Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical noninvasive markers for antiviral therapy decision in chronic hepatitis B with alanine aminotransferase less than two times upper limit of normal

Liver biopsy is the reference method for antiviral therapy decision‐making in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) when alanine aminotransferase (ALT) is less than two times of upper limit of normal (<2ULN). Our aim was to explore noninvasive markers for antiviral therapy decision in CHB with ALT <2ULN. A total of 452 treatment‐naïve CHB patients with ALT < 2ULN who had undergone liver biopsy were analysed in this prospective multi‐centre study. If liver biopsy showed moderate or severe inflammation (histology activity index ≥ 5) or significant fibrosis (Ishak fibrosis score ≥ 3), antiviral treatment was recommended. We analysed data using univariate and multivariate analyses and receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC). Two hundred and sixty‐nine (59.5%) of 452 cases with ALT < 2ULN had moderate, severe or significant inflammation. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P = 0.03), anti‐hepatitis B virus core antibody (anti‐HBc) (P = 0.003) and liver stiffness measurement (LSM) (P = 0.000) were independent variables for antiviral therapy decision‐making, with area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.718, 0.703 and 0.819, respectively. Our novel AAF index, which combined AST, anti‐HBc and LSM, showed better performance with AUROC of 0.876, 0.877 and 0.876 in estimation, validation and total set. Finally, 247 (54.6%) of 452 patients could avoid liver biopsy based on AAF index. Furthermore, performances of 23 noninvasive models were unsatisfactory for antiviral therapy decision with AUROC < 0.800, which were inferior to AAF index. In conclusion, AST, anti‐HBc and LSM were related to antiviral therapy decision‐making among CHB patients with ALT < 2ULN. Thus, the novel AAF index was a more reliable noninvasive model for antiviral therapy decision‐making.
El estudio de la inseguridad subjetiva: principales componentes

Resumen En esta comunicación se pretende dar a conocer las construcciones conceptuales en las que estamos basando una investigación financiada por el Plan Nacional de I+D, en sus primeras fases. Planteamos que para estudiar la inseguridad subjetiva hay que poner en relación tanto el nivel individual como el social, en una serie de características que incluyen no sólo los datos sobre delincuencia, sino que también considera los datos sobre los que hemos denominado “factores sociales de riesgo” y sobre el propio sentimiento de inseguridad de los ciudadanos. Ese sentimiento de inseguridad tal y como nosotros lo planteamos abarca, además del tan estudiado “miedo al delito”, contenidos relativos a las incertidumbres vitales. Adicionalmente, presentaremos la metodología que estamos siguiendo para recoger la información necesaria y los problemas a los que se enfrenta la investigación.
Using the Marine Rotifer Brachionus plicatilis as an Endpoint to Evaluate Whether ROS-Dependent Hemolytic Toxicity Is Involved in the Allelopathy Induced by Karenia mikimotoi

The toxic effects of the typically noxious bloom-forming dinoflagellate Karenia mikimotoi were studied using the allelopathic experimental system under controlled laboratory conditions. The potency of intact cell suspensions with whole cells, cell-free culture filtrate in different growth phases, and lysed cells with ultrasonication were compared, and the growth and reproduction of the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis were used as endpoints to evaluate toxic differences. The intact cell suspension resulted the most significant growth inhibition, including lethality, on the growth of B. plicatilis (p < 0.05). Lysed culture medium treated with ultrasonication and the cell-free culture filtrates at either the exponential or stationary phase exhibited limited negative impacts compared to the control according to changes in the population growth rate (r) and survival rate (p > 0.05). Reproduction presented a similar tendency to change, and the number of eggs produced per individual, as well as spawning period decreased in the whole cell and lysed cell suspensions. The key parameters in the lift table include the net reproductive rate (R0) and the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), which were more sensitive to treatment and were significantly suppressed compared to that of the control. The addition of the ROS inhibitor N-acetylcysteine (NAC) could not change the growth or reproduction patterns. Moreover, substantial hemolytic toxicity was found in the treatment of the intact cell suspension (p < 0.05), while limited toxicity was found in other treatments compared to that of the control. K. mikimotoi was speculated to secrete allelopathic substances onto the cell surface, and direct cell contact was necessary for allelopathic toxicity in B. plicatilis. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-independent hemolytic toxicity was assumed to be the explanation for what was observed.
Training of Students’ Critical Thinking Skills through the implementation of a Modified Free Inquiry Model

