Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aging Effects on the Visual Span for Alphabetic Stimuli

ABSTRACT Background: The visual span (i.e., an estimate of the number of letters that can be recognized reliably on a single glance) is widely considered to impose an important sensory limitation on reading speed. With the present research, we investigated adult age differences in the visual span for alphabetic stimuli (i.e., Latin alphabetic letters), as aging effects on span size may make an important contribution to slower reading speeds in older adulthood. Method: A trigram task, in which sets of three letters were displayed randomly at specified locations to the right and left of a central fixation point, was used to estimate the size of the visual span for young (18–30 years) and older (65+years) adults while an eye tracker was used to ensure accurate central fixation during stimulus presentation. Participants also completed tests of visual acuity and visual crowding. Results: There were clear age differences in the size of the visual span. The older adults produced visual spans which were on average 1.2 letters smaller than the spans of young adults. However, both young and older adults produced spans smaller than those previously reported. In addition, span size correlated with measures of both visual acuity and measures of visual crowding. Conclusion: The findings show that the size of the visual span is smaller for older compared to young adults. The age-related reduction in span size is relatively small but may make a significant contribution to reduced parafoveal processing during natural reading so may play a role in the greater difficulty experienced by older adult readers. Moreover, these results highlight the importance of carefully controlling fixation location in visual span experiments.
Transcriptional Regulator AcrR Increases Ethanol Tolerance through Regulation of Fatty Acid Synthesis in Lactobacillus plantarum

Ethanol tolerance is essential for L. plantarum strains living in substances with more than 9% ethanol, such as wine and beer. The details regarding how L. plantarum adapts to ethanol are still lacking. This study demonstrates that AcrR regulates the de novo synthesis of fatty acids in L. plantarum adapting to toxic levels of ethanol. We also identified the ability of the TetR/AcrR family regulator to bind to the fatty acid biosynthesis gene promoter, PfabZ1, in L. plantarum and defined the binding sites. This finding facilitates the induction of the adaptation of L. plantarum strains to ethanol for food fermentation applications. ABSTRACT Lactobacillus plantarum is a versatile bacterium with significant adaptability to harsh habitats containing excessive ethanol concentrations. It was found that the L. plantarum NF92-TetR/AcrR family regulator, AcrR, significantly enhanced the growth rate of this lactic acid bacterium in the presence of ethanol. Through screening 172 ethanol-resistant related genes by electrophoretic mobility shift and quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR) assays, six genes were identified to be regulated by AcrR under ethanol stress. Among these was a gene coding for a 3-hydroxyacyl-ACP dehydratase (fabZ1) regulated by AcrR under ethanol stress. AcrR regulated fabZ1 under ethanol stress by binding to its promoter, PfabZ1. DNase I footprinting analysis indicated that there were two specific AcrR binding sites on PfabZ1. RT-PCR results showed fabZ1 could cotranscribe with its downstream 12 genes and conform a fatty acid de novo biosynthesis (fab) gene cluster under the control of PfabZ1. Both RT-qPCR of the fab gene cluster in acrR knockout and overexpression strains and fatty acid methyl ester analysis of the acrR knockout strain showed that AcrR could promote fatty acid synthesis in L. plantarum NF92. Membrane fluorescence anisotropy analysis of acrR knockout and overexpression strains showed that AcrR could increase membrane fluidity under ethanol stress. Thus, AcrR could regulate fatty acid synthesis and membrane fluidity to promote the adaption of L. plantarum NF92 to a high ethanol concentration. IMPORTANCE Ethanol tolerance is essential for L. plantarum strains living in substances with more than 9% ethanol, such as wine and beer. The details regarding how L. plantarum adapts to ethanol are still lacking. This study demonstrates that AcrR regulates the de novo synthesis of fatty acids in L. plantarum adapting to toxic levels of ethanol. We also identified the ability of the TetR/AcrR family regulator to bind to the fatty acid biosynthesis gene promoter, PfabZ1, in L. plantarum and defined the binding sites. This finding facilitates the induction of the adaptation of L. plantarum strains to ethanol for food fermentation applications.
Migrant status and identification as ultra‐high risk for psychosis and transitioning to a psychotic disorder

