Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting the degree of difficulty of the trans-radial approach in cerebral angiography

Background To evaluate anatomical and clinical factors that make trans-radial cerebral angiography more difficult. Methods A total of 52 trans-radial diagnostic angiograms were evaluated in a tertiary care stroke center from December 2019 until March 2020. We analyzed a number of anatomical variables to evaluate for correlation to outcome measures of angiography difficulty. Results The presence of a proximal radial loop had a higher conversion to femoral access (p<0.03). The presence of a large diameter aortic arch (p<0.01), double subclavian innominate curve (p<0.01), left proximal common carotid artery (CCA) loop (p<0.001), acute subclavian vertebral angle (p<0.01), and absence of bovine aortic arch anatomy (p=0.03) were associated with more difficult trans-radial cerebral angiography and increased fluoroscopy time-per-vessel. Conclusion The presence of a proximal radial loop, large diameter aortic arch, double subclavian innominate curve, proximal left CCA loop, acute subclavian vertebral angle, and absence of bovine aortic arch anatomy were associated with more difficult trans-radial cerebral angiography. We also introduce a novel grading scale for diagnostic trans-radial angiography.
Immediate and Short-Term Effects of Upper Cervical High-Velocity, Low-Amplitude Manipulation on Standing Postural Control and Cervical Mobility in Chronic Nonspecific Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aimed to determine the immediate and short-term effects of a single upper cervical high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation on standing postural control and cervical mobility in chronic nonspecific neck pain (CNSNP). A double-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial was performed. Forty-four patients with CNSNP were allocated to the experimental group (n = 22) or control group (n = 22). All participants were assessed before and immediately after the intervention, with a follow-up on the 7th and 15th days. In each evaluation, we assessed global and specific stabilometric parameters to analyze standing postural balance and performed the cervical flexion-rotation test (CFRT) to analyze upper cervical mobility. We obtained statistically significant differences, with a large effect size, in the limited cervical rotation and global stabilometric parameters. Upper cervical HVLA manipulation produced an improvement in the global stabilometric parameters, significantly decreasing the mean values of velocity, surface, path length, and pressure in all assessments (p < 0.001; ƞ 2 p = 0.323–0.856), as well as significantly decreasing the surface length ratio (L/S) on the 7th (−0.219 1/mm; p = 0.008; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.042–0.395) and 15th days (−0.447 1/mm; p < 0.001; 95% CI: 0.265–0.629). Limited cervical rotation values increased significantly immediately after manipulation (7.409°; p < 0.001; 95% CI: 6.131–8.687) and were maintained during follow-up (p < 0.001). These results show that a single upper cervical HVLA manipulation produces an improvement in standing postural control and increases the rotational range of motion (ROM) in the upper cervical spine in patients with CNSNP.
Clinical outcomes of solid organ transplant recipients with metastatic cancers who are treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors: A single‐center analysis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer therapy, but to the authors' knowledge, limited data exist regarding the safety and efficacy of these agents in transplant recipients. Herein, the authors have reported their experience with 17 patients who were treated with ICIs for metastatic malignancies after undergoing solid organ transplantation.
Association between chronic pain and pre-frailty in Japanese community-dwelling older adults: A cross-sectional study

A relationship between chronic pain and frailty has been reported. The early detection and prevention of frailty are recommended, in part because community-dwelling older adults in a pre-frailty state may return to a healthy state. The relationship between chronic pain and pre-frailty is not known. Toward the goal of promoting a reversible return to health from pre-frailty, we investigated the relationship between chronic pain and pre-frailty among community-dwelling older adults. We assessed the frailty and chronic pain of 107 older adults who were participating in community health checks. The status of physical frailty was based on the five components described by Fried (2001): muscle weakness shown by handgrip strength, slowness of gait speed, weight loss, low physical activity, and exhaustion. Chronic pain was assessed based on pain intensity, the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), the Japanese version of the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS-15), and the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI). The prevalence of chronic pain with pre-frailty was 40.2%. A hierarchical analysis revealed that PCS-measured helplessness (odds ratio [OR]: 0.88) and the CSI (OR: 0.87) were significant factors associated with the presence of chronic pain with pre-frailty. The prevalence of chronic pain with pre-frailty was high, and chronic pain and pre-frailty were strongly related. New intervention or prevention programs that take into account both chronic pain and pre-frailty must be created as soon as possible.
Iron Oxide Mediated Photothermal Therapy in the Second Biological Window: A Comparative Study between Magnetite/Maghemite Nanospheres and Nanoflowers

