Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COPD_A_319220 2487..2500

1Center of Pulmonary Medicine, Hirslanden Private Hospital Group, Salem-Hospital, Bern, Switzerland; 2Department of Biomedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; 3Medical Development, Research in Respiratory Diagnostics, Berlin, Germany; 4Center of Pulmonary Medicine, Hirslanden Private Hospital Group, Clinic Hirslanden, Zürich, Switzerland; 5Clinic of Pneumology, Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland Background: Airflow reversibility criteria in COPD are still debated – especially in situations of co-existing COPD and asthma. Bronchodilator response (BDR) is usually assessed by spirometric parameters. Changes assessed by plethysmographic parameters such as the effective, specific airway conductance (sGeff), and changes in end-expiratory resting level at functional residual capacity (FRCpleth) are rarely appreciated. We aimed to assess BDR by spirometric and concomitantly measured plethysmographic parameters. Moreover, BDR on the specific aerodynamic work of breathing (sWOB) was evaluated. Methods: From databases of 3 pulmonary centers, BDR to 200 g salbutamol was retrospectively evaluated by spirometric (∆FEV1 and ∆FEF25–75), and plethysmographic (∆sGeff, ∆FRCpleth, and ∆sWOB) parameters in a total of 843 patients diagnosed as COPD (478 = 57%), asthma-COPD-overlap (ACO) (139 = 17%), or asthma (226 = 27%), encountering 1686 BDR-measurement-sets (COPD n = 958; ACO n = 276; asthma n = 452). Results: Evaluating z-score improvement taking into consideration the whole pre-test zscore range, highest BDR was achieved by combining ∆sGeff and ∆FRC detecting BDR in 62.2% (asthma: 71.4%; ACO: 56.7%; COPD: 59.8%), by ∆sGeff in 53.4% (asthma: 69.1%; ACO: 51.6%; COPD: 47.4%), whereas ∆FEV1 only distinguished in 10.6% (asthma: 21.8%; ACO: 18.6%; COPD: 4.2%). Remarkably, ∆sWOB detected BDR in 49.4% (asthma: 76.2%; ACO: 47.8%; COPD: 46.9%). Conclusion: BDR largely depends on the pre-test functional severity and, therefore, should be evaluated in relation to the pre-test conditions expressed as ∆z-scores, considering changes in airway dynamics, changes in static lung volumes and changes in small airway function. Plethysmographic parameters demonstrated BDR at a significant higher rate than spirometric parameters.
Does Trust in E-Government Mediate the Relationship between Digital Divide and E-Government Use?

: This research aims to develop a clear perspective of the mediating effect of trust in e-government on the use of digital divide and e-government. A quantitative assessment using Structural equation modelling (SEM) was applied. Two hundred and thirty seven respondents were involved in a survey. The Partial Least Square (PLS) method was employed to analyse of the model. The findings confirm that a full mediating role has been demonstrated by trust in e-government on e-government use and digital divide relationship. During this study, a new perception toward digital divide and e-government use relationship has ben generated in conjunction with the evidence on the digital divide on e-government use impact. This research contributes more comprehensively to the insight of the digital divide by introducing innovativeness divide in the digital divide framework. The discussions on the implications for theory and practice are included in this paper.
Prediction of storage stability parameters of spray dried powders of maltodextrins and corn syrups with different levels of hydrolysis (conversion)

