Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High-Resolution Resting-State Functional Connectivity of the Extended Amygdala

The extended amygdala has been implicated as a critical region in the neurocircuitry underlying anxiety. The circuitry of the extended amygdala, including the central (CeA) and basolateral (BLA) nuclei of the amygdala and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), has been well-defined in non-human animals; however, much less is known about the roles and interactions of these structures in humans given their small size. Therefore, the current study used high-resolution 7-Tesla MRI to define, compare, and contrast functional connectivity (FC) of these structures in 57 neurologically healthy young adults. In addition, FC was investigated in relation to self-reported measures of anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty, a key feature of anxiety. Results of the FC analysis of each of the nuclei largely replicated previous work. Conjunction analyses showed nuclei of the extended amygdala shared FC with hippocampal, cingulate, medial prefrontal, and subgenual cortices. Comparison of seed-to-voxel time series correlation maps demonstrated that compared to the BNST, the CeA and BLA were more strongly coupled with parahippocampal, temporal, fusiform, and occipital gyri. Relative to the CeA and BLA, the BNST was more strongly coupled with the anterior caudate and anterior cingulate cortex. Finally, greater trait anxiety and intolerance of uncertainty were related to greater FC of the extended amygdala and posterior cingulate and temporal cortices and decreased FC with the parahippocampal and insular cortices. Results of this study extend previous work to provide more clarity of the nuances of extended amygdala FC and its relationship with anxiety.
Higher Pro-Inflammatory Dietary Score is Associated with Higher Hyperuricemia Risk: Results from the Case-Controlled Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study_Cardiovascular Disease Association Study

In previous studies, the elevated dietary inflammatory index (DII®) scores have been consistently associated with several chronic diseases. However, the relationship with hyperuricemia remains unknown. The aim of this study was to determine if the DII is associated with hyperuricemia risk. The study included 13,701 participants (men 5102; women 8599) in a large-scale cross-sectional study in South Korea. A validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) was used to measure dietary intake, and blood samples were obtained to determine hyperuricemia. As the DII score increased, the hyperuricemia risk increased among women (OR 1.35, 95% CI 1.03–1.77, p trend = 0.02). However, no significant results were found for men. Women with lower BMI scores had higher risks of hyperuricemia with higher DII scores (OR 1.62, 95% CI 1.05–2.52, p trend = 0.03). As the DII increased, however, only women who consumed alcohol (“past or current drinkers”) had higher risks of hyperuricemia (OR 1.92, 1.22–3.02, p trend = 0.004). Among the DII components, intake of flavonoids showed a significant association with the hyperuricemia risk in women (OR 0.75, 0.59–0.96, p trend = 0.03). Our results suggest that higher intake of pro-inflammatory diet is significantly associated with higher risk of hyperuricemia among women. These results reinforce the importance of less pro-inflammatory habitual dietary patterns in lowering the risk of hyperuricemia and secondary afflictions such as cardiovascular diseases.
Smartphone-Based Platform for Affect Monitoring through Flexibly Managed Experience Sampling Methods

The identification of daily life events that trigger significant changes on our affective state has become a fundamental task in emotional research. To achieve it, the affective states must be assessed in real-time, along with situational information that could contextualize the affective data acquired. However, the objective monitoring of the affective states and the context is still in an early stage. Mobile technologies can help to achieve this task providing immediate and objective data of the users’ context and facilitating the assessment of their affective states. Previous works have developed mobile apps for monitoring affective states and context, but they use a fixed methodology which does not allow for making changes based on the progress of the study. This work presents a multimodal platform which leverages the potential of the smartphone sensors and the Experience Sampling Methods (ESM) to provide a continuous monitoring of the affective states and the context in an ubiquitous way. The platform integrates several elements aimed to expedite the real-time management of the ESM questionnaires. In order to show the potential of the platform, and evaluate its usability and its suitability for real-time assessment of affective states, a pilot study has been conducted. The results demonstrate an excellent usability level and a good acceptance from the users and the specialists that conducted the study, and lead to some suggestions for improving the data quality of mobile context-aware ESM-based systems.
Short-term high-Intensity interval training increases systemic brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in healthy women

