Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular diversity and species delimitation in the family Gasteruptiidae (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea).

Gasteruptiidae Ashmead is an easily recognised family of wasps with circa 589 described species worldwide. Although well characterised by traditional taxonomy, multiple authors have commented on the extreme morphological uniformity of the group, making species-level identification difficult. This problem is enhanced by the lack of molecular data and molecular phylogenetic research for the group. We used 187 cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes to explore the efficiency of sequence data to delimitate species in Gasteruptiidae. We undertook a graphical and discussion-based comparison of six methods for species delimitation, with the success of methods judged based on known species boundaries and morphology. Both distance-based (ABGD and jMOTU threshold analysis) and tree-based (GMYC and PTP) methods compared across multiple parameters recovered variable molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTU's), ranging from 55 to 123 MOTU's. Tree-based methods tended to split known morphological species less than distance-based methods, with the single-threshold GMYC method the most concordant with known morphospecies. Our results suggest that the incorporation of molecular species delimitation techniques provides a powerful tool to assist in the interpretation of species and help direct informed decisions with taxonomic uncertainty in the family.
Liver Biochemistries in Hospitalized Patients With COVID‐19

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) leads to elevated liver biochemistries in approximately half of patients on presentation. To date, data are limited regarding the trend of liver biochemistries over the course of illness. We aimed to evaluate the trend, etiology, and outcomes associated with liver biochemistries in COVID‐19.
Lethality and antioxidant activity of some Sudanese medicinal plants' fixed oils.

The objective of the undergoing work is investigating antitumor therapy potential and antioxidant capacity of Sudanese medicinal planHelianthus annuusL. (Asteraceae), Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae), Nigella sativaL. (Ranunculaceae), Sesamum indicumL. (Pedaliaceae) andBalanites aegyptiaca(L.) Del(Zygophyllaceae)by studying the plants seeds fixed oils for their cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity. This study was conducted at theSudan National Research Center,Medicinal & Aromatic Plants Research Center, Khartoum, Sudan, in June-August, 2013.The five fixed oils cytotoxicity was studied using Brine Shrimp Lethality and ant ioxidant activity by DPPH and Iron Chelating Assays.Obtained results showed thatRicinus communis fixed oil has the highest toxicity with LC
Evaluation of the procoagulant properties of a newly developed platelet modified lysate product

Platelet transfusion is associated with logistical problems with the national storage guidelines of platelets. This results in decreased function in vivo as a result of the platelet storage lesion, and complications such as allergic or hemolytic reactions and thrombosis. We evaluated a new, freshly prepared platelet modified lysate (PML) product designed to be more procoagulant than fresh and stored platelets.
Role of Viral Infections in the Pathogenesis of Sjögren’s Syndrome: Different Characteristics of Epstein-Barr Virus and HTLV-1

Viruses are possible pathogenic agents in several autoimmune diseases. Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), which involves exocrine dysfunction and the appearance of autoantibodies, shows salivary gland- and lacrimal gland-oriented clinical features. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the most investigated pathogen as a candidate that directly induces the phenotype found in SS. The reactivation of the virus with various stimuli induced a dysregulated form of EBV that has the potential to infect SS-specific B cells and plasma cells that are closely associated with the function of an ectopic lymphoid structure that contains a germinal center (GC) in the salivary glands of individuals with SS. The involvement of human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) in SS has been epidemiologically established, but the disease concept of HTLV-1-associated SS remains unexplained due to limited evidence from basic research. Unlike the cell-to-cell contact between lymphocytes, biofilm-like structures are candidates as the mode of HTLV-1 infection of salivary gland epithelial cells (SGECs). HTLV-1 can infect SGECs with enhanced levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines that are secreted from SGECs. Regardless of the different targets that viruses have with respect to affinitive lymphocytes, viruses are involved in the formation of pathological alterations with immunological modifications in SS.
Practice improves court mobility and self-efficacy in tennis-specific wheelchair propulsion

Abstract Purpose Wheelchair tennis (WT) propulsion is uniquely characterized by the requirement for racket holding coupled with effective hand-rim contact. Thus, investigations involving strategies to enhance chair mobility skills are merited. The aim was to examine the effects of organized practice on WT match play responses and the impact of racket holding during practice. Materials and methods Following physiological profiling involving graded and peak exercise testing, 16 able-bodied (AB) participants performed bouts of WT match play interspersed with practice involving wheelchair mobility drills completed with (R) or without (NR) a tennis racket. A data logger recorded distance and speed. Self-efficacy was reported. Results and conclusions Significant main effects for match revealed higher post-practice overall and forwards distances (p < 0.05), peak (p < 0.005) and average (p < 0.05) speeds and self-efficacy (SE) (p = 0.001) were attained. During practice, lower distances and speeds were achieved with R, with a lower physiological cost than NR. Practice increases court movement and SE with no associated increases in physiological cost. Changes represent enhanced court mobility. Differences between practice characteristics provide options for skill development and optimization of health outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Wheelchair tennis participation is likely to confer positive health effects in those with a disability or physical impairment. As chair propulsion combined with racket holding represents a complex skill challenge, novices may find the sport challenging to play. Tennis-specific mobility drills improve confidence and chair propulsion skill with likely crossover into tennis match play competence and ability.
Multiple myeloma with central nervous system relapse

