Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Current (but not ex) cigarette smoking is associated with worse cognitive performances in schizophrenia: results from the FACE-SZ cohort

Abstract Background Tobacco use is common in subjects with schizophrenia (SZ) and has sometimes been associated with better functioning in short-term studies. Only few studies embrace an extensive examination of tobacco influence on clinical, cognitive and therapeutic characteristics in stabilized SZ outpatients. The objective of the present study was to assess the association between cognitive performances and smoking status in SZ subjects. Methods In total, 1233 SZ participants (73.9% men, mean age 31.5) were included and tested with a comprehensive battery. Tobacco status was self-declared (never-, ex-, or current smokers). Multivariable analyses including principal component analyses (PCA) were used. Results In total, 53.7% were smokers with 33.7% of them nicotine-dependent. Multiple factor analysis revealed that current tobacco smoking was associated with impaired general intellectual ability and abstract reasoning (aOR 0.60, 95% IC 0.41–0.88, p = 0.01) and with a lifetime alcohol use disorder (p = 0.026) and a lifetime cannabis use disorder (p < 0.001). Ex- and never-smokers differed for age, mean outcome, cannabis history and medication [ex-smokers being older (p = 0.047), likely to have higher income (p = 0.026), a lifetime cannabis use disorder (p < 0.001) and higher CPZeq doses (p = 0.005)]. Premorbid IQ in the three groups significantly differed with, from higher to lower: ex-smokers, never-smoker, current smokers (all p < 0.001). Conclusions This study is the largest to date providing strong evidence that chronic smoking is associated with cognitive impairment in SZ, arguing against the self-medication hypothesis as a contributor to the high prevalence of smoking in SZ. Ex-smokers may also represent a specific subgroup. Longitudinal studies are warranted to determine the developmental impact of tobacco on neurocognition.
Systematic review of conservation interventions to promote voluntary behavior change

Understanding human behavior is vital to developing interventions that effectively lead to proenvironmental behavior change, whether the focus is at the individual or societal level. However, interventions in many fields have historically lacked robust forms of evaluation, which makes it hard to be confident that these conservation interventions have successfully helped protect the environment. We conducted a systematic review to assess how effective nonpecuniary and nonregulatory interventions have been in changing environmental behavior. We applied the Office of Health Assessment and Translation systematic review methodology. We started with more than 300,000 papers and reports returned by our search terms and after critical appraisal of quality identified 128 individual studies that merited inclusion in the review. We classified interventions by thematic area, type of intervention, the number of times audiences were exposed to interventions, and the length of time interventions ran. Most studies reported a positive effect (n = 96). The next most common outcome was no effect (n = 28). Few studies reported negative (n = 1) or mixed (n = 3) effects. Education, prompts, and feedback interventions resulted in positive behavior change. Combining multiple interventions was the most effective. Neither exposure duration nor frequency affected the likelihood of desired behavioral change. Comparatively few studies tested the effects of voluntary interventions on non‐Western populations (n = 17) or measured actual ecological outcome behavior (n = 1). Similarly, few studies examined conservation devices (e.g., energy‐efficient stoves) (n = 9) and demonstrations (e.g., modeling the desired behavior) (n = 5). There is a clear need to both improve the quality of the impact evaluation conducted and the reporting standards for intervention results.
Long‐term treatment of cancer‐prone germline PTEN mutant mice with low‐dose rapamycin extends lifespan and delays tumour development