Abstract Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) increases neuronal viability and cognitive function, peripheral lipid metabolism and skeletal muscle repair. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the effect of short-term high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on serum BDNF concentrations in healthy young women. Methods: Seventeen women (age:22 ± 1 years); body mass index (BMI:24.2 ± 2.2 kg/m²), body fat percentage (% fat:25.8 ± 4.7) participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to a control (n = 8) or HIIT group (n = 9). All participants performed a graded exercise test (GXT) on an electronically-braked cycle ergometer to determine maximal aerobic power (MAP, Watts). HIIT was performed three days per week for four weeks. Each HIIT session consisted of three to five cycling bouts of 30 s each at 80% MAP, followed by four-minutes of recovery at 40% MAP. Forty-eight hours after the last bout of exercise, both groups performed a follow-up GXT. Non-fasting blood samples were collected before and immediately after each GXT. Mixed factorial (2 groups x 4 measures, and 2 groups x 2 measures) ANOVA was used to assess BDNF concentrations, performance and anthropometric variables. Results: Serum BDNF concentrations in the HIIT group (21.9 ± 1.3 ng/mL) increased compared to control (19.2 ± 2.8 ng/mL) (∼12%, P < 0.05) following HIIT. In contrast, circulating BDNF concentrations were reduced following the GXT (P < 0.05). The MAP and % Fat did not change with HIIT. Conclusions: Twelve sessions of HIIT increases circulating BDNF concentrations in healthy young women despite no change in physical performance or % fat.
Potential therapeutic drugs for ischemic stroke based on bioinformatics analysis

Abstract Ischemic stroke (IS) is a complex disease affected by various environmental factors, genetic factors and their interactions. Because genetic factors occupy an irreplaceable place in the pathogenesis of IS, the identification of genetic factors has become one of the hot spots in the current research. In the present study, we aimed to identify possible gene targets and relevant drug molecules in the pathogenesis of IS. Microarray dataset of GSE16561 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between IS group and control group were obtained using limma package in R. Ground-Operation Simulation package in R language was used to cluster DEGs according to their biological process, cellular components and molecular functions with respect to the GO annotation. The DEGs were analyzed by Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes online database and Cytoscape software to predict their interaction relationship. Finally, the DEGs were submitted to DGIdb dataset and related drug molecules were retrieved. 20 DEGs were identified from IS group including 1 downregulated and 19 upregulated genes. The function enrichment analysis revealed that the DEGs were enriched in three GO terms, mainly including inflammatory response, positive regulation of protein kinase activity and innate immune response. Finally, 10 drug molecules were identified from the DEGs. Our study identified some potential biological targets and drug molecules for the treatment of IS.
Interaction of Cortical and Amygdalar Synaptic Input Modulates the Window of Opportunity for Information Processing in the Rhinal Cortices

Abstract The perirhinal (PER) and lateral entorhinal (LEC) cortex function as a gateway for information transmission between (sub)cortical areas and the hippocampus. It is hypothesized that the amygdala, a key structure in emotion processing, can modulate PER-LEC neuronal activity before information enters the hippocampal memory pathway. This study determined the integration of synaptic activity evoked by simultaneous neocortical and amygdala electrical stimulation in PER-LEC deep layer principal neurons and parvalbumin (PV) interneurons in mouse brain slices. The data revealed that both deep layer PER-LEC principal neurons and PV interneurons receive synaptic input from the neocortical agranular insular cortex (AiP) and the lateral amygdala (LA). Furthermore, simultaneous stimulation of the AiP and LA never reached the firing threshold in principal neurons of the PER-LEC deep layers. PV interneurons however, mainly showed linear summation of simultaneous AiP and LA inputs and reached their firing threshold earlier. This early PV firing was reflected in the forward shift of the evoked inhibitory conductance in principal neurons, thereby creating a more precise temporal window for coincidence detection, which likely plays a crucial role in information processing.
Diagnostic value of biopsy sampling in predicting histology in patients with diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma

