Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Site-specific contacts enable distinct modes of TRPV1 regulation by the potassium channel Kvβ1 subunit

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel is a multimodal receptor that is responsible for nociceptive, thermal, and mechanical sensations. However, which biomolecular partners specifically interact with TRPV1 remains to be elucidated. Here, we used cDNA library screening of genes from mouse dorsal root ganglia combined with patch-clamp electrophysiology to identify the voltage-gated potassium channel auxiliary subunit Kvβ1 physically interacting with TRPV1 channel and regulating its function. The interaction was validated in situ using endogenous dorsal root ganglia neurons, as well as a recombinant expression model in HEK 293T cells. The presence of Kvβ1 enhanced the expression stability of TRPV1 channels on the plasma membrane and the nociceptive current density. Surprisingly, Kvβ1 interaction also shifted the temperature threshold for TRPV1 thermal activation. Using site-specific mapping, we further revealed that Kvβ1 interacted with the membrane-distal domain and membrane-proximal domain of TRPV1 to regulate its membrane expression and temperature-activation threshold, respectively. Our data therefore suggest that Kvβ1 is a key element in the TRPV1 signaling complex and exerts dual regulatory effects in a site-specific manner.
Sleep timing, sleep consistency, and health in adults: a systematic review.

The objective of this systematic review was to examine the associations between sleep timing (e.g., bedtime/wake-up time, midpoint of sleep), sleep consistency/regularity (e.g., intra-individual variability in sleep duration, social jetlag, catch-up sleep), and health outcomes in adults aged 18 years and older. Four electronic databases were searched in December 2018 for articles published in the previous 10 years. Fourteen health outcomes were examined. A total of 41 articles, including 92 340 unique participants from 14 countries, met inclusion criteria. Sleep was assessed objectively in 37% of studies and subjectively in 63% of studies. Findings suggest that later sleep timing and greater sleep variability were generally associated with adverse health outcomes. However, because most studies reported linear associations, it was not possible to identify thresholds for "late sleep timing" or "large sleep variability". In addition, social jetlag was associated with adverse health outcomes, while weekend catch-up sleep was associated with better health outcomes. The quality of evidence ranged from "very low" to "moderate" across study designs and health outcomes using GRADE. In conclusion, the available evidence supports that earlier sleep timing and regularity in sleep patterns with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times are favourably associated with health. (PROSPERO registration no.: CRD42019119534.) Novelty This is the first systematic review to examine the influence of sleep timing and sleep consistency on health outcomes. Later sleep timing and greater variability in sleep are both associated with adverse health outcomes in adults. Regularity in sleep patterns with consistent bedtimes and wake-up times should be encouraged.
Simplified blood pressure measurement approaches and implications for hypertension screening: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objectives: Averaging multiple blood pressure (BP) measurements is recommended for hypertension (HTN) screening but can be impractical, especially in resource-constrained settings. We aimed to explore the implications of fewer BP measurements on BP classification and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods: We studied 8905 middle-aged participants without diagnosed HTN and quantified misclassified HTN (≥140/90 mmHg) by simplified BP approaches (e.g. single 1st BP, single 2nd BP, mainly 1st but 2nd BP if 1st was in a certain range) vs. the reference standard of the average of 2nd and 3rd BP. We also assessed CVD risk related to HTN status. Results: There were 823 participants classified as HTN by the standard approach. With single 1st BP, 2.8% of non-HTN were overidentified as HTN, and 18.3% of HTN were identified as not having HTN. The corresponding estimates with single 2nd BP were 2.1 and 6.4%. Similar estimates were seen when 2nd BP was used if 1st BP at least 130/80 (1.9 and 8.1%), with only 27.8% requiring 2nd BP. Two thousand, one hundred and seventy-eight CVD cases were documented in this population over 30 years. HTN by either the standard approach or any of the simplified approaches conferred higher CVD risk vs. consistent no HTN by both approaches. Conclusion: In those without diagnosed HTN, a simplified BP measurement approach using the 2nd BP only when the 1st BP is at least 130/80 could reduce the total number of BP measurements by more than 50%, identify HTN with limited misclassification (2–8%), and predict CVD risks reasonably well.
Prediction of HLA-DQ in Deceased Donors and its Clinical Significance in Kidney Transplantation

