Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial function in development and disease

ABSTRACT Mitochondria are organelles with vital functions in almost all eukaryotic cells. Often described as the cellular ‘powerhouses’ due to their essential role in aerobic oxidative phosphorylation, mitochondria perform many other essential functions beyond energy production. As signaling organelles, mitochondria communicate with the nucleus and other organelles to help maintain cellular homeostasis, allow cellular adaptation to diverse stresses, and help steer cell fate decisions during development. Mitochondria have taken center stage in the research of normal and pathological processes, including normal tissue homeostasis and metabolism, neurodegeneration, immunity and infectious diseases. The central role that mitochondria assume within cells is evidenced by the broad impact of mitochondrial diseases, caused by defects in either mitochondrial or nuclear genes encoding for mitochondrial proteins, on different organ systems. In this Review, we will provide the reader with a foundation of the mitochondrial ‘hardware’, the mitochondrion itself, with its specific dynamics, quality control mechanisms and cross-organelle communication, including its roles as a driver of an innate immune response, all with a focus on development, disease and aging. We will further discuss how mitochondrial DNA is inherited, how its mutation affects cell and organismal fitness, and current therapeutic approaches for mitochondrial diseases in both model organisms and humans.
A comprehensive examination of the cross-validity of pareto-optimal versus fixed-weight selection systems in the biobjective selection context.

The article presents evidence for the cross-validity potential of fixed-weight (FW) versus Pareto-Optimal (PO) selection systems in biobjective selection situations where both the goals of diversity and quality are valued and the importance of the goals is undecided a priori. The article extends previous research by also studying the cross-validity potential of selection systems in the practically most important sample-to-sample cross-validity scenario. We address three research questions: (a) Do different PO systems show comparable levels of relative (i.e., proportional) achievement upon cross-validation? (b) Do PO systems achieve higher levels of relative achievement upon cross-validation than FW selection systems? , and (c) How does the achievement of PO and FW systems, in terms of adverse impact ratios and average performance of the selected applicants, evolve under cross-validation? As a key result, in case of sufficiently large applicant pools (typically 100 applicants or more), PO systems had on average a higher cross-validity potential than the corresponding FW systems. Yet, even for applicant pools as large as 500, FW systems may match the merits of PO systems and we present a straightforward procedure to decide which FW systems may offer a comparable cross-validation potential than the PO systems. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Resveratrol and endoplasmic reticulum stress: A review of the potential protective mechanisms of the polyphenol

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is an organelle that performs a set of essential functions in cellular biology. These include synthesis of lipids, homeostasis of calcium, and controlling the folding of proteins. Inflammation and oxidative stress are two important reasons behind the accumulation of misfolded or unfolded proteins in the ER. In such circumstances, a series of measures are undertaken in the cell which are collectively called unfolded protein response (UPR). The aim of UPR is to reduce the burden of protein aggregates and promote survival. However, extended and unrestricted ER stress (ERS) can induce further inflammation and apoptosis. ERS and the UPR are involved in different diseases such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases. Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenol, has well‐documented evidence supporting its numerous biological properties including antioxidant, antiinflammatory, antiobesity, antidiabetic, and antiischemic activities. The compound is also known for its potential beneficial effects on cognitive function and liver, kidney, and lung health. In this review, the role of ERS in several pathological conditions and the potential protective effects of RSV are discussed. However, the scarcity of clinical data means that more research needs to be conducted to gain a lucid understanding of RSV's effects on endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) in humans.
Improving houses in the Bolivian Chaco increases effectiveness of residual insecticide spraying against infestation with Triatoma infestans, vector of Chagas disease

Failure to control domestic Triatoma infestans in the Chaco is attributed to vulnerable adobe construction, which provides vector refuges and diminishes insecticide contact. We conducted a pilot to test the impact of housing improvement plus indoor residual spraying (IRS) on house infestation and vector abundance in a rural community in the Bolivian Chaco.
Epidemiology and Genetics of Venous Thromboembolism and Chronic Venous Disease

Venous disease is a term that broadly covers both venous thromboembolic disease and chronic venous disease. The basic pathophysiology of venous thromboembolism and chronic venous disease differ as venous thromboembolism results from an imbalance of hemostasis and thrombosis while chronic venous disease occurs in the setting of tissue damage because of prolonged venous hypertension. Both diseases are common and account for significant mortality and morbidity, respectively, and collectively make up a large health care burden. Despite both diseases having well-characterized environmental components, it has been known for decades that family history is an important risk factor, implicating a genetic element to a patient’s risk. Our understanding of the pathogenesis of these diseases has greatly benefited from an expansion of population genetic studies from pioneering familial studies to large genome-wide association studies; we now have multiple risk loci for each venous disease. In this review, we will highlight the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology and genetics of venous thromboembolism and chronic venous disease and directions for future research.
Guillain‐Barré Syndrome following ChAdOx1‐S/nCoV‐19 Vaccine

