Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Operation start time and long-term outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma after curative hepatic resection

Purpose The objective of the current study was to examine the potential effects of surgery start times (morning vs. afternoon) on the long-term prognosis of patients after hepatic resection (HR) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods All eligible patients were divided into 2 groups according to the start time of surgery: group M (morning surgery, 8 AM–1 PM) and group A (afternoon surgery, 1 PM–6 PM). Clinicopathologic and surgical parameters, as well as oncologic outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. Results In total, 231 patients were included in the study. There was no difference in age, body mass index, comorbidities, tumor size, tumor location, tumor stages, surgical procedures, or surgical margin between morning and afternoon surgery (all P > 0.05). In contrast, patients in group M experienced longer operation duration than those in group A (median, 240 minutes vs. 195 minutes, P = 0.004). However, no differences of overall survival were observed between morning and afternoon surgery groups in the whole cohort or stratified by surgical margin (all P > 0.05). Conclusion Surgery start times during the work day have no measurable influence on patient outcome following curative HR for HCC, indicating good self-regulation and professional judgment of surgeons for progressive fatigue during surgery.
Bioindicator potential of Ricinus communis to simulated rainfall containing potassium fluoride

Background Fluoride pollution is a global problem because of its high phytotoxicity. Fluoride is released in air, water and soil through industrial processes, where it damages various plant species. Ricinus communis is widely distributed in Brazil, India and China and has been extensively used as a phytoremediation species in heavy metal-contaminated soils. However, few studies regarding the effect of air pollutants on R. communis have been published, and no information about the exposure of this species to fluoride is available. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of fluoride on R. communis morphoanatomical and physiological responses using simulated rainfall containing potassium fluoride (KF). Methods Young plants at approximately 10 days after emergence were treated daily with KF using simulated rainfall at 0, 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 mg L−1, for 37 consecutive days. Chlorophyll a fluorescence, gas exchange, anatomical characteristics and fluoride accumulation in the roots and leaves were evaluated after this period. Results No visual or anatomical symptoms were observed for the first three treatments. Necrosis and chlorosis were visually evident after the 37th day of KF application at 4.5 mg L−1, followed by changes in parenchyma tissues, cell collapse and phenolic compound accumulation at the end of the experiment. No damage was observed in terms of photosynthetic photochemical and biochemical stages. Maintenance of physiological characteristics in the presence of fluoride accumulation in roots and leaves were shown to be important fluoride biomarkers. These characteristics suggest that R. communis is tolerant to 1.5 and 3.0 mg L−1 KF, and is anatomically sensitive at 4.5 mg L−1 KF.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cardiovascular Diseases: An Unexpected Alliance

Cardiovascular disease (CVD), despite the significant advances in the diagnosis and treatments, still represents the leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. In order to improve and optimize CVD outcomes, artificial intelligence techniques have the potential to radically change the way we practice cardiology, especially in imaging, offering us novel tools to interpret data and make clinical decisions. AI techniques such as machine learning and deep learning can also improve medical knowledge due to the increase of the volume and complexity of the data, unlocking clinically relevant information. Likewise, the use of emerging communication and information technologies is becoming pivotal to create a pervasive healthcare service through which elderly and chronic disease patients can receive medical care at their home, reducing hospitalizations and improving quality of life. The aim of this review is to describe the contemporary state of artificial intelligence and digital health applied to cardiovascular medicine as well as to provide physicians with their potential not only in cardiac imaging but most of all in clinical practice.
How Can We Quarantine Without a Home? Responses of Activism and Urban Social Movements in Times of COVID‐19 Pandemic Crisis in Lisbon

