Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treat‐to‐Target in Gout Management? Comment on the Article by FitzGerald et al

Having recently evaluated whether we one should dose urate lowering therapies (like allopurinol) to target uric acid levels to prevent gout recurrences,"1 we read the 2020 ACR Guidelines on the Management of Gout2 with enthusiasm. However, we feel the scientific review team /guideline authors missed key evidence pertaining to their recommendation of "treat to target" serum uric acid (SU) levels.
Brain structural trajectories in youth at familial risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder according to development of psychosis spectrum symptoms.

BACKGROUND The evaluation of child and adolescent offspring of patients with schizophrenia (SzO) or bipolar disorder (BpO) may help understand changes taking place in the brain in individuals at heightened risk for disease during a key developmental period. METHODS One hundred twenty-eight individuals (33 SzO and 46 BpO, considered jointly as 'Familial High Risk' (FHR), and 49 controls) aged 6-17 years underwent clinical, cognitive and neuroimaging assessment at baseline, 2- and 4-year follow-up. Twenty FHR participants (11 SzO and 9 BpO) developed psychotic spectrum symptoms during follow-up, while 59 FHR participants did not. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed on a 3Tesla scanner; cortical surface reconstruction was applied to measure cortical thickness, surface area and grey matter volume. RESULTS FHR participants who developed psychotic spectrum symptoms over time showed greater time-related mean cortical thinning than those who did not and than controls. By subgroups, this effect was present in both BpO and SzO in the occipital cortex. At baseline, FHR participants who developed psychotic spectrum symptoms over time had smaller total surface area and grey matter volume than those who did not and than controls. Over time, all FHR participants showed less longitudinal decrease in surface area than controls. In those who developed psychotic spectrum symptoms over time, this effect was driven by BpO, while in those who did not, this was due to SzO, who also showed less grey matter volume reduction. CONCLUSION The emergence of psychotic spectrum symptoms in FHR was indexed by smaller cross-sectional surface area and progressive cortical thinning. Relative preservation of surface area over time may signal different processes according to familial risk. These findings lay the foundation for future studies aimed at stratification of FHR youth.
Duloxetine for the management of sensory and taste alterations, following iatrogenic damage of the lingual and chorda tympani nerve

Abstract Objectives Nerve injury may lead to pain and sensory changes such as dysesthesia and paresthesia. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a psychophysical testing method used to quantify nerve damage and monitor its recovery. Duloxetine is used in the management of neuropathic pain conditions, but its effect on taste recovery has not been previously reported. Case representation A 65-year-old female, presented to the orofacial pain clinic, with a chief complaint of a burning sensation on the tongue, taste changes and a feeling of tightness beneath the tongue for five months. She reported that the complaints began subsequent to a complicated dental extraction during which she experienced trauma to the tongue. Patient was advised to take duloxetine 60 mg in divided doses three times daily. The assessment and monitoring of the recovery pattern were performed using QST. Electrical taste detection (mediated by chorda tympani) and electrical detection/tingling thresholds were performed at periodic intervals for up to a year following the nerve injury in the chorda tympani and lingual nerve territory. The patient reported complete recovery in taste sensation with duloxetine and this correlated with the QST results. QST documented at the end of one year revealed the electrical taste detection threshold and electrical detection threshold return to near normal values. Conclusions QST may be a useful diagnostic tool to assess and monitor lingual and chorda tympani nerve injuries. Duloxetine may aid in the recovery of the taste changes following lingual and chorda tympani nerve injury.
Chromosome behavior of meiosis-inhibited eggs with cytochalasin B in Japanese pearl oyster.

