Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Observations on the life cycle of Abra ovata on an intertidal mud flat in portugal

On an intertidal mud flat in the Ria Formosa (southern Portugal) Abra ovata (Mollusca: Bivalvia) showed effective meiobenthic and macrobenthic dispersal (i.e. of individuals smaller and larger than 1 mm). This was important to compensate for mortality caused by shore crabs during summer. It was observed in the laboratory that A. ovata deposited eggs in capsules on the sediment surface; after 11–15 d at 20°C benthic juveniles of 210–220 (im shell length hatched from these capsules. A pelagic larval stage was missing. Large numbers of specimens of about 1 mm shell length colonized protected buckets between February and June.
Pedagogic Tailoring of a Human Research Ethics Training for Community-Engaged Research With Latinos

Because of the increase in community-engaged research, several human research ethics trainings for laypeople have been developed. We aim to (1) describe the pedagogical tailoring of a research ethics training for laypeople for a research study where promotores—community health workers—delivered an intervention to increase health care access and promote healthy behaviors among Latinos and (2) present results of the application of the training after 4 months in the field. We tailored a previously developed training to Latino community members implementing a research study. Key modifications included (1) translation (2) use of pedagogical tools, such as cooperative learning, role-plays, and inclusion of cultural preferences. One novel addition was to use dialogues that the trainees enacted and then discussed. We evaluated the training with a posttraining survey with eight community liaisons and 13 promotores implementing the intervention, and a focus group with eight promotores, 4 months after working in the field. Trainees said they felt confident obtaining informed consent, felt the dialogues were realistic and helped them remember what they learned, and wanted more feedback from trainers on their performance. Promotores demonstrated the application of ethical principles beyond the training by discussing the possibility of advertising broadly in social media (justice), the risks and benefits of providing community resources to participants (beneficence), and the university’s role in legitimizing their position as promotores (respect). We conclude that a pedagogically tailored ethics research training for laypeople can be successful and that dialogues to be enacted need to be explored further.
Digging down under: Australian Bolboceratini, their habits and a list of species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Geotrupidae)

The adult habits of the ten genera of Australian Bolboceratini (Scarabaeoidea, Geotrupidae: Bolboceratinae) are briefly discussed, mentioning at least one species in each genus. Morphological variation, food, and/or predation are described for some species. The eggs and larvae of Bolborhachium anneae Howden are discussed and pictured. A picture of one of the fungi used for adult food is included and one of push-ups marking burrows. The Australian species of Bolboceratini described through 2006 are listed.
Recognising the spectrum of scleromyositis: HEp-2 ANA patterns allow identification of a novel clinical subset with anti-SMN autoantibodies

Objective To describe systemic sclerosis (SSc) with myopathy in patients without classic SSc-specific and SSc-overlap autoantibodies (aAbs), referred to as seronegative scleromyositis. Methods Twenty patients with seronegative scleromyositis diagnosed by expert opinion were analysed retrospectively for SSc features at myositis diagnosis and follow-up, and stratified based on HEp-2 nuclear patterns by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) according to International Consensus of Autoantibody Patterns. Specificities were analysed by protein A−assisted immunoprecipitation. Myopathy was considered an organ involvement of SSc. Results SSc sine scleroderma was a frequent presentation (45%) at myositis diagnosis. Myositis was the most common first non-Raynaud manifestation of SSc (55%). Lower oesophagal dysmotility was present in 10 of 11 (91%) investigated patients. At follow-up, 80% of the patients met the American College of Rheumatology/EULAR SSc classification criteria. Two-thirds of patients had a positive HEp-2 IIF nuclear pattern (all with titers ≥1/320), defining three novel scleromyositis subsets. First, antinuclear antibody (ANA)-negative scleromyositis was associated with interstitial lung disease (ILD) and renal crisis. Second, a speckled pattern uncovered multiple rare SSc-specific aAbs. Third, the nuclear dots pattern was associated with aAbs to survival of motor neuron (SMN) complex and a novel scleromyositis subset characteriszed by calcinosis but infrequent ILD and renal crisis. Conclusions SSc skin involvement is often absent in early seronegative scleromyositis. ANA positivity, Raynaud phenomenon, SSc-type capillaroscopy and/or lower oesophagal dysmotility may be clues for scleromyositis. Using HEp-2 IIF patterns, three novel clinicoserological subsets of scleromyositis emerged, notably (1) ANA-negative, (2) ANA-positive with a speckled pattern and (3) ANA-positive with nuclear dots and anti-SMN aAbs.
Clinicopathological Features of Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

