Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary Timeline of Genetic Delivery and Gene Therapy.

There are more than 3,500 genes that are being linked to hereditary diseases or correlated with elevated risk of certain illnesses. As an alternative to conventional treatments with small molecule drugs, gene therapy has arisen as an effective treatment with the potential to not just alleviate disease conditions but also cure them completely. In order for these treatment regimens to work, genes or editing tools intended to correct diseased genetic material must be efficiently delivered to target sites. There have been many techniques developed to achieve such a goal. In this article, we systematically review a variety of gene delivery and therapy methods that include physical methods, chemical and biochemical methods, viral methods, and genome editing. We discuss their historical discovery, mechanisms, advantages, limitations, safety, and perspectives.
Association Between Serum Iron Biomarkers and Breast Cancer

Background: Iron is both essential to life and potentially toxic at higher levels. Epidemiologic studies of iron and breast cancer are sparse, with substantial heterogeneity found in a recent meta-analysis. Evidence based on a comprehensive set of iron biomarkers and a large sample size could help clarify relationships between iron body stores and breast cancer risk. Methods: A case–cohort sample of 6,008 women, including 3,011 incident cases, has been followed for a median of 7.9 years. We estimated breast cancer HRs with Cox models, including age as the primary time scale and including in turn iron, ferritin, percent transferrin saturation, and their first principal component (PC) both as categorical (quartiles) and continuous measures. Results: Adjusted HRs for the highest versus lowest quartiles of iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation (95% confidence interval) were 1.06 (0.90–1.25), 1.03 (0.87–1.23), and 0.94 (0.80–1.12), respectively, and 1.06 (0.90–1.25) for the first principal component (PC). Associations were similar when follow-up time was restricted to ≤4 or >2 years. Post hoc analyses suggested low iron stores were associated with reduced breast cancer risk, in both pre- and postmenopause and the obese. Conclusions: A study with one of the largest sample sizes to date and with all three measures of circulating iron, ferritin, and transferrin saturation does not support a strong association between elevated iron stores and breast cancer risk. Further investigation of low iron may be warranted. Impact: These results do not support a strong association between iron overload and breast cancer incidence.
Automatic Concrete Damage Recognition Using Multi-Level Attention Convolutional Neural Network

There has been an increase in the deterioration of buildings and infrastructure in dense urban regions, and several defects in the structures are being exposed. To ensure the effective diagnosis of building conditions, vision-based automatic damage recognition techniques have been developed. However, conventional image processing techniques have some limitations in real-world situations owing to their manual feature extraction approach. To overcome these limitations, a convolutional neural network-based image recognition technique was adopted in this study, and a convolution-based concrete multi-damage recognition neural network (CMDnet) was developed. The image datasets consisted of 1981 types of concrete surface damages, including surface cracks, rebar exposure and delamination, as well as intact. Furthermore, it was experimentally demonstrated that the proposed model could accurately classify the damage types. The results obtained in this study reveal that the proposed model can recognize the different damage types from digital images of the surfaces of concrete structures. The trained CMDnet demonstrated a damage-detection accuracy of 98.9%. Moreover, the proposed model could be applied in automatic damage detection networks to achieve superior performance with regard to concrete surface damage detection and recognition, as well as accelerating efficient damage identification during the diagnosis of deteriorating structures used in civil engineering applications.
Data on Herbivore Performance and Plant Herbivore Damage Identify the Same Plant Traits as the Key Drivers of Plant–Herbivore Interaction

Simple Summary Our aim was to determine the effects of a free-living leaf-chewing generalist caterpillar on leaf damage of several different closely related plant species. Herbivore performance and leaf damage were affected by similar plant traits. Traits related to higher caterpillar mortality (higher leaf dissection, number, length and toughness of spines and lower trichome density) also led to higher leaf damage. Both types of data may be used to identify the key traits driving the interactions. On the other hand, we confirmed that it is very important to carefully distinguish whether the data on leaf damage were obtained in the field or in controlled feeding experiments, as the patterns expected in the two environments go in opposite directions. Abstract Data on plant herbivore damage as well as on herbivore performance have been previously used to identify key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions. The extent to which the two approaches lead to similar conclusions remains to be explored. We determined the effect of a free-living leaf-chewing generalist caterpillar, Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), on leaf damage of 24 closely related plant species from the Carduoideae subfamily and the effect of these plant species on caterpillar growth. We used a wide range of physical defense leaf traits and leaf nutrient contents as the plant traits. Herbivore performance and leaf damage were affected by similar plant traits. Traits related to higher caterpillar mortality (higher leaf dissection, number, length and toughness of spines and lower trichome density) also led to higher leaf damage. This fits with the fact that each caterpillar was feeding on a single plant and, thus, had to consume more biomass of the less suitable plants to obtain the same amount of nutrients. The key plant traits driving plant–herbivore interactions identified based on data on herbivore performance largely corresponded to the traits identified as important based on data on leaf damage. This suggests that both types of data may be used to identify the key plant traits determining plant–herbivore interactions. It is, however, important to carefully distinguish whether the data on leaf damage were obtained in the field or in a controlled feeding experiment, as the patterns expected in the two environments may go in opposite directions.
Pharmacology and Mechanism of Action of HSK16149, a Selective Ligand of α2δ Subunit of Voltage-Gated Calcium Channel with Analgesic Activity in Animal Models of Chronic Pain

