Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral Economic Tobacco Demand in Relation to Cigarette Consumption and Nicotine Dependence: A Meta-Analysis of Cross-sectional Relationships.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS A cigarette purchase task (CPT) aims to characterise individual variation in the reinforcing value of tobacco. This meta-analysis estimated the associations between cigarette demand, tobacco consumption, and nicotine dependence using this task. DESIGN A meta-analysis of cross-sectional studies identified by PubMed and PsycINFO databases was conducted. Fixed and random effects models were used. The study also examined the model used to derive elasticity of demand (exponential or exponentiated) as a potential moderator. Publication bias was assessed using fail-safe N, Begg-Mazumdar test, Egger´s test, Tweedie's trim and fill approach, and meta-regression of publication year with effect size. SETTING Studies from any setting that reported coefficient correlations on the tested associations. PARTICIPANTS Daily cigarette users (i.e., 5-38 cigarettes per day; N=7,649). MEASUREMENTS Cigarette consumption, nicotine dependence and five tobacco demand indicators: intensity (i.e., consumption at no cost), elasticity (i.e., sensitivity to rises in costs), Omax (maximum expenditure), Pmax (i.e., price at which consumption becomes elastic), and breakpoint (i.e., price at which consumption ceases). FINDINGS Twenty-three studies met inclusion criteria. All the CPT indices were significantly correlated with smoking behavior (r's = .044-.572, ps = .012-10-8 ). Medium-to-large effect size associations were present for intensity, Omax, and elasticity, whereas small effects were obtained for breakpoint and Pmax . Evidence of a moderating effect of the different elasticity modelling approaches was not present. There was limited evidence of publication bias. CONCLUSIONS All five demand indices derived from the Cigarette Purchase Task were robustly associated with cigarette consumption and tobacco dependence. Of the demand indices, maximum expenditure, intensity and elasticity exhibited the largest magnitude associations.
Generation and characterization of Lhx4tdT reporter knock‐in and Lhx4loxP conditional knockout mice

LHX4 is a LIM‐homeodomain transcription factor essential for the development of spinal cord and pituitary gland. Mice with homozygous Lhx4‐null mutation suffer early postnatal death from lung defect. In this study, to facilitate the research on Lhx4 function, we designed a targeting construct to generate two novel Lhx4 mouse lines: Lhx4 loxP conditional knockout and Lhx4 tdT reporter knock‐in mice. Lhx4 tdT/+, Lhx4 loxP/+, and Lhx4 loxP/loxP were viable, fertile, and did not display any gross abnormalities. By breeding Lhx4 loxP line with Cre‐expressing mice, the Exon 3 of Lhx4 was efficiently removed, resulting in a shift in the reading frame and the inactivation of Lhx4. The expression of tdTomato knock‐in reporter recapitulated the endogenous LHX4 expression and was detected in the retina, spinal cord, pituitary gland, and hindbrain of Lhx4 tdT mice. Thus, Lhx4 tdT and Lhx4 loxP mouse lines provide valuable tools for unraveling the tissue‐specific role of Lhx4 at postnatal stages in mice.
Re-conceptualization of anorexia nervosa psychopathology: A network analysis study in adolescents with short duration of the illness.

OBJECTIVE Research evidence suggests the need to identify treatments based on a more precise characterization of psychopathology and psychiatric comorbidity in anorexia nervosa. Network analysis provides a new method to conceptualize psychopathology. We use this approach to investigate the relationships between eating disorder and general psychiatric symptoms in adolescents with anorexia nervosa. METHODS Four-hundred and five adolescents with anorexia nervosa and illness duration less than 3 years were consecutively recruited from those admitted to inpatient treatment. They completed the following questionnaires: the Eating Disorder Inventory-3, the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, the Children's Depression Inventory, and the Youth Self Report. A network analysis was conducted, including eating psychopathology measures, anxiety and depressive symptoms, and obsessive-compulsive and post-traumatic stress problems. We employ a novel approach, the bridge function, to identify symptom clusters. RESULTS Depression symptoms and personal alienation were the nodes with the highest centrality in the network, followed by asceticism, post-traumatic stress problems, drive to thinness, low self-esteem, and anxiety physical symptoms. Three symptom clusters (relative to eating disorder psychopathology, self-esteem problems, and internalizing difficulties) were identified. Depression symptoms, personal alienation, low self-esteem, and interoceptive deficits showed the highest bridge centrality. Besides eating disorder core symptoms, negative affect and internalizing symptoms seem to contribute to anorexia nervosa psychopathology independently from illness duration effects. DISCUSSION These findings suggest that anorexia nervosa is characterized by a broad psychopathological spectrum rather than the mere eating disorder core symptoms, confirm the need to re-conceptualize psychiatric comorbidity in this disorder, and provide intriguing diagnostic and therapeutic implications.
Mechanism of Cxc Chemokine Ligand 5 (CXCL5)/Cxc Chemokine Receptor 2 (CXCR2) Bio-Axis in Mice with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Background Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common acute and severe disease in clinic. Recent studies indicated that Cxc chemokine ligand 5 (CXCL5), an inflammatory chemokine, was associated with tumorigenesis. The present study investigated the role of the CXCL5/Cxc chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) bio-axis in ARDS, and explored the underlying molecular mechanism. Material/Methods The pathological morphology of lung tissue and degree of pulmonary edema were assessed by hematoxylin-eosin staining and pulmonary edema score, respectively. Real-time PCR and Western blot analysis were performed to detect the expression levels of CXCL5, CXCR2, Matrix metalloproteinases 2 (MMP2), and Matrix metalloproteinases 9 (MMP9) in lung tissues. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed to determine the expression levels of CXCL5 and inflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-10) in serum. Results The results demonstrated that diffuse alveolar damage and pulmonary edema appeared in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ARDS and were positively correlated with the severity of ARDS. In addition, CXCL5 and its receptor CXCR2 were overexpressed by upregulation of MMP2 and MMP9 in lung tissues of ARDS. In addition, CXCL5 neutralizing antibody effectively alleviated inflammatory response, diffuse alveolar damage, and pulmonary edema, and decreased the expression levels of MMP2 and MMP9 compared to LPS-induced ARDS. Conclusions We found that CXCL5/CXCR2 accelerated the progression of ARDS, partly by upregulation of MMP2 and MMP9 in lung tissues with the release of inflammatory factors.
The global repair profile of human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase on nucleosomes reveals DNA packaging effects.

Alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG) is the only known human glycosylase capable of excising alkylated purines from DNA, including the highly mutagenic 1,N6-ethenoadenine (εA) lesion. Here we examine AAG's ability to excise εA from a nucleosome core particle (NCP), which is the primary repeating unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotes. Using chemical synthesis techniques, we assembled a global population of NCPs in which A is replaced with εA. While each NCP contains no more than one εA lesion, the total population contains εA in 49 distinct geometric positions. Using this global εA-containing NCP system, we obtained kinetic parameters of AAG throughout the NCP architecture. We observed monophasic reaction kinetics across the NCP, but varying amounts of AAG excision. AAG activity is correlated with solution accessibility and local histone architecture. Notably, we identified some highly solution-accessible lesions that are not repaired well, and an increase in repair within the region of asymmetric unwrapping of the nucleosomal DNA end. These observations support in vivo work and provide molecular-level insight into the relationship between repair and NCP architecture.
Early Feeding Regime of Waste Milk, Milk, and Milk Replacer for Calves Has Different Effects on Rumen Fermentation and the Bacterial Community

Simple Summary The postnatal period may be the most critical window for rumen manipulation, and the early feeding regime may lead to permanent changes in the rumen microbial composition. The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of the most common liquid feeds (whole milk, waste milk, and milk replacer) on growth performance, rumen development, and the ruminal bacterial community during the weaning period, and to then follow calves to up to six months of age to determine the persistence of any ruminal imprinting effects. The results demonstrate that the early feeding regime impacts rumen development not only by dry matter intake, but also the type of liquid feed. Calves fed waste milk had a distinctly structured bacterial community at two months of age, but this difference diminished at six months of age. Calves fed milk replacer had a different rumen fermentation pattern at two months of age, which may induce a long-lasting effect on the rumen environment. Abstract We investigated the effects of different types of early feeding on rumen fermentation parameters and the bacterial community in calves. Fifty-four Holstein calves were assigned to three treatments and fed whole milk (M), pasteurized waste milk (WM), or milk replacer (MR). Male calves were slaughtered at the age of two months to measure the stomach masses. The female calves were followed for six months to determine the body weight, blood indices, rumen fermentation, and ruminal bacterial community. At the age of two months, the average daily gain was lower, but the concentration of total volatile fatty acids was greater in the MR group. Starter intake and stomach mass were lower, but the isovalerate molar proportion was greater in the WM group. The blood indices and ruminal bacterial community of the WM group differed from those of the other groups. At the age of six months, the ruminal propionate molar proportion was lower, but the ruminal pH and acetate/propionate ratio were greater in the MR group. In conclusion, calves fed WM had different rumen fermentation and bacterial community during the weaning period, whereas feeding MR produced a long-lasting effect on the rumen environment.
Nanomedicine-based Curcumin Approach Improved ROS Damage in Best Dystrophy-specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Best dystrophy (BD), also termed best vitelliform macular dystrophy (BVMD), is a juvenile-onset form of macular degeneration and can cause central visual loss. Unfortunately, there is no clear definite therapy for BD or improving the visual function on this progressive disease. The human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) system has been recently applied as an effective tool for genetic consultation and chemical drug screening. In this study, we developed patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells (BD-iPSCs) from BD patient-derived dental pulp stromal cells and then differentiated BD-iPSCs into retinal pigment epithelial cells (BD-RPEs). BD-RPEs were used as an expandable platform for in vitro candidate drug screening. Compared with unaffected sibling-derived iPSC-derived RPE cells (Ctrl-RPEs), BD-RPEs exhibited typical RPE-specific markers with a lower expression of the tight junction protein ZO-1 and Bestrophin-1 (BEST1), as well as reduced phagocytic capabilities. Notably, among all candidate drugs, curcumin was the most effective for upregulating both the BEST1 and ZO-1 genes in BD-RPEs. Using the iPSC-based drug-screening platform, we further found that curcumin can significantly improve the mRNA expression levels of Best gene in BD-iPSC-derived RPEs. Importantly, we demonstrated that curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles (Cur-NPs) were efficiently internalized by BD-RPEs. The Cur-NPs-based controlled release formulation further increased the expression of ZO-1 and Bestrophin-1, and promoted the function of phagocytosis and voltage-dependent calcium channels in BD-iPSC-derived RPEs. We further demonstrated that Cur-NPs enhanced the expression of antioxidant enzymes with a decrease in intracellular ROS production and hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress. Collectively, these data supported that Cur-NPs provide a potential cytoprotective effect by regulating the anti-oxidative abilities of degenerated RPEs. In addition, the application of patient-specific iPSCs provides an effective platform for drug screening and personalized medicine in incurable diseases.
