Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Scientific frontiers in faecal microbiota transplantation: joint document of Asia-Pacific Association of Gastroenterology (APAGE) and Asia-Pacific Society for Digestive Endoscopy (APSDE)

Objective The underlying microbial basis, predictors of therapeutic outcome and active constituent(s) of faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) mediating benefit remain unknown. An international panel of experts presented key elements that will shape forthcoming FMT research and practice. Design Systematic search was performed, FMT literature was critically appraised and a 1-day round-table discussion was conducted to derive expert consensus on key issues in FMT research. Results 16 experts convened and discussed five questions regarding (1) the role of donor and recipient microbial (bacteria, viruses, fungi) parameters in FMT; (2) methods to assess microbiota alterations; (3) concept of keystone species and microbial predictors of FMT, (4) influence of recipient profile and antibiotics pretreatment on FMT engraftment and maintenance and (5) new developments in FMT formulations and delivery. The panel considered that variable outcomes of FMT relate to compositional and functional differences in recipient’s microbiota, and likely donor-associated and recipient-associated physiological and genetic factors. Taxonomic composition of donor intestinal microbiota may influence the efficacy of FMT in recurrent Clostridioides difficile infections and UC. FMT not only alters bacteria composition but also establishes trans-kingdom equilibrium between gut fungi, viruses and bacteria to promote the recovery of microbial homeostasis. FMT is not a one size fits all and studies are required to identify microbial components that have specific effects in patients with different diseases. Conclusion FMT requires optimisation before their therapeutic promise can be evaluated for different diseases. This summary will guide future directions and priorities in advancement of the science and practice of FMT.
Accuracy of FreeStyle Libre in adults with type 1 diabetes: the effect of sensor age.

BACKGROUND FreeStyle Libre is a factory-calibrated, continuous, 14-day, glucose sensor. Little is known about the accuracy of FreeStyle Libre as a function of sensor age. METHODS We assessed the accuracy of FreeStyle Libre in 15 adults with type 1 diabetes. Each study participant attended our research facility for two or three 24-hr visits, during which they wore a FreeStyle Libre aged 0-1 days, 5-7 days, or 13-14 days. Plasma glucose levels were measured every 10-30 minutes using YSI2300 STAT Plus Analyser. Participants also wore Dexcom G5® glucose sensor aged 1-2 days. We assessed sensors' accuracy using mean absolute relative difference (MARD) between FreeStyle Libre, the Dexcom G5® sensor and plasma glucose. RESULTS We had 1930 pairs of FreeStyle Libre sensor-plasma glucose measurements, collected from 36 FreeStyle Libre sensors, 18 of which were sensors aged 0-1 days, 9 were sensors aged 5-7 days, and 9 were sensors aged 13-14 days. The mean and median MARD for FreeStyle Libre sensors aged 0-1 days were 14.5% and 11.2%, respectively, and for sensors aged 13-14 days were 14.7% and 11.2%, respectively, but for sensors aged 5-7 days were 7.8% and 6.6%, respectively (p=0.03 vs sensors aged 0-1 days, and p=0.06 vs sensors aged 13-14 days). The percentage of points falling in the potentially dangerous zones C, D, or E in Clarke's error grid analysis were 1.9% for FreeStyle Libre sensors aged 0-1 days, 0.2% for sensors aged 5-7 days, and 0.4% for sensors aged 13-14 days. The overall accuracy of FreeStyle Libre and Dexcom G5® sensor was the same (mean MARD 12.8% and 12.5, respectively; p=0.87). CONCLUSIONS FreeStyle Libre's accuracy is adequate during its entire lifetime but is least accurate during its first and last days.
Notch signaling in the mammalian respiratory system, specifically the trachea and lungs, in development, homeostasis, regeneration, and disease

The respiratory system has ideal tissue structure and cell types for efficient gas exchange to intake oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This complex system develops through orchestrated intercellular signaling among various cell types, such as club, ciliated, basal, neuroendocrine, AT1, AT2, endothelial, and smooth muscle cells. Notch signaling is a highly conserved cell–cell signaling pathway ideally suited for very short‐range cellular communication because Notch signals are transmitted by direct contact with an adjacent cell. Enthusiastic efforts by Notch researchers over the last two decades have led to the identification of critical roles of this signaling pathway during development, homeostasis, and regeneration of the respiratory system. The dysregulation of Notch signaling results in a wide range of respiratory diseases such as pulmonary artery hypertension (PAH), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), interstitial pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung cancer. Thus, a deep understanding of the biological functions of Notch signaling will help identify novel treatment targets in various respiratory diseases.
Crossing the Cervicothoracic Junction in Cervical Arthrodesis Results in Lower Rates of Adjacent Segment Disease Without Affecting Operative Risks or Patient-Reported Outcomes