The aim of this work was to establish the maximum stability conditions of maltodextrins and corn syrups obtained by spray drying with different levels of starch hydrolysis as dextrose equivalent (DE) 10, 20, 30 and 40 from a thermodynamic study of sorption at 25, 35 and 40°C. These storage conditions were correlated with the hygroscopicity, glass transition temperature (Tg) and external morphology of these powders to minimize physical phenomena such as caking. The conditions of maximum stability according to the minimum integral entropy (DSint) for maltodextrins (DE 10 and 20) fluctuated between aW of 0.12 to 0.25 at 25°C with hygroscopicity of 26 % and Tg of 112 ° C, while for corn syrups (DE 30 and 40) aW between 0.03 to 0.05 at 25°C, with hygroscopicity of 36% and Tg of 89°C; For the same value in DE as the temperature increases, the humidity (M) and the aW of maximum stability decrease, while for the same temperature, the increase in DE also decreases the humidity (M) and aW of maximum stability, maintaining their structural integrity without compaction; in extreme conditions, the powders showed a greater or lesser degree of caking.
Nano-Liposomes of Crude Soy Lecithin are Effective for Cleaning Fuel-Contaminated Sands and Soils Expert Opinion on Environmental Biology

Large multilamellar lipid vesicles (MLV) and nano-liposomes (small unilamellar vesicles-SUV) made of crude soy lecithin were prepared, characterized and compared for their ability to remove crude oil and jet fuel contaminants from sand and soil samples. The SUV formulation was able to remove 85% of the contaminants, and was significantly the most effective formulation when compared to the other tested lipid products. Raising temperature (from RT to 50°C) and exposure to ultrasonic irradiation further improved SUV cleaning efficiency. The SUV used are highly stable in high salinity concentration (up to 32% W/V NaCl). The crude soy SUV reduces surface tension of the water, in agreement with previous results on highly significant reduction of oil/water interfacial tension (IFT). These properties make crude lecithin-based SUV a good candidate for the physical cleaning of oil-contaminated soil as well as for accelerating bioremediation of such soil. The use of liposomes composed of such crude lecithin has major advantages: the lecithin is available in quantity at a reasonable cost; fabrication of such SUV on a large scale is straightforward and, most important, such liposomes are biocompatible and environmentally friendly.
Minimal residual disease detection by next-generation sequencing in multiple myeloma: Promise and challenges for response-adapted therapy

Assessment of minimal residual disease (MRD) is becoming a standard diagnostic tool for curable hematological malignancies such as chronic and acute myeloid leukemia. Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease, as a major portion of patients even in complete response eventually relapse, suggesting that residual disease remains. Over the past decade, the treatment landscape of MM has radically changed with the introduction of new effective drugs and the availability of immunotherapy, including targeted antibodies and adoptive cell therapy. Therefore, conventional serological and morphological techniques have become suboptimal for the evaluation of depth of response. Recently, the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) introduced the definition of MRD negativity as the absence of clonal Plasma cells (PC) with a minimum sensitivity of <10−5 either by next-generation sequencing (NGS) using the LymphoSIGHT platform (Sequenta/Adaptative) or by next-generation flow cytometry (NGF) using EuroFlow approaches as the reference methods. While the definition of the LymphoSIGHT platform (Sequenta/Adaptive) as the standard method derives from its large use and validation in clinical studies on the prognostic value of NGS-based MRD, other commercially available options exist. Recently, the LymphoTrack assay has been evaluated in MM, demonstrating a sensitivity level of 10−5, hence qualifying as an alternative effective tool for MRD monitoring in MM. Here, we will review state-of-the-art methods for MRD assessment by NGS. We will summarize how MRD testing supports clinical trials as a useful tool in dynamic risk-adapted therapy. Finally, we will also discuss future promise and challenges of NGS-based MRD determination for clinical decision-making. In addition, we will present our real-life single-center experience with the commercially available NGS strategy LymphoTrack-MiSeq. Even with the limitation of a limited number of patients, our results confirm the LymphoTrack-MiSeq platform as a cost-effective, readily available, and standardized workflow with a sensitivity of 10−5. Our real-life data also confirm that achieving MRD negativity is an important prognostic factor in MM.
The interplay of DNA methyltransferases and demethylases with tuberization genes in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) genotypes under high temperature

