Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gene flow and climate‐associated genetic variation in a vagile habitat specialist

Previous work in landscape genetics suggests that geographic isolation is of greater importance to genetic divergence than variation in environmental conditions. This is intuitive when configurations of suitable habitat are a dominant factor limiting dispersal and gene flow, but has not been thoroughly examined for habitat specialists with strong dispersal capability. Here, we evaluate the effects of geographic and environmental isolation on genetic divergence for a vagile invertebrate with high habitat specificity and a discrete dispersal life stage: Dod's Old World swallowtail butterfly, Papilio machaon dodi. In Canada, P. m. dodi are generally restricted to eroding habitat along major river valleys where their larval host plant occurs. A series of causal and linear mixed effects models indicate that divergence of genome‐wide single nucleotide polymorphisms is best explained by a combination of environmental isolation (variation in summer temperatures) and geographic isolation (Euclidean distance). Interestingly, least‐cost path and circuit distances through a resistance surface parameterized as the inverse of habitat suitability were not supported. This suggests that, although habitat associations of many butterflies are specific due to reproductive requirements, habitat suitability and landscape permeability are not equivalent concepts due to considerable adult vagility. We infer that divergent selection related to variation in summer temperatures has produced two genetic clusters within P. m. dodi, differing in voltinism and diapause propensity. Within the next century, temperatures are predicted to rise by amounts greater than the present‐day difference between regions of the genetic clusters, potentially affecting the persistence of the northern cluster under continued climate change.
Transitive inference in cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus)

Transitive inference (TI) is the ability to infer unknown relationships from previous information. To test TI in non-human animals, transitive responding has been examined in a TI task where non-adjacent pairs were presented after premise pair training. Some mammals, birds and paper wasps can pass TI tasks. Although previous studies showed that some fish are capable of TI in the social context, it remains unclear whether fish can pass TI task. Here, we conducted a TI task in cleaner wrasses (Labroides dimidiatus), which interact with various client fishes and conspecifics. Because they make decisions based on previous direct and indirect interactions in the context of cleaning interactions, we predicted that the ability of TI is beneficial for cleaner fish. Four tested fish were trained with four pairs of visual stimuli in a 5-term series: A-B+, B-C+, C-D+, and D-E+ (plus and minus denote rewards and non-rewards, respectively). After training, a novel pair, BD (BD test), was presented wherein the fish chose D more frequently than B. In contrast, reinforcement history did not predict the choice D. Our results suggest that cleaner fish passed the TI task, similar to mammals and birds. Although the mechanism underlying transitive responding in cleaner fish remains unclear, this work contributes to understanding cognitive abilities in fish.
Compliance of atrial fibrillation treatment with the ABC pathway in patients with concomitant diabetes mellitus in the Middle East based on the Gulf SAFE registry

Atrial fibrillation (AF) and diabetes mellitus (DM) constitute a heavy burden on healthcare expenditure due to their negative impact on clinical outcomes in the Middle East. The Atrial fibrillation Better Care (ABC) pathway provides a simple strategy of integrated approach of AF management: A—Avoid stroke; B—Better symptom control; C—Cardiovascular comorbidity risk management.
Indices of leg resistance artery function are independently related to cycling V̇O2max

While maximum blood flow influences one's maximum rate of oxygen consumption (V̇O2max), with so many indices of vascular function, it is still unclear if vascular function is related to V̇O2max in healthy, young adults. The purpose of this study was to determine if several common vascular tests of conduit artery and resistance artery function provide similar information about vascular function and the relationship between vascular function and V̇O2max.
Comparison of femur strain under different loading scenarios: Experimental testing

Bone fracture, formation and adaptation are related to mechanical strains in bone. Assessing bone stiffness and strain distribution under different loading conditions may help predict diseases and improve surgical results by determining the best conditions for long-term functioning of bone-implant systems. In this study, an experimentally wide range of loading conditions (56) was used to cover the directional range spanned by the hip joint force. Loads for different stance configurations were applied to composite femurs and assessed in a material testing machine. The experimental analysis provides a better understanding of the influence of the bone inclination angle in the frontal and sagittal planes on strain distribution and stiffness. The results show that the surface strain magnitude and stiffness vary significantly under different loading conditions. For the axial compression, maximal bending is observed at the mid-shaft, and bone stiffness is also maximal. The increased inclination leads to decreased stiffness and increased magnitude of maximum strain at the distal end of the femur. For comparative analysis of results, a three-dimensional, finite element model of the femur was used. To validate the finite element model, strain gauges and digital image correlation system were employed. During validation of the model, regression analysis indicated robust agreement between the measured and predicted strains, with high correlation coefficient and low root-mean-square error of the estimate. The results of stiffnesses obtained from multi-loading conditions experiments were qualitatively compared with results obtained from a finite element analysis of the validated model of femur with the same multi-loading conditions. When the obtained numerical results are qualitatively compared with experimental ones, similarities can be noted. The developed finite element model of femur may be used as a promising tool to estimate proximal femur strength and identify the best conditions for long-term functioning of the bone-implant system in future study.
Current trends in growth processes in the population of young residents of the Northeast of Russia

