Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Autism Spectrum and Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children of Immigrants: A Brief Review of Current Evidence and Implications for Clinical Practice

Children of immigrants may have higher neurodevelopmental risks than those of non-immigrant populations. Yet, some evidence suggests that this group may receive late diagnosis, and therefore miss beneficial early interventions. Clinicians may misattribute symptoms of disorders to other social, behavioral or language problems. Likewise, there might be cultural differences in parents' likelihood of perceiving or reporting first developmental concerns to clinicians. Population-based standardized screening may play an important role in addressing ethnic inequalities in the age at diagnosis, although further research focusing on cross-cultural use is necessary. Once children are diagnosed, clinicians may rely on culturally sensitive procedures (translation services, cultural mediators) to increase the accessibility of interventions and improve adherence among immigrant families. In this brief review, we provide an overview about what is currently known about the epidemiology and risk factors of neurodevelopmental disorders, paying special attention to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), in children of immigrants and suggest the necessity of population-based screening and culturally sensitive care.
Effects of Sevoflurane Inhalation Anesthesia on the Intestinal Microbiome in Mice

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to intestinal microbiome. Almost all operations will go through the anesthesia process, but it is not clear whether the intervention of anesthesia alone will affect the change in the intestinal microbiome. The purpose of this study was to verify the effect of sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia on the intestinal microbiome. The animal in the experimental group was used to provide sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia for 4 hours. The control group was not intervened. The feces of the experimental group and the control group were collected on the 1st, 3rd, 7th and 14th days after anesthesia. Sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia will cause changes in the intestinal microbiome of mice. It appears on the 1st day after anesthesia and is most obvious on the 7th day. The specific manifestation is that the abundance of microbiome and the diversity of the microbiome is reduced. At the same time, Untargeted metabonomics showed that compared with the control group, the experimental group had more increased metabolites related to the different microbiome, among which 5-methylthioadenosine was related to the central nervous system. Subsequently, the intestinal microbiome diversity of mice showed a trend of recovery on the 14th day. At the genus level, the fecal samples obtained on the 14th day after anesthesia exhibited significantly increased abundances of Bacteroides, Alloprevotella, and Akkermansia and significantly decreased abundances of Lactobacillus compared with the samples obtained on the 1st day after anesthesia. However, the abundance of differential bacteria did not recover with the changing trend of diversity. Therefore, we believe that sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia is associated with changes in the internal microbiome and metabolites, and this change may be completed through the brain-gut axis, while sevoflurane inhalation anesthesia may change the intestinal microbiome for as long as 14 days or longer.
Targeted Transcriptomic Analysis of C57BL/6 and BALB/c Mice During Progressive Chronic Toxoplasma gondii Infection Reveals Changes in Host and Parasite Gene Expression Relating to Neuropathology and Resolution

Toxoplasma gondii is a resilient parasite that infects a multitude of warm-blooded hosts and results in a lifelong chronic infection requiring continuous responses by the host. Chronic infection is characterized by a balanced immune response and neuropathology that are driven by changes in gene expression. Previous research pertaining to these processes has been conducted in various mouse models, and much knowledge of infection-induced gene expression changes has been acquired through the use of high throughput sequencing techniques in different mouse strains and post-mortem human studies. However, lack of infection time course data poses a prominent missing link in the understanding of chronic infection, and there is still much that is unknown regarding changes in genes specifically relating to neuropathology and resulting repair mechanisms as infection progresses throughout the different stages of chronicity. In this paper, we present a targeted approach to gene expression analysis during T. gondii infection through the use of NanoString nCounter gene expression assays. Wild type C57BL/6 and BALB/c background mice were infected, and transcriptional changes in the brain were evaluated at 14, 28, and 56 days post infection. Results demonstrate a dramatic shift in both previously demonstrated and novel gene expression relating to neuropathology and resolution in C57BL/6 mice. In addition, comparison between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice demonstrate initial differences in gene expression that evolve over the course of infection and indicate decreased neuropathology and enhanced repair in BALB/c mice. In conclusion, these studies provide a targeted approach to gene expression analysis in the brain during infection and provide elaboration on previously identified transcriptional changes and also offer insights into further understanding the complexities of chronic T. gondii infection.
Combination of Angiotensin (1-7) Agonists and Convalescent Plasma as a New Strategy to Overcome Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) Inhibition for the Treatment of COVID-19

Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is currently the most concerning health problem worldwide. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). It is believed that the differential response to SARS-CoV-2 is correlated with the differential expression of ACE2. Several reports proposed the use of ACE2 pharmacological inhibitors and ACE2 antibodies to block viral entry. However, ACE2 inhibition is associated with lung and cardiovascular pathology and would probably increase the pathogenesis of COVID-19. Therefore, utilizing ACE2 soluble analogs to block viral entry while rescuing ACE2 activity has been proposed. Despite their protective effects, such analogs can form a circulating reservoir of the virus, thus accelerating its spread in the body. Levels of ACE2 are reduced following viral infection, possibly due to increased viral entry and lysis of ACE2 positive cells. Downregulation of ACE2/Ang (1-7) axis is associated with Ang II upregulation. Of note, while Ang (1-7) exerts protective effects on the lung and cardiovasculature, Ang II elicits pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic detrimental effects by binding to the angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R). Indeed, AT1R blockers (ARBs) can alleviate the harmful effects associated with Ang II upregulation while increasing ACE2 expression and thus the risk of viral infection. Therefore, Ang (1-7) agonists seem to be a better treatment option. Another approach is the transfusion of convalescent plasma from recovered patients with deteriorated symptoms. Indeed, this appears to be promising due to the neutralizing capacity of anti-COVID-19 antibodies. In light of these considerations, we encourage the adoption of Ang (1-7) agonists and convalescent plasma conjugated therapy for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. This therapeutic regimen is expected to be a safer choice since it possesses the proven ability to neutralize the virus while ensuring lung and cardiovascular protection through modulation of the inflammatory response.
Molecular Subtypes and CD4+ Memory T Cell-Based Signature Associated With Clinical Outcomes in Gastric Cancer

Background CD4+ memory T cells are an important component of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and affect tumor occurrence and progression. Nevertheless, there has been no systematic analysis of the effect of CD4+ memory T cells in gastric cancer (GC). Methods Three datasets obtained from microarray and the corresponding clinical data of GC patients were retrieved and downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. We uploaded the normalize gene expression data with standard annotation to the CIBERSORT web portal for evaluating the proportion of immune cells in the GC samples. The WGCNA was performed to identify the modules the CD4+ memory T cell related module (CD4+ MTRM) which was most significantly associated with CD4+ memory T cell. Univariate Cox analysis was used to screen prognostic CD4+ memory T cell-related genes (CD4+ MTRGs) in CD4+ MTRM. LASSO analysis and multivariate Cox analysis were then performed to construct a prognostic gene signature whose effect was evaluated by Kaplan-Meier curves and receiver operating characteristic (ROC), Harrell’s concordance index (C-index), and decision curve analyses (DCA). A prognostic nomogram was finally established based on the CD4+ MTRGs. Result We observed that a high abundance of CD4+ memory T cells was associated with better survival in GC patients. CD4+ MTRM was used to stratify GC patients into three clusters by unsupervised clustering analysis and ten CD4+ MTRGs were identified. Overall survival, five immune checkpoint genes and 17 types of immunocytes were observed to be significantly different among the three clusters. A ten-CD4+ MTRG signature was constructed to predict GC patient prognosis. The ten-CD4+ MTRG signature could divide GC patients into high- and low-risk groups with distinct OS rates. Multivariate Cox analysis suggested that the ten-CD4+ MTRG signature was an independent risk factor in GC. A nomogram incorporating this signature and clinical variables was established, and the C-index was 0.73 (95% CI: 0.697–0.763). Calibration curves and DCA presented high credibility for the OS nomogram. Conclusion We identified three molecule subtypes, ten CD4+ MTRGs, and generated a prognostic nomogram that reliably predicts OS in GC. These findings have implications for precise prognosis prediction and individualized targeted therapy.
Soil Degassing From the Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang Fault System at the Eastern Boundary of the Chuan–Dian Rhombic Block, Southwest China