The classification of diffuse malignant mesothelioma into epithelioid, biphasic, and sarcomatoid types is based on histologic patterns. The diagnosis is made on biopsies, and because of intratumoral heterogeneity, they may not be representative of the entire tumor. The number and volume of biopsies needed to reach diagnostic accuracy in diffuse malignant mesothelioma and their prognostic value remain unclear.
The Association between Use of Online Social Networks to Find Sex Partners and Sexually Transmitted Infection Diagnosis among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men and Transgender Women Living with HIV

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Adolescent Trials Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions to examine the association between the use of social media sites to find sex partners and recent diagnosis of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among 13- to 24-year-old men who have sex with men and transgender women living with HIV. We used linear regression to determine the relationship between the number of STIs and the number of social media sites used to find sex partners with each type of sex act included in the analysis. Secondary analyses substituted frequency of social media site use for number of social media sites. Among 741 participants, for every 1 social media account used to find sex partners, there was a 2.53% (95% confidence interval: 0.28-5.54) increase in STIs. This association was mediated through condomless receptive anal intercourse or condomless insertive anal intercourse but not barrierless oral intercourse. Similar but attenuated associations were found when frequency of social media site use was substituted for number of social media sites. Future research should examine innovative interventions on these social media sites with respect for its users.
Application of millisecond time-resolved solid state NMR to the kinetics and mechanism of melittin self-assembly

Significance Many biological processes involve major changes in the structures and assembly states of proteins and other biopolymers. This paper describes an approach to characterizing such processes with millisecond time resolution, based on rapid mixing to prepare an initial structural state, rapid freezing to trap intermediate states, and low-temperature solid-state NMR (enhanced by dynamic nuclear polarization) to probe the structure at successive time points. Results of experiments on melittin, a peptide from bee venom, show that melittin adopts a helical conformation and forms antiparallel dimers on the same timescale (6 to 9 ms). Full structural order within melittin tetramers develops more slowly (roughly 60 ms). Common experimental approaches for characterizing structural conversion processes such as protein folding and self-assembly do not report on all aspects of the evolution from an initial state to the final state. Here, we demonstrate an approach that is based on rapid mixing, freeze-trapping, and low-temperature solid-state NMR (ssNMR) with signal enhancements from dynamic nuclear polarization (DNP). Experiments on the folding and tetramerization of the 26-residue peptide melittin following a rapid pH jump show that multiple aspects of molecular structure can be followed with millisecond time resolution, including secondary structure at specific isotopically labeled sites, intramolecular and intermolecular contacts between specific pairs of labeled residues, and overall structural order. DNP-enhanced ssNMR data reveal that conversion of conformationally disordered melittin monomers at low pH to α-helical conformations at neutral pH occurs on nearly the same timescale as formation of antiparallel melittin dimers, about 6 to 9 ms for 0.3 mM melittin at 24 °C in aqueous solution containing 20% (vol/vol) glycerol and 75 mM sodium phosphate. Although stopped-flow fluorescence data suggest that melittin tetramers form quickly after dimerization, ssNMR spectra show that full structural order within melittin tetramers develops more slowly, in ∼60 ms. Time-resolved ssNMR is likely to find many applications to biomolecular structural conversion processes, including early stages of amyloid formation, viral capsid formation, and protein–protein recognition.
Predictive clinical factors for ocular dryness in patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the predictive clinical factors for ocular dryness and for the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye in the ocular surface of hospitalized adult patients in an intensive care unit. METHOD A cross-sectional study was conducted between January and July 2016, with 206 patients (412 eyes). An inference about the presence of the diagnosis in the evaluated patients was performed by diagnostic nurses. The descriptive and inferential statistics subsidized the data analysis. RESULTS 47.6% of the patients presented Risk for dry eye, and 52.4% were already diagnosed with ocular dryness. Statistical differences between the ocular dryness diagnosis in the right eye with hyperemia, mucous secretion, eyelid edema and lagophthalmia were identified. In addition, statistical differences were observed between hyperemia and eyelid edema with Risk for dry eye in the left eye and with the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye. CONCLUSION Hyperemia, mucous secretion, eyelid edema and lagophthalmia are the predictive clinical factors for the nursing diagnosis Risk for dry eye and also of ocular dryness in the intensive care unit environment which deserve special attention in the preventive evaluation.
Emerging Role of l-Dopa Decarboxylase in Flaviviridae Virus Infections