Certain migrant groups are more likely to develop a psychotic disorder compared to the native‐born populations, and a younger age at migration is associated with greater risk. However, it is not known at which stage migration has an effect on the development of psychotic disorders. We examined whether migrants were more likely to be identified as ultra‐high risk for psychosis (UHR) compared to native‐born young people and whether migrant status was associated with the risk of transition to a full‐threshold psychotic disorder.
Coronal Root Canal Morphology of Permanent Two-rooted Mandibular First Molars with Novel 3D Measurements.

AIM To measure the coronal root canal morphology of permanent mandibular first molars using 3D coordinates for more precise conservative endodontic cavity preparation. METHODOLOGY In total 57 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of the molars which had fully formed apices and sound structures without treatment were taken from 33 patients aged 16 to 75 years. The CBCT machine (MCT-1[EX-2F], J. Morita Manufacturing Corp, Kyoto, Japan) provided 14 -bit greyscale images with the voxel size of 0.125mm. All images were taken at 80 kV and 5.0 mA, with a 17-second exposure time, which were then reconstructed in 3D models and viewed by an endodontist. The gender of the patients and the tooth position, and number of root canals, were recorded. The landmarks of coronal root canals were determined, then the distribution of landmarks, maximum curvature in the axial direction and curvature directions in the horizontal direction of coronal root canals were measured. Distributions of landmarks were analysed using a spatial statistics method. Data about curvature were compared using a t test. RESULTS Overall, the distribution of root canal orifices and the centre of the canal primary curve were more centralized than other landmarks. The landmarks were located more mesiobuccally to the centre of the occlusal plane of mandibular first molars. Specifically, the measurements of the maximum curvature of coronal root canals in the axial direction were: in 3-canal teeth, the average angles of curvatures were 22°,23°,15° for mesiobuccal (MB), mesiolingual (ML) and distobuccal (DB) canals, respectively; in 4-canal teeth, the average angles of curvatures were 24°,26°,15°,22°for MB, ML , DB, and distolingual (DL) canals, respectively. The degrees of coronal root canal curvatures in the horizontal direction were: in 3-canal teeth, the average angles of curvatures were -8°,47°,-2° for MB, ML and DB canals, respectively; in 4-canals teeth, the average angles were -11°,50°,-28°,45° for MB, ML, DB, and DL canals, respectively. Statistically, there was no reliable side or sex difference in any of the measurements (p >0.05). CONCLUSIONS In permanent two-rooted mandibular first molars, the coronal canals clustered in the direction of the mesiobuccal side of the occlusal surface of the teeth.
Manipulation of sucrose phloem and embryo loading affects pea leaf metabolism, carbon and nitrogen partitioning to sinks as well as seed storage pools.

Seed development largely depends on the long-distance transport of sucrose from photosynthetically-active source leaves to seed sinks. This source-to-sink carbon allocation occurs in the phloem and requires the loading of sucrose into the leaf phloem and, at the sink end, its import into the growing embryo. Both tasks are achieved through the function of SUT sucrose transporters. In this study, we used vegetable peas (Pisum sativum L.), harvested for human consumption as immature seeds, as our model crop and simultaneously overexpressed the endogenous SUT1 transporter in the leaf phloem and in cotyledon epidermis cells where import into the embryo occurs. Using this 'Push-and-Pull' approach, the transgenic SUT1 plants displayed increased sucrose phloem loading and carbon movement from source to sink causing higher sucrose levels in developing pea seeds. The enhanced sucrose partitioning further led to improved photosynthesis rates, increased leaf nitrogen assimilation, and enhanced source-to-sink transport of amino acids. Embryo loading with amino acids was also increased in SUT1-overexpressors resulting in higher protein levels in immature seeds. Further, transgenic plants grown until desiccation produced more seed protein and starch, as well as higher seed yields than the wild-type plants. Together, the results demonstrate that the SUT1-overexpressing plants with enhanced sucrose allocation to sinks adjust leaf carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and amino acid partitioning in order to accommodate the increased assimilate demand of growing seeds. We further provide evidence that the combined Push-and-Pull approach for enhancing carbon transport is a successful strategy for improving seed yields and nutritional quality in legumes.
Anticancer Effect of Deuterium Depleted Water - Redox Disbalance Leads to Oxidative Stress

