Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simultaneous determination of pesticides, mycotoxins, tropane alkaloids, growth regulators, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids in oats and whole wheat grains after online clean-up via two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry

Abstract In this study, a two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated for the determination of pesticide residues and contaminants in whole wheat grains and oats. The samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile and water and were injected into the two-dimensional LC-MS/MS system without any further clean-up or sample preparation. Samples were analyzed with four different matrix matched calibrations. Matrix effects were evaluated by comparing analyte signals in the respective matrix matched standard with the neat solvent standards. The final method was validated according to the current Eurachem validation guide and SANTE document. The number of successfully validated analytes throughout all three validation levels in oats and wheat, respectively, were as follows: 330 and 316 out of 370 pesticides, 6 and 13 out of 18 pyrrolizidine alkaloids and 7 out of 9 regulated mycotoxins. Moreover, both plant growth regulators mepiquat and chlormequat as well as the tropane alkaloids atropine and scopolamine met the validation criteria. The majority of pesticides showed limits of detection below 1 µg kg−1, pyrrolizidine alkaloids below 0.7 µg kg−1, tropane alkaloids below 0.2 µg kg−1, growth regulators below 0.7 µg kg−1 and mycotoxins below 8 µg kg−1 in both matrices.
Interleukin-6 and insulin-like growth factor-1 synergistically promote the progression of NSCLC

Abstract The signaling pathways of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) play an important role in the progression of lung cancer, and this study aimed to explore whether they can synergistically promote the progression of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We found that IL-6, glycoprotein 130 (GP130), IGF-1 and IGF-1R were highly expressed in NSCLC (p = .000), and there was the correlation between GP130, IGF-1, and IGF-1R (p < .01). The overall survival of patients with the co-expression of GP130 and IGF-1R was significantly shorter (p = .0360). Co-stimulation of IL-6 and IGF-1 resulted in significantly enhanced in cell proliferation, (p < .05), invasion (p < .05), cycle (p < .05), apoptosis (p < .05), and the expression of signal molecules (GP130, IGF-1R, p-AKT, and p-ERK1/2) (all p < .05) in NSCLC cells. This experiment revealed that IL-6 and IGF-1 can synergistically promote the progression of NSCLC. The high expression of GP130 and IGF-1R is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis patients, and it is helpful to find a more accurate target for targeted therapy in NSCLC.
High Publication Rate of Abstracts Presented at Lumbar Spine Research Society Meetings

ABSTRACT Background: Although publication rates from multiple orthopedic research conferences have been published in the literature, the publication rates of abstracts presented at the Lumbar Spine Research Society (LSRS) meetings have never been reported. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the publication rates from the LSRS annual meeting years 2008–2012 and then to compare those rates with that of other spine research society meetings. Methods: Podium presentations from 2008 to 2012 and poster presentations from 2010 to 2012 were reviewed. For each presentation, a PubMed search was performed to determine if a full-text publication existed. χ2 tests were used to compare LSRS publication rates to those of other spine meetings. In addition, impact of published articles was evaluated by average citation count and average journal impact factor. Results: From 2008 to 2012, a total of 332 podium and poster presentations were identified. The overall publication rate was 55.1% (183/332). For podium presentations, this was greatest in 2012 (66.0%) and lowest in 2008 (51.5%). For poster presentations, this was greatest in 2012 (53.6%) and lowest in 2010 (25.0%). The publication rate of presentations is statistically greater than the publication rates of Eurospine (37.8%, P < .001), North American Spine Society (40.0%, P < .001), The International Society for the Study of the Lumbar Spine (45.0%, P = .012), and the Scoliosis Research Society (47.0%, P = .042) but not statistically different than that of Cervical Spine Research Society (65.7%, P = .059). In addition, the average citation count per published article categorized by year ranged from 13 to 31. The average journal impact factor of published articles categorized by year ranged from 2.31 to 2.55. Conclusions: While LSRS is a relatively young society, these findings point to the high quality of presentations at this scientific meeting. These findings speak to the scientific rigor of presentations at LSRS. Clinical Relevance: This study helps clinicians and scientists gauge the quality of a research meeting and make informed choices on which gatherings to attend.
An antioxidant stabilized, chemically cross-linked UHMWPE with superior toughness.

