Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inheritance of Resistance to Phaeosphaeria Leaf Spot of Maize.

Phaeosphaeria leaf spot is a potentially important maize disease that has recently appeared in the continental United States in winter breeding nurseries in southern Florida. Inbred lines re lated to B73 are particularly susceptible to Phaeosphaeria leaf spot, whereas inbreds related to Mo17 are highly resistant. The inheritance of resistance to Phaeosphaeria leaf spot was studied in the parents, F1, F2, and backcross generations derived from the cross B73 × Mo17. A replicated experiment was conducted over two winter nursery seasons in a southern Florida nursery Individual plants in plots were evaluated for Phaeosphaeria leaf spot severity (0 to 9 scale) at the mid-dent stage of kernel development. Variation in segregating generations appeared continuous, so generation mean analysis was used. Additive and, to a lesser extent, dominance gene action were determined to play a role in the inheritance of reaction to Phaeosphaeria leaf spot There was no evidence for epistatic gene interactions. Heritabilities (both narrow and broad sense) were high (0.70 to 0.85) and the magnitude of genotype × environment interactions was low. Estimates of the number of effective factors (genes) involved in the inheritance of resistance ranged from three to four. Selection should be highly effective in developing inbred lines with adequate levels of resistance to Phaeosphaeria leaf spot.
Neural Crest–Derived Stem Cells Migrate and Differentiate Into Cardiomyocytes After Myocardial Infarction

Objective—We recently demonstrated that primitive neural crest–derived (NC) cells migrate from the cardiac neural crest during embryonic development and remain in the heart as dormant stem cells, with the capacity to differentiate into various cell types, including cardiomyocytes. Here, we examined the migration and differentiation potential of these cells on myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results—We obtained double-transgenic mice by crossing protein-0 promoter-Cre mice with Floxed–enhanced green fluorescent protein mice, in which the NC cells express enhanced green fluorescent protein. In the neonatal heart, NC stem cells (NCSCs) were localized predominantly in the outflow tract, but they were also distributed in a gradient from base to apex throughout the ventricular myocardium. Time-lapse video analysis revealed that the NCSCs were migratory. Some NCSCs persisted in the adult heart. On MI, NCSCs accumulated at the ischemic border zone area (BZA), which expresses monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). Ex vivo cell migration assays demonstrated that MCP-1 induced NCSC migration and that this chemotactic effect was significantly depressed by an anti-MCP-1 antibody. Small NC cardiomyocytes first appeared in the BZA 2 weeks post-MI and gradually increased in number thereafter. Conclusion—These results suggested that NCSCs migrate into the BZA via MCP-1/CCR2 signaling and contribute to the provision of cardiomyocytes for cardiac regeneration after MI.
Intact prioritisation of unconscious face processing in schizophrenia

ABSTRACT Introduction Faces provide a rich source of social information, crucial for the successful navigation of daily social interactions. People with schizophrenia suffer a wide range of social-cognitive deficits, including abnormalities in face perception. However, to date, studies of face perception in schizophrenia have primarily employed tasks that require patients to make judgements about the faces. It is, thus, unclear whether the reported deficits reflect an impairment in encoding visual face information, or biased social-cognitive evaluative processes. Methods We assess the integrity of early unconscious face processing in 21 out-patients diagnosed with Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder (15M/6F) and 21 healthy controls (14M/7F). In order to control for any direct influence of higher order cognitive processes, we use a behavioural paradigm known as breaking continuous flash suppression (b-CFS), where participants simply respond to the presence and location of a face. In healthy adults, this method has previously been used to show that upright faces gain rapid and privileged access to conscious awareness over inverted faces and other inanimate objects. Results Here, we report similar effects in patients, suggesting that the early unconscious stages of face processing are intact in schizophrenia. Conclusion Our data indicate that face processing deficits reported in the literature must manifest at a conscious stage of processing, where the influence of mentalizing or attribution biases might play a role.
Treatment patterns, persistence and adherence rates in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Japan: a claims-based cohort study

