Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of Microwave-Based Scissors and Tweezers in Partial Hepatectomy: An Initial Assessment on Canine Model

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the feasibility of partial hepatectomy (PH) simplified by using microwave-based devices in animal experiments. Methods: PH was performed on 16 beagles using either Acrosurg Scissors (AS) or Acrosurg Tweezers (AT) without hepatic pedicle (HP) control. Parenchymal transection time, Glissonean pedicle (GP) seal time, bleeding volume, bile leak, and burst pressure were recorded. Probable complications were investigated after 4 weeks. Results: Transection time (6.5 [6.0–7.6] vs. 11.8 [10.5–20.2] min, p < 0.001) with AT were significantly shorter than with AS. GP sealing times (60 [55–60] vs. 57 [46–91] s, p = 0.859) by both devices were nearly similar. Bleeding volume in the AT group was approximately one-fourth of that in the AS group (6.7 [1.4–22] vs. 28.8 [5.8–48] mL, p = 0.247). AT created higher burst pressure on the bile duct stumps (p = 0.0161). The two devices did not differ significantly in morbidity and mortality after four-week follow-up. Conclusion: Acrosurg devices achieved a safe PH without HP control owing to microwave-based sealing. AS could be used alone in PH, whereas the clamp-crushing function of AT seemed more advantageous in reducing the transection time and blood loss.
Inferior Frontal Gyrus-Based Resting-State Functional Connectivity and Medium Dispositional Use of Reappraisal Strategy

The previous neuroimaging functional connectivity analyses have indicated that the association between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and other brain regions results in better emotion regulation in reappraisal tasks. However, no study has explored the relationship between IFG-based resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) and the dispositional use of reappraisal strategy. Therefore, the present study examined the potential associations between rsFC patterns of both left and right IFG and dispositional reappraisal use. One hundred healthy participants completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) acquisition. An approach of the seed-based rsFC analysis was recruited to estimate the functional connectivity maps of bilateral IFG with other brain regions, and the reappraisal scores from the ERQ were then correlated with the functional maps. Our findings showed that IFG-based rsFC was positively correlated with dispositional reappraisal only in the range of 4 to 5.5 points [medium reappraisal group (MRG)]. Specifically, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left/right IFG and bilateral temporal gyrus. Besides, medium dispositional reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC between left IFG and bilateral superior parietal lobe (SPL), middle cingulate cortex (MCC), and right insula, as well as between right IFG and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). In conclusion, these results indicate that bilateral IFG plays an important role in the medium use of the reappraisal strategy.
Consumption Trends of Antibiotic for Veterinary Use in Tanzania: A Longitudinal Retrospective Survey From 2010-2017

Background With increased livestock keeping, multiple prevailing infections, antimicrobial agents’ use and pattern in Tanzania, the development of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) becomes inevitable. Antibiotic-resistant pathogens have increasingly become a major challenge in human and animal medicine. Although inappropriate use of antibiotics in humans is the principal cause of resistance, antibiotic-resistant bacteria originating from animals contribute to the emergence and spread of these bacteria. Antibiotics help control a multitude of bacterial infections that are major causes of diseases in both animals and humans. Rational use in animals is crucial to control any development and transfer of AMR to humans. This study aimed to create quantitative evidence of animal antimicrobial usage patterns in Tanzania to serve as a baseline for surveillance of antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance control. Methodology This descriptive longitudinal retrospective study was conducted to explore the trend of veterinary-antibiotics consumed in the eight years, from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2017 in Tanzania mainland. The data source was records of all antibiotics imported for veterinary use into Tanzania’s mainland according to the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA) records. The analysis employed the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology using Anatomical Therapeutic and Chemical (ATC) classification. Regression and time series analysis was used to establish trends in antibiotics consumption. Results A total of 12,147,491 kg of antibiotics were consumed in Tanzania from 2010 to 2017. Tetracycline, sulfonamides and trimethoprim, quinolones, aminoglycosides, beta-lactams and antibacterial combinations were the most commonly used antibacterial agents in Tanzania. Tetracycline class topped the list with about 8,090,798 kg (66.6%) out of 12,147,491 kg total quantity of antimicrobials consumed. Non-significant, linear curve estimations and time series analysis indicate a decline in the quantities of veterinary antibiotics used in the eight years from 2010 to 2017. Conclusions This study suggests that tetracycline is the most used antibiotic class for veterinary medicine in Tanzania. The trend of antimicrobial use is generally decreasing compared to other countries in Africa. Even though some antibiotics have the lowest consumption rate, they are also prone to AMR, prompting follow-up by the relevant regulatory authorities.
Optimizing NK Cell-Based Immunotherapy in Myeloid Leukemia: Abrogating an Immunosuppressive Microenvironment