Background HLA-DQ typing in deceased donors is not mandatory in Korea. Therefore, when patients develop DQ antibodies after kidney transplantation (KT) from deceased donor, it is impossible to determine whether they are donor-specific antibodies (DSA). We developed DQ prediction programs for the HLA gene and evaluated their clinical utility. Methods Two HLA-DQ prediction programs were developed one based on Lewontin’s linkage disequilibrium (LD) and haplotype frequency and the other on an artificial neural network (ANN). Low-resolution HLA-A, -B, -DR, and -DQ typing data of 5,603 Korean patients were analyzed in terms of haplotype frequency and used to develop an ANN DQ prediction program. Predicted DQ (pDQ) genotype accuracy was analyzed using the typed DQ data of 403 patients. pDQ DSA agreement, sensitivity, specificity, and false-negative rate was evaluated using 1,970 single-antigen bead assays performed on 885 KT recipients. The clinical significance of DQ and pDQ DSA was evaluated in 411 KT recipients. Results pDQ genotype accuracies were 75.4% (LD algorithm) and 75.7% (ANN). When the second most likely pDQ (LD algorithm) was also considered, the genotype accuracy increased to 92.6%. pDQ DSA (LD algorithm) agreement, sensitivity, specificity, and falsenegative rate were 97.5%, 97.3%, 98.6%, and 2.4%, respectively. The antibody-mediated rejection treatment frequency was significantly higher in DQ or pDQ DSA-positive patients than in DQ or pDQ DSA-negative patients (P < 0.001). Conclusions Our DQ prediction programs showed good accuracy and could aid DQ DSA detection in patients who had undergone deceased donor KT without donor HLA-DQ typing.
The association between dietary sodium intake, adiposity and sugar-sweetened beverages in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Higher intakes of Na may contribute to weight gain. The primary aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the relationship between dietary Na intake and measures of adiposity in children and adults. Given the previous link between Na intake and the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), which are a known risk factor for obesity, a secondary aim examining the relationship between Na intake and SSB consumption was assessed. A systematic literature search identified cross-sectional and longitudinal studies and randomised controlled trials (RCT) which reduced dietary Na (≥3 months). Meta-analysis was performed for outcomes with ≥3 studies. Cross-sectionally higher Na intakes were associated with overweight/obesity in adults (five studies; n 11 067; OR 1·74; 95 % CI 1·43, 2·13) and in children (three studies; n 3625, OR 3·29; 95 % CI 2·25, 4·80), and abdominal obesity (five studies; n 19 744; OR 2·04; 95 % CI 1·72, 2·42) in adults. Overall, associations remained in sensitivity analyses which adjusted for energy. Findings from longitudinal studies were inconsistent. RCT in adults indicated a trend for lower body weight on reduced-Na compared with control diets (fifteen studies; n 5274; −0·29 kg; 95 % CI −0·59, 0·01; P = 0·06); however, it is unclear if energy intakes were also altered on reduced-Na diets. Among children higher Na intakes were associated with higher intake of SSB (four studies, n 10 329, b = 22, 16 and 26 g/d); no studies were retrieved for adults. Overall, there was a lack of high-quality studies retrieved. While cross-sectional evidence indicates Na intake was positively associated with adiposity, these findings have not been clearly confirmed by longitudinal studies or RCT.
Determination of epidemiological characteristics of addicts treated in drug addiction clinics in Kabul

Abstract According to the Afghanistan Ministry of Health, 3.5 million people use drugs, 2.4 million of which are regular users. In this cross-sectional study, it was aimed to determine epidemiological characteristics of addicts in a treatment center in Kabul. Eight hundred people were included. Statistical analysis was done with SPSS 22.0. The average age was 30.74 years, 88.9% were male, and 50.6% were married. Further, 35.9% have never been trained, 60.5% of participants were living in urban areas, 62.8% were refugees, 17.5% were unemployed, and 30.3% of them had monthly income below 147.1 USD. The average age of starting substance use was 19.9 years. “Friendship environment” was the leading reason to start (36.6%), followed by “reduce troubles” with 22.3%. The most preferred substance was cannabis (46.0%), followed by opium (25.3%) and heroin (17.0%). Heroin was the most commonly used substance lifelong (87.1%), followed by cannabis (66.3%) and opium (65.5%). When compared to individuals younger than 18, heroin use rates were 3.52 times higher in the 18-to-30 age range, 5.49 times higher in the 31-to-45 age range, and 1.86 times higher in urban residents than rural. Cannabis use was 12.24 times more among men than women, 2.79 times higher among divorced or widowed individuals than singles, 1.68 times higher among refugees than non-refugees, and 2.26 times higher among drug traffickers than non-traffickers. Opium use was 1.63 times higher for refugees than non-refugees and 3.24 times higher in those who worked in drug fields than those who did not. Periodic assessment of prevalence of drug use and the establishment of drug use monitoring systems are recommended.
Randomized controlled trial of a brief online self-compassion intervention for mothers of infants: Effects on mental health outcomes.

