Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the influence of the alternation of two different cooling systems on dairy cow daily activities

Among the causes that influence cow welfare, heat stress induced by microclimatic conditions is one of the most relevant and many studies have investigated the efficacy of different cooling systems on animal health status. Nevertheless, the direct influence of the cooling systems on possible modifications of dairy cow behaviour has been addressed in a few studies and the related results were affected by the presence of a paddock, which gave a refuge from hot temperature. Since an alteration of the daily time budget spent by dairy cows in their usual activities can be associated with changes in their health status, this study investigated the effects of the alternation of two different cooling systems on lying, standing, and feeding behaviour of a group of dairy cows bred in a free-stall dairy house where animals had no access to a paddock. The barn was equipped with a fogging system associated with forced ventilation installed in the resting area and a sprinkler system associated with forced ventilation installed in the feeding area. The two systems were activated alternately. The results demonstrated that the management of the two cooling systems affected the analysed behaviours. Though the activation of the cooling system installed in the resting area encouraged the decubitus of animals in the stalls, the activation of that one of the feeding alley could not be able to influence the standing behaviour and had only a moderate positive influence on the feeding activity.
Polyvagal Theory: A Science of Safety

Contemporary strategies for health and wellbeing fail our biological needs by not acknowledging that feelings of safety emerge from internal physiological states regulated by the autonomic nervous system. The study of feelings of safety has been an elusive construct that has historically been dependent upon subjectivity. Acknowledging that feelings of safety have a measurable underlying neurophysiological substrate would shift investigations of feelings of safety from a subjective to an objective science. Polyvagal Theory provides an innovative scientific perspective to study feelings of safety that incorporates an understanding of neuroanatomy and neurophysiology. This perspective identifies neural circuits that downregulate neural regulation of threat reactions and functionally neutralize defensive strategies via neural circuits communicating cues of safety that enable feelings of safety to support interpersonal accessibility and homeostatic functions. Basically, when humans feel safe, their nervous systems support the homeostatic functions of health, growth, and restoration, while they simultaneously become accessible to others without feeling or expressing threat and vulnerability. Feelings of safety reflect a core fundamental process that has enabled humans to survive through the opportunistic features of trusting social engagements that have co-regulatory capacities to mitigate metabolically costly defense reactions. Through the study of neural development and phylogeny, we can extract foundational principles and their underlying mechanisms through which the autonomic nervous system leads to feelings of safety and opportunities to co-regulate. Several principles highlight the validity of a science of safety that when implemented in societal institutions, ranging from healthcare to education, would enhance health, sociality, and lead to greater productivity, creativity, and a sense of wellbeing. By respecting our need to feel safe as a biological imperative linked to survival, we respect our phylogenetic heritage and elevate sociality as a neuromodulator that functionally provides the scientific validation for a societal focus on promoting opportunities to experience feelings of safety and co-regulation.
Mechanisms for Cognitive Impairment in Epilepsy: Moving Beyond Seizures

There has been a major emphasis on defining the role of seizures in the causation of cognitive impairments like memory deficits in epilepsy. Here we focus on an alternative hypothesis behind these deficits, emphasizing the mechanisms of information processing underlying healthy cognition characterized as rate, temporal and population coding. We discuss the role of the underlying etiology of epilepsy in altering neural networks thereby leading to both the propensity for seizures and the associated cognitive impairments. In addition, we address potential treatments that can recover the network function in the context of a diseased brain, thereby improving both seizure and cognitive outcomes simultaneously. This review shows the importance of moving beyond seizures and approaching the deficits from a system-level perspective with the guidance of network neuroscience.
Tectonic Juxtaposition of Two Independent Paleoproterozoic Arcs by Cenozoic Duplexing in the Arun Tectonic Window of the Eastern Nepalese Himalaya