PTEN is one of the most commonly inactivated tumour suppressor genes in sporadic cancer. Germline heterozygous PTEN gene alterations also underlie PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS), a rare human cancer‐predisposition condition. A key feature of systemic PTEN deregulation is the inability to adequately dampen PI3‐kinase (PI3K)/mTORC1 signalling. PI3K/mTORC1 pathway inhibitors such as rapamycin are therefore expected to neutralise the impact of PTEN loss, rendering this a more druggable context compared with those of other tumour suppressor pathways such as loss of TP53. However, this has not been explored in cancer prevention in a model of germline cancer predisposition, such as PHTS. Clinical trials of short‐term treatment with rapamycin have recently been initiated for PHTS, focusing on cognition and colon polyposis. Here, we administered a low dose of rapamycin from the age of 6 weeks onwards to mice with heterozygous germline Pten loss, a mouse model that recapitulates most characteristics of human PHTS. Rapamycin was well tolerated and led to a highly significant improvement of survival in both male and female mice. This was accompanied by a delay in, but not full blockade of, the development of a range of proliferative lesions, including gastro‐intestinal and thyroid tumours and endometrial hyperplasia, with no impact on mammary and prostate tumours, and no effect on brain overgrowth. Our data indicate that rapamycin may have cancer prevention potential in human PHTS. This might also be the case for sporadic cancers in which genetic PI3K pathway activation is an early event in tumour development, such as endometrial cancer and some breast cancers. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of a long‐term treatment of a germline cancer predisposition model with a PI3K/mTOR pathway inhibitor. © 2022 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Understanding Gender Biases and Differences in Web-Based Reviews of Sanctioned Physicians Through a Machine Learning Approach: Mixed Methods Study

Background Previous studies have highlighted gender differences in web-based physician reviews; however, so far, no study has linked web-based ratings with quality of care. Objective We compared a consumer-generated measure of physician quality (web-based ratings) with a clinical quality outcome (sanctions for malpractice or improper behavior) to understand how patients’ perceptions and evaluations of physicians differ based on the physician’s gender. Methods We used data from a large web-based physician review website and the Federation of State Medical Boards. We implemented paragraph vector methods to identify words that are specific to and indicative of separate groups of physicians. Then, we enriched these findings by using the National Research Council Canada word-emotion association lexicon to assign emotional scores to reviews for different subpopulations according to gender, gender and sanction, and gender and rating. Results We found statistically significant differences in the sentiment and emotion of reviews between male and female physicians. Numerical ratings are lower and sentiment in text reviews is more negative for women who will be sanctioned than for men who will be sanctioned; sanctioned male physicians are still associated with positive reviews. Conclusions Given the growing impact of web-based reviews on demand for physician services, understanding the different dynamics of reviews for male and female physicians is important for consumers and platform architects who may revisit their platform design.
Brazilian marine phylogeography: A literature synthesis and analysis of barriers

In the last 30 years a plethora of phylogeography studies have been published targeting Brazilian marine species. To date, several historical and extant physical and ecological processes have been identified as drivers of allopatric, sympatric and parapatric population genetic differentiation detected along the Brazilian coast. Examples of extant physical barriers include the split of the South Equatorial Current into the Brazil and North Brazil boundary currents, the mouth of major rivers (e.g., Amazon, São Francisco and Doce rivers) and coastal upwellings. Examples of historical barriers include the Vitória–Trindade seamount chain promoting genetic differentiation during periods of glacial maxima and lower sea levels. Examples of ecological speciation include adaptations to different substrata, resource use and reproductive biology. We used published data to build data sets and generalized additive models to identify patterns of spatial phylogeographical concordance across multiple taxa and markers. Our results identify Cape São Roque as the most dominant extant barrier to gene flow along the Brazilian coast, followed by the Vitória–Trindade seamount chain and Cape Santa Marta. Cape Santa Marta is the northern winter limit of the Rio da Plata plume and is intermittently influenced by the Malvinas Current. This study provides a novel explicit quantitative approach to comparative phylogeography that recognizes four Brazilian phylogeographical regions delimited by processes associated with barriers to gene flow.
Ion pulse propagation through a previously unfilled electrostatic aperture lens accelerating column