Objective To determine real-world trends in antidiabetic drug use, and persistence and adherence, in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design Retrospective evaluation of administrative claims data (2011–2015) using the Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC) and Medical Data Vision (MDV) databases. Setting Analysis of two administrative claims databases for Japanese patients with T2DM. Participants Adults (aged ≥18 years) with an International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision code of T2DM and at least one antidiabetic drug prescription. Main outcome measures Treatment patterns in untreated (UT) or previously treated (PT) patients receiving antidiabetic therapy; persistence with treatment at 12 months; adherence to treatment at 12 months. Results 40 908 and 90 421 patients were included from the JMDC and MDV databases, respectively. The most frequently prescribed therapy at the index (first prescription) date was dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPP-4i) in UT patients (JMDC: 44.0%, MDV: 54.8%) and combination therapy in PT patients (74.6%, 81.1%). Most common combinations were DPP-4i plus: biguanide (BG; 11.4%, 10.9%), sulfonylurea (SU; 8.4%, 11.0%) or BG+SU (7.8%, 9.1%). In UT or PT patients from either database whose index prescription was for any antidiabetic drug class(es) other than DPP-4i, the most frequent add-on or switch was to DPP-4i. 12-month persistence with index monotherapy was highest with DPP-4i and BG. Adherence was high (≥80%) for all monotherapy schedules, except insulin and glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist, and for the five most frequent two-drug and three-drug combinations. Persistence was greater in elderly UT patients and in those receiving ≤5 medications, but comparatively worse in UT patients with ≥3 index antidiabetic drug classes. Conclusions The findings indicate that DPP-4i is the most commonly used antidiabetic drug class in Japanese patients with T2DM, and persistence and adherence to this antidiabetic drug class are high.
Nonunion and Reoperation After Ulna Shortening Osteotomy

Background: The primary purpose of our study was to identify factors associated with reoperation after ulna shortening osteotomy. Our secondary aims were to determine the rate and type of reoperation procedures. Methods: In this retrospective study, we included patients older than 18 years of age who underwent an ulna shortening osteotomy between January 2003 and December 2015. Medical records of patients were assessed for our explanatory variables, reoperations, and reporting of symptoms. We used bivariate and multivariable analyses to identify factors associated with reoperation after ulna shortening osteotomy. Results: Among 94 patients who underwent 98 ulna shortening osteotomies, there were 34 reoperations (35%). Nineteen patients (19%) underwent removal of hardware, 6 (6.1%) had a nonunion, and 9 (9.2%) underwent additional surgeries. Surgery on their dominant limb, trauma, and prior surgery to the ipsilateral wrist were associated with reoperation. In multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with reoperation were the dominant side being affected (odds ratio = 3.9; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.36-11) and traumatic origin (odds ratio = 3.4; 95% CI = 1.1-11). Bivariate analysis identified younger age and prior surgery of the affected wrist as factors associated with hardware removal. More operations for refixation due to nonunion of osteotomy were performed in patients with a transverse osteotomy compared with patients with an oblique osteotomy. Conclusions: One in 3 patients will undergo a reoperation after ulna shortening osteotomy, most often due to hardware irritation or nonunion of osteotomy. Awareness of these rates and predictive factors may be helpful for preoperative discussions and surgical decision making.
Association of eggs with dietary nutrient adequacy and cardiovascular risk factors in US adults

Abstract Objective Whole eggs are rich sources of several micronutrients. However, it is not well known how egg consumption contributes to overall nutrient adequacy and how it may relate to CVD risk factors. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine how whole egg consumption contributes to nutrient intakes and to assess its association with CVD risk factors in US adults. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting The study was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003–2012, a nationally representative survey of the US civilian population. Participants Adults who completed two dietary recalls and provided information on relevant sociodemographic factors were included in the study (n 21 845). Results Approximately 73 % of adults were classified as whole egg consumers. Egg consumption was associated with greater intakes of protein, saturated fat, mono- and polyunsaturated fats, Fe, Zn, Ca, Se, choline, and several other vitamins and minerals. Egg consumption was associated with a higher likelihood of meeting or exceeding recommendations for several micronutrients. Egg intake was positively associated with dietary cholesterol consumption, but not with serum total cholesterol (TC) when adjusted for multiple potential confounders. In multiple linear regression analyses, TAG, TAG:HDL-cholesterol and TC:HDL-cholesterol were significantly lower with greater egg consumption. Egg consumption had no significant relationship with LDL-cholesterol or C-reactive protein, but was associated with higher BMI and waist circumference. Conclusions Whole eggs are important dietary contributors of many nutrients and had either beneficial or non-significant associations with most CVD risk biomarkers examined.
Prevalence of serious mental illness among jail inmates.