Background — The purpose of this work was to study the manifestation of the secular trend in the population of young male residents of Magadan region. Material and Methods — We examined 17–21 year old male residents of Magadan region (n=1,628). Depending on their terms of residence in the northeast we divided the subjects into four groups. The newcoming migrants, Caucasians by origin, all from the central parts of the country having a relatively short (in average, 7.1 ± 1.3 years) period of residence made up Group 1 (n=62) and were considered as the “zero” generation. Group 2 (n=918) was made up of Magadan region born Caucasians considered as the first generation whose parents were the migrants. Group 3 (n=582) was young male residents born in the region as the second generation. Finally we referred the subjects born in the third generation to group 4 (n=66). The research was aimed at ascertaining and analyzing the vector of change in basic somatometric values of physical development observed in young male residents of Magadan region depending on their term of residence in the territory. For the aim, we studied the series of direct somatometric characteristics and their predictive indices. Results — As a result we could trace significant dynamics through nearly all the examined parameters and their predictive indices in the row from the zero to the third generation. Subjects from the third generation demonstrated reliably higher body mass, chest circumference and total fat values as compared to those of the other groups. In the studied row, a U-shaped trend was observed in the body length. Of note that subjects from the first and the second generations showed that parameter reliably lower than in the zero and the third generation subjects. In parallel with the growth of the body longitudinal size, the increase in the circumference indices as well as the body mass was found. The latter proved not to lead to the formation of an asthenic somatic type being typical of some populations in our country. Besides, changes in the body constitutional proportions were revealed in representatives of the current population of the third generation that could be mostly seen in the legs enlarging in comparison with the body length. Conclusion — As a whole, results of the carried research testified to a secular trend in processes typical of the population inhabiting the territory of Magadan region. That proved to differ from the tendency described by authors of other regions who had observed the balancing in the young residents’ growth processes. The changeability in somatometric values could be caused by social and economic alterations occurred in Magadan region in 1990s and 2000s.
Quality of life and social support: Perspectives of Saudi Arabian stroke survivors

Given that stroke is an indispensable health burden in Saudi Arabia and around the world, great importance has been attached on studies of social support and other factors that could improve the quality of life of stroke survivors. Perceptions of quality of life and social support may vary depending on patients’ cultural and societal background. This research assessed the quality of life and social support of community-dwelling Saudis who survived stroke. A quantitative study was performed among 123 Saudi stroke survivors. Questionnaire-guided interviews measuring social support and quality of life were performed, and the multivariate effects of predictor variables on the four domains of quality of life were determined through multivariate multiple regression analysis. Among the dimensions of social support, support from family members had the highest average, whereas support from friends had the lowest. The environmental domain of quality of life was perceived to be the best aspect, whereas physical health was perceived to be the poorest. Multivariate analysis revealed that age, gender, employment status, monthly family income, type of community, education, type of stroke, side of stroke and support from significant others had multivariate influences on the domains of quality of life. Several sociodemographic and disease-related variables and social support influence patients’ quality of life. The study adds critical knowledge as to how Arab stroke survivors perceive their quality of life and social support. Ensuring that stroke survivors receive adequate social support is imperative because it can improve their quality of life.
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in HIV-Infected Patients: Usefulness for Cardiovascular Risk Assessment

Background: There is a lack of consensus regarding the risk of hypertension in HIV-infected patients compared to the general population. Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) is the most accurate method for the hypertension diagnosis. Nevertheless, it is rarely used in HIV clinical care. Materials and Methods: All HIV-infected patients who underwent 24 hours ABPM were included. The agreement between office blood pressure (BP) readings and ABPM was analyzed. The rate of patients with masked hypertension (MH), isolated clinical hypertension, and nocturnal hypertension was obtained. Furthermore, it was analyzed if the differences between both methods may affect the cardiovascular risk (CVR) assessment. Results: A total of 116 patients were included. The κ coefficient between office BP and ABPM was 0.248. Over a quarter of the cohort was diagnosed with MH—25.8% (CI 95% 17.7%-34.0%), and 12% (CI 95%: 6.1%-16.1%) was diagnosed with ICH. Moreover, 19% of patients had hypertension exclusively during the night. The patients classified as low risk according to the CVR scores had a different diagnosis with ABPM than with office BP (P < .001). Conclusions: The agreement between office BP and ABPM was low in HIV-infected patients. Ambulatory BP monitoring is useful in HIV-infected patients as a hypertension diagnosis method, especially among patients classified as low risk.
Mildly Elevated Cardiac Troponin below the 99th-Percentile Upper Reference Limit after Noncardiac Surgery

