Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Connection of the Posterior Occipital Muscle and Dura Mater of the Siamese Crocodile

The myodural bridge was proposed initially in 1995. The myodural bridge is a connective tissue bridge that connects a pair of deep muscles at the suboccipital region to the dura mater. There have been numerous studies concerning the morphology and function of the myodural bridge. To determine whether a myodural bridge exists in reptiles, six Siamese crocodiles were investigated using gross anatomy dissection and P45 sheet plastination technologies. As a result, we demonstrated that the posterior occipital muscles of the Siamese crocodile are directly or indirectly connected to the proatlas, atlas, and intermembrane between them. Multiple trabeculae existing in the posterior epidural space extended from the ventral surface of the proatlas, atlas, and intermembrane between them to the dorsal surface of the spinal dura mater. This study showed that the posterior occipital muscle in the suboccipital region of the Siamese crocodile is connected to the spinal dura mater through the proatlas, atlas, and the trabeculae. In conclusion, a myodural bridge‐like structure exists in reptiles. This connection may act as a pump to provide cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation at the occipitocervical junction. We hypothesize that a physiologic role of the Siamese crocodile's myodural bridge may be analogous to the human myodural bridge. Anat Rec, 299:1402–1408, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
ABC‐transporters are localized in caveolin‐1‐positive and reggie‐1‐negative and reggie‐2‐negative microdomains of the canalicular membrane in rat hepatocytes

The canalicular plasma membrane is constantly exposed to bile acids acting as detergents. Bile acids are essential to mediate release of biliary lipids from the canalicular membrane. Membrane microdomains (previously called lipid rafts) are biochemically defined by their resistance to detergent solubilization at cold temperature. We aimed to investigate the canalicular plasma membrane for the presence of microdomains, which could protect this membrane against the detergent action of bile acids. Highly purified rat liver canalicular plasma membrane vesicles were extracted with 1% Triton X‐100 or 1% Lubrol WX at 4°C and subjected to flotation through sucrose step gradients. Both detergents yielded detergent‐resistant membranes containing the microdomain markers alkaline phosphatase and sphingomyelin. However, cholesterol was resistant to Lubrol WX solubilization, whereas it was only marginally resistant to solubilization by Triton X‐100. The microdomain marker caveolin‐1 was localized to the canalicular plasma membrane domain and was resistant to Lubrol WX, but to a large extent solubilized by Triton X‐100. The two additional microdomain markers, reggie‐1 and reggie‐2, were localized to the basolateral and canalicular plasma membrane and were partially resistant to Lubrol WX but resistant to Triton X‐100. The canalicular transporters bile salt export pump, multidrug resistance protein 2, multidrug resistance‐associated protein 2, and Abcg5 were largely resistant to Lubrol WX but were solubilized by Triton X‐100. Conclusion: These results indicate the presence of two different types of microdomains in the canalicular plasma membrane: “Lubrol‐microdomains” and “Triton‐microdomains”. “Lubrol‐microdomains” contain the machinery for canalicular bile formation and may be the starting place for canalicular lipid secretion. (HEPATOLOGY 2009.)
Whole‐exome sequencing and targeted gene sequencing provide insights into the role of PALB2 as a male breast cancer susceptibility gene

Male breast cancer (MBC) is a rare disease whose etiology appears to be largely associated with genetic factors. BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations account for about 10% of all MBC cases. Thus, a fraction of MBC cases are expected to be due to genetic factors not yet identified. To further explain the genetic susceptibility for MBC, whole‐exome sequencing (WES) and targeted gene sequencing were applied to high‐risk, BRCA1/2 mutation–negative MBC cases.
Spore Loads may not be used alone as a Direct Indicator of the Severity of Nosema ceranae Infection in Honey Bees Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera:Apidae)

