Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Airway inflammation in COPD after long-term withdrawal of inhaled corticosteroids

Long-term treatment with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) might attenuate lung function decline and decrease airway inflammation in a subset of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and discontinuing ICS treatment could result in further lung function decline. We hypothesised that airway inflammation increases after ICS withdrawal following long-term ICS treatment in COPD. In the GLUCOLD-1 study (GL1), 114 patients with moderate-severe COPD were randomised to 6-month or 30-month treatment with fluticasone propionate (500 µg twice daily), 30-month treatment with fluticasone/salmeterol (500/50 µg twice daily) or placebo. During the 5-year follow-up study (GL2), patients were followed prospectively while being treated by their physician. Bronchial biopsies and induced sputum were collected at baseline, at 30 months (end of GL1) and at 7.5 years (end of GL2) to assess inflammatory cell counts. Data were analysed using linear mixed-effects models. In patients using ICS during GL1 and using ICS 0–50% of the time during GL2 (n=61/85), there were significant increases in GL2 bronchial CD3+ (fold change per year calculated as GL2 minus GL1 2.68, 95% CI 1.87–3.84), CD4+ (1.91, 95% CI 1.33–2.75) and CD8+ cells (1.71, 95% CI 1.15–2.53), and mast cells (1.91, 95% CI 1.36–2.68). The sputum total cell counts increased significantly in GL2 (1.90, 95% CI 1.42–2.54), as did counts of macrophages (2.10, 95% CI 1.55–2.86), neutrophils (1.92, 95% CI 1.39–2.65) and lymphocytes (2.01, 95% CI 1.46–2.78). ICS discontinuation increases airway inflammation in patients with moderate-severe COPD, suggesting that the anti-inflammatory effects of ICS in COPD are not maintained after ICS discontinuation. Prolonged ICS withdrawal increases airway inflammation in COPD, thus sustained disease modification is not achieved http://ow.ly/H5vP305CMoT
Conjunction of factors triggering waves of seasonal influenza

Understanding the subtle confluence of factors triggering pan-continental, seasonal epidemics of influenza-like illness is an extremely important problem, with the potential to save tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars every year in the US alone. Beginning with several large, longitudinal datasets on putative factors and clinical data on the disease and health status of over 150 million human subjects observed over a decade, we investigated the source and the mechanistic triggers of epidemics. Our analysis included insurance claims for a significant cross-section of the US population in the past decade, human movement patterns inferred from billions of tweets, whole-US weekly weather data covering the same time span as the medical records, data on vaccination coverage over the same period, and sequence variations of key viral proteins. We also explicitly accounted for the spatio-temporal auto-correlations of infectious waves, and a host of socioeconomic and demographic factors. We carried out multiple orthogonal statistical analyses on these diverse, large geo-temporal datasets to bolster and corroborate our findings. We conclude that the initiation of a pan-continental influenza wave emerges from the simultaneous realization of a complex set of conditions, the strongest predictor groups are as follows, ranked by importance: (1) the host population’s socio- and ethno-demographic properties; (2) weather variables pertaining to relevant area specific humidity, temperature, and solar radiation; (3) the virus’ antigenic drift over time; (4) the host population’s land-based travel habits, and; (5) the spatio-temporal dynamics’ immediate history, as reflected in the influenza wave autocorrelation. The models we infer are demonstrably predictive (area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic curve ≈ 80%) when tested with out-of-sample data, opening the door to the potential formulation of new population-level intervention and mitigation policies.
Adversarial Active Learning for Deep Networks: a Margin Based Approach

