Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Exploration of Machine Learning Methods for Robust Boredom Classification Using EEG and GSR Data

In recent years, affective computing has been actively researched to provide a higher level of emotion-awareness. Numerous studies have been conducted to detect the user’s emotions from physiological data. Among a myriad of target emotions, boredom, in particular, has been suggested to cause not only medical issues but also challenges in various facets of daily life. However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous studies have used electroencephalography (EEG) and galvanic skin response (GSR) together for boredom classification, although these data have potential features for emotion classification. To investigate the combined effect of these features on boredom classification, we collected EEG and GSR data from 28 participants using off-the-shelf sensors. During data acquisition, we used a set of stimuli comprising a video clip designed to elicit boredom and two other video clips of entertaining content. The collected samples were labeled based on the participants’ questionnaire-based testimonies on experienced boredom levels. Using the collected data, we initially trained 30 models with 19 machine learning algorithms and selected the top three candidate classifiers. After tuning the hyperparameters, we validated the final models through 1000 iterations of 10-fold cross validation to increase the robustness of the test results. Our results indicated that a Multilayer Perceptron model performed the best with a mean accuracy of 79.98% (AUC: 0.781). It also revealed the correlation between boredom and the combined features of EEG and GSR. These results can be useful for building accurate affective computing systems and understanding the physiological properties of boredom.
PTPN11 (SHP2) Is Indispensable for Growth Factors and Cytokine Signal Transduction During Bovine Oocyte Maturation and Blastocyst Development

This study was aimed to investigate the role of SHP2 (Src-homology-2-containing phosphotyrosine phosphatase) in intricate signaling networks invoked by bovine oocyte to achieve maturation and blastocyst development. PTPN11 (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase, non-receptor type 11) encoding protein SHP2, a positive transducer of RTKs (Receptor Tyrosine Kinases) and cytokine receptors, can play a significant role in bovine oocyte maturation and embryo development, but this phenomenon has not yet been explored. Here, we used different growth factors, cytokines, selective activator, and a specific inhibitor of SHP2 to ascertain its role in bovine oocyte developmental stages in vitro. We found that SHP2 became activated by growth factors and cytokines treatment and was highly involved in the activation of oocyte maturation and embryo development pathways. Activation of SHP2 triggered MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinases) and PI3K/AKT (Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/Protein kinase B) signaling cascades, which is not only important for GVBD (germinal vesical breakdown) induction but also for maternal mRNA translation. Inhibition of phosphatase activity of SHP2 with PHPS1 (Phenylhydrazonopyrazolone sulfonate 1) reduced oocytes maturation as well as bovine blastocyst ICM (inner cell mass) volume. Supplementation of LIF (Leukemia Inhibitory Factor) to embryos showed an unconventional direct relation between p-SHP2 and p-STAT3 (Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) for blastocyst ICM development. Other than growth factors and cytokines, cisplatin was used to activate SHP2. Cisplatin activated SHP2 modulate growth factors effect and combine treatment significantly enhanced quality and rate of developed blastocysts.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of B4GALT1 Hypermethylation and Its Clinical Significance as a Novel Circulating Cell-Free DNA Biomarker in Colorectal Cancer