Potato is a temperate crop consumed globally as a staple food. High temperature negatively impacts the tuberization process, eventually affecting crop yield. DNA methylation plays an important role in various developmental and physiological processes in plants. It is a conserved epigenetic mark determined by the dynamic concurrent action of cytosine-5 DNA methyltransferases (C5-MTases) and demethylases (DeMets). However, C5-MTases and DeMets remain unidentified in potato, and their expression patterns are unknown under high temperatures. Here, we performed genome-wide analysis and identified 10 C5-MTases and 8 DeMets in potatoes. Analysis of their conserved motifs, gene structures, and phylogenetic analysis grouped C5-MTases into four subfamilies (StMET, StCMT3, StDRM, and StDNMT2) and DeMets into three subfamilies (StROS, StDML, and StDME). Promoter analysis showed the presence of multiple cis-regulatory elements involved in plant development, hormone, and stress response. Furthermore, expression dynamics of C5-MTases and DeMets were determined in the different tissues (leaf, flower, and stolon) of heat-sensitive (HS) and heat-tolerant (HT) genotypes under high temperature. qPCR results revealed that high temperature resulted in pronounced upregulation of CMT and DRM genes in the HT genotype. Likewise, demethylases showed strong upregulation in HT genotype as compared to HS genotype. Several positive (StSP6A and StBEL5) and negative (StSP5G, StSUT4, and StRAP1) regulators are involved in the potato tuberization. Expression analysis of these genes revealed that high temperature induces the expression of positive regulators in the leaf and stolon samples of HT genotype, possibly through active DNA demethylation and RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM) pathway components. Our findings lay a framework for understanding how epigenetic pathways synergistically or antagonistically regulate the tuberization process under high-temperature stress in potatoes. Uncovering such mechanisms will contribute to potato breeding for developing thermotolerant potato varieties.
The impact of postpartum obsessive-compulsive symptoms on child development and the mediating role of the parent–child relationship: A prospective longitudinal study

Background The first 2 years of life are a particularly sensitive period for the parent–child relationship as well as a healthy, age-appropriate child development. Both have been shown to be linked to postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms, while the role of obsessive-compulsive symptoms, which are also common, is still largely understudied. In addition, fathers have been neglected in this area of research. This study, which includes both mothers and fathers, aims to investigate the longitudinal associations between postpartum obsessive-compulsive symptoms and different domains of child development, as well as the mediating role of the parent–child relationship. Methods Data were drawn from the prospective longitudinal study DREAM, with 674 mothers and 442 fathers from the general population completing self-report questionnaires at four measurement points. Longitudinal associations between parental postpartum obsessive-compulsive symptoms 8 weeks postpartum, the parent–child relationship 14 months postpartum, and child development 24 months postpartum were investigated using regression and mediation analyses. A number of potential confounding variables were considered, i.e., age, academic degree, postpartum depressive and anxiety symptoms of the parents, preterm birth and temperament of the child, as well as COVID-19 pandemic-driven adversities. Results When adjusting for confounders, neither maternal nor paternal postpartum obsessive-compulsive symptoms had adverse effects on the respective parent–child relationship and child development. Further, no mediating role of the parent–child relationship between parental postpartum obsessive-compulsive symptoms and child development could be confirmed. Instead, we found that the mother– and father–child relationship were differentially related to specific child developmental domains. For mothers, a poorer mother–child relationship was prospectively related to poorer fine motor development. For fathers, a poorer father–child relationship prospectively predicted a poorer overall development as well as poorer gross motor, fine motor, problem-solving, and personal-social development. Conclusion Our results suggest that negative effects on the parent–child relationship and child development may only become apparent in full-blown postpartum obsessive-compulsive disorder. Given the differential impact on specific developmental domains, our findings also suggest that it is crucial to consider both parents in clinical practice as well as in future research, rather than focusing only on the mother–child dyad.
Autophagy-related prognostic signature characterizes tumor microenvironment and predicts response to ferroptosis in gastric cancer