ABSTRACT Objective: To describe the clinical, pathological and survival characteristics of Turkish patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (GEP-NENs). STUDY DESIGN Descriptive study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Bezmialem Vakif University School of Medicine Hospital from April 2012 to September 2018. METHODOLOGY Sixty-one patients with GEP-NENs were analysed in retrospect for the clinical, pathological and survival characteristics. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis and the Log-rank test was performed to analyse the comparisons between the groups. RESULTS Forty-five of the 61 GEP-NENs patients (73.8%) were neuroendocrine tumor (NET) and 26.2% of patients were neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC). The mean age of patients was 55.5 ± 11.3 years. The most frequent localisation of tumors was stomach (34.4%), and the most common symptom was abdominal pain (27.9%). The rate of distant metastases was 31.1% at diagnosis and 63.9% of the patients were operated. The median follow-up period was 27 months. The rate of three-years overall survival (OS) was 88.5% and the five-years OS rate was 86.9%. The variables that can significantly influence the OS rate were high grade (grade 3; p= 0.005), Ki-67 proliferation index (Ki-67 >20%; p= 0.002) and distant metastases (p= 0.018). CONCLUSION GEP-NENs may develop anywhere in the digestive tract. Approximately one-third of the patients may be metastatic due to delay in diagnosis. Key Words: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumor, Neuroendocrine cancers, Neuroendocrine neoplasms.
Effects of lncRNA MALAT1 and lncRNA NKILA on proliferation, invasion and apoptosis of retinoblastoma.

OBJECTIVE To assess the expression of LncRNA NKILA and MALAT1 in retinoblastoma and its related mechanisms. PATIENTS AND METHODS Tixty-eight cases of retinoblastoma patients admitted to our hospital from February 2017 to February 2019 were collected as a research group, while 70 healthy people who came to our hospital for checkup at the same time were chosen as a control group. Both retinoblastoma and human colorectal mucosa cells were purchased, expression and clinical value of NKILA and MALAT1 in serum of Rb patients were tested, and sh-NKILA, si-NKILA, NC, sh-MALAT1 and si-MALAT1 were transfected into Weri-Rb1 and Y79 cells. qRT-PCR was adopted to detect the NKILA and MALAT1 levels in samples, and WB was adopted to detect the cle-caspase-3, cle-caspase-9, Bax, Cyclin B1, CDC2 and p-CDC2 protein levels in cells. Cell proliferation was conducted via MTT assay, invasion was carried out through transwell assay, and apoptosis was confirmed by flow cytometry assay. RESULTS NKILA and MALAT1 were low expressed in retinoblastoma, and AUC of LncRNA NKILA and MALAT1 was over 0.8. LncRNA NKILA and MALAT1 were associated with tumor size, classification and clinical grading in children with retinoblastoma. Over-expression of NKILA and MALAT1 could promote apoptosis, inhibit cell growth and Bcl-2 protein, and promote upregulation of the expression levels of clecaspase-3, clecaspase-9 and Bax. CONCLUSIONS By regulating MALAT1 and NKILA, we controlled the growth and apoptosis of Rb cells, which was expected to be a potential clinical therapeutic target for Rb.
Past-tense inflection of non-verbs: a potential clinical marker of developmental language disorder in Swedish children