For efficient induction of triploid pearl oyster, the effect of cytochalasin B (CB) treatment on meiosis and fertilization of eggs in Japanese pearl oyster Pinctada fucata martensii was investigated. CB treatment (0.1mg/1) was initiated at 5 min after insemination for 10 min (CB 1) or initiated at 15 min after insemination for 15 min (CB 2). In CB 2, two groups of chromosomes at anaphase of second meiosis became two female pronuclei at 33 min after insemination due to the lack of second polar body formation. In CB 2, 51.1% of eggs had two female pronuclei and one male pronucleus at 33 min after insemination. Chromatin of these three pronuclei gradually condensed and became metaphase chromosomes for first cleavage. Eggs with three pronuclei seemed to develop into triploid embryos. In CB 1 the percentage of eggs with three pronuclei was lower (16.6% at 33 min) than that of CB 2. In CB 1 we classified abnormal chromosome behavior of eggs into following typical two types: (1) both first and second polar bodies formation was inhibited. Eggs formed four or five pronuclei. (2) At anaphase of first cleavage one pronucleus derived from second polar body was still observed. The percentage of these abnormalities was higher in CB 1 than in CB 2.
A low lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio is an independent predictor of poorer survival and higher risk of histological transformation in follicular lymphoma

Abstract The lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) is a prognostic factor in different neoplasms, but its potential importance in follicular lymphoma (FL) is not well defined. We studied 384 FL patients for which the LMR was available at diagnosis. Baseline features and outcomes were compared between patients with an LMR ≤/>2.5. The 76 patients (20%) who had an LMR ≤2.5 were older and had a higher tumor burden. A low LMR was predictive of a lower 10-y progression-free survival (32 vs. 55%, p = .001) and overall survival (35 vs. 78%, p < .0001; HR = 2.3, p = .003 in a 6-element multivariable model). A low LMR was also an independent risk factor for histological transformation (11 vs. 6% at 10 years, p = .01). Likewise, patients with a low LMR had a higher rate of second malignancies. The potential utility of this widely available parameter and its contribution to well-established prognostic scores need to be explored in independent, prospective series.
Studies on the Application of Ketene Dithioacetals to Pesticides

During the studies on the application of organic sulfur compounds to agricultural fungicides, some of ketene dithioacetals (III) were found to be effective for rice blast control. In order to prepare III, the reaction of carbon disulfide with active methylene compounds was investigated and a large number of related compounds were synthesized.In those, one of the most potent compounds, isoprothiolane (5b, diisopropyl 1, 3-dithiolan-2-ylidenemalonate) is now used practically as a systemic fungicide to control rice blast disease.The structure-activity relationships of isoprothiolane analogs against rice blast were studied and summarized as follows.Of the compounds with ring structure (4), only 1, 3-dithiolanes showed high effect and systemic property. Those without ring structure (3) were lacked in systemic and persistent properties, though some of them showed strong fungicidal activity. Double bond and two sulfur atoms were necessary. That was to say, ketene dithioacetal structure in isoprothiolane was essential for rice blast control. The optimum size of alkyl groups in 5 seemed to be C2-C5 alkyl with 4-8 total carbon number. Thioester or amide analogs (20, 21) were less active than the corresponding ester compounds.An interesting property of isoprothiolane against planthopper was observed from the field tests on rice blast. That was the remarkable suppression of population density of planthoppers in the field. This discovery implies the importance of close observation to evaluate biological activities.As one of another biological activity of III, strong fungicidal property against rice sheath blight was found in some compounds having 4-chloromethyl-1, 3-dithiolane moiety.
Meiotic crossover reduction by virus‐induced gene silencing enables the efficient generation of chromosome substitution lines and reverse breeding in Arabidopsis thaliana

Significance Statement Changing meiotic recombination rates can support plant research and breeding, but is rarely achieved in a transient way (i.e. where offspring fertility is not compromised). Here we show that virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) can be used to temporarily downregulate crossover recombination in Arabidopsis thaliana hybrids to facilitate the generation of chromosome substitution lines, reverse breeding and reverse breeding‐like applications.
Evaluation of The Metabolic Syndrome Criteria And Body Composition in Ambulatory Children with Epilepsy UsingSodium Valproate and Carbamazepine In Southern Iran: A Case-Control Study