OBJECTIVE To test the effectiveness of a brief self-compassion intervention in improving mental health outcomes for mothers of infants. METHOD A randomized controlled trial study design was used. A community sample of mothers of infants (<2 years) completed measures of self-compassion, fears of compassion, psychological flexibility, depression, anxiety, stress, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, and infant feeding experiences. Mothers randomized to intervention received access to online self-compassion resources, and 248 mothers (intervention n = 94, waitlist-control n = 154) completed postintervention assessment 8 weeks later. RESULTS Overall, 62.8% (n = 59) of intervention participants accessed the resources per-protocol, and lower fear of compassion scores predicted resource use. At postintervention, mothers who used the resources had improved scores for posttraumatic stress symptoms (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.31-5.47, p = .028), depression (95% CI = 0.15-2.01, p = .023), self-compassionate action (95% CI = 0.41-3.45, p = .012), and engagement with compassion from others (95% CI = 0.22-5.49, p = .034) compared to waitlist-control. Fears of compassion moderated intervention effectiveness. There were no effects on other outcome variables. CONCLUSIONS Findings support the potential effectiveness of interventions based on compassion-focused therapy to improve maternal mental health.
Disruption of gray matter morphological networks in patients with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia

This study explores the topological properties of brain gray matter (GM) networks in patients with paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD) and asks whether GM network features have potential diagnostic value. We used 3D T1‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging and graph theoretical approaches to investigate the topological organization of GM morphological networks in 87 PKD patients and 115 age‐ and sex‐matched healthy controls. We applied a support vector machine to GM morphological network matrices to classify PKD patients versus healthy controls. Compared with the HC group, the GM morphological networks of PKD patients showed significant abnormalities at the global level, including an increase in characteristic path length (Lp) and decreases in local efficiency (Eloc), clustering coefficient (Cp), normalized clustering coefficient (γ), and small‐worldness (σ). The decrease in Cp was significantly correlated with disease duration and age of onset. The GM morphological networks of PKD patients also showed significant changes in nodal topological characteristics, mainly in the basal ganglia‐thalamus circuitry, default‐mode network and central executive network. Finally, we used the GM morphological network matrices to classify individuals as PKD patients versus healthy controls, achieving 87.8% accuracy. Overall, this study demonstrated disruption of GM morphological networks in PKD, which might extend our understanding of the pathophysiology of PKD; further, GM morphological network matrices might have the potential to serve as network neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis of PKD.
Exploring the roles of horizotnal gene transfer in metazoans

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT; also known as lateral gene transfer, LGT) refers to the movement of genetic information between distinct species by overcoming normal mating barriers. Historically HGT is only considered to be important in prokaryotes. Some researchers believe that eukaryotes have sexual recombination and HGT is insignificant. However, HGT has also been found to play roles in many aspects of eukaryotic evolution, like parasitism and the colonization of land by plants, although at lower frequencies than in prokaryotes. In this dissertation, I first estimated the scope of HGT in 16 selected metazoan species by genome screening using AlienG. These species are sampled to represent major lineages of metazoans. Among all the 16 species, Nematostella vectensis (4.08%) has the highest percentage of HGT genes, while parasitic Schistosoma japonicum (0.47%) ranks the lowest. In order to find out which factors are correlated with HGT rates in different species, living habitat, diet, lineage group and reproductive type were analyzed in a statistical framework. In Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, Ciona intestinalis and Trichoplax adhaerens were chosen as models to investigate horizontally acquired genes. Tunicate cellulose synthase was discovered to originate from green algae, instead from bacteria as found in previous studies. 43 genes of 21 families in T. adhaerens were found to be horizontally acquired. The functions and impacts of acquired genes on T. adhaerens are also discussed.
Prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and the effect of interventions to reduce symptoms: A systematic literature review

Background: In recent years there has been increasing attention for the prevalence and prevention of burnout among healthcare professionals. There is unclarity about prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and little is known about effective interventions in this area. Aim: To investigate the prevalence of (symptoms of) burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and what interventions may reduce symptoms of burnout in this population. Design: A systematic literature review based on criteria of the PRISMA statement was performed on prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and interventions aimed at preventing burnout. Data sources: PubMed, PsycInfo and Cinahl were searched for studies published from 2008 to 2020. Quality of the studies was assessed using the method of Hawkers for systematically reviewing research. Results: In total 59 studies were included. Burnout among healthcare professionals providing palliative care ranged from 3% to 66%. No major differences in prevalence were found between nurses and physicians. Healthcare professionals providing palliative care in general settings experience more symptoms of burnout than those in specialised palliative care settings. Ten studies reported on the effects of interventions aimed at preventing burnout. Reduction of one or more symptoms of burnout after the intervention was reported in six studies which were aimed at learning meditation, improving communication skills, peer-coaching and art-therapy based supervision. Conclusion: The range of burnout among healthcare professionals providing palliative care varies widely. Interventions based on meditation, communication training, peer-coaching and art-therapy based supervision have positive effects but long-term outcomes are not known yet.
Long versus Short Segment Instrumentation in Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Vertebral Fracture

