Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing sensory drive speciation in cichlid fish: Linking light conditions to opsin expression, opsin genotype and female mate preference

Ecological speciation is facilitated when divergent adaptation has direct effects on selective mating. Divergent sensory adaptation could generate such direct effects, by mediating both ecological performance and mate selection. In aquatic environments, light attenuation creates distinct photic environments, generating divergent selection on visual systems. Consequently, divergent sensory drive has been implicated in the diversification of several fish species. Here, we experimentally test whether divergent visual adaptation explains the divergence of mate preferences in Haplochromine cichlids. Blue and red Pundamilia co‐occur across south‐eastern Lake Victoria. They inhabit different photic conditions and have distinct visual system properties. Previously, we documented that rearing fish under different light conditions influences female preference for blue versus red males. Here, we examine to what extent variation in female mate preference can be explained by variation in visual system properties, testing the causal link between visual perception and preference. We find that our experimental light manipulations influence opsin expression, suggesting a potential role for phenotypic plasticity in optimizing visual performance. However, variation in opsin expression does not explain species differences in female preference. Instead, female preference covaries with allelic variation in the long‐wavelength‐sensitive opsin gene (LWS), when assessed under broad‐spectrum light. Taken together, our study presents evidence for environmental plasticity in opsin expression and confirms the important role of colour perception in shaping female mate preferences in Pundamilia. However, it does not constitute unequivocal evidence for the direct effects of visual adaptation on assortative mating.
The Developmental Transcriptome for Lytechinus variegatus Exhibits Temporally Punctuated Gene Expression Changes

Embryonic development is arguably the most complex process an organism undergoes during its lifetime, and understanding this complexity is best approached with a systems-level perspective. The sea urchin has become a highly valuable model organism for understanding developmental specification, morphogenesis, and evolution. As a non-chordate deuterostome, the sea urchin occupies an important evolutionary niche between protostomes and vertebrates. Lytechinus variegatus (Lv) is an Atlantic species that has been well studied, and which has provided important insights into signal transduction, patterning, and morphogenetic changes during embryonic and larval development. The Pacific species, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Sp), is another well-studied sea urchin, particularly for gene regulatory networks (GRNs) and cis-regulatory analyses. A well-annotated genome and transcriptome for Sp are available, but similar resources have not been developed for Lv. Here, we provide an analysis of the Lv transcriptome at 11 timepoints during embryonic and larval development. The data indicate that the gene regulatory networks that underlie specification are well-conserved among sea urchin species. We show that the major transitions in variation of embryonic transcription divide the developmental time series into four distinct, temporally sequential phases. Our work shows that sea urchin development occurs via sequential intervals of relatively stable gene expression states that are punctuated by abrupt transitions.
Abnormalities in the Motor Unit of a Fast-Twitch Lower Limb Skeletal Muscle in Huntington’s Disease

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a disorder characterized by chronic involuntary movements, dementia, and psychiatric symptoms. It is caused by a mutation in the gene that encodes for huntingtin protein (HTT), leading to the formation of mutant proteins expressed in various tissues. Although brain pathology has become the hallmark for HD, recent studies suggest that damage of peripheral structures also contributes to HD progression. We previously identified severe alterations in the motor units that innervate cervical muscles in 12-month-old BACHD (Bacterial Artificial Chromosome Huntington’s Disease) mice, a well-established mouse model for HD. Here, we studied lumbar motoneurons and their projections onto hind limb fast-twitch skeletal muscles (tibialis anterior), which control balance and gait in HD patients. We found that lumbar motoneurons were altered in the HD mouse model; the number and size of lumbar motoneurons were reduced in BACHD. Structural alterations were also present in the sciatic nerve and neuromuscular junctions. Acetylcholine receptors were organized in several small patches (acetylcholine receptor fragmentation), many of which were partially innervated. In BACHD mice, we observed atrophy of tibialis anterior muscles, decreased expression of glycolytic fast Type IIB fibers, and at the ultrastructural level, alterations of sarcomeres and mitochondria. Corroborating all these findings, BACHD animals performed worse on motor behavior tests. Our results provide additional evidences that nerve–muscle communication is impaired in HD and that motoneurons from distinct spinal cord locations are similarly affected in the disease.
Personal, biomechanical, psychosocial, and organizational risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: a structural equation modeling approach.

