Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Acute Stress Model in New Zealand White Rabbits Exhibits Altered Immune Response to Infection with West Nile Virus

The immune competence of an individual is a major determinant of morbidity in West Nile virus (WNV)-infection. Previously, we showed that immunocompetent New Zealand White rabbits (NZWRs; Oryctolagus cuniculus) are phenotypically resistant to WNV-induced disease, thus presenting a suitable model for study of virus-control mechanisms. The current study used corticosteroid-treated NZWRs to model acute “stress”-related immunosuppression. Maximal effects on immune parameters were observed on day 3 post dexamethasone-treatment (pdt). However, contrary to our hypothesis, intradermal WNV challenge at this time pdt produced significantly lower viremia 1 day post-infection (dpi) compared to untreated controls, suggestive of changes to antiviral control mechanisms. To examine this further, RNAseq was performed on RNA extracted from draining lymph node—the first site of virus replication and immune detection. Unaffected by dexamethasone-treatment, an early antiviral response, primarily via interferon (IFN)-I, and induction of a range of known and novel IFN-stimulated genes, was observed. However, treatment was associated with expression of a different repertoire of IFN-α-21-like and IFN-ω-1-like subtypes on 1 dpi, which may have driven the different chemokine response on 3 dpi. Ongoing expression of Toll-like receptor-3 and transmembrane protein-173/STING likely contributed to signaling of the treatment-independent IFN-I response. Two novel genes (putative HERC6 and IFIT1B genes), and the SLC16A5 gene were also highlighted as important component of the transcriptomic response. Therefore, the current study shows that rabbits are capable of restricting WNV replication and dissemination by known and novel robust antiviral mechanisms despite environmental challenges such as stress.
Zygosaccharomyces rouxii Combats Salt Stress by Maintaining Cell Membrane Structure and Functionality

Zygosaccharomyces rouxii is an important yeast that is required in the food fermentation process due to its high salt tolerance. In this study, the responses and resistance strategies of Z. rouxii against salt stress were investigated by performing physiological analysis at membrane level. The results showed that under salt stress, cell integrity was destroyed, and the cell wall was ruptured, which was accompanied by intracellular substance spillover. With an increase of salt concentrations, intracellular Na+ content increased slightly, whereas intracellular K+ content decreased significantly, which caused the increase of the intracellular Na+/K+ ratio. In addition, in response to salt stress, the activity of Na+/K+-ATPase increased from 0.54 to 2.14 μmol/mg protein, and the ergosterol content increased to 2.42-fold to maintain membrane stability. Analysis of cell membrane fluidity and fatty acid composition showed that cell membrane fluidity decreased and unsaturated fatty acid proportions increased, leading to a 101.21% rise in the unsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio. The results presented in this study offer guidance in understanding the salt tolerance mechanism of Z. rouxii, and in developing new strategies to increase the industrial utilization of this species under salt stress.
The Presence of Toxocara Eggs on Dog’s Fur as Potential Zoonotic Risk in Animal-Assisted Interventions: A Systematic Review

Simple Summary Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) represent an opportunity for the well-being and health of people, but it is necessary that the animals involved in these interventions are subjected to very thorough health checks in order to avoid the potential risk of zoonoses transmission. Dogs are the main animal species involved in AAIs and may represent a potential reservoir of zoonotic agents (e.g., bacteria, parasites, fungi). Some scientific contributions have been published regarding healthcare checks and related hygiene measures for dogs involved in these interventions, but no attention has been paid to the presence of Toxocara eggs on the fur. Thus, a systematic review was carried out to address this topic. Although the infection of humans through the transmission of Toxocara eggs after direct contact with dogs must be critically challenged, we suggest including the examination of fur during a complete parasitological screening of dogs involved in AAIs in order to exclude hair coat contamination with zoonotic helminth eggs. Moreover, it is important to also monitor the behaviors of dogs that can increase the risk of contamination from the environment (e.g., roll on grass and feces of other dogs or cats) as well as the life habits of dogs (e.g., outdoor or indoor). Abstract Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) usually contribute to the well-being and health of users/patients, but it is essential that the animals involved in these activities do not represent a source of zoonoses. This systematic review focused on the evaluation of the potential risk of the transmission of Toxocara by dogs’ fur, considering their involvement as the main animal species in AAIs. Three databases were considered: MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science, and the PRISMA guidelines were used. Out of 162 articles found, 14 papers were identified as eligible for inclusion in the review. Although the findings were very heterogeneous, they showed that regular parasitological surveillance to plan effective control programs is strongly needed to guarantee the health of pets and consequently the public health, according to the concept of One Health. Since AAIs involve patients and/or users potentially susceptible, it is very important to appropriately treat dogs enrolled in these interventions after an accurate diagnosis of parasitic zoonoses.
Transparent ZnO Thin-Film Deposition by Spray Pyrolysis for High-Performance Metal-Oxide Field-Effect Transistors

