Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Value of multi-detector computed tomography during intra-arterial infusion of contrast medium for locating insulinomas

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of multi-detector computed tomography (CT) during intra-arterial infusion of contrast medium (MDCT-IA) for locating insulinomas. Methods This retrospective study included patients with insulinomas who underwent surgery at the Chinese PLA General Hospital in 2013 to 2014. The patients’ case notes and investigation results were reviewed. Preoperative tumor localization was carried out by MDCT-IA and noninvasive methods including MDCT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Insulinoma localization using these methods was compared with the histologically confirmed location following surgical excision. Results Twelve insulinomas were identified in 12 patients, all of which were treated surgically. All patients received MDCT-IA (100%), 11 patients also underwent MRI (91.7%), seven underwent CT (58.3%), and all 12 underwent CEUS (100%). Tumor localization was determined successfully in 12/12 patients by MDCT-IA (100%), in 9/11 by MRI (81.8%), 4/7 by CT (57.1%), and 7/12 by CEUS (58.3%). Overall, MDCT-IA correctly localized 100% of the lesions. Conclusions MDCT-IA can be used to determine the preoperative localization of insulinomas.
Time-to-Target Simplifies Optimal Control of Visuomotor Feedback Responses

Abstract Visuomotor feedback responses vary in intensity throughout a reach, commonly explained by optimal control. Here, we show that the optimal control for a range of movements with the same goal can be simplified to a time-to-target dependent control scheme. We measure our human participants’ visuomotor responses in five reaching conditions, each with different hand or cursor kinematics. Participants only produced different feedback responses when these kinematic changes resulted in different times-to-target. We complement our experimental data with a range of finite and non-finite horizon optimal feedback control (OFC) models, finding that the model with time-to-target as one of the input parameters best replicates the experimental data. Overall, this suggests that time-to-target is a critical control parameter in online feedback control. Moreover, we propose that for a specific task and known dynamics, humans can instantly produce a control signal without any additional online computation allowing rapid response onset and close to optimal control.
Acupuncture at Gastric Back-Shu and Front-Mu Acupoints Enhances Gastric Motility via the Inhibition of the Glutamatergic System in the Hippocampus

Acupuncture strongly alleviates gastrointestinal symptoms and especially promotes gastrointestinal motility. However, the mechanism underlying these processes is poorly understood. This study was designed to examine the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) at gastric back-shu (BL21) and front-mu (RN12) acupoints on gastric motility in functional dyspepsia (FD) rats and to investigate the mechanisms of its effects on the glutamatergic system in the hippocampus. We found that EA at RN12 or BL21 enhanced gastric motility in FD rats, whereas EA at the combination of RN12 and BL21 showed an additional effect. Microdialysis combined with HPLC showed that EA reduced the glutamate content in the hippocampus, and the NMDAR-NO-cGMP signalling pathway was downregulated, as determined by Western blot assays, in FD rats. In addition, we found that decreased gastric motility was significantly restored by the hippocampal infusion of an NMDAR, nNOS, or sGC antagonist. Interestingly, EA had no further effects on gastric motility in the presence of these antagonists in FD rats. Taken together, these results suggest that the hippocampal glutamatergic system is involved in the regulation of gastric motility by EA at RN12 and BL21.
Population Attributable Fraction of Early Age of Onset of Alcohol Use in Alcohol Abuse and Dependence: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study in University Students

Background: we aimed to determine the risk factors and associated population attributable fractions (PAFs) for the age of onset of alcohol use and also to identify protective factors. Methods: we analyzed follow-up data collected between autumn 2011 and spring 2016 (n = 5170) from the first two cohorts (2011, 2012) of the Spit for ScienceTM project. The dependent variables were alcohol abuse and dependence, and the independent variables were age of drinking onset, residence, ethnicity, religiosity, sexual orientation and work status. We determined the odds ratios (OR) using multilevel logistic regression for repeated measures in SPSSv.20. Results: the early onset of alcohol use was associated with an increased risk of alcohol abuse and dependence among females (OR = 14.98; OR = 11.83) and males (OR = 7.41; OR = 6.24). The PAFs for the early onset of alcohol use in alcohol abuse and dependence were respectively 80.9% and 71.7% in females and 71.0% and 63.5% in males. Among females, being white (OR = 1.58; OR = 1.51), living off-campus (OR = 1.73; OR = 2.76) and working full-time (OR = 1.69; OR = 1.78) were also risk factors. Strong religious beliefs were found to protect males from alcohol abuse (OR = 0.58), while same-gender sexual orientation increased the risk among females (OR = 2.09). Conclusion: delaying the age of onset by one year would reduce alcohol abuse among young adults.
Virulence-Inhibiting Herbal Compound Falcarindiol Significantly Reduced Mortality in Mice Infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Antipathogenic compounds that target the virulence of pathogenic bacteria rather than their viability offer a promising alternative approach to treat infectious diseases. Using extracts from 30 Chinese herbs that are known for treating symptoms resembling infections, we identified an active compound falcarindiol from Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang that showed potent inhibitory activities against Pseudomonas aeruginosa multiple virulence factors. Falcarindiol significantly repressed virulence-related genes, including the type III secretion system (T3SS); quorum sensing synthase genes lasIR and rhlIR; lasB; motility-related genes fliC and fliG; and phenazine synthesis genes phzA1 and phzA2. P. aeruginosa swarming motility and pyocyanin production were reduced significantly. In a burned mouse model, falcarindiol treatment significantly reduced the mortality in mice infected with P. aeruginosa, indicating that falcarindiol is a promising antipathogenic drug candidate for treating P. aeruginosa infections.
Profiles of decent work: General trends and group differences.