Study Design: Retrospective cohort study. Objective: To evaluate the risks and benefits of crossing the cervicothoracic junction (CTJ) in cervical arthrodesis. Summary of Background Data: Whether the CTJ should be crossed in cervical arthrodesis remains up for debate. Keeping C7 as the distal end of the fusion risks adjacent segment disease (ASD) and can result in myelopathy or radiculopathy. Longer fusions are thought to increase operative risk and complexity but result in lower rates of ASD. Materials and Methods: Patients undergoing cervical spine fusion surgery ending at C7 or T1 with ≥1-year follow-up were included. To evaluate operative risk, estimated blood loss (EBL), operative time, and length of hospital stay were collected. To evaluate patient-reported outcomes (PROs), Neck Disability Index (NDI) and SF-12 questionnaires (PCS12 and MCS12) were obtained at follow-up. Revision surgery data were also obtained. Results: A total of 168 patients were included and divided into a C7 end-of-fusion cohort (NC7=59) and a T1 end-of-fusion cohort (NT1=109). Multivariate regression analysis adjusting for age, sex, race, surgical approach, and number of levels fused showed that EBL (P=0.12), operative time (P=0.07), and length of hospital stay (P=0.06) are not significantly different in the C7 and T1 end-of-fusion cohorts. Multivariate regression of PROs showed no significant difference in NDI (P=0.70), PCS12 (P=0.23), or MCS12 (P=0.15) between cohorts. Fisher analysis showed significantly higher revision rates in the C7 end-of-fusion cohort (7/59 for C7 vs. 2/109 for T1; odds ratio, 6.4; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–65.1; P=0.01). Conclusions: Crossing the CTJ in cervical arthrodesis does not increase operative risk as measured by blood loss, operative time, and length of hospital stay. However, it leads to lower revision rates, likely because of the avoidance of ASD, and comparable PROs. Thus, crossing the CTJ may help prevent ASD without negatively affecting operative risk or long-term PROs.
Impact of b-Value Sampling Scheme on Brain IVIM Parameter Estimation in Healthy Subjects

Purpose: Intravoxel incoherent motion (IVIM) analysis has attracted the interest of the clinical community due to its close relationship with microperfusion. Nevertheless, there is no clear reference protocol for its implementation; one of the questions being which b-value distribution to use. This study aimed to stress the importance of the sampling scheme and to show that an optimized b-value distribution decreases the variance associated with IVIM parameters in the brain with respect to a regular distribution in healthy volunteers. Methods: Ten volunteers were included in this study; images were acquired on a 1.5T MR scanner. Two distributions of 16 b-values were used: one considered ‘regular’ due to its close association with that used in other studies, and the other considered ‘optimized’ according to previous studies. IVIM parameters were adjusted according to the bi-exponential model, using two-step method. Analysis was undertaken in ROI defined using in the Automated Anatomical Labeling atlas, and parameters distributions were compared in a total of 832 ROI. Results: Maps with fewer speckles were obtained with the ‘optimized’ distribution. Coefficients of variation did not change significantly for the estimation of the diffusion coefficient D but decreased by approximately 39% for the pseudo-diffusion coefficient estimation and by 21% for the perfusion fraction. Distributions of adjusted parameters were found significantly different in 50% of the cases for the perfusion fraction, in 80% of the cases for the pseudo-diffusion coefficient and 17% of the cases for the diffusion coefficient. Observations across brain areas show that the range of average values for IVIM parameters is smaller in the ‘optimized’ case. Conclusion: Using an optimized distribution, data are sampled in a way that the IVIM signal decay is better described and less variance is obtained in the fitted parameters. The increased precision gained could help to detect small variations in IVIM parameters.
Distinct fine root responses to precipitation changes in herbaceous and woody plants: A meta-analysis.

Precipitation is one of the most important factors that determine productivity of terrestrial ecosystems. Precipitation across the globe is predicted to change more intensively under future climate change scenarios, but the resulting impact on plant roots remains unclear. In this study, based on 154 observations from experiments in which precipitation was manipulated in the field and root biomass was measured, we investigated responses in fine root biomass of herbaceous and woody plants to alterations in precipitation. We found that root biomass of herbaceous and woody plants differently responded to precipitation change. In particular, precipitation increase consistently enhanced fine-root biomass of woody plants but had variable effects on herb roots in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In contrast, precipitation decrease reduced root biomass of herbaceous but not woody plants. In addition, with precipitation alteration, the magnitude of root responses was greater in dry than wet areas. Together, these results indicate that herbaceous and woody plants have different rooting strategies to cope with altered precipitation regimes, particularly in water-limited ecosystems. These findings suggest that root responses to precipitation change may critically influence root productivity and soil carbon dynamics under future climate change scenarios.
Accelerated Bone Regeneration by Gold Nanoparticles-loaded Mesoporous Silica through Stimulating Immunomodulation.