Chemical cross-linking of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) using an organic peroxide followed by high temperature melting results in a large increase in toughness accompanied by a decrease in cross-link density, which, surprisingly does not compromise the wear resistance. We compared the mechanical properties and wear behavior of a vitamin E blended, chemically cross-linked and high temperature melted UHMWPE produced by ram extrusion (PRX HTM) to those measured with the clinically available 100-kGy irradiated and melted UHMWPE (CISM 100). We also assessed the local biocompatibility of PRX-HTM in rabbit subcutaneous pouch and osteochondral defect models. The ultimate tensile strength and pin-on-disc wear rate were similar to CISM 100; whereas the elongation-at-break and impact toughness were much higher with PRX-HTM. The stress intensity factor range at crack inception was also higher with PRX-HTM. Accelerated aging did not result in any measurable oxidation or changes in mechanical properties. Hip simulator wear rate of acetabular liners made with PRX-HTM was 0.3 ± 0.4 mg/million-cycle, similar to that reported for CISM 100 liners. The wear particles were largely spherical with a number-averaged particle size of 0.95 μm with ~75% of particles below 1 μm. The subcutaneous and osteochondral rabbit implantations showed no histological differences between PRX-HTM and the control CISM 100. Pre-clinical wear, mechanical, and biocompatibility testing of PRX HTM showed feasibility for the use of this material as a total joint arthroplasty implant bearing surface. This process has the potential of eliminating the additional step of radiation cross-linking by combining consolidation and cross-linking while improving toughness. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res B Part B: 2018.
Fiber Reinforced Cartilage ECM Functionalized Bioinks for Functional Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Focal articular cartilage (AC) defects, if left untreated, can lead to debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis. While several tissue engineering strategies have been developed to promote cartilage regeneration, it is still challenging to generate functional AC capable of sustaining high load‐bearing environments. Here, a new class of cartilage extracellular matrix (cECM)‐functionalized alginate bioink is developed for the bioprinting of cartilaginous tissues. The bioinks are 3D‐printable, support mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) viability postprinting and robust chondrogenesis in vitro, with the highest levels of COLLII and ACAN expression observed in bioinks containing the highest concentration of cECM. Enhanced chondrogenesis in cECM‐functionalized bioinks is also associated with progression along an endochondral‐like pathway, as evident by increases in RUNX2 expression and calcium deposition in vitro. The bioinks loaded with MSCs and TGF‐β3 are also found capable of supporting robust chondrogenesis, opening the possibility of using such bioinks for direct “print‐and‐implant” cartilage repair strategies. Finally, it is demonstrated that networks of 3D‐printed polycaprolactone fibers with compressive modulus comparable to native AC can be used to mechanically reinforce these bioinks, with no loss in cell viability. It is envisioned that combinations of such biomaterials can be used in multiple‐tool biofabrication strategies for the bioprinting of biomimetic cartilaginous implants.
Vitiligo‐like depigmentation in oncology patients treated with immunotherapies for nonmelanoma metastatic cancers

Vitiligo‐like depigmentation (VLD) is a characteristic cutaneous event described in patients with metastatic malignant melanoma receiving treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. We report the onset of VLD in three patients with other cancer types (cholangiocarcinoma, renal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma) following treatment with immunotherapy (combination pembrolizumab and nivolumab for the first, and pembrolizumab for the other two cancer types). Cases of VLD have not been reported previously in patients treated for any of these cancers, to our knowledge. Pembrolizumab and nivolumab are monoclonal antibodies targeting programmed cell death (PD)‐1 receptors, while ipilimumab targets cytotoxic T‐lymphocyte antigen‐4. Our clinical finding challenges the current understanding of VLD as a malignant melanoma‐specific immunotherapy‐related adverse event.
The Relative Costs of High- vs. Low-Energy-Density Foods and More vs. Less Healthful Beverages Consumed by Children

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to compare grocery costs between relatively high-energy-density foods and sugar-sweetened/high-fat beverages and lower energy-density foods and more healthful beverages in children’s diets. Sixty foods were divided into high- and low-energy-density baskets. Fourteen beverages were designated to either basket based on fat and added-sugar content. Prices were collected at 60 grocery stores and composite costs compared between baskets using Wilcoxon tests. The cost per kilogram of high-energy-density foods was greater, but the cost per quart of sugar-sweetened/high-fat beverages was lower than more healthful beverages. The cost per 1000 calories and the cost per serving of the high-energy-density basket were lower. The relative cost of high- and low-energy-density foods in children’s diets depends on how cost is quantified. “Pound-for-pound,” lower energy-density foods and more healthful beverages are generally less expensive, but high-energy-density foods and less healthful beverages are cheaper per serving. Cost metrics including other factors (eg, time cost) may further clarify the role of grocery prices in children’s diets.
A nationwide follow-up study of occupational organic dust exposure and risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

