Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
miR-21-5p Under-Expression in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Modulates Intermittent Hypoxia with Re-Oxygenation-Induced-Cell Apoptosis and Cytotoxicity by Targeting Pro-Inflammatory TNF-α-TLR4 Signaling

The purpose of this study is to explore the anti-inflammatory role of microRNAs (miR)-21 and miR-23 targeting the TLR/TNF-α pathway in response to chronic intermittent hypoxia with re-oxygenation (IHR) injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Gene expression levels of the miR-21/23a, and their predicted target genes were assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 40 treatment-naive severe OSA patients, and 20 matched subjects with primary snoring (PS). Human monocytic THP-1 cell lines were induced to undergo apoptosis under IHR exposures, and transfected with miR-21-5p mimic. Both miR-21-5p and miR-23-3p gene expressions were decreased in OSA patients as compared with that in PS subjects, while TNF-α gene expression was increased. Both miR-21-5p and miR-23-3p gene expressions were negatively correlated with apnea hypopnea index and oxygen desaturation index, while TNF-α gene expression positively correlated with apnea hypopnea index. In vitro IHR treatment resulted in decreased miR-21-5p and miR-23-3p expressions. Apoptosis, cytotoxicity, and gene expressions of their predicted target genes—including TNF-α, ELF2, NFAT5, HIF-2α, IL6, IL6R, EDNRB, and TLR4—were all increased in response to IHR, while all were reversed with miR-21-5p mimic transfection under IHR condition. The findings provide biological insight into mechanisms by which IHR-suppressed miRs protect cell apoptosis via inhibit inflammation, and indicate that over-expression of the miR-21-5p may be a new therapy for OSA.
Synthesis, Characterization, Self-Assembly, and Irritation Studies of Polyglyceryl-10 Caprylates

1,4-dioxane should be less than or equal to 10 ppm in finished cosmetic products according to the recommendation of the Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, but it is often generated as a by-product during the manufacturing process of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based derivatives. In order to avoid the possible risk caused by 1,4-dioxane, it might be a good choice for preparing cosmetic ingredients by using polyglycerin (PG) instead of PEG as a hydrophilic segment. In the present study, polyglyceryl-10 caprylates were synthesized by the esterification reaction between polyglycerin-10 and caprylic acid. FTIR and 1H NMR were utilized to confirm the chemical structures of the obtained polyglyceryl-10 caprylates. Light transmittance was availed to investigate the water solubility of polyglyceryl-10 caprylates. The self-assembly behavior, size, and size distribution of polyglyceryl-10 caprylates were investigated by dynamic light scattering. The makeup cleansing effect was also evaluated by in vitro and in vivo methods. Irritation was evaluated by hen’s egg test-chorioallantoic membrane assay (HET-CAM). Results showed that polyglyceryl-10 monocaprylate could self-assemble into nanoparticles in the water at the concentration range of 2.5–10 wt% with a transparent appearance. The diameter of formed nanoparticles was around 100 nm with a narrow particle size distribution around 0.1 at the concentration of 2.5 wt% or 5 wt%. Polyglyceryl-10 monocaprylate exhibited good removal effect against makeup and excellent removal efficacy against pen eyeliner. The irritation of polyglyceryl-10 monocaprylate evaluated by HET-CAM at the concentration of 4 wt% was moderate irritant (irritation score = 8.4), which was lower than that of PEG-6 caprylic/capric glycerides (severe irritant, irritation score = 14.1). Therefore, polyglyceryl-10 monocaprylate might be a promising cosmetic ingredient for transparent makeup removing water.
Measuring next of kin satisfaction with hospital cancer care: using a mixed-method approach as basis for improving quality and safety.