Epigenetic modifications of glyco-genes have been documented in different types of cancer and are tightly linked to proliferation, invasiveness, metastasis, and drug resistance. This study aims to investigate the diagnostic, prognostic, and therapy-response predictive value of the glyco-gene B4GALT1 in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. A Kaplan–Meier analysis was conducted in 1418 CRC patients (GEO and TCGA datasets) to assess the prognostic and therapy-response predictive values of the aberrant expression and methylation status of B4GALT1. Quantitative methylation-specific PCR (QMSP) and droplet digital quantitative methylation-specific PCR (dd-QMSP) were respectively used to detect hypermethylated B4GALT1 in metastasis and plasma in four cohorts of metastatic CRC cases (mCRC). Both the downregulated expression and promoter hypermethylation of B4GALT1 have a negative prognostic impact on CRC. Interestingly a low expression level of B4GALT1 was significantly associated with poor cetuximab response (progression-free survival (PFS) p = 0.01) particularly in wild-type (WT)-KRAS patients (p = 0.03). B4GALT1 promoter was aberrantly methylated in liver and lung metastases. The detection of hypermethylated B4GALT1 in plasma of mCRC patients showed a highly discriminative receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve profile (area under curve (AUC) value 0.750; 95% CI: 0.592–0.908, p = 0.008), clearly distinguishing mCRC patients from healthy controls. Based on an optimal cut-off value defined by the ROC analysis, B4GALT1 yield a 100% specificity and a 50% sensitivity. These data support the potential value of B4GALT1 as an additional novel biomarker for the prediction of cetuximab response, and as a specific and sensitive diagnostic circulating biomarker that can be detected in CRC.
Therapist skills associated with client emotional expression in psychodynamic psychotherapy

Abstract Objective: We wanted to determine whether four therapist skills were differentially associated with emotional expression. Method: We compared paraphrases (restatements and reflections of feelings) and open questions (focused on thoughts or feelings) in relation to antecedent and subsequent client emotional expression and client attachment style for 36 clients and 22 therapists in psychodynamic psychotherapy. Results: Therapists gave more paraphrases when clients were expressing more emotions, but more open questions when clients were expressing fewer emotions. Regardless of attachment style, subsequent emotional expression was highest when therapists used open questions for feelings, and intermediate when therapists used reflections of feelings or open questions for thoughts. Subsequent client emotional expression was lowest when therapists used restatements with clients who were low in attachment avoidance, and at about the same level as other skills for clients who were high in attachment avoidance. Conclusions: Therapists differentially used the skills based on how much emotion clients were expressing. Clients expressed emotions differentially depending on antecedent client emotional expression, therapist skills used, and client avoidant attachment style.
Interleukin-17D Aggravates Sepsis by Inhibiting Macrophage Phagocytosis.

OBJECTIVES Interleukin-17D has been shown to participate in the control of viral infections and cancer. Here we hypothesized that interleukin-17D may play a potential role in sepsis. DESIGN Prospective randomized animal investigation and in vitro human blood studies. SETTING Research laboratory from a university hospital. SUBJECTS Female C57BL/6J mice, sepsis patients by Sepsis-3 definitions, ICU patient controls, and healthy individuals. INTERVENTIONS Serum concentrations of interleukin-17D were measured and analyzed in human sepsis patients, patient controls, and healthy individuals. The contribution of interleukin-17D to sepsis-related survival, bacterial burden, and organ injury was assessed in a murine model of cecal ligation and puncture-induced polymicrobial sepsis by the use of anti-interleukin-17D antibody and recombinant interleukin-17D protein. The effects of interleukin-17D on bacterial phagocytosis by macrophages were also investigated using in vitro cell models. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS On the day of ICU admission (day 0), septic patients had significantly higher serum concentrations of interleukin-17D than patient controls and healthy individuals. Serum interleukin-17D levels remained significantly elevated in septic patients from ICU admission to day 3 and correlated with Sequential (Sepsis-related) Organ Failure Assessment scores and documented bacteremia on day 0. Furthermore, nonsurvivors of septic patients displayed significantly higher interleukin-17D levels compared with survivors of septic patients on days 0 and 1 of ICU admission. In animal models of sepsis, treatment with anti-interleukin-17D antibody protected mice from cecal ligation and puncture-induced severe sepsis, which was associated with improved bacterial clearance and organ injury. Conversely, administration of recombinant interleukin-17D protein aggravated cecal ligation and puncture-induced nonsevere sepsis. Furthermore, we found that interleukin-17D impaired bacterial phagocytosis by macrophages. Phagocytosis inhibition by interleukin-17D involved its ability to down-regulate the activation of nuclear factor-κB signaling pathway in macrophages upon bacterial infection. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates a previously undescribed role of interleukin-17D in sepsis and identifies a new target for antisepsis treatment.
Obesity in Adolescents Who Skip Breakfast Is Not Associated with Physical Activity

