Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Phase 1 Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Safety, Immunogenicity and Genetic Stability of a New Potential Pandemic H7N9 Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in Healthy Adults

This study describes a double-blind randomized placebo-controlled phase I clinical trial in healthy adults of a new potential pandemic H7N9 live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) based on the human influenza virus of Yangtze River Delta hemagglutinin lineage (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03739229). Two doses of H7N9 LAIV or placebo were administered intranasally to 30 and 10 subjects, respectively. The vaccine was well-tolerated and not associated with increased rates of adverse events or with any serious adverse events. Vaccine virus was detected in nasal swabs during the 6 days after vaccination or revaccination. A lower frequency of shedding was observed after the second vaccination. Twenty-five clinical viral isolates obtained after the first and second doses of vaccine retained the temperature-sensitive and cold-adapted phenotypic characteristics of LAIV. There was no confirmed transmission of the vaccine strain from vaccinees to placebo recipients. After the two H7N9 LAIV doses, an immune response was observed in 96.6% of subjects in at least one of the assays conducted.
Inverse correlation between serum high‐molecular‐weight adiponectin and proinsulin level in a Japanese population: The Dynamics of Lifestyle and Neighborhood Community on Health Study

Serum high‐molecular‐weight adiponectin (HMWA) has a positive correlation with insulin secretion in the Japanese population. To validate this correlation, we investigated the correlation between serum HMWA and proinsulin, a marker of β‐cell dysfunction, in this population. A total of 488 participants (53.9% women) aged 35–79 years not taking oral hypoglycemic agents and/or insulin were enrolled. HMWA was significantly and inversely correlated with proinsulin adjusted for age and sex (partial regression coefficient β = −0.37; 95% confidence interval −0.46 to −0.28). When the participants were divided into two groups by median values of body mass index (23.2 kg/m2), serum insulin (4.3 µU/mL) or homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (1.0), similar inverse correlations were observed adjusted for age and sex in both groups. Our results showed that the HMWA level was inversely correlated with the proinsulin level in a general Japanese population.
Cerebellar Blood Flow and Gene Expression in Crossed Cerebellar Diaschisis after Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Rats

Crossed cerebellar diaschisis (CCD) is a state of hypoperfusion and hypometabolism in the contralesional cerebellar hemisphere caused by a supratentorial lesion, but its pathophysiology is not fully understood. We evaluated chronological changes in cerebellar blood flow (CbBF) and gene expressions in the cerebellum using a rat model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). CbBF was analyzed at two and seven days after MCAO using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). DNA microarray analysis and western blotting of the cerebellar cortex were performed and apoptotic cells in the cerebellar cortex were stained. CbBF in the contralesional hemisphere was significantly decreased and this lateral imbalance recovered over one week. Gene set enrichment analysis revealed that a gene set for “oxidative phosphorylation” was significantly upregulated while fourteen other gene sets including “apoptosis”, “hypoxia” and “reactive oxygen species” showed a tendency toward upregulation in the contralesional cerebellum. MCAO upregulated the expressions of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the contralesional cerebellar cortex. The number of apoptotic cells increased in the molecular layer of the contralesional cerebellum. Focal cerebral ischemia in our rat MCAO model caused CCD along with enhanced expression of genes related to oxidative stress and apoptosis.
Potential of Cross-infection of Colletotrichum Species Causing Anthracnose in Persimmon and Pepper