The photothermal use of iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) is becoming more and more popular and documented. Herein, we compared the photothermal (PT) therapy potential versus magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) modality of magnetic nanospheres, largely used in the biomedical field and magnetic multicore nanoflowers known among the best nanoheaters. The NPs were imaged using transmission electron microscopy and their optical properties characterized by UV-Vis-NIR-I-II before oxidation (magnetite) and after oxidation to maghemite. The efficiency of all NPs in MHT and PT in the preferred second near-infrared (NIR-II) biological window was carried out in water and in cancer cells. We show that, in water, magnetite nanoflowers are the most efficient nanoheaters for both modalities. Moreover, PT appears much more efficient than MHT at low NP dose, whatever the NP. In the cellular environment, for PT, efficiency was totally conserved, with magnetite nanoflowers as the best performers compared to MHT, which was totally lost. Finally, cell uptake was significantly increased for the nanoflowers compared to the nanospheres. Finally, the antitumor therapy was investigated for all NPs at the same dose delivered to the cancer cells and at reasonable laser power density (0.3 W/cm2), which showed almost total cell death for magnetite nanoflowers.
Status and Nesting Biology of the American Crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, (Reptilia, Crocodilidae) in Florida

This project was designed to determine the status of the American Crocodile in Florida and the factors regulating that population. Estimates of the historical and present range show that the nesting range has been considerably reduced during the 20th Century, including continued reduction in Florida Bay since that region became a part of Everglades National Park in 1950. Crocodiles in Florida Bay and on Key Largo are mound nesters, utilizing well-drained beaches, creek banks and abandoned canal levees as nesting sites. Females usually maintain primary and secondary mounds that are repeatedly used through many years. Average clutch size is 44; about 48% of the eggs hatch in successful nests, while the annual average number of successful nests is 65%. Most nesting failures are due to raccoon predation or failure of eggs to hatch, the latter probably a temperature problem in certain types of nests. The total number of crocodiles in south Florida early in the 20th Century may have been between 1,000 and 2,000 animals, but that total has steadily declined to the present. Based on an estimated 20 breeding females per year and an average 275 hatchling crocodiles produced annually, the 1970s population is estimated to be between 100 and 400 animals. Factors that regulate the population, including low nesting success, human disturbance, and hurricanes, are discussed.
Intensive culture of Artemia urmiana in semi-flow through system feeding on Algae Dunaliella and Wheat bran

Artemia is a tiny crustacean that lives in salty lakes. Artemia urmiana is one of the important species of it. Its high nutritional values and various forms with many applications have caused this creature to be considered as the most valuable live food for the cultured aquatic animals . Current research was carried out in order to find out the bio-technique for intensive culture of Artemia with semi-flow through system using unicellular algae ( Dunaliella ) and wheat bran as food source. The tanks inoculated with 5000 newly hatched Artemia larvae/liter. Artemia were harvested for 14 days. The average production of live Artemia in each three tanks reached to 7116.7 g. The mean length of Artemia in the last day of culture period was 4.09 mm and mean survival rate 42 percent. It was concluded that partial removal of waste material from culture medium helps in higher production rate of live biomass.
Behavioral Adjustment of Preschool Children With and Without Craniofacial Microsomia

Objective: The study aim was to assess behavioral adjustment in preschool children with and without craniofacial microsomia (CFM). Design: Multisite cohort study of preschoolers with CFM (“cases”) or without CFM (“controls”). Participants: Mothers (89%), fathers (9%), and other caregivers (2%) of 161 preschoolers. Outcome Measure: Child Behavior Check List (CBCL 1.5-5); linear regressions with standardized effect sizes (ES) adjusted for sociodemographic confounds. Results: Child Behavior Check Lists for 89 cases and 72 controls (average age 38.3 ± 1.9 months). Children were male (54%), white (69%), and of Latino ethnicity (47%). Cases had microtia with mandibular hypoplasia (52%), microtia only (30%), or other CFM-associated features (18%). Nearly 20% of cases had extracranial anomalies. Composite CBCL scores were in the average range compared to test norms and similar for cases and controls. On the subscales, cases’ parents reported higher Anxious/Depressed scores (ES = 0.35, P = .04), Stress Problems (ES = 0.40, P = .04), Anxiety Problems (ES = 0.34, P = .04), and Autism Spectrum Problems (ES = 0.41, P = .02); however, the autism subscale primarily reflected speech concerns. Among cases, more problems were reported for children with extracranial anomalies and certain phenotypic categories with small ES. Conclusions: Behavioral adjustment of preschoolers with CFM was comparable to peers. However, parental reports reflected greater concern for internalizing behaviors; thus, anxiety screening and interventions may benefit children with CFM. Among cases, more problems were reported for those with more complex presentations of CFM. Craniofacial microsomia–related speech problems should be distinguished from associated psychosocial symptoms during developmental evaluations.
Sarcopenia in Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Sarcopenia refers to a decrease in skeletal muscle mass and function. Because sarcopenia affects mortality, and causes significant disability, the clinical importance of sarcopenia is emerging. At first, sarcopenia was recognized as an age-related disease but, recently, it has been reported to be prevalent also in younger patients with autoimmune diseases. Specifically, the association of sarcopenia and autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis has been studied in detail. Although the pathogenesis of sarcopenia in autoimmune diseases has not been elucidated, chronic inflammation is believed to contribute to sarcopenia, and moreover the pathogenesis seems to be different depending on the respective underlying disease. The definition of sarcopenia differs among studies, which limits direct comparisons. Therefore, in this review, we cover various definitions of sarcopenia used in previous studies and highlight the prevalence of sarcopenia in diverse autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthritis, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune diabetes. In addition, we cover the pathogenesis and treatment of sarcopenia in autoimmune and rheumatic diseases. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of sarcopenia in various autoimmune diseases and highlights the need for a consistent definition of sarcopenia.
Autophagy Declines with Premature Skin Aging resulting in Dynamic Alterations in Skin Pigmentation and Epidermal Differentiation