This research aimed at training students’ critical thinking skills through the implementation of a modified free inquiry learning model. The subjects of this research were 21 students of Mathematics Semester II. Using One-Group Pretest-Posttest Design, the data were analyzed descriptively using N-gain indicator. The results indicate that the modified free inquiry learning model was effective to train students’ critical thinking skills. The increase in the students’ critical thinking skills viewed from the value of N-Gain has a range of values with the categories of medium and high with a score between 0,25-0,95. Overall, the change in N-Gain score of each student and each indicator of critical thinking skills is as increasing with a moderate category. The increase of N-Gain value is resulted from the fact that the students were directly involved in organizing their learning process. These criteria indicate that the modified free inquiry learning model can be used to train students’ critical thinking skills on photosynthesis and cellular respiration materials. The results of this research are expected to be nationally implemented to familiarize students with andragogy learning style which places the students as the subjects of learning.
Fitness effects of communal rearing in house mice: the role of relatedness versus familiarity

Abstract Abstract. Newborn female house mice, Mus domesticus, were cross-fostered to analyse the influence of relatedness and familiarity during juvenile development on subsequent reproductive success during communal rearing of young. The reproductive behaviour of polygynously mated pairs of full-sisters reared apart (unfamiliar and related) and of genetically unrelated females reared together (familiar, unrelated) was analysed over a standardized 'lifespan' of 120 days after the females were given access to a male compared with that of sisters reared together (familiar, related) and unrelated females reared apart (unfamiliar, unrelated). Familiarity with a same-sex partner (irrespective of relatedness) improved a female's probability of successfully reproducing and the probability that both partners weaned young (egalitarian reproduction). In groups with unfamiliar partners, the female that weighed less at mating suffered a higher probability of being reproductively suppressed in a despotic relationship. Furthermore, familiarity significantly improved offspring survival until weaning compared with that in social groups with previously unfamiliar females. Consequently, a female living with a familiar partner had a significantly higher lifetime reproductive success than a female with an unfamiliar partner. By choosing a familiar group member a female had a high probability of communally rearing young with a relative, owing to the basic family structure of house mouse demes. However, despite the paramount importance of familiarity with a partner for reproductive success, some data indicated that females discriminated between familiar related and familiar unrelated partners. Familiar sisters reached higher scores than familiar unrelated females in almost all fitness components and weaned the highest number and biomass of offspring within their lifespan of all groups analysed.
Copulatory plugs and paternity assurance in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans


Abstract Abstract. The males of some strains of Caenorhabditis elegans (Maupas) make a copulatory plug and place it over the genital opening of the hermaphrodite after mating. The hypothesis is tested that the plug interferes with the mating attempts of second males and thus functions to protect the paternity of the plugging male that mated first. Two pure-breeding strains, which were genetically identical except at the locus governing the plugging trait, were used in the observations. The paper reports on observations of mating behaviour between males and females (a mutant form of the hermaphrodite), which had mated once and were either plugged or not plugged. The observations provide data on the durations of successive encounters between the male and female before copulation was achieved and on the numbers of those encounters. The results show that the plug does indeed lessen the likelihood of a second mating. The presence of a plug increased the likelihood that a male would lose contact with the female on the first encounter rather than mate with her, increased the duration of the encounter that ended in successful copulation and increased the total encounter time before successful copulation. A quantitative description of C. elegans mating behaviour is presented.
Segregation is not only a matter of sex in Alpine ibex, Capra ibex ibex


