Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac complications in community-acquired pneumonia and COVID-19

Abstract Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) remains a global health problem with significant morbidity and mortality. Much recent published literature about the infection has indicated that a substantial number of patients with CAP, particularly those ill enough to be admitted to hospital, will suffer a cardiovascular event. While these may include events such as deep venous thrombosis and stroke, most of the events involve the heart and include the occurrence of an arrhythmia (most commonly atrial fibrillation), new onset or worsening of heart failure and acute myocardial infarction. While such cardiac events may occur, for example, in all-cause CAP and CAP due to influenza virus infection, and more recently described with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, a significant amount of research work has been investigating the pathogenic mechanisms of these cardiac events in patients with CAP due to Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) and, more recently, COVID-19 infections. Such research has identified a number of mechanisms by which these microorganisms may cause cardiovascular events. Importantly, these cardiac events appear not only to be associated with in-hospital mortality, but they also appear to contribute to longer-term mortality of patients with CAP, even after their discharge from hospital. This review will focus initially on studies of cardiovascular events in all-cause CAP and pneumococcal CAP, excluding COVID-19 infection, and then address similar issues in the latter infection.
Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in Saudi Arabia: preliminary results from the SAUDIPH registry

Background Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is a rare, progressive vascular disease with poor prognosis if left untreated. This study aims to assess the patient characteristics, treatment approach and clinical and survival outcomes for CTEPH patients enrolled in the Systematic Prospective Follow Up for Better Understanding of Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Pulmonary Hypertension Disease (SAUDIPH) registry. Methods This study presents a subanalysis of CTEPH patients enrolled in the SAUDIPH registry. This registry enrolled patients with pulmonary hypertension, established through right heart catheterisation, under clinical management at a specialised tertiary care centre. Patients received standard care during the period of the registry. Results At the time of this analysis, 64 CTEPH patients were enrolled in the registry. Mean age at diagnosis was 39.7 years and there was a female predominance (67.6%). At baseline, most patients were in World Health Organization functional classes III or IV (70.1%). At the last follow-up visit, most patients (63.2%) had undergone endarterectomy, showing significant improvement in disease severity from baseline. Patients who underwent endarterectomy showed numerically higher (p=0.126) probability of survival at 1 year (97.5%) versus those who did not undergo endarterectomy (94.4%). Conclusion Patients were diagnosed at relatively young age, but still showed high disease severity, suggesting delay in diagnosis. Patients who underwent surgical treatment showed substantial improvements in clinical and haemodynamic parameters, while the remaining patients tended to show disease progression. The 96.6% 1-year cumulative probability of survival was high compared to previous studies. The SAUDIPH registry was designed to follow pulmonary hypertension patients in Saudi Arabia. This study assesses patient characteristics and treatment approaches of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension patients enrolled in the SAUDIPH registry. http://bit.ly/2uCWpBe
A Reassessment and Reclassification of Species in the Genera Onikusa Akatsuka and Suhria J. Agardh ex Endlicher (Gelidiales, Rhodophyta) Based on Molecular and Morphological Data

Abstract The phylogenetic relationships and taxonomic status of the Gelidialean genera Onikusa Akatsuka and Suhria J. Agardh ex Endlicher were examined based on analyses of molecular and morphological characters. The DNA sequences of rbcL from multiple specimens of all Onikusa and Suhria species were included in analyses of 38 Gelidialean taxa having the Gelidium-type female reproductive and cystocarp systems. Six well-supported species clades were resolved in these analyses. Two species of Onikusa and Suhria vittata (Linnaeus) Endlicher were resolved within the ‘Suhria clade’, and Onikusa japonica (Harvey) Akatsuka was resolved within the ‘Gelidium chilense clade. ’ Gelidium Lamouroux was paraphyletic with respect to Onikusa and Suhria. Evidence for a turf-form ecotype of Onikusa pristoides was found. Examination of species resolved within the ‘Suhria,’ ‘Gelidium chilense’ and ‘G. coultericlades’ revealed that the medullary structure type was not a synapomorphy for these clades. Based on these new and previous findings, the reversion of Suhria vittata, Onikusa pristoides (Turner) Akatsuka, and Onikusa japonica to Gelidium, and the new combinations Gelidium vittatum (Linnaeus) Kützing forma laceratum (Grunow) D.W. Freshwater and Gelidium foliaceum (Okamura) E.M. Tronchin are proposed.
Periostin Mediates Oestrogen-Induced Osteogenic Differentiation of Bone Marrow Stromal Cells in Ovariectomised Rats

Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease that results in the progressive loss of bone mass, which, in postmenopausal women, is related to oestrogen deficiency. Periostin (POSTN) plays a key role in the early stages of bone formation. However, whether POSTN participates in oestradiol regulation of osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from ovariectomised (OVX) rats remains unclear. In vivo, using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT), immunohistochemistry, and dynamic analysis of femurs, we found that 17β-E2 promotes bone formation and POSTN expression at the endosteal surface. In vitro, 17β-E2 upregulated POSTN expression in OVX-BMSCs. POSTN overexpression activated the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway and enhanced osteogenic differentiation of OVX-BMSCs. Furthermore, knockdown of Postn blocks the involvement of 17β-E2 in the osteogenic differentiation of OVX-BMSCs. Collectively, our study indicated the role of POSTN in the osteogenesis and stemness of OVX-BMSCs and proves that 17β-E2 reduces osteoporosis and promotes osteogenesis through the POSTN-Wnt/β-catenin pathway. POSTN could, therefore, be a novel target gene for anti-osteoporosis therapies.
Mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) near a reservoir in the Western part of the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina

Anopheline and other mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in the southern Brazilian State of Santa Catarina have been studied mostly near the Atlantic sea coast and are not well known in other regions of the state. Collections were made near a reservoir in the western portion of the state. At least 26 species were represented in the collections; 10 are recorded for the first time for the state: Coquillettidia venezuelensis, Cq. juxtamansonia, Mansonia wilsoni, Ochlerotatus fluviatilis, Psorophora ciliata, Ps. discrucians, Ps. lanei, Culex bigoti, Sabethes belisarioi and Sa. identicus, and 12 for the first time in the western portion of the state: Anopheles albitarsis, An. intermedius, An. lutzi, An. parvus, An. strodei, Chagasia fajardi, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Limatus durhamii, Sa. aurescens, Sa. melanonymphe, Trichoprosopon pallidiventer and Wyeomyia limai. The possible medical and veterinary significance of the findings is discussed.
Challenges to Athletes During the Home Confinement Caused by the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The world is currently facing a serious coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19). This novel coronavirus is a new virus for which effective drugs and vaccines have not yet been developed. Amateur and professional athletic events around the world have been stopped, and teams and athletes have had to adopt social withdrawal measures, interrupting their training and preparation routines for competitions. Given this alarming scenario, this article aims to alert athletes to the importance of maintaining a conditioning routine during this confinement period.
The Prediction and Prognostic Significance of INPP5K Expression in Patients with Liver Cancer

Liver cancer is a devastating disease for humans with poor prognosis. Although the survival rate of patients with liver cancer has improved in the past decades, the recurrence and metastasis of liver cancer are still obstacles for us. Inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase K (INPP5K) belongs to the family of phosphoinositide 5-phosphatases (PI 5-phosphatases), which have been reported to be associated with cell migration, polarity, adhesion, and cell invasion, especially in cancers. However, there have been few studies on the correlation of INPP5K and liver cancer. In this study, we explored the prognostic significance of INPP5K in liver cancer through bioinformatics analysis of data collected from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Chi-square and Fisher exact tests were used to evaluate the relationship between INPP5K expression and clinical characteristics. Our results showed that low INPP5K expression was correlated with poor outcomes in liver cancer patients. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated that low INPP5K mRNA expression played a significant role in shortening overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS), which might serve as the useful biomarker and prognostic factor for liver cancer. In conclusion, low INPP5K mRNA expression is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis in liver cancer.
Research status of clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) on cruciferous crops in China