Heavy ion fusion experiments require very high current beams with excellent beam quality during a short pulse. Scaled experiments planned at LBL require very short pulses (/spl mu/sec) compared to what one expects in an HIF driver (20-30 /spl mu/s). A 1 MV acceleration column composed of aperture lenses has been constructed at LBL in order to study the propagation effects on such ion pulses. The column is initially empty of space charge but with the full acceleration potential applied. A short current pulse is then injected into the column with a planar diode "current valve". Effects on the pulse propagation due to rise time, pulse duration, and beam size have been studied. Experiments on transported beam current and emittance have been conducted using a carbon arc plasma source (2" and 5" diameter) and a 1" diameter potassium alumino-silicate ion source. Computer simulations using a 2.5D time dependent code are compared with the experimental data. <<ETX>>
Fluid-kinetic modelling for respiratory aerosols with variable size and temperature

In this paper, we propose a coupled fluid-kinetic model taking into account the radius growth of aerosol particles due to humidity in the respiratory system. We aim to numerically investigate the impact of hygroscopic effects on the particle behaviour. The air flow is described by the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations, and the aerosol by a Vlasov-type equation involving the air humidity and temperature, both quantities satisfying a convection-diffusion equation with a source term. Conservations properties are checked and an explicit time-marching scheme is proposed. Twodimensional numerical simulations in a branched structure show the influence of the particle size variations on the aerosol dynamics.
Intersecting Early-Life Selection Mechanisms: Socio-Historical Changes in Racially Stratified Effects of Education on Functional Limitations in the United States

Objective Scant research has focused on the role of sociohistorical changes in shaping intersecting early-life selection mechanisms and their impacts on racially stratified effects of education on health across cohorts. Method Drawing from the Health and Retirement Survey, this study fitted negative binomial regression models to assess the impacts of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on the relationship between education and functional limitations for Black and White adults across birth cohorts (n = 16,269, born 1931–1959). Results The disparities between Black adults and White adults in impacts of childhood SES on both education and functional limitations were more pronounced in recent cohorts. The racial stratification in the impacts of education on functional limitations was documented across cohorts. However, after adjusting for childhood SES, this stratification narrowed considerably in recent cohorts. Discussion This study underscores the role of a sociohistorical context in shaping the effects of education on health at the intersection of race and cohort.
Does place matter in the implementation of an evidence‐based program policy in an Australian place‐based initiative for children?

Abstract Policy‐mandated requirements for use of evidence‐based programs (EBP) in place‐based initiatives are becoming more common. Little attention has been paid to the geographic aspects of uneven market development and urbanicity in implementing EBPs in large place‐based initiatives. The aim of this study was to explore geographic variation in knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of service providers who implemented an EBP policy in Australia's largest place‐based initiative for children, Communities for Children. A cross‐sectional online survey of Communities for Children service providers was conducted in 2018–2019, yielding 197 participants from all of Australia's eight states and territories. Relationships between two measures of ‘place’ (thick and thin market states; urbanicity: urban, regional and remote) and study‐designed measures of knowledge, attitudes, and implementation experiences were analyzed using adjusted logistic and multinomial regressions. Participants from thin market states (outside the Eastern Seaboard) were more resistant to the policy and experienced greater implementation challenges than those from thick market states (Eastern Seaboard). Regional participants reported greater knowledge about EBPs but experienced greater dissatisfaction and implementation challenges with the policy than both urban and remote participants. Our study found that place does matter when implementing EBPs in a place‐based initiative.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging to Assess Body Composition Change in Adolescents With Obesity After Sleeve Gastrectomy

