Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sex Differences in Cardiovascular Medication Prescription in Primary Care: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

Background Sex differences in the management of cardiovascular disease have been reported in secondary care. We conducted a systematic review with meta‐analysis of systematically investigated sex differences in cardiovascular medication prescription among patients at high risk or with established cardiovascular disease in primary care. Methods and Results PubMed and Embase were searched between 2000 and 2019 for observational studies reporting on the sex‐specific prevalence of aspirin, statins, and antihypertensive medication prescription, including beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, and diuretics, in primary care. Random effects meta‐analysis was used to obtain pooled women‐to‐men prevalence ratios for each cardiovascular medication prescription. Metaregression models assessed the impact of age and year on the findings. A total of 43 studies were included, involving 2 264 600 participants (28% women) worldwide. Participants’ mean age ranged from 51 to 76 years. The pooled prevalence of cardiovascular medication prescription for women was 41% for aspirin, 60% for statins, and 68% for any antihypertensive medications. Corresponding rates for men were 56%, 63%, and 69% respectively. The pooled women‐to‐men prevalence ratios were 0.81 (95% CI, 0.72–0.92) for aspirin, 0.90 (95% CI, 0.85–0.95) for statins, and 1.01 (95% CI, 0.95–1.08) for any antihypertensive medications. Women were less likely to be prescribed angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors (0.85; 95% CI, 0.81–0.89) but more likely with diuretics (1.27; 95% CI, 1.17–1.37). Mean age, mean age difference between the sexes, and year of study had no significant impact on findings. Conclusions Sex differences in the prescription of cardiovascular medication exist among patients at high risk or with established cardiovascular disease in primary care, with a lower prevalence of aspirin, statins, and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors prescription in women and a lower prevalence of diuretics prescription in men.
Dissociating self-generated volition from externally-generated motivation

Insight into motivational processes may be gained by examining measures of willingness to exert effort for rewards, which have been linked to neuropsychiatric symptoms of anhedonia and apathy. However, while much work has focused on the development of models of motivation based on classic tasks of externally-generated levels of effort for reward, there has been less focus on the question of self-generated motivation or volition. We developed a task that aims to capture separate measures of self-generated and externally-generated motivation, with two task variants for physical and cognitive effort, and sought to test and validate this measure in two populations of healthy volunteers (N = 27 and N = 28). Similar to previous reports, a sigmoid function represented a better overall fit to the effort-reward data than a linear or Weibull model. Individual sigmoid function shapes were governed by two free parameters: bias (the amount of reward needed for effort initiation) and reward insensitivity (the amount of increase in reward needed to accelerate effort expenditure). For both physical and cognitive effort, bias was higher in the self-generated condition, indicating reduced self-generated volitional effort initiation, compared to externally-generated effort initiation, across effort domains. Bias against initial effort initiation in the self-generated condition was related to a specific dimensional measure of anticipatory anhedonia. For physical effort only, reward insensitivity was also higher in the self-generated condition compared to the externally-generated motivation condition, indicating lower self-generated effort acceleration. This work provides a novel objective measure of self-generated motivation that may provide insights into mechanisms of anhedonia and related symptoms.
Photoperiod and Temperature Responses in Early‐Maturing, Near‐Isogenic Soybean Lines

While photoperiod responses have been studied in soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] isolines, identification of temperature and photothermal responses are lacking in early-maturing soybean. This study was conducted to quantify photoperiod and temperature responses of early-maturing soybean. Six 'Harosoy' isolines with different combinations of alleles at the E1, E3, E4, and E7 loci were grown in growth cabinets with 10-, 12-, 14-, 16-, and 20-h photoperiods and with either 18 or 28 degrees C constant temperature. Under the most inductive conditions (10 and 12 h, 28 degrees C), all isolines flowered in about 26 d. Under the least inductive conditions (20 h, 28 degrees C), there was a 50 d difference in flowering time between the early- and late-flowering isolines. Interestingly, the late-flowering isolines flowered earlier under cool than under warm temperatures. A mathematical model was developed to quantify the effects of temperature and photoperiod on days to first flower. This model related the rate of phenological development from planting to flowering to temperature, photoperiod and the interaction between temperature and photoperiod. The equation was integrated analytically, resulting in an inverse time (1/time) equation, or numerically resulting in the development of a Growing Photothermal Day (G(PTD)) similar to a heat unit. The model had a base temperature (5.8 degrees C) below which the rate of phenological development was zero, a critical or base photoperiod (13.5 h) below which photoperiod had no effect, and two genetic coefficients, one of which varied with isoline. The isoline photoperiod sensitivity coefficient was linearly related to the number of dominant (late flowering, photoperiod sensitive) alleles. The model fit the observed data well (R2 = 0.96).
Differential effects of PD-L1 versus PD-1 blockade on myeloid inflammation in human cancer.