Abstract Clubroot, caused by Plasmodiophora brassicae, has emerged as a serious disease threatening the cruciferous crop production industry in China. The distribution, occurrence, physiological races and transmission routes of P. brassicae are briefly described here, providing a basis for understanding the serious implications of clubroot disease in China. Strategies for managing clubroot in a Chinese context are also discussed. Approximately 3.2–4.0 million ha of cruciferous crops are infected by P. brassicae every year in China, causing yield losses of 20–30%. The identification of physiological races is of fundamental importance for breeding clubroot-resistant cultivars. Race 4 of the pathogen, as classified on the differentials of Williams, has been spreading all over China and is becoming increasingly damaging to cruciferous crops. Dissemination of P. brassicae is mainly via the movement of resting spores on seed or in infected plant material. Spore dispersal over short distances depends on the movement of infested soil, wind, water and livestock manure. Integrated control strategies include the development of resistant cultivars, soil liming, fungicide applications and use of biological control agents.
Sires influence fetal death in pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Computerized colony records were used to identify dams and sires whose reproductive histories while breeding in harem groups indicated high or low risk for producing fetal deaths. The monkeys were then singly caged and bred within and between risk conditions during 24‐ to 72‐hour matings. Although the low‐ and high‐risk sires did not differ in ability to achieve conceptions, the results revealed that reproductive history predicted subsequent fetal death rates, and sires made a substantial contribution. Overall, high‐risk sires had a 4.86 times higher relative risk of producing fetal death than low‐risk sires. Compared with this figure, high‐risk dams had only a 2.64 times higher risk for fetal death than low‐risk dams. The male effect was most evident in comparisons of between‐ and within‐risk matings. Females with excellent reproductive histories experienced a threefold increase in fetal deaths when mated with high‐risk males, whereas females with poor reproductive histories experienced almost a 50% reduction in fetal deaths when mated with low‐risk males. The results show that male factors beyond fertility need to be considered when examining the causes of reproductive failure in captive primates.
Thefeasibility, appropriateness, and applicability of trauma scoring systems in low and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Background About 5.8 million people die each year as a result of injuries, and nearly 90% of these deaths occur in low and middle-income countries (LMIC). Trauma scoring is a cornerstone of trauma quality improvement (QI) efforts, and is key to organizing and evaluating trauma services. The objective of this review was to assess the appropriateness, feasibility, and QI applicability of traditional trauma scoring systems in LMIC settings. Materials and methods This systematic review searched PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and trauma-focused journals for articles describing the use of a standardized trauma scoring system to characterize holistic health status. Studies conducted in high-income countries (HIC) or describing scores for isolated anatomic locations were excluded. Data reporting a score’s capacity to discriminate mortality, feasibility of implementation, or use for QI were extracted and synthesized. Results Of the 896 articles screened, 336 were included. Over half of studies (56%) reported Glasgow Coma Scale, followed by Injury Severity Score (ISS; 51%), Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS; 24%), Revised Trauma Score (RTS; 19%), Trauma and Injury Severity Score (TRISS; 14%), and Kampala Trauma Score (7%). While ISS was overwhelmingly predictive of mortality, 12 articles reported limited feasibility of ISS and/or AIS. RTS consistently underestimated injury severity. Over a third of articles (37%) reporting TRISS assessmentsobserved mortality that was greater than that predicted by TRISS. Several articles cited limited human resources as the key challenge to feasibility. Conclusions The findings of this review reveal that implementing systems designed for HICs may not be relevant to the burden and resources available in LMICs. Adaptations or alternative scoring systems may be more effective. PROSPERO registration number CRD42017064600.
Effects of fertilisation and irrigation on ‘foliar afterlife’ in alpine tundra