Abstract In Lisbon, during the COVID‐19 pandemic period, new spaces for contestation and the action of urban social movements intensified, capitalising on the visibility for the right to housing, as a basic human right and an unconditional public health imperative, to fulfil the duties of lockdown and social isolation, imposed by the State of Exception. Its narrative and strategies reinforces the counter‐hegemonic movement that denounces the logics of commodification and financialisation in the housing sector, placing hope in a post‐capitalist transition in the post‐COVID horizon. We conclude that the actors in this urban struggle have limited power over the changes they initiate, or make an effort to inflict, if they are not involved in a concerted and politically integrated action, not least because the achievements they obtain are temporary and exceptional, like the state of emergency imposed by COVID‐19.
A chalcid wasp acts chiefly as a hyperparasitoid by mostly using small uncommon hosts

Although ovipositing insects may predominantly use resources that lead to high offspring quality, exceptions to this rule have considerably aided understanding of oviposition decisions. We report the frequency of host species use by a solitary facultative hyperparasitoid, Brachymeria subrugosa Blanchard (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae). In our samples, the wasp attacks the large pupae of the moth Gonioterma indecora Zeller (Lepidoptera: Elachistidae), as well as the considerably smaller, and rarer, pupae of two of its other parasitoids. Consistent with conditional sex allocation models, the wasp produced mainly female offspring on the largest (moth) host, an unbiased sex ratio on the middle‐sized (parasitoid) host, and only males on the smallest (parasitoid) host. Adult offspring size was correlated with the size of the host attacked. These features strongly suggest that the two smaller, primary parasitoid, hosts produce lower‐quality offspring. Despite being more common, the proportion of hosts from which parasitoids emerged was lowest (14%) on the largest host species, and highest on the rarer middle‐sized (34%) and smallest (30%) hosts. This suggests that costs or constraints on attacking high‐quality primary hosts may be a selective force favouring the evolution of hyperparasitism.
Advances in selected medicinal and aromatic plants indigenous to Africa.

Medicinal and aromatic plants are reservoirs of curative elements used by a large population of Africans in the treatment of various diseases such as malaria, diabetes, mental disorders, cancer, hypertension and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). These medicinal and aromatic plants are used based on ethnobotanical evidence as being safer, acceptable, affordable, culturally compatible and suitable for chronic treatment. Phytochemical screening of these plants revealed that they contain bioactive chemical substances such as alkaloids, tannins, saponin, and others with therapeutic potentials. The screening of plants for various bioactive substances has led to the discovery of anti HIV drugs from plant such as Ancistrocladus korupensis containing the alkaloid,michellamine A and B. The active ingredients of medicinal and aromatic plants can be found either in the roots, leaves, stems, flowers or bark and can be extracted using an appropriate extraction method. Plant selection for drug discovery can be achieved through phytochemical screening, conducting bioassays on experimental models, ethnobotanical evidence and biologic activity report on the plant. Despite the benefits derived from plants, some of them have some unpleasant side effects which may be related to over doses or other factors. This may lead to acute toxicity and death but when these problems are carefully addressed, will help to harness the therapeutic potentials of medicinal and aromatic plants for further drug development in the future. Key words: African, treatment, bioactive, alkaloid, health care.
Structure and dynamics of picornavirus capsids to inform vaccine design