INTRODUCTION PD-1 and PD-L1 have been studied interchangeably in the clinic as checkpoints to reinvigorate T cells in diverse tumor types. Data for biologic effects of checkpoint blockade in human premalignancy are limited. METHODS We analyzed the immunologic effects of PD-L1 blockade in a clinical trial of atezolizumab in patients with asymptomatic multiple myeloma (AMM), a precursor to clinical malignancy. Genomic signatures of PD-L1 blockade in purified monocytes and T cells in vivo were also compared to those following PD-1 blockade in lung cancer patients. Effects of PD-L1 blockade on monocyte-derived dendritic cells were analyzed to better understand its effects on myeloid antigen-presenting cells. RESULTS In contrast to anti-PD-1 therapy, anti-PD-L1 therapy led to a distinct inflammatory signature in CD14+ monocytes and increase in myeloid-derived cytokines (e.g. IL-18) in vivo. Treatment of AMM patients with atezolizumab led to rapid activation and expansion of circulating myeloid cells which persisted in the bone marrow. Blockade of PD-L1 on purified monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) led to rapid inflammasome activation and synergized with CD40L-driven DC maturation, leading to greater antigen-specific T cell expansion. CONCLUSIONS These data show that PD-L1 blockade leads to distinct systemic immunologic effects compared to PD-1 blockade in vivo in humans, particularly manifest as rapid myeloid activation. These findings also suggest an additional role for PD-L1 as a checkpoint for regulating inflammatory phenotype of myeloid cells and antigen-presentation in DCs, which may be harnessed to improve PD-L1-based combination therapies. TRIAL REGISTRATION NCT02784483Funding: NCI CA197603, CA238471, CA208328.
Perceptions of Medical Students Regarding Career Counseling in Korea: A Qualitative Study

Current medical school education focuses on acquiring appropriate knowledge with relatively little interest in developing the career selection skills of medical students. We investigated medical students’ perceptions of career problems and the required types of career counseling programs. Five focus group discussions were held with 23 medical students. The consensual qualitative study method was used to analyze the recorded discussion process. The medical students were more influenced by parents and grades than by subjective choices when deciding on admission to medical school. In future career choices, medical students considered the stability and feasibility of the career and expected quality of life. However, there were several opinions that it is essential to understand oneself. Objective and specific career information was lacking, and meeting with the professor was not very helpful for career counseling. Most medical students expected the effectiveness of the career counseling program but hoped the program would proceed with voluntary participation. Medical students wanted a variety of concrete and objective information, such as specialty information for choosing residency training, trainee hospital information, and post-residency training information in the career counseling program. Most medical students are not ready for career-related problems, therefore making it necessary to develop a career counseling program suitable for them.
Translational control of one-carbon metabolism underpins ribosomal protein phenotypes in cell division and longevity

A long-standing problem is how cells that lack one of the highly similar ribosomal proteins (RPs) often display distinct phenotypes. Yeast and other organisms live longer when they lack specific ribosomal proteins, especially of the large 60S subunit of the ribosome. However, longevity is neither associated with the generation time of RP deletion mutants nor with bulk inhibition of protein synthesis. Here, we queried actively dividing RP mutants through the cell cycle. Our data link transcriptional, translational, and metabolic changes to phenotypes associated with the loss of paralogous RPs. We uncovered translational control of transcripts encoding enzymes of methionine and serine metabolism, which are part of one-carbon (1C) pathways. Cells lacking Rpl22Ap, which are long-lived, have lower levels of metabolites associated with 1C metabolism. Loss of 1C enzymes increased the longevity of wild type cells. 1C pathways exist in all organisms and targeting the relevant enzymes could represent longevity interventions.
Inhibition of Toxicity in the β-Amyloid Peptide Fragment β-(25–35) Using N-Methylated Derivatives