Abstract Question: How do increases in soil nutrient and water availability alter the nutrient fluxes through the resorption and litter decomposition pathways and how do they affect litter nutrient pools in a low-productive alpine tundra ecosystem? Location: An alpine lichen-rich tundra on Mt. Malaya Khatipara in the NW Caucasus, Russia (43°27′ N, 41°42′ E; altitude 2800ma.s.l.). Methods: We conducted a 4-year fertilisation (N, P, N+P, lime) and irrigation experiment, and analysed the responses of nutrient resorption from senescing leaves, leaf litter quality and decomposability of six pre-dominant vascular plant species, total plant community litter production and litter (nutrient) accumulation. Results: Vascular plant litter [N] and [P] increased 1.5 and 10 fold in response to N and P additions, due to increased concentrations of the nutrients in fresh leaves and unchanged or reduced resorption efficiency. Litter decomposability was not affected by nutrient amendments. Fertilisation enhanced litter production (180%; N+P treatment) and litter accumulation (80%; N+P), owing to tremendously increased production and low decomposability of graminoids. Together with increased litter [N] and [P] this led to great increases in total litter nutrient pools. Conclusions: Due to increased production of graminoids, nutrients added to the alpine tundra soil were mostly immobilised in recalcitrant, nutrient-rich litter. This suggests that changing species composition in low productive ecosystems may act as an internal buffer mechanism, which under increased soil nutrient availability prevents the community from rapidly acquiring features typical of a high productive ecosystem such as high decomposability and high nutrient availability. Nomenclature: Vorob'eva & Onipchenko (2001).
The repeatability of progeny means in the early generations of a potato breeding programme

SUMMARY The progenies from eight crosses between potato clones were examined. The clones were grown as seedlings in a glasshouse and subsequently from tubers in the field at two sites in two consecutive years. At harvest, all the clones were visually assessed by four breeders using a 1–9 scale of increasing desirability. Although there was a formally significant interaction between progenies and environments, the rank of the mean of a cross remained relatively consistent over different growing conditions. It is suggested, therefore, that progeny evaluation by breeders' visual preference can be used to identify the crosses with the highest potential of producing commercial cultivars.
Community Structure of Soft‐Bottom Macrobenthos of the Newport Submarine Canyon, California

The hypothesis that benthic community structure of soft-bottom macrobenthos does not change throughout the Newport Submarine Canyon, California was tested with a set of quantitative Van Veen (0.1 m2) samples down the canyon axis. There was a marked break in community structure between Station C4 (187 m) and Station C5 (324 m). Comparison of the present study with work conducted earlier indicates that mean number of species, abundance, and biomass were not significantly different between 1962 and 1978. Within the canyon, species diversity was high compared to 12 other southern California canyons. This difference was mainly due to sampling effort and the inactive nature of the Newport Canyon. Summary Over 500 species are identified from Newport Canyon, California from 1978 to 1990. The diversity of soft-bottom macrobenthos in shallow to intermediate depths of Newport Canyon is much higher than in other southern California canyons (Hartman, 1963). This difference is mainly due to sampling effort and the inactive nature of Newport Canyon which facilitates the maturation of soft-bottom communities; in contrast to active canyons which through turbidity currents frequently disrupt the water-sediment interface. Conditions within Newport Canyon have been stable for benthic community structure for at least 16 years and probably closer to 25 years. The hypothesis examined here shows that community structure is not homogeneous with depth along its axis, but has a marked break between 187 m and 324 m. Finally, we are now in a position to examine hypotheses concerning the effects of an ocean outfall on benthic community structure between the shelf and the canyon.
Mapping of three QTLs that regulate internode elongation in deepwater rice