Objectives Previous studies in adults with epilepsy revealed a higher prevalence of metabolic syndrome, resulting in cerebrovascular and cardiovascular events. However, there is insufficient data about body composition and metabolic syndrome in children, especially in the Middle Eastern region. We aimed to investigate metabolic syndrome criteria and body composition in ambulatory children with Epilepsy in Southern Iran. Material & Methods Seventy seven epileptic children with an average age of 11.4 ± 3.2 years and their age-gender-matched controls were included in this study. Anthropometric data, lipid profile, blood glucose, and blood pressure were checked. Body composition was also evaluated by Hologic system dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Results The prevalence of metabolic syndrome as well as the fat mass index in patients were higher than the controls, and p values are 0.032 and 0.012, respectively. Moreover, the lean mass with Bone Mineral Content (BMC) index was detected lower than the controls (P= 0.017). Regarding drugs consumption, serum triglyceride and the blood pressure in patients who receiving carbamazepine was higher than the control individuals with P = 0.019, Beta = 0.379 and P = 0.016, Beta = -0.26, respectively. Fat mass index was also higher in patients using sodium valproate (P = 0.031, Beta = 0.238). Conclusion Our study revealed that children with epilepsy are more prone to metabolic syndrome and higher body fat mass. Therefore, early diagnosis and prevention of metabolic syndrome criteria in patients with epilepsy, With performing regular exercise and having a healthy diet should be encouraged in these children.
Acute psychosocial stress increases third-party helping but not punishing behavior

Abstract Despite extensive research on the effects of stress on the brain and behaviors, there is a debate whether stress promotes prosocial behaviors, especially acute stress due to intricate costly punishment in the ultimatum game. Therefore, the present study introduced an irrelevant third party to examine how acute stress and the triggered cortisol influence third parties’ punishing and helping behaviors as more convincing altruistic behaviors. The 65 participants were exposed to a psychosocial stressor (n = 33) or a control condition (n = 32). Afterwards, two third-party intervention tasks (a token allocation task and criminal scenario judgment task) were completed, during which the participants, as an “irrelevant” third party, could choose whether to sacrifice their own interests to help the victim or punish the transgressor. Participants’ affective states, heart rate, and salivary cortisol were repeatedly measured throughout the experiment. Results showed that acute stress can lead to more third-party helping behaviors but not more punishing behaviors. Specifically, participants under stress tended to transfer more monetary units to the victim in the token allocation task than the control-group participants, and they tended to help the victim in the scenario task. In contrast, there was no significant difference in punishing behavior between the stressed and control participants. These findings reveal that acute psychosocial stress triggers the “tend and befriend” response, which might reflect the prosocial intuition under acute stress. Highlights Acute psychosocial stress promotes altruistic behaviors toward an irrelevant third party. The raised prosocial tendencies are specific to third-party helping but not to punishing behaviors in both real and fictitious scenario tasks.
Protective effect of curcumin on busulfan-induced renal toxicity in male rats