Abstract Aim In this paper, we explore the performance of past-tense inflection of non-verbs (NVI) in children with developmental language disorder (DLD) and in typically developing controls, to investigate its accuracy as a clinical marker for Swedish-speaking children with DLD. Further, we investigate the relationship between NVI, nonword-repetition, and family history. Methods The sample consists of 36 children with DLD (mean age 9;5 years) and 60 controls (mean age 9;2 years). Results The DLD group performed significantly lower than the controls on the NVI task, with a large effect size of the difference (d = 1.52). Analysis of the clinical accuracy of NVI resulted in 80.6% sensitivity and 76.6% specificity. NVI was significantly and moderately associated with nonword-repetition in the controls, but not in the DLD group. A positive family history, 80.6% in the DLD group and 6.9% in the controls, was associated with lower performance on NVI. When controlling for group (DLD and controls), a non-significant association between family history and performance on the NVI task was found. Conclusions NVI is a potential clinical marker of DLD in Swedish school-aged children, but the current NVI task does not reach the level of being acceptable. Further development of the NVI task is warranted to improve its accuracy.
A Preliminary Analysis on Heavy Metal Concentrations in the Chinese White Dolphins in Xiamen

The concentrations of some trace elements,such as Cu,Zn,Cd,Pb,Hg,Ni,Se,As,Mg,Mn and Al,in nine tissues from five Chinese White Dolphins(Sousa chinensis) collected from Xiamen waters were measured.The results showed the concentrations of Cu(P0.05)and Mn(P0.01) in liver,and Zn in liver(P0.01),intestine(P0.05),stomach(P0.05) and heart(P0.05) in juvenile individuals were significantly higher than those in muscle,while no significant variation of other trace elements was observed in different tissues.In adult individuals,concentration of Pb in lung was significantly higher than that in liver(P0.001),muscle(P0.01),stomach(P0.01) and heart(P0.05),and concentration of Hg in liver was higher than that in pancreas(P0.05);however,no significant variation of other trace elements was found.Overall,concentrations of most trace elements in adults were higher than those in juvenile,suggesting that the trace elements were accumulated with age increase.The concentrations of some toxic heavy metals such as Hg,Pb and Cd,were mainly accumulated in liver,kidney and ovary.
Secondary metabolites in a neotropical shrub: spatiotemporal allocation and role in fruit defense and dispersal.

Deciphering the ecological roles of plant secondary metabolites requires integrative studies that assess both the allocation patterns of compounds and their bioactivity in ecological interactions. Secondary metabolites have been primarily studied in leaves, but many are unique to fruits and can have numerous potential roles in interactions with both mutualists (seed dispersers) and antagonists (pathogens and predators). We described 10 alkenylphenol compounds from the plant species Piper sancti-felicis (Piperaceae), quantified their patterns of intraplant allocation across tissues and fruit development, and examined their ecological role in fruit interactions. We found that unripe and ripe fruit pulp had the highest concentrations and diversity of alkenylphenols, followed by flowers; leaves and seeds had only a few compounds at detectable concentrations. We observed a nonlinear pattern of alkenylphenol allocation across fruit development-increasing as flowers developed into unripe pulp then decreasing as pulp ripened. This pattern is consistent with the hypothesis that alkenylphenols function to defend fruits from pre-dispersal antagonists and are allocated based on the contribution of the tissue to the plant's fitness, but could also be explained by non-adaptive constraints. To assess the impacts of alkenylphenols in interactions with antagonists and mutualists, we performed fungal bioassays, field observations, and vertebrate feeding experiments. In fungal bioassays, we found that alkenylphenols had a negative effect on the growth of most fungal taxa. In field observations, nocturnal dispersers (bats) removed the majority of infructescences, and diurnal dispersers (birds) removed a larger proportion of unripe infructescences. In feeding experiments, bats exhibited an aversion to alkenylphenols, but birds did not. This observed behavior in bats, combined with our results showing a decrease in alkenylphenols during ripening, suggests that alkenylphenols in fruits represent a trade-off (defending against pathogens but reducing disperser preference). These results provide insight into the ecological significance of a little studied class of secondary metabolites in seed dispersal and fruit defense. More generally, documenting intraplant spatiotemporal allocation patterns in angiosperms and examining mechanisms behind these patterns with ecological experiments is likely to further our understanding of the evolutionary ecology of plant chemical traits.
Higher psychogeriatric admissions in COVID-19 than in SARS.

