Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Altered Gene Regulatory Networks Are Associated With the Transition From C3 to Crassulacean Acid Metabolism in Erycina (Oncidiinae: Orchidaceae)

Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) photosynthesis is a modification of the core C3 photosynthetic pathway that improves the ability of plants to assimilate carbon in water-limited environments. CAM plants fix CO2 mostly at night, when transpiration rates are low. All of the CAM pathway genes exist in ancestral C3 species, but the timing and magnitude of expression are greatly altered between C3 and CAM species. Understanding these regulatory changes is key to elucidating the mechanism by which CAM evolved from C3. Here we use two closely related species in the Orchidaceae, Erycina pusilla (CAM) and Erycina crista-galli (C3), to conduct comparative transcriptomic analyses across multiple time points. Clustering of genes with expression variation across the diel cycle revealed some canonical CAM pathway genes similarly expressed in both species, regardless of photosynthetic pathway. However, gene network construction indicated that 149 gene families had significant differences in network connectivity and were further explored for these functional enrichments. Genes involved in light sensing and ABA signaling were some of the most differently connected genes between the C3 and CAM Erycina species, in agreement with the contrasting diel patterns of stomatal conductance in C3 and CAM plants. Our results suggest changes to transcriptional cascades are important for the transition from C3 to CAM photosynthesis in Erycina.
Sudden Heart Rate Reduction Upon Optogenetic Release of Acetylcholine From Cardiac Parasympathetic Neurons in Perfused Hearts

The balance of sympathetic and parasympathetic tone provides exquisite control of heart rate and contractility and has also been shown to modulate coronary flow and inflammation. Understanding how autonomic balance is altered by cardiac disease is an active area of research and developing new ways to control this balance is providing insights into disease therapies. However, achieving acute neuron-specific stimulation of autonomic neurons can be difficult in experiments that measure the acute effects of nerve stimulation on the heart. Conventional electrical and pharmacological approaches can be spatially and temporally non-selective. Cell-specific expression of light-activated channels (channelrhodopsin, ChR2) is a powerful approach that enables control of the timing and distribution of cellular stimulation using light. We present such an optogenetic approach where parasympathetic cardiac neurons are selectively photoactivated at high temporal precision to initiate cholinergic-mediated slowing of heart rate. Mice were crossbred to express ChR2 in peripheral cholinergic neurons using Cre-Lox recombination driven by a choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) promoter. Hearts from adult mice were excised, perfused, and the epicardium was illuminated (peak 460-465nm) to photoactivate ChR2. In one set of studies, hearts were illuminated using a large-field LED light source. In other studies, a micro LED was placed on the right atrium to selectively illuminate the junction of the superior vena cava and right atrium. The ECG was acquired before, during, and after tissue illumination to measure changes in heart rate. Upon illumination, hearts exhibited sudden and dramatic reductions in heart rate with restoration of normal heart rate after cessation of illumination. Delays in atrioventricular conduction were also observed. Heart rate reductions at the highest irradiance levels were similar to heart rate reductions caused by application of bethanechol (10µM) or acetylcholine (800µM). Atropine (50nM) completely blocked the effect of ChR2 photoactivation, confirming cholinergic mediation. Optogenetic activation of intrinsic parasympathetic neurons reduced heart rate in an immediate, dose-dependent fashion, resembling the slowing of sinus rate in response to acetylcholine. Our results demonstrate a new approach for controlling parasympathetic modulation of cardiac function by selectively activating the endogenous release of acetylcholine from intrinsic cardiac cholinergic neurons. Key Message Optogenetic photoactivation of intrinsic cardiac neurons provides immediate, tissuespecific stimulation with minimal cross-reactivity. Our results demonstrate that selective expression of channelrhodopsin within cardiac cholinergic neurons enables photoactivated release of acetylcholine, thereby instantaneously slowing sinus rate and altering atrioventricular conduction. This provides for indepth examination of the endogenous interplay between cardiac autonomic neurons and the functional outcomes of downstream post-synaptic receptor activation.
A Privileged Working Memory State and Potential Top-Down Modulation for Faces, Not Scenes

