Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Maternal peripheral blood CD34+ cells for prediction of fetal kidney malformations: results from a case-control analysis

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the relation between CD34+ cells count in maternal blood and potential development of fetal congenital renal abnormalities. Materials and methods We enrolled 16 women that gave birth to newborns carrying congenital renal malformations over a 3-year period and 48 women with uncomplicated pregnancies (controls) in a 1:3 ratio (three controls per case). Results CD34+ cells in the maternal peripheral blood were significantly lower in the group of women who gave birth to newborns carrying congenital renal malformations compared to the controls (p < .0001). Conclusions CD34+ cells in maternal blood could be validated as a potential marker to predict the development of possible kidney malformations.
Recurrent Measurement of Frailty Is Important for Mortality Prediction: Findings from the North West Adelaide Health Study

Frailty places individuals at greater risk of adverse health outcomes. However, it is a dynamic condition and may not always lead to decline. Our objective was to determine the relationship between frailty status (at baseline and follow‐up) and mortality using both the frailty phenotype (FP) and frailty index (FI).
High potassium seawater inhibits ascidian sperm chemotaxis, but does not affect the male gamete chemotaxis of a brown alga

Summary Male gamete chemotaxis towards the female gamete is a general strategy to facilitate the sexual reproduction in many marine eukaryotes. Biochemical studies of chemoattractants for male gametes of brown algae have advanced in the 1970s and 1980s, but the molecular mechanism of male gamete responses to the attractants remains elusive. In sea urchin, a K+ channel called the tetraKCNG channel plays a fundamental role in sperm chemotaxis and inhibition of K+ efflux through this channel by high K+ seawater blocks almost all cell responses to the chemoattractant. This signalling mechanism could be conserved in marine invertebrates as tetraKCNG channels are conserved in the marine invertebrates that exhibit sperm chemotaxis. We confirmed that high K+ seawater also inhibited sperm chemotaxis in ascidian, Ciona intestinalis (robusta), in this study. Conversely, the male gamete chemotaxis towards the female gamete of a brown alga, Mutimo cylindricus, was preserved even in high K+ seawater. This result indicates that none of the K+ channels is essential for male gamete chemotaxis in the brown alga, suggesting that the signalling mechanism for chemotaxis in this brown alga is quite different from that of marine invertebrates. Correlated to this result, we revealed that the channels previously proposed as homologues of tetraKCNG in brown algae have a distinct domain composition from that of the tetraKCNG. Namely, one of them possesses two repeats of the six transmembrane segments (diKCNG) instead of four. The structural analysis suggests that diKCNG is a cyclic nucleotide-modulated and/or voltage-gated K+ channel.
An Inventory of Problems–29 Study on Random Responding Using Experimental Feigners, Honest Controls, and Computer-Generated Data

Abstract Self-reports could be affected by 2 primary sources of distortion: content-related (CRD) and content-unrelated (CUD) distortions. CRD and CUD, however, might covary, and similar detection strategies have been used to capture both. Thus, we hypothesized that a scale developed to detect random responding—arguably, one of the most evident examples of CUD—would likely be sensitive to both CUD and, albeit to a lesser extent, CRD. Study 1 (N = 1,901) empirically tested this hypothesis by developing a random responding scale (RRS) for the recently introduced Inventory of Problems–29 (Viglione, Giromini, & Landis, 2017), and by testing it with both experimental feigners and honest controls. Results supported our hypothesis and offered some insight on how to pull apart CRD- from CUD-related variance. Study 2 (N = 700) then evaluated whether our RRS would perform similarly well with data from human participants instructed to respond at random versus computer-generated random data. Interestingly, the sensitivity of our RRS dropped dramatically when considering the data from human participants. Together with the results of additional analyses inspecting the patterns of responses provided by our human random responders, these findings thus posed a major question: Is humans’ random responding really random?
Comparison of MIRU-VNTR genotyping between old and fresh clinical samples in tuberculosis