Recent trends in the labor market-marked by instability and insecurity-have further ignited a discourse on the significance of decent work in people's lives. Scholars have mostly studied the multidimensional decent work construct using the composite scores of the Decent Work Scale (DWS; Duffy et al., 2017). However, there may be different combinations of decent work beyond the simple continuum of composite scores. Thus, we employed latent profile analysis to identify profiles of decent work using the 5 subscales of the DWS as indicators. As a result, 5 different groups with distinct profiles emerged: (a) average, (b) low health care, (c) indecent work, (d) only health care, and (e) decent work. Subsequent analyses comparing each group on demographics (gender, employment, education), theoretical predictors (economic constraints, marginalization, work volition), and theoretical outcomes (job satisfaction, life satisfaction) revealed notable differences across the 5 groups. Implications, limitations, and future directions of the results are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Draft Genome Sequence of Desulfurobacterium thermolithotrophum Strain HR11, a Novel Thermophilic Autotrophic Subspecies from a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent

Desulfurobacterium sp. strain HR11 was isolated from a hydrothermal vent on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. We present the 1.55-Mb genome sequence of HR11, which contains 1,624 putative protein-coding sequences. Overall genome relatedness index analyses indicate that HR11 is a novel subspecies of D. thermolithotrophum. ABSTRACT Desulfurobacterium sp. strain HR11 was isolated from a hydrothermal vent on the Juan de Fuca Ridge. We present the 1.55-Mb genome sequence of HR11, which contains 1,624 putative protein-coding sequences. Overall genome relatedness index analyses indicate that HR11 is a novel subspecies of D. thermolithotrophum.
Accuracy in prediction of long-term functional outcome in patients with traumatic axonal injury: a comparison of MRI scales

ABSTRACT Purpose: Functional outcome prediction for patients with traumatic axonal injury (TAI) is not highly related to the MRI classifications. The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy in predicting functional outcome in patients with TAI with several MRI scoring methods and to define the most accurate method. Methods: Patients with TAI (2008–2014) confirmed on MRI <6 months after injury were included in this retrospective study. Long-term functional outcome was prospectively assessed using the Glasgow Outcome Score Extended. The Gentry classification is most used in clinical practice. This method was compared to methods that score lesion load, lesion locations, and to modified Gentry classifications. The area under the curve (AUC) was calculated for the scoring methods. Results: A total of 124 patients with TAI were included, medium follow-up 52 months. The AUC for the Gentry classification was 0.64. All tested methods were poor predictors for functional outcome, except for the 6-location score (area under the curve: 0.71). No method was significantly better than the Gentry classification. Conclusion: The Gentry classification for TAI correlates with functional outcome, but is a poor predictor for the long-term functional outcome. None of the other tested methods was significantly better.
Seasonality, local weather and infectious disease: effects of heat and humidity on local risk for urinary tract infections and Legionella pneumonia

Seasonality, or the cycle of low and high incidence, of infectious diseases has long been recognized. The earliest works of epidemiology dating back to Hippocrates discuss the changing of disease with the changing of the seasons. Despite the number of seasonal diseases and the cumulative importance of these pathogens, the causes are poorly understood. There are many theories but few data. One recurring possibility is that changes in weather drive the changes in incidence. I use hospitalization data for two relatively common diseases, Legionella pneumonia and urinary tract infections (UTI), to determine the extent to which weather may drive the respective seasonality of these diseases. After adjustment for relevant possible confounders, mean monthly temperature was associated with an increase in the odds of an admission being diagnosed as a UTI. Relative to temperatures under 40◦F, months with mean temperatures 65–85◦F had a 10–20% increase in the odds of a primary diagnosis of UTI. Additionally, the seasonality of UTI incidence appears to depend on sex and age. It appears that UTI incidence becomes more seasonal with age in men and less seasonal in women. In both men and women and all age groups there was a significant increase in incidence of UTI hospitalizations. The severity of the mean UTI patient as measured by inpatient mortality, length of stay and total charges appears to be decreasing relative to what would have been expected had there been no changes to the patient population. It appears that resistance is leading to more admissions and
The modern approach to the nipple‐sparing mastectomy