Abstract We assessed social, spatial (using grids of 100×100, 200×200 and 500×500 m) and habitat (vegetation) segregation between sex and age classes in two Alpine ibex populations (Sous-Dine and Bargy), with, respectively, 27 and ca. 120 animals at least 1 year old, during the rut (15 November–15 January), winter (16 January–15 April), spring (16 April–May), birth period (June–July) and summer (August–14 November). We hypothesized that ‘behavioural incompatibility’, the idea that (1) females are less motivated than males to interact socially and (2) females avoid some components of the social behaviour of males, leads to social segregation in ungulates (‘social affinity’ hypothesis). We considered habitat segregation to be a by-product of social segregation. Spatial segregation tended to decrease, but not significantly, with increasing grid size. Several of our predictions were verified: (1) social and spatial segregation were greater than habitat segregation, except during the birth period when sexual segregation peaked; (2) intersexual social segregation increased with male age; and (3) social segregation, but not habitat segregation, increased between males distant in age. In contrast, the expectation that (4) spatial segregation between the sexes and male age classes would be low in winter, because few areas were free of snow, was confirmed at Sous-Dine but not at Bargy. Differences in behaviour and motivation are likely to be the main factors leading to social segregation not only between the sexes but also between males distant in age. Further analyses are needed to explain how social segregation can generate spatial segregation.
Assortative pairing by parasitic prevalence in
 Gammarus insensibilis
 (Amphipoda): patterns and processes

Abstract Field data and experiments on the presence of parasites and mate choice in Gammarus insensibilis are presented in an attempt to identify the processes responsible for assortative pairing by parasitic prevalence. Males and females captured in precopula in the field were matched for parasitic prevalence, confirming previous observations. Experiments in the laboratory indicated that assortative pairing by prevalence was largely due to the vertical segregation of infected and uninfected individuals in the water column, resulting from the behavioural alterations induced by the parasite Microphallus papillorobustus (Trematoda, Microphallidae) on its gammarid host. Assortative pairing by parasitic prevalence was not observed when water depth was experimentally reduced to a few centimetres. However, assortative pairing by size, a common pattern of pairing in gammarids, was observed whatever the water depth. Choice experiments, in the absence of vertical segregation, showed that males were choosing females on the basis of time left to moult, but were also capable of discriminating between infected and uninfected females. In addition, infected males had a longer latency to precopula during choice tests. The results are discussed in relation to current ideas on how parasites can affect mate choice.
Predator-induced natural selection on temperament in bighorn ewes

Temperament traits in animals may have important fitness consequences, but have received little attention from ecologists or evolutionary biologists. A few studies have linked variation in temperament with fitness, but none has measured selection on temperament traits. We estimated the strength of selection on female boldness and docility on bighorn sheep ewes, Ovis canadensis. The Ram Mountain population experienced little predation pressure during the first 25 years of study, then 2 years (1997 and 1998) of frequent predation by cougars, Puma concolor, during which adult ewe mortality almost tripled over the long-term average, to 27% a year. During years of high predation, we found moderate selection favouring bold ewes, and age-specific selection on docility. Old ewes appeared more vulnerable to predation than young ewes. In contrast, no evidence of selection on temperament traits was observed during 2 years of low predation (1996 and 1999). These results suggest predator-induced selection favouring bold and nondocile ewes. Leadership was highly correlated with age and may increase the risk of predator encounter. Leadership alone, however, could not explain the higher vulnerability of old ewes to predation. Cougar predation on bighorn sheep occurs sporadically and unpredictably, probably because individual cougars often are prey specialists. Cougar predation may have limited microevolutionary effects on temperament in bighorn sheep, because it mostly affects ewes near the end of their reproductive life span and because of potential countervailing selection on boldness and docility. Copyright 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Exosome and Macrophage Crosstalk in Sleep-Disordered Breathing-Induced Metabolic Dysfunction

