Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioluminescent backlighting illuminates the complex visual signals of a social squid in the deep sea

Significance Visually cued animals that inhabit the deep sea must signal to one another in order to facilitate group behaviors, yet the capacity and mechanisms for information transfer in such a dimly lit habitat are largely uninvestigated. By examining in situ behavioral footage of the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, we demonstrate the potential for a deep-living social animal to visually convey and receive large quantities of information by combining complex pigmentation patterning with whole-body luminescence. Our findings reveal a capability for information sharing comparable to advanced forms of animal communication known from well-lit habitats. This may have important implications for ecosystem processes, as information sharing between abundant predators is involved in energy and nutrient transfer throughout the world’s oceans. Visual signals rapidly relay information, facilitating behaviors and ecological interactions that shape ecosystems. However, most known signaling systems can be restricted by low light levels—a pervasive condition in the deep ocean, the largest inhabitable space on the planet. Resident visually cued animals have therefore been hypothesized to have simple signals with limited information-carrying capacity. We used cameras mounted on remotely operated vehicles to study the behavior of the Humboldt squid, Dosidicus gigas, in its natural deep-sea habitat. We show that specific pigmentation patterns from its diverse repertoire are selectively displayed during foraging and in social scenarios, and we investigate how these behaviors may be used syntactically for communication. We additionally identify the probable mechanism by which D. gigas, and related squids, illuminate these patterns to create visual signals that can be readily perceived in the deep, dark ocean. Numerous small subcutaneous (s.c.) photophores (bioluminescent organs) embedded throughout the muscle tissue make the entire body glow, thereby backlighting the pigmentation patterns. Equipped with a mechanism by which complex information can be rapidly relayed through a visual pathway under low-light conditions, our data suggest that the visual signals displayed by D. gigas could share design features with advanced forms of animal communication. Visual signaling by deep-living cephalopods will likely be critical in understanding how, and how much, information can be shared in one of the planet’s most challenging environments for visual communication.
Relationship of brain-derived neurotrophic factor, malondialdehyde, and 8-Hydroxy 2-Deoxyguanosine with post-ischemic stroke depression

ABSTRACT A few studies have shown that serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level in post-stroke depression is highly correlated with memory and neuropsychiatric disturbances. Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the relationship of serum BDNF, malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-Hydroxy 2-Deoxyguanosine (8-OhdG) levels in acute stroke cases with one-month post-stroke depression. Methods: An observational study was conducted of 72 post-ischemic stroke patients in the Neurology ward of the Dr. M. Djamil Hospital, Padang, West Sumatra, Indonesia. Acute stroke (< 48 hours) serum BDNF, MDA, and 8-OhdG levels were measured using ELISA. Based on observations using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale conducted one month after stroke, respondents were divided into two groups: with and without depression. The mean serum level was analyzed using the t-test and Mann-Whitney test, while differences in basic characteristics were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Multivariate analysis was conducted to determine the most significant factor associated with post-stroke depression. The error rate was set at 5%. Results: BDNF levels in acute stroke were significantly lower in the depression group than in the non-depression group (p < 0.05). MDA and 8-OhdG levels in acute stroke were higher in the depression group (p < 0.05). BDNF level during acute stroke was negatively correlated with post-stroke depression, while, conversely, acute stroke MDA and 8-OhdG levels were positively correlated with depression. Conclusion: BDNF had a negative correlation, while MDA and 8-OhdG had a positive correlation, with depression one-month post-stroke. 8-OhdG was the most influential factor in post-stroke depression.
Oligometastatic and Oligoprogression Disease and Local Therapies in Prostate Cancer