OBJECTIVES To examine whether psychogeriatric admissions increased after COVID-19, independent of seasonal variation; whether the increase was comparable with that seen in SARS; and which factors were associated with such increase. METHODS All psychiatric admissions aged 65 or older in the 3 months before and after COVID-19 (from November 2019 to April 2020), in the previous 2 years (from November 2017 to April 2018 and from November 2018 to April 2019), and in the year of SARS (from November 2002 to April 2003) in a major gazette inpatient psychiatric unit in Hong Kong, which serves a catchment population of 1.4 million, were anonymously reviewed. The number of psychogeriatric admissions between different timeframes was compared, and factors that might explain the increase in admissions following COVID-19 were examined. RESULTS Psychogeriatric admissions increased by 21.4% following the COVID-19 outbreak. This increase was not explained by seasonal variation, and was greater and lasted longer than that in SARS. A rising trend in admissions for older adults living in residential care homes was observed. The increase in admissions was associated with fewer outpatient attendance, fewer home visits by nurses, and more older adults with dementia requiring inpatient care. CONCLUSIONS Our findings highlight the impact of COVID-19 on older adults' mental health, greater demand for inpatient psychogeriatric services in COVID-19 than in SARS, and the importance of maintaining support for community-living older adults, in particular those with dementia, and their caregivers in reducing the needs for inpatient psychiatric treatment during the pandemic. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Dimensionless index of the mitral valve for evaluation of degenerative mitral stenosis

Degenerative mitral stenosis (DMS) is an increasingly recognized cause of mitral stenosis. The goal of this study was to compare echocardiographic differences between DMS and rheumatic mitral stenosis (RMS), identify echocardiographic variables reflective of DMS severity, and propose a dimensionless mitral stenosis index (DMSI) for assessment of DMS severity.
CRISPR/Cas9‐based functional analysis of yellow gene in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella

The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.), is an economically important pest of cruciferous crops worldwide. This pest is notorious for rapid evolution of the resistance to different classes of insecticides, making it increasingly difficult to control. Genetics‐based control approaches, through manipulation of target genes, have been reported as promising supplements or alternatives to traditional methods of pest management. Here we identified a gene of pigmentation (yellow) in P. xylostella, Pxyellow, which encodes 1674 bp complementary DNA sequence with four exons and three introns. Using the clustered regularly interspersed palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/CRISPR‐associated protein 9 system, we knocked out Pxyellow, targeting two sites in Exon III, to generate 272 chimeric mutants (57% of the CRISPR‐treated individuals) with color‐changed phenotypes of the 1st to 3rd instar larvae, pupae, and adults, indicating that Pxyellow plays an essential role in the body pigmentation of P. xylostella. Fitness analysis revealed no significant difference in the oviposition of adults, the hatchability of eggs, and the weight of pupae between homozygous mutants and wildtypes, suggesting that Pxyellow is not directly involved in regulation of growth, development, or reproduction. This work advances our understanding of the genetic and insect science molecular basis for body pigmentation of P. xylostella, and opens a wide avenue for development of the genetically based pest control techniques using Pxyellow as a screening marker.
Emicizumab, the factor VIII mimetic bi-specific monoclonal antibody and its measurement in plasma