AIM/S To explore next of kin satisfaction with cancer care, map next of kin suggestions for involvement and combine this information to create a basis for improving quality and safety in hospitals. DESIGN Convergent parallel mixed-methods design applying the 20-item FAMCARE Scale survey instrument for quantitative measurement of satisfaction with care and with an open-ended question used for qualitative analysis. DATA SOURCES Responses from 238 next of kin (November 2016 - November 2017). METHODS Exploratory factor analysis, regression analysis and qualitative content analysis were combined. RESULTS Both hospitals scored better in medical treatment (median, interquartile range: 1.5, 1.1-2.0), than in satisfaction with information and involvement of next of kin (1.9, 1.3-2.4), p<0.001 (Wilcoxon signed ranks test). After adjusting for differences in demographical and clinical variables, the total FAMCARE scores were 13% higher (95% confidence interval: 1-27%, Wald p=0.029) at one of the hospitals. Qualitative findings support that the hospitals are not providing an equal offer to next of kin involvement in hospital cancer care that includes a proactive approach. CONCLUSION As a basis for quality and safety improvement, next of kin satisfaction and involvement in cancer care should be addressed in a two-sided perspective, balancing the next of kin's need for involvement in cancer treatment with the patient's perspective. IMPACT There is limited knowledge of next of kin satisfaction with hospital cancer care and how next of kin would like to be involved in this trajectory. Several aspects of satisfaction with cancer care can prompt change to improve service quality and safety (e.g. information, involvement, practical care), but this is an underused source of information. Next of kin are key in cancer care and our study demonstrates a potential large impact on future practical ways of improving cancer care service provision in an integrative perspective including next of kin.
Evaluation of DNA damage and toxicological methodology development: A bibliometric study

Genomic instability is a risk to organism health detected by methods such as the comet assay (CA). It is a highly sensitive and versatile method to detect low levels of DNA damage in a wide range of cells from humans as well as from other species as compared to other methods with the same proposal. CA is a powerful DNA damage analysis tool and its applicability extends to the genotoxicity analysis of, that is, drugs and carcinogenic substances. This study analyzed papers employing CA in the Scopus database in order to assess its scientific importance, employability, and trends by evaluating: number of articles per year, total citations and per year, country of publication and their clusters, clusters of authors, most frequently abstracts terms, name of journal, affiliations, country of publication, subject area, relevant keywords compared to citation clusters, and impact factor (IF) CiteScore. It was retrieved 13,828 articles from 1990 to 2018, with a peak in 2014 and a decline from 2015 to 2018. Four author clusters from China, United States, India, and Brazil were identified, countries presenting the greatest number of publications. China presented the most recent scientific advances in the field. It was also detected nine clusters of themes, and a positive correlation between publications, citations, and the IF. There are full employability and versatility in the use of the method. Currently, there is an advance in Chinese scientific production on the subject, and there is greater use of the method on oxidative damage researches.
Physiological response to fluid resuscitation with Ringer Lactate versus Plasmalyte in critically ill burn patients.

The metabolic consequences in vivo of various balanced solutions are poorly known in critically ill patients. The main objective of this study was to describe the metabolic consequences of Plasmalyte® versus Ringer lactate (RL) in critically ill burn patients, with a special focus on the plasma clearance of buffer anions (i.e. gluconate, acetate and lactate). We conducted a randomized trial between August 2017 and October 2018 in a tertiary teaching hospital in Paris, France. Patients with burn total body surface area >30% were randomized to receive Plasmalyte® or RL. The primary endpoint was the base excess (BE) 24 hours after inclusion. The secondary endpoints were acetate, gluconate and lactate plasma concentration, the strong ion difference (SID). Twenty-eight patients were randomized. Twenty-four hours after inclusion, plasma BE was not significantly different in the Plasmalyte® and RL groups (-0.9 [CI95% -1.8-0.9] vs -2.1 [CI95% -4.6-0.6] mmol/L respectively, p=0.26). Plasma gluconate concentration was higher in the Plasmalyte® group (p<0.001) with a maximum level of 1.86 (CI95% 0.98-4.0) mmol/L vs 0 (IC95% 0-0.15) mmol/L. Plasma acetate and lactate were not significantly different. Ionized calcium level was lower in the Plasmalyte® group (p=0.002). Hemodynamics did not differ between groups. To conclude, alkalinizing effect of Plasmalyte® was less important than expected with no difference in base excess compared to RL, in part due to gluconate accumulation. Acetate and lactate did not significantly accumulate. Plasmalyte® led to significantly lower ionized calcium levels.
Machine learning for syndromic surveillance using veterinary necropsy reports