OBJECTIVE This study estimated current prevalence rates of serious mental illness among adult male and female inmates in five jails during two time periods (four jails in each period). METHODS During two data collection phases (2002-2003 and 2005-2006), recently admitted inmates at two jails in Maryland and three jails in New York were selected to receive the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID). Selection was based on systematic sampling of data from a brief screen for symptoms of mental illness that was used at admission for all inmates. The SCID was administered to a total of 822 inmates-358 during phase I and 464 during phase II. To determine the current (past-month) prevalence of serious mental illness (defined as major depressive disorder; depressive disorder not otherwise specified; bipolar disorder I, II, and not otherwise specified; schizophrenia spectrum disorder; schizoaffective disorder; schizophreniform disorder; brief psychotic disorder; delusional disorder; and psychotic disorder not otherwise specified), interview data were weighted against strata constructed from the screening samples for male and female inmates by jail and study phase. RESULTS Across jails and study phases the rate of current serious mental illness for male inmates was 14.5% (asymmetric 95% confidence interval [CI]=11.0%-18.9%) and for female inmates it was 31.0% (asymmetric CI=21.7%-42.1%). CONCLUSIONS The estimates in this study have profound implications in terms of resource allocation for treatment in jails and in community-based settings for individuals with mental illness who are involved in the justice system.
Alleviation of cadmium stress by arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis

Abstract Owing to the realization of the harmful effect of cadmium on the environment and plants and as the plants are sessile organisms, they need to increase the protective mechanisms to cope with Cd stress. Inoculation the plant with soil microbes at the place of their growing is an important strategy to support the plants against stresses. In this study, trigonella plants were inoculated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi under different CdCl2 concentrations (0, 2.25, and 6.25 mM). AM inoculation increased growth parameters, chlorophyll, and protein contents. Root colonization was significantly increased at low Cd concentration (2.25 mM) and decreased at high one (6.25 mM). Also, with AM fungal inoculation, the translocation factor of trigonella plants significantly decreased as compared to non-AM ones at both low and high Cd concentrations. In addition, it was clearly that malondialdehyde content of trigonella plants increased significantly at both Cd concentrations and with AM fungal inoculation its content decreased compared to those of non-AM ones. AM inoculation significantly increased antioxidant enzymes activities compared to non-AM ones. Consequently, this study showed a tolerance strategy of AM trigonella plants against Cd stress, thus mycorrhizal symbiosis becomes a promising and suitable as phytostabilizers of Cd stressed soil.
Clinical validation of an immunohistochemistry‐based CanAssist‐Breast test for distant recurrence prediction in hormone receptor‐positive breast cancer patients

