Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LHX1–a multifunctional regulator in preoptic area-derived interneuron development

In the cerebral cortex, local inhibition is achieved by different types of gamma-aminobutyric (GABA)-expressing interneurons, representing essential key players of cortical information processing (Marin, 2012). Their development has to be highly orchestrated to ensure proper numbers and subtype composition in the adult cortex and defects in interneuron development contribute to the pathophysiology of psychiatric diseases (Marin, 2012). Different from cortical projection neurons, inhibitory interneurons have their origin in proliferative zones in the basal telencephalon from where they have to migrate over long distances up to the cortex (Zimmer-Bensch, 2018). During this migratory process, post-mitotic interneurons have to continuously adopt their morphology and directionality following guidance cues that are expressed in spatiotemporal-specific manner (Zimmer-Bensch, 2018). Detection and integration of environmental signals are achieved by receptor and intracellular signaling proteins that are expressed in a subset-specific manner. This mediates the differential responses of interneuron subtypes to certain guidance factors and provides an explanation for the different migratory streams that appear to correlate with interneuron identity (Zimmer-Bensch, 2018). During the extended period of post-mitotic development, the regulation of cell survival and subtype-specific differentiation is further of great relevance for proper network formation in the adult cortex (Zimmer-Bensch, 2018). All these processes are coordinated by the specific expression of regulatory proteins, like particular transcription factors, driving downstream gene activation or repression, thereby contributing to the morphological and electrophysiological diverse GABAergic interneuron subtypes. Hence, uncovering regulatory key players of particular genetic networks helps to shed light on subtype-specific interneuron development and could reveal potential causes for associated diseases.
Morph- and sex-specific effects of challenging conditions on maintenance parameters in the Gouldian finch

ABSTRACT Intraspecific discrete polymorphism is associated with the use of alternative life-history strategies, reflected by distinct reproductive or copying strategies in individuals of different morphs. Yet, morph-specific costs and benefits related to different life-history strategies remain unclear. Here, we examined in the polymorphic Gouldian finch (Erythrura gouldiae) whether markers of somatic maintenance (body mass, oxidative status and telomere length) differed between red- and black-headed birds under energetically demanding conditions (during heatwaves of different intensity, and during moult or breeding following heatwaves). During heatwaves, red-headed birds showed a homogeneous response, as males and females initially tended to gain mass and had reduced plasma hydroperoxide levels (a marker of oxidative damage) irrespective of heatwave intensity. In contrast, black-headed birds showed a stronger and more heterogeneous response, as black-headed males gained mass at the beginning of the thermoneutral heatwave and showed stable oxidative status, whereas black-headed females lost mass and tended to show higher hydroperoxide levels at the end of the thermocritical heatwave. Following heatwaves, we found morph-specific oxidative costs owing to moult or reproduction, with oxidative markers varying only in black-headed birds. Again, oxidative markers varied differently in black-headed males and females, as plasma antioxidant capacity decreased in moulting or breeding females, whereas males showed higher hydroperoxide levels with larger broods. For the first time, our study highlights that within polymorphic species, some individuals appear more vulnerable than others when coping with energetically demanding conditions. In the context of climate change, such differential effects may ultimately alter the currently observed balance between morphs and sexes within natural populations. Highlighted Article: Gouldian finches exhibit physiological divergence between individuals of different morphs and between reproductive partners under energetically demanding conditions (heatwave, moult or reproduction).
Seroprevalence and risk factors of Brucellosis in small ruminants slaughtered at Debre Ziet and Modjo export abattoirs, Ethiopia.

INTRODUCTION Brucellosis is a global zoonotic disease and major public and animal health problem in many parts of the world, particularly in places where livestock is a major source of food and income. This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2012 and May 2013 to determine the seroprevalence and assess potential risk factors of brucellosis in small ruminants in five export abattoirs at Debre Ziet and Modjo, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. METHODOLOGY Serology and questionnaire were the methods used. In this investigation, 853 sera samples of 485 caprines and 368 ovines brought for slaughter were selected randomly. The Rose Bengal plate test and complement fixation test were conducted using sera samples at National Animal Health Diagnostic and Investigation Center (NAHDIC) serology laboratory. Data collection sheets were used to gather information on possible risk factors believed to influence the occurrence of Brucella infection in small ruminants such as age, species, breed, body condition score, and origin of small ruminants. RESULTS Brucellosis was found in 17 (1.99%) and 15 (1.76%) small ruminants using the Rose Bengal plate test and complement fixation test, respectively. The univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age and body condition score of the animals were risk factors to Brucella infection (p = 0.008 and p = 0.001, respectively) in small ruminants. CONCLUSIONS Based on this survey, brucellosis is a potential problem in small ruminants in Ethiopia that should be further explored.
Plasma free fatty acid concentration is closely tied to whole body peak fat oxidation rate during repeated exercise.