The use of natural language data for animal population surveillance represents a valuable opportunity to gather information about potential disease outbreaks, emerging zoonotic diseases, or bioterrorism threats. In this study, we evaluate machine learning methods for conducting syndromic surveillance using free-text veterinary necropsy reports. We train a system to detect if a necropsy report from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory contains evidence of gastrointestinal, respiratory, or urinary pathology. We evaluate the performance of several machine learning algorithms including deep learning with a long short-term memory network. Although no single algorithm was superior, random forest using feature vectors of TF-IDF statistics ranked among the top-performing models with F1 scores of 0.923 (gastrointestinal), 0.960 (respiratory), and 0.888 (urinary). This model was applied to over 33,000 necropsy reports and was used to describe temporal and spatial features of diseases within a 14-year period, exposing epidemiological trends and detecting a potential focus of gastrointestinal disease from a single submitting producer in the fall of 2016.
Dehydration-Induced DnaK2 Chaperone Is Involved in PSII Repair of a Desiccation-Tolerant Cyanobacterium1

The drought tolerance of the cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme is enhanced by a dehydration-induced chaperone pair that is involved in photosystem II repair under stress conditions. Maintaining the structural integrity of the photosynthetic apparatus during dehydration is critical for effective recovery of photosynthetic activity upon rehydration in a variety of desiccation-tolerant plants, but the underlying molecular mechanism is largely unclear. The subaerial cyanobacterium Nostoc flagelliforme can survive extreme dehydration conditions and quickly recovers its photosynthetic activity upon rehydration. In this study, we found that the expression of the molecular chaperone NfDnaK2 was substantially induced by dehydration, and NfDnaK2 proteins were primarily localized in the thylakoid membrane. NfDnaJ9 was identified to be the cochaperone partner of NfDnaK2, and their encoding genes shared similar transcriptional responses to dehydration. NfDnaJ9 interacted with the NfFtsH2 protease involved in the degradation of damaged D1 protein. Heterologous expression of NfdnaK2 enhanced PSII repair and drought tolerance in transgenic Nostoc sp. PCC 7120. Furthermore, the nitrate reduction (NarL)/nitrogen fixation (FixJ) family transcription factors response regulator (NfRre1) and photosynthetic electron transport-dependent regulator (NfPedR) were identified as putative positive regulators capable of binding to the promoter region of NfdnaK2 and they may mediate dehydration-induced expression of NfdnaK2 in N. flagelliforme. Our findings provide novel insights into the molecular mechanism of desiccation tolerance in some xerotolerant microorganisms, which could facilitate future synthetic approaches to the creation of extremophiles in microorganisms and plants.
Reversible Anionic Redox Activities in Conventional LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2 Cathodes.

The redox reaction of oxygen has been considered critical in controlling the electrochemical properties of Li-excessive layered oxide electrodes. However, conventional electrode materials without over-lithiation remain the most practical if their performance could be improved through rational approaches. Typically, cationic redox reactions are believed to dominate the electrochemical operations in conventional electrodes, and the involvement of anionic redox reactions, although proposed, is yet to be clarified through reliable characterizations. Here, we show unambiguous evidence of reversible anionic redox reactions in LiNi1/3Co1/3Mn1/3O2. , with a detailed quantification on its reversibility upon electrochemical cycling. Two types of oxygen involvements are discussed. One is the typical involvement of O through hybridization with transition metals throughout the electrochemical operation; the other is the intrinsic O redox at high potentials, which is 75% reversible during initial cycling and 63% retained after 10 cycles. Our results clarify the reaction mechanism at high potentials in conventional layered electrodes involving both cationic and anionic reactions. Additionally, our combined characterizations indicate a critical role of transition-metals for oxygen redox activities and the optimism of utilizing reversible oxygen redox reactions in conventional layered oxides for high-capacity lithium-ion batteries.
Alcohol use and mental health symptoms in female firefighter recruits.