Central nervous system involvement in multiple myeloma is a rare complication but carries a very poor prognosis. We provide a review of current literature, including presentation, treatment and survival data, and describe our experience in a regional hematologic malignancy diagnosis center where, over a 15-year period, ten cases were identified. Although the median age of onset, frequently between 50-60 years, is comparatively young, those diagnosed usually have a preceding diagnosis of multiple myeloma and often have had several lines of treatment. We discuss putative underlying factors such as prior treatment and associations including possible risk factors and features suggestive of a distinct biology. Central nervous system involvement may be challenging to diagnose in myeloma, displaying heterogeneous symptoms that can be confounded by neurological symptoms caused by the typical features of myeloma or treatment side-effects. We discuss the clinical features, imaging and laboratory methods used in diagnosis, and highlight the importance of considering this rare complication when neurological symptoms occur at presentation or, more commonly, during the disease pathway. In the absence of clinical trial data to inform an evidence-based approach to treatment, we discuss current and novel treatment options. Finally, we propose the establishment of an International Registry of such cases as the best way to collect and subsequently disseminate presentation, diagnostic and treatment outcome data on this rare complication of multiple myeloma.
Plant species' response to climate change: implications for the conservation of European birds

Wildlife conservation faces new and extreme challenges in adapting to the accelerating dynamics of a world responding to global change. The Quaternary record shows that migration has been the usual response of organisms to environmental change. This record also reveals that forecast future climate changes are of a magnitude and in a direction unprecedented in recent earth history: the rate of these changes is likely also to surpass that of any comparable change during the last 2.4 million years. The relationship between a species' geographical distribution and present climate may be modelled by a surface representing the probability of encountering that species under given combinations of climate conditions. This ‘climate response surface’ then may be used to simulate potential future distributions of the species in response to forecast climate scenarios. Such simulations reveal the magnitude of the impacts of these forecast climate changes. Although to date this approach has been applied in Europe only to plants, it promises to be valuable also for other groups of organisms, including birds. Some bird species, however, may respond more directly to either habitat structure or presence of specific food plants; such factors may be incorporated into the models when required. The magnitude of likely vegetation changes necessitates a global approach to conservation if there is to be any hope of long-term success. Successful conservation of global biodiversity will depend upon conservation of the global environment and limitation of the human population much more than upon parochial efforts to conserve locally rare organisms or habitats.
Chemogenetic activation of intracardiac cholinergic neurons improves cardiac function in pressure overload induced heart failure.

Heart failure (HF) is characterized by autonomic imbalance with sympathetic hyperactivity and loss of parasympathetic tone. Intracardiac ganglia (ICG) neurons represent the final common pathway for vagal innervation of the heart and strongly regulate cardiac functions. This study tests if ICG cholinergic neuron activation mitigates the progression of cardiac dysfunction and reduces mortality that occurs in HF. HF was induced by transaortic constriction (TAC) in male transgenic Long Evans rats expressing Cre recombinase within choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) neurons. ChAT neurons were selectively activated by expression and activation of excitatory Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Receptors (DREADDs) by Clozapine-N-Oxide (TAC +Treatment & Sham Treated groups). Control animals expressed DREADDs but received saline (Sham and TAC groups). A separate set of animals were telemetry instrumented to record blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Acute activation of ICG neurons resulted in robust reductions in BP (~20 mmHg) and HR (~100 bpm). All groups of animals were subjected to weekly echocardiography and treadmill stress tests from 3-6 weeks post TAC/Sham surgery. Activation of ICG cholinergic neurons reduced the left ventricular systolic dysfunction (reductions in ejection fraction, fractional shortening, stroke volume and cardiac output) and cardiac autonomic dysfunction (reduced HR recovery (HRR) post peak effort) observed in TAC animals. Additionally, activation of ICG ChAT neurons reduced mortality by 30% compared to untreated TAC animals. These data suggest that ICG cholinergic neuron activation reduces cardiac dysfunction and improves survival in HF, indicating ICG neuron activation could be a novel target for treating HF.
Novel Multiplex Droplet Digital PCR Assays to Monitor Minimal Residual Disease in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients Showing Atypical BCR-ABL1 Transcripts

