Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Intranasal Immunization with Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Conjugate Vaccines Protects Mice against Invasive Pneumococcal Infections

ABSTRACT Host defenses against Streptococcus pneumoniae depend largely on opsonophagocytosis mediated by antibodies and complement. Since pneumococcus is a respiratory pathogen, mucosal immune responses may play a significant role in the defense against pneumococcal infections. Thus, mucosal vaccination may be an alternative approach to current immunization strategies, but effective adjuvants are required. Protein antigens induce significant mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA) and systemic IgG responses when administered intranasally (i.n.) with the glyceride-polysorbate based adjuvant RhinoVax (RV) both in experimental animals and humans. The immunogenicity and efficacy of pneumococcal polysaccharide conjugate vaccines (PNC) of serotypes 1 and 3 was studied in mice after i.n. immunization with RV. Antibodies were measured in serum (IgM, IgG, and IgA) and saliva (IgA) and compared to antibody titers induced by parenteral immunization. The PNCs induced significant systemic IgG and IgA antibodies after i.n. immunization only when given with RV and, for serotype 1, serum IgG titers were comparable to titers induced by subcutaneous immunization. In addition, i.n. immunization with PNC-1 in RV elicited detectable mucosal IgA. These results demonstrate that RV is a potent mucosal adjuvant for polysaccharides conjugated to proteins. A majority of the PNC-1-immunized mice were protected against both bacteremia and pneumonia after i.n. challenge with a lethal dose of serotype 1 pneumococci, and protection correlated significantly with the serum IgG titers. Similarly, the survival of mice immunized i.n. with PNC-3 in RV was significantly prolonged. These results indicate that mucosal vaccination with PNC and adjuvants may be an alternative strategy for prevention against pneumococcal infections.
Timing of protein ingestion relative to resistance exercise training does not influence body composition, energy expenditure, glycaemic control or cardiometabolic risk factors in a hypocaloric, high protein diet in patients with type 2 diabetes

Aim: To investigate timing of protein ingestion relative to resistance exercise training (RT) on body composition, cardiometabolic risk factors, glycaemic control and resting energy expenditure (REE) during weight loss on a high‐protein (HP) diet in overweight and obese patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM).
Cytologic Detection of Demodex folliculorum in Cases with Persisting Skin Disorders

OBJECTIVE To examine sebum from the face ofpatients with persisting skin disorders to investigate the cause of pathologic changes. STUDY DESIGN This study included 39 skin scrapings containing sebum obtained from the face of patients who presented with persisting skin disorders. Samples were taken from forehead, chin, cheeks, nose and lesions of facial skin. They were mixed with a drop of oil to dissolve the sebum and were covered with a cover glass. The specimens were labeled according to the part of the face from which were taken. Then the glass slides were placed immediately under the microscope and the obtained material was carefully examined using 20-40x magnification. RESULTS Demodex mites were detected in 23 patients. Their skin scrapings revealed degenerated and dead cells, fat and slowly moving, tiny demodex mites. The chin, nose and the forehead were the preferred facial areas. A large number of mites were seen in skin scrapings from 5 patients aged 65-82 years. CONCLUSION Infestation of demodex mites on the skin, combined with a weakened immune system, can cause various therapy-resistant skin disorders. Demodecosis should be taken into consideration, and its investigation is quite simple, although it remains a therapeutic challenge.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme activity in Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with an ACE gene polymorphism and myxomatous mitral valve disease

Objectives Myxomatous mitral valve disease (MMVD) is the most common heart disease in the dog. It is particularly common in the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (CKCS) breed and affected dogs are frequently managed with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I). We have previously identified a canine ACE gene polymorphism associated with a decrease in angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate for the prevalence of the ACE polymorphism in CKCS with mitral valve disease and to determine whether the presence of the polymorphism is associated with alterations in ACE activity at different stages of cardiac disease. Methods Seventy-three dogs with a diagnosis of mitral valve disease were evaluated and a blood sample was drawn for ACE polymorphism genotyping and ACE activity measurement. Results Forty-three dogs were homozygous for the ACE polymorphism; five were heterozygous and 25 were homozygous wild type. The mean age and the median severity of disease were not different for dogs with the polymorphism and dogs with the wild-type sequence. The median baseline ACE activity was significantly lower for the ACE polymorphism (27.0 U/l) than the wild-type sequence dogs (31.0 U/l) (P=0.02). Dogs with more severe disease and the ACE polymorphism had significantly lower levels of ACE activity than dogs with the wild-type sequence (P=0.03). Conclusion The CKCS appears to have a high prevalence of the ACE variant. Dogs with the ACE variant had lower levels of ACE activity even in more advanced mitral valve disease than dogs without the variant. The clinical significance of this finding and its impact on the need for ACE-I in dogs with the polymorphism and heart disease deserves further study.
Building multivariate density functions based on promising direction vectors