ABSTRACT Nosema ceranae Fries et al., 1996, a microsporidian parasite recently transferred from Asian honey bees Apis cerana F. , 1793, to European honey bees Apis mellifera L. , 1758, has been suspected as one of the major culprits of the worldwide honey bee colony losses. Spore load is a commonly used criterion to describe the intensity of Nosema infection. In this study, by providing Nosema-infected bees with sterilized pollen, we confirmed that pollen feeding increased the spore loads of honey bees by several times either in the presence or absence of a queen. By changing the amount of pollen consumed by bees in cages, we showed that spore loads increased with an increase in pollen consumption. Nosema infections decrease honey bee longevity and transcription of vitellogenin, either with or without pollen feeding. However, the reduction of pollen consumption had a greater impact on honey bee longevity and vitellogenin level than the increase of spore counts caused by pollen feeding. These results indicate that spore loads may not be used alone as a direct indicator of the severity of N. ceranae infection in honey bees.
Sensitive and Specific Target Sequences Selected from Retrotransposons of Schistosoma japonicum for the Diagnosis of Schistosomiasis

Background Schistosomiasis japonica is a serious debilitating and sometimes fatal disease. Accurate diagnostic tests play a key role in patient management and control of the disease. However, currently available diagnostic methods are not ideal, and the detection of the parasite DNA in blood samples has turned out to be one of the most promising tools for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis. In our previous investigations, a 230-bp sequence from the highly repetitive retrotransposon SjR2 was identified and it showed high sensitivity and specificity for detecting Schistosoma japonicum DNA in the sera of rabbit model and patients. Recently, 29 retrotransposons were found in S. japonicum genome by our group. The present study highlighted the key factors for selecting a new perspective sensitive target DNA sequence for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis, which can serve as example for other parasitic pathogens. Methodology/Principal Findings In this study, we demonstrated that the key factors based on the bioinformatic analysis for selecting target sequence are the higher genome proportion, repetitive complete copies and partial copies, and active ESTs than the others in the chromosome genome. New primers based on 25 novel retrotransposons and SjR2 were designed and their sensitivity and specificity for detecting S. japonicum DNA were compared. The results showed that a new 303-bp sequence from non-long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon (SjCHGCS19) had high sensitivity and specificity. The 303-bp target sequence was amplified from the sera of rabbit model at 3 d post-infection by nested-PCR and it became negative at 17 weeks post-treatment. Furthermore, the percentage sensitivity of the nested-PCR was 97.67% in 43 serum samples of S. japonicum-infected patients. Conclusions/Significance Our findings highlighted the key factors based on the bioinformatic analysis for selecting target sequence from S. japonicum genome, which provide basis for establishing powerful molecular diagnostic techniques that can be used for monitoring early infection and therapy efficacy to support schistosomiasis control programs.
Reinforcement Learning Explains Conditional Cooperation and Its Moody Cousin

Direct reciprocity, or repeated interaction, is a main mechanism to sustain cooperation under social dilemmas involving two individuals. For larger groups and networks, which are probably more relevant to understanding and engineering our society, experiments employing repeated multiplayer social dilemma games have suggested that humans often show conditional cooperation behavior and its moody variant. Mechanisms underlying these behaviors largely remain unclear. Here we provide a proximate account for this behavior by showing that individuals adopting a type of reinforcement learning, called aspiration learning, phenomenologically behave as conditional cooperator. By definition, individuals are satisfied if and only if the obtained payoff is larger than a fixed aspiration level. They reinforce actions that have resulted in satisfactory outcomes and anti-reinforce those yielding unsatisfactory outcomes. The results obtained in the present study are general in that they explain extant experimental results obtained for both so-called moody and non-moody conditional cooperation, prisoner’s dilemma and public goods games, and well-mixed groups and networks. Different from the previous theory, individuals are assumed to have no access to information about what other individuals are doing such that they cannot explicitly use conditional cooperation rules. In this sense, myopic aspiration learning in which the unconditional propensity of cooperation is modulated in every discrete time step explains conditional behavior of humans. Aspiration learners showing (moody) conditional cooperation obeyed a noisy GRIM-like strategy. This is different from the Pavlov, a reinforcement learning strategy promoting mutual cooperation in two-player situations.
Implementation of Preexposure Prophylaxis for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Prevention Among Men Who Have Sex With Men at a New England Sexually Transmitted Diseases Clinic