Abstract Our understanding of metastatic disease is rapidly advancing, with recent evidence supporting an oligometastatic state currently defined by patients having a limited (typically ≤5) number of metastatic deposits. The optimal management of these patients is also shifting toward increased integration of local therapies, with emerging evidence suggesting metastasis-directed therapy can improve overall survival. Additionally, the use of stereotactic ablative radiation therapy within castration-sensitive oligometastatic prostate cancer cohorts appears to forestall the need to initiate systemic therapy, which has unfavorable side effect profiles, such as androgen deprivation therapy, while itself being associated with little toxicity. We review the literature surrounding the use of metastasis-directed therapy in the treatment of oligometastatic prostate cancer by reviewing the evidence for its use within 3 subgroups: de novo synchronous, oligorecurrent, and oligoprogressive disease.
Correlation and Agreement Between Water Drinking Test and Modified Diurnal Tension Curve in Untreated Glaucoma Patients in Nigeria

Purpose: To determine the correlation and agreement between intraocular pressure (IOP) parameters evaluated by the modified diurnal tension curve (mDTC) and the water drinking test (WDT) in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) in an indigenous African population. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective, interventional, comparative study of 50 newly diagnosed, previously untreated primary open-angle glaucoma patients at the out-patient clinic of the Eleta Eye Institute, Ibadan. A series of IOP measurements were taken 2 hourly (from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm) for the mDTC, using Goldmann applanation tonometer. The WDT was performed thereafter. The patients drank 800 mL of water within 5 minutes, and another series of IOP measurements were taken every 15 minutes for a duration of 1 hour from the moment water was fully ingested. Both the mDTC and the WDT were performed on the same day. IOP peak, mean, and IOP fluctuations were estimated from the data collected. Comparison between the mDTC and the WDT was performed using the paired Student T test for means, Pearson correlation analysis for correlation, and Bland-Altman analysis for agreement. Results: Estimated IOP parameters were significantly higher for the WDT than for the mDTC. The average peak IOP was 27.8±4.0 mm Hg during the WDT and 24.9±3.1 mm Hg during the mDTC (P<0.001). The average mean IOP was 25.8±3.6 mm Hg during the WDT and 22.3±2.4 mm Hg during the mDTC (P<0.001). The average IOP fluctuation was higher (6.6±2.9 mm Hg) during the WDT compared with 4.7±2.0 mm Hg during the mDTC. The mean and peak IOPs were strongly correlated between the mDTC (r=0.729, P<0.001) and the WDT (r=0.658, P<0.001). IOP fluctuation, however, showed weak correlation between the mDTC and the WDT (r=0.258, P=0.709). Conclusions: There is a strong positive correlation between IOP parameters (peak and mean IOP) estimated from the WDT and the mDTC. The peak and mean IOP can be estimated from the WDT, which is quicker, compared with the mDTC. This is more relevant in low resource settings with limited personnel, time, and resource constraints. In addition, higher IOP values were obtained from the WDT compared with the mDTC, and therefore could serve as a useful practical way to determine target peak in order to optimize IOP control in glaucoma patients.
Great mimickers: Tumor-like lesions of uterine corpus

Objective: The objective of the study was to evaluate the relative occurrence of uterine corpus tumor-like lesions and to establish a clinicopathological correlation. Methods: A 5-year study was conducted on histopathologically diagnosed cases of tumor-like lesions of the uterine corpus. The lesions were classified according to the recent World Health Organization classification. Relevant clinical findings and histomorphologic details were noted and analyzed. Results: A total of 85 cases of tumor-like lesions were included in the study. Multiparous women (88.2%) were most commonly affected and endometrial polyp (89.4%) was the most common lesion. Endometrial polyp showed a definite predilection during the 3rd and 4th decades of life (56.6%) whereas Arias-Stella reaction was seen in pregnant women and squamous metaplasia was seen in peri and postmenopausal women. Patients with endometrial polyp presented mostly with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) (32%) and Arias-Stella reaction with HMB. Two cases of squamous metaplasia one presented with HMB and pain in the abdomen. Most of the endometrial polyps were single (90.8%) and sessile (68.4%), hyperplastic type (56.6%) and the adjacent endometrium were mostly atrophic (42.1%) or in proliferative phase (34.2%). The mean age in years of premenopausal women was 39.34 ± 5.01 and postmenopausal women were 62.66 ± 7.26. The mean size of the polyp, parity, number of polyps and association with leiomyoma was not significantly different between premenopausal and postmenopausal women. Adenomyosis was seen in 11 cases of the endometrial polyp. Conclusions: Although tumor-like lesions of the uterine corpus as the name suggests tend to mimic the tumors, certain clinical and histopathological features can help in making the accurate diagnosis and thus avoid unnecessary radical surgeries.
Comparison of anti-Vi IgG responses between two clinical studies of typhoid Vi conjugate vaccines (Vi-DT vs Vi-TT)

