Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Cells and Extracellular Matrix of Human Amniotic Membrane Hinder the Growth and Invasive Potential of Bladder Urothelial Cancer Cells

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers among men in industrialized countries and on the global level incidence and mortality rates are increasing. In spite of progress in surgical treatment and chemotherapy, the prognosis remains poor for patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer. Therefore, there is a great need for the development of novel therapeutic approaches. The human amniotic membrane (hAM) is a multi-layered membrane that comprises the innermost part of the placenta. It has unique properties that make it suitable for clinical use, such as the ability to promote wound healing and decrease scarring, low immunogenicity, and immunomodulatory, antimicrobial and anticancer properties. This study aimed to investigate the effect of (i) hAM-derived cells and (ii) hAM scaffolds on the growth dynamics, proliferation rate, and invasive potential of muscle-invasive bladder cancer T24 cells. Our results show that 24 and 48 h of co-culturing T24 cells with hAM-derived cells (at 1:1 and 1:4 ratios) diminished the proliferation rate of T24 cells. Furthermore, when seeded on hAM scaffolds, namely (1) epithelium of hAM (e-hAM), (2) basal lamina of hAM (denuded; d-hAM), and (3) stroma of hAM (s-hAM), the growth dynamic of T24 cells was altered and proliferation was reduced, even more so by the e-hAM scaffolds. Importantly, despite their muscle-invasive potential, the T24 cells did not disrupt the basal lamina of hAM scaffolds. Furthermore, we observed a decrease in the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers N-cadherin, Snail and Slug in T24 cells grown on hAM scaffolds and individual T24 cells even expressed epithelial markers E-cadherin and occludin. Our study brings new knowledge on basic mechanisms of hAM affecting bladder carcinogenesis and the results serve as a good foundation for further research into the potential of hAM-derived cells and the hAM extracellular matrix to serve as a novel bladder cancer treatment.
Application of FRET Biosensors in Mechanobiology and Mechanopharmacological Screening

Extensive studies have shown that cells can sense and modulate the biomechanical properties of the ECM within their resident microenvironment. Thus, targeting the mechanotransduction signaling pathways provides a promising way for disease intervention. However, how cells perceive these mechanical cues of the microenvironment and transduce them into biochemical signals remains to be answered. Förster or fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based biosensors are a powerful tool that can be used in live-cell mechanotransduction imaging and mechanopharmacological drug screening. In this review, we will first introduce FRET principle and FRET biosensors, and then, recent advances on the integration of FRET biosensors and mechanobiology in normal and pathophysiological conditions will be discussed. Furthermore, we will summarize the current applications and limitations of FRET biosensors in high-throughput drug screening and the future improvement of FRET biosensors. In summary, FRET biosensors have provided a powerful tool for mechanobiology studies to advance our understanding of how cells and matrices interact, and the mechanopharmacological screening for disease intervention.
Cystatin C-Based Renal Function in Predicting the Long-Term Outcomes of Chronic Total Occlusion After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Renal function estimated by various biomarkers predicting for adverse cardiovascular events has not been well-identified in received percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO), the advanced stages of atherosclerosis. We aim to determine whether the serum cystatin C-based-estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) can have an improved predictive value in patients with CTO lesions undergoing PCI as compared with multiple creatinine-based estimates of kidney function. Six hundred and seventy-one patients received CTO PCI were retrospectively included in the study. The eGFR was calculated by modification of diet in renal disease equation for Chinese (cMDRD) and Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) equations at baseline, respectively. Then, the cohort was categorized into three groups according to standard KDIGO kidney stages based on eGFR. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was cardiac death. Strikingly, cystatin C-based eGFR showed a better performance with the greater area being under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (0.73 for all-cause mortality and 0.73 for cardiac death, separately) and a better assessment for survival free from adverse event across renal levels among four eGFR equations. Compared with eGFR calculated by other formulas, serum cystatin C-based eGFR showed the highest prognostic value for both all-cause mortality (adjusted HR 3.6, 95% CI 1.6–8.1, P = 0.002) and cardiac death (adjusted HR 2.9, 95% CI 1.0–8.1, P = 0.028). Moreover, cystatin C-based eGFR significantly improved the risk reclassification of event with a high value of net reclassification improvement and integrated discrimination improvement. This study may prove that cystatin C-based eGFR is a better predictor of both all-cause mortality and cardiac death than other equations in populations with CTO undergoing PCI.
Single Molecule Localization Microscopy Analyses of DNA-Repair Foci and Clusters Detected Along Particle Damage Tracks