Background Preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is efficacious in preventing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) among men who have sex with men (MSM). We assessed PrEP uptake among MSM presenting for services at a sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinic. Methods Men who have sex with men presenting to the Rhode Island STD Clinic between October 2013 and November 2014 were educated about, and offered, PrEP. We categorized PrEP engagement using an implementation cascade to describe gaps in uptake which described MSM who: (1) were educated about PrEP, (2) indicated interest, (3) successfully received follow-up contact, (4) scheduled an appointment, (5) attended an appointment, and (6) initiated PrEP (ie, received a prescription). Bivariate and multivariable logistic regression models were used to examine predictors of PrEP initiation. Results A total of 234 MSM were educated about PrEP; of these, 56% expressed interest. Common reasons for lack of interest were low HIV risk perception (37%), wanting more time to consider (10%), concern about side effects (7%), and financial barriers (3%). Among those interested, 53% followed up. Of those, 51% scheduled an appointment. The most common reason patients did not schedule an appointment was low HIV risk perception (38%). Seventy-seven percent of those with an appointment attended the appointment; of those, 93% initiated PrEP. Patients with higher HIV-risk perception (adjusted odds ratios, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.29–3.64) and a history of sex with an HIV-positive partner (adjusted odds ratios, 7.08; 95% confidence interval, 2.35–21.34) had significantly higher odds of initiating PrEP. Conclusions Low HIV-risk perception was the most significant barrier to PrEP uptake among MSM attending a public STD clinic.
The most luminous H α emitters at z ˜ 0.8-2.23 from HiZELS: evolution of AGN and star-forming galaxies

We use new near-infrared spectroscopic observations to investigate the nature and evolution of the most luminous H\alpha (Ha) emitters at z~0.8-2.23, which evolve strongly in number density over this period, and compare them to more typical Ha emitters. We study 59 luminous Ha emitters with $L_{H\alpha}>L_{H\alpha}^*$, roughly equally split per redshift slice at z~0.8, 1.47 and 2.23 from the HiZELS and CF-HiZELS surveys. We find that, overall, 30$\pm$8% are AGN (80$\pm$30% of these AGN are broad-line AGN, BL-AGN), and we find little to no evolution in the AGN fraction with redshift, within the errors. However, the AGN fraction increases strongly with Ha luminosity and correlates best with $L_{H\alpha}/L_{H\alpha}^*(z)$. While $L_{H\alpha} 80%), the most luminous Ha emitters ($L_{H\alpha}>10L_{H\alpha}^*(z)$) at any cosmic time are essentially all BL-AGN. Using our AGN-decontaminated sample of luminous star-forming galaxies, and integrating down to a fixed Ha luminosity, we find a factor of ~1300x evolution in the star formation rate density from z=0 to z=2.23. This is much stronger than the evolution from typical Ha star-forming galaxies and in line with the evolution seen for constant luminosity cuts used to select "Ultra-Luminous" Infrared Galaxies and/or sub-millimetre galaxies. By taking into account the evolution in the typical Ha luminosity, we show that the most strongly star-forming Ha-selected galaxies at any epoch ($L_{H\alpha}>L^*_{H\alpha}(z)$) contribute the same fractional amount of ~15% to the total star-formation rate density, at least up to z=2.23.
Destructive disinfection of infected brood prevents systemic disease spread in ant colonies