Ninety isolates of Colletotrichum species from new persimmon tree twigs and 50 isolates from pepper plant fruits were isolated via single-spore isolation. Of the 140 isolates, 26 were examined for mycelial growth, carbendazim sensitivity, and ITS sequence. Four of the isolates from the persimmon trees, which were cultivated exclusively in an orchard, showed fast mycelial growth and sensitivity to carbendazim, while five of the pepper isolates showed slower mycelial growth and were resistant to the fungicide. However, 17 isolates from persimmon trees cultivated with pepper plants in the same orchard showed slow mycelial growth like the pepper isolates and they were sensitive to carbendazim like the persimmon isolates. ITS sequence analysis of these 27 isolates led to the identification of the 22 persimmon isolates as C. gloeosporioides and the five pepper isolates as C. acutatum. PCR with species-specific primers confirmed that the 90 isolates from persimmon were C. gloeosporioides whereas the 50 isolates from pepper were C. acutatum. The 90 persimmon isolates of C. gloeosporioides and 50 pepper isolates of C. acutatum were compared by a wound inoculation test to determine their capacity for host cross-infection. All of the C. acutatum isolates from pepper caused typical symptoms of anthracnose on the fruits of pepper plants and twigs of persimmon; they differed from the C. gloeosporioides isolates from persimmon, more than 90% of which were able to infect only persimmon. Amplified fragment length polymorphism analysis revealed the existence of two groups (C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum isolates group). At 80% genetic similarity, the C. gloeosporioides group was defined within four clusters, while the C. acutatum group was within three clusters. However, these clusterings were unrelated with the virulence of Colletotrichum species against pepper fruits.
Ecology of the Honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus, in Scott National Park, Western Australia

The Honey possum, Tarsipes rostratus, is an obligate nectarivore, known to feed on plant species from only three Families in south-western Western Australia: Myrtaceae, Proteaceae and Epacridaceae. These plants can be adversely affected by fire, decreased rainfall or groundwater levels and the pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi. We investigated the ecology of T. rostratus in terms of: (i) how the population fluctuated in response to rainfall and fire over a 20-year period and (ii) changes in diet and movements during a period of decreased food availability in late summer. Mean capture rates were significantly positively correlated with mean flowering rates of Banksia ilicifolia over a 20-year period. Winter capture rates were also significantly positively correlated with both annual and winter rainfall two years prior to trapping in recently burnt areas, but not in long unburnt areas. Capture rates were significantly higher in unburnt Banksia woodland during winter but densities there have declined since 1996, associated with the death of many Banksia ilicifolia trees from persistent Phytophthora infection. Notwithstanding this decline, winter capture rates in the unburnt areas were still approximately double those in the burnt areas 6 years after the last fire. Short-term capture rates were negatively correlated with barometric pressure, showing that movement and foraging is stimulated by the passage of low pressure frontal weather systems. Despite the paucity of known food sources flowering in late summer and autumn, there was no evidence of T. rostratus using plant species from other than the three above-noted Families. Utilisation areas in summer were also no larger than those previously recorded across all seasons in Scott National Park. Some individuals, however, moved extensive distances to locate spatially restricted food sources. The conservatism of their diet and the sensitivity of the population to changes in rainfall and fire history indicate that T. rostratus populations are particularly vulnerable to some of the environmental changes now occurring in south-western Australia.
Changes in Plasma Itaconate Elevation in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Elucidates Disease Activity Associated Macrophage Activation

Changes in the plasma metabolic profile were characterised in newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients upon commencement of conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (cDMARD) therapy. Plasma samples collected in an early RA randomised strategy study (NCT00920478) that compared clinical (DAS) disease activity assessment with musculoskeletal ultrasound assessment (MSUS) to drive treatment decisions were subjected to untargeted metabolomic analysis. Metabolic profiles were collected at pre- and three months post-commencement of nonbiologic cDMARD. Metabolites that changed in association with changes in the DAS44 score were identified at the three-month timepoint. A total of nine metabolites exhibited a clear correlation with a reduction in DAS44 score following cDMARD commencement, particularly itaconate, its derived anhydride and a derivative of itaconate CoA. Increasing itaconate correlated with improved DAS44 score and decreasing levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). cDMARD treatment effects invoke consistent changes in plasma detectable metabolites, that in turn implicate clinical disease activity with macrophages. Such changes inform RA pathogenesis and reveal for the first time a link between itaconate production and resolution of inflammatory disease in humans. Quantitative metabolic biomarker-based tests of clinical change in state are feasible and should be developed around the itaconate pathway.
Composition of the Essential Oil of Achillea Asplenifolia Vent. from Bulgaria