CanAssist‐Breast (CAB) is an immunohistochemistry (IHC)‐based prognostic test for early‐stage Hormone Receptor (HR+)‐positive breast cancer patients. CAB uses a Support Vector Machine (SVM) trained algorithm which utilizes expression levels of five biomarkers (CD44, ABCC4, ABCC11, N‐Cadherin, and Pan‐Cadherin) and three clinical parameters such as tumor size, grade, and node status as inputs to generate a risk score and categorizes patients as low‐ or high‐risk for distant recurrence within 5 years of diagnosis. In this study, we present clinical validation of CAB. CAB was validated using a retrospective cohort of 857 patients. All patients were treated either with endocrine therapy or chemoendocrine therapy. Risk categorization by CAB was analyzed by calculating Distant Metastasis‐Free Survival (DMFS) and recurrence rates using Kaplan‐Meier survival curves. Multivariate analysis was performed to calculate Hazard ratios (HR) for CAB high‐risk vs low‐risk patients. The results showed that Distant Metastasis‐Free Survival (DMFS) was significantly different (P‐0.002) between low‐ (DMFS: 95%) and high‐risk (DMFS: 80%) categories in the endocrine therapy treated alone subgroup (n = 195) as well as in the total cohort (n = 857, low‐risk DMFS: 95%, high‐risk DMFS: 84%, P < 0.0001). In addition, the segregation of the risk categories was significant (P = 0.0005) in node‐positive patients, with a difference in DMFS of 12%. In multivariate analysis, CAB risk score was the most significant predictor of distant recurrence with hazard ratio of 3.2048 (P < 0.0001). CAB stratified patients into discrete risk categories with high statistical significance compared to Ki‐67 and IHC4 score‐based stratification. CAB stratified a higher percentage of the cohort (82%) as low‐risk than IHC4 score (41.6%) and could re‐stratify >74% of high Ki‐67 and IHC4 score intermediate‐risk zone patients into low‐risk category. Overall the data suggest that CAB can effectively predict risk of distant recurrence with clear dichotomous high‐ or low‐risk categorization.
Dermatoscopy as an Adjunctive Diagnostic Tool in Aquagenic Syringeal Acrokeratoderma

Aquagenic syringeal acrokeratoderma (ASA) is a rare skin disorder of the palms and/or soles, characterized by whitish papules with occasional pruritus or pain sensation. Herein we report a 27-year-old man with a diagnosis of ASA based on clinical and histopathological features, and describe the dermatoscopic features consistent with threefold enlarged sweat duct pores compared with a normal-looking palmar skin area. As far as we are aware, dermatoscopic features of ASA have not been reported so far.
Evaluation of Broccoli Residue Incorporation into Field Soil for Verticillium Wilt Control in Cauliflower.

Wilt incited by Verticillium dahliae has recently become an important disease on cauliflower in the Salinas Valley. Although broccoli is closely related to cauliflower, wilt has not occurred on this host and V. dahliae isolates from cauliflower were weakly pathogenic on broccoli in greenhouse inoculations. In this study, the effectiveness of broccoli residues on propagule attrition in soil and wilt incidence on cauliflower was determined in a commercial field infested with V. dahliae microsclerotia. The treatments were broccoli residue with tarp, broccoli residue without tarp, chloropicrin, metham sodium, control with tarp, control without tarp, cauliflower followed by cauliflower, and cauliflower followed by fallow. Approximately 200 kg of chopped broccoli was uniformly disk incorporated into the corresponding plots (36 m2). Densities of V. dahliae microsclerotia were determined at 0, 30, 90, and 145 days after treatment in 1993 and 0, 30, 74, 109, and 140 days after treatment in 1994 using the modified Anderson sampler technique. Cauliflower cultivar White Rock was planted in all plots. Plant height, number of marketable heads, head weight, and wilt severity were determined at maturity. Even though the pre-treatment number of V. dahliae propagules in broccoli-treated and control plots were similar, by the end of the cauliflower cropping season numbers either were the same or increased in control plots compared with a reduction in numbers in broccoli residue-treated plots during both seasons. There were no differences between tarped and non-tarped plots either in broccoli residue-treated or control plots. In fumigated plots, propagules declined initially but later returned to pre-treatment levels by the end of the cropping season. Continuous cauliflower or fallowing after one cauliflower crop resulted in stable or increased levels of microsclerotia. Verticillium wilt severity was lowest in metham sodium-treated plots, followed by broccoli residue-treated plots and chloropicrin in both years. Plant height, marketable heads, and head weight were higher in broccoli-treated than in control plots. These results suggest that broccoli residues reduce V. dahliae microsclerotia in soil and wilt of cauliflower as much as or more than chloropicrin and metham sodium, and that rotation with broccoli may be a feasible approach to manage Verticillium wilt in cauliflower and other susceptible crops.
Postantifungal effect of anidulafungin against Candida albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida africana, Candida parapsilosis, Candida metapsilosis and Candida orthopsilosis