It has been hypothesized that breakfast consumption is generally associated with healthy lifestyle behaviors, such as increased physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the relations between breakfast consumption, adiposity measures and physical activity among adolescents. This investigation is a part of the Croatian physical activity in adolescence longitudinal study (CRO-PALS). This investigation is based on 802 participants (48% girls and 52% boys), aged between 15.2 and 16.0 years. Physical activity level and sedentary behaviors were assessed using the SHAPES questionnaire. Adiposity measures included the sum of four skinfolds, and multi-pass 24-h recall was used as the dietary assessment method. Participants who consumed breakfast had significantly lower body fat % (p = 0.011 for boys; p ≤ 0.001 for girls) compared to breakfast non-consumers. Physical activity has no mediating effect in the association of breakfast consumption on adiposity in boys (Sobel’s t = −0.541; p = 0.588) and girls (Sobel’s t = 1.020; p = 0.307). Breakfast consumption was negatively associated with adiposity only in the boys at the highest tertile of physical activity (p = 0.04). Physical activity has no mediating effect on the associations between breakfast consumption and adiposity, but has a moderation effect only in the most active boys. Breakfast consumption might exert beneficial effects only in the most active male adolescents, but not in the inactive ones.
Identification of a panel of mitotic spindle‐related genes as a signature predicting survival in lung adenocarcinoma

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is one of the most malignant tumor types worldwide. Our objective was to identify a genetic signature that could predict the prognosis of patients with LUAD. We extracted gene data sets from The Cancer Genome Atlas and obtained differentially expressed genes that were highly expressed at every stage. These genes were analyzed using gene set enrichment analysis to obtain four biological processes associated with LUAD. Subsequently, Cox univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to generate four optimized models (G2M checkpoint, E2F targets, mitotic spindle, and glycolysis). We identified a mitotic spindle‐related signature (KIF15, BUB1, CCNB2, CDK1, KIF4A, DLGAP5, ECT2, and ANLN), which could be an independent prognostic indicator, to predict the prognosis of patients with LUAD. This new discovery should offer opportunities to explore the pathogenesis of LUAD and prove clinically useful in predicting LUAD patient prognosis.
A Review of Force Myography Research and Development

Information about limb movements can be used for monitoring physical activities or for human-machine-interface applications. In recent years, a technique called Force Myography (FMG) has gained ever-increasing traction among researchers to extract such information. FMG uses force sensors to register the variation of muscle stiffness patterns around a limb during different movements. Using machine learning algorithms, researchers are able to predict many different limb activities. This review paper presents state-of-art research and development on FMG technology in the past 20 years. It summarizes the research progress in both the hardware design and the signal processing techniques. It also discusses the challenges that need to be solved before FMG can be used in an everyday scenario. This paper aims to provide new insight into FMG technology and contribute to its advancement.
Morbidity and mortality of lobectomy or pneumonectomy after neoadjuvant treatment: an analysis from the ESTS database.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the postoperative complications and 30-day mortality rates associated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy before major anatomic lung resections registered in the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) database. METHODS Retrospective analysis on 52 982 anatomic lung resections registered in the ESTS database (July 2007-31 December 2017) (6587 pneumonectomies and 46 395 lobectomies); 5143 patients received neoadjuvant treatment (9.7%) (3993 chemotherapy alone and 1150 chemoradiotherapy). To adjust for possible confounders, a propensity case-matched analysis was performed. The postoperative outcomes (morbidity and 30-day mortality) of matched patients with and without induction treatment were compared. RESULTS 8.2% of all patients undergoing lobectomies and 20% of all patients undergoing pneumonectomies received induction treatment. Lobectomy analysis: propensity score analysis yielded 3824 pairs of patients with and without induction treatment. The incidence of cardiopulmonary complications was higher in the neoadjuvant group (626 patients, 16% vs 446 patients, 12%, P < 0.001), but 30-day mortality rates were similar (71 patients, 1.9% vs 75 patients, 2.0%, P = 0.73). The incidence of bronchopleural fistula and prolonged air leak >5 days were similar between the 2 groups (neoadjuvant: 0.5% vs 0.4%, P = 0.87; 9.2% vs 9.9%, P = 0.27). Pneumonectomy analysis: propensity score analysis yielded 1312 pairs of patients with and without induction treatment. The incidence of cardiopulmonary complications was higher in the treated patients compared to those without neoadjuvant treatment (neoadjuvant 275 cases, 21% vs 18%, P = 0.030). However, the 30-day mortality was similar between the matched groups (neoadjuvant 68 cases, 5.2% vs 5.3%, P = 0.86). Finally, the incidence of bronchopleural fistula was also similar between the 2 groups (neoadjuvant 1.8% vs 1.4%, P = 0.44). CONCLUSIONS Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is not associated with an increased perioperative risk after either lobectomy or pneumonectomy, warranting a more liberal use of this approach for patients with locally advanced operable lung cancer.
Fournier's gangrene and sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors: A meta‐analysis of randomized controlled trials

