Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum MG53/TRIM72 Is Associated With the Presence and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease and Acute Myocardial Infarction

Background: Mitsugumin 53 or Tripartite motif 72 (MG53/TRIM72), a myokine/cardiokine belonging to the tripartite motif family, can protect the heart from ischemic injury and regulate lipid metabolism in rodents. However, its biological function in humans remains unclear. This study sought to investigate the relationship between circulating MG53 levels and coronary artery disease (CAD). Methods: The concentration of MG53 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in serum samples from 639 patients who underwent angiography, including 205 controls, 222 patients with stable CAD, and 212 patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Logistic and linear regression analyses were used to analyze the relationship between MG53 and CAD. Results: MG53 levels were increased in patients with stable CAD and were highest in patients with AMI. Additionally, patients with comorbidities, such as chronic kidney disease (CKD) and diabetes also had a higher concentration of MG53. We found that MG53 is a significant diagnostic marker of CAD and AMI, as analyzed by logistic regression models. Multivariate linear regression models revealed that serum MG53 was significantly corelated positively with SYNTAX scores. Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) scores also correlated with serum MG53 levels, indicating that MG53 levels were associated with the severity of CAD and AMI after adjusting for multiple risk factors and clinical biomarkers. Conclusion: MG53 is a valuable diagnostic marker whose serum levels correlate with the presence and severity of stable CAD and AMI, and may represent a novel biomarker for diagnosing CAD and indicating the severity of CAD.
Empirical Analysis of Global-Scale Natural Data and Analogue Seismotectonic Modelling Data to Unravel the Seismic Behaviour of the Subduction Megathrust

Subduction megathrusts host the Earth’s greatest earthquakes as the 1960 Valdivia (Mw 9.5, Chile), the largest earthquake instrumentally recorded, and the recent 2004 Sumatra-Andaman (Mw 9.2, Indonesia), 2010 Maule (Mw 8.8, Chile), and 2011 Tohoku-Oki (Mw 9.1, Japan) earthquakes triggering devastating tsunamis and representing a major hazard to society. Unravelling the spatio-temporal pattern of these events is thus a key for seismic hazard assessment of subduction zones. This paper reviews the current state of knowledge of two research areas–empirical analysis of global-scale natural data and experimental data from an analogue seismotectonic modelling—devoted to study cause-effect relationships between subduction zone parameters and the megathrust seismogenic behavior. The combination of the two approaches overcomes the observational bias and inherent sampling limitations of geological processes (i.e., shortness of instrumental and historical data, decreasing completeness and resolution with time into the past) and allows drawing appropriately from multiple disciplines with the aim of highlighting the geodynamic conditions that may favor the occurrence of giant megathrust earthquakes.
Immunomodulatory Properties of a γ-Aminobutyric Acid-Enriched Strawberry Juice Produced by Levilactobacillus brevis CRL 2013

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) plays a key role in mammals as the major inhibitory neurotransmitter of the central nervous system. Although GABA may not be able to cross the human blood-brain barrier, it was approved as a food ingredient because of its benefits to the host after oral administration including anti-hypertensive, anti-depressant and anti-inflammatory activities. Considering the current trend toward the development of new functional and natural products and that microbial fermentation is one of the most promising methods to produce this non-protein amino acid, the in situ production of GABA through fermentation of strawberry and blueberry juices by the efficient GABA producer strain, Levilactobacillus brevis (formerly known as Lactobacillus brevis) CRL 2013, was evaluated. A high GABA production (262 mM GABA) was obtained after fermenting strawberry juice supplemented with yeast extract for 168 h, being GABA yield significantly higher in strawberry juices than in the blueberry ones. Thus, GABA-enriched fermented strawberry juice (FSJ) was selected to carry out in vivo and in vitro studies. The in vitro functional analysis of the GABA-enriched FSJ demonstrated its ability to significantly decrease the expression of cox-2 gene in LPS stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages. In addition, in vivo studies in mice demonstrated that both, L. brevis CRL 2013 and the GABA-enriched FSJ were capable of reducing the levels of peritoneal, intestinal and serum TNF-α, IL-6, and CXCL1, and increasing IL-10 and IFN-γ in mice exposed to an intraperitoneal challenge of LPS. Of note, the GABA-enriched FSJ was more efficient than the CRL 2013 strain to reduce the pro-inflammatory factors and enhance IL-10 production. These results indicated that the CRL 2013 strain exerts anti-inflammatory effects in the context of LPS stimulation and that this effect is potentiated by fermentation. Our results support the potential use of L. brevis CRL 2013 as an immunomodulatory starter culture and strawberry juice as a remarkable vegetable matrix for the manufacture of GABA-enriched fermented functional foods capable of differentially modulating the inflammatory response triggered by TLR4 activation.
Porous silicon antireflection layer for solar cells using metal‐assisted chemical etching