BCR-ABL1 fusion transcript is the minimal residual disease marker in chronic myeloid leukemia; 2% of patients show unusual breakpoints generating atypical transcripts, not quantifiable by standardized real-time PCR (RT–PCR). Response monitoring is performed by non-quantitative NESTED PCR, useless for evaluating patients’ molecular remission, excluding them from treatment-free-remission protocols. Droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) is highly sensitive technology, allowing an absolute quantification independent of standard curves. Based on this, we have developed assays able to evaluate the molecular response in atypical patients. We designed new ddPCR-based molecular assays able to quantify atypical BCR-ABL1 transcripts, with a detection limit of 0.001%, validated in a cohort of 65 RNA from 11 patients. Fifty samples were identified congruently by ddPCR and NESTED PCR (40 positives and 10 negatives for atypical BCR–ABL1 transcript), while 11 positive samples were detected only by ddPCR. Our results highlight ddPCR usefulness, primarily when the BCR–ABL1/ABL1 level is less than 1.5% and NESTED PCR results are often inaccurate. Furthermore, we identified 3 patients who maintained a deep molecular response for at least one year, who could be considered good candidates for treatment-free remission approaches. Here, we describe a new promising molecular approach, highly sensitive, to monitor atypical BCR–ABL1 patients, paving the foundation to include them in treatment-free remission protocols.
Polyembryony in Soybeans1

Twin seedlings were observed in the progeny of malesterile (msms) plants of (L.) Merrill from natural crossing blocks. Of the seedlings observed, more than 4% were embryonic twins. Triplets and conjoined individuals were also found. Cytological examinations of root-tip preparations revealed that most individual plants from twin sets were diploid (2n=40). However, diploid: haploid and diploid:triploid twin pairs were also identified. Genetic analysis of a marker trait in the twin seedlings and their selfed progeny indicated that diploid diploid sets originated primarily after cross-fertilization. Evidence suggests that the mechanism underlying the development of these twins involves a cleavage of the zygote or the development and fertilization of multiple embryo sacs within an ovule.
A Method to Assess the Relevance of Nanomaterial Dissolution during Reactivity Testing

The reactivity of particle surfaces can be used as a criterion to group nanoforms (NFs) based on similar potential hazard. Since NFs may partially or completely dissolve over the duration of the assays, with the ions themselves inducing a response, reactivity assays commonly measure the additive reactivity of the particles and ions combined. Here, we determine the concentration of ions released over the course of particle testing, and determine the relative contributions of the released ions to the total reactivity measured. We differentiate three classes of reactivity, defined as being (A) dominated by particles, (B) additive of particles and ions, or (C) dominated by ions. We provide examples for each class by analyzing the NF reactivity of Fe2O3, ZnO, CuO, Ag using the ferric reduction ability of serum (FRAS) assay. Furthermore, another two reactivity tests were performed: Dichlorodihydrofluorescin diacetate (DCFH2-DA) assay and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. We compare assays and demonstrate that the dose-response may be almost entirely assigned to ions in one assay (CuO in DCFH2-DA), but to particles in others (CuO in EPR and FRAS). When considering this data, we conclude that one cannot specify the contribution of ions to NF toxicity for a certain NF, but only for a certain NF in a specific assay, medium and dose. The extent of dissolution depends on the buffer used, particle concentration applied, and duration of exposure. This culminates in the DCFH2-DA, EPR, FRAS assays being performed under different ion-to-particle ratios, and differing in their sensitivity towards reactions induced by either ions or particles. If applied for grouping, read-across, or other concepts based on the similarity of partially soluble NFs, results on reactivity should only be compared if measured by the same assay, incubation time, and dose range.
Cytotoxic Scalarane Sesterterpenes from the Sponge Hyrtios erectus

Twelve new sesterterpenes along with eight known sesterterpenes were isolated from the marine sponge Hyrtios erectus collected off the coast of Chuuk Island, the Federated State of Micronesia. Based upon a combination of spectroscopic and computational analyses, these compounds were determined to be eight glycine-bearing scalaranes (1–8), a 3-keto scalarane (9), two oxidized-furan-bearing scalaranes (10 and 11), and a salmahyrtisane (12). Several of these compounds exhibited weak antiproliferation against diverse cancer cell lines as well as moderate anti-angiogenesis activities. The antiproliferative activity of new compound 4 was found to be associated with G0/G1 arrest in the cell cycle.
Dietary Protein, Fiber and Coffee Are Associated with Small Intestine Microbiome Composition and Diversity in Patients with Liver Cirrhosis