High-LET (Linear Energy Transfer) particle irradiation as being provided from heavy ion accelerator facilities has an increasing impact on bio-medical research and cancer treatment. Nevertheless, there are a lot of open questions concerning the understanding of damaging mechanisms and repair processes within the light of radio-sensitivity and thus, individualized medical applications. The three-dimensional architecture of genomes on the meso- and nano-scale acts in combination with epigenetic gene activation as an important player of gene regulation and fundamental biological processes such as DNA damage response and repair. So far only little is known about the impact of high-LET particles on the chromatin architecture along the passing track when they are “lumbering” through the cell nucleus. How does a cell nucleus manage such complex damages and re-organize the chromatin toward functionally intact units? Is there a radio-sensitivity related difference in this reaction? Here, we present some approaches to investigate spatial and topological parameters of chromatin to glimpse some aspects related to these questions. Two cell lines, a radio-resistant glioblastoma and a radio-sensitive fibroblast cell line, were used and irradiated by 15N-ions in 90° and 10° radiation beam geometry. Nano-probing of particle induced damage sites along particle tracks, and the recruited DNA repair proteins (as presented here for 53BP1 and Rad51) in combination with super-resolution Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) are powerful methods for geometric and topological analyses to study particle related mechanisms of chromatin conformation and repair complexes in single cells. We used variable tools for such investigations based on image free high precision SMLM, nano-scaled molecule distribution analyses, appropriate metrics following Ripley’s distance frequencies and cluster formation analyses, as well as topological quantifications employing persistence homology. The data reveal a cell type specific nano-architecture of DNA damage foci along particle tracks and their dynamic molecular re-arrangements during repair. Comparing the topology of repair foci by persistence homology suggests similarities of repair cluster formation along given particle tracks. Our studies contribute to the molecular understanding of cellular radiation response at sub-light microscopic chromatin levels; thereby showing how chromatin architecture around complex damage sites and repair foci nano-architecture may contribute to ongoing repair processing. The methodological approach presented here may give a basis for improved biological dosimetry or radiotherapies in the future.
Neural Signatures of Handgrip Fatigue in Type 1 Diabetic Men and Women

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is associated with reduced muscular strength and greater muscle fatigability. Along with changes in muscular mechanisms, T1D is also linked to structural changes in the brain. How the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying muscle fatigue is altered with T1D and sex related differences of these mechanisms are still not well investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of T1D on the neural correlates of handgrip fatigue and examine sex and T1D related differences in neuromuscular performance parameters, neural activation and functional connectivity patterns between the motor regions of the brain. Forty-two adults, balanced by condition (healthy vs T1D) and sex (male vs female), and performed submaximal isometric handgrip contractions until voluntary exhaustion. Initial strength, endurance time, strength loss, force variability, and complexity measures were collected. Additionally, hemodynamic responses from motor-function related cortical regions, using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), were obtained. Overall, females exhibited lower initial strength (p < 0.0001), and greater strength loss (p = 0.023) than males. While initial strength was significantly lower in the T1D group (p = 0.012) compared to the healthy group, endurance times and strength loss were comparable between the two groups. Force complexity, measured as approximate entropy, was found to be lower throughout the experiment for the T1D group (p = 0.0378), indicating lower online motor adaptability. Although, T1D and healthy groups fatigued similarly, only the T1D group exhibited increased neural activation in the left (p = 0.095) and right (p = 0.072) supplementary motor areas (SMA) over time. A sex × condition × fatigue interaction effect (p = 0.044) showed that while increased activation was observed in both T1D females and healthy males from the Early to Middle phase, this was not observed in healthy females or T1D males. These findings demonstrate that T1D adults had lower adaptability to fatigue which they compensated for by increasing neural effort. This study highlights the importance of examining both neural and motor performance signatures when investigating the impact of chronic conditions on neuromuscular fatigue. Additionally, the findings have implications for developing intervention strategies for training, rehabilitation, and ergonomics considerations for individuals with chronic conditions.
Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Sharing: The Impacts of Prosocial Motivation and Two Facets of Conscientiousness

This study adopts the social learning theory to explain how and when ethical leadership can predict knowledge sharing in the context of Chinese higher education. We collected two-wave data from 302 postgraduate students from 38 scientific research teams in Chinese universities. The results of this study show that ethical leadership has a direct and positive effect on knowledge sharing, and prosocial motivation fully mediates this relationship. Moreover, the boundary conditions for such effects have affirmed the positive effects of dutifulness and the adverse effects of achievement-striving on the relationship between prosocial motivation and knowledge sharing. The indirect effects of ethical leadership on knowledge sharing are stronger when dutifulness is high and achievement-striving is low. Several theoretical and practical implications are provided by this study. It suggests that the role of prosocial motivation, in tandem with the two facets of conscientiousness, deserves to be highlighted when studying knowledge sharing behavior in correlation with ethical leadership.
Recent/Childhood Adversities and Mental Disorders Among US Immigrants