Solution-based metal oxide semiconductors (MOSs) have emerged, with their potential for low-cost and low-temperature processability preserving their intrinsic properties of high optical transparency and high carrier mobility. In particular, MOS field-effect transistors (FETs) using the spray pyrolysis technique have drawn huge attention with the electrical performances compatible with those of vacuum-based FETs. However, further intensive investigations are still desirable, associated with the processing optimization and operational instabilities when compared to other methodologies for depositing thin-film semiconductors. Here, we demonstrate high-performing transparent ZnO FETs using the spray pyrolysis technique, exhibiting a field-effect mobility of ~14.7 cm2 V−1 s−1, an on/off ratio of ~109, and an SS of ~0.49 V/decade. We examine the optical and electrical characteristics of the prepared ZnO films formed by spray pyrolysis via various analysis techniques. The influence of spray process conditions was also studied for realizing high quality ZnO films. Furthermore, we measure and analyze time dependence of the threshold voltage (Vth) shifts and their recovery behaviors under prolonged positive and negative gate bias, which were expected to be attributed to defect creation and charge trapping at or near the interface between channel and insulator, respectively.
Regression‐based machine‐learning approaches to predict task activation using resting‐state fMRI

Resting‐state fMRI has shown the ability to predict task activation on an individual basis by using a general linear model (GLM) to map resting‐state network features to activation z‐scores. The question remains whether the relatively simplistic GLM is the best approach to accomplish this prediction. In this study, several regression‐based machine‐learning approaches were compared, including GLMs, feed‐forward neural networks, and random forest bootstrap aggregation (bagging). Resting‐state and task data from 350 Human Connectome Project subjects were analyzed. First, the effect of the number of training subjects on the prediction accuracy was evaluated. In addition, the prediction accuracy and Dice coefficient were compared across models. Prediction accuracy increased with the training number up to 200 subjects; however, an elbow in the prediction curve occurred around 30–40 training subjects. All models performed well with correlation matrices, which displayed correlation between actual and predicted task activation for all subjects, exhibiting a strong diagonal trend for all tasks. Overall, the neural network and random forest bagging techniques outperformed the GLM. These approaches, however, require additional computing power and processing time. These results show that, while the GLM performs well, resting‐state fMRI prediction of task activation could benefit from more complex machine learning approaches.
Parental Approach to the Management of Childhood Fever: Differences between Health Professional and Non-Health Professional Parents

Fever is responsible for 30% of pediatric consultations at primary care services. The aim of this study was to explore the parental approach to fever in children aged between 0 and 12 years old by both health professional and non-health professional parents. A qualitative study based on grounded theory was performed. Focus groups were conducted, segmented by sex, place of residence, and healthcare training, using a triangulated sample (theoretical and snowball sampling) of parents of children aged between 0 and 12 years who were treated for fever at primary care emergency services. The constant comparative method and a process of coding was used for the analysis. The study findings reveal that the health training of parents, their former experience, family pressures, the age of the child, and the parents’ work outside the home, all influenced how they approached fever management. These findings could be incorporated into clinical practice to improve care and compliance with fever treatment.
Electrocardiogram and Phonocardiogram Monitoring System for Cardiac Auscultation

Heart-sound auscultation is a rapid and fundamental technique used for examining the cardiovascular system. The main components of heart sounds are the first and second heart sounds. Discriminating these heart sounds under the presence of additional heart sounds and murmurs will be difficult. To recognize these signals efficiently, this study proposes a monitoring system with phonocardiogram and electrocardiogram. This system has two key points. The first is chip implementation, including capacitor coupled amplifier, transimpedance amplifier, high-pass sigma–delta modulator, and digital signal processing block. The chip in the system is fabricated in 0.18 μm standard complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor process. The second is a software application on smartphones for heart-related physiological signal recording, display, and identification. A wavelet-based QRS complex detection algorithm verified by MIT/BIH Arrhythmia Database is also proposed. The overall measured positive prediction, sensitivity, and error rate of the proposed algorithm are 99.90%, 99.82%, and 0.28%, respectively. During auscultation, doctors may refer to these physiological signals displayed on the smartphone and simultaneously listen to the heart sounds to diagnose the potential heart disease. By taking advantage of signal visualization and keeping the original diagnosis procedure, the uncertainty existing in heart sounds can be eliminated, and the training period to acquire auscultation skills can be reduced.
Radial Artery Access for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions: Contemporary Insights and Novel Approaches