Abstract The essential oil composition of Achillea asplenifolia Vent. flower heads of Bulgarian origin is analysed by GC and GC-MS. The main constituents of the oil were chamazulene (25.6%), β-pinene (21.4%), sabinene (15.9%), and β-caryophyllene (11.3%). Antimicrobial activity tests against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium, Proteus vulgaris and Candida albicans revealed significant bacteriacidal and fungicidal effects against S. aureus, C. albicans respectively and weaker against E. coli.
Connectivity on Underwater MI-Assisted Acoustic Cooperative MIMO Networks †

In traditional underwater wireless sensor networks (UWSNs), it is difficult to establish reliable communication links as the acoustic wave experiences severe multipath effect, channel fading, and ambient noise. Recently, with the assistance of magnetic induction (MI) technique, cooperative multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) is utilized in UWSNs to enable the reliable long range underwater communication. Compared with the acoustic-based UWSNs, the UWSNs adopting MI-assisted acoustic cooperative MIMO are referred to as heterogeneous UWSNs, which are able to significantly improve the effective cover space and network throughput. Due to the complex channel characteristics and the heterogeneous architecture, the connectivity of underwater MI-assisted acoustic cooperative MIMO networks is much more complicated than that of acoustic-based UWSNs. In this paper, a mathematical model is proposed to analyze the connectivity of the networks, which considers the effects of channel characteristics, system parameters, and synchronization errors. The lower and upper bounds of the connectivity probability are also derived, which provide guidelines for the design and deployment of underwater MI-assisted acoustic cooperative MIMO networks. Monte Carlo simulations were performed, and the results validate the accuracy of the proposed model.
Effects of geography and life history traits on genetic differentiation in benthic marine fishes

Dispersal of planktonic larvae can create connections between geographically separated adult populations of benthic marine animals. How geographic context and life history traits affect these connections is largely unresolved. We use data from genetic studies (species level FST) of benthic teleost fishes combined with linear models to evaluate the importance of transitions between biogeographic regions, geographic distance, egg type (benthic or pelagic eggs), pelagic larval duration (PLD), and type of genetic marker as factors affecting differentiation within species. We find that transitions between biogeographic regions and egg type are significant and consistent contributors to population genetic structure, whereas PLD does not significantly explain population structure. Total study distance frequently contributes to significant interaction terms, particularly in association with genetic markers, whereby FST increases with study distance for studies employing mtDNA sequences, but allozyme and microsatellite studies show no increase in FST with study distance. These results highlight the importance of spatial context (biogeography and geographic distance) in affecting genetic differentiation and imply that there are inherent differences in dispersal ability associated with egg type. We also find that the geographic distance over which the maximum pairwise FST between populations occurs (relative to total study distance) is highly variable and can be observed at any scale. This result is consistent with stochastic processes inflating genetic differentiation and/or insufficient consideration of geographic and biological factors relevant to connectivity.
RRR-α--Tocopheryl Succinate Induction of DNA Synthesis Arrest of Human MDA-MB-435 Cells Involves TGF-β--Independent Activation of p21Waf1/Cip1

RRR-α-tocopheryl succinate (vitamin E succinate, VES), a derivative of vitamin E, is a potent antitumor agent. Cellular events involved in VES-induced DNA synthesis arrest of human MDA-MB-435 breast cancer cells were studied. VES induces a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of DNA synthesis and a G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. VES induces expression of p21Waf1/Cip1 mRNA and protein, and antisense oligomers to p21 block VES-induced growth arrest. Evidence suggesting that VES modulates p21 expression in a transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β)-independent fashion includes failure of TGF-β-neutralizing antibodies to block VES-induced DNA synthesis arrest or VES activation of a p21 promoter-regulated reporter gene; VES is not capable of inducing the translocation of green fluorescent protein-Smad2 into the nucleus and is not capable of stimulating a TGF-β-dependent reporter gene, and VES induces growth inhibition and upregulates p21 mRNA levels in TGF-β receptor-defective cells.
The Association of Smoking Exposure at Home with Attempts to Quit Smoking and Cessation Success: A Survey of South Korean Adolescents Who Smoke