Past research documents the heterogeneity in US immigrants, particularly in terms of racial and ethnic categories and specific ethnic subgroups. The present study builds on this research foundation by investigating heterogeneity in immigrants' experiences of adversity, both recent and during childhood, and associations with mental disorders. Data are drawn from 6,131 adult immigrants in the 2012–2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III. Prevalence estimates for mental disorders and adversities were calculated overall and by gender. Latent class analysis was utilized to characterize patterns of self-reported experiences of childhood and recent adversities, and multinomial logistic regression established the statistical association between latent class membership and past-year mental disorder outcomes (substance use disorder only, mood/anxiety/trauma disorder only, co-occurring disorder, or no mental disorder). Neglect was the most commonly-reported childhood adversity among immigrant men and women. Prevalence of meeting criteria for a substance use disorder only, or a mood/anxiety/trauma disorder only, varied between men and women, yet no gender differences were observed in prevalence of co-occurring disorders. For latent class analyses, a five-class solution was selected based on fit indices and parsimony. Approximately 10.0% of the sample was categorized in the latent class characterized by severe childhood adversities, while 57.5% was classified in the latent class with low probabilities of reported adversities. The relative risk of meeting criteria for a past-year substance use disorder only (compared to no substance use or mood/anxiety/trauma disorder) was more than three times as high for members of the class with severe childhood adversities (RRR, 3.26; 95% CI, 2.08–5.10), as well as the class with recent employment/financial adversities (RRR, 3.82; 95% CI, 2.36–6.19), compared to the class with low adversities. The relative risk of past-year co-occurring disorders (compared to no disorder) was more than 12 times as high for those in the severe childhood adversities class (RRR, 12.21; 95% CI, 7.06–21.10), compared to the class with low adversities. Findings underscore the importance of considering both recent and childhood adversities when assessing and providing services for US immigrant groups.
Optimized Golgi-Cox Staining Validated in the Hippocampus of Spared Nerve Injury Mouse Model

Golgi-Cox staining has been used extensively in neuroscience. Despite its unique ability to identify neuronal interconnections and neural processes, its lack of consistency and time-consuming nature reduces its appeal to researchers. Here, using a spared nerve injury (SNI) mouse model and control mice, we present a modified Golgi-Cox staining protocol that can stain mouse hippocampal neurons within 8 days. In this improved procedure, the mouse brain was fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde and then stored in a modified Golgi-Cox solution at 37 ± 2°C. The impregnation period was reduced from 5–14 days to 36–48 h. Brain slices prepared in this way could be preserved long-term at –80°C for up to 8 weeks. In addition to minimizing frequently encountered problems and reducing the time required to conduct the method, our modified protocol maintained, and even improved, the quality of traditional Golgi-Cox staining as applied to hippocampal neuronal morphology in SNI mice.
A new two-component approach in modeling red blood cells

Abstract This work consists in the presentation of a computational modelling approach to study normal and pathological behavior of red blood cells in slow transient processes that can not be accompanied by pure particle methods (which require very small time steps). The basic model, inspired by the best models currently available, considers the cytoskeleton as a discrete non-linear elastic structure. The novelty of the proposed work is to couple this skeleton with continuum models instead of the more common discrete models (molecular dynamics, particle methods) of the lipid bilayer. The interaction of the solid cytoskeleton with the bilayer, which is a two-dimensional fluid, will be done through adhesion forces adapting e cient solid-solid adhesion algorithms. The continuous treatment of the fluid parts is well justified by scale arguments and leads to much more stable and precise numerical problems when, as is the case, the size of the molecules (0.3 nm) is much smaller than the overall size (≃ 8000 nm). In this paper we display some numerical simulations that show how our approach can describe the interaction of an RBC with an exogenous body as well as the relaxation of the shape of an RBC toward its equilibrium configuration in absence of external forces.
Scaling capacity of fiber-optic transmission systems via silicon photonics

Abstract The tremendous growth of data traffic has spurred a rapid evolution of optical communications for a higher data transmission capacity. Next-generation fiber-optic communication systems will require dramatically increased complexity that cannot be obtained using discrete components. In this context, silicon photonics is quickly maturing. Capable of manipulating electrons and photons on the same platform, this disruptive technology promises to cram more complexity on a single chip, leading to orders-of-magnitude reduction of integrated photonic systems in size, energy, and cost. This paper provides a system perspective and reviews recent progress in silicon photonics probing all dimensions of light to scale the capacity of fiber-optic networks toward terabits-per-second per optical interface and petabits-per-second per transmission link. Firstly, we overview fundamentals and the evolving trends of silicon photonic fabrication process. Then, we focus on recent progress in silicon coherent optical transceivers. Further scaling the system capacity requires multiplexing techniques in all the dimensions of light: wavelength, polarization, and space, for which we have seen impressive demonstrations of on-chip functionalities such as polarization diversity circuits and wavelength- and space-division multiplexers. Despite these advances, large-scale silicon photonic integrated circuits incorporating a variety of active and passive functionalities still face considerable challenges, many of which will eventually be addressed as the technology continues evolving with the entire ecosystem at a fast pace.
An innovative approach to maximize primary treatment performance