We propose a new active learning strategy designed for deep neural networks. The goal is to minimize the number of data annotation queried from an oracle during training. Previous active learning strategies scalable for deep networks were mostly based on uncertain sample selection. In this work, we focus on examples lying close to the decision boundary. Based on theoretical works on margin theory for active learning, we know that such examples may help to considerably decrease the number of annotations. While measuring the exact distance to the decision boundaries is intractable, we propose to rely on adversarial examples. We do not consider anymore them as a threat instead we exploit the information they provide on the distribution of the input space in order to approximate the distance to decision boundaries. We demonstrate empirically that adversarial active queries yield faster convergence of CNNs trained on MNIST, the Shoe-Bag and the Quick-Draw datasets.
The Associations Between Oxytocin and Trauma in Humans: A Systematic Review

Studies have shown that traumatic experiences may affect hormonal systems mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the oxytocinergic system. This effect is the result of long-term impairments in hypothalamic structures and negative feedback mechanisms within the HPA axis, structures that mediate the response to stress. This deregulation reduces the production and release of cortisol and oxytocin (OXT), which may alter stress responses and lead to increased vulnerability to impairments from stressful experiences. The presence of gene polymorphisms might also have an impact on the vulnerability to psychopathology. We made a systematic review of articles dealing with the relationship between OXT and traumatic emotional experiences in humans. Thirty-five studies were reviewed and significant associations between experiences of emotional trauma (ET) and OXT were found. The main results showed that the presence of ET and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is strongly associated with reductions in endogenous OXT, and also that the acute effects of OXT administrations in individuals with ET tend to be anxiolytic only in less severe forms. In victims of recent traumatic experiences (RTE), OXT increased the re-experience of traumas and restored the function of different neural networks associated with fear control/extinction in PTSD patients. The results available also suggest that gene receptor polymorphisms may have a protective function in different outcomes after the experience of traumatic events. We conclude that the relationship between ET and OXT is multifaceted, complex, and mediated by contextual and individual factors. Directions for future studies are suggested considering the gaps in the available literature.
Carbon dioxide toxicity and climate change: a major unapprehended risk for human health .

As atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide continue to escalate and drive climate change, the issue of CO 2 toxicity is not recognised as a global risk. The toxicity of CO 2 for breathing has been well defined for high concentrations but it remains effectively unknown what level will compromise human health when individuals are perpetually exposed for their lifetime. There is evidence from the few studies of long-term low-level exposure that permanent exposure, to CO 2 levels predicted by the end of the century, will have significant effects on humans. Other studies of slightly higher CO 2 levels may offer clues to effects, not yet observed, that may occur when humans experience lifelong exposure. Although humans and animals are able to deal with elevated levels of CO 2 in the short-term due to various compensation mechanisms in the body, the persistent effects of these mechanisms may have severe consequences in a perpetual environment of elevated CO 2 . These include threats to life such as kidney failure, bone atrophy and loss of brain function. Existing research also indicates that as ambient CO 2 increases in the near-future, there will be an associated increase in cancers, neurological disorders and other conditions. Reduced thinking ability and health symptoms have been observed in indoor environments at levels of CO 2 above 600 ppm for relatively short-term exposures. Research is urgently required to clearly identify the severity and proximity of this risk, associated with the primary human function of breathing, being a potential major aspect of climate change.
Fast Morphological Analysis of Czech

Paper presents a new Czech morphological analyser which takes an advantage of Jan Daciuk's algorithms for minimal deterministic acyclic finite state automata. The new analyser is six times faster than the current analyser ajka concerning the proper analysis, i.e. returning possible lemmata and tags for a given word form, but for some other related tasks is the difference even bigger.
Testing the reliability of weak lensing cluster detections

We study the reliability of dark-matter halo detections with three different linear filters applied to weak-lensing data. We use raytracing in the multiple lens-plane approximation through a large cosmological simulation to construct realizations of cosmic lensing by large-scale structures between redshifts zero and two. We apply the filters mentioned above to detect peaks in the weak-lensing signal and compare them with the true population of dark matter halos present in the simulation. We confirm the stability and performance of a filter optimised for suppressing the contamination by large-scale structure. It allows the reliable detection of dark-matter halos �
Bio-based plastics : materials and applications