Top-down modulation is engaged during multiple stages of working memory (WM), including expectation, encoding, and maintenance. During WM maintenance period, an “incidental cue” can bring one of the two items into a privileged state and make the privileged item be recalled with higher precision, despite being irrelevant to which one to be probed as the target. With regard to the different representational states of WM, it’s unclear whether there is top-down modulation on earth sensory cortical areas. Here, We used this behavioral paradigm of “incidental cue” and event-related fMRI to investigate whether there were a privileged WM state and top-down modulation for complex stimuli including faces and natural scenes. We found that faces, not scenes, could enter into the privileged state with improved accuracy and response time of WM task. Meanwhile, cue-driven baseline activity shifts in fusiform face area (FFA) were identified by univariate analysis in the recognition of privileged faces, compared to that of non-privileged ones. In addition, the functional connectivity between FFA and right inferior frontal junction (IFJ), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus, right intraparietal sulcus (IPS), right precuneus and supplementary motor area was significantly enhanced, corresponding to the improved WM performance. Moreover, FFA connectivity with IFJ and IPS could predict WM improvements. These findings indicated that privileged WM state and potential top-down modulation existed for faces, but not scenes, during WM maintenance period.
Regulation of Antigen Export to the Cytosol During Cross-Presentation

Cross-priming refers to the induction of primary cytotoxic CD8+ T cell responses to antigens that are not expressed in antigen presenting cells (APCs) responsible for T cell priming. Cross-priming is achieved through cross-presentation of exogenous antigens derived from tumors, extracellular pathogens or infected neighboring cells on Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) class I molecules. Despite extensive research efforts to understand the intracellular pathways involved in antigen cross-presentation, certain critical steps remain elusive and controversial. Here we review recent advances on antigen cross-presentation, focusing on the mechanisms involved in antigen export to the cytosol, a crucial step of this pathway.
Human Tick-Borne Diseases in Australia

There are 17 human-biting ticks known in Australia. The bites of Ixodes holocyclus, Ornithodoros capensis, and Ornithodoros gurneyi can cause paralysis, inflammation, and severe local and systemic reactions in humans, respectively. Six ticks, including Amblyomma triguttatum, Bothriocroton hydrosauri, Haemaphysalis novaeguineae, Ixodes cornuatus, Ixodes holocyclus, and Ixodes tasmani may transmit Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia australis, Rickettsia honei, or Rickettsia honei subsp. marmionii. These bacterial pathogens cause Q fever, Queensland tick typhus (QTT), Flinders Island spotted fever (FISF), and Australian spotted fever (ASF). It is also believed that babesiosis can be transmitted by ticks to humans in Australia. In addition, Argas robertsi, Haemaphysalis bancrofti, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes hirsti, Rhipicephalus australis, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks may play active roles in transmission of other pathogens that already exist or could potentially be introduced into Australia. These pathogens include Anaplasma spp. , Bartonella spp. , Burkholderia spp. , Francisella spp. , Dera Ghazi Khan virus (DGKV), tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV), Lake Clarendon virus (LCV), Saumarez Reef virus (SREV), Upolu virus (UPOV), or Vinegar Hill virus (VINHV). It is important to regularly update clinicians' knowledge about tick-borne infections because these bacteria and arboviruses are pathogens of humans that may cause fatal illness. An increase in the incidence of tick-borne infections of human may be observed in the future due to changes in demography, climate change, and increase in travel and shipments and even migratory patterns of birds or other animals. Moreover, the geographical conditions of Australia are favorable for many exotic ticks, which may become endemic to Australia given an opportunity. There are some human pathogens, such as Rickettsia conorii and Rickettsia rickettsii that are not currently present in Australia, but can be transmitted by some human-biting ticks found in Australia, such as Rhipicephalus sanguineus, if they enter and establish in this country. Despite these threats, our knowledge of Australian ticks and tick-borne diseases is in its infancy.
Monocyte-Derived Dendritic Cells as Model to Evaluate Species Tropism of Mosquito-Borne Flaviviruses