Objectives To study exposure-response relations between cumulative organic dust exposure and incident chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) among subjects employed in the Danish farming and wood industry. Methods We studied exposure-response relations between cumulative organic dust exposure and incident COPD (1997–2013) among individuals born during 1950–1977 in Denmark ever employed in the farming or wood industry (n=1 75 409). Industry-specific employment history (1964–2007), combined with time-dependent farming and wood industry-specific exposure matrices defined cumulative exposure. We used logistic regression analysis with discrete survival function adjusting for age, sex and calendar year. Adjustment for smoking status was explored in a subgroup of 4023 with smoking information available. Results Cumulative organic dust exposure was inversely associated with COPD (adjusted rate ratios (RRadj (95% CIs) of 0.90 (0.82 to 0.99), 0.76 (0.69 to 0.84) and 0.52 (0.47 to 0.58) for intermediate-low, intermediate-high and high exposure quartiles, respectively, compared with the lowest exposure quartile). Lagging exposure 10 years was not consistently suggestive of an association between cumulative exposure and COPD; RRadj (95% CI): 1.05 (0.94 to 1.16), 0.92 (0.83 to 1.02) and 0.63 (0.56 to 0.70). Additional stratification by duration of employment showed no clear association between organic dust exposure and COPD except for the longer exposed (15–40 years) where an inverse association was indicated. Subgroup analyses showed that smoking had no impact on exposure-response estimates. Conclusions Our findings show no increased risk of COPD with increasing occupational exposure to organic dust in the farming or wood industry. Potential residual confounding by smoking can, however, not be ruled out.
Prognosis in solitary intraventricular haemorrhage

ABSTRACT‐ Isolated intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) in the absence of parenchymal haematoma is unusual. Fifteen patients with solitary IVH among 170 with intracranial haemorrhage were studied. Clinical details and computed tomographic features were analysed to evaluate the prognostic significance of various clinical and CT parameters. Outcome is affected by hypertension, level of consciousness, clinical progression, pupillary changes and restriction of eye movements. Factors found on CT to have prognostic significance included degree of ventricular bleed, presence of cisternal bleed, hydrocephalus and cerebral atrophy.
Finite Element Analysis and In-Situ Measurement of Out-of-Plane Distortion in Thin Plate TIG Welding

Transient distortion of thin plate in the welding process usually has a complicated mode and large magnitude. Quantitative measurement and prediction of full-field distortion are challenging and rarely reported up to now. In this study, the out-of-plane distortion of a thin plate during the Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding process was measured using the digital image correlation (DIC) method. A simulation model based on thermal elastic–plastic finite element method (FEM) and DIC measured geometric imperfection were developed for accurate prediction of the transient welding distortion. The numerical results and experimental data agreed very well in both out-of-plane deformation modes and magnitudes of the plate at different stages of welding. The maximum out-of-plane distortion was larger than 4 mm during welding which can cause instability of arc length and heat input. The distance change between welding torch and plate surface was investigated under different initial deflections of the plate before welding. The plate with flat geometry shows the minimum transient and final gap change. In addition, the relationship between heat input and welding distortion was clarified through a series of numerical analyses. Optimization of welding heat input can be performed based on numerical results to avoid excessive welding distortion.
Foramen ovale blood flow and cardiac function after main pulmonary artery occlusion in fetal sheep

What is the central question of this study? At near‐term gestation, foramen ovale blood flow accounts for a significant proportion of fetal left ventricular output. Can the foramen ovale increase its volume blood flow when right ventricular afterload is increased by main pulmonary artery occlusion? What is the main finding and its importance? Foramen ovale volume blood flow increased during main pulmonary artery occlusion. However, this increase was attributable to an increase in fetal heart rate, because left ventricular stroke volume remained unchanged. These findings suggest that the foramen ovale has a limited capacity to increase its volume blood flow.
Faces, locations, and tools: a proposed two-stimulus P300 brain computer interface

Objective. Brain computer interface (BCI) technology can be important for those unable to communicate due to loss of muscle control. Given that the P300 Speller provides a relatively slow rate of communication, highly accurate classification is of great importance. Previous studies have shown that alternative stimuli (e.g. faces) can improve BCI speed and accuracy. The present study uses two new alternative stimuli, locations and graspable tools. Functional MRI studies have shown that images of familiar locations produce brain responses in the parahippocampal place area and graspable tools produce brain responses in premotor cortex. Approach. The current studies show that location and tool stimuli produce unique and discriminable brain responses that can be used to improve offline classification accuracy. Experiment 1 presented face stimuli and location stimuli and Experiment 2 presented location and tool stimuli. Main results. In both experiments, offline results showed that a stimulus specific classifier provided higher accuracy, speed, and bit rate. Significance. This study was used to provide preliminary offline support for using unique stimuli to improve speed and accuracy of the P300 Speller. Additional experiments should be conducted to examine the online efficacy of this novel paradigm.
Multilevel Modeling of Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment: The Multilevel DINA Example