Bone repair and regeneration are greatly influenced by the local immune microenvironment. In this regard, the immunomodulatory capability of biomaterials should be considered when evaluating their osteogenic effects. In this study, we investigated the modulatory effects of gold nanoparticle (AuNP)-loaded mesoporous silica nanoparticles (Au-MSNs) on macrophages and the subsequent effects on the behavior of osteoblastic lineage cells. The results demonstrate that Au-MSNs could generate a favorable immune microenvironment by stimulating an anti-inflammatory response and promoting the secretion of osteogenic cytokines by macrophages. As a result, there is an enhancement of osteogenic differentiation in pre-osteoblastic MC3T3 cells as assessed by the increased expression of osteogenic markers, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) production, and calcium deposition. The immunomodulatory effects and direct osteogenic stimulation by Au-MSNs synergistically increased the osteogenic differentiation capability of MC3T3 cells as a result of crosstalk between Au-MSNs-conditioned macrophages and Au-MSNs-treated osteoblasts in a co-culture system. An in vivo study further revealed that Au-MSNs could accelerate new bone formation in a critical-sized cranial defect site in rats based on computed tomography analysis and histological examination. Together, this novel Au-MSNs could significantly promote osteogenic activity by modulating the immune microenvironment, showing its therapeutic potential for bone tissue repair and regeneration.
The interaction between STAT3 and nAChRα1 interferes with nicotine-induced atherosclerosis via Akt/mTOR signaling cascade

During atherosclerosis development, nicotine and its α1 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRα1) activate atherogenic inflammation. However, the effect of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3)-related inflammatory pathways in nicotine-induced atherosclerosis has been poorly studied. This study investigated the transcriptional mechanism of STAT3 in nicotine/nAChRα1-induced atherosclerosis. In vivo, ApoE-/- mice were used to establish an atherosclerotic model. Plaque area and composition were assessed by oil red O staining and immunohistochemistry. In vitro, vascular smooth muscle cells and macrophages were used to investigate cell migration, proliferation, inflammation and related signaling pathways by Transwell migration assay, EdU assay, immunofluorescence, western blotting, coimmunoprecipitation and chromatin immunoprecipitation. nAChRα1 knockdown significantly decreases the nicotine-induced upregulation of p-STAT3, p-Akt and p-mTOR in vitro, while nAChRα1 overexpression has the opposite effects. The inhibition of STAT3 attenuated nicotine-induced atherosclerosis, by reducing the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and inflammation in macrophages. Moreover, there is a direct interaction between STAT3 and nAChRα1 that modulates STAT3 nuclear translocation and its binding to the Akt promoter region upon nicotine exposure. Taken together, STAT3 and nAChRα1 blockade attenuates nicotine-induced atherosclerosis by reducing the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells and inflammation in macrophages via the Akt/mTOR pathway.
Delayed neutrophil apoptosis in granulomatosis with polyangiitis: dysregulation of neutrophil gene signature and circulating apoptosis-related proteins

Objectives: Neutrophil apoptosis is mandatory for resolving inflammation and is regulated by expression of pro- and anti-apoptotic genes. We studied neutrophils isolated from patients with granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) to investigate apoptosis alterations and to identify transcriptional and circulating factors affecting this process. Method: We enrolled 36 patients (18 in active stage, 18 in remission) and 18 healthy controls. Circulating levels of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), macrophage migration inhibitory factor, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, interferon-γ, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble Fas (sFas), sFas ligand, survivin, and pentraxin-3 (PTX3) were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay/Luminex; circulating apoptotic neutrophils by flow cytometry; and apoptosis-related gene transcripts by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Patients had decreased fractions of circulating apoptotic neutrophils and delayed neutrophil apoptosis was present in vitro. Circulating levels of TNF-α, GM-CSF, sFas, and PTX3 were higher in GPA. Delayed neutrophil apoptosis was accompanied by decreased mRNA of pro-apoptotic genes and transcription factors (DIABLO, PMAIP1, BAX, CASP3, CASP7, RUNX3, E2F1, TP53) and increased anti-apoptotic CFLAR and BCL2A1 mRNA. TNF-α and sFas levels correlated with circulating apoptotic neutrophils and expression of apoptosis genes. Stimulation with TNF-α of neutrophils from controls significantly down-regulated E2F1 and CASP3 expression. Conclusions: Circulating neutrophils in GPA have anti-apoptotic phenotype involving both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways of apoptosis. This is accompanied by increased levels of circulating pro-survival factors (GM-CSF, TNF-α, sFas), independent of disease activity. Anti-apoptotic phenotype of neutrophils in GPA is reproduced by exposure to low concentrations of TNF-α.
Improving Transition to Adulthood for Students with Autism: A Randomized Controlled Trial of STEPS