β-(25–35) is a synthetic derivative of β-amyloid, the peptide that is believed to cause Alzheimer's disease. As it is highly toxic and forms fibrillar aggregates typical of β-amyloid, it is suitable as a model for testing inhibitors of aggregation and toxicity. We demonstrate thatN-methylated derivatives of β-(25–35), which in isolation are soluble and non-toxic, can prevent the aggregation and inhibit the resulting toxicity of the wild type peptide.N-Methylation can block hydrogen bonding on the outer edge of the assembling amyloid. The peptides are assayed by Congo red and thioflavin T binding, electron microscopy, and a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) toxicity assay on PC12 cells. One peptide (Gly25 N-methylated) has properties similar to the wild type, whereas five have varying effects on prefolded fibrils and fibril assembly. In particular, β-(25–35) with Gly33 N-methylated is able to completely prevent fibril assembly and to reduce the toxicity of prefolded amyloid. With Leu34 N-methylated, the fibril morphology is altered and the toxicity reduced. We suggest that the use of N-methylated derivatives of amyloidogenic peptides and proteins could provide a general solution to the problem of amyloid deposition and toxicity.
Resilience of Small Ruminants to Climate Change and Increased Environmental Temperature: A Review

Simple Summary Small ruminants are critical for food security and livelihood, especially under extreme stressful and diverse climatic environments. Generally, sheep and goats are farmed on grazing land in relatively large groups relying on low inputs in terms of feed, water and labor, and possess high thermotolerance compared to large ruminants such as cattle. Climate change has been recognized as a harmful factor influencing sheep and goat production. Small ruminants are vulnerable to direct and indirect effects of climate change, including heat stress, limited and low-quality pasture availability and emerging infectious diseases. In this context, selection of animals for thermotolerance is one viable strategy that exploits natural variation within and between breeds for desirable traits. The various biological markers used to improve thermotolerance in small ruminants include behavioral (feed intake, water intake), physiological (respiration rate, rectal temperature, sweating rate), hormonal (T3, T4 and growth hormone) responses and the response of molecular regulators. Abstract Climate change is a major global threat to the sustainability of livestock systems. Climatic factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, direct and indirect solar radiation and wind speed influence feed and water availability, fodder quality and disease occurrence, with production being most efficient in optimal environmental conditions. Among these climatic variables, ambient temperature fluctuations have the most impact on livestock production and animal welfare. Continuous exposure of the animals to heat stress compromises growth, milk and meat production and reproduction. The capacity of an animal to mitigate effects of increased environmental temperature, without progressing into stress response, differs within and between species. Comparatively, small ruminants are better adapted to hot environments than large ruminants and have better ability to survive, produce and reproduce in harsh climatic regions. Nevertheless, the physiological and behavioral changes in response to hot environments affect small ruminant production. It has been found that tropical breeds are more adaptive to hot climates than high-producing temperate breeds. The growing body of knowledge on the negative impact of heat stress on small ruminant production and welfare will assist in the development of suitable strategies to mitigate heat stress. Selection of thermotolerant breeds, through identification of genetic traits for adaption to extreme environmental conditions (high temperature, feed scarcity, water scarcity), is a viable strategy to combat climate change and minimize the impact on small ruminant production and welfare. This review highlights such adaption within and among different breeds of small ruminants challenged by heat stress.
Listening to the autistic voice: Mental health priorities to guide research and practice in autism from a stakeholder-driven project

Autistic adults are significantly more likely to experience co-occurring mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Although intervention studies are beginning to be implemented with autistic adults to address mental health outcomes, little is known about what research autistic adults feel is needed, or what mental health outcomes are of value to them. The purpose of this article is to describe a project that involved more than 350 autistic adults and other stakeholders as coproducers of research priorities on mental health. Through a variety of methods including a large online survey, two large stakeholder meetings, and three face-to-face focus groups, the project team identified five top priorities for mental health research which should be incorporated by researchers and practitioners in their work with autistic adults. These included research to inform trauma-informed care approaches; societal approaches for inclusion and acceptance of autistic individuals; community-available approaches for self-management of mental health; evaluation of adverse mental health outcomes of existing interventions; and improvements in measurement of quality of life, social well-being, and other preferred outcomes in autistic adults. Lay Abstract Autistic adults commonly experience mental health conditions. However, research rarely involves autistic adults in deciding priorities for research on mental healthcare approaches that might work for them. The purpose of this article is to describe a stakeholder-driven project that involved autistic adults in co-leading and designing research about priorities to address mental health needs. Through a large online survey, two large meetings, and three face-to-face focus group discussions involving over 350 stakeholders, we identified five priorities for mental health research desired by autistic adults. These priorities and preferred outcomes should be used to guide research and practice for autistic adults.
EVOLUTION OF FORAGING STRATEGIES IN SHOREBIRDS: AN ECOMORPHOLOGICAL APPROACH