BACKGROUND Limited research suggests that female firefighters report problem drinking at higher rates than the general population. AIMS To identify longitudinal drinking patterns in female firefighters, make comparisons to male firefighters and examine problem drinking in relation to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. METHODS Study participants included 33 female and 289 male firefighter recruits, who were assessed over their first 3 years of fire service. RESULTS Female firefighters consumed increasing numbers of drinks per week, with a median of 0.90 drinks per week at baseline, and 1.27 drinks in year 3. Female firefighters reported binge drinking at high rates, with nearly half binging at least once per year across all time points (44-74%). The percentage that reported binge drinking three or more times per month doubled over the course of the study (from 9% to 18%). Overall, males reported higher rates of binge drinking and a greater number of drinks per week; however, binge drinking rates among females increased over time and became comparable to rates of binge drinking among males. A greater percentage of female than male firefighters met the criteria for problem drinking by year 1. Problem drinking was associated with screening positive for PTSD at year 1 and depression at year 2, but not with occupational injury. CONCLUSIONS Over time, female firefighters reported increasing amounts of drinking, more frequent binge drinking and more negative consequences from drinking. These findings along with existing literature indicate female firefighters change their drinking in the direction of their male counterparts.
Tendon Healing Progression Evaluated With Magnetic Resonance Imaging Signal Intensity and Its Correlation With Clinical Outcomes Within 1 Year After Rotator Cuff Repair With the Suture-Bridge Technique

Background: After a rotator cuff (RC) is repaired, its signal intensity (SI) on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) gradually changes to normal and could reflect the degree of RC healing. Nevertheless, it remains unclear how long it takes for SI to recover to normal and whether the SI progression correlates with clinical outcomes after RC repair (RCR). Purpose: To serially evaluate the SIs of the repaired RC tendon on MRI and the postoperative clinical outcomes and then analyze the correlation between them. Study Design: Case series; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: This study prospectively included 25 patients who underwent arthroscopic RCR with the suture-bridge technique between June 2016 and July 2017. Twenty-three patients accepted full follow-ups at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. Before surgery and at each follow-up, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain and 4 functional scores were evaluated: Constant-Murley score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons shoulder evaluation form, modified University of California at Los Angeles score, and Fudan University shoulder score. The patients underwent MRI examinations at every follow-up. The values of the signal/noise quotient at the distal (SNQd) and proximal (SNQp) areas were calculated to evaluate the SI of the repaired tendon. The correlations of clinical outcomes with SNQd and SNQp values were analyzed, and subgroup analyses were performed. Results: Overall, the mean postoperative VAS score significantly decreased at postoperative 1 month (P < .001), and the functional scores were all significantly higher than the preoperative values at 6 months (all P < .001). SNQd and SNQp values were both significantly higher than normal at 1 and 3 months (all P < .001) and reduced to normal after 9 and 6 months, respectively. Correlation analyses showed that the SNQp value significantly correlated with VAS score (positive) and all functional scores (negative) at 1 and 3 months postoperatively. Further comparison indicated that the patients with VAS score >3 had higher SNQp values than patients with VAS score ≤3 at 1 and 3 months postoperatively (both P = .01). Conclusion: After RCR with the suture-bridge technique, it took longer for SI to become relatively normal than it did to have a significant clinical improvement. Early after surgery (1-3 months), worse clinical outcome correlated with higher SI on proximal cuff tendon.
Evaluation of Serum Cryptococcal Antigen Testing Using Two Novel Semiquantitative Lateral Flow Assays in Persons with Cryptococcal Antigenemia