Bio-based Plastics presents an up-to-date overview of the basic and applied aspects of bioplastics, focusing primarily on thermoplastic polymers for material use. Emphasizing materials currently in use or with significant potential for future applications, this book looks at the most important biopolymer classes such as polysaccharides, lignin, proteins and polyhydroxyalkanoates as raw materials for bio-based plastics, as well as materials derived from bio-based monomers like lipids, poly(lactic acid), polyesters, polyamides and polyolefines. Detailed consideration is also given to the market and availability of renewable raw materials, the importance of biobased content and the aspect of biodegradability.
Post-Transcriptional Control of Tropoelastin in Aortic Smooth Muscle Cells Affects Aortic Dissection Onset

Aortic dissection (AD) is a catastrophic disease with high mortality and morbidity, characterized with fragmentation of elastin and loss of smooth muscle cells. Although AD has been largely attributable to polymorphisms defect in the elastin-coding gene, tropoelastin (TE), other undermined factors also appear to play roles in AD onset. Here, we investigated the effects of post-transcriptional control of TE by microRNAs (miRNAs) on elastin levels in aortic smooth muscle cells (ASMC). We found that miR-144-3p is a miRNA that targets TE mRNA in both human and mouse. Bioinformatics analyses and dual luciferase reporter assay showed that miR-144-3p inhibited protein translation of TE, through binding to the 3′-UTR of the TE mRNA. Interestingly, higher miR-144-3p levels and lower TE were detected in the ASMC obtained from AD patients, compared to those from non-AD controls. In a mouse model for human AD, infusion of adeno-associated viruses (serotype 6) carrying antisense for miR-144-3p (as-miR-144-3p) under CAG promoter significantly reduced the incidence and severity of AD, seemingly through enhancement of TE levels in ASMC. Thus, our data suggest an essential role of miR-144-3p on the pathogenesis of AD.
The Vagus Nerve at the Interface of the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis

The microbiota, the gut, and the brain communicate through the microbiota-gut-brain axis in a bidirectional way that involves the autonomic nervous system. The vagus nerve (VN), the principal component of the parasympathetic nervous system, is a mixed nerve composed of 80% afferent and 20% efferent fibers. The VN, because of its role in interoceptive awareness, is able to sense the microbiota metabolites through its afferents, to transfer this gut information to the central nervous system where it is integrated in the central autonomic network, and then to generate an adapted or inappropriate response. A cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway has been described through VN's fibers, which is able to dampen peripheral inflammation and to decrease intestinal permeability, thus very probably modulating microbiota composition. Stress inhibits the VN and has deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal tract and on the microbiota, and is involved in the pathophysiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) which are both characterized by a dysbiosis. A low vagal tone has been described in IBD and IBS patients thus favoring peripheral inflammation. Targeting the VN, for example through VN stimulation which has anti-inflammatory properties, would be of interest to restore homeostasis in the microbiota-gut-brain axis.
The Hispanic Paradox: Socioeconomic Factors and Race/Ethnicity in Breastfeeding Outcomes.

BACKGROUND Breastfeeding has multiple benefits for both mother and infant. Previous studies have shown that Hispanic/Latina women have higher rates of breastfeeding and better health outcomes than non-Hispanic black (NHB) women of similar socioeconomic status. Our primary objective was to explore the association of race/ethnicity with breastfeeding rates and the impact of socioeconomic factors on initiation and continuation of breastfeeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed a hypothesis-generating secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of perinatal mental health in a diverse sample of 213 mothers. Twenty-eight participants self-identified as non-Hispanic white, 43 as NHB, and 142 as Hispanic/Latina. We examined bivariate relationships and performed logistic regression analysis for a series of maternal, infant, and psychosocial factors to examine their individual effect on the breastfeeding and race/ethnicity relationship odds ratio (OR). RESULTS Hispanic/Latina women were more likely to initiate exclusive breastfeeding at delivery compared with NHB women (OR 2.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.2-4.9, p = 0.01). Adjustment for maternal, infant, and psychosocial factors measured did not statistically significantly attenuate the OR for initiation of breastfeeding between NHB and Hispanic/Latina women. Women with a history of sexual abuse were also more likely to initiate exclusive breastfeeding (67%) compared with women without a sexual abuse history (54%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS In this low socioeconomic status cohort study, Hispanic/Latina women had higher proportions of any amount of breastfeeding compared with their NHB counterparts. This difference was not attenuated by any of the maternal, infant, or psychosocial factors examined, although our secondary analysis of this prospective cohort was limited by the available covariates in the parent study.
Regulation of Effector Delivery by Type III Secretion Chaperone Proteins in Erwinia amylovora