The Chuan–Dian region, situated in the middle part of the north-south seismic zone of mainland China in a highly deformed area of the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, is one of the principal areas for monitoring earthquake activities in China. In this study, the geochemical characteristics of soil degassing (of CH4, H2, CO2, Rn, and Hg) and, the relationship between degassing and fault activity, were investigated in the Xianshuihe–Xiaojiang fault system (XXFS) at the eastern boundary of the Chuan–Dian rhombic block. The mean soil-gas concentrations of CH4, H2, CO2, Rn, and Hg in the XXFS were 8.1 ppm, 9.9 ppm, 0.5%, 15.1 kBq/m3 and 12.9 ng/m3, respectively. The δ13CCO2 and δ13CCH4 values of the hot-spring gases varied from −11.9‰ to −3.7‰ and −62.5‰ to 17‰, respectively. The He-C isotopic ratios indicate that the carbon in the northern and middle parts of the XXFS may have originated from deep fluids, whereas the carbon in the southern part of the XXFS is of organic origin. The high concentrations of soil gas were distributed near the faults, indicating that the faults could act as channels for gas migration. The distributions of the high soil-gas concentrations in the XXFS coincide with the highest stress and maximum strain rates, indicating that the fault activity enhanced permeability and increased the emission rates of the gases. The results of this study will be helpful for degassing in active fault zones and earthquake monitoring.
Diagnostic Accuracy of Pleural Effusion Mononuclear Cells/Leukocyte Ratio in Tuberculous Pleurisy

Background: Tuberculous pleurisy (TBP) is a common clinical type of tuberculosis (TB) in China. TBP is difficult to diagnose. Whether the mononuclear cell/leukocyte (MNC/LEU) ratio in pleural effusion can contribute to accurate TBP diagnosis remains yet unclear. Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of MNC/LEU ratio in pleural effusion for TBP in China. Methods: This study was a retrospective case-control study involving 406 patients with pleural effusion of unknown cause who were hospitalized at the Henan Provincial People's Hospital. Using histopathological examination of thoracoscopic pleural biopsy as the gold standard for TBP diagnosis, a final total of 215 subjects were included in this study including 91 cases of TBP and 124 cases of non-TBP. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of pleural effusion MNC/LEU ratio for TBP diagnosis was plotted and the area under curve (AUC) and the optimal cutoff value were determined. In addition, the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the MNC/LEU ratio at the optimal cutoff value for TBP diagnosis were also evaluated. Results: The MNC/LEU ratio was significantly higher in TB pleural effusion [95.9% (89.7–98.0%)] than in non-TB pleural effusion [77.8% (39.3–93.2%)] (P < 0.001). The AUC was 0.776 (95% CI, 0.714–0.830), and the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for TBP diagnosis at the 93.7% cutoff value were 64.83%, 79.03%, and 0.730, respectively. Conclusion: The pleural effusion MNC/LEU ratio may be a new and valuable laboratory indicator for the diagnosis of tuberculous pleurisy in China.
Effectiveness and Safety of Under or Over-dosing of Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of 148909 Patients From 10 Real-World Studies