The tectonic evolution of the Himalayan orogenic belt before Cenozoic convergence is important to understand its modern structural framework. There is still controversy regarding the tectonic history of the lower Lesser Himalaya Sequence (LHS) in the frame of the Paleoproterozoic geological record. In this study, integrated analysis of field geology, zircon U-Pb age, Hf isotope, and whole-rock geochemistry was conducted across the LHS and the Main Central Thrust zone in the Arun Valley, eastern Nepal, to address their Precambrian tectonic evolution and the later convergence. Two groups of metasedimentary rocks with different age spectrums of detrital zircons and Hf isotope in the Paleoproterozoic can be distinguished in an imbricated duplexing system in the study area. One group with a maximum depositional age around ca. 1800 Ma has a unimodal detrital zircon pattern and negative zircon ƐHf (t) values ranging from −8.9 to 0.9. These data can be interpreted to reflect the deposition of zircons close to a Japanese-type arc that was isolated from the northern Indian Craton. The other group of calc-silicate rocks and quartzite with multiple peaks of detrital zircons in the Paleoproterozoic show a younger maximum depositional age around ca. 1,600 Ma and variable zircon ƐHf (t) values ranging from −6.7 to 8.8, indicating their deposition in a back-arc basin of an Andean-type arc established on the northern Indian Craton. The geochemistry of an orthogneiss sample dated at 1783 ± 11 Ma indicates high potassium, peraluminous granodiorite protolith emplaced in a volcanic arc or syn-collisional tectonic setting, supporting the existence of the Paleoproterozoic Andean-type arc. We hypothesize that possibly two arc systems developed, respectively, onto and in the proximity of northern Indian Craton in the Paleoproterozoic at the final stages of the Columbia supercontinent formation. These two arcs were juxtaposed either in the Paleoproterozoic or Cenozoic time, and were finally imbricated during the Cenozoic duplexing.
Upregulating Human Cathelicidin Antimicrobial Peptide LL-37 Expression May Prevent Severe COVID-19 Inflammatory Responses and Reduce Microthrombosis

COVID-19 is characterized by hyperactivation by inflammatory cytokines and recruitment of macrophages, neutrophils, and other immune cells, all hallmarks of a strong inflammatory response that can lead to severe complications and multi-organ damage. Mortality in COVID-19 patients is associated with a high prevalence of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation and microthrombosis that are exacerbated by hyperglycemia, diabetes, and old age. SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans and non-human primates have revealed long-term neurological consequences of COVID-19, possibly concomitant with the formation of Lewy bodies in the brain and invasion of the nervous system via the olfactory bulb. In this paper, we review the relevance of the human cathelicidin LL-37 in SARS-CoV-2 infections. LL-37 is an immunomodulatory, host defense peptide with direct anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity, and pleiotropic effects on the inflammatory response, neovascularization, Lewy body formation, and pancreatic islet cell function. The bioactive form of vitamin D and a number of other compounds induce LL-37 expression and one might predict its upregulation, could reduce the prevalence of severe COVID-19. We hypothesize upregulation of LL-37 will act therapeutically, facilitating efficient NET clearance by macrophages, speeding endothelial repair after inflammatory tissue damage, preventing α-synuclein aggregation, and supporting blood-glucose level stabilization by facilitating insulin release and islet β-cell neogenesis. In addition, it has been postulated that LL-37 can directly bind the S1 domain of SARS-CoV-2, mask angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors, and limit SARS-CoV-2 infection. Purposeful upregulation of LL-37 could also serve as a preventative and therapeutic strategy for SARS-CoV-2 infections.
Surgical Experience of Transcranial Approaches to Large-to-Giant Pituitary Adenomas in Knosp Grade 4

Pituitary adenomas in Knosp grade 4 are difficult to resect completely and are generally involved in poor prognosis, because of the close relationship between the tumor and internal carotid. In this study, the authors retrospectively reviewed the outcome of different transcranial approaches in the management of large-to-giant pituitary adenomas in Knosp grade 4. A total of 42 patients with large-to-giant pituitary adenomas in Knosp grade 4, who underwent craniotomy in the Pituitary Disease Subdivision, Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, between March 2012 and March 2015 were included in this study. Clinical characteristics, surgical methods, complications, and outcomes were evaluated. The median age was 45 years (range, 19–73 years old), and 42.9% of the enrolled cases were men. The mean tumor diameter was 43.6 mm, and the mean volume was 30.9 cm3. 26 patients underwent the frontolateral approach, while 16 cases accepted the frontotemporal approach. Gross total resection was achieved in 11 patients (26.2%), near total in 26 (61.9%), and subtotal in 5 (11.9%). The adenomas were larger, and the distance of the tumor extending to the lateral skull base was also further in the frontotemporal approach cases. The surgical time was shorter, and the bleeding volume was less in the frontolateral approach cases. Subsellar extension was associated with incomplete resection in pituitary macroadenomas of Knosp grade 4. The craniotomy is still an effective treatment for pituitary macroadenomas in Knosp grade 4.
Lewy Body-Associated Proteins A-Synuclein (a-syn) as a Plasma-Based Biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction To explore the combined diagnostic value of plasma Lewy body-associated proteins (p-Asyn at ser129, total α-syn, and oligomeric α-syn) for the diagnosis of PD versus healthy controls (HCs) and other PD syndromes (PDs), as well as clinical characteristics prediction. Methods This study included 145 participants: 79 patients with PD, 24 patients with PDs, and 42 HCs. A panel of plasma levels of p-Asyn, total α-syn, and oligomeric α-syn was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The primary outcome was the discriminative accuracy of the combined three plasma biomarkers for PD. Results The mean age was 65.43 (SD, 7.467) in the control group, 64.49 (SD, 8.224) in participants with PD, and 69.25 (SD, 7.952) in PDs. The plasma Lewy body-associated protein levels were significantly higher in patients with PD than in age-matched HCs, However, there was no difference in patients with PD and PDs. Of note, a combination of plasma p-Asyn, total α-syn, and oligomeric α-syn was a better biomarker for discriminating PD from HCs, with an AUC of 0.8552 (p < 0.0001, 95%CI, 0.7635–0.9409), which was significantly higher than plasma p-Asyn (ΔAUC, 0.1797), total α-syn (ΔAUC, 0.0891) and oligomeric α-syn (ΔAUC, 0.1592) alone. Meanwhile, Lewy body-associated proteins had no connections between different motor stages and dementia performances. Conclusion Our results suggested that plasma Lewy body-associated proteins, may serve as a non-invasive biomarker to aid the diagnosis of PD from HCs. In addition, increased plasma Lewy body-associated proteins were not associated with the progression of motor and non-motor symptoms.
Case Report: Combining Molar Interradicular Osteotomy With Immediate Implant Placement: A Three-Year Case-Series Study

