Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of NOD1, NOD2, PYDC1 and PYDC2 genes with Behcet’s disease susceptibility and clinical manifestations

ABSTRACT Purpose: Behçet’s disease (BD) is an autoinflammatory disease with clinical manifestations such as mucocutaneous, ocular, vascular, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal and central nervous system involvement. Features of innate and adaptive immunity and inflammasome pathways have been claimed in the pathogenesis of BD. We aimed to investigate the roles of NOD1, NOD2, PYDC1 and PYDC2 genes in the genetic predisposition of BD. Materials and Methods: Genetic variations of NOD1 (rs2075820 and rs2075818) and NOD2 (R334Q and R334W) genes were explored in 68 BD patients and 70 controls with PCR-RFLP (polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism) approach. PYDC1 and PYDC2 gene variants were investigated by Sanger sequencing. Results: The polymorphism of rs2075820 (NOD1 G/A) had a statistically significant difference between the BD and controls, AA genotype was 2.460-fold protective. When compared in terms of cardiovascular involvement in BD patients, AA genotype was increased the risk of cardiovascular involvement 4.286-fold. There was a significant difference between BD and controls in rs2075818 (NOD1 G/C) polymorphism and CC genotype increased the risk of BD by 3.780-fold. In terms of rs2075818 variants, there was a statistically significant difference between BD patients with ocular lesions, joints, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal involvement and controls. There was a significant difference between the patients with joint involvement and controls and the risk increased of 3.310-fold. Conclusion: The data shed new light on the association between polymorphisms of NOD1 gene and BD and clinicial manifestations. However, NOD2, PYDC1 and PYDC2 genes were not associated with BD in the Turkish population.
Different prognostic implications of hepatic metastasis according to front-line treatment in non-small cell lung cancer: a real-world retrospective study

Background Although liver metastasis occurs in approximately 15% of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with poor prognosis, its prognostic effect in patients who receive immunotherapy is unclear. This study aimed to verify the effects of liver metastasis on the prognosis of metastatic NSCLC patients according to their first-line treatment. Methods Patients who were initially diagnosed with stage 4 NSCLC from January 2015 to December 2019 were analyzed in this retrospective real-world data-based study. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of first-line chemotherapy they received: cytotoxic, targeted, and immunotherapy. Prognosis was then compared depending on the presence of liver metastasis in each treatment group. Results Among the 1,470 patients, 723 (49.2%) received cytotoxic chemotherapy, 678 (46.1%) received targeted therapy, and 69 (4.7%) received immunotherapy as their first-line chemotherapy. A total of 234 (15.9%) patients had liver metastasis at the initial diagnosis. The mean patient age was 63.7 years, and 59.1% were male. There was no difference in overall survival (OS) in the immunotherapy group in patients with or without liver metastasis (11.7 vs. 13.0 months, P=0.968); however, patients with liver metastasis had worse outcomes in the cytotoxic and targeted therapy groups compared to patients without liver metastasis. Furthermore, in patients with liver metastasis, the immunotherapy group had a longer OS than the cytotoxic chemotherapy group (11.7 vs. 4.4 months, P<0.001). Liver metastasis was associated with poor outcomes (hazard ratio of 1.438), as were age, male sex, bone, adrenal gland, or soft tissue metastasis, and three or more metastatic sites; however, lymph node, brain, collateral lung, and pleura metastasis did not affect prognosis. Conclusions Although liver metastasis was associated with poor outcomes, it did not affect prognosis in patients who received immunotherapy.
Human low-density lipoprotein receptor plays an important role in hepatitis B virus infection

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) chronically infects more than 240 million people worldwide, resulting in chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. HBV vaccine is effective to prevent new HBV infection but does not offer therapeutic benefit to hepatitis B patients. Neither are current antiviral drugs curative of chronic hepatitis B. A more thorough understanding of HBV infection and replication holds a great promise for identification of novel antiviral drugs and design of optimal strategies towards the ultimate elimination of chronic hepatitis B. Recently, we have developed a robust HBV cell culture system and discovered that human apolipoprotein E (apoE) is enriched on the HBV envelope and promotes HBV infection and production. In the present study, we have determined the role of the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) in HBV infection. A LDLR-blocking monoclonal antibody potently inhibited HBV infection in HepG2 cells expressing the sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide (NTCP) as well as in primary human hepatocytes. More importantly, small interfering RNAs (siRNAs)-mediated knockdown of LDLR expression and the CRISPR/Cas9-induced knockout of the LDLR gene markedly reduced HBV infection. A recombinant LDLR protein could block heparin-mediated apoE pulldown, suggesting that LDLR may act as an HBV cell attachment receptor via binding to the HBV-associated apoE. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that LDLR plays an important role in HBV infection probably by serving as a virus attachment receptor.
Performance tunability of field-effect transistors using MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloys

Ultra-thin channel materials with excellent tunability of their electronic properties are necessary for the scaling of electronic devices. Two-dimensional materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are ideal candidates for this due to their layered nature and great electrostatic control. Ternary alloys of these TMDs show composition-dependent electronic structure, promising excellent tunability of their properties. Here, we systematically compare molybdenum sulphoselenide (MoS2( 1−x )Se2x ) alloys, MoS1Se1 and MoS0.4Se1. 6. We observe variations in strain and carrier concentration with their composition. Using them, we demonstrate n-channel field-effect transistors (FETs) with SiO2 and high-k HfO2 as gate dielectrics, and show tunability in threshold voltage, subthreshold slope (SS), drain current, and mobility. MoS1Se1 shows better promise for low-power FETs with a minimum SS of 70 mV dec−1, whereas MoS0.4Se1. 6, with its higher mobility, is suitable for faster operations. Using HfO2 as gate dielectric, there is an order of magnitude reduction in interface traps and 2× improvement in mobility and drain current, compared to SiO2. In contrast to MoS2, the FETs on HfO2 also display enhancement-mode operation, making them better suited for CMOS applications.
Changes over 10 years in the retelling of the flashbulb memories of the attack of 11 September 2001

ABSTRACT A flashbulb memory is a highly detailed and vivid autobiographical memory for the circumstances in which one first learned of a surprising, consequential and emotionally arousing event. How retelling of different features of a flashbulb memory changes over time is not totally understood. Moreover, little is known about how the emotional feeling experienced by individuals when they learned about the event modulates these changes. In this study, we explored changes over time in American individuals’ retelling of their flashbulb memories of the terrorist attack of 11 September 2001. We conducted textual analysis of 824 testimonies collected from the same 206 individuals 1 week, 11, 25 and again 119 months after the attack. Results showed individuals were more likely to report temporal and emotional details in their retelling early after the event and spatial details in their long-term retelling. In addition, the intensity of emotions felt upon hearing the news about the attack influenced how individuals reported their flashbulb memories over time. Overall, this study provides further support for theories suggesting different rates of forgetting for different canonical features of emotional arousal events.
Extracorporeal shock wave therapy combined with engineered mesenchymal stem cells expressing stromal cell-derived factor-1 can improve erectile dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

Background For erectile dysfunction (ED) in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients who have poor response to drugs, extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) and engineered mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy have been studied as alternative treatment options. The objective of this study is to investigate whether ESWT in combination with stromal cell-derived factor-1 expressing engineered mesenchymal stem cell (SDF-1 eMSC) therapy can have synergistic effects on ED in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Methods Fifty 8-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups (N=10 per group): (I) Normal group, (II) DM ED, (III) DM ED + ESWT group, (IV) DM ED + SDF-1 eMSC group, and (V) DM ED + ESWT + SDF-1 eMSC group. Each groups were treated with bilateral injections of SDF-1 eMSC or ESWT following the experiment protocol for eight weeks. Results The ratio of ICP/MAP was distinctly higher in the DM ED + ESWT + SDF-1 eMSC group than that in the DM ED group. Concentration of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was elevated the highest in the DM ED + ESWT + SDF-1 eMSC group. Additionally, ESWT increased the intensity of SDF-1 expression in the corpus cavernosum. ESWT + SDF-1 eMSC treatment also induced neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and NO/cGMP expression in the corpus cavernosum. Furthermore, numbers of penile progenitor cells were increased in DM ED rats. Conclusions Combined treatment of ESWT with SDF-1 eMSC treatment is more effective than by a single therapy. It could be used as a potential and effective synergistic treatment for DM ED.
Both high and low pre-infection glucose levels associated with increased risk for severe COVID-19: New insights from a population-based study