Abstract Background: Twenty-four loci mycobacterial interspersed repetitive unit-variable number tandem repeat analysis (MIRU-VNTR) is extensively used for genotyping and detection of polyclonal infections in tuberculosis. The aim of the present study was to compare the direct and indirect MIRU-VNTR genotyping and detection of polyclonal infections between old and fresh clinical samples. Method: Two series of TB samples were collected for comparison. After genomic DNA extraction from clinical samples and their respective cultures, 24 loci MIRU-VNTR was performed. Results: In the 14 old samples, no mixed infections were observed, in clinical samples and their respective cultures. In nine fresh samples, 44.4% of mixed infection was observed in the clinical samples, but no mixed infections were observed in their respective cultures. Surprisingly, in the old samples, 92.86% of samples (13/14) had an allelic change between clinical samples and their respective cultures. On the other hand, in fresh samples, only one sample (1/9) had an allelic change between clinical samples and their respective cultures. Conclusions: We concluded that 24 loci MIRU-VNTR undoubtedly is successful in direct genotyping of clinical samples, especially for the fresh samples. However, selecting starting material, such as clinical sample or respective culture can be controversial for the old samples. Regarding polyclonal infections, the fresh samples gives us a better view to detect these infections, especially in the clinical sample.
Molecular determinants of homo- and heteromeric interactions of Junctophilin-1 at triads in adult skeletal muscle fibers

Significance Triads are specialized stable membrane contact sites present in skeletal muscles fibers, where 2 junctophilin isoforms (JPH1 and JPH2) tether the sarcoplasmic reticulum to the transverse tubules (T-tubules), which are infoldings of the sarcolemma. Several muscle-specific proteins are localized at triads, where they participate in the excitation–contraction (e-c) coupling process, which consists of a series of functional events resulting in muscle fibers’ contraction in response to electrical stimulation. Many reports have shown that JPH1, in addition to mediating the assembly of triads, can also interact with several proteins of the e-c coupling machinery. We report here that JPH1 and JPH2 can form homo- and heterodimers and that the transmembrane domain promotes the localization of JPH1, likely via interactions with endogenous JPHs. In adult skeletal muscles, 2 junctophilin isoforms (JPH1 and JPH2) tether the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) to transverse tubule (T-tubule) membranes, generating stable membrane contact sites known as triads. JPHs are anchored to the membrane of the SR by a C-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD) and bind the T-tubule membrane through their cytosolic N-terminal region, which contains 8 lipid-binding (MORN) motifs. By combining expression of GFP-JPH1 deletion mutants in skeletal muscle fibers with in vitro biochemical experiments, we investigated the molecular determinants of JPH1 recruitment at triads in adult skeletal muscle fibers. We found that MORN motifs bind PI(4,5)P2 in the sarcolemma, but do not mediate the selective localization of JPH1 at the T-tubule compartment of triads. On the contrary, fusion proteins containing only the TMD of JPH1 were able to localize at the junctional SR compartment of the triad. Bimolecular fluorescence complementation experiments indicated that the TMD of JPH1 can form dimers, suggesting that the observed localization at triads may result from dimerization with the TMDs of resident JPH1. A second domain, capable of mediating homo- and heterodimeric interactions between JPH1 and JPH2 was identified in the cytosolic region. FRAP experiments revealed that removal of either one of these 2 domains in JPH1 decreases the association of the resulting mutant proteins with triads. Altogether, these results suggest that the ability to establish homo- and heterodimeric interactions with resident JPHs may support the recruitment and stability of newly synthesized JPHs at triads in adult skeletal muscle fibers.
How is the term haemangioma used in the literature? An evaluation against the revised ISSVA classification

The International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) classification separates vascular anomalies into vascular malformations and vascular tumors. However, misdiagnoses and misperceptions still persist around the use of the term “hemangioma. ” We assessed whether the term “haemangioma” (British spelling) was used as part of ISSVA terminology in the literature.
Changes in the prevalence of overweight, obesity, and severe obesity between 2010 and 2017 in preschoolers: A population‐based study