Effects of Clostridium butyricum and Enterococcus faecalis on growth performance, intestinal structure and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide-challenged weaned piglets.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) on growth performance, immune function, inflammation-related pathways and microflora community in weaned piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). One hundred and eighty 28-day-old weaned piglets were randomly divided into three treatments groups: piglets fed with a basal diet (Con), piglets fed with a basal diet containing 6 × 109 CFU C. butyricum·kg-1 (CB), and piglets fed with a basal diet containing 2 × 1010 CFU E. faecali·kg-1 (EF). At the end of trial, one pig was randomly selected from for each pen (six pigs per treatment group) and these 18 piglets were orally challenged with LPS 25 μg·kg-1 body weight. The result showed that piglets fed C. butyricum and E. faecalis had greater final body weight (BW) compared with the control piglets (P < 0.05). The C. butyricum and E. faecalis fed piglets had lower levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor inflammatory factor-α (TNF-α), and had greater level of serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) than control piglets at 1.5 and 3 h after injection with LPS (P < 0.05). Furthermore, piglets in the C. butyricum or E. faecalis treatment groups had a greater ratio of jejunal villus height to crypt depth (V/C) compared with control piglets after challenge with LPS for 3 h (P<0.05). Compared with the control treatment, the CB and EF treatments significantly decreased the expression of inflammation-related pathway factors (TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB) after challenge with LPS for 3 h (P<0.05). High-throughput sequencing revealed that C. butyricum and E. faecalis modulated bacterial diversity in the colon. The species richness and alpha diversity (Shannon) of bacterial samples in CB or EF piglets challenged with LPS were higher than those in LPS-challenged control piglets. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Bacteroidales-Rikenellanceae in the CB group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas EF piglets had a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus amylovorus (L. amylovorus) and Lactobacillus gasseri (L. gasseri) (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with C. butyricum or E. faecalis promoted growth performance, improved immunity, relieved intestinal villus damage and inflammation, and optimized the intestinal flora in LPS-challenged weaned piglets.
NEAT1 is overexpressed in Parkinson’s disease substantia nigra and confers drug-inducible neuroprotection from oxidative stress

Recent reports attribute numerous regulatory functions to the nuclear paraspeckle‐forming long non‐coding RNA, nuclear enriched assembly transcript 1 (NEAT1), but the implications of its involvement in Parkinson's disease (PD) remain controversial. To address this issue, we assessed NEAT1 expression levels and cell type patterns in the substantia nigra (SN) from 53 donors with and without PD, as well as in interference tissue culture tests followed by multiple in‐house and web‐available models of PD. PCR quantification identified elevated levels of NEAT1 expression in the PD SN compared with control brains, an elevation that was reproducible across a multitude of disease models. In situ RNA hybridization supported neuron‐specific formation of NEATl‐based para‐speckles at the SN and demonstrated coincreases of NEAT1 and paraspeckles in cultured cells under paraquat (PQ)‐induced oxidative stress. Furthermore, neuroprotective agents, including fenofibrate and simvastatin, induced NEAT1 up‐regulation, whereas RNA interference—mediated depletion of NEAT1 exacerbated death of PQ‐exposed cells in a leucine‐rich repeat kinase 2‐mediated manner. Our findings highlight a novel protective role for NEAT1 in PD and suggest a previously unknown mechanism for the neuroprotective traits of widely used preventive therapeutics. —Simchovitz, A. , Hanan, M. , Niederhoffer, N. , Madrer, N. , Yayon, N. , Bennett, E. R. , Greenberg, D. S. , Kadener, S. , Soreq, H. NEAT1 is overexpressed in Parkinson's disease substantia nigra and confers drug‐inducible neuroprotection from oxidative stress. FASEB J. 33, 11223–11234 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Sorafenib with Transarterial Chemoembolization Achieves Improved Survival vs. Sorafenib Alone in Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