Background and Objectives In patients with perioperative cardiac troponin (cTn) I below the 99th-percentile upper range of limit (URL), mortality according to cTn I level has not been fully evaluated. This study evaluated the association between postoperative cTn I level above the lowest limit of detection but within the 99th-percentile URL and 30-day mortality after noncardiac surgery. Methods Patients with cTn I values below the 99th-percentile URL during the perioperative period were divided into a no-elevation group with cTn I at the lowest limit of detection (6 ng/L) and a minor elevation group with cTn I elevation below the 99th percentile URL (6 ng/L < cTn I < 40 ng/L). The primary outcome was 30-day mortality. Results Of the 5,312 study participants, 2,582 (48.6%) were included in the no-elevation group and 2,730 (51.4%) were included in the minor elevation group. After propensity score-matching, the minor elevation group showed significantly increased 30-day mortality (0.5% vs. 2.3%; hazard ratio, 4.30; 95% confidence interval, 2.23–8.29; p<0.001). The estimated cutoff value of cTn I to predict 30-day mortality was 6 ng/L with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.657. Conclusions A mild elevation of cTn I within the 99th-percentile URL after noncardiac surgery was significantly associated with increased 30-day mortality as compared with the lowest limit of detection. Trial Registration Clinical Research Information Service Identifier: KCT0004244
The very low number of calcium-induced permeability transition pores in the single mitochondrion

Stress increases the permeability of the mitochondrial inner membrane by activating permeability transition pores (PTPs), likely composed of ATP synthase or the adenine nucleotide translocator. By measuring water flux during calcium-activated mitochondrial swelling, Neginskaya et al. estimate that if these proteins are involved in PTP, only a small fraction becomes transformed into the pore on a single mitochondrion.
Research development of chitooligosaccharides physiological activities

The physicochemical properties and functional activities of chitooligosaccharides are more superior than chitin and chitosan, so chitooligosaccharides becomes a new developing kind of functional oligosaccharides worldwide in recent years. Research development of the physiological activities of chitooligosaccharides such as antibacterial activity, antitumor activity, protective effect on bacterial infection in vivo , regulation of plant physiology, proliferation of bifidobacteria and anti-mutagenic activity was reported in China and a-broad, meanwhile, application prospect were forecasted as well in the paper.
Is There a Window of Opportunity for Convertible Debt Issuance? Evidence for Western Europe

This paper hypothesizes that hot convertible debt windows represent periods with lower convertible debt-related financing costs. Supporting this premise, we find that the stock price impact of Western European convertible debt announcements is significantly less negative during hot convertible windows. Importantly, this result holds while controlling for equity market, straight debt market and macroeconomic conditions. In addition, stockholders are less sensitive to issuer- and issue-specific financing costs during hot convertible markets. Overall, these findings indicate that hot convertible markets represent windows of opportunity for convertible debt issuance. Firms with high idiosyncratic financing costs act accordingly by timing their convertible offering during a hot market.
Cavernous carotid artery large aneurysm treated with a new flow diverter – Xcalibur aneurysm occlusion device (AOD)

We report a case of an unruptured, symptomatic, large right cavernous internal carotid artery aneurysm successfully treated with a new balloon-expandable flow diverter – Xcalibur Aneurysm Occlusion Device (AOD). Follow up imaging performed at six months demonstrated complete exclusion of the aneurysm and regression in dimensions, resulting in resolution of mass effect and clinical improvement.
Comparison of Intraocular Antibody Measurement, Quantitative Pathogen PCR, and Metagenomic Deep Sequencing of Aqueous Humor in Secondary Glaucoma Associated with Anterior Segment Uveitis

ABSTRACT Purpose To identify viral pathogens in patients with secondary glaucoma associated with anterior segment uveitis and compare metagenomic deep sequencing (MDS) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) combined with Witmer-Desmonts coefficient (WDC) evaluation and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) on investigating pathogens in aqueous humor. Methods Aqueous humor from 31 patients, including 22 Posner-Schlossman Syndrome and 9 other anterior uveitis, was assessed pathogens by ELISA combined with WDC evaluation, virus deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) detection by real-time qPCR and MDS. Results Viral pathogens (HCMV or VZV or RV) were detected in 19 out of 31 eyes (61.3%) by real-time qPCR or WDC evaluation. MDS revealed the presence of HCMV DNA sequences in three PSS patients. Conclusion Virus is an important pathogen in secondary glaucoma associated with anterior segment uveitis. MDS is a potential etiologic diagnosis tool to seek intraocular viral pathogens for secondary glaucoma associated anterior segment uveitis.
Gene expression network analyses during infection with virulent and avirulent Trypanosoma cruzi strains unveil a role for fibroblasts in neutrophil recruitment and activation