We evaluated changes in overweight, obesity, and severe obesity in a population of 4‐ to 6‐year‐olds from 2010 to 2017. Anthropometric data were collected during children's preschool immunization visits in Edmonton and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Body mass index (BMI), BMI z scores, and weight status categories were based on the World Health Organization criteria. Across 8 years, we examined population‐level data from 161 114 children in which the prevalence of overweight (17.8%‐15.7%; P < .001) and obesity (4.7%‐4.2%; .004) decreased, while severe obesity (2.4%‐2.2%; .3) remained unchanged. Overweight decreased in both boys (19.2%‐16.8%; P < .0001) and girls (16.4%‐14.6%; .003); obesity decreased in boys (5.3%‐4.4%; .005), but not girls (4.1%‐3.9%; .2). Severe obesity was stable in both sexes. Annual household income and breast feeding had positive, but variable moderating effects on overweight and obesity exclusively. Overall, reductions in overweight and obesity were positive findings, but targeted strategies are needed to reduce severe obesity in preschoolers.
Critical Care Nurses’ Perceptions of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition at the End-of-Life in South Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of critical care nurses regarding the withdrawal or withholding of enteral nutrition (EN) and parenteral nutrition (PN) at the end-of-life, which is not allowed according to the current law in South Korea. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study utilizing a self-report survey. The participants in the study were 141 nurses working in the intensive care units of a tertiary university hospital. The critical care nurses’ general attitudes about EN and PN at the end-of-life were measured using the questionnaires developed by Lubart, Leibovitz, and Habot. The nurses responded to additional questions on whether withdrawal or withholding of EN or PN at the end-of-life should be legally allowed. Results: The mean scores of the general attitude items on EN ranged between 3.03 and 3.35 on a 5-point Likert scale where a value of 1 represents “strongly disagree” and a value of 5 represents “strongly agree,” while those for PN ranged between 2.89 and 3.65. Respecting attitudes toward EN and PN, critical care nurses had more negative attitudes about stopping PN than EN. Regarding attitudes about whether patients should be legally able to refuse EN, 34.3% agreed, while 25.7% disagreed. For PN, 40.0% agreed, while 24.3% disagreed. Conclusion: Discussions about making the withdrawal and withholding of artificial nutrition legal should be initiated. Moreover, education regarding evidence about the outcomes of EN and PN during end-of-life care and up-to-date clinical guidelines about it should be provided.
Free sugars

It is clear that the sugars component of the diet has potentially deleterious effects on health. In the past, the dietary sugars were collectively referred to as non-milk extrinsic sugars (UK) or added sugars. The WHO first proposed a new term, free sugars, which is rather broader than added sugars, and also includes the sugars in fruit juices and purees, as well as honey and syrups. This review considers the potential problems that free sugars represent in relation to health risks, and the recent proposals that free sugars are a more appropriate focus than added or total as far as public health initiatives are concerned. This will require major activities in relation to measurement, labelling and communication to the consumer if attempts to reduce dietary free sugars content are to be successful.
Illusory changes in the perceived speed of motion derived from proprioception and touch.

In vision, the perceived velocity of a moving stimulus differs depending on whether we pursue it with the eyes or not: A stimulus moving across the retina with the eyes stationary is perceived as being faster compared with a stimulus of the same physical speed that the observer pursues with the eyes, while its retinal motion is zero. This effect is known as the Aubert-Fleischl phenomenon. Here, we describe an analog phenomenon in touch. We asked participants to estimate the speed of a moving stimulus either from tactile motion only (i.e. motion across the skin), while keeping the hand world-stationary, or from kinesthesia only by tracking the stimulus with a guided arm movement, such that the tactile motion on the finger was zero (i.e. only finger motion but no movement across the skin). Participants overestimated the velocity of the stimulus determined from tactile motion compared with kinesthesia in analogy with the visual Aubert-Fleischl phenomenon. In two follow-up experiments, we manipulated the stimulus noise by changing the texture of the touched surface. Similarly to the visual phenomenon, this significantly affected the strength of the illusion. This study supports the hypothesis of shared computations for motion processing between vision and touch.
Treatment of Balili River in Benguet, Philippines with constructed wetland planted with dominant local macrophytes