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent worldwide public health problem that is characterized by repetitive upper airway collapse leading to intermittent hypoxia, pronounced negative intrathoracic pressures, and recurrent arousals resulting in sleep fragmentation. Obesity is a major risk factor of OSA and both of these two closely intertwined conditions result in increased sympathetic activity, oxidative stress, and chronic low-grade inflammation, which ultimately contribute, among other morbidities, to metabolic dysfunction, as reflected by visceral white adipose tissue (VWAT) insulin resistance (IR). Circulating extracellular vesicles (EVs), including exosomes, are released by most cell types and their cargos vary greatly and reflect underlying changes in cellular homeostasis. Thus, exosomes can provide insights into how cells and systems cope with physiological perturbations by virtue of the identity and abundance of miRNAs, mRNAs, proteins, and lipids that are packaged in the EVs cargo, and are secreted from the cells into bodily fluids under normal as well as diseased states. Accordingly, exosomes represent a novel pathway via which a cohort of biomolecules can travel long distances and result in the modulation of gene expression in selected and targeted recipient cells. For example, exosomes secreted from macrophages play a critical role in innate immunity and also initiate the adaptive immune response within specific metabolic tissues such as VWAT. Under normal conditions, phagocyte-derived exosomes represent a large portion of circulating EVs in blood, and carry a protective signature against IR that is altered when secreting cells are exposed to altered physiological conditions such as those elicited by OSA, leading to emergence of IR within VWAT compartment. Consequently, increased understanding of exosome biogenesis and biology should lead to development of new diagnostic biomarker assays and personalized therapeutic approaches. Here, the evidence on the major biological functions of macrophages and exosomes as pathophysiological effectors of OSA-induced metabolic dysfunction is discussed.
Multiple Cutaneous Metastases on 99mTC-HYNIC-TOC Scan in a Rare Case of Malignant Laryngeal Paraganglioma

Laryngeal paraganglioma is a rare neuroendocrine tumor arising from neural crest cells of larynx, contributing to 0.6% of the laryngeal tumors. Patients usually present with compressive symptoms such as hoarseness of voice. These tumors express somatostatin receptors, which can be imaged with radioligands such as 99mTc labeled hydrazinonicotinyl-Tyr3-octreotide (HYNIC-TOC). The percentage of malignant transformation in laryngeal paraganglioma is 2%, and they usually metastasize to lymph nodes, bone, and liver. Here, we report a 99mTc HYNIC-TOC scan of a 55-year-old male patient with recurrent laryngeal paraganglioma, who presented with painful multiple metastatic cutaneous nodules.
PRC2 loss induces chemoresistance by repressing apoptosis in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The tendency of mitochondria to undergo or resist BCL2-controlled apoptosis (so-called mitochondrial priming) is a powerful predictor of response to cytotoxic chemotherapy. Fully exploiting this finding will require unraveling the molecular genetics underlying phenotypic variability in mitochondrial priming. Here, we report that mitochondrial apoptosis resistance in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is mediated by inactivation of polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2). In T-ALL clinical specimens, loss-of-function mutations of PRC2 core components (EZH2, EED, or SUZ12) were associated with mitochondrial apoptosis resistance. In T-ALL cells, PRC2 depletion induced resistance to apoptosis induction by multiple chemotherapeutics with distinct mechanisms of action. PRC2 loss induced apoptosis resistance via transcriptional up-regulation of the LIM domain transcription factor CRIP2 and downstream up-regulation of the mitochondrial chaperone TRAP1. These findings demonstrate the importance of mitochondrial apoptotic priming as a prognostic factor in T-ALL and implicate mitochondrial chaperone function as a molecular determinant of chemotherapy response.
Socio-economic factors associated with periodontal conditions among Brazilian elderly people - Multilevel analysis of the SBSP-15 study