Importance Patients with diabetes are known to be at increased risk for infections including severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) but the relationship between COVID-19 severity and specific pre-infection glucose levels is not known. Objective To assess the differential effects of pre-infection glucose levels on the risk for severe COVID-19 amongst patients with and without diabetes. Design Population based historical cohort study. Setting National state-mandated HMO. Patients All adult patients with a positive SARS-COV2 test between March-October 2020. Exposure Recent fasting blood glucose (FBG) and glycated hemoglobin (HBA1C), age, gender, body mass index (BMI) and diagnoses of diabetes, hypertension, ischemic heart disease. Outcome Risk for severe COVID-19, defined as resulting in ≥10 hospitalization days, ICU admission or death. Results 37,121 patients with a positive SARS-COV2 test were identified; 707 defined as severe (1.9%). Unadjusted risk factors for severe disease were age (OR = 1.1 for every year increase; 95% CI 1.09–1.11, p < 0.001), male gender (OR = 1.34, 95% CI 1.06–1.68, p = 0.012); BMI (OR = 1.02 for 1 kg/m2 increase, 95% CI 1.00–1.04, p = 0.025). Controlling for these factors, we found an association between pre-infection FBG and the risk of severe COVID-19, with a differential effect in patients with and without a diagnosis of diabetes. For patients without diabetes, elevated FBG in the pre-diabetes range (106–125 mg/dl) was associated with severe COVID-19 (OR 1.55 95% CI 1.04–2.26 p = 0.027). For patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, we found a J-shaped association between pre-infection glucose control and the risk for severe COVID-19 where the lowest risk for was for patients with FBG 106–125 mg/dl; the risk increased with higher pre-infection glucose levels but strikingly also for patients with a low pre-infection FBG (<100mg/dl) or HbA1C (<5.7%). Conclusions and relevance Elevated pre-infection blood glucose is a risk factor for severe COVID-19 even in non-diabetics. For patients with a diagnosis of diabetes both high as well as low pre-infection glucose levels are risk factors for severe COVID-19. Further research is required to assess whether these associations are causal, but we believe these findings can already have clinical implications for COVID-19 risk assessment and stratification.
Neuromuscular Training and Motor Control in Youth Athletes: A Meta-Analysis

Our purpose in this review was to determine the effects of bodyweight-only neuromuscular training (NMT) programs on motor control of movement among youth athletes. We searched three electronic databases (CrossRef, Google Scholar, and PubMed), using the following inclusion criteria for selecting research studies: (a) healthy male and female participants aged 8-18 years who were engaged in organized sports; (b) interventions up to 16-weeks duration; (c) incorporation of a control group; and (d) interventions that utilized only exercises using participants’ body mass. We calculated pooled estimates of effect sizes (standardized mean difference) for changes in motor control across nine studies (12 comparisons) using the inverse-variance random effects model for meta-analyses and 95% confidence intervals. Among the nine studies included in our meta-analysis, there was a moderate, significant effect in favor of neuromuscular training programs (0.79 [95% CI: 0.38, 1.20], Z = 3.76 [p = 0.0002]) on motor control. Heterogeneity was high and significant (I2 = 77% [p = 0.00001]). Moderator analyses for age and stature revealed NMT programs to be more effective in younger, shorter, and lighter individuals. We found larger effect sizes in males, and for programs >8 weeks in duration. We concluded that the older and heavier an individual is, the less effective bodyweight-only NMT programs became, particularly for female participants. These results reinforce the notion that exercise to enhance motor control should be emphasized during pre-adolescence.
Social Policy in Post-Reform China

There is no doubt that the economic reforms in China, introduced after the late 1970s, have generated tremendous economic success. The number of Chinese individuals living in poverty has dramatically declined over the last 30 years whilst per capita GDP growth increased from 4.1 to 8.5 percent annually in the period from 1978-2005 (Naughton, 2007). In the meanwhile, China has taken over Japan as the second largest economy in the world (The Guardian, 2011). However, the transformation from a socialist welfare state to a socialist market economy has not been without sacrifices. The ‘smashing of the iron rice bowl’ that accompanied the economic reforms has taken away many of the welfare securities that existed under the Maoist period (Hughes, 1998). Whereas previously citizens had relied on their Danwei or Commune for their healthcare, education, and housing, they are now dependent upon their income. Moreover, the economic reforms have dramatically increased inequality and social exclusion (Chan, Ngok, and Phillips, 2008). With a Gini-coefficient surpassing that of the United States, China has made the shift from being one of the most equal countries in the world to being one of the most inequal countries in the world (Naughton, 2007).
Formation of Buffer-Gas-Trap Based Positron Beams

Presented here are experimental measurements, analytic expressions, and simulation results for pulsed, magnetically guided positron beams formed using a Penning-Malmberg style buffer gas trap. In the relevant limit, particle motion can be separated into motion along the magnetic field and gyro-motion in the plane perpendicular to the field. Analytic expressions are developed which describe the evolution of the beam energy distributions, both parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field, as the beam propagates through regions of varying magnetic field. Simulations of the beam formation process are presented, with the parameters chosen to accurately replicate experimental conditions. The initial conditions and ejection parameters are varied systematically in both experiment and simulation, allowing the relevant processes involved in beam formation to be explored. These studies provide new insights into the underlying physics, including significant adiabatic cooling, due to the time-dependent beam-format.
Evaluation of oxidative markers in women with invasive cervical cancer in Lagos, Nigeria