Early cryptococcal disease can be detected via circulating antigen in blood before fulminant meningitis develops, when early antifungal therapy improves survival. Two semiquantitative cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assays (LFAs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has not been defined. Cryopreserved serum samples from HIV-infected Ugandans obtained as part of a prospective CrAg-screening cohort were tested in duplicate for CrAg by the CrAgSQ (IMMY) and CryptoPS (Biosynex) lateral flow assays. ABSTRACT Early cryptococcal disease can be detected via circulating antigen in blood before fulminant meningitis develops, when early antifungal therapy improves survival. Two semiquantitative cryptococcal antigen (CrAg) lateral flow assays (LFAs) have been developed, but their diagnostic performance has not been defined. Cryopreserved serum samples from HIV-infected Ugandans obtained as part of a prospective CrAg-screening cohort were tested in duplicate for CrAg by the CrAgSQ (IMMY) and CryptoPS (Biosynex) lateral flow assays. Case-controlled diagnostic performance was measured using the FDA-approved CrAg LFA (IMMY) as a reference standard via McNemar’s test. Of 99 serum samples tested, 57 were CrAg positive (CrAg+) by the CrAg LFA reference standard. By CrAgSQ, 57 were read as positive, with 98% sensitivity (56/57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91 to 0.99) and 98% specificity (41/42; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.99) (McNemar’s, P = 0.99). The sample with a false-negative result by CrAgSQ (n = 1) had a titer of <1:5, while the sample with a false-positive result (n = 1) yielded a 1+ result. By CryptoPS, 52 samples were read as positive, with 88% sensitivity (50/57; 95% CI, 0.76 to 0.95) and 95% specificity (40/42; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.99) (McNemar’s, P = 0.18). The CryptoPS false-negative results included samples with titers of <1:5 (n = 1), 1:5 (n = 5), and 1:20 (n = 1), while samples with false-positive results by CryptoPS (n = 2) yielded Positive results. The CryptoPS assay missed 35% (7/20) of samples with CrAg LFA titers of ≤1:20. The new semiquantitative CrAg LFAs allow rapid estimation of titer levels in easy-to-perform platforms. The CrAgSQ demonstrated better qualitative sensitivity and specificity than the CryptoPS compared to the reference standard. The exact grading of the CrAgSQ results has some subjectivity, with interreader variability; however, qualitative reads were generally concordant for both assays.
Dynamics of coagulation factor XIII activity after video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy for non-small cell lung cancer.

Background The present study was performed to investigate the perioperative dynamics of coagulation factor XIII (FXIII) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy compared with open lobectomy. Methods Perioperative coagulation factors including FXIII were analyzed in 30 patients who underwent VATS lobectomy and 10 patients who underwent open lobectomy at Teikyo University Hospital from December 2017 to April 2019. Results Patients in the VATS lobectomy group showed higher FXIII activity on postoperative day (POD) 5 than patients in the open lobectomy group (P=0.028). The FXIII activity was significantly lower on POD3, POD5, and POD7 than that in the preoperative period and on POD1, even in patients who had undergone VATS lobectomy (P<0.001). No factors were found to affect the maintenance of FXIII in the VATS lobectomy group. Conclusion The postoperative decrease of FXIII activity differed between patients who underwent VATS lobectomy and those who underwent open lobectomy. Based on the characteristics of FXIII, the FXIII activity may be a good marker of the invasiveness of VATS lobectomy versus open lobectomy.
Neuronal HIF‐1α in the nucleus tractus solitarius contributes to ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia

We hypothesized that hypoxia inducible factor 1α (HIF‐1α) in CNS respiratory centres is necessary for ventilatory acclimatization to hypoxia (VAH); VAH is a time‐dependent increase in baseline ventilation and the hypoxic ventilatory response (HVR) occurring over days to weeks of chronic sustained hypoxia (CH). Constitutive deletion of HIF‐1α in CNS neurons in transgenic mice tended to blunt the increase in HVR that occurs in wild‐type mice with CH. Conditional deletion of HIF‐1α in glutamatergic neurons of the nucleus tractus solitarius during CH significantly decreased ventilation in acute hypoxia but not normoxia in CH mice. These effects are not explained by changes in metabolic rate, nor CO2, and there were no changes in the HVR in normoxic mice. HIF‐1α mediated changes in gene expression in CNS respiratory centres are necessary in addition to plasticity of arterial chemoreceptors for normal VAH.