(N = 231): This longitudinal study aimed at exploring the direct and indirect relationships between organizational, psychosocial, biomechanical, and personal factors and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in French workers. Between 2002 and 2005, 3,710 workers were included in the Cosali cohort. Between 2007 and 2010, 1,611 workers were re-examined using the same standardized clinical protocol. Subjects free from CTS at baseline were studied (804 men, 563 women). We used structural equation models to examine the relationships between incident CTS cases and organizational (machine-paced work or work pace dependent on customers' demand), psychosocial (Job strain model), biomechanical (Borg's RPE, wrist bending, pinching, hand-transmitted vibrations) and personal factors at baseline. Symptomatic CTS risk was directly increased by biomechanical factors (standardized coefficient=0.19, p=0.011), female gender (0.25, p<0.001) and age (0.15, p=0.042). No psychosocial factors had a direct impact on CTS, but decision authority and skill discretion had an indirect impact by influencing biomechanical exposure. Exposure to machine-paced work had an indirect impact on increasing CTS, either by raising biomechanical exposure (0.19, p<0.001) or by lowering decision authority (-0.18, p<0.001) and skill discretion (-0.20, p<0.001), which in turn increased biomechanical exposure. Similar complex relationships were observed between risk factors and CTS defined by a more strict case definition. Biomechanical exposure had a direct impact on CTS, while organizational factors and psychosocial factors had an indirect impact on CTS. The findings support conceptual models linking work organization to CTS.
The Beneficial Effects of Stingless Bee Honey from Heterotrigona itama against Metabolic Changes in Rats Fed with High-Carbohydrate and High-Fat Diet

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a group of conditions including central obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and hypertension that increases the risk for cardiometabolic diseases. Kelulut honey (KH) produced by stingless honey bees has stronger antioxidant properties compared to other honey types and may be a functional food against MetS. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of KH in preventing metabolic changes in rats with MetS induced by high-carbohydrate and high-fat (HCHF) diet. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the control (C), HCHF diet-induced MetS (S), and MetS supplemented with KH (K) groups. The K group was given KH (1 g/kg/day) for eight weeks. Compared to the control, the S group had significant higher omental fat mass, serum triglyceride, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressures, adipocyte area, and adipocyte perimeter (p < 0.05). KH supplementation significantly prevented these MetS-induced changes at week 16 (p < 0.05). Several compounds, including 4-hydroxyphenyl acetic acid, coumaric and caffeic acids, had been detected via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis that might contribute to the reversal of these changes. The beneficial effects of KH against MetS-induced rats provide the basis for future KH research to investigate its potential use in humans and its molecular mechanisms in alleviating the disease.
The Effects of Sacubitril/Valsartan on Clinical, Biochemical and Echocardiographic Parameters in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: The “Hemodynamic Recovery”

Background: Sacubitril/valsartan has been shown to be superior to enalapril in reducing the risks of death and hospitalization for heart failure (HF). However, knowledge of the impact on cardiac performance remains limited. We sought to evaluate the effects of sacubitril/valsartan on clinical, biochemical and echocardiographic parameters in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Methods: Sacubitril/valsartan was administered to 205 HFrEF patients. Results: Among 230 patients (mean age 59 ± 10 years, 46% with ischemic heart disease) 205 (89%) completed the study. After a follow-up of 10.49 (2.93 ± 18.44) months, the percentage of patients in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III changed from 40% to 17% (p < 0.001). Median N–Type natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP) decreased from 1865 ± 2318 to 1514 ± 2205 pg/mL, (p = 0.01). Furosemide dose reduced from 131.3 ± 154.5 to 120 ± 142.5 (p = 0.047). Ejection fraction (from 27± 5.9% to 30 ± 7.7% (p < 0.001) and E/A ratio (from 1.67 ± 1.21 to 1.42 ± 1.12 (p = 0.002)) improved. Moderate to severe mitral regurgitation (from 30.1% to 17.4%; p = 0.002) and tricuspid velocity decreased from 2.8 ± 0.55 m/s to 2.64 ± 0.59 m/s (p < 0.014). Conclusions: Sacubitril/valsartan induce “hemodynamic recovery” and, consistently with reduction in Nt-proBNP concentrations, improve NYHA class despite diuretic dose reduction.
Study on the Preparation of Ionic Liquid Doped Chitosan/Cellulose-Based Electroactive Composites