We studied the relationships between bill and hindlimb morphology and for- aging behavior in 17 species of shorebirds within a phylogenetic framework. The results show that the evolutionary change in bill length is related to the evolutionary change in for- aging strategies from visual hunting to tactile hunting. We also found evolutionary rela- tionships between an increase in bill length and both plunging and sweeping foraging move- ments, and a decrease in bill length and "routing" behavior. No relationships were found between hindlimb morphology and movement pattern (continuous hunting species vs. pause-travel species). Examining the evolutionary rate of change in bill and hindlimb struc- tures shows that the family Scolopacidae and the subfamily Recurvirostrinae evolved more rapidly than the species of Charadriinae. Results from our ecomorphological and evolution- ary analysis support the hypothesis by Zweers and co-workers on the evolution of feeding
In vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth differences among Quercus robur L. clones in response to meteorological conditions

Abstract The impact of meteorological conditions on in vitro pollen germination and pollen tube growth during the initial phases of the development of male flowers in the Pedunculate Oak, Quercus robur, is studied. Phenological observations of male flowers and pollen sampling were performed on the field trial established with grafted Pedunculate Oak clones. During the investigation, weather conditions (absolute minimum and maximum daily air temperature, minimum absolute relative humidity of air and amount of precipitation) were recorded by an automatic meteorological station installed at the field trial. Influence of meteorological conditions on pollen germination and pollen tube growth was studied in the following stages of male flower: (I) during the last ten days of flower bud dormancy, (II) during swelling of the buds, (III) during bud burst and beginning of male catkins elongation, (IV) during the final stage of male flower catkins elongation. High temperatures and low relative air humidity during the bud burst and beginning of the male catkins elongation reduced pollen germination and pollen tube growth. Weather conditions did not significantly affect pollen germination and pollen tube growth during the swelling of flower buds, or in the final stage of male catkins elongation.
Stable Isotopes Resolve the Drift Paradox for Baetis Mayflies in an Arctic River

The colonization cycle hypothesis states that stream ecosystems would become depleted of insects if flying adults did not compensate for drifting immatures. Using long—term drift and benthic abundance data, we show that a Baetis mayfly nymph population moves downstream during development in the Kuparuk River in arctic Alaska. Baetis relative benthic abundance decreased from early to late season in an upstream unfertilized river section, while simultaneously increasing in the downstream fertilized section. Baetis nymphs drifted significantly more in the upstream unfertilized section, compared to the downstream fertilized section where food was more abundant. Approximately one—third to one—half of the nymph population drifted at least 2.1 km downstream during the arctic summer. A stable isotope tracer experiment and mathematical models show that about one—third to one—half of the adult Baetis population flew 1.6—1.9 km upstream from where they emerged. These results provide a quantitative test of the coloni.
Use of Saliva for Diagnosis and Monitoring the SARS-CoV-2: A General Perspective

In this report, updated information and future perspectives about the use of saliva as a sample for laboratory analysis of the Covid-19 are highlighted. Saliva can be used for the direct detection of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the quantification of the specific immunoglobulins produced against it, and for the evaluation of the non-specific, innate immune response of the patient. Moreover, a deeper knowledge of potential changes in the saliva proteome in this disease may allow the identification of new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, or even help our understanding of the mechanisms associated with the disease. With the development of appropriate sample collection and processing methods and the use of adequate assays, saliva can provide useful clinical information about the disease and could be potentially included in guidelines for sample collection for the diagnosis, disease management, and control of Covid-19.
The complete chloroplast genome sequence of Liparis japonica (Orchidaceae)

Abstract The Orchidaceae contains numerous species with great ecological and economic values. In this study, the complete chloroplast genome of Liparis japonica was presented by next-generation sequencing technologies. The cpDNA is 152,084 bp in length with a large single copy region (LSC) of 85,398 bp, a small single copy region (SSC) of 14,774 bp, and a pair of inverted repeat regions (IRs) of 25,956 bp. It contains 132 genes, including 79 protein-coding genes, 38 tRNA genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 7 pseudogenes. The overall GC content is 37.0%, while the corresponding values in the LSC, SSC, and IR region are 34.3, 30.0, 43.5%, respectively. The phylogenetic analysis shows that Liparis japonica is sister to Liparis loeselii and the genus Liparis is closely related to Dendrobium.