The internodes of deepwater rice can elongate in response to rises in water level. This unique character allows deepwater rice to survive severe flooding during the monsoon season in South and Southeast Asia. Our previous quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of a deepwater rice cultivar (Oryza sativa) detected QTLs on chromosomes 1, 3 and 12. In this study, we produced three nearly isogenic lines (NILs) possessing each of the three QTLs by backcross introduction of each chromosomal region into a non-deepwater rice cultivar. The NILs showed internode elongation under deepwater conditions, and we were able to demonstrate the existence of the QTLs and to evaluate the effect of each QTL. Using progenies of the NILs, we mapped all QTLs between molecular markers. Comparison of the location of the most effective QTL between the rice cultivar (O. sativa) and a wild rice species (O. rufipogon) indicated that the QTL on chromosome 12 is common and is the most important QTL for internode elongation in deepwater condition.
The relationship between length, mass and preservation time for three species of freshwater leeches (Hirudinea)

We present body length to wet mass, dry mass and ash-free dry mass equations for three common species of British leeches. We quantified the effects of preservation in alcohol on specimens of these species and found important reductions in both body length and wet mass. However, effects on length-mass relationships were minimal. We found no clear pattern across species between the rates of loss of length and mass, and either water or inorganic content, though larger specimens of all three species were less affected by these losses. We recommend specimens are preserved in alcohol for a least a month for the rate of loss to stabilise.
Viability of cryopreserved and vitrified embryos and fertility after direct transfer in ewes

The present study investigated the in vitro viability of cryopreserved-thawed ovine embryos by three methods, slow freezing (ethylene glycol (EG)-3 step method), freezing for direct transfer (Direct method) and vitrification (Experiment 1), and the in vivo viability by two transfer methods, direct ET (d-ET) and stepwise ET (s-ET), for the Direct method and vitrified embryos, respectively (Experiment 2). In vivo produced embryos (morula and blastocyst) were recovered from 79 superovulated and artificially inseminated ewes, and were cryopreserved by three methods: EG-3 step method, Direct method and vitrification. In Experiment 1, all thawed embryos were removed from the respective cryoprotectants and cultured for 144 h. There were no significant differences among in the mean survival rates, normal hatching rates (by 72 h) and hatching rates (by 144 h) of the three methods. The viability of frozen-thawed embryos by the EG-3 step method tended to be higher than that of the other methods, but some of the viable embryos frozen by the EG-3 step method had delayed hatching or were degenerated (28.6% vs. 16.7% for Direct method and 6.7% for vitrification). In Experiment 2, the frozen-thawed embryos were transferred by s-ET and d-ET. The pregnancy and lambing rates of both transfer methods for embryos frozen-thawed by the Direct method were 25.0%, but the subsequent viability of embryos in d-ET was higher than that of s-ET (the survival rates of transferred embryos, 18.8% vs. 10.0%, and the efficiency of embryonic utility, 18.8% vs. 3.7%). Sixty-nine percent (20/29) of vitrified-warmed embryos with normal morphology were transferred to 8 ewes by s-ET resulting in a lambing rate of 62.5%. The present results indicate that direct transfer of frozen-thawed ovine embryos is practical, and vitrification is a useful cryopreservation method with less influence on embryonic developmental ability.
Climatic control of the distribution and abundance of beech (Fagus L.) in Europe and North America.

Percentages of beech (Fagus L.) pollen in net- implies that the continental-scale patterns of beech works of surface samples from Europe and eastern North abundance are in equilibrium with modern climatic pat- America reflect the present distribution and landscape terns on both continents irrespective of differences in the abundance patterns of beech trees in both continents. migrational history, competitive interactions and degree of Response surfaces constructed by a locally-weighted human impact. The physiological characteristics determin- averaging technique characterize the relationship between ing the species' distributions are presumably evolutionarily the pollen percentages and mean January and July tem- conservative, having persisted through repeated orbitally- peratures in each continent. Both surfaces are unimodal forced cycles of migration since the original (mid-Tertiary) with optima at -1 to -4? C (January) and 18? C (July) and separation of European and North American temperate adequately predict the patterns of beech pollen abundance forests.