Electro-actuated polymer (EAP) can change its shape or volume under the action of an external electric field and shows similar behavioral characteristics with those of biological muscles, and so it has good application prospects in aerospace, bionic robots, and other fields. The properties of cellulose-based electroactive materials are similar to ionic EAP materials, although they have higher Young’s modulus and lower energy consumption. However, cellulose-based electroactive materials have a more obvious deficiency—their actuation performance is often more significantly affected by ambient humidity due to the hygroscopicity caused by the strong hydrophilic structure of cellulose itself. Compared with cellulose, chitosan has good film-forming and water retention properties, and its compatibility with cellulose is very excellent. In this study, a chitosan/cellulose composite film doped with ionic liquid, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([EMIM]Ac), was prepared by co-dissolution and regeneration process using [EMIM]Ac as the solvent. After that, a conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)/poly (styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS), was deposited on the surface of the resulted composite, and then a kind of cellulose-based electroactive composites were obtained. The results showed that the end bending deformation amplitude of the resulted material was increased by 2.3 times higher than that of the pure cellulose film under the same conditions, and the maximum deformation amplitude reached 7.3 mm. The tensile strength of the chitosan/cellulose composite film was 53.68% higher than that of the cellulose film, and the Young’s modulus was increased by 72.52%. Furthermore, in comparison with the pure cellulose film, the water retention of the composite film increased and the water absorption rate decreased obviously, which meant that the resistance of the material to changes in environmental humidity was greatly improved.
Effectiveness of Consumers Washing with Sanitizers to Reduce Human Norovirus on Mixed Salad

Human norovirus (HuNoV) is a foremost cause of domestically acquired foodborne acute gastroenteritis and outbreaks. Despite industrial efforts to control HuNoV contamination of foods, its prevalence in foodstuffs at retail is significant. HuNoV infections are often associated with the consumption of contaminated produce, including ready-to-eat (RTE) salads. Decontamination of produce by washing with disinfectants is a consumer habit which could significantly contribute to mitigate the risk of infection. The aim of our study was to measure the effectiveness of chemical sanitizers in inactivating genogroup I and II HuNoV strains on mixed salads using a propidium monoazide (PMAxx)-viability RTqPCR assay. Addition of sodium hypochlorite, peracetic acid, or chlorine dioxide significantly enhanced viral removal as compared with water alone. Peracetic acid provided the highest effectiveness, with log10 reductions on virus levels of 3.66 ± 0.40 and 3.33 ± 0.19 for genogroup I and II, respectively. Chlorine dioxide showed lower disinfection efficiency. Our results provide information useful to the food industry and final consumers for improving the microbiological safety of fresh products in relation to foodborne viruses.
Optimizing Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell Therapy for Adults With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

