Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute effects of cannabis on speech illusions and psychotic-like symptoms: two studies testing the moderating effects of cannabidiol and adolescence

Abstract Background Acute cannabis administration can produce transient psychotic-like effects in healthy individuals. However, the mechanisms through which this occurs and which factors predict vulnerability remain unclear. We investigate whether cannabis inhalation leads to psychotic-like symptoms and speech illusion; and whether cannabidiol (CBD) blunts such effects (study 1) and adolescence heightens such effects (study 2). Methods Two double-blind placebo-controlled studies, assessing speech illusion in a white noise task, and psychotic-like symptoms on the Psychotomimetic States Inventory (PSI). Study 1 compared effects of Cann-CBD (cannabis containing Δ-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and negligible levels of CBD) with Cann+CBD (cannabis containing THC and CBD) in 17 adults. Study 2 compared effects of Cann-CBD in 20 adolescents and 20 adults. All participants were healthy individuals who currently used cannabis. Results In study 1, relative to placebo, both Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD increased PSI scores but not speech illusion. No differences between Cann-CBD and Cann+CBD emerged. In study 2, relative to placebo, Cann-CBD increased PSI scores and incidence of speech illusion, with the odds of experiencing speech illusion 3.1 (95% CIs 1.3–7.2) times higher after Cann-CBD. No age group differences were found for speech illusion, but adults showed heightened effects on the PSI. Conclusions Inhalation of cannabis reliably increases psychotic-like symptoms in healthy cannabis users and may increase the incidence of speech illusion. CBD did not influence psychotic-like effects of cannabis. Adolescents may be less vulnerable to acute psychotic-like effects of cannabis than adults.
Changes in emergency service access after spread of COVID‐19 across Italy

The Italian National Health System is currently living through some catastrophic days, owing to the rapid spread of COVID-19 across the country. At the time of writing, our Government has passed emergency laws (March 11, 2020), with a view to preventing widespread viral infection among the population, which may well lead to an increase in the number of people requiring intensive care unit (ICU) hospital treatment. Currently, most of the northern Italian regions are close to saturation point in terms of the number of available ICU inpatient beds.
Comprehensive Analysis of HERV Transcriptome in HIV+ Cells: Absence of HML2 Activation and General Downregulation of Individual HERV Loci

Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) expression is currently studied for its possible activation by HIV infection. In this context, the HERV-K(HML2) group is the most investigated: it has been proposed that HIV-1 infection can prompt HML2 transcription, and that HML2 proteins can affect HIV-1 replication, either complementing HIV or possibly influencing antiretroviral therapy. However, little information is available on the expression of other HERV groups in HIV infection. In the present study, we used a bioinformatics pipeline to investigate the transcriptional modulation of approximately 3250 well-characterized HERV loci, comparing their expression in a public RNA-seq profile, including a HIV-1-infected and a control T cell culture. In our pilot study, we found approximately 200 HERV loci belonging to 35 HERV groups that were expressed in one or both conditions, with transcripts per million (TPM) values from 1 to >500. Intriguingly, HML2 elements constituted only the 3% of expressed HERV loci, and in most cases (160) HERV expression was downregulated in the HIV-infected culture, showing from a 1- to 14-fold decrease as compared to uninfected cells. HERV transcriptome has been inferred de novo and employed to predict a total of about 950 HERV open reading frames (ORFs). These have been validated according to the coding potential and estimated abundance of the corresponding transcripts, leading to a set of 57 putative proteins potentially encoded by 23 HERV loci. Analysis showed that some individual loci have a coding potential that deserves further investigation. Among them, a HML6 provirus at locus 19q13.43 was predicted to produce a transcript showing the highest TPM among HERV-derived transcripts, being upregulated in HIV+ cells and inferred to produce Gag and Env puteins with possible biological activity.
β-Caryophyllene Inhibits Cell Proliferation through a Direct Modulation of CB2 Receptors in Glioblastoma Cells