Autophagy is a membrane traffic system that provides sustainable degradation of cellular components for homeostasis, and is thus considered to promote health and longevity, though its activity declines with aging. The present findings show deterioration of autophagy in association with premature skin aging. Autophagy flux was successfully determined in skin tissues, which demonstrated significantly decreased autophagy in hyperpigmented skin such as that seen in senile lentigo. Furthermore, an exacerbated decline in autophagy was confirmed in xerotic hyperpigmentation areas, accompanied by severe dehydration and a barrier defect, which showed correlations with skin physiological conditions. The enhancement of autophagy in skin ex vivo ameliorated skin integrity, including pigmentation and epidermal differentiation. The present results indicate that the restoration of autophagy can contribute to improving premature skin aging by various intrinsic and extrinsic factors via the normalization of protein homeostasis.
Dietary Supplementation of Foxtail Millet Ameliorates Colitis-Associated Colorectal Cancer in Mice via Activation of Gut Receptors and Suppression of the STAT3 Pathway

Coarse cereal intake has been reported to be associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer. However, evidence from intervention studies is absent and the molecular basis of this phenomenon remains largely unexplored. This study sought to investigate the effects of foxtail millet and rice, two common staple grains in Asia, on the progression of colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) and define the mechanism involved. In total, 40 BALB/c mice were randomized into four groups. The Normal and azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) groups were supplied with an AIN-93G diet, while the millet- and rice-treated groups were supplied with a modified AIN-93G diet. Compared to the AOM/DSS-induced CAC mice supplemented with rice, an increased survival rate, suppressed tumor burden, and reduced disease activity index were observed in the millet-treated group. The levels of IL-6 and IL-17 were decreased in the millet-treated group compared to both the AOM/DSS and AOM/DSS + rice groups. Millet treatment inhibited the phosphorylation of STAT3 and the related signaling proteins involved in cell proliferation, survival and angiogenesis. These beneficial effects were mediated by the activation of gut receptors AHR and GPCRs via the microbial metabolites (indole derivates and short-chain fatty acids) of foxtail millet. Moreover, millet-treatment increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Bacteroidales_S24-7 compared to the rice-treated mice. This study could help researchers to develop better dietary patterns that work against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and for CAC patients.
A competing risk nomogram for predicting cancer-specific death of patients with buccal mucosa cancer.

OBJECTIVES Our aim was to develop and validate a competing risk nomogram to determine the probability of cancer-specific death in buccal mucosa cancer (BMC) patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS We examined the records of BMC patients in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University (China). We adopted the cumulative incidence function and Fine-Gray proportional hazards model based on univariate and multivariate analyses by R-software to identify the risk factors associated with cancer-specific death. Subsequently, a nomogram was developed and validated to predict the three- and five-year probability of cancer-specific death. RESULTS In 1286 BMC patients identified from SEER database, cumulative incidences of cancer-specific death after diagnosis were 33.4% and 35.5% for three and five years, respectively. In the training cohort (n=902) from SEER database, the Fine-Gray model indicated that age, TNM stages, grade, surgery and histological type were independent risk factors associated with cancer-specific death, based on which a prognostic nomogram was developed. In the internal validation cohort from SEER database (n=384) and the external validation cohort from our medical center (n=174), the nomogram was well calibrated and showed remarkable prediction performance. CONCLUSION The nomogram created herein may prove to be a good assistant tool for assessing the prognosis of BMC patients.
Global Warming Risk Perceptions in India