A modern perspective on the nipple‐sparing mastectomy (NSM) looking at current indications as well as the most up‐to‐date evidence both in the literature and from our institution. There is an in‐depth description of our NSM technique and an overview of alternative approaches, including the robotic technique. The complicated concept of the learning curve is addressed and ideas on how to train other NSM adopters.
Current Landscape and Emerging Fields of PET Imaging in Patients with Brain Tumors

The number of positron-emission tomography (PET) tracers used to evaluate patients with brain tumors has increased substantially over the last years. For the management of patients with brain tumors, the most important indications are the delineation of tumor extent (e.g., for planning of resection or radiotherapy), the assessment of treatment response to systemic treatment options such as alkylating chemotherapy, and the differentiation of treatment-related changes (e.g., pseudoprogression or radiation necrosis) from tumor progression. Furthermore, newer PET imaging approaches aim to address the need for noninvasive assessment of tumoral immune cell infiltration and response to immunotherapies (e.g., T-cell imaging). This review summarizes the clinical value of the landscape of tracers that have been used in recent years for the above-mentioned indications and also provides an overview of promising newer tracers for this group of patients.
In situ monitoring of silver adsorption on assembled gold nanorods by surface-enhanced Raman scattering

Self-assembly of metal nanocrystals is able to create a gap of sub-nanometer distance for concentrating incoming light by the strong coupling of surface plasmon resonance, known as a ‘hot spot’. Although the plasmonic property of silver is better than other metals in the visible range, the superior Raman enhancement of silver compared to gold is still under debate. To provide direct evidence, in this work, we studied the silver adsorption on assembled gold nanorods (AuNRs) using in situ surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements. The self-assembled AuNR multimers were used as the SERS substrate, where the 4-mercaptophenol (MPh) molecules in our experiment played dual roles as both probe molecules for the Raman scattering and linking molecules for the AuNR assembly in a basic environment. Silver atoms were adsorbed on the surface of gold nanorod assemblies by reduction of Ag+ anions. The stability of the adsorbed silver was guaranteed by the basic environment. We monitored the SERS signal during the silver adsorption with a home-built in situ Raman spectroscope, which was synchronized by recording the UV–vis absorption spectra of the reaction solution to instantly quantify the plasmonic effect of the silver adsorption. Although a minor change was found in the plasmonic resonance wavelength or intensity, the measured SERS signal at specific modes faced a sudden increase by 2.1 folds during the silver adsorption. The finite element method (FEM) simulation confirmed that the silver adsorption corresponding to the plasmonic resonance variation gave little change to the electric field enhancement. We attributed the mode-specific enhancement mechanism of the adsorption of silver to the chemical enhancement from charge transfer (CT) for targeting molecules with a specific orientation. Our findings provided new insights to construct SERS substrates with higher enhancement factor (EF), which hopefully would encourage new applications in the field of surface-enhanced optical spectroscopies.
Standardized Uptake Value from Semiquantitative Bone Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography in Normal Thoracic and Lumbar Vertebrae of Breast Cancer Patients

Study Design Retrospective study. Purpose This study aims to semiquantitatively evaluate the standardized uptake value (SUV) of 99mTc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) radionuclide tracer in the normal vertebrae of breast cancer patients using an integrated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) scanner. Overview of Literature Molecular imaging techniques using gamma cameras and stand-alone SPECT have traditionally been utilized to evaluate metastatic bone diseases. However, these methods lack quantitative analysis capabilities, impeding accurate uptake characterization. Methods A total of 30 randomly selected female breast cancer patients were enrolled in this study. The SUV mean (SUVmean) and SUV maximum (SUVmax) values for 286 normal vertebrae at the thoracic and lumbar levels were calculated based on the patients’ body weight (BW), body surface area (BSA), and lean body mass (LBM). Additionally, 106 degenerative joint disease (DJD) lesions of the spine were also characterized, and both their BW SUVmean and SUVmax values were obtained. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was then performed to determine the cutoff value of SUV for differentiating DJD from normal vertebrae. Results The mean±standard deviations for the SUVmean and SUVmax in the normal vertebrae displayed a relatively wide variability: 3.92±0.27 and 6.51±0.72 for BW, 1.05±0.07 and 1.75±0.17 for BSA, and 2.70±0.19 and 4.50±0.44 for LBM, respectively. Generally, the SUVmean had a lower coefficient of variation than the SUVmax. For DJD, the mean±standard deviation for the BW SUVmean and SUVmax was 5.26±3.24 and 7.50±4.34, respectively. Based on the ROC curve, no optimal cutoff value was found to differentiate DJD from normal vertebrae. Conclusions In this study, the SUV of 99mTc-MDP was successfully determined using SPECT/CT. This research provides an approach that could potentially aid in the clinical quantification of radionuclide uptake in normal vertebrae for the management of breast cancer patients.
Unraveling the Fungal Community Associated with Leaf Spot on Crataegus sp.