This paper describes the development of a cost-effective modified primary treatment method which can significantly increase the removal of both soluble and colloidal COD without resorting to the use of any chemical coagulant. It involves recycling a small portion of the primary sludge and then activating it to enhance its biosorptive and flocculent properties through 30-min aeration. The aerated sludge is then brought into contact with raw sewage to induce rapid biosorption of soluble COD and flocculation of colloidal organic before the mixture is settled in a regular primary clarifier. In this treatment approach, the raw sewage is not subjected to aeration; thus the sludge aeration tank volume and the aeration energy requirements can be minimized. In fact, with 30-min sludge aeration, theyamount to only 1.25% and 8.5%, respectively, of those required in the conventional activated sludge system. Through this modified approach with a 15% sludge recycle rate and 30-min sludge aeration, the COD removal efficiency is 43.9% higher than that of the regular primary treatment. This would result in a significant improvement of the primary effluent quality, or achieve a substantial reduction of organic loading to the secondary biological system.
Fractional Order Sliding Mode Speed Control of Feedback Linearized Induction Motor

Abstract Induction machines have of late become the most popular workhorses in the industry replacing DC machines because of their advantages, such as reduced cost, reliability and the absence of commutators, which make them adapt to unfavourable conditions with lower maintenance requirement. However, higher-order models of AC machines, nonlinearities in model equations, uncertainties in parameters and load disturbances make induction motors difficult to control than that of DC motors. In this paper, a robust control strategy considering the recent advances in technology is proposed employing input-output feedback linearization for the exact decoupling of electromagnetic torque and rotor flux using fractional-order sliding mode controller (SMC) for the outer speed loop. The sliding mode observer is also designed to extract the rotor flux from the DC input voltage of the inverter and stator current measurements. Finally, a comparison between the commonly used proportional integral and derivative (PID) controller and the proposed fractional-order SMCs is made and the conclusion is reached.
Artificial Intelligence in Plastic Surgery: Current Applications, Future Directions, and Ethical Implications

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare delivery has become an important area of research due to the rapid progression of technology, which has allowed the growth of many processes historically reliant upon human input. AI has become particularly important in plastic surgery in a variety of settings. This article highlights current applications of AI in plastic surgery and discusses future implications. We further detail ethical issues that may arise in the implementation of AI in plastic surgery. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review of all electronically available publications in the PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases as of February 5, 2020. All returned publications regarding the application of AI in plastic surgery were considered for inclusion. Results: Of the 89 novel articles returned, 14 satisfied inclusion and exclusion criteria. Articles procured from the references of those of the database search and those pertaining to historical and ethical implications were summarized when relevant. Conclusions: Numerous applications of AI exist in plastic surgery. Big data, machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and facial recognition are examples of AI-based technology that plastic surgeons may utilize to advance their surgical practice. Like any evolving technology, however, the use of AI in healthcare raises important ethical issues, including patient autonomy and informed consent, confidentiality, and appropriate data use. Such considerations are significant, as high ethical standards are key to appropriate and longstanding implementation of AI.
The “Crater” Arteriotomy: A Technique Aiding Precise Intimal Apposition in End-to-side Microvascular Anastomosis

Summary: End-to-side arterial anastomoses require a high level of technical competency. The main challenge to a successfully patent anastomosis is intimal interposition during the standardized microvascular suturing. Technical errors during arteriotomy pose a significant challenge for the microsurgical technique, making the end-to-side anastomosis prone to failure. We describe a basic yet fundamental method of performing an arteriotomy, the “crater” technique, which facilitates good visualization of all vessel layers before placement of microsurgical sutures. Using curved microsurgical scissors, the adventitia layer is dissected off the outer surface of the side vessel, a V-shaped cut is then made obliquely at a 30–45 degrees angle to the longitudinal axis of the vessel, and a full thickness oblique cut is made along an elliptical circumference, as the curved scissors enable the creation of a slope-like crater. This concept ensures the intimal layer is adequately exposed through the complete circumference of the arteriotomy rim, while enabling a variable increase in the arterial wall hypotenuse-width circumference. When performed in a standardized manner, the crater arteriotomy can minimize the risk of endothelial misalignment and further technical errors during suturing, thus minimizing the risk of anastomotic failure.