l-dopa decarboxylase (DDC) that catalyzes the biosynthesis of bioactive amines, such as dopamine and serotonin, is expressed in the nervous system and peripheral tissues, including the liver, where its physiological role remains unknown. Recently, we reported a physical and functional interaction of DDC with the major signaling regulator phosphoinosite-3-kinase (PI3K). Here, we provide compelling evidence for the involvement of DDC in viral infections. Studying dengue (DENV) and hepatitis C (HCV) virus infection in hepatocytes and HCV replication in liver samples of infected patients, we observed a negative association between DDC and viral replication. Specifically, replication of both viruses reduced the levels of DDC mRNA and the ~120 kDa SDS-resistant DDC immunoreactive functional complex, concomitant with a PI3K-dependent accumulation of the ~50 kDa DDC monomer. Moreover, viral infection inhibited PI3K-DDC association, while DDC did not colocalize with viral replication sites. DDC overexpression suppressed DENV and HCV RNA replication, while DDC enzymatic inhibition enhanced viral replication and infectivity and affected DENV-induced cell death. Consistently, we observed an inverse correlation between DDC mRNA and HCV RNA levels in liver biopsies from chronically infected patients. These data reveal a novel relationship between DDC and Flaviviridae replication cycle and the role of PI3K in this process.
CO2-derived variables for hemodynamic management in critically ill patients.

CO 2 measurement carries significant physiologic and clinical information when analyzing hemodynamic status and ventilation of patients. While much focus is on O 2 based data, CO 2 derived parameters can provide a wealth of additional information. This is becoming more readily available as technological advances are making headways in CO 2 measurements.
Injectable and NIR-Responsive Hydrogels Encapsulating Dopamine-Stabilized Gold Nanorods with Long Photothermal Activity Controlled for Tumor Therapy.

Gold nanorods (AuNRs) are confirmed to have excellently and repeatedly photothermal property under near-infrared (NIR) light irradiation above 780 nm. However, AuNRs easily leaked out from local pathological tissues and circulated in the body, reducing photothermal therapy (PTT) efficacy. By complexing AuNRs with a scaffold via interactions, AuNRs might be dispersed in the scaffold and fixed in the tumor site. Thus, based on mussel-mimetic adhesion concept, AuNRs were designed to be coated with polydopamine (PDA), and then the prepared polydopamine-coated AuNRs (AuNR-PDA) were incorporated into a thermo-sensitive injectable hydrogel composed of β-glycerophosphate-bound chitosan (CGP) and dopamine-modified alginate (Alg-DA) efficiently. Thanks to the strong interactions between PDA and polymers, AuNR-PDA could be immobilized stably and evenly into the obtained CGP/Alg-DA/AuNRs composite hydrogel, which can avoid over-heating locally or leaking out. Sol-gel transition temperature of the composite hydrogel was adjusted to the body temperature at around 37 C to be conveniently injectable in vivo. With NIR irradiation at 808 nm of wavelength, the composite hydrogel was locally heated quickly to over 50 oC depending on controlling the irradiation powers and times. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxicity test of the composite hydrogel showed good biocompatibility to normal cells, but obvious suppression to tumor cells' growth under multiple photothermal therapy. Furthermore, in vivo antitumor test demonstrated the obvious suppression to tumor growth of the CGP/Alg-DA/AuNRs composite hydrogel under multiple PTTs. Therefore, the injectable CGP/Alg-DA/AuNRs hydrogel could be a promising candidate for the long-term repeated photothermal treatment of tumor.
Effectiveness of a Dog-Assisted Therapy Program to Enhance Quality of Life in Institutionalized Dementia Patients