PURPOSE The anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy tisagenlecleucel (CTL019) has an 81% response rate in children with relapsed or chemotherapy refractory (r/r) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Cytokine release syndrome (CRS) is a life-threatening treatment-related toxicity that limits the full therapeutic potential in adults. We report outcomes for adults with r/r ALL treated with an optimized CTL019 dosing and CRS management strategy. METHODS Adults with r/r B-cell ALL received CTL019 in 1 of 2 trials. Patients received lymphodepletion followed by CTL019 as either a one-time infusion or fractionated infusions split over 3 days (day 1, 10%; day 2, 30%; day 3, 60%), which allowed for day 2 and day 3 doses to be held for early CRS. Total planned CTL019 dose varied with adaptive protocol modifications in response to efficacy and CRS toxicity. RESULTS Thirty-five adults with r/r ALL received CTL019 in 1 of 3 dosing cohorts. The low-dose cohort (n = 9) received single or fractionated dosing and had manageable toxicity with a 33% complete remission (CR) rate. In the high-dose single infusion cohort, 3 of 6 patients with refractory CRS concurrent with culture-positive sepsis died, and 3 achieved CR. The 20 patients in the high-dose fractionated (HDF) cohort had a 90% CR rate and manageable CRS. The HDF cohort had the highest survival, with a 2-year overall survival of 73% (95% CI, 46% to 88%) and event-free survival of 49.5% (95% CI, 21% to 73%). CONCLUSION Fractionated dosing of CTL019 with intrapatient dose modification optimizes safety without compromising efficacy in adults with r/r ALL.
Healthcare Costs And Resource Utilization In Chronic Pain Patients Treated With Extended-Release Formulations Of Tapentadol, Oxycodone, Or Morphine Stratified By Type Of Pain: A Retrospective Claims Analysis, 2012–2016

Purpose Chronic pain treatment imposes a substantial economic burden on US society. Treatment costs may vary across subgroups of patients with different types of pain. The aim of our study was to compare healthcare costs (HC) and resource utilization in musculoskeletal (MP), neuropathic (NP), and cancer pain (CaP) patients treated with long-acting opioids (LAO), using real-world evidence. Patients and methods We compared total HC and resource utilization in subgroups of chronic pain patients (MP, NP or CaP) treated with three LAO alternatives: morphine-sulfate extended-release (MsER), oxycodone ER (OxnER) and tapentadol ER (TapER). Retrospective claims data were analyzed in the IBM Truven Health MarketScan® Commercial Claims Database (October 2012 through March 2016). All patients were continuously health plan enrolled for at least 12 months before the index date (ﬁrst LAO prescription date) and during the LAO-treatment period. The cohorts were propensity-score matched. Results A total of 2824 TapER-treated patients were matched to 16,716 OxnER-treated patients, while 2827 TapER patients were matched to 16,817 MsER patients. The average monthly total HC were lower in the TapER than in the OxnER cohort ($2510 vs. $3720, p<0.001), reﬂecting significantly lower outpatient, inpatient and emergency department visit rates in the TapER cohort. Similarly, the TapER cohort exhibited a lower average monthly total HC ($2520 vs. $2900, p<0.05) than MsER cohort, with signiﬁcantly fewer inpatient and outpatient visits in the TapER cohort. TapER demonstrated signiﬁcantly lower total HC than OxnER in patients with NP and MP, and similar to OxnER in CaP patients. TapER costs were similar to MsER costs in all pain-type subpopulations. Conclusion Based on real-world evidence, the TapER treatment for chronic pain was associated with signiﬁcantly lower HC compared with MsER or OxnER. When categorized by type of pain, TapER remained a less costly strategy in comparison with OxnER for MP and NP.
Stable Tensor Principal Component Pursuit: Error Bounds and Efficient Algorithms

The rapid development of sensor technology gives rise to the emergence of huge amounts of tensor (i.e., multi-dimensional array) data. For various reasons such as sensor failures and communication loss, the tensor data may be corrupted by not only small noises but also gross corruptions. This paper studies the Stable Tensor Principal Component Pursuit (STPCP) which aims to recover a tensor from its corrupted observations. Specifically, we propose a STPCP model based on the recently proposed tubal nuclear norm (TNN) which has shown superior performance in comparison with other tensor nuclear norms. Theoretically, we rigorously prove that under tensor incoherence conditions, the underlying tensor and the sparse corruption tensor can be stably recovered. Algorithmically, we first develop an ADMM algorithm and then accelerate it by designing a new algorithm based on orthogonal tensor factorization. The superiority and efficiency of the proposed algorithms is demonstrated through experiments on both synthetic and real data sets.
The effect of dietary supplementation with Clostridium butyricum on the growth performance, immunity, intestinal microbiota and disease resistance of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