Type III secretion (TTS) chaperones are critical for the delivery of many effector proteins from Gram-negative bacterial pathogens into host cells, functioning in the stabilization and hierarchical delivery of the effectors to the type III secretion system (TTSS). The plant pathogen Erwinia amylovora secretes at least four TTS effector proteins: DspE, Eop1, Eop3, and Eop4. DspE specifically interacts with the TTS chaperone protein DspF, which stabilizes the effector protein in the cytoplasm and promotes its efficient translocation through the TTSS. However, the role of E. amylovora chaperones in regulating the delivery of other secreted effectors is unknown. In this study, we identified functional interactions between the effector proteins DspE, Eop1, and Eop3 with the TTS chaperones DspF, Esc1 and Esc3 in yeast. Using site-directed mutagenesis, secretion, and translocation assays, we demonstrated that the three TTS chaperones have additive roles for the secretion and translocation of DspE into plant cells whereas DspF negatively affects the translocation of Eop1 and Eop3. Collectively, these results indicate that TTS chaperone proteins exhibit a cooperative behavior to orchestrate the effector secretion and translocation dynamics in E. amylovora.
Epidemiology, Prognosis and Prevention of Non-Traumatic Intracerebral Hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND Spontaneous non-traumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) has a worse prognosis than ischemic stroke. The purpose of this review was to update the reader on epidemiology, prognosis and secondary prevention strategies of ICH. METHODS We performed a selected review from the literature including recent original articles and meta-analyses. RESULTS ICH has an overall incidence of 24.6 per 100.000 patient years, which is considerably higher in Asian populations. Despite some progress in acute interventions and a great increase in clinical studies over the last decade, mortality of ICH remains high. In addition, survivors remain at increased risk of recurrent hemorrhagic as well as ischemic stroke. CONCLUSION Knowledge on risk factors and prevention strategies can greatly decrease the incidence of ICH and improve prognosis of ICH survivors.
Multirate Sampling Method for Acceleration Control System

This paper focuses on the realization of high-performance motion control based on acceleration control. A disturbance observer is used to construct an acceleration control system. A high sampling frequency is known to be effective for improving the performance. Characteristics of acceleration control are investigated to discuss the relationship between the performance and a sampling frequency of the system. The needs for a high sampling frequency for an output are then described. Based on these considerations, a novel multirate sampling method for the acceleration control system is proposed. An output sampling period is set shorter than an input sampling period, and control calculation is executed at each output sampling period in the method. The disturbance observer is redesigned for application to the multirate system. Stability analysis is performed to verify the validity of the proposal. Feasibility of the proposed method and its influence on the performance are also verified by experimental results
A qualitative comparison of DSM depression criteria to language used by older church-going African-Americans*