Natural killer (NK) cells are prominent cytotoxic and cytokine-producing components of the innate immune system representing crucial effector cells in cancer immunotherapy. Presently, various NK cell-based immunotherapies have contributed to the substantial improvement in the reconstitution of NK cells against advanced-staged and high-risk AML. Various NK cell sources, including haploidentical NK cells, adaptive NK cells, umbilical cord blood NK cells, stem cell-derived NK cells, chimeric antigen receptor NK cells, cytokine-induced memory-like NK cells, and NK cell lines have been identified. Devising innovative approaches to improve the generation of therapeutic NK cells from the aforementioned sources is likely to enhance NK cell expansion and activation, stimulate ex vivo and in vivo persistence of NK cells and improve conventional treatment response of myeloid leukemia. The tumor-promoting properties of the tumor microenvironment and downmodulation of NK cellular metabolic activity in solid tumors and hematological malignancies constitute a significant impediment in enhancing the anti-tumor effects of NK cells. In this review, we discuss the current NK cell sources, highlight ongoing interventions in enhancing NK cell function, and outline novel strategies to circumvent immunosuppressive factors in the tumor microenvironment to improve the efficacy of NK cell-based immunotherapy and expand their future success in treating myeloid leukemia.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen Related Cell Adhesion Molecule 6 Promotes Carcinogenesis of Gastric Cancer and Anti-CEACAM6 Fluorescent Probe Can Diagnose the Precancerous Lesions

The diagnosis of precancerous lesions or early gastric cancer (EGC) is very important for patient survival. Molecular imaging is a visualized method that can easily and precisely diagnose tumors. However, there are currently few studies about molecular imaging diagnosis of EGC. Here, we studied the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) in the progression of GC. Then, the regulatory roles of CEACAM6 in GC cells were investigated. Furthermore, both the fluorescent-labeled and near infrared molecular-labeled probes were synthesized, and the diagnostic value of anti-CEACAM6 probes in GC was evaluated in vivo using a GC mice model as well as in vitro using fresh dysplastic gastric mucosa obtained from endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) operations. Our study showed that CEACAM6 was over expressed in GC tissues compared to adjacent tissues, and the patients with higher CEACAM6 expression had lower survival time. Moreover, the CEACAM6 expression was higher in the dysplastic gastric mucosa than in the adjacent normal mucosa. CEACAM6 accelerated the growth, proliferation, and invasion of GC cells in the in vitro and in vivo studies. Moreover, up regulated CEACAM6 can induce the expression of proteins related to GC progression. Furthermore, the anti-CEACAM6 probes exhibited good affinity with GC cell lines. The probes can track tumors as well as metastases in the mice model in vivo, and can precisely identify the area of dysplastic gastric mucosa using specimens obtained from ESD operations by wide field fluorescent endoscopy. The surface micro features of the mucosa can also be observed using fluorescent micro endoscopy, and the degree of atypia can be distinguished by both the signal intensity and surface micro morphology. CEACAM6 is a key molecular marker in GC progression, and the anti-CEACAM6 probe-assisted fluorescent endoscopy may be a potential option for the diagnosis of precancerous lesions.
Serum Hepcidin-25 and Risk of Mortality in Patients on Peritoneal Dialysis

Background: Increased serum hepcidin-25 level is associated with excess mortality in hemodialysis patients. However, there is a dearth of published information about its predictive effect for survival in patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the association of serum hepcidin-25 with the risk of mortality in PD patients. Methods: Serum hepcidin-25 level was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a prospective cohort study of PD patients with stored serum samples at baseline. Multivariate linear regression model was used to determine clinical characteristics associated with serum hepcidin-25 concentration. We evaluated the relationship between serum hepcidin-25 and all-cause mortality using a Cox proportional hazards model and the relationship between hepcidin-25 and cardiovascular (CV) and infection-related deaths using competing-risks regression models. Results: In total, 513 PD patients were included in this study. The median serum hepcidin-25 level was 40.9 (17.9–85.9) ng/mL. Body mass index and serum ferritin were positively correlated with serum hepcidin-25 levels. During a median follow-up period of 64.1 months, 122 (24%) patients died, including 61 (50%) CV deaths and 32 (26%) infection-related deaths. In multivariable analysis, patients with the highest tertile of serum hepcidin-25 had a greater risk of all-cause [adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 1.85, 95% confidence interval (95%CI), 1.14 to 3.00, P = 0.013] and infection-related mortality (adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio [aSHR], 2.61; 95%CI, 1.01 to 6.76, P = 0.049) when compared with those in the second tertile. However, no significant relationship was observed between serum hepcidin-25 and CV mortality. Conclusions: Higher baseline serum hepcidin-25 level was associated with increased risk for all-cause and infection-related mortality in PD patients.
Immune Response, Viral Shedding Time, and Clinical Characterization in COVID-19 Patients With Gastrointestinal Symptoms