The gut microbiome is a key factor in chronic liver disease progression. In prior research, we found that the duodenal microbiome was associated with sex, ethnicity, and cirrhosis complications. Here, we examined the association between diet and the duodenal microbiome in patients with liver cirrhosis. This study included 51 participants who completed a detailed food frequency questionnaire and donated duodenal biopsies for microbiome characterization by 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing. Data were analyzed for alpha diversity, beta diversity, and association of taxa abundance with diet quality and components using QIIME 2 pipelines. Diet quality was assessed through calculation of the Healthy Eating Index 2010. Participants with higher adherence to protein recommendations exhibited increased microbial richness and evenness (p = 0.03) and a different microbial profile compared to those with lower adherence (p = 0.03). Prevotella-9 and Agathobacter were increased in association with increased protein adherence. Fiber consumption was also associated with the duodenal microbial profile (p = 0.01), with several taxa exhibiting significantly decreased or increased abundance in association with fiber intake. Coffee drinking was associated with microbial richness and evenness (p = 0.001), and there was a dose–response association between coffee drinking and relative abundance of Veillonella (p = 0.01). We conclude that protein, fiber, and coffee are associated with diversity and composition of the duodenal microbiome in liver cirrhosis.
Assessment of Ciguatera and Other Phycotoxin-Related Risks in Anaho Bay (Nuku Hiva Island, French Polynesia): Molecular, Toxicological, and Chemical Analyses of Passive Samplers

Ciguatera poisoning is a foodborne illness caused by the consumption of seafood contaminated with ciguatoxins (CTXs) produced by dinoflagellates from the genera Gambierdiscus and Fukuyoa. The suitability of Solid Phase Adsorption Toxin Tracking (SPATT) technology for the monitoring of dissolved CTXs in the marine environment has recently been demonstrated. To refine the use of this passive monitoring tool in ciguateric areas, the effects of deployment time and sampler format on the adsorption of CTXs by HP20 resin were assessed in Anaho Bay (Nuku Hiva Island, French Polynesia), a well-known ciguatera hotspot. Toxicity data assessed by means of the mouse neuroblastoma cell-based assay (CBA-N2a) showed that a 24 h deployment of 2.5 g of resin allowed concentrating quantifiable amounts of CTXs on SPATT samplers. The CTX levels varied with increasing deployment time, resin load, and surface area. In addition to CTXs, okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX1) were also detected in SPATT extracts using liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), consistent with the presence of Gambierdiscus and Prorocentrum species in the environment, as assessed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) metabarcoding analyses conducted on passive window screen (WS) artificial substrate samples. Although these preliminary findings await further confirmation in follow-up studies, they highlight the usefulness of SPATT samplers in the routine surveillance of CP risk on a temporal scale, and the monitoring of other phycotoxin-related risks in ciguatera-prone areas.
Mycorrhizal associations of plant species in a semiarid community

Of 93 species in 37 families occurring in a semiarid open mallee community near Murray Bridge, South Australia, 85 species were mycorrhizal. Vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizas (VAM) were more common than other types of mycorrhizas observed. Genera not previously known to form ectomycorrhizas include Astroloma (Epacridaceae), Comesperma (Polygalaceae), Thysanotus (Asphodelaceae: Liliflorae), Baeckea and Calytrix (Myrtaceae), Dampiera (Goodeniaceae), Podotheca and Toxanthes (Inulae: Asteraceae). Many species were found with both ectomycorrhizas and VAM, with annuals having both VAM and ectomycorrhizas for the whole growing season and perennials usually exhibiting either a predominantly VAM or ectomycorrhizal association. Vesicles were present in plant species not commonly thought of as mycorrhizal hosts.
Prevalence of functional dyspepsia-like symptoms in ulcerative colitis patients in clinical remission and overlap with irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms

Abstract Objective: Quiescent ulcerative colitis (UC) patients often have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)-like symptoms and we recently showed that the prevalence of IBS-like symptoms in UC patients in clinical remission was significantly higher as compared to healthy control subjects. However, the prevalence of functional dyspepsia (FD)-like symptoms in quiescent UC patients remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of FD-like symptoms and the overlap with IBS-like symptoms in such patients. Materials and Methods: We reanalyzed the records of UC patients in remission using the subject cohort from our previous study. Clinical remission was defined as a clinical activity index (CAI) value ≤4 for at least 6 months. Diagnoses of FD- and IBS-like symptoms were evaluated by questionnaire according to the Rome III criteria. Results: One hundred seventy-two UC patients in clinical remission and 330 healthy control subjects were analyzed. Of the 172 patients, 9 (5.2%) met the criteria of FD, which was comparable with the controls (22/330, 6.7%). The prevalence rate of FD-like symptoms in UC patients with IBS-like symptoms (7/46, 15.2%) was lower as compared to that of the control subjects (6/16, 37.5%). On the other hand, a high percentage of the UC patients with FD-like symptoms also had IBS-like symptoms (7/9, 77.8%). Conclusions: Although the prevalence of FD-like symptoms in quiescent UC patients with IBS-like symptoms was low, UC patients with FD-like symptoms frequently had IBS-like symptoms.