Since its introduction, the transradial access for percutaneous cardiovascular procedures has been associated with several advantages as compared to transfemoral approach, and has become the default for coronary angiography and intervention. In the last 30 years, a robust amount of evidence on the transradial approach has been mounted, promoting its diffusion worldwide. This article provides a comprehensive review of radial artery access for percutaneous cardiovascular interventions, including the evidence from clinical trials of transradial vs. transfemoral approach, technical considerations, access-site complications and limitations, alternative forearm accesses (e.g., ulnar and distal radial artery), and ultimately the use of the radial approach for structural interventions.
In Vitro Benznidazole and Nifurtimox Susceptibility Profile of Trypanosoma cruzi Strains Belonging to Discrete Typing Units TcI, TcII, and TcV

We ascertain the in vitro Benznidazole (BZN) and Nifurtimox (NFX) susceptibility pattern of epimastigotes, trypomastigotes, and amastigotes of 21 T. cruzi strains, from patients, reservoir, and triatomine bugs of various geographic origins. Using this panel of isolates, we compute the Epidemiological cut off value (COwt). Then, the frequency of the susceptible phenotype (Wild type) towards benznidazole (BZN) and nifurtimox (NFX) within this set of strains belonging to three discrete typing units (DTUs), TcI, TcII, and TcV, was deduced. We observed that the susceptibility status of individual T. cruzi isolates toward BZN and NFX is related to the genetic background and underlying factors that are probably related to the individual life trait history of each strain. Analyzing drug susceptibility in this conceptual framework would offer the possibility to evidence a link between isolates expressing a low susceptibility level (not wild-type) as defined by the COwt value and none-curative treatment. It will also permit us to track drug-resistant parasites in the T. cruzi population.
Tipping the scales of justice: the role of forensic evaluations in the criminalization of mental illness

An unprecedented number of individuals with mental illness are represented in the criminal justice system. The unending growth of mentally ill populations in the justice system has led to jails and court dockets being increasingly overwhelmed with cases involving mental illness, state hospitals devoting far more beds and resources to forensic cases, and people without a criminal commitment left waiting for mental health services as forensic cases are prioritized. Although a forensic mental health evaluation is only one component of this larger system, common problems with forensic mental health evaluations can exacerbate the criminalization of persons with mental illness in many ways. This article reviews the current literature regarding issues of quality, reliability, and validity of forensic mental health evaluations, discusses the broader impact of these issues, and offers potential solutions for the field.
A Fermented Food Product Containing Lactic Acid Bacteria Protects ZDF Rats from the Development of Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex metabolic disease, which involves a maintained hyperglycemia due to the development of an insulin resistance process. Among multiple risk factors, host intestinal microbiota has received increasing attention in T2D etiology and progression. In the present study, we have explored the effect of long-term supplementation with a non-dairy fermented food product (FFP) in Zucker Diabetic and Fatty (ZDF) rats T2D model. The supplementation with FFP induced an improvement in glucose homeostasis according to the results obtained from fasting blood glucose levels, glucose tolerance test, and pancreatic function. Importantly, a significantly reduced intestinal glucose absorption was found in the FFP-treated rats. Supplemented animals also showed a greater survival suggesting a better health status as a result of the FFP intake. Some dissimilarities have been observed in the gut microbiota population between control and FFP-treated rats, and interestingly a tendency for better cardiometabolic markers values was appreciated in this group. However, no significant differences were observed in body weight, body composition, or food intake between groups. These findings suggest that FFP induced gut microbiota modifications in ZDF rats that improved glucose metabolism and protected from T2D development.
Rare case of simultaneous manifestation of pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy and retinitis pigmentosa in contralateral eye

Cite this article as: Mehrotra N, Khandelwal J, Nagpal M. Rare case of simultaneous manifestation of pigmented paravenous retinochoroidal atrophy and retinitis pigmentosa in contralateral eye. Indian J Ophthalmol 2019;67:1875-6. This is an open access journal, and articles are distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 License, which allows others to remix, tweak, and build upon the work non-commercially, as long as appropriate credit is given and the new creations are licensed under the identical terms.
Dengue viral infection in Indonesia: Epidemiology, diagnostic challenges, and mutations from an observational cohort study