Objectives: Metabolic and bariatric surgery is the most effective weight loss treatment for severe obesity. The number of adolescents undergoing sleeve gastrectomy is increasing. We investigated changes in body composition in adolescents undergoing sleeve gastrectomy 12–26 weeks post-operatively using whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI). Methods: This prospective cohort study assessed changes in adipose tissue compartments (ie, visceral, subcutaneous, and intermuscular) and muscle in 18 obese adolescents, ages 14–19, 89% female, with body mass index z-score of 2.6 ± 0.25 (range 2.16–3.2). All underwent WB-MRI 1.5–17 weeks pre-operatively and 12–26 weeks post-operatively. Results: Pre- and post-operative WB-MRI showed decreases in all adipose tissue compartments, as well as decreased skeletal muscle and liver fat fraction (P < 0.0001). The post-operative percentage loss of adipose tissue in subcutaneous, visceral, and intermuscular compartments (89.0%, 5.8%, 5.2%, respectively) was similar to the pre-operative percentages of corresponding adipose tissue compartments (90.5%, 5.0%, 4.5%, respectively). Of note, participants with obstructive sleep apnea had significantly higher pre-operative volume of subcutaneous and intermuscular adipose tissue than participants without obstructive sleep apnea (P = 0.003). Conclusions: We found, contrary to what is reported to occur in adults, that pre-operative percentage loss of adipose tissue in subcutaneous, visceral, and intermuscular compartments was similar to the post-operative percentage loss of corresponding adipose tissue compartments in adolescents 12–26 weeks after sleeve gastrectomy.
The diversity of rhizospheric bacterial communities associated with Trichoderma‐treated rice fields

Microbial‐based fertilizer has been widely used as a healthier and better alternative to agrochemical products. However, the effects of biofertilizers on the rhizospheric microbiota has rarely been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of symbiotic fungus Trichoderma asperellum SL2‐based inoculant on the soil bacterial population through next generation sequencing using a metabarcoding approach. The treatment plots were treated with T. asperellum SL2 spore suspension, while the control plots were treated with sterilized distilled water. The results showed similar bacterial microbiome profiles in the soil of control and T. asperellum SL2‐treated plots. In conclusion, the application of the T. asperellum SL2 inoculant had not exerted a negative impact towards the bacterial population as similar observation was reflected in control plots. Nonetheless, future research should be conducted to investigate the effects of repeated application of T. asperellum SL2 over a longer period on the rice microbiota communities.
Mast cell density in the primary tumor predicts lymph node metastases in patients with breast cancer

Breast cancer (BrCa) is the most frequent neoplastic disease in female, with high morbidity and mortality. Most of the researches were focused on tumor cells concerning their natural evolution, molecular profile, and potential response to therapy. Few and uncertain data are available about the tumor microenvironment and its impact on the progression of the disease. Mast cells (MCs) associated to BrCa have been reported many years ago, but their real and specific role in the biology of this disease remained elusive. In the current study, we have investigated the predictive role of MCs from the primary tumor on lymph node metastasis on patients stratified based on the molecular classification. We investigated 156 patients with BrCa, stratified as luminal A, luminal B, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) type, basal-like, and unclassified. MCs were identified with anti-MC tryptase antibody in a double immunohistochemical reaction combined with anti-cluster of differentiation 34 (CD34) antibody. Mast cell density (MCD) was calculated based on the hot-spot method, on three fields with maximum density of MCs in each case. The final result was the arithmetic media that was compared with the molecular profile and lymph node metastases. We found no significant correlation between MCD and the molecular profile of the primary tumor, but we noticed a strong correlation between intratumor MCD and lymph node metastases, regardless of the molecular type.
Comparison of different types of liposomal nano structures for microRNA transfection to human mesenchymal stem cell line S1939