The antiproliferation effect of deuterium depleted water (DDW) is well documented, but the mechanism remained elusive. Here three complementary proteomics approaches applied to A549 cells revealed a disbalance brought about by DDW in mitochondria between ROS production and neutralization, thus leading to oxidative stress in the cells. Subsequent validation by orthogonal approaches supported this scenario. Therefore, DDW has potential as an adjuvant in antitumor therapy, especially in the modalities inducing oxidative stress in cancer cells. Graphical Abstract Highlights The antiproliferation effect of deuterium depleted water (DDW) was confirmed in a cell model. DDW inhibits cell proliferation through causing a ROS disbalance in mitochondria. DDW has a potential as an adjuvant in antitumor therapy. Despite the convincing empirical evidence that deuterium depleted water (DDW, 25–125 ppm deuterium) has anticancer effect, the molecular mechanism remains unclear. Here, redox proteomics investigation of the DDW action in A549 cells revealed an increased level of oxidative stress, whereas expression proteomics in combination with thermal profiling uncovered crucial role of mitochondrial proteins. In the proposed scenario, reversal of the normally positive deuterium gradient across the inner membrane leads to an increased export of protons from the matrix to intermembrane space and an increase in the mitochondrial membrane potential, enhancing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The resulting oxidative stress leads to slower growth and can induce apoptosis. However, further deuterium depletion in ambient water triggers a feedback mechanism, which leads to restoration of the redox equilibrium and resumed growth. The DDW-induced oxidative stress, verified by traditional biochemical assays, may be helpful as an adjuvant to ROS-inducing anticancer therapy.
Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of EPDS and BDI-II as a screening tool for antenatal depression: evidence from Qatar

Objectives The current study aimed to validate and determine the psychometric properties of the Arabic versions of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in Qatar. Design A cross-sectional study design was employed. Setting Antenatal care (ANC) clinics at nine primary healthcare centres. Participants Pregnant women (n=128) aged 15–46 years in different trimesters of pregnancy, attending the ANC clinics as well as capable of reading and writing in the Arabic language. Results A total of 128 participants were enrolled. On conducting the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the EPDS showed a larger area under the curve at 0.951 than the BDI-II tool (0.912). Using Youden’s index, a score >13 on the EPDS (87% sensitivity, 90% speciﬁcity) and >19 on the BDI-II (96% sensitivity, 73% speciﬁcity) allowed for the greatest division between depressed and non-depressed participants. Conclusion To address the under-recognition of antenatal depression, physicians at primary healthcare centres in Qatar should be encouraged to utilise the EPDS to screen pregnant women seeking ANC services.
Renin–Angiotensin Inhibition in Combating Malignancy: A Review

Our previous review of the literature assessed the existing knowledge (until 2000) about the possible link between angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and factors influencing the development of malignancies. We reviewed the literature for reports of statistical associations (or lack thereof) between ACEi treatment and incidence of specific cancers (e.g. breast, gastrointestinal, and skin). We concluded then that results from the epidemiological studies are conflicting, even taking the different methodology and endpoints into consideration, and thus inconclusive. Further investigation is needed beyond the observation period of most of these studies, and additional experimental studies are needed also to study the mechanisms by which agents blocking the renin–angiotensin system may obtain their inhibitory effect on tumor growth and metastasis. The present review elaborates further with more recent evidence from numerous human clinical studies from the past two decades (including large epidemiological studies, and long-term prospective and retrospective studies) on a protective association between ACEi treatment and the prognosis of patients with specific cancer types, malignancy characteristics or stage. Moreover, treatment with ACEI/angiotensin receptor blockers represents an adjuvant therapy with synergistic effects to chemotherapy and may improve patient outcomes (i.e. progression-free survival, and prolonged overall survival) in different types of cancers.
Personalized dosimetry is a must for appropriate molecular radiotherapy.