Many multilevel linear and item response theory models have been developed to account for multilevel data structures. However, most existing cognitive diagnostic models (CDMs) are unilevel in nature and become inapplicable when data have a multilevel structure. In this study, using the log-linear CDM as the item-level model, multilevel CDMs were developed based on the latent continuous variable approach and the multivariate Bernoulli distribution approach. In a series of simulations, the newly developed multilevel deterministic input, noisy, and gate (DINA) model was used as an example to evaluate the parameter recovery and consequences of ignoring the multilevel structures. The results indicated that all parameters in the new multilevel DINA were recovered fairly well by using the freeware Just Another Gibbs Sampler (JAGS) and that ignoring multilevel structures by fitting the standard unilevel DINA model resulted in poor estimates for the student-level covariates and underestimated standard errors, as well as led to poor recovery for the latent attribute profiles for individuals. An empirical example using the 2003 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study eighth-grade mathematical test was provided.
NextPBM: a platform to study cell-specific transcription factor binding and cooperativity

Abstract High-throughput (HT) in vitro methods for measuring protein-DNA binding have become invaluable for characterizing transcription factor (TF) complexes and modeling gene regulation. However, current methods do not utilize endogenous proteins and, therefore, do not quantify the impact of cell-specific post-translational modifications (PTMs) and cooperative cofactors. We introduce the HT nextPBM (nuclear extract protein-binding microarray) approach to study DNA binding of native cellular TFs that accounts for PTMs and cell-specific cofactors. We integrate immune-depletion and phosphatase treatment steps into our nextPBM pipeline to characterize the impact of cofactors and phosphorylation on TF binding. We analyze binding of PU.1/SPI1 and IRF8 from human monocytes, delineate DNA-sequence determinants for their cooperativity, and show how PU.1 affinity correlates with enhancer status and the presence of cooperative and collaborative cofactors. We describe how nextPBMs, and our accompanying computational framework, can be used to discover cell-specific cofactors, screen for synthetic cooperative DNA elements, and characterize TF cooperativity.
CD11a expression distinguishes infiltrating myeloid cells from plaque‐associated microglia in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of age‐related neurodegeneration and is characterized neuropathologically by the accumulation of insoluble beta‐amyloid (Aβ) peptides. In AD brains, plaque‐associated myeloid (PAM) cells cluster around Aβ plaques but fail to effectively clear Aβ by phagocytosis. PAM cells were originally thought to be brain‐resident microglia. However, several studies have also suggested that Aβ‐induced inflammation causes peripheral monocytes to enter the otherwise immune‐privileged brain. The relationship between AD progression and inflammation in the brain remains ambiguous because microglia and monocyte‐derived macrophages are extremely difficult to distinguish from one another in an inflamed brain. Whether PAM cells are microglia, peripheral macrophages, or a mixture of both remains unclear. CD11a is a component of the β2 integrin LFA1. We have determined that CD11a is highly expressed on peripheral immune cells, including macrophages, but is not expressed by mouse microglia. These expression patterns remain consistent in LPS‐treated inflamed mice, as well as in two mouse models of AD. Thus, CD11a can be used as a marker to distinguish murine microglia from infiltrating peripheral immune cells. Using CD11a, we show that PAM cells in AD transgenic brains are comprised entirely of microglia. We also demonstrate a novel fluorescence‐assisted quantification technique (FAQT), which reveals a significant increase in T lymphocytes, especially in the brains of female AD mice. Our findings support the notion that microglia are the lead myeloid players in AD and that rejuvenating their phagocytic potential may be an important therapeutic strategy.
Gender difference in hepatic toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles after subchronic oral exposure in Sprague‐Dawley rats

Existing literature pointed out that the liver may be the target organ of toxicity induced by titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) via oral exposure. Gender differences in health effects widely exist and relevant toxicological research is important for safety assessment. To explore the gender susceptibility of TiO2 NP‐induced hepatic toxicity and the underlying mechanism, we examined female and male Sprague‐Dawley rats administrated with TiO2 NPs orally at doses of 0, 2, 10 and 50 mg/kg body weight per day for 90 days. The serum biochemical indicators and liver pathological observation were used to assess hepatic toxicity. We found significant hepatic toxicity could be induced by subchronic oral exposure to TiO2 NPs, which was more obvious and severe in female rats. No accumulation of TiO2 NPs in the liver was observed, indicating that hepatic toxicity may not be caused through direct pathways. Oxidized glutathione, lipid peroxidation products increased significantly and reduced glutathione decreased significantly in the liver of rats in repeated TiO2 NP‐exposed groups. Hematological parameters of white blood cells and inflammatory cytokines in serum including interleukin 1α, interleukin 4 and tumor necrosis factor also increased significantly. Indirect pathways through initiating oxidative stress and inflammatory responses were suggested as the possible mechanism of the hepatic toxicity in this experiment. The higher sensitivity to redox homeostasis imbalance and inflammation of female rats may be the main reason for gender differences. Our research suggested that gender should be a susceptible factor for identifying and monitoring long‐term oral toxicity of TiO2 NPs.