Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiovascular impact of COVID-19: an array of presentations

The novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) dominantly infects the lungs, causing interstitial pneumonitis and severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) however the cardiovascular implications of the infection are particularly significant, especially in their contribution to disease morbidity and mortality. SARS-CoV-2 enters the cardiovascular system by binding to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. The pathogenic cardiovascular mechanism of the virus involves systemic inflammation via a cytokine storm and direct myocardial injury. The most frequently reported cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 include acute myocardial injury, myocarditis, myocardial infarction, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmias, and venous thromboembolic events. Also, pre-existing cardiovascular disease in COVID-19 patients is a prime marker for attaining severe disease and is associated with high mortality rates. Lastly, the medications under investigation for COVID-19 may have their individual cardiovascular adverse effects. We hereby present a concise literature review that summarizes recent peer-reviewed and pre-print articles published on the cardiovascular implications of COVID-19. The information on the subject is being updated frequently therefore latest literature needs to be added in newly published reports for a better understanding of the topic. (www.actabiomedica.it)
Remimazolam Tolerance in Long-term Benzodiazepine Users: A Case Report of 2 Cases.

A 60-year-old woman with a 5-year history of anxiolytic use, a diazepam-equivalent daily dose of 15 mg, was scheduled for esophageal stent removal. She was given remimazolam (0.5 mg/kg) but remained fully alert. She only lost consciousness with propofol (40 mg). A 61-year-old man with a 1-year history of anxiolytic use, diazepam-equivalent daily dose of 20 mg, was scheduled for hand tumor resection. He was given remimazolam (0.3 mg/kg) but remained fully alert. He only lost consciousness after desflurane inhalation. In a patient with a history of long-term benzodiazepine use, anesthetic or sedative agents aside from remimazolam should be considered.
The effects of S-nitrosylation-induced PPARγ/SFRP5 pathway inhibition on the conversion of non-alcoholic fatty liver to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis

Background Peroxisome proliferators-activated receptors γ (PPARγ) and secreted frizzled related protein 5 (SFRP5) are abnormally expressed in liver cells. But their role in the transformation of non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL) to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) remains to be studied. We aimed to explore the role of S-nitrosylation (SNO) in the conversion of NAFL to NASH via the peroxisome PPARγ/SFRP5 pathway. Methods A normal diet and methionine-choline deficient diet were used to construct the NAFL and NASH mouse models, respectively. The differences between the SNO of PPARγ in both models were measured by irreversible biotinylation. Quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting were used to detect the effect of SNO on the expression of PPARγ messageRNA (mRNA) and protein in L02 hepatocytes. Nubiscan software, luciferase reporter gene, and chromatin immunoprecipitation assay (CHIP) were used to verify the targeting relationship between PPAR and SFRP5. The expression of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6), which are indicators for the activation of Kupffer cells, were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after co-cultivation of L02 hepatocytes and Kupffer macrophages, as well as the exogenous regulation of SNO, PPARγ, and SFRP5 in hepatic L02 cells. Results The NAFL and NASH mouse models were successfully constructed, and the level of PPARγ SNO in the NAFL model was significantly lower than the NASH model (P<0.05). The level of PPARγ was significantly downregulated after increasing the SNO of L02 cells, respectively (P<0.05). Nubiscan software and CHIP confirmed that PPARγ could bind to the promoter region of SFRP5 (P<0.05). Overexpression of PPARγ and SFRP5 could significantly downregulate the expression of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6 (P<0.05) correspondingly, while increasing the SNO level of L02 cells could restore the expression levels of TNFα, IL-1β, and IL-6. Conclusions SNO promoted the activation of macrophage Kupffer cells by inhibiting the PPARγ/SFRP5 pathway in L02 hepatocytes, thereby promoting the conversion of NAFL into NASH.
Evaluation of preoperative corneal astigmatism using swept-source optical biometry in Chinese cataract surgery candidates with high myopia: a prospective, comparative observational study

