensity dependence of the effects of saliva stresses the significance of optimal grazing management.
MeCP2 Dependent Heterochromatin Reorganization during Neural Differentiation of a Novel Mecp2-Deficient Embryonic Stem Cell Reporter Line

The X-linked Mecp2 is a known interpreter of epigenetic information and mutated in Rett syndrome, a complex neurological disease. MeCP2 recruits HDAC complexes to chromatin thereby modulating gene expression and, importantly regulates higher order heterochromatin structure. To address the effects of MeCP2 deficiency on heterochromatin organization during neural differentiation, we developed a versatile model for stem cell in vitro differentiation. Therefore, we modified murine Mecp2 deficient (Mecp2 −/y) embryonic stem cells to generate cells exhibiting green fluorescent protein expression upon neural differentiation. Subsequently, we quantitatively analyzed heterochromatin organization during neural differentiation in wild type and in Mecp2 deficient cells. We found that MeCP2 protein levels increase significantly during neural differentiation and accumulate at constitutive heterochromatin. Statistical analysis of Mecp2 wild type neurons revealed a significant clustering of heterochromatin per nuclei with progressing differentiation. In contrast we found Mecp2 deficient neurons and astroglia cells to be significantly impaired in heterochromatin reorganization. Our results (i) introduce a new and manageable cellular model to study the molecular effects of Mecp2 deficiency, and (ii) support the view of MeCP2 as a central protein in heterochromatin architecture in maturating cells, possibly involved in stabilizing their differentiated state.
Conservative management of interstitial pregnancies: experience of a single centre

Abstract The aim of this study was to compare the effect of local intracavitary methotrexate (MTX) injection and laparoscopic (L/S) cornuostomy in the treatment of interstitial pregnancy (IP) in terms of clinical and reproductive outcome. The data of patients with IP (n:10) who were treated between September 2011 and December 2016 with either an intra-amniotic MTX injection (n:7) or L/S cornuostomy (n:3) were retrospectively evaluated. All cases (7/7) in the local injection group and two (2/3) in the L/S group were successfully treated with the initial treatment. One case (1/3, 33%) in L/S group needed systemic MTX due to an elevated β-hCG. No serious complication or secondary surgical intervention was observed in the study group. Five (71.4%) women in MTX group and two (66%) women in the L/S group had pregnancy after index case (p > .05). Post-treatment (hysterosalpingography) HSG results revealed that tubal patency was significantly higher in the MTX group (7/7 (100%) vs. 0/3 (0%) p < . 05). Conservative treatment of IP with both methods was generally successful with regard to maternal morbidity and reproductive function. However, local MTX was superior for tubal patency compared to L/S cornuostomy. Since this is a retrospective study including a small study population, our results should be confirmed with larger prospective studies. Impact Statement What is already known on this subject? Earlier diagnosis of an interstitial pregnancy (IP) enables clinicians to pursue more conservative treatment modalities that can prevent morbidity (severe bleeding, rupture and massive transfusion, etc.) and loss of fertility. MTX treatment and conservative laparoscopic surgical procedures are gaining importance. High serum β-hCG levels and positive foetal cardiac activity are known as unfavourable pre-treatment prognostic predictors for systemic MTX treatment in patients with an ectopic pregnancy. Local MTX treatment is widely used for caeserean scar pregnancies or cervical pregnancies. L/S cornuostomy is an attractive alternative to L/S cornual resection, because it preserves the normal uterine myometrium. What the results of this study add? In the present study, we showed that the local MTX and laparoscopic cornuostomy were successful methods in IP patients and did not impair the fertility potential of the patients. We also demonstrated that local MTX application is superior to L/S cornuostomy in terms of the post-treatment tubal patency and this fact should be kept in mind when tailoring the treatment in patients desiring pregnancy. What the implications are of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The value of local MTX injection in cases with IP and high β-hCG levels should be further clarified.
Anxious/depressed symptoms are related to microstructural maturation of white matter in typically developing youths

