Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiologia da leishmaniose visceral no município de Fortaleza, Ceará

Rodrigues A.C.M. , Melo A.C. F.L. , Júnior A.D.S. , Franco S.O. , Rondon F.C.M. & Bevilaqua C.M. L. 2017. [Epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. ] Epidemiologia da leishmaniose visceral no município de Fortaleza, Ceará. Pesquisa Veterinária Brasileira 37(10):1119-1124. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Veterinárias, Universidade Estadual do Ceará, Av. Dr. Silas Munguba 1700, Campus Itaperi, Fortaleza, CE 60714-903, Brazil. E-mail: bevilaqua.uece@gmail.com The objective was to analyze the data relating to the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis (LV) in Fortaleza municipality, and discuss about the vector distribution, domestic reservoir and human cases from 2009 to 2013.This study is descriptive conducted through a survey of secondary data. The correlation between human and canine cases and sandflies number was taken by Spearman correlation test, with 5% significance level. In the period 2009 to 2013, 941 cases and 55 deaths were confirmed. The mortality rate for the period was 5.84%. There was a higher proportion of cases among men in all the years analyzed. The age group 1-4 years old had the highest percentage of cases, highlighting the year 2010 with 31.5% of the cases. The average distribution of cases by SER demonstrated a predominance in SER I, V and VI. With regard to the vector species found in greater abundance was Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) longipalpis, followed by Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) migonei and Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) lenti. According to the records, 39,626 dogs were serum reagents for LV in the years 2009-2013, these 14,313 were killed. The year 2013 stood out with 17,808 dogs serum reagents, and 1,273 of SER III, 2572 of SER V and 1909 of SER VI. There was no significant correlation between the number of sand flies and the number of canine VL cases (p>0.05). There was a negative correlation between human and canine cases (r = -0.0388) and correlation was observed between human cases and number of sand flies (r= 0.7469). Our findings create prospects for the identification of other factors that may influence the incidence of human and canine cases, such as the participation of other possible reservoirs and vectors in the transmission of the visceral leishmaniasis in Fortaleza.
Medaka population genome structure and demographic history unveiled via Genotyping-by-Sequencing

Medaka is a model organism in medicine, genetics and developmental biology research and in population genetics studies, and lab stocks composed of more than 100 local wild populations are available for such research. Thus, medaka represents a potentially excellent bioresource for screening disease-risk- and adaptation-related genes by a genome-wide association study (GWAS). Although a genetic population structure should be known beforehand with practicing a genome-wide association study (GWAS), a comprehensive study on the genome-wide diversity of wild medaka populations has not been performed. Here, we performed Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) for 81 and 12 medakas captured from a bioresource and the wild, respectively. Based on the GBS data, we evaluated the genetic population structure and estimated the demographic parameters using an approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) framework. The autosomal data confirmed high differentiation among local populations and supported our previously proposed hypothesis on medaka dispersal that was based on mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) data. A new finding was that a local group thought to be a hybrid between the northern and the southern Japanese groups was actually a sister group of the northern Japanese group. This paper presents the first population-genomic study of medakas and provides information indispensable for a GWAS of this fish.
Probing the limits of alpha power lateralization as a neural marker of selective attention in middle-aged and older listeners

In recent years, hemispheric lateralization of alpha power has emerged as a neural mechanism thought to underpin spatial attention across sensory modalities. Yet, how healthy aging, beginning in middle adulthood, impacts the modulation of lateralized alpha power supporting auditory attention remains poorly understood. In the current electroencephalography (EEG) study, middle-aged and older adults (N = 29; ~40-70 years) performed a dichotic listening task that simulates a challenging, multi-talker scenario. We examined the extent to which the modulation of 8-12 Hz alpha power would serve as neural marker of listening success across age. With respect to the increase in inter-individual variability with age, we examined an extensive battery of behavioral, perceptual, and neural measures. Similar to findings on younger adults, middle-aged and older listeners′ auditory spatial attention induced robust lateralization of alpha power, which synchronized with the speech rate. Notably, the observed relationship between this alpha lateralization and task performance did not co-vary with age. Instead, task performance was strongly related to an individual’s attentional and working memory capacity. Multivariate analyses revealed a separation of neural and behavioral variables independent of age. Our results suggest that in age-varying samples as the present one, the lateralization of alpha power is neither a sufficient nor necessary neural strategy for an individual’s auditory spatial attention, as higher age might come with increased use of alternative, compensatory mechanisms. Our findings emphasize that explaining inter-individual variability will be key to understanding the role of alpha oscillations in auditory attention in the aging listener.
Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation to Investigate Language Production in Healthy Speakers: A Review and Meta-Analysis

Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has become a common method to study the interrelations between the brain and language functioning. This quantitative review examined the efficacy of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and direct current stimulation (tDCS) in the study of language production in healthy volunteers. Forty-two effect sizes from 28 studies which investigated the effects of NIBS on picture naming or verbal fluency in healthy participants were meta-analysed. Further sub-analyses investigated potential influences of stimulation type, site, control, and task. Random effects modelling showed a small, but reliable effect of NIBS on language production. Subsequent analyses indicated larger weighted mean effect sizes for TMS as compared to tDCS studies. No statistical differences between stimulation of frontal and temporal regions, or between picture naming and verbal fluency tasks, were observed. We conclude that NIBS is a useful method for neuroscientific studies on language production in healthy volunteers.
Effect of Cultural Background when Searching Chinese Menus

With the rapid globalization o f Information Technology, it i s important t o und erstand the performance of users with d ifferent cultural and linguistic backgrounds when using computer interfaces. In this s tudy, the search p erformance of three different groups of users (Mainland Chinese, Hong Kong Chinese a nd non -native Chinese readers) was assessed. A full screen Chinese menu was used to evaluate the e ffect of ( i) layout and (ii) word complexity. The analysis s howed that t here a re significant differences in search p erformance a mong the different population groups. Post-hoc analysis s howed that Hong Kong Chinese had significantly better search p erformance on the top ho rizontal area of the full screen menu, while Mainland Chinese had b etter search p erformance on the left vertical area of the menu. The results did no t show any "preferred" areas for the non-native Chinese speakers. Thus, it may be concluded that designers ought to pay special attention to customize the graphical user interfaces for optimum performance even when the same information is being searched/read by different populations.
Compendium of Synovial Signatures Identifies Pathologic Characteristics for Predicting Treatment Response in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is challenging due to clinical heterogeneity and variability. Integration of RA synovial genome-scale transcriptomic profiling of different patient cohorts can provide insights on the causal basis of drug responses. A normalized compendium was built that consists of 256 RA synovial samples that cover an intersection of 11,769 genes from 11 datasets. Differentially expression genes (DEGs) that were identified in three independent methods were fed into functional network analysis, with subsequent grouping of the samples based on a non-negative matrix factorization method. Finally, we built a predictive model for treatment response by using RA-relevant pathway activation scores and four machine learning classification techniques. We identified 876 up-regulated DEGs including 24 known genetic risk factors and 8 drug targets. DEG-based subgrouping revealed 3 distinct RA patient clusters with distinct activity signatures for RA-relevant pathways. In the case of infliximab, we constructed a classifier of drug response that was highly accurate with an AUC/AUPR of 0.92/0.86. The most informative pathways in achieving this performance were the NFκB-, FcεRI- TCR-, and TNF signaling pathways. Similarly, the expression of the HMMR, PRPF4B, EVI2A, RAB27A, MALT1, SNX6, and IFIH1 genes contributed in predicting the patient outcome. Construction and analysis of normalized synovial transcriptomic compendia can provide useful insights for understanding RA-related pathway involvement and drug responses for individual patients. The efficacy of a predictive model for personalized drug response has been demonstrated and can be generalized to several drugs, co-morbidities, and other relevant features.
Morphometric analysis of wild-caught flies of Drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae) species: Altitudinal pattern of body size traits, wing morphology and sexual dimorphism