As of April 22, 2021, around 1.5 million individuals in three districts of Kerala, India had been vaccinated with COVID‐19 vaccines. Over 80% of these individuals (1.2 million) received the ChAdOx1‐S/nCoV‐19 vaccine. In this population, during this period of 4 weeks (mid‐March to mid‐April 2021), we observed seven cases of Guillain‐Barre syndrome (GBS) that occurred within 2 weeks of the first dose of vaccination. All seven patients developed severe GBS. The frequency of GBS was 1.4‐ to 10‐fold higher than that expected in this period for a population of this magnitude. In addition, the frequency of bilateral facial weakness, which typically occurs in <20% of GBS cases, suggests a pattern associated with the vaccination. While the benefits of vaccination substantially outweigh the risk of this relatively rare outcome (5.8 per million), clinicians should be alert to this possible adverse event, as six out of seven patients progressed to areflexic quadriplegia and required mechanical ventilatory support. ANN NEUROL 2021;90:312–314
Age‐related hearing loss and cognitive decline: MRI and cellular evidence

Extensive evidence supports the association between age‐related hearing loss (ARHL) and cognitive decline. It is, however, unknown whether a causal relationship exists between these two, or whether they both result from shared mechanisms. This paper intends to study this relationship through a comprehensive review of MRI findings as well as evidence of cellular alterations. Our review of structural MRI studies demonstrates that ARHL is independently linked to accelerated atrophy of total and regional brain volumes and reduced white matter integrity. Resting‐state and task‐based fMRI studies on ARHL also show changes in spontaneous neural activity and brain functional connectivity; and alterations in brain areas supporting auditory, language, cognitive, and affective processing independent of age, respectively. Although MRI findings support a causal relationship between ARHL and cognitive decline, the contribution of potential shared mechanisms should also be considered. In this regard, the review of cellular evidence indicates their role as possible common mechanisms underlying both age‐related changes in hearing and cognition. Considering existing evidence, no single hypothesis can explain the link between ARHL and cognitive decline, and the contribution of both causal (i.e., the sensory hypothesis) and shared (i.e., the common cause hypothesis) mechanisms is expected.
Noninvasive ventilation use in pediatric status asthmaticus

Abstract Introduction: Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is sometimes used in refractory pediatric status asthmaticus for its potential benefits of stenting airways and dispersing albuterol. However, its effectiveness in pediatric asthma remains unproven. The usage pattern, outcomes, and safety of NIV in pediatric status asthmaticus are described. Methods: Patients 1 to 21 years of age admitted to a tertiary hospital’s pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with status asthmaticus between January 2016 and December 2018 were eligible. Children with tracheostomies and baseline NIV were excluded. Medical history, vital signs, imaging, therapy, type of NIV administered and adverse events were extracted from the electronic medical record. Results: 101 unique admissions were identified. The mean age was 7 years, 63% had previously diagnosed asthma and 27% had prior PICU admissions. 54% received NIV in the form of bilevel positive airway pressure (BPAP) or continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) with 20 (37%) commencing in the emergency department (ED). Oxygen saturation at presentation was significantly lower in the NIV vs the non NIV group (P < 0.05). Rhinovirus/enterovirus was identified in 82% of the cohort. No pneumothoraces, pneumomediastinum, or aspiration pneumonias were documented on available chest radiographs (n = 83). Discussion: NIV was common in pediatric status asthmaticus and often started in the ED. No major adverse events were observed. Prospective, randomized control trials are needed to determine if NIV affects duration of continuous albuterol or PICU length of stay.
Comparison of Two Rituximab Induction Regimens for Antineutrophil Cytoplasm Antibody–Associated Vasculitis: Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis

The objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of two rituximab (RTX) regimens for the induction of remission in severe antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody–associated vasculitis (AAV): the four‐dose (375 mg/m2 intravenously weekly) versus the two‐dose (1000 mg intravenously biweekly) regimen.
Effect of aprepitant on kynurenine to tryptophan ratio in cART treated and cART naïve adults living with HIV