We hypothesized that sorafenib plus transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) would confer survival benefits over sorafenib alone for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (aHCC). We investigated this while using the population-based All-Cancer Dataset to assemble a cohort (n = 3674; median age, 60; 83% men) of patients receiving sorafenib for aHCC (Child-Pugh A) with macro-vascular invasion or nodal/distant metastases. The patients were classified into the sorafenib-TACE group (n = 426) or the propensity score-matched sorafenib-alone group (n = 1686). All of the participants were followed up until death or the end of the study. Time-dependent Cox model and the Mantel–Byar test were used for survival analysis. During the median follow-ups of 221 and 133 days for the sorafenib-TACE and sorafenib-alone groups, 164 (39%) and 916 (54%) deaths occurred, respectively; the corresponding median overall survivals (OS) were 381 and 204 days, respectively (hazard ratio, HR: 0.74; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.63–0.88; p = 0.021). The one-year and six-month OS were 53.5% and 80.3% in the sorafenib-TACE group and 32.4% and 54.4% in the sorafenib-alone group, respectively. The major complications were comparable between the two groups. The addition of TACE to sorafenib improves survival, with a 26% reduction in mortality. These findings provide strong real-world evidence that supports this combination strategy for eligible Child-Pugh A aHCC patients.
Muscle‐specific changes in protein synthesis with aging and reloading after disuse atrophy

Successful strategies to halt or reverse sarcopenia require a basic understanding of the factors that cause muscle loss with age. Acute periods of muscle loss in older individuals have an incomplete recovery of muscle mass and strength, thus accelerating sarcopenic progression. The purpose of the current study was to further understand the mechanisms underlying the failure of old animals to completely recover muscle mass and function after a period of hindlimb unloading.
There’s no cure for brain injury: work-related stress in brain injury rehabilitation professionals

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore the experience of work-related stress in brain injury professionals and to identify the contributing factors to work-related stress. Methods: 17 brain injury professionals participated in one-time interviews conducted either in person or utilising video conferencing. The data were analysed utilising a Grounded Theory approach. Results: Participants reported that working in brain injury rehabilitation is difficult due to the complex and unpredictable nature of brain injury. The impact of limited funding and resources was endorsed by all participants as the most stressful aspect of working in this field. Emotional experiences associated with treating survivors and organisational factors increase the risk for work-related stress. Brain injury professionals rely on support provided by coworkers and supervisors. Conclusion: This study provides a deeper understanding of work-related stress and challenges of working in the brain injury rehabilitation field, as well as appreciation for the personal and organisational strategies that may help to offset stress. The unpredictable nature of working in brain injury rehabilitation impacted professionals at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice. Overall, it was apparent that the participants interviewed were highly resilient individuals, demonstrating acceptance and flexibility in the limitations they face working in the field of brain injury rehabilitation.
Visual recognition by subspace approaches on LBP features

Subspace approaches have been widely used in visual recogni tion. Traditionally, they are applied on holistic features derived by vectorizing raw-imag e pixels. However, the performance is often limited by rigorous image alignment and high computat ional cost. Recently, local binary pattern (LBP) becomes popular because of robustness to illu mination variations and alignment error, and fast and easy feature extraction. However, it sti ll has some limitations such as sensitivity to image noise, high feature dimensionality, unre liable estimation of LBP histogram and non-Euclidean feature space. Subspace approaches have been applied on LBP feature and partially resolved the problems. However, non-Gaussian di stribution of LBP feature limits the performance gain brought by subspace approaches. In this thesis, we exploit the advantages of both subspace ap pro ches and LBP feature. In Chapter 3, we enhance the performance of subspace approache s on holistic features, i.e. we propose a fast and accurate subspace face/eye detector. The n, we boost the performance of LBP feature by a noise-resistant LBP with an embedded error-cor re tion mechanism in Chapter 4, and LBP structure optimization in Chapter 5 that better capt ures image characteristic. Finally, we improve the performance of subspace approaches on LBP fea tures by two learning-based LBP features in Chapter 6, and a Chi-squared transformation in Chapter 7 that tackles the nonGaussian distribution of LBP feature. These contributions are discussed in detail as follow. Firstly, we improve the subspace approaches on holistic fea tur s. We propose a natural and non-intrusive way to secure mobile devices, i.e. a complete and fully automated face verification