The objective of the present study was to analyze individual, contextual and social support factors associated with periodontal condition among 2332 dentate elderly Brazilian participants from the São Paulo State Oral Health Survey 2015 (SBSP-15). Methods: This study used the database compiled by the SBSP-15, conducted from January to December in 2015. The associations were made by relative risk (RR), with Multilevel Poisson Regressions, among individual, contextual and social support variables, and had periodontal diseases as outcomes. Results: The mean age of elders was 70.13 years (SD 5.67). The risk factors for all outcomes of periodontal diseases were male gender and self-perceived color of non-white skin. Regarding social support, feeling unhappy was a risk factor for the presence of shallow periodontal pockets (3–5mm) RR 1.43(CI 95% 1.10–1.86). The coverage of the Family Health Strategy (FHS) was a protective factor for gingival bleeding RR = 0.7(CI 95% 0.44–0.99) and calculus RR = 0.75(CI 95% 0.60–0.95), and a risk factor for the number of lost sextants (sextants with only one tooth or without any teeth) RR = 1.12(CI 95% 1.00–1.28). Living in municipalities with more than 90% fluoridation coverage was a protective factor for the number of lost sextants RR = 0.89(CI 95% 0.78–0.99). Conclusions: The study showed evidence that individual (gender and self-perceived skin color), contextual (coverage of the family health strategy and water fluoridation) and social support factors (feeling unhappy) are associated with the clinical outcomes of periodontal diseases in Brazilian elders. This reinforces the need for transdisciplinary actions in the FHS, stimulating work together and intersectoral collaboration between FHS and NASF (Family Health Support Center).
N-acetylcysteine improves oxidative stress and inflammatory response in patients with community acquired pneumonia

Abstract Oxidative stress is considered to be part of the pathogenic mechanism for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and is closely linked to inflammation. Attenuation of oxidative stress would be expected to reduce pulmonary damage. Antioxidants have been found to be effective in alleviating lung injury and protecting against damage of other organs. The aim of the study was to compare the effect of adding N-acetylcysteine (NAC) to conventional treatment versus conventional treatment on oxidative stress, inflammatory factors, and radiological changes in CAP patients. Eligible CAP patients at Weihai Municipal Hospital were stratified and randomly assigned to either NAC group or non-NAC group between August 2016 and March 2017. The NAC group received conventional treatment for pneumonia and NAC (1200 mg/d). Thenon-NAC group received conventional therapy. malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (TAOC), tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF-&agr;), and computed tomography (CT) images were evaluated at baseline and after treatment. The primary endpoint indicators were the changes in oxidative stress parameters (MDA, TAOC, SOD) and TNF-&agr; after treatment in the NAC group compared with those in the non-NAC group. The secondary endpoint indicator was any difference in CT scores after treatment in the NAC group compared with the non-NAC group. Baseline levels of MDA, TAOC, SOD, and TNF-&agr; were similar between the 2 groups before treatment. Plasma levels of MDA and TNF-&agr; decreased more (P < .05 MDA:p 0.004, TNF-&agr;:p <0.001) in the NAC group than the non-NAC group, and there was a reliable increase in TAOC content (p 0.005). There was no significant difference in increased plasma SOD activity between the groups (p 0.368), and the NAC group did not show a greater improvement from CT scores. No NAC-related adverse effects were observed. Addition of NAC therapy for CAP patients reduced MDA and TNF-&agr; and increased TAOC. Treatment with NAC may help to reduce oxidative and inflammatory damage in pneumonia patients.
An Unprecedented Case of p190 BCR-ABL Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Diagnosed during Treatment for Multiple Myeloma: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

We report the case of a 76-year-old man who was diagnosed as having chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with p190 BCR-ABL while receiving treatment for symptomatic multiple myeloma (MM). The diagnosis of MM was based on the presence of serum M-protein, abnormal plasma cells in the bone marrow, and lytic bone lesions. The patient achieved a partial response to lenalidomide and dexamethasone treatment. However, 2 years after the diagnosis of MM, the patient developed leukocytosis with granulocytosis, anemia, and thrombocytopenia. Bone marrow examination revealed Philadelphia chromosomes and chimeric p190 BCR-ABL mRNA. Fluorescence in situ hybridization also revealed BCR-ABL-positive neutrophils in the peripheral blood, which suggested the emergence of CML with p190 BCR-ABL. The codevelopment of MM and CML is very rare, and this is the first report describing p190 BCR-ABL-type CML coexisting with MM. Moreover, we have reviewed the literature regarding the coexistence of these diseases.