Glioblastomas are aggressive cancers characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and inflammation. b-caryophyllene (BCP) is a cannabinoid receptor 2 (CB2) agonist that showed an important anti-inflammatory effect through the interaction of CB2 and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) receptors. BCP effects were investigated in an in vitro model of glioblastoma. U-373 and U87, derived from a human glioblastoma, and human glioma stem-like cells (GSCs) were treated with BCP at different doses and time-points. AM360, a specific CB2 antagonist, was added 2 h before BCP treatment. BCP showed a significant anti-proliferative effect, reducing cell viability, inhibiting cell cycle, and increasing apoptosis, as demonstrated by Tunel assay, caspase-3 and caspase -9 activation. In addition, the pro-apoptotic BAX expression was increased, whereas the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 expression was reduced. Treatment with BCP decreased Beclin-1, LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 expression, indicating a possible switch of autophagy to apoptosis. BCP’s anti-inflammatory effect was demonstrated by NF-κB reduction, PPARg activation and TNF-a decrease; BCP significantly reduced Jun N-Terminal Kinase (JNK) expression as a consequence of TNF-α inhibition. AM360 abrogated BCP effects, thus demonstrating the BCP mechanism of action through the CB2 receptor. These findings let us hypothesize that BCP may act as a tumor suppressor in glioblastoma, acting on CB2 receptor and modulating JNK.
Puberty visualized: sexual maturation in the transparent Casper zebrafish

Summary Transparent Casper zebrafish allow studies of vertebrate sexual maturation and gonad development in vivo. Casper gonad dynamics can be observed longitudinally over time and non-invasively. Gonad maturation and reproduction are complex processes subject to disruption by endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as diethylstilbestrol (DES). DES was used as a ‘proof of principle’ to ascertain the usefulness of the Casper model to determine EDC effects on gonad maturation. Puberty onset in control juvenile Casper zebrafish (N = 43) averaged 13.2 weeks post fertilization (WPF) for females and included increased vent size, while in males puberty occurred at 11.7 WPF along with maintenance of small vents. DES treatment for 6 days in early juveniles (N = 20) induced an average delay in puberty of 5 weeks in females and 10 weeks in males. DES induced loss of breeding tubercles and vent enlargement in post-pubescent males. Puberty in control fish was correlated with an average body length of 1.7 cm for males and 1.8 cm for females. Increased testes opacity, small vent and breeding tubercles denoted male puberty. Puberty in females was defined as ovarian follicle diameters reaching 400 µm with increasingly opaque follicles and by an increased vent size. These results are like those for wild-type zebrafish and indicate that the Casper model is a useful system for studying gonad dynamics in vivo. Future use of transgenic reporter lines in Casper will allow new avenues of investigation into the reproductive biology of this vertebrate model.
“The Harder One Tries …”: Findings and Insights From the Application of Covert Response Pressure Assessment Technology in Three Studies of Visual Perception

In this article, we present a force measuring method for assessing participant responses in studies of visual perception. We present a device disguised as a mouse pad and designed to measure mouse-click-pressure and click-press-to-release-time responses by unaware, as regards to the physiological assessment, participants. The aim of the current technology, in the current studies, was to provide a physiological assessment of confidence and task difficulty. We tested the device in three experiments. The studies comprised of a gender-recognition study using morphed male and female faces, a visual suppression study using backwards masking, and a target-search study that included deciding whether a letter was repeated in a subsequently presented letter string. Across all studies, higher task difficulty was associated with higher click-release-time responses. Higher task difficulty was, intriguingly, also associated with lower click pressure. Higher confidence ratings were consistently associated with higher click pressure and shorter click-release time across all experiments. These findings suggest that the current technology can be used to assess responses relating to task difficulty and participant confidence in studies of visual perception. We suggest that the assessment of release times can also be implemented using standard equipment, and we provide manual and easy-to-use code for the implementation.
154. Sources of Fine Grained Sediment in Incised and Un-incised Channels, Jugiong Creek, NSW, Australia