Several mosquito-borne Flaviviruses such as Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), West Nile virus (WNV), Dengue Virus (DENV), and Zika virus (ZIKV) can cause severe clinical disease. Being zoonotic, Flaviviruses infect a wide variety of terrestrial vertebrates, which dependent of the virus-host interactions, can enhance ongoing epidemics and maintain the virus in the environment for prolonged periods. Targeted species can vary from amphibians, birds to various mammals, dependent on the virus. For many mosquito-borne flaviviruses the spectrum of targeted species is incompletely understood, in particular with respect to their contribution to the maintenance of virus in certain geographical regions. Furthermore, little is known about virus and host factors contributing to species tropism. The present study utilized human and porcine monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MoDC) as a cell culture model to better understand Flavivirus species tropism and innate immune responses. MoDC were selected based on their presence in the skin and their role as an early target cell for several Flaviviruses and their role as immune sentinels. While differences in viral infectivity and replication were minor when comparing porcine with human MoDC for some of the tested Flaviviruses, a particularly strong replication in human MoDC was found with USUV, while JEV appeared to have a stronger tropism for porcine MoDC. With respect to innate immune responses we found high induction of TNF and IFN-β in both human and porcine MoDC after infection with JEV, WNV, and USUV, but not with DENV, ZIKV, and Wesselsbron virus. Spondweni virus induced these cytokine responses only in porcine MoDC. Overall, innate immune responses correlated with early infectivity and cytokine production. In conclusion, we demonstrate Flavivirus-dependent differences in the interaction with MoDC. These may play a role in pathogenesis but appear to only partially reflect the expected species tropism.
Saudi Professional League: A Prospective Study of the Injuries and Illnesses Sustained by Professional Soccer Players During the 2015 - 2016 Season

Background: Soccer is the one of the most popular sports in the world, with more than 265 million players globally. However, this game carries with it the risk of a wide variety of injuries and illnesses, which can cause playing time losses and economic burdens to both the individual athletes and the sports organizations. Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the incidences, severities, and causes of the injuries and illnesses sustained by soccer players involved in the Saudi Professional League during the 2015 2016 soccer season. Methods: Ten professional soccer clubs (300 total players) who participated in the Saudi Professional League were followed prospectively throughout the 2015 2016 season. The physicians and physical therapists from each team reported the daily occurrences of their players’ injuries and illnesses using a standardized medical report form. Results: Out of the 386 injuries reported, 86% of the injuries were expected to result in playing time lost. Contact with another player was the most frequently reported injury cause during competition and training. Contusions, hematomas, and bruises (n = 138, 35%) were the injuries most commonly reported, followed by strains, muscle ruptures, and tears (n = 68, 17.6%). Seventy-five illnesses were reported in 63 players, with the most common diagnoses being respiratory tract infections (n = 33, 44%) and gastroenteritis (n = 14,
The prevalence of arterial hypertension depending on selected demographic factors among adult residents of eastern Poland district

Background. Identification and analysis of risk factors are important aspects of planning the long-term actions to prevent, early diagnose and properly treat hypertension. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of hypertension and to determine the relationship between the prevalence of hypertension and selected sociodemographic factors among adult residents of a typical eastern Poland district. Material and methods. The study involved 1225 residents of the Janow Lubelski district aged between 36 and 65 years. The research methodology included a questionnaire survey. Blood pressure, body weight and height were measured, the BMI was calculated. Statistical analysis was performed. Results. 26.8% of subjects are treated for hypertension. 32.9% of hypertensive subjects are treated properly and women have better control of hypertension than man (41.3% vs. 19.7%). Among subjects without treatment for hypertension, 37.5% of them have abnormally high blood pressure and it is more common in men (58.9% vs. 43.4%). The prevalence of hypertension increased with age. The percentages are from 8.6% for subjects aged 36–40 to 45.7% for subjects aged 61–65. Higher prevalence of hypertension is observed in men below the age of 50 compared to women. There is the significant rising prevalence of hypertension in women above the age of 50. The relationship between the prevalence of hypertension and the educational background is demonstrated. Among subjects with elementary education, the prevalence of hypertension is higher (45.5%) as compared to subjects with higher education (18.2%). Area of residence and marital status have no effects on the prevalence of hypertension. Conclusions. The prevalence of hypertension was lower compared to other epidemiological studies. Improvements in hypertension control have been observed for many years. The educational background has an important influence on the prevalence of hypertension. Further studies are required to establish the influence of an area of residence and marital status on the prevalence of hypertension.
Doing a Case Study on Health Care Quality Improvement at a Large Public Teaching Hospital: A Non-Clinician’s Account