Background and Aims: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are frequently observed in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) symptoms. Previous studies have mainly focused on epidemiology and characteristics in patients with GI symptoms, little is known about the roles of the immune response in susceptibility to and severity of infection. Here, we analyzed COVID-19 cases to determine immune response and clinical characteristics in COVID-19 patients with GI symptoms. Methods: Based on the presence of GI symptoms, 79 patients in Xuzhou were divided into GI and non-GI groups. A retrospective study investigating the clinical characteristics, selected laboratory abnormalities, immune response, treatment, and clinical outcome was performed to compare patients with or without GI symptoms. Results: Approximately 25% of patients reported at least one GI symptom. Our results showed significantly higher rates of fatigue, increased LDH, increased CK, higher percentage increase neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphopenia, and bilateral pneumonia in patients with GI symptoms. No significant changes in serum amylase (SAA), immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgM, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), interleukin-6 (IL-6), viral shedding time, liver injury, and kidney injury between the two groups were observed. The clinical type on admission of patients with GI symptoms reported significantly higher rates of critical disease type (20 vs. 3.3%; p = 0.033). However, the survival rate did not differ between the two groups. Conclusions: Increase in total lymphocytes and NLR as well as the elevation of CRP, SAA, PCT, IL-6, CK, and LDH were closely associated with COVID-19 with GI symptoms, implying reliable indicators COVID-19 patients with GI symptoms were more likely to develop into a severe disease.
Hints From the Cellular Functions to the Practical Outlook of Circular RNAs

Although it has been about 30 years since the discovery of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in mammalian cells, these subtypes of RNAs’ capabilities have come into focus in recent years. The unique structure and various functional roles of circRNAs in many cellular processes have aroused researchers’ interest and raised many questions about whether circRNAs can facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. To answer these questions, we will illustrate the main known functions and regulatory roles of circRNAs in the cell after presenting a brief history of the discovery of circRNAs and the main proposed theories of the biogenesis of circRNAs. Afterward, the practical application of circRNAs as biomarkers of different pathophysiological conditions will be discussed, mentioning some examples and challenges in this area. We also consider one of the main questions that human beings have always been faced, “the origin of life,” and its possible connection to circRNAs. Finally, focusing on the various capabilities of circRNAs, we discuss their potential therapeutic applications considering the immunity response toward exogenous circRNAs. However, there are still disputes about the exact immune system reaction, which we will discuss in detail.
Niacin Enhancement for Parkinson’s Disease: An Effectiveness Trial

We previously reported that individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) present with lower vitamin B3 levels compared to controls. It may be related to carbidopa interaction, defective tryptophan metabolism, and stresses of night sleep disorder. Vitamin B3 is the energy source for all cells by producing NAD+ and NADP+ in redox reactions of oxidative phosphorylation. Thus, some symptoms of PD such as fatigue, sleep dysfunction, and mood changes may be related to the deficiency of vitamin B3. Here, we conducted an effectiveness trial to determine the effect of 12 months of low-dose niacin (a vitamin B3 derivative) enhancement in PD individuals. An average of 9 ± 6-point improvement in the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) III (motor) score was observed after 12 months of daily niacin compared to the expected decline in score (effect size = 0.78, 95% CI = 7–11). Additionally, secondary outcome measures improved. Notably, handwriting size increased, fatigue perception decreased, mood improved, frontal beta rhythm during quiet stance increased, and stance postural sway amplitude and range of acceleration decreased. Set shifting, however, as measured by the Trail Making-B test, worsened from 66 to 96 s. Other measures did not change after 12 months, but it is not clear whether this represents a positive benefit of the vitamin. For example, while the quality of night sleep remained the same, there was a trend towards a decrease in the frequency of awakening episodes. These results suggest that niacin enhancement has the potential to maintain or improve quality of life in PD and slow disease progression.
A Combined Effect of Self and Reward: Relationship of Self- and Reward-Bias on Associative Learning

Previous studies have demonstrated that individuals process information related to themselves or a high reward quickly and have referred to this as self-bias or reward-bias. However, no previous study has presented self- and reward-bias simultaneously. The present study investigated perceptual processing using the associated learning paradigm when both self and reward were prioritized (condition of double salience) as well as when only self or reward was prioritized (condition of single salience). The present study established these two conditions by manipulating self-relevance (self vs. stranger in Experiment 1; self vs. friend in Experiment 2). The results showed that (1) when the self was pitted against a stranger and received a high or low reward, perceptual processing of the participants mainly involved self-bias (Experiment 1); (2) when the self was pitted against a friend, perceptual processing involved both self-bias and reward-bias (Experiment 2). The study revealed a complex relationship between self- and reward-bias, which depends on the degree of affinity between oneself and others.
Maternal GNAS Contributes to the Extra-Large G Protein α-Subunit (XLαs) Expression in a Cell Type-Specific Manner