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) is a causative agent for typhoid fever and especially critical in developing countries. Although clinical studies for various typhoid conjugate vaccines (TCVs) have been performed, there are no comparative data on the immune responses of vaccines due to lack of harmonization of the serological assay. Recently, Typbar-TCV (Vi-TT) was prequalified by WHO and recommended for vaccination in endemic areas. Forty-eight serum samples were selected from a recent Vi-DT phase 1 study based on age cohort and anti-Vi IgG levels using an in-house ELISA. Anti-Vi IgG titers of 48 sera were also determined by Vacczyme ELISA, used in a Vi-TT phase 3 trial. A good correlation between the two assays was observed when the anti-Vi IgG titer was determined using Vacczyme ELISA based on the Vi-IgGR1,2011, U.S. reference reagent (Pearson correlation coefficient (r) = 0.991, P < 0.001) or Vacczyme ELISA calibrator (r = 0.991, P < 0.001). Based on the correlation, multiple linear regression model was developed to convert data of 281 sera (prior to vaccination and 28 days post first-dose) in the Vi-DT phase 1 study from in-house ELISA titers to Vacczyme ELISA values and then, compared with the Vi-TT results. Similar estimates of anti-Vi IgG GMT were observed after vaccination with the Vi-DT and Vi-TT vaccines [1626 EU/ml (95% CI: 1292–2047) vs 1293 EU/ml (95% CI: 1153–1449), respectively]. The method used here can be implemented to estimate and compare anti-Vi IgG levels between different clinical studies of TCVs. This approach enables comparison of the antibody responses among TCVs under development and may help facilitate licensing of new TCVs.
Relationships among Self-Care Competency, Presence of Depressive Symptom, and Health-Related Quality of Life of Korean Stroke Patients

This study was to examine the self-care competency, the presence of depressive symptom, and health-related quality of life and to evaluate the correlation of these measures among 146 stroke patients in South Korea. The analyses showed that mean score of self-care competency indicates a slightly lower level of self-care competency. There showed lower levels of self-care competency in patients with no occupation, hemorrhage or infarction stroke type, both attack area and with risk-factors or other diseases such as hypertension and/or diabetes. Self-care competency had a significant, negative relation with presence of depressive symptom, while self-care competency had a significant, positive relation with health-related quality of life. In the nursing practice, nurses need to pay attention self-care competency and the related factors for better qualitive care of stroke patients. Concrete interventions and strategies to improve the self-care competency of stroke patients are needed.
Multiple and Complete Stability of Recurrent Neural Networks With Sinusoidal Activation Function