Study Design Retrospective comparative study. Purpose This study aimed to compare clinical and radiological data and rate of mechanical complications in elderly patients treated with short segment (SSS) or long segment stabilization (LSS) for thoracolumbar junction osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs). Overview of Literature A fervent debate is now focused on the treatment of OVF using SSS or LSS. High rate of complications is associated with pedicle screw fixation because of poor bone quality. Methods Patients over 65 years old with a T-score of <−2.5, affected by (T10–L2) vertebral fracture treated with LSS or SSS pedicle screw fixation, with at least 24 months of follow-up were evaluated. All patients were analyzed with conventional X-ray to evaluate bisegmental kyphotic angle (BKA) and clinically with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and rate of mechanical complications at 2, 6, 12, and 24 months. Data were expressed as mean±standard deviation. Student t-test was used to compare clinical scores between populations. Mann-Whitney U-test was used to analyze clinical and radiological variable, whereas Fisher’s exact test was used to identify differences in the rate of complications between groups. Results A total of 37 patients met the inclusion criteria. Mean follow-up was 33.97±9.26 months. For both groups, ODI and VAS significantly decreased over time with good results (p<0.00001). At the final follow-up, no significant differences were found in terms of ODI and VAS. There was no difference in correction of BKA between groups; however, a significant difference was found in LSS group between pre- and postoperative BKA (p=0.046), whereas no difference was found in SSS group. A significant difference in the rate of mechanical complications was found between groups (p=0.011). Conclusions Both treatments showed good clinical and radiological results; however, LSS group showed better BKA correction and lower mechanical complications than SSS group.
Adult-Born Neurons in the Hippocampus Are Essential for Social Memory Maintenance

Abstract Throughout adulthood, the dentate gyrus continues to produce new granule cells, which integrate into the hippocampal circuitry. New neurons have been linked to several known functions of the hippocampus, including learning and memory, anxiety and stress regulation, and social behavior. We explored whether transgenic reduction of adult-born neurons in mice would impair social memory and the formation of social dominance hierarchies. We used a conditional transgenic mouse strain [thymidine kinase (TK) mice] that selectively reduces adult neurogenesis by treatment with the antiviral drug valganciclovir (VGCV). TK mice treated with VGCV were unable to recognize conspecifics as familiar 24 h after initial exposure. We then explored whether reducing new neurons completely impaired their ability to acquire or retrieve a social memory and found that TK mice treated with VGCV were able to perform at control levels when the time between exposure (acquisition) and reexposure (retrieval) was brief. We next explored whether adult-born neurons are involved in dominance hierarchy formation by analyzing their home cage behavior as well as their performance in the tube test, a social hierarchy test, and did not find any consistent alterations in behavior between control and TK mice treated with VGCV. These data suggest that adult neurogenesis is essential for social memory maintenance, but not for acquisition nor retrieval over a short time frame, with no effect on social dominance hierarchy. Future work is needed to explore whether the influence of new neurons on social memory is mediated through connections with the CA2, an area involved in social recognition.
The facilitative effects by seeds and seedlings on emergence from the seed bank of a desert annual plant community

Abstract Facilitation is important in structuring plant communities in harsh environments although most recent studies have been descriptive and focussed on adult plant interactions. Here, we test for facilitative effects by seeds and seedlings of Erodium laciniatum and Erucaria pinnata on the emergence and subsequent community structure from an annual plant seed bank in the Negev desert, Israel. We specifically test whether (i) the addition of seeds or seedlings of these species increases emergence from the seed bank, (ii) the addition of seeds or seedlings increases final plant community performance, and (iii) the effect of each species is specific. Both Erodium seeds and seedlings acted as a benefactor for the rest of the plant community by increasing density and biomass of the plants germinated from the seed bank. Erodium seedlings had a stronger positive effect than seeds early in the growing season. Erucaria (seeds and seedlings) did not influence the plant community. This suggests that species interactions are specific and that interactions between seeds and between plants and seeds can influence community structure.
The potentials of using selection index in the assessment of breeding values of Holstein breeds in Serbia

: The conducted research was aimed at constructing equations of selection index that would be used in the selection of the Holstein-Friesian breed animals in Serbia. The construction of the selection index includes the most important milk traits observed in standard lactation: milk yield (MY305), milk fat content (% MF305) and protein content (% MP305). The variance and covariance necessary for the construction of selection index are calculated using the mixed model by the method of least squares. The economic value of traits is expressed as a ratio of relative changes in costs per unit of traits included in the selection index. Livestock included in the research produced, in the first standard lactation, an average of 7681 kg of milk with 3.58% milk fat and 3.28% protein. The equation of the selection index presented in the paper is selected from the group of equations of selection index, as an equation with the highest correlation between the equation and the aggregate genotype, which amounted to 0.2156.