Plasma free fatty acids (FFA) are a major contributor to whole body fat oxidation during exercise. However, the extent to which manipulating plasma FFA concentrations will influence whole body peak fat oxidation rate (PFO) during exercise remains elusive. In this study we aimed to increase plasma FFA concentrations through a combination of fasting and repeated exercise bouts. We hypothesized that an increase in plasma FFA concentration would increase PFO in a dose-dependent manner. Ten healthy young (31 ± 6 yr) (mean ± SD) well-trained (maximal oxygen uptake 65.9 ± 6.1 ml·min-1·kg-1) men performed four graded exercise tests (GXTs) on 1 day. The GXTs were interspersed by 4 h of bed rest. This was conducted either in a fasted state or with the consumption of a standardized carbohydrate-rich meal 3.5 h before each GXT. Fasting and previous GXTs resulted in a gradual increase in PFO from 0.63 ± 0.18 g/min after an overnight fast (10 h) to 0.93 ± 0.17 g/min after ∼22 h of fasting and three previous GXTs. This increase in PFO coincided with an increase in plasma FFA concentrations (r2 = 0.73, P < 0.0001). Ingestion of a carbohydrate-rich meal 3.5 h before each GXT resulted in unaltered PFO. This was also reflected in unchanged plasma FFA, glucose, and insulin concentrations. In this study we show that plasma FFA availability is closely tied to whole body PFO and that the length of fasting combined with previous exercise are robust stimuli toward increasing plasma FFA concentration, highlighting the importance for preexercise standardization when conducting GXTs measuring substrate oxidation. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We show that peak fat oxidation is increased in close relationship with plasma free fatty acid availability after combined fasting and repeated incremental exercise tests in healthy highly trained men. Therefore it may be argued that whole body fat oxidation rate measured in most cases after an overnight fast indeed does not represent whole body maximal fat oxidation rate but a whole body peak fat oxidation rate within the context of the preexercise standardization obtained in the study design.
The Relationship between Socioeconomic Status, Mental Health, and Need for Long-Term Services and Supports among the Chinese Elderly in Shandong Province—A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aims to clarify the association between socioeconomic status (SES), mental health, and the need for long-term services and support (NLTSS) of the Chinese elderly, and further, to provide evidence-based suggestions for the development of the long-term services and support (LTSS) system in China. A cross-sectional survey using a multi-stage random sampling method was conducted in Shandong Province, China, in 2017. Data were collected from seniors aged over 60 years old through questionnaires by face-to face interviews. A total of 7070 subjects were included in the final database (40.3% male and 59.7% female). A chi-square test analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed to explore the relationship between SES, mental health, and NLTSS for both male and female elderly people. The SEM analysis showed that mental health was significantly and negatively associated with NLTSS for both male elderly and female elderly, and it was slightly stronger among the male elderly. A significant and negative relationship was observed between SES and NLTSS for both genders, and the association was stronger among the female elderly. SES exerted a positive effect on mental health for both male and female elderly people, and a slightly stronger effect was found among the male elderly. Advice for the development of a LTSS system in China was given based on the above results.
Psychosocial support during displacement due to a natural disaster: relationships with distress in a lower-middle income country.

BACKGROUND Past studies show relationships between disaster-related displacement and adverse psychosocial health outcomes. The development of psychosocial interventions following displacement is thus increasingly prioritized. However, data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are lacking. In October 2017, the population of Ambae Island in Vanuatu, a lower-middle income country, was temporarily displaced due to volcanic activity. We analyzed distress among adults displaced due to the event and differences based on the psychosocial support they received. METHODS Data on experiences during displacement, distress and psychosocial support were collected from 443 adults 2-3 wk after repatriation to Ambae Island. Four support categories were identified: Healthcare professional, Traditional/community, Not available and Not wanted. We analyzed differences in distress by sex and group using one-way ANOVA and generalized linear models. RESULTS Mean distress scores were higher among women (1.90, SD=0.97) than men (1.64, SD=0.98) (p<0.004). In multivariate models, psychosocial support group was associated with distress among women (p=0.033), with higher scores among women who reported no available support compared with every other group. Both healthcare professional and traditional support networks were widely used. CONCLUSIONS Women might be particularly vulnerable to distress during disaster-related displacement in LMICs, and those who report a lack of support might be at greater risk. Both healthcare professional and traditional networks provide important sources of support that are widely used and might help to ameliorate symptoms.
Double Full-Arch Fixed Implant-Supported Prostheses: Outcomes and Complications after a Mean Follow-Up of 5 Years.