Few studies have focused on global warming risk perceptions among people in poor and developing countries, who are disproportionately impacted by climate change. This analysis conducts a comprehensive assessment of global warming risk perceptions in India using a national sample survey. Consistent with cultural theory, egalitarianism was positively associated with global warming risk perceptions. In addition, perceived vulnerability and resilience to extreme weather events were also two of the strongest factors associated with global warming risk perceptions. While worry was positively associated with risk perceptions, it accounted for only a small proportion of the variance, unlike studies in developed countries. Finally, the study also collected global warming affective images. The most common responses were “don't know” or “can't say” (25%), followed by “pollution” (21%), “heat” (20%), and “nature” (16%). The study finds that the predictors of global warming risk perceptions among the Indian public are both similar and different than those in developed countries, which has important implications for climate change communication in India.
Local and systemic levels of aMMP-8 in gingivitis and stage 3 grade C periodontitis.

THE OBJECTIVE This study aimed to analyze active matrix metalloproteinase (aMMP-8) levels in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF), saliva and serum in the context of new criteria of gingivitis and stage 3 grade C periodontitis. THE BACKGROUND Periodontal disease is an inflammatory process that can result in tooth loss and also is considered a modifying factor for systemic health. Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-8 is the major collagenase of periodontal tissue breakdown. METHODS Totally 83 systemically healthy and non-smoker individuals consisting of 23 periodontally healthy, 20 gingivitis and 40 stage 3 periodontitis, were recruited to the study. Clinical periodontal examinations of probing depth (PD), clinical attachment loss (CAL), gingival index (GI), plaque index (PI) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were recorded; and GCF, saliva and serum samples were obtained. aMMP-8 was measured by immunofluorometric assay (IFMA). RESULTS GCF and serum aMMP-8 levels were significantly increased in periodontitis and gingivitis compared to healthy ones (P < .001), whereas gingivitis and periodontitis patients showed similar levels of aMMP-8 in GCF and serum (P > .05). Saliva levels of aMMP-8 were higher in periodontitis patients than both gingivitis and healthy individuals (P < .001). There was no significant difference in salivary aMMP-8 levels between gingivitis group and healthy controls (P > .05). CONCLUSION These findings support the involvement of aMMP-8 in periodontal diseases and suggest that its local and systemic levels can reflect stage 3 grade C periodontitis. Moreover, aMMP-8 in GCF and serum seems to have a potential to differentiate between gingivitis and periodontal health.
Buffer Influence on the Amino Acid Silica Interaction

Abstract Protein‐surface interactions are exploited in various processes in life sciences and biotechnology. Many of such processes are performed in presence of a buffer system, which is generally believed to have an influence on the protein‐surface interaction but is rarely investigated systematically. Combining experimental and theoretical methodologies, we herein demonstrate the strong influence of the buffer type on protein‐surface interactions. Using state of the art chromatographic experiments, we measure the interaction between individual amino acids and silica, as a reference to understand protein‐surface interactions. Among all the 20 proteinogenic amino acids studied, we found that arginine (R) and lysine (K) bind most strongly to silica, a finding validated by free energy calculations. We further measured the binding of R and K at different pH in presence of two different buffers, MOPS (3‐(N‐morpholino)propanesulfonic acid) and TRIS (tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane), and find dramatically different behavior. In presence of TRIS, the binding affinity of R/K increases with pH, whereas we observe an opposite trend for MOPS. These results can be understood using a multiscale modelling framework combining molecular dynamics simulation and Langmuir adsorption model. The modelling approach helps to optimize buffer conditions in various fields like biosensors, drug delivery or bio separation engineering prior to the experiment.
Structural insight into the role of novel SARS-CoV-2 E protein: A potential target for vaccine development and other therapeutic strategies

The outbreak of COVID-19 across the world has posed unprecedented and global challenges on multiple fronts. Most of the vaccine and drug development has focused on the spike proteins and viral RNA-polymerases and main protease for viral replication. Using the bioinformatics and structural modelling approach, we modelled the structure of the envelope (E)-protein of novel SARS-CoV-2. The E-protein of this virus shares sequence similarity with that of SARS- CoV-1, and is highly conserved in the N-terminus regions. Incidentally, compared to spike proteins, E proteins demonstrate lower disparity and mutability among the isolated sequences. Using homology modelling, we found that the most favorable structure could function as a gated ion channel conducting H+ ions. Combining pocket estimation and docking with water, we determined that GLU 8 and ASN 15 in the N-terminal region were in close proximity to form H-bonds which was further validated by insertion of the E protein in an ERGIC-mimic membrane. Additionally, two distinct “core” structures were visible, the hydrophobic core and the central core, which may regulate the opening/closing of the channel. We propose this as a mechanism of viral ion channeling activity which plays a critical role in viral infection and pathogenesis. In addition, it provides a structural basis and additional avenues for vaccine development and generating therapeutic interventions against the virus.