Social insects colonies protect themselves against pathogens by collectively performing disease defences that result in social immunity. As a first barrier to disease, sanitary care between nestmates reduces individual-level exposure and infection. However, if a pathogen overcomes these defences, social insects should have evolved mechanisms to prevent individual infections causing systemic disease spread in the colony. In this study, we investigated how ants prevent disease outbreaks following the successful infection of their brood with a fungal pathogen. We found that the ants can detect lethal infections early in the non-infectious incubation period of the pathogen’s lifecycle, using chemical ‘sickness cues’ expressed by the infected pupae. Following detection, the pupae are unpacked from their cocoons by the ants and bitten to make perforations in the cuticle, through which the ants spray their antimicrobial poison. Since the cocoon and cuticle act as barriers against the poison, this multicomponent behaviour permits the ants to use their poison for internal disinfection of the pupal body, where it can act directly against the proliferating pathogen. We termed this mechanism destructive disinfection as it killed the pupae and prevented pathogen replication. Ultimately, the ants stopped the pathogen from completing its lifecycle and transmitting to new hosts. Thus, destructive disinfection acts as a second line of defence against disease in ant colonies and is analogous to the elimination of infected cells by adaptive immune systems. Our results therefore suggest that pathogen-induced selection can result in similar solutions to common problems across the different levels of biological organisation.
Lead Affects Vitamin D Metabolism in Rats

A negative association between blood lead and vitamin D concentrations has been reported, however, experimental data on the effect of lead (Pb) on vitamin D metabolism is scarce. We investigated the effects of Pb on serum vitamin D metabolites, vitamin D activating enzymes and vitamin D receptor (VDR) in rats. Newborn Wistar rat pups were exposed to 0.2% Pb-acetate via their dams’ drinking water from post-natal day (PND) 1 to 21 and directly in drinking water until PND30. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was analyzed with LC-MS/MS and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D with an immunoassay. Tissue expression of vitamin D activating enzymes and VDR were measured by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was significantly decreased at both PND21 and PND30, whereas 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D was decreased (p < 0.05) only at PND21 in the Pb-exposed rats. Expression of renal 1-α-hydroxylase was decreased by Pb only at PND21 (p < 0.05) but the brain 1-α-hydroxylase was not affected. Hepatic 25-hydroxylase expression was significantly decreased at PND21 but significantly increased at PND30 by Pb exposure. VDR expression in the brain was increased at both PND21 and PND30 (p < 0.05). These results suggest that Pb interferes with vitamin D metabolism by affecting the expression of its metabolizing enzymes.
Evaluation of immunogenicity and safety of VARIVAX™ New Seed Process (NSP) in children

ABSTRACT Prior to availability of an effective vaccine, an estimated 4 million cases of varicella occurred annually in the United States, resulting in 10,000 hospitalizations and over 100 deaths. With the increased usage of a two-dose varicella vaccine (as recommended by the ACIP), approval of other VZV-containing products and the adoption of varicella vaccination in additional countries, the demand for VZV-containing vaccines has increased. This study (NCT02062502) evaluated the safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity of VARIVAX™ (VAR, varicella vaccine live) manufactured using a new seed manufacturing process (VARNSP) compared to the currently licensed VAR. Healthy children 12–23 months were randomized (1:1) into Group 1 (2 doses of VARNSP given concomitantly with M-M-R™ II, ∼3 months apart) versus Group 2 (2 doses of VAR given concomitantly with M-M-R™ II, ∼3 months apart). Serum samples collected prior to vaccination on Day 1 and 6 weeks Postdose 1 were tested for antibody to VZV using a glycoprotein enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (gpELISA). Safety was assessed Days 1 to 42 following each vaccination. Six weeks Postdose 1, the response rate (percent of subjects with VZV antibody titer ≥5 gpELISA units/mL) of VARNSP was non-inferior compared to VAR. Vaccine-related adverse events (AEs) were comparable with the exception of measles-like rash, where a greater number of rashes were observed with VAR than VARNSP. The 2 vaccination groups were comparable with incidence rates of AEs, injection-site AEs, vaccine-related AEs, systemic AEs, and serious AEs. This new process is an important innovation for the extreme demand of sustaining sufficient supplies of varicella vaccine to protect our communities against diseases caused by VZV.
Activity gains after upper limb surgery for spasticity in patients with spinal cord injury