Background High myopia and cataracts are major causes of blindness in East and Southeast Asia. Corneal astigmatism is a major contributor to uncorrected poor vision after cataract surgery in patients with high myopia. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the demographic characteristics and distribution of preoperative corneal astigmatism in Chinese cataract surgery candidates with high myopia. Methods Swept-source optical coherence tomography-based optical biometry was performed preoperatively in consecutive cataract surgery candidates who were classified by axial length (AL) into a high myopia group (defined as AL ≥26.0 mm) and a control group (normal ALs). The demographics, ALs, and keratometry values were recorded. Results Among 15,063 cataract surgery candidates (15,063 eyes), 1,921 patients (12.8%, 1,921 eyes) in the high myopia group and 11,880 patients (11,880 eyes) in the control group were enrolled. In the high myopia group, the mean age was 59.8±12.6 (standard deviation) years, which was younger than that in the control group (69.1±11.0 years, P<0.001). In the high myopia group, the mean corneal astigmatism was 1.20±0.83 dioptre (D), which was greater than that in the control group (0.93±0.69 D, P<0.001). In the high myopia group, 82.2% had corneal astigmatism ≥0.50 D, 51.4% ≥1.00 D, 27.4% ≥1.50 D and 14.4% ≥2.00 D, all of which were higher than the respective proportions in the control group (P<0.001 for all). In the high myopia group, 66.8% had moderate to high corneal astigmatism, and 42.8% had “with-the-rule” astigmatism, and both of these proportions were higher than the respective proportions in the control group (P<0.001 for both). In the high myopia group, corneal astigmatism tended to increase with increasing age (r =0.134, P<0.001) after the age of 50, which was consistent with the tendency in the control group. Conclusions A significant burden of preoperative corneal astigmatism was observed in Chinese cataract surgery candidates with high myopia. Moderate to high corneal astigmatism was more common in highly myopic eyes than in normal AL eyes.
CD109-GP130 interaction drives glioblastoma stem cell plasticity and chemoresistance through STAT3 activity

Glioma stem cells (GSCs) drive propagation and therapeutic resistance of glioblastomas, the most aggressive diffuse brain tumors. However, the molecular mechanisms that maintain the stemness and promote therapy resistance remain poorly understood. Here we report CD109/STAT3 axis as crucial for the maintenance of stemness and tumorigenicity of GSCs and as a mediator of chemoresistance. Mechanistically, CD109 physically interacts with glycoprotein 130 to promote activation of the IL-6/STAT3 pathway in GSCs. Genetic depletion of CD109 abolished the stemness and self-renewal of GSCs and impaired tumorigenicity. Loss of stemness was accompanied with a phenotypic shift of GSCs to more differentiated astrocytic-like cells. Importantly, genetic or pharmacologic targeting of CD109/STAT3 axis sensitized the GSCs to chemotherapy, suggesting that targeting CD109/STAT3 axis has potential to overcome therapy resistance in glioblastoma.
Predictors of 30-day readmission and hospitalization costs of patients with hepatic encephalopathy in the US from 2010 to 2014

ABSTRACT Background Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a complex and reversible neuropsychiatric syndrome that is associated with growing, substantial healthcare resource utilization. We aim to examine the predictors of 30-day readmission and hospitalization cost associated with HE. Research design and methods We conducted a cross-sectional study using the Nationwide Readmissions Database from 2010 to 2014. We assessed the readmission rates using multivariate logistic regression and established temporal trends of readmission rates and hospitalization cost. Weighted hierarchical logistic regression and generalized linear mixed models were used to identify predictors for nationally representative readmissions and hospitalization costs, respectively. Results The number of index hospitalizations with HE increased with a significant trend from 34,967 in 2010 to 44,791 in 2014. 16.8% of patients were readmitted within 30 days. Predictors increasing readmission risk included female sex, Elixhauser readmission score < 25, elective admission, patient’s state residential status, privately insured, number of diagnoses >13, and length of stay >4 days. Conclusions Our results indicate there is a need to implement better management strategies to improve outcomes in patients hospitalized with HE to curb the increase in the economic burden associated with the disease.
Accelerated Evolution of Tissue-Specific Genes Mediates Divergence Amidst Gene Flow in European Green Lizards

Abstract The European green lizards of the Lacerta viridis complex consist of two closely related species, L. viridis and Lacerta bilineata that split less than 7 million years ago in the presence of gene flow. Recently, a third lineage, referred to as the “Adriatic” was described within the L. viridis complex distributed from Slovenia to Greece. However, whether gene flow between the Adriatic lineage and L. viridis or L. bilineata has occurred and the evolutionary processes involved in their diversification are currently unknown. We hypothesized that divergence occurred in the presence of gene flow between multiple lineages and involved tissue-specific gene evolution. In this study, we sequenced the whole genome of an individual of the Adriatic lineage and tested for the presence of gene flow amongst L. viridis, L. bilineata, and Adriatic. Additionally, we sequenced transcriptomes from multiple tissues to understand tissue-specific effects. The species tree supports that the Adriatic lineage is a sister taxon to L. bilineata. We detected gene flow between the Adriatic lineage and L. viridis suggesting that the evolutionary history of the L. viridis complex is likely shaped by gene flow. Interestingly, we observed topological differences between the autosomal and Z-chromosome phylogenies with a few fast evolving genes on the Z-chromosome. Genes highly expressed in the ovaries and strongly co-expressed in the brain experienced accelerated evolution presumably contributing to establishing reproductive isolation in the L. viridis complex.
Tracking conflict and emotions with a computational qualitative discourse analytic support approach