Cesitli ekolojik habitatlarda yasayan dogadan toplanmis Drosophila turleri arasindaki fenotipik cesitlilik ile ilgili literatur sayisi nispeten azdir. Bu calismada vucut boyutu ozelliklerinin yukseklik egrileri boyunca olan uyumu ve daha yuksek yerlerde kanat morfolojisinin degisimiyle daha soguk ortamlara ve daha dusuk hava basincina uyum saglanmasi incelenmistir. Dogadan ergin sinekler, Eylul-Ekim 2014 ve Nisan-Mayis 2015 tarihlerinde iki kapsamli survey ile toplanmistir. Eseysel dimorfizmi hakkinda bilgi edinmek icin her iki cinste de tum ozellikler olculmustur. Bilindigi gibi, bu populasyonlarin boyutlarinda onemli farkliliklar olmasina ragmen, daha onceki bircok calismada gozlemlendigi gibi, yukseklik egrileri boyunca boyut artisinin beklenen reaksiyon normlarindan sapmis olduklari bulunmustur. Normal klinal egimindeki bu sapma, genel ureme basarisinda onemli etkileri olan farkli yuksekliklerde buyume hizlarindaki ve gelisim zamanlarindaki farkliliklara baglanabilir. Ayrica, yuksek irtifadaki sineklerin kanat alanlarindaki onemli bir artis, karsilastirmali olarak daha sicak habitatlarda gelisen sineklerden dramatik olarak cok daha dusuk kanat yukleri ile rekor kirmis olmalari sayesinde onlara soguk hava kosullarinda aerodinamik bir avantaj saglamistir. Bu arada, muhtemelen Hint populasyonlarinin dogadan yakalanmis sineklerinde ilk kez, Thoraks genisligi, cinsel dimorfizmi aciga cikararak analiz edilmistir. Thoraks uzunlugunun genislige orani tum turler icin birden fazla olup; bu da eseylerin ucus kapasitesini etkileyebilen thoraksin disilerde daha uzun oldugunu gostermektedir.
Effect of organophosphate pesticide, ethephon on serum biochemical parameters of fresh water ornamental fish rosy barb, Pethia conchonius (Hamilton, 1822)

In the present study, effects of various concentrations of ethephon exposures on days 7, 14, 21 and 28 for many serum biochemical parameters in the freshwater teleost fish, Pethia conchonius were investigated. The 96h LC50 value of ethephon was estimated by using log-dose probit regression line method. On the basis of LC50 value, the sub-lethal concentrations were determined as 6.40 and 12.81 mgl which is 1/10 and 1/15 of LC50 respectively. Well acclimated fishes from both control and treated group were sacrificed after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days and blood samples were collected. Various biochemical parameters such as serum total protein, serum albumin, serum globulin, and serum glucose has been studied as diagnostic tools. In general significant effects (p<0.05) from different concentrations and time of exposure were observed in exposed fishes. It was found that significant alterations in all the biochemical parameters were dose dependant as well as duration dependent. Results indicated that serum albumin, serum globulin and serum total protein decreased significantly where as serum glucose increased with increase in ethephon concentration and time of exposure when compared with control groups.
Infection by a Giant Virus Induces Widespread Physiological Reprogramming in Aureococcus Anophagefferens – A Harmful Bloom Algae

While viruses with distinct phylogenetic origins and different nucleic acid types can infect and lyse eukaryotic phytoplankton, “giant” dsDNA viruses have been found to be associated with important ecological processes, including the collapse of algal blooms. However, the molecular aspects of giant virus – host interactions remain largely unknown. AaV, a giant virus in the Mimiviridae clade, is known to play a critical role in regulating the fate of brown tide blooms caused by the pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens. To understand the physiological response of A. anophagefferens CCMP1984 upon AaV infection, we studied the transcriptomic landscape of this host-virus pair over an entire infection cycle using a RNA-sequencing approach. A massive transcriptional reprogramming of the host was evident as early as 5 min post-infection, with modulation of specific processes likely related to both host defense mechanism(s) and viral takeover of the cell. Infected Aureococcus showed a relative suppression of host-cell transcripts associated with photosynthesis, cytoskeleton formation, fatty acid and carbohydrate biosynthesis. In contrast, host cell processes related to protein synthesis, polyamine biosynthesis, cellular respiration, transcription and RNA processing were overrepresented compared to the healthy cultures at different stages of the infection cycle. A large number of redox active host-selenoproteins were overexpressed, which suggested that viral replication and assembly progresses in a highly oxidative environment. The majority (99.2%) of annotated AaV genes were expressed at some point during the infection cycle and demonstrated a clear temporal-expression pattern and an increasing relative expression for the majority of the genes through the time course. We detected a putative early promoter motif for AaV, which was highly similar to the early promoter elements of two other Mimiviridae members, indicating some degree of evolutionary conservation of gene regulation within this clade. This large-scale transcriptome study provides the insight into the Aureococcus ‘virocell’, and establishes a foundation to test hypotheses regarding metabolic and regulatory processes critical for AaV and other Mimiviridae members.
Predictive entrainment of natural speech through two fronto-motor top-down channels