Background: Immediate implant placement in the area of multirooted molars includes many anatomical challenges, particularly with osteotomy preparation in the interradicular bone. Methods: In this article, we are reporting ten cases in which implant beds were prepared before root extraction. After coronectomy, pre-extractive interradicular implant bed preparations were performed through the retained root complexes. A dimple in the roof of the furcation was created using a no. 8 round surgical bur. The osteotomies were then completed through the tooth’s initially retained root complex in the regular sequence of drilling. Before implant placement, the remaining root segments were removed. The retained root parts guided the osteotomy drills and allowed for precise positioning and angulation of the implant bed preparation with respect to the emergence profile of the tooth. Results: Data from a 3-year follow-up of the crestal bone showed good bone levels in relation to the implant platform. Conclusion: The technique described permitted accurate implant placement in the prepared osteotomy, thus enabling immediate implant positioning in multirooted extraction sites.
The Relationship Between Muscle Strength and Cognitive Performance Across Alzheimer's Disease Clinical Continuum

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a progressive cognitive decline, mostly prominent in the domain of memory, but also associated with other cognitive deficits and non-cognitive symptoms. Reduced muscle strength is common in AD. However, the current understanding of its relationship with cognitive decline is limited. This study investigates the relationship between muscle strength and cognition in patients with AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We enrolled 148 consecutive subjects, including 74 patients with probable AD dementia, 37 MCI, and 37 controls. Participants underwent neuropsychological evaluation focused on attention, working memory, declarative memory and learning. Muscle strength and muscle mass were measured through hand dynamometer and bio-electrical impedance analysis, respectively. Patients with AD dementia were divided with respect to the severity of cognitive impairment into mild and moderate-to-severe patients. Moderate-to-severe patients with AD presented lower handgrip strength than MCI and controls. No differences were observed in muscle mass. In MCI and AD dementia, handgrip strength was associated with overall cognitive functioning, attentional and memory performance. The routine implementation of handgrip strength assessment in the clinical work-up of patients with MCI and AD could potentially represent a simple method to monitor functional and cognitive decline along the disease course.
COVID-19 Pandemic-Related Restrictions: Factors That May Affect Perinatal Maternal Mental Health and Implications for Infant Development

This review aims to discuss the factors that may affect maternal mental health and infant development in COVID-19 pandemic condition. Toward this direction, the two objectives of this review are the following: (a) to discuss possible factors that may have affected negatively perinatal mental health through the pandemic-related restrictions; and (b) to present the implications of adversely affected maternal emotional wellbeing on infant development. We conclude that the pandemic may has affected maternal mental health with possible detrimental effects for the infants of the COVID-19 generation. We highlight the need for evidence-based interventions to be integrated within the health system for prenatal and postpartum care in an effort to promote maternal mental health and infant development.
Rethinking Figurative Language in Autism: What Evidence Can We Use for Interventions?