Abstract Changes in tryptophan metabolism affect human physiology including the immune system, mood, and sleep and are associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pathogenesis. This study investigates whether the treatment of HIV-infected individuals with the neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, aprepitant, alters tryptophan metabolism. This study utilized archival samples from 3 phase 1B clinical trials “Anti-HIV Neuroimmunomodulatory Therapy with Neurokinin-1 Antagonist Aprepitant”-2 double-blinded, placebo-controlled, and 1 open-label study. We tested samples from a total of 57 individuals: 26 combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) naïve individuals receiving aprepitant, 19 cART naïve individuals receiving placebo, and 12 individuals on a ritonavir-containing cART regimen receiving aprepitant. We evaluated the effect of aprepitant on tryptophan metabolism by measuring levels of kynurenine and tryptophan in archival plasma samples and calculating the kynurenine to tryptophan ratio. Aprepitant treatment affected tryptophan metabolism in both cART treated and cART naïve individuals with more profound effects in patients receiving cART. While aprepitant treatment affected tryptophan metabolism in all HIV-infected patients, it only significantly decreased kynurenine to tryptophan ratio in cART treated individuals. Aprepitant treatment offers an opportunity to target inflammation and mood disorders frequently co-existing in chronic HIV infection.
Role of ABO blood system in COVID‐19: Findings from a southern Italian study

COVID‐19 is a worldwide infection caused by SARS‐CoV‐2 and infects humans by binding to the ACE2 receptor. Blood group ABO glycoproteins can influence the binding of the virus to ACE2. The role of ABO blood system in the susceptibility to infection as well as in the clinical outcome of infected patients is still controversial and needs to be clarified.
Disease and Disapproval: COVID-19 Concern is Related to Greater Moral Condemnation

Prior research has indicated that disease threat and disgust are associated with harsher moral condemnation. We investigated the role of a specific, highly salient health concern, namely the spread of the coronavirus, and associated COVID-19 disease, on moral disapproval. We hypothesized that individuals who report greater subjective worry about COVID-19 would be more sensitive to moral transgressions. Across three studies (N = 913), conducted March-May 2020 as the pandemic started to unfold in the United States, we found that individuals who were worried about contracting the infectious disease made harsher moral judgments than those who were relatively less worried. This effect was not restricted to transgressions involving purity, but extended to transgressions involving harm, fairness, authority, and loyalty, and remained when controlling for political orientation. Furthermore, for Studies 1 and 2 the effect also was robust when taking into account the contamination subscale of the Disgust Scale–Revised. These findings add to the growing literature that concrete threats to health can play a role in abstract moral considerations, supporting the notion that judgments of wrongdoing are not based on rational thought alone.
Is Adiponectin Elevation Associated with Left Atrial Remodeling and Impaired Mechanical Functions? (a Speckle Tracking Study).

Objectives Recent studies demonstrated that elevated adiponectin levels predicted an increased risk of atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke; however, a causal relationship is yet to be unknown. Reduced left atrium (LA) functions detected by two-dimensional echocardiographic speckle tracking (2D-STE) can predict AF development. We aimed to investigate the relationship between adiponectin level and LA functions in hypertensive and diabetic patients at high risk for incident AF.Material and methods The study consisted of 80 hypertensive diabetic patients. All patients underwent echocardiography, and venous blood samples were taken. The relationship between adiponectin levels and LA functions was analyzed.Results We divided patients into two groups according to the mean adiponectin level (13.63 ng / ml). In the high adiponectin group, the mean age (p=0.001) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (p=0.015) were higher, whereas estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (p=0.036) and hemoglobin (p=0.014) levels were lower. Although LA maximum volume, LA minimum volume, and LA pre-A volume were higher in the group with high adiponectin levels, they did not reach a statistical significance. Peak early diastolic LA strain (S-LAe) (p=0.048) and strain rate (SR-LAe) (p=0.017) were lower in this group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that age (p=0.003) and hemoglobin (p=0.006) were predictors of elevated adiponectin levels. On the contrary, S-LAe, HDL cholesterol, and eGFR lost their statistical significance.Conclusion In patients with HT and DM, elevated adiponectin level is associated with impaired LA mechanical functions. Increased age and hemoglobin level are independent predictors of elevated adiponectin levels.
Effect of Drying Pre-treatments on the Yield and Bioactive Content of Oil Extracted from Gac Aril

Abstract Gac fruit (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) aril contains high levels of bioactive compounds including β-carotene, lycopene and fatty acids. Therefore, it is important to find an extraction method of Gac oil resulting in the highest content of bioactive compounds. The effects of microwave and air-drying pre-treatments of Gac aril prior to hydraulic pressing and Soxhlet extraction on the oil yield, nutrients and chemical properties of the oil were compared. Results showed that the highest oil yield could be obtained when the aril was microwave-dried before Soxhlet extraction. This finding was explained by microstructural changes of the dried arils. Microwave-drying prior to pressing resulted in the highest content of β-carotene (174 mg/100 mL) and lycopene (511 mg/100 mL) in the oil extract. Oleic acid (48%) and linoleic acid (18%) were found to be the dominant fatty acids in the oil extracts. Gac oil with the lowest acid (0.69 mg KOH/g) and peroxide values (1.80 meq O2/kg) was extracted when microwave-drying was applied prior to pressing. It can be concluded that the microwave drying pre-treatment before pressing was better than the air-drying pre-treatment for extracting Gac oil of high quality.
Strong temporal variation in treefall and branchfall rates in a tropical forest is explained by rainfall: results from five years of monthly drone data for a 50-ha plot