Porous silicon antireflection coatings were generated on fully processed screen‐printed monocrystalline silicon solar cells using metal‐assisted chemical etching in HF:H2O2:ethanol. In this method, interaction of the HF acid with the cell front grid contact results in the dissolution of silver nanoparticles which provide the catalytic sites required to initiate porous silicon formation. Control of the etching time and HF concentration was found critical to attain good antireflection proper‐ ties while avoiding front contact degradation. The optimised porous silicon layer reduced the solar cell effective reflectance from 44% to 12% in the spectral range 400–1100 nm and increased the short‐circuit current density by 46%. The solar cell efficiency was raised by 3% absolute. The simplicity of the method makes it promising for cost‐effective reduction of reflection losses in silicon solar cells. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
A High-Density Genetic Linkage Map of SLAFs and QTL Analysis of Grain Size and Weight in Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Grain size is an important agronomic trait determines yield in barley, and a high-density genetic map is helpful to accurately detect quantitative trait loci (QTLs) related to grain traits. Using specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology, a high-density genetic map was constructed with a population of 134 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) deriving from a cross between Golden Promise (GP) and H602, which contained 12,635 SLAFs with 26,693 SNPs, and spanned 896.74 cM with an average interval of 0.07 cM on seven chromosomes. Based on the map, a total of 16 QTLs for grain length (GL), grain width and thousand-grain weight were detected on 1H, 2H, 4H, 5H, and 6H. Among them, a major QTL locus qGL1, accounting for the max phenotypic variance of 16.7% was located on 1H, which is a new unreported QTL affecting GL. In addition, the other two QTLs, qGL5 and qTGW5, accounting for the max phenotypic variances of 20.7 and 21.1%, respectively, were identified in the same region, and sequencing results showed they are identical to HvDep1 gene. These results indicate that it is a feasible approach to construct a high-quality genetic map for QTL mapping by using SLAF markers, and the detected major QTLs qGL1, qGL5, and qTGW5 are useful for marker-assisted selection (MAS) of grain size in barley breeding.
On the Performance of Satellite-Based Precipitation Products in Simulating Streamflow and Water Quality During Hydrometeorological Extremes

This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of streamflow and water quality simulated by a hydrological model using three different Satellite Precipitation Products (SPPs) with respect to observations from a dense rain gauge network over the Occoquan Watershed, located in Northern Virginia, suburbs to Washington, D.C., U.S. Eight extreme hydrometeorological events within a 5-year period between 2008 and 2012 are evaluated using SPPs, TMPA 3B42-V7, CMORPH V1. 0, and PERSIANN-CCS, which are based on different retrieval algorithms with varying native spatial and temporal resolutions. A Hydrologic Simulation Program FORTRAN (HSPF) hydrology and water quality model was forced with the three SPPs to simulate output of streamflow (Q), stream temperature (TW), and concentrations of total suspended solids (TSS), orthophosphate phosphorus (OP), total phosphorus (TP), ammonium-nitrate (NH4-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), dissolved oxygen (DO), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) at six evaluation points within the watershed. Results indicate fairly good agreement between gauge- and SPP-simulated Q for TMPA and CMORPH, however, PERSIANN-simulated Q is lowest among SPPs, due to its inability to accurately measure stratiform precipitation between intense periods of precipitation during an extreme event. Correlations of water quality indicators vary considerably, however, TW has the strongest positive linear relationship compared to other indicators evaluated in this study. SPP-simulated TSS, a flow-dependent variable, has the weakest relationship to gauge-simulated TSS among all water quality indicators, with CMORPH performing slightly better than TMPA and PERSIANN. This study demonstrated that the spatiotemporal variability of SPPs, along with their algorithms to estimate precipitation, have an influence on water quality simulations during extreme hydrometeorological events.
An Integrative Nomogram for Identifying Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease Using Non-motor Symptoms and White Matter-Based Radiomics Biomarkers From Whole-Brain MRI