Crataegus sp. is a tree that grows in temperate zones with worldwide distribution and is commonly known in Mexico as tejocote. The use of products derived from Crataegus in traditional medicine, food, and cosmetics has increased over the last few years and the relevance of this plant has also grown. Here, we report a disease that was observed in tejocote plants that grew both in the wild and in greenhouses in Puebla (Mexico). The disease was characterized by necrotic spots on the leaf ranging from brown to reddish tones that were accompanied by structures on the back of the leaf. Furthermore, we investigated the fungal genera associated with infected leaves in wild tejocote plants, from which we recovered Alternaria sp. , Aureobasidium sp. , Dreschlera sp. , Fusarium sp. , Paecilomyces sp. and Ulocladium sp. genera. Inoculation on healthy Crataegus sp. plants with isolate UAP140 showed similar symptoms as observed in nature, while inoculation with UAP127 resulted in the development of necrotic lesions in the leaf. The identity of these isolates was further studied through the phylogenetic analysis of the ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, where isolate UAP140 showed the highest identity with Fusarium equiseti and isolate UAP127 was similar to Alternaria arborescens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a characteristic disease developed in Crataegus sp. plants in Mexico where the fungal community associated to the lesion was analyzed. Further studies would be necessary to determine the ecological and environmental implications of the microbiome on the appearance and development of the disease.
Opposing fitness consequences of habitat use in a harvested moose population.

Landscape changes are happening at an unprecedented pace, and together with high levels of wildlife harvesting humans have a large effect on wildlife populations. A thorough knowledge of their combined influence on individual fitness is important in order to understand factors affecting population dynamics. The goal of the study was to assess the individual consistency in the use of risky habitat types, and how habitat use was related to fitness components and life-history strategies. Using data from a closely monitored and harvested population of moose (Alces alces), we examined how individual variation in offspring size, reproduction, and survival was related to the use of open grasslands; a habitat type that offers high-quality forage during summer, but at the cost of being more exposed to hunters in autumn. Use of this habitat type may therefore involve a trade-off between high mortality risk and forage maximization. There was high repeatability in habitat use, which suggest consistent behaviour within individuals. Offspring number and weight was positively related to the mothers' use of open grasslands, whereas the probability of surviving the subsequent harvest season was negatively related to the use of the same habitat type. As a consequence, we found a non-significant relationship between habitat use and lifetime fitness. The study suggest that harvesting, even if intended to be nonselective with regard to phenotypes, may be selective towards animals with specific behaviour and life-history strategies. As a consequence, harvesting can alter the life-history composition of the population and target life-history strategies that would be beneficial for individual fitness and population growth in the absence of hunting.
Ascending Si diffusion into growing GaN nanowires from the SiC/Si substrate: up to the solubility limit and beyond

We report a novel mechanism that allows the incorporation of Si into GaN nanowires up to and beyond the solubility limit. This mechanism is documented during the growth on vicinal (misoriented) SiC/Si hybrid substrates having the step bunches. Nanowires that are grown at these locations become heavily Si doped. Such high Si concentrations were verified by secondary-ion mass spectrometry. Photoluminescence data also point to very high carrier concentrations. Moreover, Raman spectroscopy together with quantum chemical modelling shows the build up of Si into Ga sites and indicates even the possibility of the formation of a Ga(Si)N solid solution. The microscopic mechanism responsible for heavy doping and even alloying is diffusion driven by the mechano-chemical effect, which allows for the extremely efficient injection of Si atoms into the nanowires from the step bunches at the vicinal SiC/Si substrates.
Modelling Lyssavirus Infections in Human Stem Cell-Derived Neural Cultures

Rabies is a zoonotic neurological infection caused by lyssavirus that continues to result in devastating loss of human life. Many aspects of rabies pathogenesis in human neurons are not well understood. Lack of appropriate ex-vivo models for studying rabies infection in human neurons has contributed to this knowledge gap. In this study, we utilize advances in stem cell technology to characterize rabies infection in human stem cell-derived neurons. We show key cellular features of rabies infection in our human neural cultures, including upregulation of inflammatory chemokines, lack of neuronal apoptosis, and axonal transmission of viruses in neuronal networks. In addition, we highlight specific differences in cellular pathogenesis between laboratory-adapted and field strain lyssavirus. This study therefore defines the first stem cell-derived ex-vivo model system to study rabies pathogenesis in human neurons. This new model system demonstrates the potential for enabling an increased understanding of molecular mechanisms in human rabies, which could lead to improved control methods.