The physical properties of viral capsids are major determinants of vaccine efficacy for several picornaviruses which impact on human and animal health. Current picornavirus vaccines are frequently produced from inactivated virus. Inactivation often reduces the stability of the virus capsid, causing a problem for Foot and Mouth Disease Virus (FMDV) where certain serotypes fall apart into pentameric assemblies below pH 6.5 or at temperatures slightly above 37°C, destroying their effectiveness in eliciting a protective immune response. As a result, vaccines require a cold chain for storage and animals need to be frequently immunised. FMDV is a member of the Aphthovirus genus of the Picornaviridae. Globally there are seven FMDV serotypes: O, A, Asia1, C and SAT-1, -2 and -3, contributing to a dynamic pool of antigenic variation. As part of collaboration between the Division of Structural Biology, Oxford University, The Pirbright Institute, Reading University and ARC, Ondespoort, South Africa we sought to rationally engineer thermo-stable FMDV capsids either as infectious copy virus or recombinant empty capsids with improved thermo-stability for improved vaccines. In this project, in silico molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, molecular modelling, free energy calculations, X-ray crystallography, electron microscopy and various biochemical/biophysical techniques were used to design and help characterise the capsids. For the most unstable FMDV serotypes (O and SAT2), panels of stabilising mutants were characterised by MD. Promising candidates were then engineered and shown to confer increased thermo- and pH-stability. Thus, in silico predictions translate into marked stabilisation of both infectious and recombinant empty viral capsids. A novel in situ method was used to determine crystal structures for quality assessment and to verify that no unanticipated structural changes have occurred as a consequence of the modifications made. The structures of the wildtype and two of the stabilised mutants were solved and the antigenic surfaces shown to be unchanged. Animal trials showed stabilised particles can generate a similar or improved neutralising antibody response compared to the traditional vaccines and may therefore lead to a new generation of stable and safe vaccines.
Salmon farm impacts on muddy-sediment megabenthic assemblages on the west coast of Scotland

We assessed the impact of salmon farms on the megabenthos associated with muddy habitats using a novel drop-and-drift video camera approach. Megabenthic burrowers and sus- pension feeders were adversely affected by farm proximity, as indicated by modelled benthic flux of dry solids (DSFlux, g m �2 yr �1 ). The burrow-count threshold DSflux was 400, beyond which bur- row density declined rapidly. Suspension feeder densities were reduced by a factor of 4 in close proximity (DSFlux > 8000 g m -2 yr -1 ) to the salmon farms, but only where the sediment was rela- tively muddy. In terms of suspension feeders, threshold levels of DSFlux varied between sites, ranging from 12 to 665 g m -2 yr -1 . There was no evidence that vagile predator/scavengers were either attracted to, or repelled by, salmon farms. We conclude that burrowers and suspension feeders were relatively resilient to salmon farms in muddy, sea-loch habitats and that detectable im pacts did not exceed 100 m from the cage boundary.
Dissociating Arithmetic Operations in the Parietal Cortex Using 1 Hz Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation: The Importance of Strategy Use

The triple-code model (TCM) of number processing suggests the involvement of distinct parietal cortex areas in arithmetic operations: the bilateral horizontal segment of the intraparietal sulcus (hIPS) for arithmetic operations that require the manipulation of numerical quantities (e.g., subtraction) and the left angular gyrus (AG) for arithmetic operations that require the retrieval of answers from long-term memory (e.g., multiplication). Although neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and brain stimulation studies suggest the dissociation of these operations into distinct parietal cortex areas, the role of strategy (online calculation vs. retrieval) is not yet fully established. In the present study, we further explored the causal involvement of the left AG for multiplication and left hIPS for subtraction using a neuronavigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) paradigm. Stimulation sites were determined based on an fMRI experiment using the same tasks. To account for the effect of strategy, participants were asked whether they used retrieval or calculation for each individual problem. We predicted that the stimulation of the left AG would selectively disrupt the retrieval of the solution to multiplication problems. On the other hand, stimulation of the left hIPS should selectively disrupt subtraction. Our results revealed that left AG stimulation was detrimental to the retrieval and online calculation of solutions for multiplication problems, as well as, the retrieval (but not online calculation) of the solutions to subtraction problems. In contrast, left hIPS stimulation had no detrimental effect on both operations regardless of strategy.
The Use of Biological Assays to Evaluate Botanicals

The Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology’s laboratory has adopted four “bench top” bioassays which do not require higher animals to screen and direct the fractionation of botanical extracts in drug discovery efforts. These are: 1. The brine shrimp lethality test (BST) (a general bioassay), 2. The inhibition of crown gall tumors on discs of potato tubers (an antitumor bioassay), 3. The inhibition of frond proliferation in duckweed (a bioassay for herbicides and plant growth stimulants), and 4. The yellow fever mosquito larvae lethality test (a bioassay for pesticides). The materials and procedures for those bioassays will be briefly described. The authors’ results in applying these simple methods in the discovery of Annonaceous acetogenins will be presented to illustrate their successful use. The BST is especially suggested as an inexpensive, simple, and rapid means of standardization of bioactivity in heterogeneous botanical products.
From 2D to 3D: Promising Advances in Imaging Lung Structure

The delicate structure of murine lungs poses many challenges for acquiring high-quality images that truly represent the living lung. Here, we describe several optimized procedures for obtaining and imaging murine lung tissue. Compared to traditional paraffin cross-section and optimal cutting temperature (OCT), agarose-inflated vibratome sections (aka precision-cut lung slices), combines comparable structural preservation with experimental flexibility. In particular, we discuss an optimized procedure to precision-cut lung slices that can be used to visualize three-dimensional cell-cell interactions beyond the limitations of two-dimensional imaging. Super-resolution microscopy can then be used to reveal the fine structure of lung tissue's cellular bodies and processes that regular confocal cannot. Lastly, we evaluate the entire lung vasculature with clearing technology that allows imaging of the entire volume of the lung without sectioning. In this manuscript, we combine the above procedures to create a novel and evolutionary method to study cell behavior ex vivo, trace and reconstruct pulmonary vasculature, address fundamental questions relevant to a wide variety of vascular disorders, and perceive implications to better imaging clinical tissue.
High-loading Gα13-binding EXE peptide nanoparticles prevent thrombosis and protect mice from cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury

In vivo high-loading peptide nanoparticle administration prevented thrombosis and myocardial injury without causing bleeding in mice. Optimizing antithrombotic therapy Antiplatelet drugs are used for preventing and treating thrombotic diseases. However, they have serious adverse effects, including risk of excessive bleeding. A synthetic peptide (mP6) targeting the integrin signaling has been shown to inhibit thrombosis without affecting bleeding. Its application was hindered by inefficient and impractical intracellular delivery. Now, Pang et al. developed lipid-stabilized, high-loading peptide nanoparticles (HLPNs) for efficient in vivo delivery of the antithrombotic peptide. Injection of HLPNs loaded with engineered mP6 prevented thrombosis without affecting bleeding in mice and had therapeutic effects in a model of ischemia-reperfusion injury. This strategy might be successful in minimizing the side effects of current antiplatelet therapy. Inefficient delivery is a major obstacle to the development of peptide-based drugs targeting the intracellular compartment. We recently showed that selectively inhibiting integrin outside-in signaling using a peptide (mP6) derived from the Gα13-binding ExE motif within the integrin β3 cytoplasmic domain had antithrombotic effects. Here, we engineered lipid-stabilized, high-loading peptide nanoparticles (HLPN), in which a redesigned ExE peptide (M3mP6) constituted up to 70% of the total nanoparticle molarity, allowing efficient in vivo delivery. We observed that M3mP6 HLPN inhibited occlusive thrombosis more potently than a clopidogrel/aspirin combination without adverse effects on hemostasis in rodents. Furthermore, M3mP6 HLPN synergized with P2Y12 receptor inhibitors or the clopidogrel/aspirin combination in preventing thrombosis, without exacerbating hemorrhage. M3mP6 HLPN also inhibited intravascular coagulation more potently than the P2Y12 inhibitor cangrelor. Postischemia injection of M3mP6 HLPN protected the heart from myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in a mouse model. This study demonstrates an efficient in vivo peptide delivery strategy for a therapeutic that not only efficaciously prevented thrombosis with minimal bleeding risk but also protected from myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury in mice.
Reference intervals for parameters of health of eastern grey kangaroos Macropus giganteus and management implications across their geographic range