This study was conducted to assess the effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum on the growth, immunity, intestinal microbiota and disease resistance of tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Three hundreds of tilapia (56.21 ± 0.81 g) were divided into 5 groups and fed a diet supplemented with C. butyricum at 0, 1 x 104, 1 x 105, 1 x 106 or 1 x 107 CFU g-1 diet (denoted as CG, CB1, CB2, CB3 and CB4, respectively) for 56 days. Then 45 fish from each group were intraperitoneally injected with Streptococcus agalactiae, and the mortality was recorded for 14 days. The results showed that dietary C. butyricum significantly improved the specific growth rate (SGR) and feed intake in the CB2 group and decreased the cumulative mortality post-challenge with S. agalactiae in the CB2, CB3 and CB4 groups. The serum total antioxidant capacity and intestinal interleukin receptor-associated kinase-4 gene expression were significantly increased, and serum malondialdehyde content and diamine oxidase activity were significantly decreased in the CB1, CB2, CB3 and CB4 groups. Serum complement 3 and complement 4 concentrations and intestinal gene expression of tumour necrosis factor α, interleukin 8, and myeloid differentiation factor 88 were significantly higher in the CB2, CB3 and CB4 groups. Intestinal toll-like receptor 2 gene expression was significantly upregulated in the CB3 and CB4 groups. Dietary C. butyricum increased the diversity of the intestinal microbiota and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria (such as Bacillus), and decreased the relative abundance of opportunistic pathogenic bacteria (such as Aeromonas) in the CB2 group. These results revealed that dietary C. butyricum at a suitable dose enhanced growth performance, elevated humoral and intestinal immunity, regulated the intestinal microbial components, and improved disease resistance in tilapia. The optimal dose was 1 x 105 CFU g-1 diet.
PLGA-BMP-2 and PLA-17β-Estradiol Microspheres Reinforcing a Composite Hydrogel for Bone Regeneration in Osteoporosis

The controlled release of active substances—bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and 17β-estradiol—is one of the main aspects to be taken into account to successfully regenerate a tissue defect. In this study, BMP-2- and 17β-estradiol-loaded microspheres were combined in a sandwich-like system formed by a hydrogel core composed of chitosan (CHT) collagen, 2-hidroxipropil γ-ciclodextrin (HP-γ-CD), nanoparticles of hydroxyapatite (nano-HAP), and an electrospun mesh shell prepared with two external electrospinning films for the regeneration of a critical bone defect in osteoporotic rats. Microspheres were made with poly-lactide-co-glycolide (PLGA) to encapsulate BMP-2, whereas the different formulations of 17β-estradiol were prepared with poly-lactic acid (PLA) and PLGA. The in vitro and in vivo BMP-2 delivered from the system fitted a biphasic profile. Although the in vivo burst effect was higher than in vitro the second phases (lasted up to 6 weeks) were parallel, the release rate ranged between 55 and 70 ng/day. The in vitro release kinetics of the 17β-estradiol dissolved in the polymeric matrix of the microspheres depended on the partition coefficient. The 17β-estradiol was slowly released from the core system using an aqueous release medium (Deff = 5.58·10−16 ± 9.81·10−17m2s−1) and very fast in MeOH-water (50:50). The hydrogel core system was injectable, and approximately 83% of the loaded dose is uniformly discharged through a 20G needle. The system placed in the defect was easily adapted to the defect shape and after 12 weeks approximately 50% of the defect was refilled by new tissue. None differences were observed between the osteoporotic and non-osteoporotic groups. Despite the role of 17β-estradiol on the bone remodeling process, the obtained results in this study suggest that the observed regeneration was only due to the controlled rate released of BMP-2 from the PLGA microspheres.