Chronic pain is a public health problem because current treatments are unsatisfactory with small therapeutic index. Although pregabalin is effective for treating chronic pain, the clinical use is limited because of its side effects. Therefore, improving its therapeutic index is essential. In this study, HSK16149 was found to be a novel ligand of voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) α2δ subunit. HSK16149 inhibited [3H]gabapentin binding to the α2δ subunit and was 23 times more potent than pregabalin. In two rat models of neuropathic pain, the minimum effective dose (MED) of HSK16149 was 10 mg/kg, and the efficacy was similar to that of 30 mg/kg pregabalin. Moreover, the efficacy of HSK16149 could persist up to 24 hours postadministration at 30 mg/kg, whereas the efficacy of pregabalin lasted only for 12 hours at 30 mg/kg in streptozotocin-induced diabetic neuropathy model, indicating that HSK16149 might be a longer-acting drug candidate. HSK16149 could also inhibit mechanical allodynia in intermittent cold stress model and decrease phase II pain behaviors in formalin-induced nociception model. In addition, the locomotor activity test showed that the MED of HSK16149 was similar to that of pregabalin, whereas in the Rotarod test, the MEDs of HSK16149 and pregabalin were 100 and 30 mg/kg, respectively. These findings indicated that HSK16149 might have a better safety profile on the central nervous system. In summary, HSK16149 is a potent ligand of VGCC α2δ subunit with a better therapeutic index than pregabalin. Hence, it could be an effective and safe drug candidate for treating chronic pain. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT As a novel potent ligand of voltage-gated calcium channel α2δ subunit, HSK16149 has the potential to be an effective and safe drug candidate for the treatment of chronic pain.
Prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among Egyptian printing workers evidenced by using serum biomarkers of inflammation, oxidative stress, muscle injury, and collagen type I turnover

Objective: Printing workers experience a high rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). This study aims to determine the prevalence of MSDs, estimate serum biomarkers denoting musculoskeletal tissue changes, and determine some individual risk factors for MSDs among Egyptian printing workers. Methods: Eighty-five male printing workers and 90 male administrative employees (control group) were recruited from a printing press in Giza. A validated version of the standardized Nordic questionnaire was used. Serum biomarkers of inflammation (interleukin (IL)-1α, IL-1β, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and C-reactive protein (CRP)), cell stress or injury (malondialdehyde (MDA) and creatine kinase skeletal muscle (CK-MM)), and collagen metabolism (collagen-I carboxy-terminal propeptide (PICP) and type-I collagen cross-linked C-telopeptide (CTx)) were measured for all participants. Results: This study showed a significant (p < 0.001) prevalence of the musculoskeletal symptoms (76.5%) and significant (p < 0.001) elevation in the levels of all measured biomarkers among the printing workers (means ± SD: IL-1α = 1.55 ± 0.9, IL-1β = 1.53 ± 0.87, IL-6 = 1.55 ± 0.85, TNF-α = 4.9 ± 2.25, CRP = 6.78 ± 3.07, MDA = 3.41 ± 1.29, CK-MM = 132.47 ± 69.01, PICP = 103.48 ± 36.44, and CTx = 0.47 ± 0.16) when compared with their controls (prevalence: 34.4%; means ± SD: IL-1α = 0.88 ± 0.61, IL-1β = 0.96 ± 0.72, IL-6 = 1.03 ± 0.75, TNF-α = 2.56 ± 1.99, CRP = 2.36 ± 1.1, MDA = 0.85 ± 0.21, CK-MM = 53.48 ± 33.05, PICP = 56.49 ± 9.05, and CTx = 0.31 ± 0.06). Also, significant (p < 0.001) positive strong associations were observed between age, body mass index (BMI), and the duration of employment with all measured biomarkers, where all correlation coefficients were >0.7. Conclusion: Printing workers suffer a high prevalence of work-related MSDs that might be related to some individual factors (age, BMI, and duration of employment). Consequently, preventive ergonomic interventions should be applied. Further studies should be done to elucidate the link between tissue changes and detected biomarkers to follow the initiation and progression of MSDs and study the effectiveness of curative interventions.
Influence of Diamond-Like Carbon Coating on the Channel Deformation of Injection-Molded Microfluidic Chips during the Demolding Process