Abstract Phytoremediation using local macrophytes was explored in Balili River, Philippines. The macrophytes used were Amaranthus spinosus, Eichhornia crassipes, Eleusine indica and Pennisetum purpureum planted in pilot-scale constructed wetlands and subjected to varying hydraulic retention time (HRT) treatments. Results showed that these macrophytes have high phytoremediation performance in almost all water quality parameters. Also, HRT significantly affected the pollution reduction efficiency of the macrophytes. Significant pollution reduction was observed as early as HRT 1 day, but the optimal HRT for all the macrophytes was 3–4 days. At optimal HRT, the pollution reduction efficiency of the four macrophytes ranged from 96% to 99.9% for TSS, 87% to 95% for BOD, 85% to 99% for NO3, 85% to 96% for PO4 and 99.9% for total and fecal coliform. Also, Hg and Pb were significantly reduced. Results of TSS, DO and NO3 passed the water quality standard, while BOD and PO4 were slightly above. But total and fecal coliform, amidst the high reduction rate, was still not within the permissible level for Class A water. Among the macrophytes, P. purpureum generally have the best pollution reduction efficiency. Our study revealed comparable or even better pollution reduction efficiency of local macrophytes than commonly used ones such as Phragmites spp. and Typha spp.
Detection and quantitation of human papillomavirus DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from blood donors

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the etiological agent of cervical cancer. Also, HPV has been associated with anogenital cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, genital warts, and other dermatological diseases. HPV infects epithelial cells and their replication is closely linked to epithelial differentiation. The presence of HPV DNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) has been reported in some patients with head and neck cancer, cervical cancer, and other genital diseases. However, the presence of HPV DNA in blood in asymptomatic subjects is still unresolved. The objective of this study was to evaluate the presence of HPV DNA in PBMC from asymptomatic blood donors. Blood samples were collected from 207 healthy Chilean blood donors. Genomic DNA was extracted from PBMC and HPV DNA detection was performed by real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays with GP5+/6+ primers. HPV typing was carried out by genetic sequencing of a 140 to 150 bp fragment of the L1 gene. HPV DNA was detected in 6.8% (14/207) of blood donors. Single HPV infections were detected in seven blood donors. High‐risk HPV was found in 6.3% (13/207) of cases: nine blood donors were infected with HPV‐16, five with HPV‐18, two with HPV‐51, and one case was infected with either 32, 33, 45, 59, 66, 70, or 82. The median viral load value was 21.3 copies/mL blood or 13.4 HPV (+) cells per 10 4 PBMC. These results show that HPV DNA is present in PBMC from healthy blood donors and it suggests that blood could be a new route of HPV dissemination.
Speciation in Howea palms occurred in sympatry, was preceded by ancestral admixture, and was associated with edaphic and phenological adaptation.

Howea palms are viewed as one of the most clear-cut cases of speciation in sympatry. The sister species H. belmoreana and H. forsteriana are endemic to the oceanic Lord Howe Island, Australia, where they have overlapping distributions and are reproductively isolated mainly by flowering time differences. However, the potential role of introgression from Australian mainland relatives had not previously been investigated, a process that has recently put other examples of sympatric speciation into question. Furthermore, the drivers of flowering time-based reproductive isolation remain unclear. We sequenced an RNA-seq dataset that comprehensively sampled Howea and their closest mainland relatives (Linospadix, Laccospadix), and collected detailed soil chemistry data on Lord Howe Island to evaluate whether secondary gene flow had taken place and to examine the role of soil preference in speciation. D-statistics analyses strongly support a scenario whereby ancestral Howea hybridised frequently with its mainland relatives, but this only occurred prior to speciation. Expression analysis, population genetic and phylogenetic tests of selection, identified several flowering time genes with evidence of adaptive divergence between the Howea species. We found expression plasticity in flowering time genes in response to soil chemistry as well as adaptive expression and sequence divergence in genes pleiotropically linked to soil adaptation and flowering time. Ancestral hybridisation may have provided the genetic diversity that promoted their subsequent adaptive divergence and speciation, a process that may be common for rapid ecological speciation.
Near-Infrared Genetically Encoded Positive Calcium Indicator Based on GAF-FP Bacterial Phytochrome