In this paper we introduce a method to build a large variety of multivariate density functions based on univariate distributions and promising direction vectors. The stochastic model constructed in our proposal simulates random vector towards directions with high probability of improving the population. Also, we provide two algorithms to use this ideas in the global optimization problem. The first one is a Hybrid Estimation of Distribution Algorithm and the second one is the Adaptive Basis of Evolution Strategy. Both algorithms are tested and show a good performance in a set of benchmark problems, even outperforming popular competitive algorithms. In the best of our knowledge, the central idea described here is not in previous literature about global optimization.
Ultrahigh-resolution centrosymmetric crystal structure of Z-DNA reveals the massive presence of alternate conformations.

The self-complementary d(CGCGCG) hexanucleotide was synthesized with both D-2'-deoxyribose (the natural enantiomer) and L-2'-deoxyribose, and the two enantiomers were mixed in racemic (1:1) proportions and crystallized, producing a new crystal form with C2/c symmetry that diffracted X-rays to 0.78 Å resolution. The structure was solved by direct, dual-space and molecular-replacement methods and was refined to an R factor of 13.86%. The asymmetric unit of the crystal contains one Z-DNA duplex and three Mg2+ sites. The crystal structure is comprised of both left-handed (D-form) and right-handed (L-form) Z-DNA duplexes and shows an unexpectedly high degree of structural disorder, which is manifested by the presence of alternate conformations along the DNA backbone chains as well as at four nucleobases (including one base pair) modelled in double conformations. The crystal packing of the presented D/L-DNA-Mg2+ structure exhibits novel DNA hydration patterns and an unusual arrangement of the DNA helices in the unit cell. The paper describes the structure in detail, concentrating on the mode of disorder, and compares the crystal packing of the racemic d(CGCGCG)2 duplex with those of other homochiral and heterochiral Z-DNA structures.
Health-Promoting Behaviors, Risk Perceptions, and Attention to COVID-19-Related Information: Comparing People's Responses to the COVID-19 Pandemic Across Times of Chinese New Year and Summer 2020 in Hong Kong

Background: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have been encouraged to engage in health-promoting behaviors, namely actions taken to prevent infection and keep themselves healthy, such as maintaining social distancing. However, other factors, such as risk perception and feelings of fear, also might influence whether an individual takes such measures. This study compared people's responses to the pandemic in terms of their adoption of COVID-19 health-promoting behaviors, COVID-19 risk perceptions, and attention to COVID-19-related information during two periods: the 2020 Chinese New Year (CNY) in Hong Kong (HK), i.e., the very beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak (Time 1, T1), and summer 2020, i.e., before and during the third wave of COVID-19 infections in HK (Time 2, T2). Methods: Data were extracted from 180 HK participants, who were asked to recall and report their health-promoting behaviors, emotional and cognitive COVID-19 risk perceptions, and attention to COVID-19-related information during T1 and T2. A repeated-measures ANOVA series was conducted to investigate differences in public responses between the two aforementioned time points. Main Findings: After controlling for the effects from gender, age, and education levels, the participants reported practicing more infection-prevention behaviors, experiencing a lower level of fear as a psychological response, and paying less attention to COVID-19-related information during T2 than T1. Conclusions: This study addressed the need to monitor public responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including changes in people's behaviors and psychological responses across time. The results also suggest that the HK public was steered toward striking a balance between strengthening their infection-prevention behaviors and reducing their fear of COVID-19 infection.
Corporate sustainability reporting in the banking sector of Bangladesh: an appraisal of the G4 of the Global Reporting Initiative

Corporate reporting is mostly confined to statutory financial information; however, the additional reporting of voluntary information such as corporate environmental, social and governance information has received much attention in the recent years. With the aim of preparing a comprehensive framework and guidelines for sustainable reporting, G4 of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) was established for all organisations. The present study attempts to evaluate the sustainability disclosure practices in the banking sector of Bangladesh with considering G4 guidelines. The content analysis is employed for assessing the level of disclosures using annual report of 2014 on 30 listed banks. The result reveals that the banking sector is disclosing general information (66%) more than the specific aspects (17%). The overall disclosure level is at a poor level (36%) in terms of the sustainability approach of G4. This study suggests the banking sector should adopt G4 and revise reporting practices in line with GRI.
A case of brief psychosis associated with an arachnoid cyst

Abstract Little is known about the arachnoid cyst and there have been few reports of it accompanying psychiatric disturbances. A 57‐year‐old patient was admitted due to sudden headache, auditory hallucination, and delusion of persecution. An arachnoid cyst was found in the anteromedial aspect of middle cranial fossa on his magnetic resonance image. This was his first psychotic episode and he was also negative to other clinical evaluations including endocrine system. His psychotic symtoms were suspected to be induced by the arachnoid cyst and it was well controlled by low‐dose risperidone administration. He left hospital free from psychotic symptoms on 14th hospital day.
Bilateral deep brain stimulation of the globus pallidus to treat tardive dyskinesia.