PURPOSE To retrospectively assess complications and clinical and radiographic outcomes of edentulous patients treated with double full-arch implant-supported fixed complete dental prostheses (IFCDPs) after a mean observation period of 5.1 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS The single-visit clinical and radiographic examination included medical and dental history review and clinical assessment of biologic and technical complications encountered with all implants and IFCDPs. Life table analysis and Kaplan-Meier survival curves were calculated. Analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between prosthesis survival and several risk factors such as type of opposing occlusion, nightguard use, and presence of bruxism. RESULTS Nineteen edentulous patients restored with 38 IFCDPs were included. A total of 249 implants were placed and 2 implants failed after a mean observation period of 5.1 years (range: 1-12 years), yielding an overall implant survival rate of 99.2% and prosthesis survival rate of 92.1%. Three out of 38 IFCDPs were lost, 1 after implant losses and 2 due to technical complications. The most frequent minor biologic complication was soft tissue recession with an estimated 5-year rate of 45.5% (95% CI: 39.4-57.5), while the most frequent major complication was peri-implantitis with an estimated 5-year implant-based rate of 9.5% (95% CI: 6.7-11.3). The most frequent minor technical complication was wear of the prosthetic material with an estimated 5-year rate of 49.0% (95% CI: 37.4-76.4), while the most frequent major technical complication was fracture of the prosthetic material with an estimated 5-year dental unit-based rate of 8.0% (95% CI: 6.6-10.1). CONCLUSIONS After a mean use time of 5.1 years, high implant and prosthesis survival rates were observed. The most frequent major biologic complication was peri-implantitis, and the most frequent major technical complication was fracture of the prosthetic material. The 5-year estimated cumulative rates for "prosthesis free of biologic complications" was 50.7% (95% CI: 33.7-65.4) and for "prosthesis free of technical complications" was 57.1% (95% CI: 39.3-71.5).
Human exposures to veterinary pharmaceutical products reported to Australia’s largest poison information centre

Abstract Aim: To describe the epidemiology of veterinary pharmaceutical-related exposures based on telephone calls to Australia’s largest poisons information centre. Methods: A retrospective analysis of exposures to pharmaceutical products intended for animal use, managed by the New South Wales Poison Information Centre (NSWPIC, Australia’s largest poisons information centre) from 2014 to 2016 inclusive, was conducted. Case narratives were reviewed and coded for exposure-related circumstances and intended species. Descriptive statistics were generated and forest plots were produced to visualise the perceived severity of products. Results: From 2014 through 2016 NSWPIC received 2655 calls regarding exposure to veterinary pharmaceutical products: 11.72 human exposures to veterinary pharmaceuticals per 1000 PIC initial contact exposure calls (CI: 10.95–12.49) per year. The vast majority of exposures were with products intended for companion animals, particularly of the class “antiparasitic products, insecticides and repellents”, with the most common individual specified product being pimobendan, a phosphodiesterase inhibitor used as a cardiac inotrope and vasodilator in dogs. Immunologicals presented the greatest perceived severity, with livestock vaccinations eliciting substantial proportions of symptomatic exposures and those receiving hospitalisation. Exploratory behaviour, such as accessing packaging, was a common source of exposure within toddlers and children in particular. Conclusions: This overview of all exposures to veterinary pharmaceutical products has identified high-risk groups to target interventions to reduce the incidence of future exposures. The pet-owning population and those personnel administering immunologicals to livestock represent a substantial cohort of individuals at risk of harm during, and in the immediate time following, administration of veterinary pharmaceutical products to animals. It is important to review risk management plans for veterinary pharmaceutical products to ensure product safety is as stringent as human equivalents. The legislative requirements concerning child-resistant packaging and the scheduling of livestock vaccines require reconsideration.
Effects of Stimulus Exploration Length and Time on the Integration of Information in Haptic Softness Discrimination

In haptic perception, information is often sampled serially (e.g., a stimulus is repeatedly indented to estimate its softness), requiring that sensory information is retained and integrated over time. Hence, integration of sequential information is likely affected by memory. Particularly, when two sequentially explored stimuli are compared, integration of information on the second stimulus might be determined by the fading representation of the first stimulus. We investigated how the exploration length of the first stimulus and a temporal delay affect contributions of sequentially gathered estimates of the second stimulus in haptic softness discrimination. Participants subsequently explored two silicon rubber stimuli by indenting the first stimulus one or five times and the second stimulus always three times. In an additional experiment, we introduced a 5-s delay after the first stimulus was indented five times. We show that the longer the first stimulus is explored, the more estimates of the second stimulus’ softness contribute to the discrimination of the two stimuli, independent of the delay. This suggests that the exploration length of the first stimulus influences the strength of its representation, persisting at least for 5 s, and determines how much information about the second stimulus is exploited for the comparison.
Do cystic vestibular schwannomas have worse surgical outcomes? Systematic analysis of the literature.