Background Gastric cancer (GC) is an important disease and the fifth most common malignancy worldwide. Autophagy is an important process for the turnover of intracellular substances. Autophagy-related genes (ARGs) are crucial in cancer. Accumulating evidence indicates the clinicopathological significance of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in predicting prognosis and treatment efficacy. Methods Clinical and gene expression data of GC were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus databases. A total of 22 genes with differences in expression and prognosis were screened from 232 ARGs. Three autophagy patterns were identified using an unsupervised clustering algorithm and scored using principal component analysis to predict the value of autophagy in the prognosis of GC patients. Finally, the relationship between autophagy and ferroptosis was validated in gastric cancer cells. Results The expression of ARGs showed obvious heterogeneity in GC patients. Three autophagy patterns were identified and used to predict the overall survival of GC patients. These three patterns were well-matched with the immunophenotype. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology enrichment analyses showed that the biological functions of the three autophagy patterns were different. A scoring system was then set up to quantify the autophagy model and further evaluate the response of the patients to the immunotherapy. Patients with high autophagy scores had a more severe tumor mutation burden and better prognosis. High autophagy scores were accompanied by high microsatellite instability. Patients with high autophagy scores had significantly higher PD-L1 expression and increased survival. The experimental results confirmed that the expression of ferroptosis genes was positively correlated with the expression of autophagy genes in different autophagy clusters, and inhibition of autophagy dramatically reversed the decrease in ferroptotic cell death and lipid accumulation. Conclusions Autophagy patterns are involved in TME diversity and complexity. Autophagy score can be used as an independent prognostic biomarker in GC patients and to predict the effect of immunotherapy and ferroptosis-based therapy. This might benefit individualized treatment for GC.
Head holder and cranial window design for sequential magnetic resonance imaging and optical imaging in awake mice

Medical imaging techniques are widely used in preclinical research as diagnostic tools to detect physiological abnormalities and assess the progression of neurovascular disease in animal models. Despite the wealth of imaging options in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), interpretation of imaging-derived parameters regarding underlying tissue properties is difficult due to technical limitations or lack of parameter specificity. To address the challenge of interpretation, we present an animal preparation protocol to achieve quantitative measures from both MRI and advanced optical techniques, including laser speckle contrast imaging and two-photon microscopy, in murine models. In this manner, non-translatable methods support and improve interpretation of less specific, translatable methods, i.e., MRI. Combining modalities for improved clinical interpretation involves satisfying the requirements of various methods. Furthermore, physiology unperturbed by anesthetics is a prerequisite for the strategy to succeed. Awake animal imaging with restraint provides an alternative to anesthesia and facilitates translatability of cerebral measurements. The method outlines design requirements for the setup and a corresponding reproducible surgical procedure for implanting a 3D printed head holder and cranial window to enable repeated multimodal imaging. We document the development, application, and validation of the method and provide examples confirming the usefulness of the design in acquiring high quality data from multiple modalities for quantification of a wide range of metrics of cerebral physiology in the same animal. The method contributes to preclinical small animal imaging, enabling sequential imaging of previously mutually exclusive techniques.
Recent advances in aptamer-based targeted drug delivery systems for cancer therapy

The past decade has become an important strategy in precision medicine for the targeted therapy of many diseases, expecially various types of cancer. As a promising targeted element, nucleic acid aptamers are single-stranded functional oligonucleotides which have specific abilities to bind with various target molecules ranging from small molecules to entire organisms. They are often named ‘chemical antibody’ and have aroused extensive interest in diverse clinical studies on account of their advantages, such as considerable biostability, versatile chemical modification, low immunogenicity and quick tissue penetration. Thus, aptamer-embedded drug delivery systems offer an unprecedented opportunity in bioanalysis and biomedicine. In this short review, we endeavor to discuss the recent advances in aptamer-based targeted drug delivery platforms for cancer therapy. Some perspectives on the advantages, challenges and opportunities are also presented.
An asynchronous artifact-enhanced electroencephalogram based control paradigm assisted by slight facial expression