Accurate inferences of the emotional state of conversation participants can be critical in shaping analysis and interpretation of conversational exchanges. In qualitative analyses of discourse, most labelling of the perceived emotional state of conversation participants is performed by hand, and is limited to selected moments where an analyst may believe that emotional information is valuable for interpretation. This reliance on manual labelling processes can have implications for repeatability and objectivity, both in terms of accuracy, but also in terms of changes in emotional state that might go unnoticed. In this paper we introduce a qualitative discourse analytic support method intended to support the labelling of emotional state of conversational participants over time. We demonstrate the utility of the technique using a suite of well-studied broadcast interviews, taking a particular focus on identifying instances of inter-speaker conflict. Our findings indicate that this two-step machine learning approach can help decode how moments of conflict arise, sustain, and are resolved through the mapping of emotion over time. We show how such a method can provide useful evidence of the change in emotional state by interlocutors which could be useful to prompt and support further in-depth study.
COVID-19 in transplant recipient children: An Iranian referral hospital-based study

To our knowledge, there is still very limited information on the severity, mortality, laboratory, and radiologic findings of COVID-19 infection in transplant patients, particularly children. In this study, we reported 7 transplant recipients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection. The median age was 7.5 years (IQR: 31month-10 years), and 71% of the patients were male. All cases presented with a fever. The median duration of fever before admission was 2 days (IQR:1-8 days). Five patients (71%) experienced cough and dyspnea. Lymphocytopenia (Median of 0.6 (IQR: 0.14-2.0 × 109 cells per L) and thrombocytopenia (Median of 65 (IQR: 49-201 × 109 cells per L) were the most common CBC findings (both seen in 5 out of the 7 patients. Among 4 of the patients who underwent CT scans, 2 had ground glass opacity and consolidations. The mean number of lobe involvement in our patients was 3 (0-5), and 75% of the cases showed bilateral lung involvement in the imaging. In 4 patients (51%) the disease course manifested severely, and 2 patients are now deceased (28.6%). In conclusion, immunocompromised pediatric subgroups may experience higher rates of disease severity and mortality in comparison with the immunocompetent pediatric population. (www.actabiomedica.it)
Inbreeding in a dioecious plant has sex- and population origin-specific effects on its interactions with pollinators

We study the effects of inbreeding in a dioecious plant on its interaction with pollinating insects and test whether the magnitude of such effects is shaped by plant individual sex and the evolutionary histories of plant populations. We recorded spatial, scent, colour, and rewarding flower traits as well as pollinator visitation rates in experimentally inbred and outbred, male and female Silene latifolia plants from European and North American populations differing in their evolutionary histories. We found that inbreeding specifically impairs spatial flower traits and floral scent. Our results support that sex-specific selection and gene expression may have partially magnified these inbreeding costs for females, and that divergent evolutionary histories altered the genetic architecture underlying inbreeding effects across population origins. Moreover, the results indicate that inbreeding effects on floral scent may have a huge potential to disrupt interactions among plants and nocturnal moth pollinators, which are mediated by elaborate chemical communication.
Convolutional Neural Network to Stratify the Malignancy Risk of Thyroid Nodules: Diagnostic Performance Compared with the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System Implemented by Experienced Radiologists

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Comparison of the diagnostic performance for thyroid cancer on ultrasound between a convolutional neural network and visual assessment by radiologists has been inconsistent. Thus, we aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the convolutional neural network compared with the American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer using ultrasound images. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2019 to September 2019, seven hundred sixty thyroid nodules (≥10 mm) in 757 patients were diagnosed as benign or malignant through fine-needle aspiration, core needle biopsy, or an operation. Experienced radiologists assessed the sonographic descriptors of the nodules, and 1 of 5 American College of Radiology TI-RADS categories was assigned. The convolutional neural network provided malignancy risk percentages for nodules based on sonographic images. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were calculated with cutoff values using the Youden index and compared between the convolutional neural network and the American College of Radiology TI-RADS. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were also compared. RESULTS: Of 760 nodules, 176 (23.2%) were malignant. At an optimal threshold derived from the Youden index, sensitivity and negative predictive values were higher with the convolutional neural network than with the American College of Radiology TI-RADS (81.8% versus 73.9%, P = .009; 94.0% versus 92.2%, P = .046). Specificity, accuracy, and positive predictive values were lower with the convolutional neural network than with the American College of Radiology TI-RADS (86.1% versus 93.7%, P < .001; 85.1% versus 89.1%, P = .003; and 64.0% versus 77.8%, P < .001). The area under the curve of the convolutional neural network was higher than that of the American College of Radiology TI-RADS (0.917 versus 0.891, P = .017). CONCLUSIONS: The convolutional neural network provided diagnostic performance comparable with that of the American College of Radiology TI-RADS categories assigned by experienced radiologists.
Selinexor for the treatment of patients with previously treated multiple myeloma