This research methods case is based on research undertaken as part of a PhD in Management. The PhD focused on exploring the processes through which patient safety is improved by exploring how a bottom-up falls prevention initiative started and developed in an acute hospital setting. This research contrasted with most of the existing patient safety research at the time, which focused on how top-down patient safety management initiatives could ensure patient safety. Given the exploratory nature of the PhD research, the bulk of this research was based on an empirical case study conducted in an acute teaching hospital in Portugal, which drew on an ethnographic approach. Fieldwork followed a staged-approach. An initial visit to the hospital took place in August 2008 which informed the formal context interviews which were conducted in June 2009. Main data collection took place between December 2009 and February 2010. In total, 46 in-depth interviews were conducted with 49 clinical and nonclinical staff members. The adoption of a staged-approach helped to shape the research according to the context of the hospital and in so doing allowed a more in-depth case study of
Parental Perceptions of Child's Medical Care and Neighborhood and Child's Behavioral Risk Factors for Obesity in U.S. Children by Body Mass Index Classification

Environmental factors, preventive medical care, and behaviors play a role in childhood obesity. This study used the National Survey of Children's Health, 2011-2012, for 42,828 children, ages 10–17 years. Greater percent of children in the overweight/obese category performed no moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: 11.9 (10.6, 13.3) as compared to children in the underweight/normal weight category: 9.7 (8.9 10.6). No moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with no preventive medical care, inadequate or no health care, parents reporting higher percent of no parks or playgrounds, and unsafe and unsupportive neighborhoods. Odds ratios of overweight/obesity were higher for males [OR = 2.06 (1.64, 2.60)], Hispanics [OR = 1.49 (1.17, 1.90)], non-Hispanic Black females [OR = 1.59 (1.20, 2.08)], younger females [OR10–12 yrs. = 1.35 (1.03, 1.79) and OR13–15 yrs. = 1.4. (1.06, 1.89) vs. OR = 1.0016-17 yrs. ], children with high television viewing [OR0-1 hr. /day = 0.72 (0.61, 0.86); OR>1 to <4 hrs. /day 0.84 (0.72, 0.99) = vs. OR = 1.00≥ 4 hrs. /day,] and lower categories of physical activity [OR 0 days/wk. = 1.38 (1.13, 1.62); OR1–3 days/wk. = 1.14 (1.22, 1.62) vs. OR7 days/wk. = 1.00], higher poverty, smoke exposure, and parental perception of their neighborhood as unsupportive. Promoting preventive medical care and neighborhood cooperation may have potential to lower childhood obesity.
Fibrinogen Matsumoto III: a Variant with γ275 Arg→Cys (CGC→TGC) – Comparison of Fibrin Polymerization Properties with those of Matsumoto I (γ364 Asp→His) and Matsumoto II (γ308 Asn→Lys)