In this study, an asynchronous artifact-enhanced electroencephalogram (EEG)-based control paradigm assisted by slight-facial expressions (sFE-paradigm) was developed. The brain connectivity analysis was conducted to reveal the dynamic directional interactions among brain regions under sFE-paradigm. The component analysis was applied to estimate the dominant components of sFE-EEG and guide the signal processing. Enhanced by the artifact within the detected electroencephalogram (EEG), the sFE-paradigm focused on the mainstream defect as the insufficiency of real-time capability, asynchronous logic, and robustness. The core algorithm contained four steps, including “obvious non-sFE-EEGs exclusion,” “interface ‘ON’ detection,” “sFE-EEGs real-time decoding,” and “validity judgment. ” It provided the asynchronous function, decoded eight instructions from the latest 100 ms signal, and greatly reduced the frequent misoperation. In the offline assessment, the sFE-paradigm achieved 96.46% ± 1.07 accuracy for interface “ON” detection and 92.68% ± 1.21 for sFE-EEGs real-time decoding, with the theoretical output timespan less than 200 ms. This sFE-paradigm was applied to two online manipulations for evaluating stability and agility. In “object-moving with a robotic arm,” the averaged intersection-over-union was 60.03 ± 11.53%. In “water-pouring with a prosthetic hand,” the average water volume was 202.5 ± 7.0 ml. During online, the sFE-paradigm performed no significant difference (P = 0.6521 and P = 0.7931) with commercial control methods (i.e., FlexPendant and Joystick), indicating a similar level of controllability and agility. This study demonstrated the capability of sFE-paradigm, enabling a novel solution to the non-invasive EEG-based control in real-world challenges.
Vertical structural variability of diurnal internal tides inside a mesoscale anticyclonic eddy based on single virtual-moored Slocum glider observations

The vertical structural variability of the diurnal internal tide (DIT) with a mode-1 wavelength of ~420 km inside a mesoscale baroclinic anticyclonic eddy was examined based on observations by a single virtual-moored (VM) Slocum glider. During the glider observational period from 10 to 19 September 2018, the eddy traveled northward at approximately 50 km, allowing the glider to scan a cross section of 50 km wide and 800 m deep inside the eddy. VM observations showed that DIT experienced a noticeable vertical structural variability near the eddy center. In a range of 30 km horizontally from the eddy center (inner center), DIT’s vertical displacements were significantly intensified in the 400–800-m depth below the eddy. In the range of 30–50 km from the eddy center (outer center), DIT was almost uniformly distributed from the surface to 800-m depth. Owing to the spatiotemporally restricted dataset by the glider, the significance of DIT’s modulation observed inside the eddy can be questionable. As a result of comparing DIT’s vertical structural variability in two domains in terms of available potential energy (APE) and horizontal kinetic energy (HKE) using CTDs inside the eddy and ADCPs outside the eddy, DIT’s vertical structure inside the eddy was significantly distinguished from that outside the eddy. The relative vorticity inside the eddy was estimated based on the satellite dataset; it was negatively great in the inner center (approximately 0.35 – 0.25f) and small in the outer center (approximately 0.2 – 0.1f). These observational behaviors indicate a close relationship between them; the vorticity-dependent modulation of the DIT seems to be observationally confirmed inside the eddy. Further, in order to examine the energy transferring behavior in low vertical modes, a wavenumber spectral analysis was performed on the DIT displacements and the lowest four wavenumbers, Kz (1) through Kz (4), showed a similar behavior to those observed in DIT’s vertical structural variability inside of the eddy; the relative power of the sum of Kz (2) ~ Kz (4) with respect to Kz (1) was strong in the inner center and weakened in the outer center. These results seem to support that the wave–eddy interaction is non-uniform inside the eddy and partially depends on the relative vorticity.