Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anosmia: a missing link in the neuroimmunology of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract Just before 2020 began, a novel coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), brought for humans a potentially fatal disease known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The world has thoroughly been affected by COVID-19, while there has been little progress towards understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Patients with a severe phenotype of disease and those who died from the disease have shown hyperinflammation and were more likely to develop neurological manifestations, linking the clinical disease with neuroimmunological features. Anosmia frequently occurs early in the course of COVID-19. The prevalence of anosmia would be influenced by self-diagnosis as well as self-misdiagnosis in patients with COVID-19. Despite this, the association between anosmia and COVID-19 has been a hope for research, aiming to understand the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Studies have suggested differently probable mechanisms for the development of anosmia in COVID-19, including olfactory cleft syndrome, postviral anosmia syndrome, cytokine storm, direct damage of olfactory sensory neurons, and impairment of the olfactory perception center in the brain. Thus, the observation of anosmia would direct us to find the pathogenesis of COVID-19 in the central nervous system, and this is consistent with numerous neurological manifestations related to COVID-19. Like other neurotropic viruses, SARS-CoV-2 might be able to enter the central nervous system via the olfactory epithelium and induce innate immune responses at the site of entry. Viral replication in the nonneural olfactory cells indirectly causes damage to the olfactory receptor nerves, and as a consequence, anosmia occurs. Further studies are required to investigate the neuroimmunology of COVID-19 in relation to anosmia.
Enhancement of visual biological motion recognition in early-deaf adults: Functional and behavioral correlates

Deafness leads to brain modifications that are generally associated with a cross-modal activity of the auditory cortex, particularly for visual stimulations. In the present study, we explore the cortical processing of biological motion that conveyed either non-communicative (pantomimes) or communicative (emblems) information, in early-deaf and hearing individuals, using fMRI analyses. Behaviorally, deaf individuals showed an advantage in detecting communicative gestures relative to hearing individuals. Deaf individuals also showed significantly greater activation in the superior temporal cortex (including the planum temporale and primary auditory cortex) than hearing individuals. The activation levels in this region were correlated with deaf individuals’ response times. This study provides neural and behavioral evidence that cross-modal plasticity leads to functional advantages in the processing of biological motion following lifelong auditory deprivation.
Effect of combined pharmacological, behavioral, and physical interventions for procedural pain on salivary cortisol and neurobehavioral development in preterm infants: a randomized controlled trial.

Repeated procedural pain may lead to increased secretion of cortisol and future neurobehavioral development disorders in preterm infants. Changes in cortisol level may mediate the effect of neonatal repetitive procedural pain on altered childhood neurobehavioral development in preterm infants. However, few studies have investigated the effect of combined pharmacological, behavioral, and physical interventions over repeated painful procedures on pain response, cortisol level and neurobehavioral development. The present study examined (1) the efficacy and safety of sucrose combined with massage, music, non-nutritive sucking and gentle human touch to treat preterm infants with repeated procedural pain; (2) cortisol level at discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); (3) neurobehavioral development at 40 weeks' corrected gestational age; (4) the potential mediating effect of cortisol level in the combined interventions on neurobehavioral development. Stable preterm infants (n=76) were randomized to receive routine care or combined interventions across repeated painful procedures throughout their NICU stay. The preterm infant pain profile (PIPP) scores in the early, middle, and late periods of the NICU stay were measured, as were basal salivary cortisol level at admission and discharge, neonatal behavioral neurological assessment score at 40 weeks' corrected gestational age, and the incidence of adverse effects during the study period. Our findings indicated that the combined interventions remained efficacious and safe for reducing repeated procedural pain, decreased the cortisol level at discharge, and promoted early neurobehavioral development in preterm infants. This effect may have been mediated via decreased cortisol levels and reduced repeated procedural pain.
Assessment of DNA Repair Gene Expressions in Vitrified Mouse Preantral Follicles