Purpose: To develop and validate an integrative nomogram based on white matter (WM) radiomics biomarkers and nonmotor symptoms for the identification of early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods: The brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical characteristics of 336 subjects, including 168 patients with PD, were collected from the Parkinson's Progress Markers Initiative (PPMI) database. All subjects were randomly divided into training and test sets. According to the baseline MRI scans of patients in the training set, the WM was segmented to extract the radiomic features of each patient and develop radiomics biomarkers, which were then combined with nonmotor symptoms to build an integrative nomogram using machine learning. Finally, the diagnostic accuracy and reliability of the nomogram were evaluated using a receiver operating characteristic curve and test data, respectively. In addition, we investigated 58 patients with atypical PD who had imaging scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficit (SWEDD) to verify whether the nomogram was able to distinguish patients with typical PD from patients with SWEDD. A decision curve analysis was also performed to validate the clinical practicality of the nomogram. Results: The area under the curve values of the integrative nomogram for the training, testing and verification sets were 0.937, 0.922, and 0.836, respectively; the specificity values were 83.8, 88.2, and 91.38%, respectively; and the sensitivity values were 84.6, 82.4, and 70.69%, respectively. A significant difference in the number of patients with PD was observed between the high-risk group and the low-risk group based on the nomogram (P < 0.05). Conclusion: This integrative nomogram is a new potential method to identify patients with early-stage PD.
Chlorella sp. and Nannochloropsis sp. Inclusion in Plant-Based Diets Modulate the Intestine and Liver Antioxidant Mechanisms of European Sea Bass Juveniles

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including microalgae Chlorella sp. or Nannochloropsis sp. in plant-based diets on antioxidant mechanisms of European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. For this purpose, three isoproteic (50%) and isolipidic (19%) diets were formulated: a practical diet, containing 15% fish meal (FM) and plant ingredients as the protein source and a mixture of fish oil and vegetable oils (40: 60) as lipid source (control diet); and two diets identical to the control but with the FM replaced by Nannochloropsis sp. or Chlorella sp. (diets Nanno and Chlo, respectively). The diets were offered to quadruplicate groups of 25 fish (initial body weight: 24 ± 1 g) for 11 weeks and then enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant mechanisms and lipid oxidative biomarkers were assessed in the liver and intestine of these fish. Results showed that the antioxidant response was tissue-dependent, with the liver exhibiting lower glutathione peroxidase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (only in Chlo group) activities, and intestine lower superoxide dismutase activity with the diets including microalgae compared to control diet. An increase of oxidized glutathione content was also observed in the intestine of fish fed the microalgae diets. Catalase and glutathione reductase activities, oxidative stress index, and total and reduced glutathione, were unaffected by dietary treatments in both tissues. Overall, the lipid peroxidation status was not compromised by the replacement of FM by microalgae.
A Predictive Processing Account of Card Sorting: Fast Proactive and Reactive Frontoparietal Cortical Dynamics during Inference and Learning of Perceptual Categories