Fournier's gangrene (FG) is a rare, life‐threatening necrotizing fasciitis of the perineum. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a Drug Safety Communication regarding the risk of FG associated with sodium‐glucose co‐transporter‐2 inhibitors (SGLT2i), relying on the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System. To verify this association, we performed a meta‐analysis of all randomized controlled trials enrolling patients with type 2 diabetes, comparing SGLT2i with placebo or different therapies, collecting cases of FG reported as a serious adverse event. Risk of abscess, cellulitis and erysipela were secondary outcomes. We retrieved 84 trials enrolling 42 415 patients in the SGLT2i group and 27 158 patients in comparator groups. No difference was observed between SGLT2i and comparators in the risk of FG (Mantel‐Haenzel odds ratio [MH‐OR] 0.41 [0.09, 1.82]), abscess (MH‐OR 0.94 [0.54, 1.65]), cellulitis (MH‐OR 0.90 [0.71, 1.13] or erysipela (MH‐OR 0.89 [0.45, 1.77]). The number of events was small, leading to a wide confidence interval that does not allow ruling out an increase in FG or skin and subcutaneous tissue infections.
Targeting autophagy is a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome chemoresistance and reduce metastasis in osteosarcoma (Review)

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy, mainly affecting children and adolescents. Currently, surgical resection combined with adjuvant chemotherapy has been standardized for OS treatment. Despite great advances in chemotherapy for OS, its clinical prognosis remains far from satisfactory; this is due to chemoresistance, which has become a major obstacle to improving OS treatment. Autophagy, a catabolic process through which cells eliminate and recycle their own damaged proteins and organelles to provide energy, can be activated by chemotherapeutic drugs. Accumulating evidence has indicated that autophagy plays the dual role in the regulation of OS chemoresistance by either promoting drug resistance or increasing drug sensitivity. The aim of the present review was to demonstrate thatautophagy has both a cytoprotective and an autophagic cell death function in OS chemoresistance. In addition, methods to detect autophagy, autophagy inducers and inhibitors, as well as autophagy-mediated metastasis, immunotherapy and clinical prognosis are also discussed.
Insights into the Allergenic Potential of the Edible Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor)