Objectives Candida albicans remains the most common aetiology of invasive candidiasis, leading to high morbidity and mortality. Nevertheless, the incidence of candidiasis due to non-C. albicans species, such as Candida parapsilosis, is increasing. Postantifungal effect (PAFE) is relevant for establishing dosage schedules in antifungal therapy, as the frequency of antifungal administration could change depending on PAFE. The aim of this study was to evaluate the PAFE of anidulafungin against C. albicans, Candida dubliniensis, Candida africana, C. parapsilosis, Candida metapsilosis and Candida orthopsilosis. Material and methods Twenty-one Candida strains were evaluated. Cells were exposed to anidulafungin for 1 h at concentrations ranging from 0.12 to 8 mg/L for PAFE studies. Time-kill experiments (TK) were conducted at the same concentrations. The experiments were performed using an inoculum of 1-5 x 105 cells/mL and 48 h incubation. Readings of PAFE and TK were done at 0, 2, 4, 6, 24 and 48 h. Results Anidulafungin was fungicidal against 2 out of 14 (14%) strains of C. albicans related species in PAFE experiments. Moreover, 2 mg/L of anidulafungin exerted a prolonged PAFE (≥ 33.6 h) against 13 out of 14 (93%) strains. Similarly, fungicidal endpoint was achieved against 1 out of 7 (14%) strains of C. parapsilosis complex, being PAFE prolonged (≥ 42 h) against 6 out of 7 (86%) strains. Conclusions Anidulafungin induced a significant and prolonged PAFE against C. albicans and C. parapsilosis and their related species.
Fur seal microbiota are shaped by the social and physical environment, show mother–offspring similarities and are associated with host genetic quality

Despite an increasing appreciation of the importance of host–microbe interactions in ecological and evolutionary processes, the factors shaping microbial communities in wild populations remain poorly understood. We therefore exploited a natural experiment provided by two adjacent Antarctic fur seal (Arctocephalus gazella) colonies of high and low social density and combined 16S rRNA metabarcoding with microsatellite profiling of mother–offspring pairs to investigate environmental and genetic influences on skin microbial communities. Seal‐associated bacterial communities differed profoundly between the two colonies, despite the host populations themselves being genetically undifferentiated. Consistent with the hypothesis that social stress depresses bacterial diversity, we found that microbial alpha diversity was significantly lower in the high‐density colony. Seals from one of the colonies that contained a stream also carried a subset of freshwater‐associated bacteria, indicative of an influence of the physical environment. Furthermore, mothers and their offspring shared similar microbial communities, in support of the notion that microbes may facilitate mother–offspring recognition. Finally, a significant negative association was found between bacterial diversity and heterozygosity, a measure of host genetic quality. Our study thus reveals a complex interplay between environmental and host genetic effects, while also providing empirical support for the leash model of host control, which posits that bacterial communities are driven not only by bottom‐up species interactions, but also by top‐down host regulation. Taken together, our findings have broad implications for understanding host–microbe interactions as well as prokaryotic diversity in general.
Growth enhancement of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) in Vero E6 cells expressing PEDV nucleocapsid protein

More recently emerging strains of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) cause severe diarrhea and especially high mortality rates in infected piglets, leading to substantial economic loss to worldwide swine industry. These outbreaks urgently call for updated and effective PEDV vaccines. Better understanding in PEDV biology and improvement in technological platforms for virus production can immensely assist and accelerate PEDV vaccine development. In this study, we explored the ability of PEDV nucleocapsid (N) protein in improving viral yields in cell culture systems. We demonstrated that PEDV N expression positively affected both recovery of PEDV from infectious clones and PEDV propagation in cell culture. Compared to Vero E6 cells, Vero E6 cells expressing PEDV N could accelerate growth of a slow-growing PEDV strain to higher peak titers by 12 hours or enhance the yield of a vaccine candidate strain by two orders of magnitude. Interestingly, PEDV N also slightly enhances replication of porcine reproductive and respiratory virus, a PEDV relative in the Nidovirales order. These results solidify the importance of N in PEDV recovery and propagation and suggest a potentially useful consideration in designing vaccine production platforms for PEDV or closely related pathogens.