This is an exciting time for targeted molecular radiotherapy. Recent advances in the field of theranostics are enabling the implementation of innovative approaches for the treatment of a plethora of systemic malignancies. Theranostics introduced a paradigm shift in medicine by offering the advantage of combining specific targeted therapy based on specific targeted diagnostic tests. In the era of precision medicine, it's time to revive the debate on standardized versus personalized or patient-individualized dosimetry. It's gratifying to see in perspective the progress made in internal dosimetry, from conventional fixed amounts administered to all patients to patient-specific dosimetry based on actual patient data and molecular imaging tools, advanced computational modelling of the human body and sophisticated Monte Carlo-based calculation techniques enabling accurate patient-specific estimates of the delivered radiation dose. It is becoming widely accepted that personalized dosimetry enables a more rigorous approach for treatment planning aiming at improved understanding of the dose-response relationship.
Associations of Personality Traits and Emotional Intelligence: Comparing Individuals in Rehabilitation from Drug Misuse, Occasional Users and Non-Users

Abstract Background: Personality traits and Emotional Intelligence abilities have gained a central place in the etiology of drug use, although understudied until recently. Objective: To examine the associations between personality traits and Emotional Intelligence in people that are in process of rehabilitation from drug misuse, to compare them with occasional users and non-users and to estimate the factors associated with the likelihood of drug misuse. Methods: 244 individuals (52.5% male) participated in the study. Sixty of them were suffering from drug misuse disorders, thirty-two were individuals that used drugs occasionally and 142 were non-users. Personality was assessed with the EPQ and Emotional Intelligence with the WEILS. Results: Results suggested that in drug misuse, emotional use and regulation are positively correlated with extraversion, and negatively correlated with neuroticism, whilst people that misuse drugs differ from occasional and non-users in emotional use and regulation, and in all personality traits except extraversion. Regression analyses proposed that a combination of sex, age, emotional regulation, and neuroticism contributes to the likelihood of a person abusing drugs, as opposed to occasional or no use. Conclusion: Our findings showcase that Emotional Intelligence and personality traits indeed play an important role in drug use, specifically when considering factors that protect from or drive towards misuse. Such results call for the implementation of preventive programs for occasional drug users and therapeutic interventions for people that misuse drugs, targeting the levels of neuroticism and enhancing the ability of regulating the negative emotions, to protect from drug misuse.
Gata3-controlled nucleosome eviction drives Myc enhancer activity in T-cell development and leukemia.

Long-range enhancers govern the temporal and spatial control of gene expression, however the mechanisms that regulate enhancer activity during normal and malignant development remain poorly understood. Here we demonstrate a role for aberrant chromatin accessibility in the regulation Myc expression in T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Central to this process, N-Me, a long-range T-cell specific Myc enhancer shows dynamic changes in chromatin accessibility during T-cell specification and maturation and aberrant high degree of chromatin accessibility in mouse and human T-ALL cells. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that Gata3-driven nucleosome eviction dynamically modulates N-Me enhancer activity and is strictly required for NOTCH1-induced T-ALL initiation and maintenance. These results directly implicate aberrant regulation of chromatin accessibility at oncogenic enhancers as mechanism of leukemia transformation.
Type I Interferon and Interferon-stimulated Gene Expression in Oral Epithelial Cells.