Abstract Objectives Emicizumab, a monoclonal antibody mimicking the function of factor (F) VIII in the activation of FX by FIXa, is widely used for prophylaxis in hemophilia patients with or without inhibitors to FVIII. Although it is administered at fixed dose, its measurement could be occasionally required. In principle, the emicizumab procoagulant effect could be assessed by the one-stage assay (OSA) currently used to measure FVIII. However, the OSA for FVIII presents with limitations. Furthermore, owing to its potent FVIII-like activity, emicizumab interferes with the measurement of the inhibitor to FVIII, which is often needed in patients on emicizumab. Methods We prepared test samples by spiking a FVIII-deficient plasma with graded amounts of emicizumab. We modified the OSA for FVIII and tested plasma samples for emicizumab concentrations. Furthermore the chromogenic assay (CA) for FVIII with bovine reagents was used to assess for the FVIII inhibitor in patients on emicizumab. Results Slight modification of the OSA for FVIII (i.e., higher test plasma dilution and longer coagulometer acquisition time) made the regular OSA as a reliable laboratory tool to measure emicizumab concentration as shown by the identity of the regression (observed vs. expected) lines. Furthermore, the inhibitors to FVIII in patients on emicizumab, which were negative when measured by the regular Bethesda assay, were reliably measured by the CA assay employing bovine reagents. Conclusions The methods currently used to measure FVIII can be easily modified to make the general clinical laboratory able to assist clinicians when dealing with patients on emicizumab.
Development and evaluation of polymeric micelle containing tablet formulation for poorly water-soluble drug: tamoxifen citrate

Abstract Poor aqueous solubility is one of the key reasons for slow dissolution rate and poor intestinal absorption and finally that causes low therapeutic efficacy of many existing drugs. Tamoxifen citrate (TMX) (BCS Class II drug) with low water solubility has poor oral bioavailability in the range of 20%–30%, therefore, high doses are required for treatment with TMX. Self-assemblage of amphiphilic polymers leads to the formation of polymeric micelles which makes them unique nano-carriers with excellent biocompatibility, low toxicity, enhanced blood circulation time, and solubilization of poorly water-soluble drugs. In this study poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol) triblock copolymer, which has been approved by FDA for oral application was used to benefit its micellar solubilization effect. Self-assembled micelles were prepared for the delivery of TMX and this way TMX solubility was increased approximately 60 times. TMX-treated cells showed 38.06 ± 1.5% viability at 50 µM concentration for 24 h; 66.71 ± 11.6% viability at 25 µM concentration for 48 h, at the same conditions TMX-loaded micelles exhibited 24.994 ± 0.25% and 43.36 ± 4.37% cell viability, respectively (p < 0.05). These results showed that the encapsulation of TMX into PEG-PPG-PEG micelles facilitated the cellular uptake, which led to an increased cytotoxicity in MCF-7 cancer cells. Tablet formulation containing lyophilized TMX-loaded micelles was showed an improved dissolution than commercial TMX tablet (Tamoxifen® TEVA). It can be reasonably expected that the obtained drug dissolution rate and increased cytotoxicity to tumor cells will result in an increase of TMX bioavailability and tolerability associated with an important dose reduction and decreased side effects.
Genetic analysis of persistency indices of milk yield in Jersey crossbred cattle

Abstract The study reported in this Research Communication was conducted to estimate genetic parameters for different lactation persistency indices and their association with reproductive traits in Jersey crossbred cattle. Data on lactation traits (part lactation yields and 305-days milk yield) comprising all lactations as well as reproductive traits viz. calving interval, conception rate and gestation length of 378 Jersey crossbred cattle, maintained at National Dairy Research Institute, Kalyani, West Bengal, India, were collected over a period of 35 years (1982–2016). Five lactation persistency indices of animals (P21, P31, P32, P4 and P5) were calculated using ratio method. A total of six different animal models, ignoring or including maternal genetic or permanent environmental effects, were fitted for all persistency traits. The best model was chosen after testing the improvement of the log-likelihood values. The estimates of direct heritability were low in magnitude and ranged from 0.02 to 0.14 for the studied traits under the best fitted animal model. The permanent maternal environmental (c2) effects of different lactation persistency indices accounted for 2–9% of the total phenotypic variance in this study. Estimated genetic correlations of lactation persistency indices with all studied reproductive traits were low to moderate and negative (−0.11 to −0.68), except for calving interval. Phenotypic correlations of lactation persistency measures with studied reproductive traits were low (0.01 to 0.15). The low heritability estimates of all the persistency indices indicate some limited scope of genetic improvement of lactation persistency of animals through selection under the prevailing management conditions.