ABSTRACT Objective: Depression in late life is associated with substantial suffering, disability, suicide risk, and decreased health-related quality of life. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), a depression diagnosis is derived from a constellation of symptoms that may be described differently by different people. For example, the DSM language may be inadequate in capturing these symptoms in certain populations such as African-Americans, whose rates of depression misdiagnosis is high. Methods: This study reports the findings from a church-based, qualitative study with older African-Americans (n = 50) regarding the language they use when discussing depression and depression treatment, and how this compares to the DSM-IV depression criteria. Content analyses of the in-depth discussions with African-American male and female focus group participants resulted in a deeper understanding of the language they used to describe depression. This language was then mapped onto the DSM-IV depression criteria. Results: While some words used by the focus group participants mapped well onto the DSM-IV criteria, some of the language did not map well, such as language describing irritability, negative thought processes, hopelessness, loneliness, loss of control, helplessness, and social isolation. Conclusions: The focus group setting provided insight to the language used by older, church-going African-Americans to describe depression. Implications include the advantages of using qualitative data to help inform clinical encounters with older African-Americans.
Cardiac Glycoside Glucoevatromonoside Induces Cancer Type-Specific Cell Death

Cardiac glycosides (CGs) are natural compounds used traditionally to treat congestive heart diseases. Recent investigations repositioned CGs as potential anticancer agents. To discover novel cytotoxic CG scaffolds, we selected the cardenolide glucoevatromonoside (GEV) out of 46 CGs for its low nanomolar anti-lung cancer activity. GEV presented reduced toxicity toward non-cancerous cell types (lung MRC-5 and PBMC) and high-affinity binding to the Na+/K+-ATPase α subunit, assessed by computational docking. GEV-induced cell death was caspase-independent, as investigated by a multiparametric approach, and culminates in severe morphological alterations in A549 cells, monitored by transmission electron microscopy, live cell imaging and flow cytometry. This non-canonical cell death was not preceded or accompanied by exacerbation of autophagy. In the presence of GEV, markers of autophagic flux (e.g. LC3I-II conversion) were impacted, even in presence of bafilomycin A1. Cell death induction remained unaffected by calpain, cathepsin, parthanatos, or necroptosis inhibitors. Interestingly, GEV triggered caspase-dependent apoptosis in U937 acute myeloid leukemia cells, witnessing cancer-type specific cell death induction. Differential cell cycle modulation by this CG led to a G2/M arrest, cyclin B1 and p53 downregulation in A549, but not in U937 cells. We further extended the anti-cancer potential of GEV to 3D cell culture using clonogenic and spheroid formation assays and validated our findings in vivo by zebrafish xenografts. Altogether, GEV shows an interesting anticancer profile with the ability to exert cytotoxic effects via induction of different cell death modalities.
The N-terminal domain of a tick evasin is critical for chemokine binding and neutralization and confers specific binding activity to other evasins

Tick chemokine-binding proteins (evasins) are an emerging class of biologicals that target multiple chemokines and show anti-inflammatory activities in preclinical disease models. Using yeast surface display, we identified a CCL8-binding evasin, P672, from the tick Rhipicephalus pulchellus. We found that P672 binds CCL8 and eight other CC-class chemokines with a Kd < 10 nm and four other CC chemokines with a Kd between 10 and 100 nm and neutralizes CCL3, CCL3L1, and CCL8 with an IC50 < 10 nm. The CC chemokine–binding profile was distinct from that of evasin 1 (EVA1), which does not bind CCL8. We also show that P672's binding activity can be markedly modulated by the location of a StrepII-His purification tag. Combining native MS and bottom-up proteomics, we further demonstrated that P672 is glycosylated and forms a 1:1 complex with CCL8, disrupting CCL8 homodimerization. Homology modeling of P672 using the crystal structure of the EVA1 and CCL3 complex as template suggested that 44 N-terminal residues of P672 form most of the contacts with CCL8. Replacing the 29 N-terminal residues of EVA1 with the 44 N-terminal residues of P672 enabled this hybrid evasin to bind and neutralize CCL8, indicating that the CCL8-binding properties of P672 reside, in part, in its N-terminal residues. This study shows that the function of certain tick evasins can be manipulated simply by adding a tag. We conclude that homology modeling helps identify regions with transportable chemokine-binding functions within evasins, which can be used to construct hybrid evasins with altered properties.