CONTEXT Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a common and potentially disabling disorder induced by use of antipsychotic drugs for which medical treatment often gives disappointing results. OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy of bilateral deep brain stimulation of the internal part of the globus pallidus to treat severe TD. DESIGN Prospective phase 2 multicenter study. SETTING Six French university hospitals. Patients Patients with severe TD refractory to medical treatment were studied to evaluate the severity of abnormal involuntary movements before and after 6 months of bilateral globus pallidus deep brain stimulation. A 2-step open Fleming procedure was used to avoid unnecessary accrual of patients. A successful outcome was defined as a decrease of more than 40% in the main outcome measure at 6 months. The early stopping rule was invoked if the number of successful outcomes in 10 patients was fewer than 2, or 5 or more. A double-blind evaluation in the presence and absence of stimulation was performed at 6 months after surgery. Main Outcome Measure Change in score on the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale. RESULTS At 6 months after surgery, the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale score had decreased compared with baseline by more than 40% (mean improvement, 61%; range, 44%-75%) in the first 10 patients included. In accord with the 2-step open Fleming procedure, we ended the trial at the first step and concluded that pallidal stimulation is an effective treatment for TD. The efficacy of the treatment was confirmed by a double-blind evaluation, with a mean decrease of 50% (range, 30%-66%) (P = .002) in the Extrapyramidal Symptoms Rating Scale score when stimulation was applied compared with the absence of stimulation. There were no marked changes in the patients' psychiatric status. CONCLUSION Although these results need to be confirmed in a larger group of patients with a longer follow-up, bilateral globus pallidus deep brain stimulation seems to offer a much-needed new treatment option for disabling TD.
High-Order Interface Treatment Techniques for Modeling Curved Dielectric Objects

Three modified conformal techniques combined with high-order finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD (2, 4)) are proposed to investigate the interaction of electromagnetic waves with three-dimensional (3-D) curved dielectric surfaces. These proposed conformal techniques utilize an effective average dielectric constant to modify the update equations in the FDTD (2, 4) scheme, which is derived by area, linear, and volume averages of different dielectric regions in twenty seven spatial discrete cells at most, respectively. Some numerical results are presented to show the accuracies of linear and area average techniques. Good agreements are obtained with those of the method of moments and other analytical ones, even with coarse meshes adopted for handling electrically large or complex geometries effectively. Further, using our proposed techniques, the RCS of some typical 3-D objects are predicted and studied in detail.
Accelerating Adaptation of Forest Trees to Climate Change Using Individual Tree Response Functions

In forest tree breeding, assisted migration has been proposed to accelerate the adaptive response to climate change. Response functions are currently fitted across multiple populations and environments, enabling selections of the most appropriate seed sources for a specific reforestation site. So far, the approach has been limited to capturing adaptive variation among populations, neglecting tree-to-tree variation residing within a population. Here, we combined the response function methodology with the in-situ breeding approach, utilizing progeny trials of European larch (Larix decidua) across 21 test sites in Austria ranging from Alpine to lowland regions. We quantified intra-population genetic variance and predicted individual genetic performance along a climatic gradient. This approach can be adopted in most breeding and conservation programs, boosting the speed of adaptation under climate change.
A Review of Periprosthetic Femoral Fractures Associated With Total Hip Arthroplasty

Periprosthetic fractures of the femur in association with total hip arthroplasty are increasingly common and often difficult to treat. Patients with periprosthetic fractures are typically elderly and frail and have osteoporosis. No clear consensus exists regarding the optimal management strategy because there is limited high-quality research. The Vancouver classification facilitates treatment decisions. In the presence of a stable prosthesis (type-B1 and -C fractures), most authors recommend surgical stabilization of the fracture with plates, strut grafts, or a combination thereof. In up to 20% of apparent Vancouver type-B1 fractures, the femoral stem is loose, which may explain the high failure rates associated with open reduction and internal fixation. Some authors recommend routine opening and dislocation of the hip to perform an intraoperative stem stability test to rule out a loose component. Advances in plating techniques and technology are improving the outcomes for these fractures. For fractures around a loose femoral prosthesis (types B2 and 3), revision using an extensively porous-coated uncemented long stem, with or without additional fracture fixation, appears to offer the most reliable outcome. Cement-in-cement revision using a long-stem prosthesis is feasible in elderly patients with a well-fixed cement mantle. It is essential to treat the osteoporosis to help fracture healing and to prevent further fractures. We provide an overview of the causes, classification, and management of periprosthetic femoral fractures around a total hip arthroplasty based on the current best available evidence.
Emotional Responses Toward a New Research Policy Among Academics in a Chinese University