Injection molding is one of the main techniques for manufacturing microfluidic chips. As an important stage, the demolding process in injection molding will directly affect the quality of the functional unit of microfluidic chips (polymer microchannels), thus limiting the realization of its functions. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on the demolding process were carried out to investigate the influence of diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on the channel deformation. The channel qualities of polystyrene (PS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) and polycarbonate (PC) were analyzed after demolding with nickel (Ni) and DLC-coated mold inserts, respectively. In particular, the non-bonded interfacial interaction energy, elastic recovery and gyration radius of polymer molecular chains were further studied. The results showed that the non-bonded interfacial interaction energies could be significantly reduced by DLC-coating treatment on the mold insert. Moreover, common channel defects such as molecular chain separation, surface burrs and necking did not occur. The treatment of DLC coating could also significantly reduce the change in the gyration radius of polymer molecular chains, so the morphology of the polymer channel could be maintained well. However, the change in the elastic recovery of the polymer channel was increased, and the opening width became larger. In a word, DLC-coating treatment on the mold insert has great application potential for improving the demolding quality of injection-molded microfluidic chips.
Hypoosmolality impedes cytoophidium integrity during nitrogen starvation

CTP synthase (CTPS) cytoophidia have been found in many species over domains of life in the past 10 years, implying the evolutionary conservation of these structures. However, there are differences in cytoophidia between species. The difference in CTPS cytoophidium properties between budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and fission yeast (Schizosaccharomyces pombe) inspires this research. We study the effects of culture environment on cytoophidia in S. cerevisiae by switching to the optimal medium for S. pombe. S. cerevisiae CTPS cytoophidium fragmentation and pseudohyphae formation are observed after treatment with S. pombe medium YES instead of S. cerevisiae medium YPD. By modifying the level of each ingredient of the media, we find that hypoosmolality impedes cytoophidium integrity during nitrogen starvation. Our study demonstrates the relationship between cytoophidium integrity and environmental stress, supporting the role of cytoophidia in stress resistance.
Wearable MMG-Plus-One Armband: Evaluation of Normal Force on Mechanomyography (MMG) to Enhance Human-Machine Interfacing

In this paper, we introduce a new mode of mechanomyography (MMG) signal capture for enhancing the performance of human-machine interfaces (HMIs) through modulation of normal pressure at the sensor location. Utilizing this novel approach, increased MMG signal resolution is enabled by a tunable degree of freedom normal to the sensor-skin contact area. We detail the mechatronic design, experimental validation, and user study of an armband with embedded acoustic sensors demonstrating this capacity. The design is motivated by the nonlinear viscoelasticity of the tissue, which increases with the normal surface pressure. This, in theory, results in higher conductivity of mechanical waves and hypothetically allows to interface with deeper muscle; thus, enhancing the discriminative information context of the signal space. Ten subjects (seven able-bodied and three trans-radial amputees) participated in a study consisting of the classification of hand gestures through MMG while increasing levels of contact force were administered. Four MMG channels were positioned around the forearm and placed over the flexor carpi radialis, brachioradialis, extensor digitorum communis, and flexor carpi ulnaris muscles. A total of 852 spectrotemporal features were extracted (213 features per each channel) and passed through a Neighborhood Component Analysis (NCA) technique to select the most informative neurophysiological subspace of the features for classification. A linear support vector machine (SVM) then classified the intended motion of the user. The results indicate that increasing the normal force level between the MMG sensor and the skin can improve the discriminative power of the classifier, and the corresponding pattern can be user-specific. These results have significant implications enabling embedding MMG sensors in sockets for prosthetic limb control and HMI.
Is adherence to the Mediterranean diet associated with healthy habits and physical fitness? A systematic review and meta-analysis including 565 421 youths