This article presents new theoretical results on multistability and complete stability of recurrent neural networks with a sinusoidal activation function. Sufficient criteria are provided for ascertaining the stability of recurrent neural networks with various numbers of equilibria, such as a unique equilibrium, finite, and countably infinite numbers of equilibria. Multiple exponential stability criteria of equilibria are derived, and the attraction basins of equilibria are estimated. Furthermore, criteria for complete stability and instability of equilibria are derived for recurrent neural networks without time delay. In contrast to the existing stability results with a finite number of equilibria, the new criteria, herein, are applicable for both finite and countably infinite numbers of equilibria. Two illustrative examples with finite and countably infinite numbers of equilibria are elaborated to substantiate the results.
Dietary recommendations for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a disease of the immune system, in which it produces antibody anti-thyroid peroxidase and antithyroglobulin. It causes disappearance of thyroid follicular cells and leads to hypothyroidism. Reaserch shows that nutritional factors are very important in development of this disease. The article covers the nutrition of the patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. A complete protein (e.g., meat, fish) is very important component of the diet, because it builds amino acids, which are used in synthesis of thyroid hormones. Furthermore, meat is the source of vitamins and minerals. The main source of carbohydrates should be whole grain products, because they contain a lot of vitamins, minerals and fibers, which can prevent constipation. Very important in the diet of patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism are also n-3 fatty acids – because of their anti-inflammantory effect. Saturated fatty acids should be limited. Another significant components of the diet are: vitamin D because of its pleiotropic function, iodine (safe dosage – overdose and deficiency can be harmful) and selen, which is a building element of many enzymes. The elimination diets – especially gluten and lactose free diets – and their appropriateness has been discussed. Volatile products play an important role in pathogenesis of thyroid diseases, especially in iodine deficiency.
Housing and child health in sub-Saharan Africa: A cross-sectional analysis

Background Housing is essential to human well-being but neglected in global health. Today, housing in Africa is rapidly improving alongside economic development, creating an urgent need to understand how these changes can benefit health. We hypothesised that improved housing is associated with better health in children living in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of housing conditions relative to a range of child health outcomes in SSA. Methods and findings Cross-sectional data were analysed for 824,694 children surveyed in 54 Demographic and Health Surveys, 21 Malaria Indicator Surveys, and two AIDS Indicator Surveys conducted in 33 countries between 2001 and 2017 that measured malaria infection by microscopy or rapid diagnostic test (RDT), diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections (ARIs), stunting, wasting, underweight, or anaemia in children aged 0–5 years. The mean age of children was 2.5 years, and 49.7% were female. Housing was categorised into a binary variable based on a United Nations definition comparing improved housing (with improved drinking water, improved sanitation, sufficient living area, and finished building materials) versus unimproved housing (all other houses). Associations between house type and child health outcomes were determined using conditional logistic regression within surveys, adjusting for prespecified covariables including age, sex, household wealth, insecticide-treated bed net use, and vaccination status. Individual survey odds ratios (ORs) were pooled using random-effects meta-analysis. Across surveys, improved housing was associated with 8%–18% lower odds of all outcomes except ARI (malaria infection by microscopy: adjusted OR [aOR] 0.88, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 0.80–0.97, p = 0.01; malaria infection by RDT: aOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.77–0.88, p < 0.001; diarrhoea: aOR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88–0.97, p = 0.001; ARI: aOR 0.96, 95% CI 0.87–1.07, p = 0.49; stunting: aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.77–0.88, p < 0.001; wasting: aOR 0.90, 95% CI 0.83–0.99, p = 0.03; underweight: aOR 0.85, 95% CI 0.80–0.90, p < 0.001; any anaemia: aOR 0.87, 95% CI 0.82–0.92, p < 0.001; severe anaemia: aOR 0.89, 95% CI 0.84–0.95, p < 0.001). In comparison, insecticide-treated net use was associated with 16%–17% lower odds of malaria infection (microscopy: aOR 0.83, 95% CI 0.78–0.88, p < 0.001; RDT: aOR 0.84, 95% CI 0.79–0.88, p < 0.001). Drinking water source and sanitation facility alone were not associated with diarrhoea. The main study limitations are the use of self-reported diarrhoea and ARI, as well as potential residual confounding by socioeconomic position, despite adjustments for household wealth and education. Conclusions In this study, we observed that poor housing, which includes inadequate drinking water and sanitation facility, is associated with health outcomes known to increase child mortality in SSA. Improvements to housing may be protective against a number of important childhood infectious diseases as well as poor growth outcomes, with major potential to improve children’s health and survival across SSA.
Is the Glass-Ceiling Higher Than We Think? Sex Disparity Trends in Physician Executive Positions and Academic Plastic Surgery.