Objective Vitrification of the ovarian tissue is one of the techniques recommended for preserving the fertility of women who are dealing with infertility. Despite its benefits, our information about the molecular aspects of ovarian follicles vitrification is somehow ambiguous. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the expression pattern of DNA repair genes in vitrified preantral follicles. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, the isolated preantral follicles (n=906) from 14-16 days old mice (n=12) were divided into three groups: fresh, toxic and vitrified which were cultured in vitro for 12 days. Preantral follicles were vitrified using cryotop followed by exposure to equilibration solution for five minutes and vitrification solution (VS) for 30 seconds. In the toxic group, preantral follicles were only placed in equilibration and vitrification media and they were then placed in the warming solutions without exposure to liquid nitrogen. On the second and sixth days of the culture period, real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was carried out to evaluate expression of the selected genes involved in DNA repair, including Msh6 (MutS homolog 6), Mre11 (Meiotic recombination 11), Brca1 (Breast cancer type 1), Rad51 (RAD51 recombinase), Pcna (Proliferating cell nuclear antigen) and Atm (ATM serine/threonine kinase). In addition, developmental parameters including growth, survival rate, antrum cavity formation and ovulation were analyzed. Results The relative mRNA expression of Msh6, Mre11, Brca1, Rad51, Pcna and Atm on the second and sixth days of the culture period in vitrified group was significantly higher than those of the control and toxic groups, but there was no significant difference between the toxic and control groups. In addition, developmental parameters of follicles were similar in both toxic and control groups, while both were significantly higher than that of vitrified group. Conclusion Vitrification changes the expression pattern of DNA repair genes of the mouse preantral follicles.
Postoperative Pulmonary Complications in Complex Pediatric and Adult Spine Deformity: A Retrospective Review of Consecutive Patients Treated at a Single Site in West Africa

Study Design: Retrospective review of consecutive series. Objectives: This study sought to assess the incidence, risk factors, and outcomes of pulmonary complication following complex spine deformity surgery in a low-resourced setting in West Africa. Methods: Data of 276 complex spine deformity patients aged 3 to 25 years who were treated consecutively was retrospectively reviewed. Patients were categorized into 2 groups during data analysis based on pulmonary complication status: group 1: yes versus group 2: no. Comparative descriptive and inferential analysis were performed to compare the 2 groups. Results: The incidence of pulmonary complication was 17/276 (6.1%) in group 1. A total of 259 patients had no events (group 2). There were 8 males and 9 females in group 1 versus 100 males and 159 females in group 2. Body mass index was similar in both groups (17.2 vs 18.4 kg/m2, P = .15). Average values (group 1 vs group 2, respectively) were as follows: preoperative sagittal Cobb angle (90.6° vs 88.7°, P = .87.), coronal Cobb angle (95° vs 88.5°, P = .43), preoperative forced vital capacity (45.3% vs 62.0%, P = .02), preoperative FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in 1 second) (41.9% vs 63.1%, P < .001). Estimated blood loss, operating room time, and surgery levels were similar in both groups. Thoracoplasty and spinal osteotomies were performed at similar rates in both groups, except for Smith-Peterson osteotomy. Multivariate logistic regression showed that every unit increase in preoperative FEV1 (%) decreases the odds of pulmonary complication by 9% (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.84-0.98, P = .013). Conclusion: The observed 6.1% incidence of pulmonary complications is comparable to reported series. Preoperative FEV1 was an independent predictor of pulmonary complications. The observed case fatality rate following pulmonary complications (17%) highlights the complexity of cases in underserved regions and the need for thorough preoperative evaluation to identify high-risk patients.
Modification of the effect of ambient air temperature on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality by air pollution in Ahvaz, Iran

OBJECTIVES This study investigated the modification of temperature effects on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality by air pollutants (particulate matter less than 2.5 and 10 µm in diameter [respectively], ozone, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide). METHODS Poisson additive models with a penalized distributed lag non-linear model were used to assess the association of air temperature with the daily number of deaths from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases in Ahvaz, Iran from March 21, 2014 to March 20, 2018, controlling for day of the week, holidays, relative humidity, wind speed, air pollutants, and seasonal and long-term trends. Subgroup analyses were conducted to evaluate the effect modification for sex and age group. To assess the modification of air pollutants on temperature effects, the level of each pollutant was categorized as either greater than the median value or less than/equal to the median value. RESULTS We found no significant associations between temperature and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. In the subgroup analyses, however, high temperatures were significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality among those 75 years old and older, with the strongest effect observed on day 0 relative to exposure. The results revealed a lack of interactive effects between temperature and air pollutants on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality. CONCLUSIONS A weak but significant association was found between high temperature and cardiovascular mortality, but only in elderly people. Air pollution did not significantly modify the effect of ambient temperature on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality.
Racial Differences in the Use of Aortic Valve Replacement for Treatment of Symptomatic Severe Aortic Valve Stenosis in the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement Era