Abstract Background: Liposomes are utilized as a drug delivery carrier in various fields of biomedicine. They are synthesized in the nanometer-size range and are becoming a viable drug delivery carrier for the treatment of different diseases. MicroRNAs as regulatory elements could be transferred to cells for changing their morphology or physiology. The study’s major aim is to find the optimized formula of liposomes for transfection of microRNA to human mesenchymal stem cell line S1939 (HMSCs). Materials and Methods: Various ratios of soybean phosphatidylcholine (SPC), cholesterol, 1, 2 dioleoyloxy-3- (trimethylammonium) propane (DOTAP), and polyethylene glycol (PEG) were combined. The mean diameter of all formulations and their surface properties were determined by a zeta sizer device and scanning electron microscope, respectively. The cytotoxicity of formulations was assessed using MTT (3,4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl) (2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The transfection effectiveness of liposomal miRNA vs empty liposomes was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis. Results: The optimized liposome vesicles were prepared using 45:30:27.5:5 molar ratios of SPC:DOTAP:cholesterol: DSPE-PEG. The liposome formulations F10 and F18 were the best in terms of biocompatibility because of the higher viabilities of treated cells. The best formulation (F18, containing 0.7 µg of miRNA and 10 µg of liposome) was nearly 100% efficient in sequestering and fixing miRNA. Phase-contrast and fluorescent microscopic examinations showed intra-nuclear as well as intracytoplasmic localization of the particles. Conclusion: Some easily prepared liposomal formulation vehicles are quite efficient in the transfection of miRNA into the HMSCs and could be used for in vitro applications in regenerative medicine.
Additional evidence that valence does not affect serial recall

In immediate serial recall, a canonical short-term memory task, it is well established that performance is affected by several sublexical, lexical, and semantic factors. One factor that receives a growing interest is valence, whether a word is categorised as positive (e.g., happy) or as negative (e.g., pain). However, contradictory findings have recently emerged. Tse and Altarriba in two experiments with one set of stimuli and fixed lists concluded that valence affects serial recall performance, while Bireta et al. in three experiments with three sets of stimuli and randomised lists concluded that valence does not affect serial recall performance. Two experiments assessed the experimental discrepancy between Tse and Altarriba and Bireta et al. For both experiments, in one block, every participant saw the exact same lists as those used in Tse and Altarriba, and in the other block, each list was randomly constructed for each participant, as was done in Bireta et al. In Experiment 1, with concrete words varying in valence, we replicated the results of Tse and Altarriba with fixed lists and the results of Bireta et al. with randomised lists. In Experiment 2, with abstract words with both fixed and randomised lists, we replicate the absence of effect valence like Tse and Altarriba and Bireta et al. Overall, we conclude that valence does not affect serial recall and the discrepancy was attributed to the peculiarity of the fixed lists used by Tse and Altarriba.
Understanding PrEP decision making among pregnant women in Lilongwe, Malawi: A mixed‐methods study

Pre‐exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a promising tool for HIV prevention during pregnancy. With increasing rollout in antenatal settings, counselling strategies to help pregnant women make appropriate decisions about PrEP use are needed. Understanding women's motivations and concerns for PrEP use—and how these inform their decision making and feelings about the decision to start PrEP—are critical to inform these strategies.
Commercial vaccines used in China do not protect against a novel infectious bursal disease virus variant isolated in Fujian.

BACKGROUND Since 2018, atrophy of the bursa has been found among vaccinated chickens with high antibody titres against infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) in Fujian, China, suggesting poor vaccine efficacy against circulating IBDV strains. METHODS Novel IBDV strains were isolated, and vp2 and vp1 genes were sequenced and used to carry out phylogenetic analysis. Pathogenicity was investigated using 21-day-old specific pathogen-free (SPF) chickens. In addition, the effectiveness of current commercial vaccines used in China was evaluated against the isolated novel IBDV strains. RESULTS Six IBDV isolates were successfully obtained, which formed an independent cluster and belonged to genotype A2dB1, based on phylogenetic analysis of the vp2 and vp1 genes. The pathogenicity of the novel IBDV FJ2019-01 isolate in 21-day-old SPF chickens was characterised by severe atrophy of the bursa and a largely decreased number of lymphocytes, atrophy of the follicle and broadening of mesenchyme in the bursa 3-23 days after infection. Unfortunately, all vaccinated chickens with high antibody titres against IBDV also developed atrophy and largely decreased lymphocytes in the bursa, as in the unvaccinated birds challenged with FJ2019-01. Furthermore, high viral loads of FJ2019-01 were detected in the bursa of all vaccinated chickens. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that current commercial IBDV vaccines used in China did not provide protection against novel IBDV variants.