In southeastern Australia land-use changes due to European settlement (∼180 years ago) triggered widespread channel incision, and erosion from these features delivered massive volumes of sediment to rivers. It is proposed that the channels remain a major source of sediment. We use measurements of Cs concentrations in soils and sediments to examine sources of fine sediment in incised and unincised channels. In un-incised channels the 137Cs concentrations decreased to around 40–60% of surface hilllslope values by stream order 3, whereas 137Cs concentrations in incised channels decreased to 10–15% of surface hillslope values in the 1st order streams. In both cases we attribute the decreases in 137Cs concentrations to input of sediment from the channel walls; the input is four times greater in the incised channels. It is concluded that erosion from the walls of incised channels remains a significant source of sediment to rivers in southeastern Australia.
Working schedule, sleep quality and susceptibility to COVID-19 in healthcare workers

© The Author(s) 2020. Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. Working schedule, sleep quality and susceptibility to COVID-19 in healthcare workers Michael Belingheri, Maria Emilia Paladino, and Michele Augusto Riva School of Medicine and Surgery, University of Milano Bicocca, Monza, Italy
Colonize, radiate, decline: Unraveling the dynamics of island community assembly with Fijian trap‐jaw ants

The study of island community assembly has been fertile ground for developing and testing theoretical ideas in ecology and evolution. The ecoevolutionary trajectory of lineages after colonization has been a particular interest, as this is a key component of understanding community assembly. In this system, existing ideas, such as the taxon cycle, posit that lineages pass through a regular sequence of ecoevolutionary changes after colonization, with lineages shifting toward reduced dispersal ability, increased ecological specialization, and declines in abundance. However, these predictions have historically been difficult to test. Here, we integrate phylogenomics, population genomics, and X‐ray microtomography/3D morphometrics, to test hypotheses for whether the ecomorphological diversity of trap‐jaw ants (Strumigenys) in the Fijian archipelago is assembled primarily through colonization or postcolonization radiation, and whether species show ecological shifts toward niche specialization, toward upland habitats, and decline in abundance after colonization. We infer that most Fijian endemic Strumigenys evolved in situ from a single colonization and have diversified to fill a large fraction of global morphospace occupied by the genus. Within this adaptive radiation, lineages trend to different degrees toward high elevation, reduced dispersal ability, and demographic decline, and we find no evidence of repeated colonization that displaces the initial radiation. Overall these results are only partially consistent with taxon cycle and associated ideas, while highlighting the potential role of priority effects in assembling island communities.
Temporal trends in the epidemiology of HIV in Turkey.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to analyze the temporal trends of HIV epidemiology in Turkey from 2011 to 2016. METHOD Thirty-four teams from 28 centers at 17 different cities participated in this retrospective study. Participating centers were asked to complete a structured form containing questions about epidemiologic, demographic and clinical characteristics of patients presented with new HIV diagnosis between 2011 and 2016. Demographic data from all centers (complete or partial) were included in the analyses. For the cascade of care analysis, 15 centers that provided full data from 2011 to 2016 were included. Overall and annual distributions of the data were calculated as percentages and Chi square test was used to determine temporal changes. RESULTS A total of 2,953 patients between 2011 and 2016 were included. Overall male to female ratio was 5:1 with a significant increase in the number of male cases from 2011 to 2016 (p<0.001). The highest prevalence was among those aged 25-34 years followed by the 35-44 age bracket. Most common reason for HIV testing was illness (35%). While the frequency of sex among men who have sex with men increased from 16% to 30.6% (p<0.001) over the study period, heterosexual intercourse (53%) was found to be the most common transmission route. Overall, 29% of the cases presented with a CD4 count of >500 cells/mm3 while 46.7% presented with CD4 T cell count of <350 cells/mm3 . Among newly diagnosed cases, 79% were retained in care, and all such cases initiated ART with 73% achieving viral suppression after six months of antiretroviral therapy. CONCLUSION The epidemiologic profile of HIV infected individuals is changing rapidly in Turkey with an increasing trend in the number of newly diagnosed people disclosing themselves as MSM. New diagnoses were mostly at young age. Late diagnosis was found to be challenging issue. Despite unavailability of data for the first 90, Turkey is close to the last two steps of 90-90-90 targets.
Gene action for yield attributing characters in segregating generation (M2) of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.).