Epidemiological studies have showed that low levels of antioxidants induce the generation of free radicals leading to DNA damage and further mutations seen in cancer. This study evaluated the effects of oxidative markers on the occurrence and severity of cervical cancer at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. This was an analytical cross-sectional study carried out among women with histological diagnosis of invasive cervical cancer and their healthy cancer-free comparison group. Venous blood samples were collected from each participant for measurements of antioxidants (erythrocyte glutathione and vitamin C) and malondialdehyde (a marker of lipid peroxidation). Descriptive statistics were carried out for relevant demographic and clinical data. Associations between continuous variables were tested using the independent sample t-test or the analysis of variance for normally distributed data or the Mann–Whitney U test for skewed data, whereas categorical variables were compared using the χ2 test. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The mean level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was statistically higher in women with cervical cancer than in their cancer-free counterparts (p = 0.032). However, the mean glutathione (32.6 ± 6.2 versus 14.2 ± 6.1 mg/dL; p = 0.019) and vitamin C (12.4 ± 2.3 versus 14.6 ± 2.4 µmol/L; p = 0.001) levels were significantly lower in the case group compared to the cancer-free group. There are statistically increasing mean levels of MDA (p = 0.017) and decreasing mean levels of vitamin C (p = 0.004) with increasing stages of the disease. This study showed that women with cervical cancer have low levels of antioxidants and an increased level of the oxidative marker. The levels of these markers become more pronounced as the disease progresses. This will, therefore, form the basis for the conduct of future randomised controlled trials of antioxidant supplementations among cervical cancer patients in sub-Saharan Africa.
Fluid resuscitation with Ringer’s and trometamol-balanced solutions in a rat septic model

Resuscitation solution is one of the main interventions provided for septic shock patients, although there is no general consensus regarding the optimal type of solution. Therefore, a trometamol-balanced solution (TBS) was designed as a resuscitation solution. The aim of this study is to assess the effects of TBS versus Ringer’s solution (RS) in a rat septic model. Septic shock was induced in 16 male Wistar-Kyoto rats through lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induction; these rats were assigned at a ratio of 1:1 to RS and TBS groups. Blood examinations were performed using an Abbott i-STAT analyzer with CG4+ (for pH, pressure of carbon dioxide, pressure of oxygen, total carbon dioxide, bicarbonate, base excess, oxygen saturation, and lactate) and CG6+ (for sodium, potassium, chloride, blood glucose, blood urea nitrogen, hematocrit, and hemoglobin) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits (calcium, magnesium, creatinine, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, and albumin) during the septic state. The biochemical parameters, electrolytes, and blood gas parameters implied similar trends and the majority of data showed no considerable changes between groups after LPS-induced septic shock. However, the pH values of the TBS group were more stable compared with those of the RS group. This indicated that TBS might be more effective in metabolic acidosis alleviation. In summary, TBS is safe and feasible in this study and may offer advantages in septic shock cases without hepatic diseases. Future research will focus on applying TBS in other different animal disease models and the clinical usage of TBS.
Implementation of the Centor Score in the Assessment of Pharyngitis in an Atypical Setting During a Pandemic

Pharyngitis is a self-limited illness. Antibiotics are indicated if group A streptococcus (GAS) is present, yet 60% of patients receive a prescription. Implementation of the Centor Score at the time of triage can lead to appropriate collection of a rapid strep test (RST). Centor Scores were completed on adult patients presenting for an RST during the COVID-19 pandemic at a drive-up testing site. All five patients who had an RST had a negative GAS result and did not receive an antibiotic. A Centor Score completed at the time of nursing triage can provide guidance related to antibiotic prescribing for pharyngitis.
Kinetics of the CH3O2 + NO Reaction: Temperature Dependence of the Overall Rate Constant and an Improved Upper Limit for the CH3ONO2 Branching Channel

The overall rate constant and an upper limit for the CH3ONO2 product channel for the CH3O2 + NO reaction have been measured using the turbulent flow technique with high-pressure chemical ionization mass spectrometry for the detection of reactants and products. At room temperature and 100 Torr pressure, the rate constant (and the two standard deviation error limit) was determined to be (7.8 ± 2.2) × 10-12 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. The temperature dependence of the rate constant was investigated between 295 and 203 K at pressures of either 100 or 200 Torr, and the data was fit to the following Arrhenius expression: ( × 10-13) exp[(600 ± 140)/T] cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Although the room-temperature rate constant value agrees well with the current recommendation for atmospheric modeling, our values for the rate constant at the lowest temperatures accessed in this study (203 K) are about 50% higher than the same recommendation. No CH3ONO2 product was detected from the CH3O2 + NO reaction (using direct CH3ONO2 detection.