Natural communication between interlocutors is enabled by the ability to predict upcoming speech in a given context. Previously we showed that these predictions rely on a fronto-motor top-down control of low-frequency oscillations in auditory-temporal brain areas that track intelligible speech. However, a comprehensive spatio-temporal characterisation of this effect is still missing. Here, we applied transfer entropy to source-localised MEG data during continuous speech perception. First, at low frequencies (1-4 Hz, brain delta phase to speech delta phase), predictive effects start in left fronto-motor regions and progress to right temporal regions. Second, at higher frequencies (14-18 Hz, brain beta power to speech delta phase), predictive patterns show a transition from left inferior frontal gyrus via left precentral gyrus to left primary auditory areas. Our results suggest a progression of prediction processes from higher-order to early sensory areas in at least two different frequency channels.
A Dual AMPK/Nrf2 Activator Reduces Brain Inflammation After Stroke by Enhancing Microglia M2 Polarization.

AIMS Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation plays an important role in focal ischemic stroke, a disorder with no effective therapeutic agents. Since microglial polarization to the M2 phenotype and reduction of oxidative stress are mediated through AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) activation, we assessed the dual therapeutic effect of AMPK and Nrf2 activation by a novel neuroprotectant HP-1c in the treatment of ischemic stroke. RESULTS We developed a novel class of hybrids (HP-1a-HP-1f) of telmisartan and 2-(1-hydroxypentyl)-benzoate (HPBA) as a ring-opening derivative of NBP. The most promising hybrid, HP-1c, exhibited more potent anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects in vitro and reduced brain infarct volume and improved neurological deficits in a rat model of transient focal cerebral ischemia when compared with telmisartan alone, NBP alone, or a combination of telmisartan and NBP. HP-1c had a therapeutic window of up to 24 h, ameliorated ischemic cerebral injury in permanent focal cerebral ischemia, and improved motor function. The beneficial effects of HP-1c in ischemic stroke were associated with microglial polarization to the M2 phenotype and reduced oxidative stress. HP-1c also shifted the M1/M2 polarization in a mouse neuroinflammatory model. The anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of HP-1c were associated with AMPK-Nrf2 pathway activation for neuroprotection. We showed that HP-1c penetrates the brain, has a plasma half-life of around 3.93 h, and has no toxicity in mice. Innovation and Conclusion: Our study results suggest that HP-1c, with dual AMPK- and Nrf2-activating properties, may have potential in further studies as a novel therapy for ischemic stroke. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 28, 141-163.
Three-dimensional mobility and muscle attachments in the pectoral limb of the Triassic cynodont Massetognathus pascuali