Gamma rays was used as a physical mutagen to create variability and to study the gene action through mutation in Grain sorghum variety CO(S) 28. The LD 50 for germination was observed as 35 kR and the treatment doses viz., 25 kR, 35 kR and 45 kR were fixed for creating variability. The M1 generation of all the three treatment doses was raised and selfed plants were forwarded as M2 generation. Approximately 1500 M2 plants were raised in each treatment for recording observations. The frequency distribution for the yield and yield attributing traits viz., panicle length, number of primary branches per panicle, number of grains per panicle, 100 grain weight and grain yield per plant were obtained. The Skewness and Kurtosis estimate were calculated to study the gene action. The traits viz., number of grains per panicle and grain yield per plant recorded positive Skewness value in all the three irradiated doses. This indicates the presence of complementary epistatic gene action for these traits and if selection will be made intensively in the segregating generations the gain will be faster and mild selection resulted in slower gain.
Cytokines and cellular crosstalk involved in the activation of fat-storing cells.

Abstract Based on current knowledge a "3-step cascade model of fat-storing cell activation" is suggested, which implies sequential cross-talk between fat-storing cells, hepatocytes, Kupffer cells, thrombocytes, endothelial cells, and myofibroblasts (transformed fat-storing cells) (Fig. 4). In a preinflammatory phase (I) due to membrane damage (often the initiating event) release of a paracrine acting mitogen from hepatocytes is favoured, which initiates proliferation of fat-storing cells. During the subsequent inflammatory phase (II) cytokines of activated Kupffer cells/macrophages (TGF-beta, TGF-alpha, "lipocyte activating factor" etc.) and of disintegrated platelets (TGF-beta, EGF-like factors, PDGF etc.) are released at the locus of necrosis. TGF-beta, the prototype of a fibrogenic cytokine (102), markedly affects the transformation of fat-storing cells to myofibroblasts. The latter cell type is stimulated during the postinflammatory phase (III) via an autocrine loop by TGF-alpha, TGF-beta, and FGF. In combination with further paracrine stimulation of untransformed fat-storing cells by myofibroblasts the postinflammatory phase potentially contributes to self-perpetuation of fibrogenesis even after cessation of the initiating event (43). In addition to polypeptide mediators, low molecular weight chemical compounds like acetaldehyde, reactive oxygen species, eicosanoids, and lactate are potentially involved in fat-storing cell activation (26). In the network of cytokines, extracellular matrix, and cells several positively and negatively acting regulatory loops are possible.
Sex-differences in nest defence in Fieldfares Turdus pilaris in relation to their size and physical condition

The nest defence of solitary-breeding Fieldfares Turdus pilaris against a human intruder, a corvid and a hawk was studied in a mountain birch forest in central Norway in 1990-2002. Females defended their nests against a human intruder more vigorously than did males before hatching, and vice versa after hatching. Although both sexes increased their nest defence, only males showed a significant increase and showed a greater defence than females at the chick stage. Females with 1-week-old nestlings had longer wings, were heavier and in a better physical condition than those that failed to get nestlings to that stage. Females, but not males, lost condition during nesting. Birds in better condition were more aggressive. The pattern of nest defence by males and females against the corvid was similar to that shown against human intruders, whereas males took greater risks than females towards the raptor. There was weak evidence that birds that were more successful showed greater levels of nest defence. The sex-role reversal in nest defence may be connected to differences in costs in relation to the renesting potential and to the physical condition of the sexes.
Incidences of Fatalities on Austrian Ski Slopes: A 10-Year Analysis