ABSTRACT Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is an increasingly treatable but still incurable hematologic malignancy. Prognosis has improved significantly over recent years, although further advances remain urgently needed, especially for patients with heavily pre-treated and resistant disease for whom there are limited options. Selinexor is a first-in-class, oral, selective inhibitor of nuclear export (SINE) compound that triggers apoptosis in malignant cells by inducing nuclear retention of oncogene messenger RNAs (mRNAs) and reactivation of tumor suppressor proteins (TSPs). In clinical studies of patients with relapsed and/or refractory MM, selinexor has demonstrated both manageable toxicity and encouraging efficacy. Areas covered This review will provide an overview of the mechanism of action of selinexor as well as the efficacy and safety data from clinical studies using selinexor for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Expert opinion Long-term outcomes for patients with MM will continue to improve due to numerous recent and imminent therapeutic advances, although critical areas of unmet need remain. Oral selinexor is likely to contribute to the meeting of these needs and the further advancement of MM therapy in a meaningful way.
A novel experimental approach to high temperature particle-particle interactions.

Interactions at elevated temperatures between solid particles occur in a wide range of industrial processes, for instance, in the filtering of hot gases, in the drying of pharmaceutical granules, in the curing of ceramics, in the combustion of solid fuels and regeneration of nuclear waste. Often these interactions can cause major problems in the operation of such processes. For example, it is well established that the fluidisation behaviour of certain powders is significantly affected by the presence of strong interparticle forces that, in turn, are the cause of both agglomerate formation and possible operative problems within the reactor. On the other hand, not much is known about the mechanisms of agglomeration, other than that it is mainly due to interfacial phenomena. High temperature adhesion forces arise from the formation of material bridges, usually due to the particle surfaces changing phase through either chemical reaction or simply melting. Moreover, thin liquid layers of sticky material, which may be present on particle surfaces, such as during reactive coating or drying processes, may also enhance strong interparticle bonds leading to solidification. It is obvious that for the reliable operation of high-temperature processes a good under standing of the fundamental mechanisms of adhesion and cohesion between particles at elevated temperatures is required. Here, adhesion is meant as the force that holds the particles together, after which they exhibit cohesive behaviour. Unfortunately, the level of understanding has been hampered by the lack of techniques available to observe and measure such interactions. However, recent developments in microscopic analysis techniques now mean that high temperature particle interactions can be studied directly, which will lead to the development of new predictive models. The main aim of the work described in this thesis is to provide experimental evidence and justification of particle-particle interactions at high temperature and to deliver original insights of the underlying mechanisms, which play a fundamental role in particulate cohesion in relation to fluidisation process. In order to fulfill this goal, a novel device, termed a High Temperature Micro-Force Balance, has been designed and developed which combines force and direct observation measurements operated through an adapted micro manipulator technique. The flexibility of use for the HTMFB represents its strongest design advantage, permit ting experimental investigations over different types of particle interactions at a small scale (crystallization of liquid binders, reactive coating, sintering and composite materials interactions). Results reported in this work provide an original contribution towards academic and industrial understanding of the micro-scale mechanisms of agglomeration and material properties at different operative conditions.
ABSENCE OF BATRACHOCHYTRIUM SALAMANDRIVORANS IN A GLOBAL HOTSPOT FOR SALAMANDER BIODIVERSITY

Abstract: Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is an emerging fungal pathogen that affects salamander and newt populations in Asia and Europe. In the Western Hemisphere, Bsal represents a major threat to endemic amphibian populations, which have not evolved resistance to infection, and which could experience local extinction events such as those observed in European fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra). We report findings of a survey focusing specifically on wild lungless salamanders in the southeastern US, the most biodiverse location for salamander species globally. Between May 2016 and July 2018, we conducted 25 surveys at 10 sites across three ecoregions in Tennessee, US. Using quantitative (q)PCR, we screened water samples and skin swabs from 137 salamanders in five plethodontid genera. Although single replicates of six samples amplified during qPCR cycling, no samples could be confirmed as positive for the presence of Bsal with 28S rRNA PCR and independent laboratory screening. It is probable that we found false positive results, as reported by other researchers using the same assay. We offer recommendations for future monitoring efforts.