Abstract There are multiple recent reports of an association between anxious/depressed (A/D) symptomatology and the rate of cerebral cortical thickness maturation in typically developing youths. We investigated the degree to which anxious/depressed symptoms are tied to age-related microstructural changes in cerebral fiber pathways. The participants were part of the NIH MRI Study of Normal Brain Development. Child Behavior Checklist A/D scores and diffusion imaging were available for 175 youths (84 males, 91 females; 241 magnetic resonance imagings) at up to three visits. The participants ranged from 5.7 to 18.4 years of age at the time of the scan. Alignment of fractional anisotropy data was implemented using FSL/Tract-Based Spatial Statistics, and linear mixed model regression was carried out using SPSS. Child Behavior Checklist A/D was associated with the rate of microstructural development in several white matter pathways, including the bilateral anterior thalamic radiation, bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus, left superior longitudinal fasciculus, and right cingulum. Across these pathways, greater age-related fractional anisotropy increases were observed at lower levels of A/D. The results suggest that subclinical A/D symptoms are associated with the rate of microstructural development within several white matter pathways that have been implicated in affect regulation, as well as mood and anxiety psychopathology.
Genetic variations of Turkish bank vole, Myodes glareolus (Mammalia: Rodentia) inferred from mtDNA

Abstract The bank vole, Myodes glareolus, lives in deciduous forests throughout the Palearctic region. In Turkey, this species is distributed only in northern Anatolia (the Black Sea region) where these forests exist. This study reveals genetic differentiation among bank vole populations based on two regions of mitochondrial DNA (cytochrome b and D-loop). Populations in northern Anatolia are divided into two genetic lineages (the “eastern” and “western Black Sea” lineages) by the Kızılırmak Valley. While the western Black Sea lineage is close to the Balkan lineage, in accordance with their geographical proximities, surprisingly, the Uludag lineage, also situated in Western Turkey appears related to the eastern Black Sea population. The divergence time analyses suggest a separation between the Balkan and Turkish groups around 0.26 Mya, whereas the split between the eastern and western Black sea lineages appeared a little bit later (0.20 Mya). Our results suggest that regional refuges existed for this species in Turkey and that small-scale habitat fragmentations led to genetic differentiations between Myodes populations.
Well-Posed PDE and Integral Equation Formulations for Scattering by Fractal Screens

We consider time-harmonic acoustic scattering by planar sound-soft (Dirichlet) and sound-hard (Neumann) screens embedded in $\mathbb{R}^n$ for $n = 2$ or $3$. In contrast to previous studies in which the screen is assumed to be a bounded Lipschitz (or smoother) relatively open subset of the plane, we consider screens occupying an arbitrary bounded subset of the plane. Thus our study includes cases where the screen is a relatively open set with a boundary that is fractal, or indeed has positive surface measure, and cases where the screen has empty interior and is fractal, or indeed has positive surface measure. We elucidate for which screen geometries the classical formulations of screen scattering are well-posed, showing that the classical formulation for sound-hard scattering is not well-posed if the screen boundary has Hausdorff dimension greater than $n-2$. We also propose novel well-posed boundary integral equation (BIE) and boundary value problem (BVP) formulations, valid for arbitrary bounded screens. In fact, we show that for sufficiently irregular screens there exist whole families of well-posed formulations, with infinitely many distinct solutions, the distinct formulations distinguished by the sense in which the boundary conditions are understood. To select the physically correct solution we propose limiting geometry principles, taking the limit of solutions for a convergent sequence of more regular screens, this a natural procedure for those fractal screens for which there exists a standard sequence of prefractal approximations. We present examples exhibiting interesting physical behaviours, including penetration of waves through screens with "holes" in them, where the "holes" have no interior points, so that the screen and its closure scatter differently. Our results depend on subtle and interesting properties of fractional Sobolev spaces on non-Lipschitz sets.
Functional Hemispheric (A)symmetries in the Aged Brain—Relevance for Working Memory

Functional hemispheric asymmetries have been described in different cognitive processes, such as decision-making and motivation. Variations in the pattern of left/right activity have been associated with normal brain functioning, and with neuropsychiatric diseases. Such asymmetries in brain activity evolve throughout life and are thought to decrease with aging, but clear associations with cognitive function have never been established. Herein, we assessed functional laterality during a working memory task (N-Back) in a healthy aging cohort (over 50 years old) and associated these asymmetries with performance in the test. Activity of lobule VI of the cerebellar hemisphere and angular gyrus was found to be lateralized to the right hemisphere, while the precentral gyrus presented left > right activation during this task. Interestingly, 1-Back accuracy was positively correlated with left > right superior parietal lobule activation, which was mostly due to the influence of the left hemisphere. In conclusion, although regions were mostly symmetrically activated during the N-Back task, performance in working memory in aged individuals seems to benefit from lateralized involvement of the superior parietal lobule.
The Youth-Nominated Support Team for Suicidal Adolescents – Version II : A Randomized Controlled Intervention Trial