Background: In routine clinical practice, non-standard doses of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are commonly used in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, data on the clinical outcomes of non-standard doses of DOACs are limited. Methods: The MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases were systematically searched from their inception until 30 June 2020 for studies that reported the effectiveness or safety outcomes of non-standard doses of DOACs compared with on-label doses of DOACs in patients with atrial fibrillation. Non-standard doses of DOACs were defined as under or over-dose of DOACs based on the recommended standard doses in drug labels. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the pooled hazard ratio and associated 95% confidence interval (95% confidence interval). Subgroup analyses were conducted according to individual DOACs and different geographic regions. Results: Ten articles involving 148,909 patients with AF were included. There were no significant differences between under-dosing and on-label dosing with respect to stroke/systematic embolism (HR: 1.01, 95% CI: 0.93–1.09), major bleeding (HR: 0.98, 95% CI: 0.77–1.19), intracranial haemorrhage (HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.74–1.40), gastrointestinal bleeding (HR: 1.10, 95% CI: 0.82–1.39), and myocardial infarction (HR: 1.07, 95% CI: 0.89–1.25), except for an increased risk of death (HR: 1.37, 95% CI: 1.01–1.73). We observed a significant association between over-dosing of DOACs and increased risk of stroke/systematic embolism (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04–1.32), major bleeding (HR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.03–1.29), and death (HR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.03–1.38) compared with on-label dosing. Furthermore, over-dosing of DOACs increased the risk of stroke/systematic embolism (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 1.00–1.33) and major bleeding events (HR: 1.18; 95% CI: 1.00–1.37) in Asian patients. Conclusion: A reduced dose of DOACs might be safely and effectively used in clinical practice, especially in Asian patients, whereas high-dose DOACs might not be well tolerated by Asian patients.
Can Parental Body Dissatisfaction Predict That of Children? A Study on Body Dissatisfaction, Body Mass Index, and Desire to Diet in Children Aged 9–11 and Their Families

Body image has been associated with self-care and the assumption of either healthy habits or poor diets and eating disorders. As a vital element in the formation of a positive body image, the role of the family in childhood has been highlighted by a few studies. This study aimed to assess whether children’s body dissatisfaction could be predicted by their parents’ body dissatisfaction, body mass index (BMI), and approach to change. The sample consisted of 581 participants (366 parents and 215 children). The following instruments were used: anthropometric data, the Brief Scale of Body Dissatisfaction for Children, the IMAGE questionnaire (approach to change and drive for muscularity subscales), and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (body dissatisfaction and drive for thinness subscales). The results indicated that 19% of children, 22.8% of mothers, and 70.2% of fathers were overweight or obese. The multiple regression models developed for boys and girls explained 60 and 57% of the variance in body dissatisfaction, respectively. Several variables attributable to the mother (higher approach to change, higher drive for thinness, and higher BMI) and to the boys themselves (drive for muscularity, approach to change, and having a high BMI percentile) predicted a higher level of body dissatisfaction. For girls, only variables regarding themselves (approach to change, age, and BMI percentile) explained their body dissatisfaction. Relationships with the traits of the father were not detected for both models. The influence of sociocultural factors on the construction of gender and the negative consequences of mothers’ dieting for aesthetic purposes, on the development of children’s body image, are discussed.
Holstein and Jersey Steers Differ in Rumen Microbiota and Enteric Methane Emissions Even Fed the Same Total Mixed Ration