Oral epithelial cells (OEC) represent the first site of host interaction with viruses that infect the body through the oral route, however their innate antiviral defense mechanisms have yet to be defined. Previous studies have determined that OEC express pathogen-, damage- or danger-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs, or DAMPs), but their expression of key antiviral innate immune mediators, including type I interferons (type I IFN) and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) has not been studied extensively. We used the oral keratinocyte cell line, OKF6/TERT1 in the presence and absence of the viral mimics poly(I:C) and unmethylated CpG DNA, to define the expression of type I IFN and ISGs. We identified the basal expression of novel type I IFN genes IFNE and IFNK, while IFNB1 was induced by viral mimics, through the nuclear translocation of IRF3. Numerous ISGs were expressed at basal levels in OEC, with an apparent correlation between high expression and antiviral activity at the earlier stages of viral infection. Stimulation of OECs with poly(I:C) led to selective induction of ISGs, including MX1, BST2, PML, RSAD2, ISG15 and ZC3HAV1. Together, our results demonstrate that OECs exhibit a robust innate antiviral immune defense profile, which is primed to address the wide variety of pathogenic viruses that are transmitted orally.
Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) - like exogenous sequences are associated with sporadic but not hereditary human breast carcinoma

The inheritance of mutated suppressor genes, such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, is acknowledged as an etiological factor in hereditary breast carcinoma (HBC). Two different molecular mechanisms are possible; the Knudson’s “two hits” or the gene haploinsufficiency. Etiology of sporadic breast carcinoma (SBC) is not known, although data support the possible role of the betaretrovirus Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus (MMTV). This study analyzes the presence of MMTV exogenous sequences in two representative groups of HBC and SBC, excluding any contamination by murine and retroviral material and endogenous betaretroviruses. The 30.3% of 56 SBC contained MMTV sequences, against the 4.2% of 47 HBC (p < 0.001). Cases positive for viral sequences showed the presence of p14, signal peptide of the MMTV envelope precursor. This result was expected based on the fact that HBCs, having a specific genetic etiology, do not need the action of a carcinogenetic viral agent. Moreover, the striking results obtained by comparing two groups of vastly different tumors represent an additional element of quality control: the distinction between HBC and SBC is so well-defined that results cannot be ascribed to mere coincidence. This paper strengthens the hypothesis for a viral etiology for human sporadic breast carcinoma.
Systematic optimization for production of the anti‐MRSA antibiotics WAP‐8294A in an engineered strain of Lysobacter enzymogenes

WAP‐8294A is a group of cyclic lipodepsipeptides and considered as the first‐in‐class new chemical entity with potent activity against methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus. One of the roadblocks in developing the WAP‐8294A antibiotics is the very low yield in Lysobacter. Here, we carried out a systematic investigation of the nutritional and environmental conditions in an engineered L. enzymogenes strain for the optimal production of WAP‐8294A. We developed an activity‐based simple method for quick screening of various factors, which enabled us to optimize the culture conditions. With the method, we were able to improve the WAP‐8294A yield by 10‐fold in small‐scale cultures and approximately 15‐fold in scale‐up fermentation. Additionally, we found the ratio of WAP‐8294A2 to WAP‐8294A1 in the strains could be manipulated through medium optimization. The development of a practical method for yield improvement in Lysobacter will facilitate the ongoing basic research and clinical studies to develop WAP‐8294A into true therapeutics.
The effect of palliative care intervention program on the quality of life among Jordanian caregivers of cancer patients

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of palliative care intervention on the quality of life among Jordanian caregivers of cancer patients. Repeated measures design was used in this study. Data were collected from 137 Jordanian caregivers of cancer patients utilizing a self-administered questionnaire. An intervention program called SHARE was implemented to the experimental groups and its effectiveness in improving the overall quality of life for caregivers of cancer patients was evaluated using repeated measure ANOVA test. The results showed a statistically significant effect on the quality of life domains. For workshop experimental group (F = 26.822, p < .001) and for home visit experimental group (F = 10.236, p = .003).