Abstract For decades, a common assumption in cognitive neuroscience has been that prefrontal executive control is mainly engaged during target detection [Posner, M. I. , & Petersen, S. E. The attention system of the human brain. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 13, 25–42, 1990]. More recently, predictive processing theories of frontal function under the Bayesian brain hypothesis emphasize a key role of proactive control for anticipatory action selection (i.e., planning as active inference). Here, we review evidence of fast and widespread EEG and magnetoencephalographic fronto-temporo-parietal cortical activations elicited by feedback cues and target cards in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. This evidence is best interpreted when considering negative and positive feedback as predictive cues (i.e., sensory outcomes) for proactively updating beliefs about unknown perceptual categories. Such predictive cues inform posterior beliefs about high-level hidden categories governing subsequent response selection at target onset. Quite remarkably, these new views concur with Don Stuss' early findings concerning two broad classes of P300 cortical responses evoked by feedback cues and target cards in a computerized Wisconsin Card Sorting Test analogue. Stuss' discussion of those P300 responses—in terms of the resolution of uncertainty about response (policy) selection as well as the participants' expectancies for future perceptual or motor activities and their timing—was prescient of current predictive processing and active (Bayesian) inference theories. From these new premises, a domain-general frontoparietal cortical network is rapidly engaged during two temporarily distinct stages of inference and learning of perceptual categories that underwrite goal-directed card sorting behavior, and they each engage prefrontal executive functions in fundamentally distinct ways.
Tumor-Induced Cholesterol Efflux from Macrophages Drives IL-4 Mediated Reprogramming and Tumor Progression

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) have been shown to have important roles in the malignant progression of various cancers. However, macrophages also posses intrinsic tumoricidal activity and can promote the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes, but they rapidly adopt an alternative phenotype within tumors, associated with immune-suppression and trophic functions that support tumor growth. The mechanisms that promote TAM polarization in the tumor-microenvironment remain poorly understood, these mechanisms may represent important therapeutic targets to block the tumor-promoting functions of TAM and restore their anti-tumor potential. Here we have characterized TAM in a mouse model of metastatic ovarian cancer. We show that ovarian cancer cells promote membrane-cholesterol efflux and the depletion of lipid rafts from macrophages. Increased cholesterol efflux promoted IL-4 mediated reprogramming while inhibiting IFNγ-induced gene expression. These studies reveal an unexpected role for tumor-induced membrane-cholesterol efflux in driving the IL-4 signaling and the tumor-promoting functions of TAM, while rendering them refractory to pro-inflammatory stimuli. Thus, preventing cholesterol efflux in TAM could represent a novel therapeutic strategy to block pro-tumor functions and restore anti-tumor immunity.
An uncanonical transcription factor-DREB2B regulates seed vigor negatively through ABA pathway

Seed vigor is an important trait for ecology, agronomy, and economy and varies with different plant species and environmental conditions. Dehydration-Responsive Element-Binding Protein 2B (DREB2B), a subgroup of the DREB transcription factor family, is well-known in drought resistance. However, the role of DREB2B in the regulation of seed vigor has not been identified. Here, we found that DREB2B is a negative regulator of seed vigor by ABA-mediated pathway in Arabidopsis with loss of function mutant and over-expressed transgenic lines. Furthermore, DREB2B showed epistatic and parallel to ABI3 simultaneously in seed vigor regulation by genetic and molecular approaches. DREB2B homolog gene (GhDREB2B-A09) was also identified in cotton. The expression analysis indicated that transcripts of DREB2B were higher in mature dry seed, and the transgenic plants showed the conservative roles of DREB2B in Arabidopsis and cotton. In addition, we identified that DREB2B interacted with RADICAL-INDUCED CELL DEATH1 (RCD1) to involve seed vigor regulation together in Arabidopsis and cotton with BiFC experiment and mutant phenotypic analysis. Collectively it is concluded that DREB2B interacting with RCD1 or SRO1 function at upstream of and synergistic with ABI3 to regulate seed vigor negatively in Arabidopsis and cotton, which provides novel knowledge in the seed development study. Highlights DREB2B transcription is seed specific and a negative regulator of seed vigor by ABA-mediated pathway, which interacts with RCD1s, and functions synergistically with ABI3 to affecet seed germination and vigor in Arabidopsis and cotton.
Dietary and body-mass reconstruction of the Miocene neotropical bat Notonycteris magdalenensis (Phyllostomidae) from La Venta, Colombia