This study aimed to examine the association of smoking exposure at home with attempts to quit smoking and the success or failure of such attempts among South Korean adolescents. We utilized the data of 28,652 South Korean adolescents who smoked from the 2015–2017 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, including demographic variables (age, sex, and family structure), socioeconomic variables (allowance per week, household income level, and grade), and health-related characteristics (alcohol consumption, intensity of physical activity, stress level, self-reported health status, attendance in smoking cessation programs, and smoking onset). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that attempting to quit smoking was less likely among those exposed to smoking at home every day compared to those without such exposure (boys exposed to smoking every day: OR = 0.52, CI = 0.45–0.60; girls exposed to smoking every day: OR = 0.48, CI = 0.38–0.61); cessation success showed similar results (boys exposed to smoking every day: OR = 0.51, CI = 0.46–0.58; girls exposed to smoking every day: OR = 0.56, CI = 0.47–0.66). These findings highlight the impacts of smoking exposure at home and the importance of considering this exposure when supporting adolescents to quit.
Pepino mosaic virus, a new potexvirus from pepino (Solanum muricatum)

SUMMARY Pepino mosaic virus (PepMV), a previously undescribed virus, was found in fields of pepino (Solanum muricatum) in the Canete valley in coastal Peru. PepMV was transmitted by inoculation of sap to 32 species from three families out of 47 species from nine families tested. It caused a yellow mosaic in young leaves of pepino and either a mild mosaic or symptomless infection in 12 wild potato species, five potato cultivars and potato clone USDA 41956 but S. stoloniferum and potato cultivars Merpata and Revolucion reacted with severe systemic necrotic symptoms. The virus was transmitted by plant contact but not by Myzus persicae. It was best propagated and assayed in Nicotiana glutinosa. Sap from infected N. glutinosa was infective after dilution to 10-1 but not 10-6, after 10 min at 65°C but not 70°C and after 3 months at 20°C. PepMV had filamentous particles with a normal length of 508 nm; the ends of some seemed damaged. Ultra-thin sections of infected leaves of N. glutinosa revealed many inclusions containing arrays of virus-like particles some of which were banded or whorled; small aggregates of virus-like particles were also common. The virus was purified by extracting sap from infected leaves in a solution containing 0·065 M disodium tetraborate, 0·435 M boric acid, 0·2% ascorbic acid and 0·2% sodium sulphite at pH 7·8, adding silver nitrate solution to the extract, and precipitating the virus with polyethylene glycol followed by two cycles of differential centrifugation. Particles of PepMV normally yielded two proteins with molecular weights of 26 600 and 23 200, but virus obtained from infective sap aged overnight yielded only the smaller protein suggesting that it was a product of degradation of the larger one. The virus is serologically related to two potexviruses, narcissus mosaic and cactus X and its properties are typical of the potexvirus group.
Effects of Polypeptide YY3–36 upon Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Hormone and Gonadotropin Secretion in Prepubertal Rats: In Vivo and in Vitro Studies

Polypeptide YY3–36 (PYY3–36) is a gastrointestinal secreted molecule, agonist of neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor subtypes Y2 and Y5, recently involved in the control of food intake. Notably, several factors with key roles in energy homeostasis conduct pleiotropic effects upon the reproductive axis. However, whether PYY3–36 is provided with similar biological actions remains so far largely unexplored. To address this issue, expression analyses of neuropeptide Y receptor Y2 and Y5 genes were conducted at the pituitary and the hypothalamus, and functional studies testing the effects of PYY3–36 in vivo and in vitro were implemented, using the prepubertal rat as a model. Expression of the genes encoding Y2 and Y5 receptors was demonstrated, albeit at low levels, in whole hypothalamic and pituitary samples, and challenge of pituitary tissue with increasing doses of PYY3–36 elicited LH and FSH secretion in male and female rats, a response that was persistently observed in the absence of extracellular calcium. More.
The impact of COVID-19 and strategies for mitigation and suppression in low- and middle-income countries