Abstract Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of curcumin in an experimental model of busulfan-induced renal toxicity with emphasis on importance of histological alterations. Methods In this study, we utilized 32 adult male Wistar rats (250 ± 10 g). All the animals were divided into four experimental groups randomly: (I) Control; (II) Busulfan (40 mg/kg); (III) Olive oil; and (IV) Curcumin (80 mg/kg/day). Finally, the rats were euthanized and kidney tissues were taken for histopathology experiments, serum BUN, and creatinine level, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and glutathione disulfide (GSH) activity. Results Our result showed that the reduction in body weight and kidney weight in busulfan groups in comparison with the control and curcumin groups. The result in this study also showed that the reduction in BUN, creatinine, and ROS production in curcumin groups in comparison with the busulfan group together with an increasing of GSH activity compared to busulfan induced rats. Conclusion Our results of this study indicated that that the reduction in body weight, kidney weight, total volume of kidney, total length of nephron tubules, and numerical density of glomeruli and nephron tubules in busulfan groups in comparison with the control and curcumin groups However, curcumin can be an alternative choice for therapeutically and research purposes in the disturbing kidney after treatment with busulfan.
Dietary taurine supplementation attenuates lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory responses and oxidative stress of broiler chickens at an early age.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of taurine as a prophylactic treatment on antioxidant function and inflammatory responses of broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A total of 256 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 8 replicates of 8 birds (8 birds/cage). Four treatment groups were designated as follows: 1) in the CON group, broilers fed a basal diet; 2) in the LPS group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet; 3) in the LPS + T1 group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with 5.0 g/kg taurine; and 4) in the LPS + T2 group, LPS-challenged broilers fed a basal diet supplemented with 7.5 g/kg taurine. The LPS-challenged broilers were intraperitoneally injected with 1 mg/kg body weight (BW) of LPS at 16, 18, and 20 d of age, whereas the CON group received an injection of sterile saline. The results showed that broilers injected with LPS exhibited decreased (P < 0.05) the average daily gain (ADG) and the 21 d body weight (P < 0.05), while taurine supplementation alleviated the negative effects of LPS. Additionally, the LPS-induced increases (P < 0.05) in serum alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase activities were reversed by taurine supplementation. The taurines could alleviate the hepatic oxidative stress, with the presence of lower content of malondialdehyde (P < 0.05), higher content of glutathione (P < 0.05), and an increased glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity (P < 0.05). The concentrations of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) in the liver were measured by ELISA kits, and the result showed that dietary taurine supplementation prevented these cytokines increases in the liver of LPS-induced broilers. Taurine reduced the genes expression of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase, whereas it boosted the expression levels of antioxidant-related genes (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2, heme oxygenase-1, glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit, and GSH-Px) in the liver of LPS-induced broilers. In conclusion, dietary taurine supplementation in broilers mitigated LPS-induced defect in ADG, oxidative stress and inflammatory responses.
Effects of High-Fat Diet and Maternal Binge-Like Alcohol Consumption and Their Influence on Cocaine Response in Female Mice Offspring

Abstract Background Prenatal alcohol exposure is a leading cause of neurobehavioral and neurocognitive deficits collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including eating disorders and increased risk for substance abuse as very common issues. In this context, the present study aimed to assess the interaction between prenatal and lactation alcohol exposure (PLAE) and a high-fat diet (HFD) during childhood and adolescence. Methods Pregnant C57BL/6 mice underwent a procedure for alcohol binge drinking during gestation and lactation periods. Subsequently, PLAE female offspring were fed with an HFD for 8 weeks, and thereafter, nutrition-related parameters as well as their response to cocaine were assessed. Results In our model, feeding young females with an HFD increased their triglyceride blood levels but did not induce overweight compared with those fed with a standard diet. Moreover, PLAE affected how females responded to the fatty diet as they consumed less food than water-exposed offspring, consistent with a lower gain of body weight. HFD increased the psychostimulant effects of cocaine. Surprisingly, PLAE reduced the locomotor responses to cocaine without modifying cocaine-induced reward. Moreover, PLAE prevented the striatal overexpression of cannabinoid 1 receptors induced by an HFD and induced an alteration of myelin damage biomarker in the prefrontal cortex, an effect that was mitigated by an HFD-based feeding. Conclusion Therefore, in female offspring, some effects triggered by one of these factors, PLAE or an HFD, were blunted by the other, suggesting a close interaction between the involved mechanisms.
Psychosocial working conditions, pain, mental disorders, and disability pension

Abstract We aimed to investigate associations between psychosocial working conditions and disability pension (DP), and the role of co-existing pain or common mental disorders (CMDs). Survey data collected 1998–2003 on 25,135 Swedish twins born 1935–1958 were linked with national DP register data until 2013. Psychosocial working conditions, pain and CMDs were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards regression models (hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals). One unit increase in job demands or control was associated with a higher risk for DP due to musculoskeletal disorders. One unit decrease in job demands predicted lower risk of DP due to mental diagnoses. Co-existing pain or CMD played no role for associations of job demands with DP, but pain influenced the associations with DP due to mental diagnoses. To conclude, psychosocial working conditions play different roles for DP depending on the diagnoses.
Passion fruit purple variant (Passiflora edulis Sims var. edulis) seeds extract 10% cream in acne vulgaris treatment: an open‐label pilot study