The musculoskeletal configuration of the mammalian pectoral limb has been heralded as a key anatomical feature leading to the adaptive radiation of mammals, but limb function in the cynodont outgroup remains unresolved. Conflicting reconstructions of abducted and adducted posture are based on mutually-incompatible interpretations of ambiguous osteology. We reconstruct the pectoral limb of the Triassic non-mammalian cynodont Massetognathus pascuali in three dimensions, by combining skeletal morphology from micro-computed tomography with muscle anatomy from an extended extant phylogenetic bracket. Conservative tests of maximum range of motion suggest a degree of girdle mobility, as well as substantial freedom at the shoulder and the elbow joints. The glenoid fossa supports a neutral pose in which the distal end of the humerus points 45° posterolaterally from the body wall, intermediate between classically “sprawling” and “parasagittal” limb postures. Massetognathus is reconstructed as having a near-mammalian complement of shoulder muscles, including an incipient rotator cuff (m. subscapularis, m. infraspinatus, m. supraspinatus, and m. teres minor). Based on close inspection of the morphology of the glenoid fossa, we hypothesize a posture-driven scenario for the evolution of the therian ball-and-socket shoulder joint. The musculoskeletal reconstruction presented here provides the anatomical scaffolding for more detailed examination of locomotor evolution in the precursors to mammals.
The Drosophila Formin Fhod Nucleates Actin Filaments

Formins are a conserved group of proteins that nucleate and processively elongate actin filaments. Among them, the formin homology domain-containing protein (FHOD) family of formins contributes to contractility of striated muscle and cell motility in several contexts. However, the mechanisms by which they carry out these functions remain poorly understood. Unlike other formins, mammalian FHOD1 and FHOD3 do not accelerate actin assembly in vitro, and have instead been suggested to act as barbed end cappers or bundlers. Here, we show that purified Drosophila Fhod, in contrast with the mammalian homologues, potently accelerates actin assembly by nucleation. We found that Fhod binds tightly to barbed ends, where it slows elongation in the absence of profilin and allows elongation in the presence of profilin. Fhod protects barbed ends from capping protein, but dissociates from barbed ends relatively quickly. Finally, we used cosedimentation assays to determine that Fhod binds the sides of actin filaments and bundles filaments. This work establishes that Fhod shares the capacity of other formins to nucleate and bundle actin filaments, but is notably less effective at processively elongating barbed ends.
Parallel evolution of two clades of a major Atlantic endemic Vibrio parahaemolyticus pathogen lineage by independent acquisition of related pathogenicity islands

Shellfish-transmitted Vibrio parahaemolyticus infections have recently increased from locations with historically low disease incidence, such as the Northeast United States (US). This change coincided with a bacterial population shift towards human pathogenic variants occurring in part through the introduction of several Pacific native lineages (ST36, ST43 and ST636) to near-shore areas off the Atlantic coast of the Northeast US. Concomitantly, ST631 emerged as a major endemic pathogen. Phylogenetic trees of clinical and environmental isolates indicated that two clades diverged from a common ST631 ancestor, and in each of these clades, a human pathogenic variant evolved independently through acquisition of distinct Vibrio pathogenicity islands (VPaI). These VPaI differ from each other and bear little resemblance to hemolysin-containing VPaI from isolates of the pandemic clonal complex. Clade I ST631 isolates either harbored no hemolysins, or contained a chromosome I-inserted island we call VPaIβ that encodes a type three secretion system (T3SS2β) typical of Trh hemolysin-producers. The more clinically prevalent and clonal ST631 clade II had an island we call VPaIγ that encodes both tdh and trh and that was inserted in chromosome II. VPaIγ was derived from VPaIβ but with some additional acquired elements in common with VPaI carried by pandemic isolates, exemplifying the mosaic nature of pathogenicity islands. Genomics comparisons and amplicon assays identified VPaIγ-type islands containing tdh inserted adjacent to the ure cluster in the three introduced Pacific and most other emergent lineages. that collectively cause 67% of Northeast US infections as of 2016. IMPORTANCE The availability of three different hemolysin genotypes in the ST631 lineage provided a unique opportunity to employ genome comparisons to further our understanding of the processes underlying pathogen evolution. The fact that two different pathogenic clades arose in parallel from the same potentially benign lineage by independent VPaI acquisition is surprising considering the historically low prevalence of community members harboring VPaI in waters along the Northeast US Coast that could serve as the source of this material. This illustrates a possible predisposition of some lineages to not only acquire foreign DNA but also to become human pathogens. Whereas the underlying cause for the expansion of V. parahaemolyticus lineages harboring VPaIγ along the US Atlantic coast and spread of this element to multiple lineages that underlies disease emergence is not known, this work underscores the need to define the environment factors that favor bacteria harboring VPaI in locations of emergent disease.