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the Youth-Nominated Support Team – Version II (YST-II) for suicidal adolescents, an intervention based on social support and health behavior models, which was designed to supplement standard treatments. Psychiatrically hospitalized and suicidal adolescents, ages 13 to 17 years, were randomly assigned to treatmentas-usual (TAU) plus YST-II (n = 223) or TAU only (n = 225). YST-II provided tailored psychoeducation to youth-nominated adults in addition to weekly check-ins for three months following hospitalization. In turn, these adults had regular supportive contact with adolescents. Adolescents assigned to TAU+YST-II had an average of 3.43 (SD = .83) nominated adults. Measures included the Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire-JR (SIQ-JR), Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), and Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS). YST-II had very limited positive effects, which were moderated by history of multiple suicide attempts, and no negative effects. It resulted in more rapid decreases in suicidal ideation (SIQ-JR) for multiple suicide attempters during the initial 6 weeks after hospitalization (small – moderate effect size). For non-multiple attempters, it was associated with greater declines in functional impairment (CAFAS) at 3and 12-months (small effect sizes). YSTII had no effects on suicide attempts, and no enduring effects on SIQ-JR scores.
Functional impact of exercise pulmonary hypertension in patients with borderline resting pulmonary arterial pressure

Borderline resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) is associated with adverse outcomes and affects the exercise pulmonary vascular response. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying exertional intolerance in borderline mPAP remain incompletely characterized. In the current study, we sought to evaluate the prevalence and functional impact of exercise pulmonary hypertension (ePH) across a spectrum of resting mPAP’s in consecutive patients with contemporary resting right heart catheterization (RHC) and invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing. Patients with resting mPAP <25 mmHg and pulmonary arterial wedge pressure ≤15 mmHg (n = 312) were stratified by mPAP < 13, 13–16, 17–20, and 21–24 mmHg. Those with ePH (n = 35) were compared with resting precapillary pulmonary hypertension (rPH; n = 16) and to those with normal hemodynamics (non-PH; n = 224). ePH prevalence was 6%, 8%, and 27% for resting mPAP 13–16, 17–20, and 21–24 mmHg, respectively. Within each of these resting mPAP epochs, ePH negatively impacted exercise capacity compared with non-PH (peak oxygen uptake 70 ± 16% versus 92 ± 19% predicted, P < 0.01; 72 ± 13% versus 86 ± 17% predicted, P < 0.05; and 64 ± 15% versus 82 ± 19% predicted, P < 0.001, respectively). Overall, ePH and rPH had similar functional limitation (peak oxygen uptake 67 ± 15% versus 68 ± 17% predicted, P > 0.05) and similar underlying mechanisms of exercise intolerance compared with non-PH (peak oxygen delivery 1868 ± 599 mL/min versus 1756 ± 720 mL/min versus 2482 ± 875 mL/min, respectively; P < 0.05), associated with chronotropic incompetence, increased right ventricular afterload and signs of right ventricular/pulmonary vascular uncoupling. In conclusion, ePH is most frequently found in borderline mPAP, reducing exercise capacity in a manner similar to rPH. When borderline mPAP is identified at RHC, evaluation of the pulmonary circulation under the stress of exercise is warranted.
Type I Interferon Response Limits Astrovirus Replication and Protects against Increased Barrier Permeability In Vitro and In Vivo

ABSTRACT Little is known about intrinsic epithelial cell responses against astrovirus infection. Here we show that human astrovirus type 1 (HAstV-1) infection induces type I interferon (beta interferon [IFN-β]) production in differentiated Caco2 cells, which not only inhibits viral replication by blocking positive-strand viral RNA and capsid protein synthesis but also protects against HAstV-1-increased barrier permeability. Excitingly, we found similar results in vivo using a murine astrovirus (MuAstV) model, providing new evidence that virus-induced type I IFNs may protect against astrovirus replication and pathogenesis in vivo. IMPORTANCE Human astroviruses are a major cause of pediatric diarrhea, yet little is known about the immune response. Here we show that type I interferon limits astrovirus infection and preserves barrier permeability both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, we characterized a new mouse model for studying astrovirus replication and pathogenesis.