The study evaluated incidences and potential differences of traumatic and nontraumatic fatalities among recreational skiers and snowboarders on Austrian ski slopes within a 10-year analysis. Within this retrospective study, data were collected by the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Data comprised all traumatic and nontraumatic deaths on Austrian ski slopes which occurred between the 2008/09 and 2017/18 winter seasons. Age, sex, nationality, gear used, altitude, slope difficulty, accident cause, primary cause of death and helmet use were collected at the death scene. Incidence of fatalities was calculated based on number of skier days. In total, 369 fatalities, with an average of 36.9 ± 7.9 fatalities per year, were registered. The yearly incidence of traumatic and nontraumatic deaths decreased by 25.8% and 40.1% during the 10-year time period, leading to an evaluated mean incidence of 0.70 deaths per million skier days, with an incidence of 0.36 traumatic deaths and 0.34 nontraumatic deaths per million skier days. Incidences of both traumatic and nontraumatic deaths decreased during the 10-year analysis, representing death as a rare event on Austrian ski slopes. However, adequate prevention measures to reduce potential risk factors to further reduce the mortality risk on ski slopes are needed.
Evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx Respiratory SARS-CoV-2 Panel, the First Rapid Multiplex PCR Commercial Assay for SARS-CoV-2 Detection

In the race to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), efficient detection and triage of infected patients must rely on rapid and reliable testing. In this work, we performed the first evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx respiratory SARS-CoV-2 panel (QIAstat-SARS) for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This assay is the first rapid multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay, including SARS-CoV-2 detection, and is fully compatible with a non-PCR-trained laboratory or point-of-care (PoC) testing. This evaluation was performed using 69 primary clinical samples (66 nasopharyngeal swabs [NPS], 1 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sample [BAL], 1 tracheal aspirate sample, and 1 bronchial aspirate sample) comparing SARS-CoV-2 detection with the currently WHO-recommended reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) (WHO-RT-PCR) workflow. ABSTRACT In the race to contain severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), efficient detection and triage of infected patients must rely on rapid and reliable testing. In this work, we performed the first evaluation of the QIAstat-Dx respiratory SARS-CoV-2 panel (QIAstat-SARS) for SARS-CoV-2 detection. This assay is the first rapid multiplex PCR (mPCR) assay, including SARS-CoV-2 detection, and is fully compatible with a non-PCR-trained laboratory or point-of-care (PoC) testing. This evaluation was performed using 69 primary clinical samples (66 nasopharyngeal swabs [NPS], 1 bronchoalveolar lavage fluid sample [BAL], 1 tracheal aspirate sample, and 1 bronchial aspirate sample) comparing SARS-CoV-2 detection with the currently WHO-recommended reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) (WHO-RT-PCR) workflow. Additionally, a comparative limit of detection (LoD) assessment was performed for QIAstat-SARS and WHO-RT-PCR using a quantified clinical sample. Compatibility of sample pretreatment for viral neutralization or viscous samples with the QIAstat-SARS system were also tested. The QIAstat-Dx respiratory SARS-CoV-2 panel demonstrated a sensitivity comparable to that of the WHO-recommended assay with a limit of detection at 1,000 copies/ml. The overall percent agreement between QIAstat-Dx SARS and WHO-RT-PCR on 69 clinical samples was 97% with a sensitivity of 100% (40/40) and specificity at 93% (27/29). No cross-reaction was encountered for any other respiratory viruses or bacteria included in the panel. The QIAstat-SARS rapid multiplex PCR panel provides a highly sensitive, robust, and accurate assay for rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2. This assay allows rapid decisions even in non-PCR-trained laboratory or point-of-care testing, allowing innovative organization.