Purple variant of passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims var. edulis) is a tropical plant commonly used in the beverage industry. The seeds have high content of linoleic acid and piceatannol which has been reported and showed antibacterial, anti‐inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. However, there is no report regarding its effect on acne vulgaris.
Magnetic resonance imaging in dogs with neuroangiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease)

Abstract The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) appearance of the brain and spinal cord in humans with neuroangiostrongyliasis (NA) due to Angiostrongylus cantonensis infection has been well reported. Equivalent studies in animals are lacking. This case series describes clinical and MRI findings in 11 dogs with presumptively or definitively diagnosed NA. MRI of the brain and/or spinal cord was performed using high-field (1.5 T) or low-field (0.25 T) scanners using various combinations of transverse, sagittal, dorsal and three-dimensional (3D) T1-weighted (T1W), transverse, sagittal and dorsal T2-weighted (T2W), T2W fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) and T2*-weighted (T2*W) gradient echo (GRE), dorsal T2W short tau inversion recovery (STIR) and post-gadolinium transverse, sagittal, dorsal and 3D T1W and transverse T2W FLAIR sequences. In 4/6 cases where the brain was imaged, changes consistent with diffuse meningoencephalitis were observed. Evidence of meningeal involvement was evident even when not clinically apparent. The spinal cord was imaged in 9 dogs, with evidence of meningitis and myelitis detected in regions consistent with the observed neuroanatomical localization. Pathognomonic changes of neural larva migrans, as described in some human patients with NA, were not detected. NA should be considered in the differential diagnosis of dogs with MRI evidence of focal or diffuse meningitis, myelitis and/or encephalitis, especially in areas where A. cantonensis is endemic. If not precluded by imaging findings suggestive of brain herniation, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection for cytology, fluid analysis, real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing should be considered mandatory in such cases after the MRI studies.
Comprehensive analysis of translation from overexpressed circular RNAs reveals pervasive translation from linear transcripts

Abstract Circular RNAs (circRNAs) encompass a widespread and conserved class of RNAs, which are generated by back-splicing of downstream 5′ to upstream 3′ splice sites. CircRNAs are tissue-specific and have been implicated in diseases including cancer. They can function as sponges for microRNAs (miRNAs) or RNA binding proteins (RBPs), for example. Moreover, some contain open reading frames (ORFs) and might be translated. The functional relevance of such peptides, however, remains largely elusive. Here, we report that the ORF of circZNF609 is efficiently translated when expressed from a circZNF609 overexpression construct. However, endogenous proteins could not be detected. Moreover, initiation of circZNF609 translation is independent of m6A-generating enzyme METTL3 or RNA sequence elements such as internal ribosome entry sites (IRESs). Surprisingly, a comprehensive mutational analysis revealed that deletion constructs, which are deficient in producing circZNF609, still generate the observed protein products. This suggests that the apparent circZNF609 translation originates from trans-splicing by-products of the overexpression plasmids and underline that circRNA overexpression constructs need to be evaluated carefully, particularly when functional studies are performed.
Applicability of Chromatographic Co‐Elution for Antibiotic Target Identification

Identification of the molecular target is a crucial step in evaluating novel antibiotics. To support target identification, a label‐free method based on chromatographic co‐elution has previously been developed. Target identification by chromatographic coelution (TICC) exploits the alteration of the elution profile of target‐bound drug versus free drug in ion exchange (IEX) chromatography to identify potential target proteins from elution fractions. The applicability of TICC for antibiotic research is investigated by evaluating which proteins, that is, putative targets, can be monitored in Bacillus subtilis. Coelution of components of known protein complexes provides a read‐out for how well the native state of proteins is conserved during chromatography. Rifampicin, which targets RNA polymerase, is used in a proof‐of‐concept study.