INTRODUCTION Advanced levels of professorship and executive positions are considered markers of success in medical academia. Despite sex parity in medical school graduates, sex disparities within positions of power remain unequal. The purpose of this study was to analyze sex composition at different levels of leadership at multiple academic, highly ranked institutions. METHODS Hospital executives and academic plastic surgery faculty were identified through an internet-based search of all Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited plastic surgery integrated and independent residency training programs. Institutions from the U.S. News 2018-19 Top 20 Best Hospitals Honor Roll and Beckers Review 2018: 100 Great Hospitals in America were also included. Information on board of directors/trustees (BOD), administrators, and plastic surgery faculty with focus on title, sex, degree, specialty, and academic rank was collected from departmental and hospital websites. Duplicate institutions were excluded. RESULTS Data on chief executive officers (CEOs)/presidents (n = 275) and BOD members (n = 5347) from 153 medical institutions were analyzed. Physicians consisted of 40.7% (n = 112) of CEOs/presidents, of which 10.7% (n = 12) were surgeons, and 15.6% (n = 835) of the BOD membership. Female physicians in executive roles were disproportionally low, consisting of 5% (n = 14) of CEOs/presidents, reaching significance (P = 0.033). Sex representation within plastic surgery departments demonstrated similar trends. Women comprised 18.3% of the overall plastic surgery faculty (n = 1441). Significant differences between mean male and female plastic surgeons (8.2 vs 1.84, P = <0.001) were observed. In addition, female plastic surgeons represented only 26.3% of all assistant professors (P = <0.001), 18.75% of total associate professors (P = <0.001), and 7.8% of full professors (P = <0.001). CONCLUSIONS Although women are increasingly pursuing careers in medicine and surgery, the data suggest that there remains a paucity of female physicians in top leadership roles. At the departmental level, female plastic surgeons are also underrepresented. At the executive level, men make up over 88% of physician CEOs at the highest-ranked medical institutions. This study further highlights the need for the development of educational, mentorship, and career pathways to further improve female representation in positions of power within academia.
Cardioplegic storage solution: Is it the guardian of saphenous vein graft endothelium?

Despite their suboptimal long‐term patency, saphenous vein grafts are the most widely used conduits to achieve complete revascularization during coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). Although vein storage critically impairs endothelial integrity, contradictory data concerning optimal storage solutions exist. The aim of this study is to explore any in vitro impact of cardioplegic solutions and temperature on vein grafts endothelial integrity during their storage.
A Signaling Crosstalk between BMP9 and HGF/c-Met Regulates Mouse Adult Liver Progenitor Cell Survival

During chronic liver disease, hepatic progenitor cells (HPC, oval cells in rodents) become activated, proliferate, and differentiate into cholangiocytes and/or hepatocytes contributing to the final outcome of the regenerative process in a context-dependent fashion. Here, we analyze the crosstalk between the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling axis, key for liver regeneration, and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)9, a BMP family ligand that has emerged as a critical regulator of liver pathology. Our results show that HGF/c-Met signaling blocks BMP9-mediated apoptotic cell death, while it potentiates small mothers against decapentaplegic (SMAD)1 signaling triggered by BMP9 in oval cells. Interestingly, HGF-induced overactivation of SMAD1, -5, -8 requires the upregulation of TGF-β type receptor activin receptor-like kinase (ALK)1, and both ALK1 and SMAD1 are required for the counteracting effect of HGF on BMP9 apoptotic activity. On the other hand, we also prove that BMP9 triggers the activation of p38MAPK in oval cells, which drives BMP9-apoptotic cell death. Therefore, our data support a model in which BMP9 and HGF/c-Met signaling axes establish a signaling crosstalk via ALK1 that modulates the balance between the two pathways with opposing activities, SMAD1 (pro-survival) and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (p38MAPK; pro-apoptotic), which determines oval cell fate. These data help delineate the complex signaling network established during chronic liver injury and its impact on the oval cell regenerative response.