Abstract. With 14 species recorded, the Miocene La Venta bat fauna is the most diverse bat paleocommunity in South America. It includes the oldest plant-visiting bat in the New World and some of the earliest representatives of the extant families Phyllostomidae, Thyropteridae, and Noctilionidae. La Venta's Notonycteris magdalenensis is an extinct member of the subfamily Phyllostominae, a group of modern Neotropical animalivorous bats, and is commonly included in studies of the evolution of Neotropical bats, but aspects of its biology remain unclear. In this study, we used multivariate dental topography analysis (DTA) to reconstruct the diet of N. magdalenensis by quantitatively comparing measures of molar complexity with those of 25 modern noctilionoid species representing all major dietary habits in bats. We found clear differences in molar complexity between dietary guilds, indicating that DTA is potentially an informative tool to study bat ecomorphology. Our results suggest N. magdalenensis was probably an omnivore or insectivore, rather than a carnivore like its modern relatives Chrotopterus auritus and Vampyrum spectrum. Also, we reconstructed the body mass of N. magdalenensis to be ∼95 g, larger than most insectivorous bats, but smaller than the largest carnivorous bat (V. spectrum). Our results confirm that N. magdalenensis was not a specialized carnivore. It remains to be demonstrated that the specialized carnivory ecological niche was occupied by the same lineage of phyllostomines from at least the middle Miocene. Combining our diet and body-mass reconstructions, we suggest that N. magdalenensis exhibits morphological pre-adaptations crucial for the evolution of specialized carnivory.
Ribavirin shows antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 and downregulates the activity of TMPRSS2 and the expression of ACE2 In Vitro

Ribavirin is a guanosine analog and has a broad-spectrum antiviral activity against RNA viruses. Based on this, we aimed to show the anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity of this drug molecule via in vitro, in silico and molecular techniques. Ribavirin showed antiviral activity in Vero E6 cells following SARS-CoV-2 infection. In silico analysis suggested that Ribarivin has a broad-spectrum impact on Vero E6 cells. According to the detailed molecular techniques, Ribavirin was shown to decrease TMPRSS2 expression both at mRNA and protein level 48 hours after treatment. The suppressive effect of Ribavirin in ACE2 protein expression was shown to be dependent on cell types. Finally, proteolytic activity assays showed that Ribavirin also showed an inhibitory effect on TMPRSS2 enzyme. As a conclusion, Ribavirin is a potential antiviral drug for the treatment against SARS-CoV-2, and it interferes with the effect of TMPRSS2 and ACE2 expression.
Adverse Social Experiences in Adolescent Rats Results in Persisting Sex-Dependent Effects on Alcohol-Seeking Behavior

Background Accumulating clinical evidence suggests women with prior exposure to adverse childhood experiences are more susceptible to alcohol relapse and other health-related issues. Yet, preclinical studies investigating sex-dependent effects of adolescent adverse social experiences (ASEs) on later alcohol-seeking behavior are lacking. This is mainly due to a lack of valid animal models and a shortage of studies comparing sexes. Therefore, we sought to investigate the sex-dependent effects of ASE on adult alcohol-seeking behavior, locomotion and reward sensitivity in both male and female rats. Methods We recently developed a rat model for adolescent peer-rejection which allows us to study the long-term consequences of ASEs. Peer-rejection interferes with adolescent rats‘ability to engage in adequate and reciprocal play behaviors that result in persistent dysregulation of social and pain-related behavior. Adolescent Wistar rats were reared from postnatal day (pd) 21 to pd 50 either within a group of Fischer 344 rats (ASE) or with Wistar rats (control). Adult male and female rats were tested in the reinstatement paradigm for cue-induced alcohol-seeking behavior, circadian locomotor activity, and sucrose consumption in adulthood long-after the termination of the peer-rejection condition. Results Peer-rejection induced persistent sex-dependent changes to cue-induced reinstatement. Females showed an increased reinstatement effect while peer-rejected males demonstrated a decrease. No differences were observed in circadian locomotor activity or reward sensitivity to sucrose. Conclusions Peer-rejection has lasting sex-dependent consequences on alcohol-seeking behavior without affecting locomotion or sweet reward sensitivity. Our results suggest that peer-rejected female rats represent a vulnerable population to study relapse-like behaviors similar to clinical findings. While males seem to buffer the peer-rejection effect and demonstrate resilience to later-life alcohol-seeking behaviors, measured by the reinstatement effect. Finally, we provide a novel approach to investigate the molecular and neurobiological underpinnings of ASEs on alcohol and other drug-seeking behaviors.