GNAS encodes the stimulatory G protein alpha-subunit (Gsα) and its large variant XLαs. Studies have suggested that XLαs is expressed exclusively paternally. Thus, XLαs deficiency is considered to be responsible for certain findings in patients with paternal GNAS mutations, such as pseudo-pseudohypoparathyroidism, and the phenotypes associated with maternal uniparental disomy of chromosome 20, which comprises GNAS. However, a study of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC) suggested that XLαs could be biallelically expressed. Aberrant BMSC differentiation due to constitutively activating GNAS mutations affecting both Gsα and XLαs is the underlying pathology in fibrous dysplasia of bone. To investigate allelic XLαs expression, we employed next-generation sequencing and a polymorphism common to XLαs and Gsα, as well as A/B, another paternally expressed GNAS transcript. In mouse BMSCs, Gsα transcripts were 48.4 ± 0.3% paternal, while A/B was 99.8 ± 0.2% paternal. In contrast, XLαs expression varied among different samples, paternal contribution ranging from 43.0 to 99.9%. Sample-to-sample variation in paternal XLαs expression was also detected in bone (83.7–99.6%) and cerebellum (83.8 to 100%) but not in cultured calvarial osteoblasts (99.1 ± 0.1%). Osteoblastic differentiation of BMSCs shifted the paternal XLαs expression from 83.9 ± 1.5% at baseline to 97.2 ± 1.1%. In two human BMSC samples grown under osteoinductive conditions, XLαs expression was also predominantly monoallelic (91.3 or 99.6%). Thus, the maternal GNAS contributes significantly to XLαs expression in BMSCs but not osteoblasts. Altered XLαs activity may thus occur in certain cell types irrespective of the parental origin of a GNAS defect.
Role of GABAAR in the Transition From Acute to Chronic Pain and the Analgesic Effect of Electroacupuncture on Hyperalgesic Priming Model Rats

Chronic pain is a costly health problem that impairs health-related quality of life when not effectively treated. Regulating the transition from acute to chronic pain is a new therapeutic strategy for chronic pain that presents a major clinical challenge. The underlying mechanisms of pain transition are not entirely understood, and strategies for preventing this transition are lacking. Here, a hyperalgesic priming model was used to study the potential mechanism by which γ-aminobutyric acid receptor type A (GABAAR) in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) contributes to pain transition. Furthermore, electroacupuncture (EA), a modern method of acupuncture, was administered to regulate pain transition, and the mechanism underlying EA’s regulatory effect was investigated. Hyperalgesic priming was induced by intraplanar injection of carrageenan (Car)/prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). The decrease in mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) induced by PGE2 returned to baseline 4 h after injection in NS + PGE2 group, and still persisted 24 h after injection in Car + PGE2 group. Lower expression of GABAAR in the lumbar DRG was observed in the model rats. Furthermore, activating or blocking GABAAR could reversed the long-lasting hyperalgesia induced by Car/PGE2 injection or produced a persistent hyperalgesia. In addition, GABAAR may be involved in Protein Kinase C epsilon (PKCε) activation in the DRG, a mark molecular of pain transition. EA considerably increased the mechanical pain thresholds of hyperalgesic priming model mammals in both the acute and chronic phases. Furthermore, EA upregulated the expression of GABAAR and inhibited the activation of PKCε in the DRG. In addition, peripheral administration of picrotoxin blocked the analgesic effect of EA on the model rats and abolished the regulatory effect of EA on PKCε activation. These findings suggested that GABAAR plays a key role in both the transition from acute to chronic pain and the analgesic effect of EA on hyperalgesic priming.
Emergent Pneumonia in Children

In recent decades there have been multiple pathogens, viruses and bacteria, which have emerged as causal agents of pneumonia affecting adults, albeit less frequently, to children. For the purposes of this article we have classified emerging pathogens as follows: True emerging, to pathogens identified for the very first time affecting human population (SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV, avian influenza, and hantavirus); Re-emerging, to known pathogens which circulation was controlled once, but they have reappeared (measles, tuberculosis, antimicrobial resistant bacteria such as CA-MRSA, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and new serotypes of post-vaccine pneumococcal); and finally, those that we have called old known with new presentations, including common pathogens that, in particular condition, have changed their form of presentation (rhinovirus, and non-SARS coronavirus). We will review for each of them their epidemiology, forms of presentation, therapy, and prognosis in children compared to the adult with the aim of being able to recognize them to establish appropriate therapy, prognostics, and effective control measures.