The edible yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), contains an extremely diverse panel of soluble proteins, including proteins with structural functions such as muscle proteins, as well as proteins involved in metabolic functions such as enzymes. Most of these proteins display a more or less pronounced allergenic character toward previously sensitized people, especially people allergic to shrimps and other shellfish. A mass spectrometry approach following the separation of a mealworm protein, extracted by sodiumdodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, allowed us to identify up to 106 distinct protein fractions including molecules with structural and functional functions, susceptible to developing an allergenic potential due to the possibility of immunoglobulin E-binding cross-reactions with their counterparts occurring in shellfish. In this respect, most of the sera from people allergic to shrimps reacted with the mealworm protein extract in Western blot experiments. Moreover, the potential mealworm allergens triggered the in vitro degranulation of rat leukemic basophils transfected with the human high-affinity IgE receptor (FcεRI), upon sensitization by the IgE-containing sera from people allergic to shrimps and other shellfish foods. Owing to the large repertoire of IgE-binding cross-reacting allergens the yellow mealworm shares with other phylogenetically-related groups of arthropods, it would seem prudent to inform the consumers, especially those allergic to shellfish, by appropriate labeling on edible mealworm packages about the potential risk of developing an allergic reaction.
Upregulation of sphingosine kinase 1 contributes to ventilator-associated lung injury in a two-hit model

Ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) remains a significant medical problem in intensive care units. The present study aimed to investigate the role of sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1) in VALI using a two-hit model and explore the potential underlying molecular mechanism. Mice were divided into five groups: i) Non-ventilated group; ii) non-ventilated + lipopolysaccharide (LPS) group; iii) ventilated group; iv) ventilated + LPS group; and v) ventilated + LPS + SPHK1 inhibitor group. Mice were administered LPS (1 mg/kg) via an intraperitoneal injection. After 12 h, the mice were anesthetized and connected to a ventilator (10 ml/kg at 150 breaths/min) for 4 h. SPHK1 inhibitor (50 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to ventilation. Mouse lung vascular endothelial cells were treated with LPS and SPHK1 inhibitor, and then subjected to cyclic stretch for 4 h. The present results suggested that the expression of SPHK1 and sphingosine 1 phosphate was upregulated in the two-hit model of VALI; SPHK1 inhibitor could attenuate VALI in the two-hit model as observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining, and affected the cell count and the protein content levels in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. In addition, treatment with SPHK1 inhibitor reduced the wet-to-dry ratio of the lungs and suppressed Evans blue dye leakage into the lung tissue. Furthermore, SPHK1 inhibitor exhibited protective effects on the two-hit model of VALI by inhibiting the Ras homolog family member a-mediated phosphorylation of myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT-1) and endothelial hyperpermeability. Additionally, mice were divided into five additional groups: i) Non-ventilated group; ii) non-ventilated + LPS group; iii) ventilated group; iv) ventilated + LPS group; and v) ventilated + LPS + Rho-associated coiled-coil forming protein kinase (ROCK)1 inhibitor group. ROCK1 inhibitor (10 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h prior to ventilation. The present results suggested that ROCK1 inhibitor could attenuate mechanical stretch-induced lung endothelial injury and the phosphorylation of MYPT-1 in vivo and in vitro. Collectively, the present findings indicated that upregulation of SPHK1 may contribute to VALI in a two-hit model.
Non-canonical localization of RubisCO under high light conditions in the toxic cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806

The frequent production of the hepatotoxin microcystin and its impact on the life-style of bloom-forming cyanobacteria are poorly understood. Here we report that microcystin interferes with the assembly and the subcellular localization of RubisCO, in Microcystis aeruginosa PCC7806. Immunofluorescence, electron microscopic and cellular fractionation studies revealed a pronounced heterogeneity in the subcellular localization of RubisCO. At high cell density, RubisCO particles are largely separate from carboxysomes in M. aeruginosa and relocate to the cytoplasmic membrane under high-light conditions. We hypothesize that the binding of microcystin to RubisCO promotes its membrane association and enables an extreme versatility of the enzyme. Steady-state levels of the RubisCO CO2 fixation product 3-phosphoglycerate are significantly higher in the microcystin-producing wild type. We also detected noticeable amounts of the RubisCO oxygenase reaction product secreted into the medium that may support the mutual interaction of M. aeruginosa with its heterotrophic microbial community.