Abstract The relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MD), physical activity (PA), sedentary behaviour and physical fitness levels has been analysed in several studies; however, there is mixed evidence among youth. Thus, this study aimed to meta-analyse the associations between adherence to the MD, PA, sedentary behaviour and physical fitness among children and adolescents. Three databases were systematically searched, including cross-sectional and prospective designs with a sample of healthy youth aged 3–18 years. Random effects inverse-variance model with the Hartung–Knapp–Sidik–Jonkman adjustment was used to estimate the pooled effect size (correlation coefficient (r)). Thirty-nine studies were included in the meta-analysis, yielding a total of 565 421 youth (mean age, 12·4 years). Overall, the MD had a weak-to-moderate positive relationship with PA (r 0·14; 95 % CI 0·11, 0·17), cardiorespiratory fitness (r 0·22; 95 % CI 0·13, 0·31) and muscular fitness (r 0·11; 95 % CI 0·03, 0·18), and a small-to-moderate negative relationship with sedentary behaviour (r –0·15; 95 % CI –0·20, –0·10) and speed–agility (r –0·06; 95 % CI –0·12, –0·01). There was a high level of heterogeneity in all of the models (I 2 ≥ 75 %). Overall, results did not remain significant after controlling for sex and age (children or adolescents) except for PA. Improving dietary habits towards those of the MD could be associated with higher physical fitness and PA in youth, lower sedentary behaviours and better health in general.
Comparative morphometric analyses of the deciduous molars of Homo naledi from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa.

OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study is to help elucidate the taxonomic relationship between Homo naledi and other hominins. MATERIALS AND METHODS Homo naledi deciduous maxillary and mandibular molars from the Dinaledi Chamber, South Africa were compared to those of Australopithecus africanus, Australopithecus afarensis, Paranthropus robustus, Paranthropus boisei, early Homo sp. , Homo erectus, early Homo sapiens, Upper Paleolithic H. sapiens, recent southern African H. sapiens, and Neanderthals by means of morphometric analyses of crown outlines and relative cusp areas. The crown shapes were analyzed using elliptical Fourier analyses followed by principal component analyses (PCA). The absolute and relative cusp areas were obtained in ImageJ and compared using PCA and cluster analyses. RESULTS PCA suggests that the crown shapes and relative cusp areas of mandibular molars are more diagnostic than the maxillary molars. The H. naledi deciduous mandibular first and second molar (dm1 and dm2 ) do not have a strong affinity to any taxon in the comparative sample in all analyses. While the H. naledi dm2 plots as an outlier in the relative cusp analysis, the H. naledi specimen fall closest to Australopithecus due to their relatively large metaconid, a primitive trait for the genus Homo. Although useful for differentiating Neanderthals from recent southern African H. sapiens and UP H. sapiens, the PCA of the relative cusp areas suggests that the deciduous maxillary second molars (dm2 ) do not differentiate other groups. The three H. naledi dm2 cuspal areas are variable and fall within the ranges of other Homo, as well as Australopithecus, and Paranthropus suggesting weak diagnostic utility. DISCUSSION This research provides another perspective on the morphology of, and variation within, H. naledi. The H. naledi deciduous molars do not consistently align with any genus or species in the comparative sample in either the crown shape or relative cusp analyses. This line of inquiry is consistent with other cranial and postcranial studies suggesting that H. naledi is unique.
Bacterial Biofilm Formation Using PCL/Curcumin Electrospun Fibers and Its Potential Use for Biotechnological Applications

Electrospun nanofibers are used for many applications due to their large surface area, mechanical properties, and bioactivity. Bacterial biofilms are the cause of numerous problems in biomedical devices and in the food industry. On the other hand, these bacterial biofilms can produce interesting metabolites. Hence, the objective of this study is to evaluate the efficiency of poly (Ɛ- caprolactone)/Curcumin (PCL/CUR) nanofibers to promote bacterial biofilm formation. These scaffolds were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which showed homogeneous fibers with diameters between 441–557 nm; thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA and DSC) demonstrated high temperature resilience with degradation temperatures over >350 °C; FTIR and 1H-NMR serve as evidence of CUR incorporation in the PCL fibers. PCL/CUR scaffolds successfully promoted the formation of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms. These results will be valuable in the study of controlled harvesting of pathogenic biofilms as well as in metabolites production for biotechnological purposes.
Fiber‐optic oxygen microsensors, a new tool in aquatic biology

A new fiber-optic oxygen microsensor (microoptrode) based on dynamic fluorescence quenching has been developed to measure oxygen gradients in marine sediments and microbial mats. The microoptrodes are fabricated by immobilizing an oxygen-quenchable fluorophore at the tapered tip of an optical fiber. A special optoelectronic system has been designed to measure oxygen with these microoptrodes. It is based on small and cheap optical components and can easily be miniaturized for field applications. In contrast to oxygen microelectrodes, the new oxygen microoptrodes are easy to make, do not consume oxygen, and show no stirring dependence of the signal. In addition, they show excellent long-term stability and storage stability. Hydrogen sulfide, carbon dioxide, and other relevant chemical parameters do not interfere with the measurement. Oxygen profiles in marine sediments obtained from measurements with microoptrodes show good correlation to profiles measured with oxygen microelectrodes.