Reference intervals (RIs) describe baseline parameters of healthy animals, providing a powerful tool for wildlife managers to monitor health, identify disease and assess animal welfare. This paper reports haematological, glucose and serum protein RIs for one of Australia's most iconic and managed mammals, the eastern grey kangaroo Macropus giganteus. Blood samples (n = 514) were collected from 11 populations of eastern grey kangaroos, across much of their geographic range. A species-level RI was initially established based on samples collected from four sites (n = 245) and was further partitioned based on significant differences associated with sexual maturity and season. Unique population means were established from a further seven sites to investigate the importance of biotic (sex and sexual maturity) and abiotic (season, site, rainfall, temperature and laboratory) factors on kangaroo health parameters. Random forest analysis of health parameters revealed that abiotic factors (site, rainfall, temperature and season) were largely responsible for differences in haematological, glucose and serum protein values. Sex was found to have no influence, while sexual maturity and laboratory of analysis had moderate effects. Based on these findings, interpretation of individual and population haematological and serum protein values requires careful consideration of the timing of sample collection, environmental conditions and sexual maturity. When assessing kangaroo health, the relevant sexual maturity RI must be considered initially. For populations with similarities to those described (for example high density or captive populations) users should also consider site specific mean haematological and serum protein values. The RIs reported are valuable when establishing the health status of kangaroo populations. Furthermore, understanding the influence of biotic and abiotic factors will improve the utility of these RIs to assess health, disease status and improve welfare in eastern grey kangaroos.
The concentration of several perfluoroalkyl acids in serum appears to be reduced by dietary fiber

Fiber-rich food intake has been associated with lower serum concentrations of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in some studies, but dietary fiber per se has not to our knowledge been examined. Dietary fiber can adsorb some substances and trap them in a viscous gel matrix in the gut, resulting in excretion. We hypothesized that serum PFAS concentrations would be lower among those with higher dietary fiber intake. We examined the PFAS-fiber association among 6,483 adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2003-2016. Fiber intake was estimated based on two 24-hour diet recalls. We adjusted the models for determinants of PFAS and potentially confounding factors such as intake of foods reported to increase PFAS exposure. Results were expressed as the percent difference in PFAS concentration per interquartile distance (IQD) increase in fiber (and 95 percent confidence interval), and the NHANES sampling parameters were used to make the results generalizable to the U.S. The adjusted percent difference in perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) per IQD increase in fiber was -4.35 (-6.79, -1.85); for perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) was -7.19 (-10.01, -4.27), and for perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA) was -8.54 (-11.50, -5.48). These results suggest that dietary fiber increases the gastrointestinal excretion of PFOA, PFOS, and PFNA. Although the size of the associations was modest, the findings may be important in the context of studies of health outcomes in relation to PFAS if those health outcomes are also related to dietary fiber intake and the outcome-PFAS association is modest.
Seasonal changes in fish assemblages and trophic guilds in selected interconnected rivers in eastern India

The study aimed to assess seasonal changes in species diversity and trophic guilds in selected connected rivers in eastern sub-Himalayan India. The environmental influence was reflected in seasonal differences in the fish assemblages over five main climatic seasons. Diversity estimators indicated that species richness and evenness were greater in the monsoon and autumn as was overall species diversity. Dominance-diversity measures also showed greater richness and evenness of fish species during monsoon and autumn, and overall diversity was reduced concomitantly with increase in species dominance in the later months. From the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), it could be concluded that dissolved O2, CO2, temperature and nutrients were the most significant determinants of species assemblages in these tropical rivers. Fish samples were categorised into seven trophic guilds. The fish community was dominated by planktivores during monsoon and plankti-detrivores in other seasons. Assessments of the conservation status of the available fish species indicated that most species encountered during the monsoon and autumn were threatened. Since these rivers provide important refuge for a number of species due to their shallowness, varied trophic niches and suitability as a reproductive site, this study suggests a community level conservation approach considering the seasonal impacts to integrate with the population specific conservation programmes.