Abstract. A mechanistic understanding of how tropical tree mortality responds to climate variation is urgently needed to predict how tropical forest carbon pools will respond to anthropogenic global change, which is altering the frequency and intensity of storms, droughts, and other climate extremes in tropical forests. We used five years of approximately monthly drone-acquired RGB imagery for 50 ha of mature tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, to quantify spatial structure, temporal variation, and climate correlates of canopy disturbances, i.e., sudden and major drops in canopy height due to treefalls, branchfalls, or collapse of standing dead trees. Treefalls accounted for 77 % of the total area and 60 % of the total number of canopy disturbances in treefalls and branchfalls combined. The size distribution of canopy disturbances was close to a power function for sizes above 25 m2, and best fit by a Weibull function overall. Canopy disturbance rates varied strongly over time and were higher in the wet season, even though windspeeds were lower in the wet season. The strongest correlate of temporal variation in canopy disturbance rates was the frequency of 1-hour rainfall events above the 99.4th percentile (here 35.7 mm hour−1, r = 0.67). We hypothesize that extreme high rainfall is associated with both saturated soils, increasing risk of uprooting, and with gusts having high horizontal and vertical windspeeds that increase stresses on tree crowns. These results demonstrate the utility of repeat drone-acquired data for quantifying forest canopy disturbance rates over large spatial scales at fine temporal and spatial resolution, thereby enabling strong tests of linkages to drivers. Future studies should include high frequency measurements of vertical and horizontal windspeeds and soil moisture to better capture proximate drivers, and incorporate additional image analyses to quantify standing dead trees in addition to treefalls.
The effect of deposit money banks credit on Nigerian economic growth

This study examined the effect of bank credit to the private sector on economic growth in Nigeria using data on Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and bank credit to private sector (BCPS). Inflation and interest rates were included in the study as control variables. All data were obtained from Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) statistical bulletin and span across 1981 to 2010. Data stationarity were ensured using the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) statistic, while the OLS were applied to ascertain the impact of bank credit to the private sector on economic growth. Results of the analysis showed that bank credit to private sectors has a statistical strong positive relationship with GDP and that as expected, bank credit to the private sector has statistically significant effect on economic growth. The paper recommends that the CBN should lower its minimum rediscount rate to a moderate level that will enable banks fix low interest rates on their loanable funds while adopting direct credit control to favour preferred sectors like Agriculture and manufacturing. Finally, monetary authorities should through monetary policy reduce legal reserves requirement for banks to enable the banking sector to create more credit for the economy. This will enhance investment, job and employment opportunities which on the other hand will boast economic growth in the
Assembly of a spatial circuit of T-bet–expressing T and B lymphocytes is required for antiviral humoral immunity

T-bet–expressing T and B lymphocytes form a spatiotemporal circuit that enables optimal antiviral humoral immunity. The right place at the right time Protective humoral immunity against viral infections requires an effective type 1 immune response by germinal center (GC) T and B cells, a hallmark of which is expression of the transcription factor T-bet. Mendoza et al. examined the coordinated activity of distinct T-bet–expressing lymphocyte populations during influenza infection in mice, demonstrating that CXCR3-mediated localization of T-bet+ TH1 cells to the T-B boundary opposite T-bet+ B cells is required for GC B cell class switching to antiviral IgG2c. Conversely, T-bet+ T follicular helper cells controlled the magnitude of the GC B cell response but were dispensable for IgG2c class switching. These results demonstrate that the activity of T-bet+ T and B cells are spatiotemporally coordinated to control distinct features of the humoral response to viral infection. Effective antiviral immunity requires generation of T and B lymphocytes expressing the transcription factor T-bet, a regulator of type 1 inflammatory responses. Using T-bet expression as an endogenous marker for cells participating in a type 1 response, we report coordinated interactions of T-bet–expressing T and B lymphocytes on the basis of their dynamic colocalization at the T cell zone and B follicle boundary (T-B boundary) and germinal centers (GCs) during lung influenza infection. We demonstrate that the assembly of this circuit takes place in distinct anatomical niches within the draining lymph node, guided by CXCR3 that enables positioning of TH1 cells at the T-B boundary. The encounter of B and TH1 cells at the T-B boundary enables IFN-γ produced by the latter to induce IgG2c class switching. Within GCs, T-bet+ TFH cells represent a specialized stable sublineage required for GC growth but dispensable for IgG2c class switching. Our studies show that during respiratory viral infection, T-bet–expressing T and B lymphocytes form a circuit assembled in a spatiotemporally controlled manner that acts as a functional unit enabling a robust and coherent humoral response tailored for optimal antiviral immunity.