Background Dengue virus (DENV) infection is a major cause of acute febrile illness in Indonesia. Diagnostic inaccuracy may occur due to its varied and non-specific presentation. Characterization of DENV epidemiology, clinical presentation, and virology will facilitate appropriate clinical management and public health policy. Methodology/Principal findings A multicenter observational cohort study was conducted in Indonesia to assess causes of acute fever requiring hospitalization. Clinical information and specimens were collected at enrollment, 14–28 days, and 3 months from 1,486 children and adults. Total of 468 (31.9%) cases of DENV infection were confirmed by reference laboratory assays. Of these, 414 (88.5%) were accurately diagnosed and 54 had been misdiagnosed as another infection by sites. One hundred initially suspected dengue cases were finally classified as ‘non-dengue’; other pathogens were identified in 58 of those cases. Mortality of DENV infection was low (0.6%). Prior DENV exposure was found in 92.3% of subjects >12 years. DENV circulated year-round in all cities, with higher incidence from January to March. DENV-3 and DENV-1 were the predominant serotypes. This study identified DENV-1 with TS119(C→T) substitution in the serotyping primer annealing site, leading to failure of serotype determination. Conclusions/Significance DENV is a common etiology of acute febrile illness requiring hospitalization in Indonesia. Diagnostic accuracy at clinical sites merits optimization since misdiagnosis of DENV infection and over-estimation of dengue can negatively impact management and outcomes. Mutation at the annealing site of the serotyping primer may confound diagnosis. Clinicians should consider following diagnostic algorithms that include DENV confirmatory testing. Policy-makers should prioritize development of laboratory capacity for diagnosis of DENV.
Sub-Wavelength Focusing in Inhomogeneous Media with a Metasurface Near Field Plate

Overcoming the diffraction limit, which enables focusing much less than the wavelength, requires tailoring the evanescent spectrum of an aperture’s field distribution. We model and simulate a corrugated near field plate, which can generate a sub-wavelength focus in inhomogeneous background media. All reactive coupling, between the metasurface near field plate and the focusing domain and among the corrugations in the metasurface, is taken into consideration with the finite element method, which we solve in combination with a constraint to generate a desired focus. Various geometries for the near field plate are considered and we demonstrate that the proposed method can effectively create a deeply sub-wavelength focus within a layered medium having properties resembling brain tissue. Such a device could find use as a detector of biological signals or for hyperthermic treatment near the skin surface.
Comparative Study of Gut Microbiota in Wild and Captive Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Captive breeding has been used as an effective approach to protecting endangered animals but its effect on the gut microbiome and the conservation status of these species is largely unknown. The giant panda is a flagship species for the conservation of wildlife. With integrated efforts including captive breeding, this species has been recently upgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” (IUCN 2016). Since a large proportion (21.8%) of their global population is still captive, it is critical to understand how captivity changes the gut microbiome of these pandas and how such alterations to the microbiome might affect their future fitness and potential impact on the ecosystem after release into the wild. Here, we use 16S rRNA (ribosomal RNA) marker gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomics sequencing to demonstrate that the fecal microbiomes differ substantially between wild and captive giant pandas. Fecal microbiome diversity was significantly lower in captive pandas, as was the diversity of functional genes. Additionally, captive pandas have reduced functional potential for cellulose degradation but enriched metabolic pathways for starch metabolism, indicating that they may not adapt to a wild diet after being released into the wild since a major component of their diet in the wild will be bamboo. Most significantly, we observed a significantly higher level of amylase activity but a lower level of cellulase activity in captive giant panda feces than those of wild giant pandas, shown by an in vitro experimental assay. Furthermore, antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors, as well as heavy metal tolerance genes were enriched in the microbiomes of captive pandas, which raises a great concern of spreading these genes to other wild animals and ecosystems when they are released into a wild environment. Our results clearly show that captivity has altered the giant panda microbiome, which could have unintended negative consequences on their adaptability and the ecosystem during the reintroduction of giant pandas into the wild.
The Expression Pattern of p32 in Sheep Muscle and Its Role in Differentiation, Cell Proliferation, and Apoptosis of Myoblasts

The complement 1q binding protein C (C1QBP), also known as p32, is highly expressed in rapidly growing tissues and plays a crucial role in cell proliferation and apoptosis. However, there are no data interpreting its mechanisms in muscle development. To investigate the role of p32 in sheep muscle development, an 856 bp cDNA fragment of p32 containing an 837 bp coding sequence that encodes 278 amino acids was analyzed. We then revealed that the expression of p32 in the longissimus and quadricep muscles of fetal sheep was more significantly up-regulated than expression at other developmental stages. Furthermore, we found that the expression of p32 was increased during myoblasts differentiation in vitro. Additionally, the knockdown of p32 in sheep myoblasts effectively inhibited myoblast differentiation, proliferation, and promoted cell apoptosis in vitro. The interference of p32 also changed the energy metabolism from Oxidative Phosphorylation (OXPHOS) to glycolysis and activated AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation in sheep myoblasts in vitro. Taken together, our data suggest that p32 plays a vital role in the development of sheep muscle and provides a potential direction for future research on muscle development and some muscle diseases.