OBJECT The goal of this study was to perform a systematic quantitative comparison of the surgical outcomes between cystic vestibular schwannomas (CVSs) and solid vestibular schwannomas (SVSs). METHODS A review of English-language literature published between 1990 and 2011 was performed using various search engines including PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane database. Only studies that reported surgical results of CVSs in comparison with SVSs were included in the analysis. The primary end point of this study was surgical outcomes, defined by the following: 1) facial nerve outcomes at latest follow-up; 2) mortality rates; or 3) non-facial nerve complication index. Secondary end points included extent of resection and brainstem adherence. RESULTS Nine studies comprising 428 CVSs and 1287 SVSs were included in the study. The mean age of patients undergoing surgery was 48.3 ± 6.75 and 47.1 ± 9 years for CVSs and SVSs, respectively (p = 0.8). The mean tumor diameter for CVSs was 3.9 ± 0.84 cm and that for SVSs was 3.7 ± 1.2 cm (p = 0.7). There was no significant difference in the extent of resection among CVSs and SVSs (81.2% vs 80.7%, p = 0.87) Facial nerve outcomes were significantly better in the cohort of patients with SVSs than in those with CVSs (52.1% vs 39%, p = 0.0001). The perioperative mortality rates for CVSs and SVSs were not significantly different (3% and 3.8%, respectively; p = 0.6). No significant difference was noted between the cumulative non-facial nerve complication rate (including mortality) among patients with CVSs and SVSs (24.5% and 25.6%, respectively; p = 0.75) CONCLUSIONS Facial nerve outcomes are worse in patients undergoing resection for CVSs than in patients undergoing resection for SVSs. There were no significant differences in the extent of resection or postoperative morbidity and mortality rates between the cohorts of patients with vestibular schwannomas.
An Unexpected Role for Ion Channels in Brain Tumor Metastasis

Over the past two decades it has become apparent that essentially all living cells express voltage-activated ion channels. While the role of ion channels for electrical signaling between excitable cells is well known, their function in non-excitable cells is somewhat enigmatic. Research on cancer cells suggests that certain ion channels, K+ channels in particular, may be involved in aberrant tumor growth and channel inhibitors often lead to growth arrest. An unsuspected role for K+ and Cl− channels has now been documented for primary brain tumors, glioma, where the concerted activity of these channels promotes cell invasion and the formation of brain metastasis. Specifically, Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels colocalize with ClC-3 Cl− channels to the invading processes of these tumor cells. Upon a rise in intracellular Ca2+, these channels activate and release K+ and Cl− ions together with obligated water causing a rapid shrinkage of the leading process. This in turn facilitates the invasion of the cell into the narrow and tortuous extracellular brain spaces. The NKCC1 cotransporter accumulates intracellular Cl− to unusually high concentrations, thereby establishing an outward directed gradient for Cl− ions. This allows glioma cells to utilize Cl− as an osmotically active anion during invasion. Importantly, the inhibition of Cl− channels retards cell volume changes, and, in turn, compromises tumor cell invasion. These findings have led to the clinical evaluation of a Cl− channel blocking peptide, chlorotoxin, in patients with malignant glioma. Data from this clinical trial shows remarkable tumor selectivity for chlorotoxin. The experimental therapeutic was well tolerated and is now evaluated in a multi-center phase II clinical trial. A similar role for Cl− and K+ channels is suspected in other metastatic cancers, and lessons learned from studies of gliomas may pave the way towards the development of novel therapeutics targeting ion channels.
Dual Sites for SEC11 on the SNARE SYP121 Implicate a Binding Exchange during Secretory Traffic

The regulatory protein SEC11 binds differentially via two motifs on the Qa-SNARE SYP121 N terminus, only one of which overlaps with the K+ channel-binding motif, to facilitate a binding exchange during SNARE complex assembly. SNARE (soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptor) proteins facilitate vesicle traffic through their assembly in a heteromeric complex that drives membrane fusion. Much of vesicle traffic at the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plasma membrane is subject to the Sec1/Munc18 protein SEC11, which, along with plasma membrane K+ channels, selectively binds with the SNARE SYP121 to regulate its assembly in complex. How SEC11 binding is coordinated with the K+ channels is poorly understood, as both SEC11 and the channels are thought to compete for the same SNARE binding site. Here, we identify a second binding motif within the N terminus of SYP121 and demonstrate that this motif affects SEC11 binding independently of the F9xRF motif that is shared with the K+ channels. This second, previously unrecognized motif is centered on residues R20R21 of SYP121 and is essential for SEC11 interaction with SYP121. Mutation of the R20R21 motif blocked vesicle traffic without uncoupling the effects of SYP121 on solute and K+ uptake associated with the F9xRF motif; the mutation also mimicked the effects on traffic block observed on coexpression of the dominant-negative SEC11Δ149 fragment. We conclude that the R20R21 motif represents a secondary site of interaction for the Sec1/Munc18 protein during the transition of SYP121 from the occluded to the open conformation that leads to SNARE complex assembly.