Global prospects for COVID-19 control Lower-income countries have recognized the potential impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) from observing ongoing epidemics. Many have intervened quickly and early with measures to slow viral transmission, which may partly explain the low rates observed so far in these countries. Walker et al. calibrated a global model with country-specific data (see the Perspective by Metcalf et al.). Despite the potentially protective effects of younger demographics, the closer intergenerational contact, limitations on health care facilities, and frequency of comorbidities in lower-income countries require sustained nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) to avoid overwhelming health care capacity. As a result of strict NPIs, the protective effects of immunity will be reduced, and it will be important to improve testing capacity. Ensuring equitable provision of oxygen and—when they are ready—pharmaceutical interventions should be a global priority. Science, this issue p. 413; see also p. 368 Modeling reveals differences in the unfolding COVID-19 epidemics and responses to their control among countries with different income levels. The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic poses a severe threat to public health worldwide. We combine data on demography, contact patterns, disease severity, and health care capacity and quality to understand its impact and inform strategies for its control. Younger populations in lower-income countries may reduce overall risk, but limited health system capacity coupled with closer intergenerational contact largely negates this benefit. Mitigation strategies that slow but do not interrupt transmission will still lead to COVID-19 epidemics rapidly overwhelming health systems, with substantial excess deaths in lower-income countries resulting from the poorer health care available. Of countries that have undertaken suppression to date, lower-income countries have acted earlier. However, this will need to be maintained or triggered more frequently in these settings to keep below available health capacity, with associated detrimental consequences for the wider health, well-being, and economies of these countries.
Physical Rehabilitation Needs in the BRICS Nations from 1990 to 2017: Cross-National Analyses Using Data from the Global Burden of Disease Study

Background: This study analyzes the current and evolving physical rehabilitation needs of BRICS nations (Brazil, Russian Federation, India, China, South Africa), a coalition of large emergent economies increasingly important for global health. Methods: Secondary, cross-national analyses of data on Years Lived with Disability (YLDs) were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Total physical rehabilitation needs, and those stratified per major condition groups are analyzed for the year 2017 (current needs), and for every year since 1990 (evolution over time). ANOVAs are used to detect significant yearly changes. Results: Total physical rehabilitation needs have increased significantly from 1990 to 2017 in each of the BRICS nations, in every metric analyzed (YLD Counts, YLDs per 100,000 people, and percentage of YLDs relevant to physical rehabilitation; all p < 0.01). Musculoskeletal & pain conditions were leading cause of physical rehabilitation needs across the BRICS nations but to varying degrees: from 36% in South Africa to 60% in Brazil. Country-specific trends include: 25% of South African needs were from HIV-related conditions (no other BRICS nation had more than 1%); India had both absolute and relative growths of pediatric rehabilitation needs (p < 0.01); China had an exponential growth in the per-capita needs from neurological and neoplastic conditions (p < 0.01; r2 = 0.97); Brazil had a both absolute and relative growth of needs coming from musculoskeletal & pain conditions (p < 0.01); and the Russian Federation had the highest neurological rehabilitation needs per capita in 2017 (over than three times those of India, South Africa or Brazil). Conclusions: total physical rehabilitation needs have been increasing in each of the BRICS nations, both in absolute and relative values. Apart from the common growing trend, each of the BRICS nations had own patterns for the amount, typology, and evolution of their physical rehabilitation needs, which must be taken into account while planning for health and physical rehabilitation programs, policies and resources.