Summary Fibrinogen Matsumoto III (M-III) is a dysfibrinogen identified in a 66-year-old woman with rectal cancer. The fibrinogen level determined by the thrombin-time method was markedly decreased in preoperative coagulation tests of her plasma. Three fibrinogen polypeptide-chain gene fragments from the proposita were amplified by the polymerase chain reaction method, then sequenced. The triplet CGC encoding the amino acid residue γ275 was replaced by TGC, resulting in the substitution of Arg→Cys. There have been previous reports of nine families with the same alteration, nine families with an Arg→His variant and one family with an Arg→Ser variant in this residue, which has been shown to be one of the most important amino acids in the ’D:D’ interaction site. In addition, there are three silent mutations in the Aα-chain gene and two mutations in the intron of the Bβ-chain and the γ-chain gene. However, none of these mutations is thought to be the cause of the dysfunctional fibrinogen. The thrombin-catalyzed fibrin polymerization in the presence of 1 mM Ca ions was markedly delayed in purified M-III. Its lag period was longer than those of Matsumoto II (M-II; γ308Asn→Lys) and Matsumoto I (M-I; γ364Asp→His). γ364Asp is one of the most important residues in the polymerization pocket of the ’D:E’ interaction site and γ308Asn is located in the vicinity of a high affinity Ca2+ binding site in the D-domain, γ311-336. The maximum slope of the polymerization curve for M-III was about 4-fold steeper than that for M-I but less steep than that for M-II. These results may suggest that the tertiary structure of the polymerization pocket plays a more important role in the lateral aggregation of protofibrils than that of the ’D:D’ interaction site.
PODCAST ON OPHTHALMOLOGY: A HIGH IMPACT, SUCCESSFUL, LOW BUDGET PRODUCTION

Podcasts have been used by many artists around the world to disseminate their voice to audiences. The content comprises of music, talk shows and lectures. In many countries, there exist a shortfall of medical educators and resource. Podcasts can reach far flung areas with lower bandwidth than videos. OBJECTIVE: To utilise the capabilities of podcasting to disseminate knowledge and help medical students understand ophthalmology topics in a lucid manner. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Starting Dec 2015, thirteen episodes were written by an ophthalmology resident. Script was formalised after thorough study and research. Text was read by the voice artist in a home recording system. Each episode lasted 20 minutes. Recording and editing of each episode took 60 to 90min. The file was uploaded to hosting server with ID3 tags. The podcast featured in iTunes. This process was repeated for all the thirteen episodes. RESULTS: Over a period of 06months, a total of 13 podcast episodes were published which generated 4165 plays till Jul 2017. Highest played episode was 10 th episode with 510 plays. Maximum listeners were from USA with 2462 plays (59.11%), followed by India with 428 plays. 52% of listeners were returning listeners. The listeners increased with every new episode. The total downloads were at 101. CONCLUSION: Podcasts on ophthalmology is a successful and well received project. Usage showed a good reception across the globe. The highest listeners being from a first world English speaking country is a proof that the quality in terms of production and content was adequate.
Effects of Shugan Hewei Granule on Depressive Behavior and Protein Expression Related to Visceral Sensitivity in a Rat Model of Nonerosive Reflux Disease

Objective To explore the effect of Shugan Hewei Granule (SGHWG) and to provide the experimental basis for its clinical application. Methods 40 healthy male Wistar rats were divided into 5 groups, with 8 rats in each group, including control group, model group, normal saline (NS) group, SGHWG group, and Rabeprazole group. The control group was not treated. The model group was treated with fructose intake and mental stress to be the model of NERD. The other groups were treated as the model group and then gavaged with the corresponding drugs. The pH value of lower third of esophagus, immobile time in tail suspension test, CRF protein expression in both hypothalamus and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), and SP protein in esophageal mucosa in lower third of esophagus detected by immunofluorescence and NMDAR1 protein expression in spinal cord detected by immunohistochemistry of each group were compared. Results The pH values of both the SGHWG group and the Rabeprazole group were higher than that of the model group (P<0.01), but the Rabeprazole group increased more obviously. The immobile time of the SGHWG group was shorter than that of the model group (P<0.01) and the Rabeprazole group (P<0.05). The expression of the CRF in the hypothalamus and ACC, NMDAR1 in the spinal cord, and SP in the esophageal mucosa in lower third of esophagus of the SGHWG group decreased significantly, compared with the model group (P<0.01), and was obviously lower than that in the Rabeprazole group (P<0.05). Conclusions This study provided an evidence that SGHW formula was inferior to Rabeprazole in acid inhibition, but it might reduce the expression of CRF protein of hypothalamus and ACC, lower the levels of NMDAR1 in spinal dorsal horn and SP in esophageal mucosa in lower third of esophagus, and regulate depressive behavior simultaneously, related to the improvement of visceral hypersensitivity in rat model of NERD.