Chagas disease is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that has a heterogeneous population composed of a pool of strains with distinct characteristics, including variable levels of virulence. In previous work, transcriptome analyses of parasite genes after infection of human foreskin fibroblasts (HFF) with virulent (CL Brener) and non-virulent (CL-14) clones derived from the CL strain, revealed a reduced expression of genes encoding parasite surface proteins in CL-14 compared to CL Brener during the final steps of the intracellular differentiation from amastigotes to trypomastigotes. Here we analyzed changes in the expression of host genes during in vitro infection of HFF cells with the CL Brener and CL-14 strains by analyzing total RNA extracted from cells at 60 and 96 hours post-infection (hpi) with each strain, as well as from uninfected cells. Similar transcriptome profiles were observed at 60 hpi with both strains compared to uninfected samples. However, at 96 hpi, significant differences in the number and expression levels of several genes, particularly those involved with immune response and cytoskeleton organization, were observed. Further analyses confirmed the difference in the chemokine/cytokine signaling involved with the recruitment and activation of immune cells such as neutrophils upon T. cruzi infection. These findings suggest that infection with the virulent CL Brener strain induces a more robust inflammatory response when compared with the non-virulent CL-14 strain. Importantly, the RNA-Seq data also exposed an unexplored role of fibroblasts as sentinel cells that may act by recruiting neutrophils to the initial site of infection. This role for fibroblasts in the regulation of the inflammatory response during infection by T. cruzi was corroborated by measurements of levels of different chemokines/cytokines during in vitro infection and in plasma from Chagas disease patients as well as by neutrophil activation and migration assays.
Efficacy of high-power and short-duration ablation in patients with atrial fibrillation: a prospective randomized controlled trial.

AIMS The formation of radiofrequency lesions depends on the power and duration of ablation, and the contact force (CF). Although high power (HP) creates continuous and transmural lesions, most centres still use 25-30 W for 30-40 s for safety reasons. We evaluated the clinical efficacy and safety of a HP and short-duration (HPSD) strategy for atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. METHODS AND RESULTS One hundred and fifty patients [58.2 ± 10.0 years, 48% with paroxysmal AF (PAF)] scheduled for index AF ablation using a CF-sensing catheter were randomly assigned to three groups [30 W, 40 W, and 50 W at ablation sites of anterior, roof, and inferior segments of pulmonary vein (PV) antra and roof line between each upper PV]. In 25-30 W for ≤20 s was applied at posterior wall ablation site in all subjects. Compared with the 30 W and 40 W groups, procedure (P < 0.001) and ablation times (P < 0.001) were shorter and ablation number for PV isolation (P < 0.001) was smaller in the 50 W group. There were no significant differences in the CF and ablation index (AI) among the three groups. There were no significant differences in the procedure-related complication rates. During the 12-month follow-up, AF recurred in 24 (16%) patients with no significant difference among the groups (P = 0.769). In the multivariate analysis, non-PAF [hazard ratio (HR) 2.836, P = 0.045] and AI (HR 0.983, P = 0.001) were independent risk factors for AF recurrence. CONCLUSION Radiofrequency ablation with HPSD is a safe and effective strategy with reduced ablation number and shortened procedure time compared to conventional ablation.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for the preoperative assessment of laryngeal carcinoma: a preliminary study

Background Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) is considered an attractive imaging technique to evaluate tumor microcirculation. However, the validity of CEUS for assessing laryngeal carcinoma is unclear. Purpose To compare the performance of CEUS with conventional US and contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) in the diagnosis and preoperative T-staging of laryngeal carcinoma. Material and Methods Forty-one consecutive patients with laryngeal carcinoma underwent conventional high-frequency US, CEUS, and CECT before surgery. The CEUS characteristics of laryngeal carcinoma were recorded. The imaging findings of CEUS and conventional US were compared with CECT findings and the postoperative pathological examination. Results CEUS showed hyperenhancement in 38 cases and isoenhancement in three cases. Homogeneous distribution of contrast agent was found in 20 cases and heterogeneous distribution in 21 cases, of which 16 cases showed local perfusion defects. In the enhanced phase, rapid entry was observed in 37 cases, synchronous entry was observed in two cases, and slow entry was observed in two cases. Rapid exit was observed in 25 cases and slow exit was observed in 16 cases. The pretherapeutic T-staging accuracy was not significantly different between conventional US, CEUS, and CECT (P ≥ 0.500). A high sensitivity and specificity were achieved by CEUS in the evaluation of involvement of thyroid cartilage. Conclusion Compared with conventional US and CECT, CEUS has a reliable initial T-staging accuracy and diagnostic properties for detecting laryngeal cartilage invasion.