Previous studies have focused on the rumen microbiome and enteric methane (CH4) emissions in dairy cows, yet little is known about steers, especially steers of dairy breeds. In the present study, we comparatively examined the rumen microbiota, fermentation characteristics, and CH4 emissions from six non-cannulated Holstein (710.33 ± 43.02 kg) and six Jersey (559.67 ± 32.72 kg) steers. The steers were fed the same total mixed ration (TMR) for 30 days. After 25 days of adaptation to the diet, CH4 emissions were measured using GreenFeed for three consecutive days, and rumen fluid samples were collected on last day using stomach tubing before feeding (0 h) and 6 h after feeding. CH4 production (g/d/animal), CH4 yield (g/kg DMI), and CH4 intensity (g/kg BW0.75) were higher in the Jersey steers than in the Holstein steers. The lowest pH value was recorded at 6 h after feeding. The Jersey steers had lower rumen pH and a higher concentration of ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N). The Jersey steers had a numerically higher molar proportion of acetate than the Holstein steers, but the opposite was true for that of propionate. Metataxonomic analysis of the rumen microbiota showed that the two breeds had similar species richness, Shannon, and inverse Simpson diversity indexes. Principal coordinates analysis showed that the overall rumen microbiota was different between the two breeds. Both breeds were dominated by Prevotella ruminicola, and its highest relative abundance was observed 6 h after feeding. The genera Ethanoligenens, Succinivibrio, and the species Ethanoligenens harbinense, Succinivibrio dextrinosolvens, Prevotella micans, Prevotella copri, Prevotella oris, Prevotella baroniae, and Treponema succinifaciens were more abundant in Holstein steers while the genera Capnocytophaga, Lachnoclostridium, Barnesiella, Oscillibacter, Galbibacter, and the species Capnocytophaga cynodegmi, Galbibacter mesophilus, Barnesiella intestinihominis, Prevotella shahii, and Oscillibacter ruminantium in the Jersey steers. The Jersey steers were dominated by Methanobrevibacter millerae while the Holstein steers by Methanobrevibacter olleyae. The overall results suggest that sampling hour has little influence on the rumen microbiota; however, breeds of steers can affect the assemblage of the rumen microbiota and different mitigation strategies may be needed to effectively manipulate the rumen microbiota and mitigate enteric CH4 emissions from these steers.
Allograft or Recipient ST2 Deficiency Oppositely Affected Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy via Differentially Altering Immune Cells Infiltration

The role of IL-33/ST2 signaling in cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV) is not fully addressed. Here, we investigated the role of IL-33/ST2 signaling in allograft or recipient in CAV respectively using MHC-mismatch murine chronic cardiac allograft rejection model. We found that recipients ST2 deficiency significantly exacerbated allograft vascular occlusion and fibrosis, accompanied by increased F4/80+ macrophages and CD3+ T cells infiltration in allografts. In contrast, allografts ST2 deficiency resulted in decreased infiltration of F4/80+ macrophages, CD3+ T cells and CD20+ B cells and thus alleviated vascular occlusion and fibrosis of allografts. These findings indicated that allografts or recipients ST2 deficiency oppositely affected cardiac allograft vasculopathy/fibrosis via differentially altering immune cells infiltration, which suggest that interrupting IL-33/ST2 signaling locally or systematically after heart transplantation leads different outcome.
Autologous BMAC Therapy Improves Spinal Degenerative Joint Disease in Lower Back Pain Patients

Spinal degenerative joint disease (DJD) is associated with lower back pain (LBP) arising from the degeneration of intervertebral discs (IVD), facet joints, intertransversarii muscles, and interspinous ligaments among other anatomical structures. To circumvent the socioeconomic burdens and often-problematic surgical options imposed by DJD therapy, cell-based biologic modalities like bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) have been investigated in pre-clinical and clinical settings, mostly for IVD degeneration (IDD), with encouraging outcomes. In this study, we evaluated the differences in therapeutic benefits of BMAC between IVD- and facet joint-originating chronic LBP. Eighteen patients diagnosed with chronic LBP met the selection criteria. Following discography and provocation testing, 13 patients tested positive and were assigned into IDD-associated LBP (1st arm), while the remaining 5 tested negative and were assigned into facetogenic LBP (2nd arm). Autologous BMAC was injected intradiscally in the 1st arm, while the 2nd arm received posterior spinal chain injections. No procedure-related serious events ensued. Clinical improvement was evaluated over 12 months based on pain and functionality questionnaires (VAS, BPI, RAND-36), opioid use, and changes in disc parameters assessed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Ameliorated VAS and BPI scores differed significantly between both arms in favor of IDD patients who also took significantly less opioids. Average RAND-36 scores showed no significant difference between groups albeit a trend suggesting improvement was observed in IDD patients. MRI scans conducted on IDD patients demonstrated marked elevation in disc height and spinal canal space size without worsening disc quality. Overall, this is the first study investigating the potency of BMAC as an IDD treatment in Canada and the first globally for addressing facetogenic pain using cellular therapy.