Background Aortic valve replacement (AVR) is a life‐saving treatment for patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis. We sought to determine whether transcatheter AVR has resulted in a more equitable treatment rate by race in the United States. Methods and Results A total of 32 853 patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis were retrospectively identified via Optum’s deidentified electronic health records database (2007–2017). AVR rates in non‐Hispanic Black and White patients were assessed in the year after diagnosis. Multivariate Fine‐Gray hazards models were used to evaluate the likelihood of AVR by race, with adjustment for patient factors and the managing cardiologist. Time‐trend and 1‐year symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis survival analyses were also performed. From 2011 to 2016, the rate of AVR increased from 20.1% to 37.1%. Overall, Black individuals were less likely than Whites to receive AVR (22.9% versus 31.0%; unadjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.70; 95% CI, 0.62–0.79; fully adjusted HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.67–0.85). Yet, during 2015 to 2016, AVR racial differences were attenuated (29.5% versus 35.2%; adjusted HR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.74–1.02) because of greater uptake of transcatheter AVR in Blacks than Whites (53.4% of AVRs versus 47.3%; P=0.128). Untreated patients had significantly higher 1‐year mortality than those treated (adjusted HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.53–0.61), which was consistent by race (interaction P value=0.52). Conclusions Although transcatheter AVR has increased the use of AVR in the United States, treatment rates remain low. Black patients with symptomatic severe aortic valve stenosis were less likely than White patients to receive AVR, yet these differences have recently narrowed.
Short report: sleep quality and associations with health locus of control and coping styles in young people with ankylosing spondylitis

ABSTRACT The poor sleep of young people with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) has not attracted enough attention of clinicians and experts. This study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality and associations with health locus of control (HLC) and coping styles in young people with AS. A total of 133 patients completed the measures of demographics, disease characteristics, HLC, coping styles, and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI). The patients were worse than general population in PSQI global score and multiple domains. Among patients, the poor sleep was positively related to chance HLC (CHLC) and resignation. Resignation completely mediated the association between CHLC and sleep. There were severe sleep problems in young people with AS, and strategies to change the resignation coping style should be implemented.
Within and Across Language Predictors of Word Learning Processes in Dual Language Learners.

This study investigated the relation between Dual Language Learners' (N = 90) vocabulary and grammar comprehension and word learning processes in preschool (aged 3-through-5 years). Of interest was whether: (a) performance in Spanish correlated with performance in English within each domain; and (b) comprehension predicted novel word learning within and across languages. Dual-language experience was evaluated as a potential moderator. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed stronger predictive associations within each language than across languages. Across languages, results varied by experience and domain. Structural sensitivity theory suggests exposure to two languages heightens awareness of parameters along which languages vary and provides a framework for interpreting complex associations within and across languages. Knowledge from one language may influence learning in both.
Plants show more flesh in the tropics: variation in fruit type along latitudinal and climatic gradients

Fruit type has a major impact on seed dispersal, seed predation and energy allocation, but our understanding of large-scale patterns in fruit type variation is weak. We used a dataset of 4008 Australian species to provide the first continental-scale tests of a series of hypotheses about the factors that might affect fruit type. We found a significant latitudinal gradient in the proportion of fleshy-fruited species, with the percentage of fleshy-fruited species rising from 19% at 43.75°S to 49% at 9.25°S. Species bearing fleshy fruits were more frequent on the coastal fringes of Australia, while species bearing non-fleshy fruits became more frequent toward the arid centre. Wet, warm and stable climates favoured fleshy-fruited species, with the two best predictors of the proportion of fleshy-fruited species being maximum precipitation over five days (R2 = 0.40), and precipitation in the wettest month (R2 = 0.25). These results remained consistent after accounting for phylogenetic correlation among species. A combined model including variables of precipitation, temperature, and climatic variation explained 67% of the variation in the proportion of fleshy-fruited species. Our results are consistent with the idea that plant reproductive strategies are more often tied to conditions during the parts of the year in which they grow than to conditions during the harsh parts of the year. Overall, our findings demonstrate strong relationships between plant reproductive traits and environmental gradients, and improve our understanding of the factors that shape large-scale patterns in plant ecological strategies.
The complex pattern of genetic associations of leprosy with HLA class I and class II alleles can be reduced to four amino acid positions