Problems with the processing and understanding of figurative language have been systematically observed in individuals on the autism spectrum despite preserved structural language skills. In this qualitative review we discuss theoretical considerations of relevance for figurative language processing in neurotypical individuals and individuals with autism across the life-span. We address the factors which influence figurative language processing and their role in the processing of different types of figurative language, with a focus on idioms and metaphors. We address critically the evidence from research, including findings in our own research and recent systematic reviews and the extent to which they offer a reliable picture of potential deficits in figurative language processing in autism and their possible sources. This evidence is discussed from the point of view of insights it offers for interventions targeting non-literal language skills in children and adults with autism.
Remission of Persistent Negative Symptoms and Psychosocial Consequences by Combined Clozapine and Cariprazine Treatment in a Patient With Long-Standing Treatment-Resistant Schizoaffective Disorder

This patient case report describes a 45-year old white unmarried man with disability pension due to schizoaffective disorder, diagnosed at the age of 24. He lives in an apartment and has housing support. Retrospectively, the patient displayed prodromal markers of a disorder within the schizophrenia spectrum many years before the onset of frank psychosis, indeed since childhood. Over the years several symptoms and signs across schizophrenia domains have been manifest: positive, negative, cognitive, and affective, among which the negative and affective symptoms and signs were the earliest to appear. While the positive, disorganized, and catatonic symptoms responded to treatment – when duly tested and complied with – the negative and affective symptoms have been notoriously difficult to handle. We now report on the successful introduction of cariprazine (CAR) to his ongoing clozapine (CLZ) medication, the result of which has been a near-complete remission of his persistent negative and psychosocial issues. We interpret this remarkable alleviation of the patient's disease – and concomitant improvement of his quality of life – in terms of neuroreceptor target complementarity between CLZ and CAR, with particular emphasis on the contributions from the D3 and D2 receptor partial agonist components of the latter agent.
Distinct Subdivisions in the Transition Between Telencephalon and Hypothalamus Produce Otp and Sim1 Cells for the Extended Amygdala in Sauropsids

Based on the coexpression of the transcription factors Foxg1 and Otp, we recently identified in the mouse a new radial embryonic division named the telencephalon-opto-hypothalamic (TOH) domain that produces the vast majority of glutamatergic neurons found in the medial extended amygdala. To know whether a similar division exists in other amniotes, we carried out double labeling of Foxg1 and Otp in embryonic brain sections of two species of sauropsids, the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus), and the long-tailed lacertid lizard (Psammodromus algirus). Since in mice Otp overlaps with the transcription factor Sim1, we also analyzed the coexpression of Foxg1 and Sim1 and compared it to the glutamatergic cell marker VGLUT2. Our results showed that the TOH domain is also present in sauropsids and produces subpopulations of Otp/Foxg1 and Sim1/Foxg1 cells for the medial extended amygdala. In addition, we found Sim1/Foxg1 cells that invade the central extended amygdala, and other Otp and Sim1 cells not coexpressing Foxg1 that invade the extended and the pallial amygdala. These different Otp and Sim1 cell subpopulations, with or without Foxg1, are likely glutamatergic. Our results highlight the complex divisional organization of telencephalon-hypothalamic transition, which contributes to the heterogeneity of amygdalar cells. In addition, our results open new venues to study further the amygdalar cells derived from different divisions around this transition zone and their relationship to other cells derived from the pallium or the subpallium.
The Landscape of the Tumor-Infiltrating Immune Cell and Prognostic Nomogram in Colorectal Cancer

Tumor-infiltrating immune cells are associated with prognosis and immunotherapy targets in colorectal cancer (CRC). The recently developed CIBERSORT method allows immune cell analysis by deconvolution of high-throughput data onto gene expression. In this study, we analyzed the relative proportions of immune cells in GEO (94 samples) and TCGA (522 samples) CRC data based on the CIBERSORT method. A total of 22 types of tumor-infiltrating immune cells were evaluated. Combined with GEO and TCGA data, it was found that naive B cells, M2 macrophages, and resting mast cells were highly expressed in normal tissues, while M0 macrophages, M1 macrophages, activated mast cells, and neutrophils were highly expressed in tumors. Moreover, we constructed a prognostic model by infiltrating immune cells that showed high specificity and sensitivity in both the training (AUC of 5-year survival = 0.699) and validation (AUC of 5-year survival = 0.844) sets. This provides another basis for clinical prognosis. The results of multiple immunofluorescence detection showed that there were differences in the results of bioinformatics analysis. Neutrophils were highly expressed in normal tissues, and M2 macrophages were highly expressed in tumor tissues. Collectively, our data suggested that infiltrating immune cells in CRC may be an important determinant of prognosis and immunotherapy.