Teacher emotion has received prominent attention in the field of education as they are closely related to teacher identity and teachers’ well-being. While many previous studies have taken teachers’ emotions in teaching as their research focuses, this study investigated university English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher-researchers’ emotions and emotion regulation strategies in research in the context of a new research policy. One-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven EFL teacher-researchers at a Chinese university which implemented China’s new research policy of breaking the “five-only,” supplemented by the analysis of narrative frames and the institutional research documents. The data revealed that university EFL teacher-researchers experienced wide-ranging and diverse emotions at the micro-level, meso-level, and macro-level of research, with different attitudes toward the new research policy. They also employed multiple strategies of antecedent-focused and response-focused approaches to regulate emotions in research. This study helps unpack the complexity of emotions experienced by university teachers in research, and also calls for the attention of stakeholders to pay to the emotions and well-being of university EFL teachers.
Cerebral nitric oxide represses choroid plexus NFκB‐dependent gateway activity for leukocyte trafficking

Chronic neuroinflammation is evident in brain aging and neurodegenerative disorders and is often associated with excessive nitric oxide (NO) production within the central nervous system (CNS). Under such conditions, increased NO levels are observed at the choroid plexus (CP), an epithelial layer that forms the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier (BCSFB) and serves as a selective gateway for leukocyte entry to the CNS in homeostasis and following injury. Here, we hypothesized that elevated cerebral NO levels interfere with CP gateway activity. We found that induction of leukocyte trafficking determinants by the CP and sequential leukocyte entry to the CSF are dependent on the CP epithelial NFκB/p65 signaling pathway, which was inhibited upon exposure to NO. Examining the CP in 5XFAD transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease (AD‐Tg) revealed impaired ability to mount an NFκB/p65‐dependent response. Systemic administration of an NO scavenger in AD‐Tg mice alleviated NFκB/p65 suppression at the CP and augmented its gateway activity. Together, our findings identify cerebral NO as a negative regulator of CP gateway activity for immune cell trafficking to the CNS.
Pressurization of Bone Cement under Standard, Flanged and Custom Acetabular Components for Total Hip Replacement

Custom acetabular components are proposed to achieve uniform cement mantles, even in irregular acetabula presented at revision, in order to enhance fixation. One aim of developing custom components was to permit pressurization of bone cement by the components at insertion and maintain the pressure during polymerization. A model acetabulum was set up for the insertion of standard, flanged and custom components under constant force. Cement pressure was measured at the floor of the acetabulum by means of a piezoelectric diaphragm transducer. Polythene tubes were inserted in the model acetabular walls to estimate penetration of cement into cancellous bone. Insertion of the standard and flanged components caused cement pressures up to 106 kPa which decayed to less than 21 kPa as cement escaped at the rim and the components came into contact with the acetabulum. The custom component maintained a pressure of over 60 kPa during polymerization from an initial pressure of 105 kPa and examination of cement mantles on removal showed no evidence of contact. The custom component also showed enhanced penetration of cement, especially around the rim of the acetabulum. It is concluded that the custom component design achieves higher cement pressures and that better fixation will result.
Effect of ischemic preconditioning on the genomic response to reperfusion injury in deceased donor liver transplantation

Ischemic preconditioning (IP) is an effective method for protecting organs from ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury; however, the molecular basis of this protective effect is poorly understood. This study assessed the gene expression profile in liver allografts during transplantation and evaluated the impact of IP. Prereperfusion and postreperfusion biopsy specimens from livers subjected to IP (n = 19) or no preconditioning (the IR group; n = 16) were obtained. Total RNA was extracted and hybridized to GeneChip microarrays, and the findings were validated with real‐time quantitative reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR). IP livers showed less of an increase in aspartate aminotransferase after transplantation. A microarray analysis of the IR group showed increased expression of 57 genes mainly involved in cell death, inflammation and immune response, stress, and modulation of the cell cycle. The IP group showed attenuation of the expression of these genes after reperfusion. Additionally, IP led to increased expression of 43 genes involved in growth and maintenance, cell‐cycle regulation, proliferation, and development. The expression of the 12 most significant genes was validated in all patients with real‐time qRT‐PCR, and the fold changes of a number of genes correlated with clinical parameters and graft outcomes. IP protection of liver allografts was associated with a reduction in the expression of immune response genes and promotion of those involved in protection and repair. Liver Transpl 15:1750–1765, 2009. © 2009 AASLD.