Leprosy is a chronic disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae. Worldwide, more than 200,000 new patients are affected by leprosy annually, making it the second most common mycobacterial disease after tuberculosis. The MHC/HLA region has been consistently identified as carrying major leprosy susceptibility variants in different populations at times with inconsistent results. To establish the unambiguous molecular identity of classical HLA class I and class II leprosy susceptibility factors, we applied next-generation sequencing to genotype with high-resolution 11 HLA class I and class II genes in 1,155 individuals from a Vietnamese leprosy case-control sample. HLA alleles belonging to an extended haplotype from HLA-A to HLA-DPB1 were associated with risk to leprosy. This susceptibility signal could be reduced to the HLA-DRB1*10:01~ HLA-DQA1*01:05 alleles which were in complete linkage disequilibrium (LD). In addition, haplotypes containing HLA-DRB3~ HLA-DRB1*12:02 and HLA-C*07:06~ HLA-B*44:03~ HLA-DRB1*07:01 alleles were found as two independent protective factors for leprosy. Moreover, we replicated the previously associated HLA-DRB1*15:01 as leprosy risk factor and HLA-DRB1*04:05~HLA-DQA1*03:03 as protective alleles. When we narrowed the analysis to the single amino acid level, we found that the associations of the HLA alleles were largely captured by four independent amino acids at HLA-DRβ1 positions 57 (D) and 13 (F), HLA-B position 63 (E) and HLA-A position 19 (K). Hence, analyses at the amino acid level circumvented the ambiguity caused by strong LD of leprosy susceptibility HLA alleles and identified four distinct leprosy susceptibility factors.
Tetanic Force and Shortening in Locust Flight Muscle

1. The maximum tetanic force and shortening was studied in the isolated, dorsal-longitudinal muscle of the hindwings of the desert locust ( Schistocerca gregaria ). 2. The muscle tended to die when isolated in artificial salines but after penicillin had been added it survived well for more than 8 hr. at 32° C. The cause is discussed. 3. The flight muscle is very sensitive to lack of oxygen and, at room temperature and above, it is necessary to perfuse the main tracheae with air. No difference was observed between indirect and direct stimulation. 4. The natural activity consists of repetitive twitches. Tetanic contractions always caused rapid fatigue and tended to injure the muscle, partly because of excessive shortening (‘delta state’) and partly because the muscle ‘gave’ at the comparatively small total tension of 2-2.5 kg.cm. -2 . 5. The length-force diagram at 11°C. resembles that of ordinary skeletal muscle, but the maximum shortening (0.45 L b ) and the maximum isometric tension (1.6 kg.cm. -2 ) are smaller than in frog muscle at that temperature. As in mammalian muscle, the isometric tension increases much with temperature and was estimated indirectly as 3 kg.cm. -2 at 25°C. and 4 kg.cm. -2 at 35°C. The largest observed shortening was 0.55 L b . At ordinary body temperature, tension and work are of the same magnitude as in skeletal muscle of vertebrates. 6. The flight muscle is less extensible than frog muscle and the maximum isometric force is produced at a lower I-band/sarcomere ratio (0.2). 7. As in frog muscle, passive stretch only affects the I-bands, while the A-bands remain at constant length, at least in the fixed material used here. 8. It is probable that the mechanical specialization of the flight muscle mainly concerns the sarcolemma and the other passive-elastic elements; the contractile elements do not seem to differ from ordinary muscle.
Protective effect of combined therapy with hyperbaric oxygen and autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells on renal function in rodent after acute ischemia-reperfusion injury.

BACKGROUND This study tested the hypothesis that combined hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy was superior to either alone at protecting renal function in rodents after acute ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. METHODS AND RESULTS Adult-male SD rats (n = 40) were equally categorized: group 1 (sham-operated control); group 2 (IR + 50 μg medium intra-renal artery administration); group 3 [IR + HBO (at 1.5 h and days 1 and 2 after IR)]; group 4 [IR + ADMSC (2.0×106 cells/5.0×105/per each renal artery and 1.0×106 by intravenous injection at 1.5 h after IR]; and group 5 (IR + HBO-ADMSC). By 72 hr after IR, the circulating levels of BUN/creatinine and ratio of urine protein/creatinine were significantly highest in group 2, lowest in group 1, significantly increased in group 5 than in groups 3 and 4, but not different between latter two groups, whereas the circulating levels of EPCs and soluble-angiogenesis biomarkers (SDF-1α/HIF-1α) exhibited an opposite pattern to BUN/creatinine among the five groups (all P<0.001). The kidney injury score, ROS (fluorescent intensity of H2DCFDA dye in kidney), inflammation (F4/80+, CD14+ cells) and glomerular-tubular injury score (WT-1/KIM-1) displayed an identical pattern whereas the integrity of podocyte components exhibited an opposite pattern to BUN/creatinine among the five groups (all P<0.0001). The protein expressions of inflammatory (MMP-9/TNF-α/NF-κB/ICAM-1), oxidative-stress (NOX-1/NOx-2/oxidized protein) and apoptotic (mitochondrial-Bax/cleaved-caspase3/PARP) markers showed an identical pattern to BUN/creatinine (all P<0.001). CONCLUSION Combined ADMSC-HBO therapy was superior to either one alone at protecting the kidney from acute IR injury.