Spasticity is a common and increasingly prevalent secondary complication of spinal cord injury. The aim of the study was to evaluate patient-experienced gains in prioritized activities after surgery to reduce the effects of spasticity in upper limbs in tetraplegia. The study includes evaluation of 30 operations for 27 patients performed on hypertonic tetraplegic hands during 2007–2015 using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure. Activity performance increased at both 6 months and 12 months by a mean of 3.0 and 2.9 points, respectively. Satisfaction increased by 3.3 and 3.4, respectively. All types of activities improved, with wheelchair manoeuvring as one of the highest rated. The intervention increased prioritized activity performance and persisted at least 12 months after surgery. Patients with mild upper limb impairment showed greater improvement after surgery. After operation, patients were able to perform 71% of their prioritized activities, which they could not perform before. Patients’ satisfaction with the performance was high. Level of evidence: IV
Thyroid function in Exhaustion Disorder: Higher prevalence of subclinical hypothyroidism

1 CONTENTS . 3 BACKGROUND . 5 Exhaustion Disorder . 5 Thyroid function . 6 Thyroid Disease. 7 Hypothyroidism . 7 Hyperthyroidism . 8 Thyroid function in depression and anxiety. 9 Stress and the thyroid. 10 Life events and thyroid disease . 11 Job strain and thyroid function . 12 Stress-related illness and thyroid function . 12 Aim . 13 METHODS . 14 Subjects . 14 Blood samples and Biochemical analyses . 16 Ethics Statement . 16 Statistical Analysis . 16 RESULTS . 18
Trauma and Endothelial Glycocalyx: The Microcirculation Helmet?

ABSTRACT Trauma represents a remarkable social and economical burden, being a leading cause of death and morbidity in the young population. The Endothelial Glycocalyx (EG) is a web of membrane bound to the luminal side of the blood vessels endothelium. Its role includes maintenance of the vascular permeability barrier and mediation of shear response. The contribution of the EG to a number of clinical conditions, sepsis, and ischemia/reperfusion injury among others has been well studied. With this review we initially explore the role of the EG in the microcirculatory dysfunction associated with trauma. Subsequently, we investigate the impact of fluid administration on the EG, including its potential of protecting the microcirculation from the detrimental effects of trauma. Particular emphasis is reserved to the role of inflammatory modulation and sensible fluid resuscitation.
Insight from Frogs: Sonic Hedgehog Gene Expression and a Re‐evaluation of the Vertebrate Odontogenic Band

While the identification of conserved processes across multiple taxa leads to an understanding of fundamental developmental mechanisms, the ways in which different animals fail to conform to common developmental processes can elucidate how evolution modifies development to result in the vast array of morphologies seen today—the developmental mechanisms that lead to anatomical variation. Odontogenesis—how teeth are initiated and formed—is well suited to the examination of both developmental conservation and phenotypic diversity. We suggest here that the study of early tooth development, the period of odontogenic band development, reveals departures from conserved mechanisms that question the role of players in the developmental process. In the earliest stages of odontogenesis, Sonic hedgehog (Shh) gene expression is interpreted as critical evidence of tooth initiation prior to any histological indication. However, a detailed examination of studies of tooth development across a wide range of taxa reveals that several vertebrate species fail to conform to the expectations of the Shh Consensus Model, calling for a reconsideration of the assumed causality of epithelial Shh in tooth initiation. We present new Shh gene expression data for an amphibian, the frog Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis. In these animals, craniofacial and odontogenic developmental processes are more disjunct, and thereby provide a natural test of the hypothesis that Shh is immediately required for subsequent tooth development. Our results suggest that Shh expression may actually be related to the formation of the mouth rather than a required precursor to subsequent tooth formation. Anat Rec, 299:1099–1109, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Diversity-Driven Exploration Strategy for Deep Reinforcement Learning

Efficient exploration remains a challenging research problem in reinforcement learning, especially when an environment contains large state spaces, deceptive local optima, or sparse rewards. To tackle this problem, we present a diversity-driven approach for exploration, which can be easily combined with both off- and on-policy reinforcement learning algorithms. We show that by simply adding a distance measure to the loss function, the proposed methodology significantly enhances an agent's exploratory behaviors, and thus preventing the policy from being trapped in local optima. We further propose an adaptive scaling method for stabilizing the learning process. Our experimental results in Atari 2600 show that our method outperforms baseline approaches in several tasks in terms of mean scores and exploration efficiency.