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a dog-assisted therapy intervention to enhance quality of life in persons with dementia institutionalized in a public care home and to study its effect on the use of psychotropic medications. A dog-assisted therapy intervention was designed, in which 34 residents of a public care home in Cuenca (Spain) participated. The participants were assigned to two groups, an experimental and a control group. The program consisted of one 50-min session per week during 9 months. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to compare post-training values between groups, using baseline values as covariates. Our findings do seem to support the hypothesis that Animal-Assisted Therapy may contribute to enhancing quality of life for residents in an aged care home. However, aspects such as the format, time, and content of the sessions as well as their possibilities of reducing psychotropic medication require more research.
Tannins: Prospectives and Actual Industrial Applications

The origin of tannins, their historical evolution, their different types, and their applications are described. Old and established applications are described, as well as the future applications which are being developed at present and that promise to have an industrial impact in the future. The chemistry of some of these applications is discussed where it is essential to understand the tannins and their derivates role. The essential points of each application, their drawbacks, and their chance of industrial application are briefly discussed. The article presents historical applications of tannins, such as leather, or traditional medicine, and more recent applications.
Allosteric Agonism of α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors: Receptor Modulation Outside the Orthosteric Site

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are members of the Cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels. Typically, channel activation follows the binding of agonists to the orthosteric binding sites of the receptor. α7 nAChRs have a very low probability of channel activation, which can be reversed by the binding of α7 selective positive allosteric modulators (PAMs) to putative sites within the transmembrane domains. Although typical PAMs, like PNU-120596, require coapplication of an orthosteric agonist to produce large channel activations, some, like GAT107 and B-973B [(S)-3-(3,4-difluorophenyl)-N-(1-(6-(4-(pyridin-2-yl)piperazin-1-yl)pyrazin-2-yl)ethyl)propanamide], are characterized as allosteric activating PAMs, which also bind to an allosteric activation (AA) site in the extracellular domain and activate the α7 ion channel by themselves. We had previously characterized N,N-diethyl-N′-phenylpiperazine analogs with various functions. In this work, we docked members of this family to a homology model of the α7 receptor extracellular domain. The compound 1,1-diethyl-4(naphthalene-2-yl)piperazin-1-ium (2NDEP) a weak partial agonist, showed particularly favorable docking and binding energies at the putative AA site of the receptor. We hypothesized that 2NDEP could couple with PAMs through the AA site. This hypothesis was tested with the α7 mutant C190A, which is not activated by orthosteric agonists but is effectively activated by GAT107. The results showed that 2NDEP acts as an allosteric agonist of α7C190A when coapplied with the PAM PNU-120596. Also, the allosteric activity was nearly abolished upon coapplication with the AA site–selective antagonist 2,3,5,6MP-TQS (cis-trans-4-(2,3,5,6-tetramethylphenyl)-3a,4,5,9b-tetrahydro-3H-cyclopenta[c]quinoline-8-sulfonamide), consistent with AA site involvement. Overall, our findings show a novel mode of agonism through an allosteric site in the extracellular domain of α7 nAChR.
The Impact of Social Media Features on Teaching Presence in Communities of Inquiry

We examine which features of social media support teaching presence both in and outside of the classroom. Our findings have implications for both design and practice, showing that parsimonious communication tools (PCTs), liberal communication tools (LCTs), multimedia, and notifications support teaching presence. The affordances of these first two relate to immediacy, and hence, allow teaching presence to be expressed in different ways. Meanwhile, notifications allow for filtering incoming information, and thus, impact teaching presence holistically. Multimedia allows CoI members to embed more content and therefore, also have an overarching effect on teaching presence. The only social media feature noted to be conducive to expressing teaching presence inside of the classroom is PCTs.