A variety of genetically encoded calcium indicators are currently available for visualization of calcium dynamics in cultured cells and in vivo. Only one of them, called NIR-GECO1, exhibits fluorescence in the near-infrared region of the spectrum. NIR-GECO1 is engineered based on the near-infrared fluorescent protein mIFP derived from bacterial phytochromes. However, NIR-GECO1 has an inverted response to calcium ions and its excitation spectrum is not optimal for the commonly used 640 nm lasers. Using small near-infrared bacterial phytochrome GAF-FP and calmodulin/M13-peptide pair, we developed a near-infrared calcium indicator called GAF-CaMP2. In vitro, GAF-CaMP2 showed a positive response of 78% and high affinity (Kd of 466 nM) to the calcium ions. It had excitation and emission maxima at 642 and 674 nm, respectively. GAF-CaMP2 had a 2.0-fold lower brightness, 5.5-fold faster maturation and lower pH stability compared to GAF-FP in vitro. GAF-CaMP2 showed 2.9-fold higher photostability than smURFP protein. The GAF-CaMP2 fusion with sfGFP demonstrated a ratiometric response with a dynamic range of 169% when expressed in the cytosol of mammalian cells in culture. Finally, we successfully applied the ratiometric version of GAF-CaMP2 for the simultaneous visualization of calcium transients in three organelles of mammalian cells using four-color fluorescence microscopy.
The efficacy, tolerability and safety of infliximab biosimilar in comparison to originator biologic and adalimumab in patients with Crohn's disease.

INTRODUCTION Biosimilar infliximab has been shown to be equivalent to infliximab originator. Data concerning drug's efficacy and safety in patients with Crohn's disease are still limited. OBJECTIVES Aim of the study was to assess the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of biosimilar infliximab in Polish population with Crohn's disease, in comparison to its originator biologic and adalimumab. PATIENTS AND METHODS This was a retrospective, single-center study of a cohort of 286 consecutive patients with Crohn's disease. They received either infliximab originator, biosimilar infliximab or adalimumab on the basis of the same inclusion criteria. Disease activity was estimated at the beginning of treatment, after induction therapy, after one year of treatment and during 12 months of follow-up. RESULTS There were no statistical differences in Crohn's disease activity index in patients treated with infliximab originator, infliximab biosimilar or adalimumab. Clinical response rates, clinical remission rate and glucocorticosteroid-free remission rate were also comparable in all observed groups. Relapse rate was similar in groups receiving infliximab biosimilar or adalimumab (54% vs. 61%); with infliximab originator relapses occurring more often - in 83% of patients during one year of observation (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS We have shown the same efficacy and safety of biosimilar infliximab in comparison to originator biologic and adalimumab in the Polish population, not only during induction and one year therapy, but also during 12 months of follow up. Relapse rate was comparable in groups receiving biosimilar infliximab and adalimumab, it was higher in the group receiving infliximab originator.
On-Ice Measures of External Load in Relation to Match Outcome in Elite Female Ice Hockey

The aim of this study is to investigate the differences between select on-ice measures using inertial movement sensors based on match outcome, and to determine changes in player movements across three periods of play. Data were collected during one season of competition in elite female ice hockey players (N = 20). Two-factor mixed effects ANOVAs for each skating position were performed to investigate the differences in match outcome, as well as differences in external load measures during the course of a match. For match outcome, there was a small difference for forwards in explosive ratio (p = 0.02, ES = 0.26) and percentage high force strides (p = 0.04, ES = 0.50). When viewed across three periods of a match, moderate differences were found in skating load (p = 0.01, ES = 0.75), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.002, ES = 0.87) for forwards, and in PlayerLoad (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70), explosive efforts (p = 0.04, ES = 0.63), and explosive ratio (p = 0.01, ES = 0.70) for defense. When examining the relevance to match outcome, external load measures associated with intensity appear to be an important factor among forwards. These results may be helpful for coaches and sport scientists when making decisions pertaining to training and competition strategies.