Emerging adulthood is a period of heightened risk for young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Due in part to a lack of evidence-based services and supports during the transition to adulthood, many emerging adults fail to matriculate into postsecondary education or thrive in productive employment. The Stepped Transition in Education Program for Students with ASD (STEPS) was developed to address the psychosocial, transition-related needs of emerging adults with ASD. Adolescents and emerging adults (n = 59) with ASD were randomly assigned to either STEPS or transition as usual (TAU). Results indicate that STEPS is acceptable to young people with ASD and their parents and that it can be implemented with high fidelity. Among secondary school students, those who completed STEPS exhibited significantly greater gains in transition readiness from high school, and these gains were largely sustained after program completion. Among students enrolled in postsecondary education, STEPS resulted in increased levels of student adaptation to college relative to those in TAU. Programming to address ASD-related challenges can promote successful educational transitions.
Diffusional kurtosis imaging of kidneys in patients with hyperuricemia: initial study

Background At present, there remains a lack of a reliable indicator for monitoring renal function in patients with hyperuricemia. Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of diffusion kurtosis imaging in the assessment of renal function in patients with hyperuricemia. Material and Methods A total of 75 male participants, including 25 with asymptomatic hyperuricemia, 25 with gouty arthritis, and 25 age-matched male healthy controls, were enrolled in this study. Diffusion kurtosis imaging data were acquired to derive axial (Ka), radial (Kr), and mean kurtosis (MK), fractional anisotropy, axial (Da), radial (Dr), and mean diffusivity (MD) for comparisons among the three groups. They were also correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). Results The MK values of the renal cortex and medulla and Kr value of the renal medulla in patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis significantly increased compared with those in the controls (P < 0.05). Patients with gouty arthritis showed significant higher cortical and medullary Ka values compared with the other two groups (P < 0.05). The cortical Kr values of the asymptomatic hyperuricemia and gouty arthritis patients were significantly higher than that of the controls (P < 0.05). The medullary fractional anisotropy value showed a significant difference between the control and gouty arthritis groups (P < 0.05). No correlation was found between any diffusion kurtosis imaging parameters and eGFR value. Conclusion Diffusion kurtosis imaging is feasible in the assessment of the early changes of renal cortex and medulla in patients with hyperuricemia.
Efficient team structures in an open-ended cooperative creativity experiment

Significance Understanding how to best form teams to perform creative tasks is a fascinating although elusive problem. Here we propose an experimental setting for studying the performances of a population of individuals committed to an open-ended cooperative creativity task, namely the construction of LEGO artworks. The real-time parallel monitoring of the growth of the artworks and the structure and composition of the dynamically working teams allow identifying the key ingredients of successful teams. Large teams composed of committed and influential people are more effectively building. Also, there exists an optimal fraction of weak ties in the working teams, i.e., an optimal ratio exploit/explore that maximizes the building efficiency. Creativity is progressively acknowledged as the main driver for progress in all sectors of humankind’s activities: arts, science, technology, business, and social policies. Nowadays, many creative processes rely on many actors collectively contributing to an outcome. The same is true when groups of people collaborate in the solution of a complex problem. Despite the critical importance of collective actions in human endeavors, few works have tackled this topic extensively and quantitatively. Here we report about an experimental setting to single out some of the key determinants of efficient teams committed to an open-ended creative task. In this experiment, dynamically forming teams were challenged to create several artworks using LEGO bricks. The growth rate of the artworks, the dynamical network of social interactions, and the interaction patterns between the participants and the artworks were monitored in parallel. The experiment revealed that larger working teams are building at faster rates and that higher commitment leads to higher growth rates. Even more importantly, there exists an optimal number of weak ties in the social network of creators that maximizes the growth rate. Finally, the presence of influencers within the working team dramatically enhances the building efficiency. The generality of the approach makes it suitable for application in very different settings, both physical and online, whenever a creative collective outcome is required.
Retracted Article: Temporal fine structure: relations to cognition and aided speech recognition

Retraction statement We, the Editor and Publisher of the International Journal of Audiology, have retracted the following article. Rachel J. Ellis, and Jerker Rönnberg. 2019. “Temporal fine structure: relations to cognition and aided speech recognition. ” International Journal of Audiology. doi:10.1080/14992027.2019. 1672899. The authors of the above-mentioned article published in the International Journal of Audiology have identified errors in the reported analysis (relating to the inclusion of data that should have been excluded) which impact the validity of the findings. The authors have, therefore, requested that the article be retracted. We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions. The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as “Retracted”. © 2019 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group/Journal owner