Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deficit Versus Nondeficit Schizophrenia: An MEG-EEG Investigation of Resting State and Source Coherence—Preliminary Data

This study investigated the magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG, respectively) resting state to identify the deviations closely associated with the deficit syndrome (DS) in schizophrenia patients. Ten subjects in each group (control, DS, and nondeficit schizophrenia [NDS]) were included. Subjects underwent MEG-EEG recordings during a resting state condition. MEG coherence source imaging (CSI) in source space and spectral analysis in sensor space were performed. Significant differences were found between the 2 patient groups: (1) MEG and EEG spectral analysis showed significantly higher power at low frequencies (delta band) at sensor space in DS compared with NDS patients; (2) source analysis revealed larger power in the DS compared with NDS group at low frequencies in the frontal region; (3) NDS patients showed significantly higher MEG signal relative power in beta bands in sensor space compared with DS patients; (4) both DS and NDS patients showed higher EEG absolute power at higher beta band compared to controls; and (5) patients with DS were found to have a significantly higher MEG CSI than controls in the beta frequency band. These data support the observation of increased power in the low-frequency EEG/MEG rhythms associated with the DS. Increased power in the beta rhythms was more associated with the NDS.
Stigma and discrimination in individuals with severe and persistent mental illness in an assertive community treatment team: Perceptions of families and healthcare professionals

Aim: To explore family member and staff perceptions of clients’ experiences of stigma and discrimination, in those living with severe and persistent mental illness in an Assertive Community Treatment Team. Method: This qualitative study used the Discrimination and Stigma Scale to conduct structured face-to-face and telephone interviews of family members and healthcare professionals, working with the Assertive Outreach Team (AOT) (an Assertive Community Treatment Team) of a northern inner suburban catchment of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Results: Forty-one people participated in the study (23 AOT clinical staff members and 18 family members). Family and clinical staff commonly reported stigma and discrimination amongst their relatives and clients, respectively. Four overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) appearance and behaviour, (2) avoidance and being shunned, (3) key areas of life affected by discrimination and (4) impacts of discrimination and skills to cope with discrimination. Conclusion: Reports of stigma and discrimination were common, yet varied between groups with clinical staff commonly witnessing experiences and impacts of discrimination in everyday life, with families’ reports being substantially less. Due to the strong advocacy and support provided by the AOT model, clinical staff often buffered experiences of stigma and discrimination. Further research is needed to explore effective interventions to reduce experiences of discrimination in this population group.
Are genetic variations in glutathione S‐transferases involved in anti‐tuberculosis drug‐induced liver injury? A meta‐analysis

As a crucial protective role in the detoxifying mechanisms of drugs, glutathione S‐transferases (GSTs) may affect an individual patient's susceptibility to anti‐tuberculosis drug‐induced liver injury (ATLI). However, the results of studies investigate the association between GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms and risk of ATLI are inconclusive. A meta‐analysis on this topic was performed.
Platelet‐rich fibrin suppresses in vitro osteoclastogenesis

Abstract Background Platelet‐rich fibrin (PRF) membranes can preserve alveolar ridge dimension after tooth extraction. Thus, it can be presumed that PRF suppresses the catabolic events that are caused by osteoclastic bone resorption. Methods To address this possibility, we investigated the impact of soluble extracts of PRF membranes on in vitro osteoclastogenesis in murine bone marrow cultures. Osteoclastogenesis was induced by exposing murine bone marrow cultures to receptor activator of nuclear factor kappa B ligand (RANKL), macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (M‐CSF) and transforming growth factor‐beta 1 (TGF‐β1) in the presence or absence of PRF. Osteoclastogenesis was evaluated based on histochemical, gene expression, and resorption analysis. Viability was confirmed by formation of formazan crystals, live‐dead staining and caspase‐3 activity assay. Results We report here that in vitro osteoclastogenesis is greatly suppressed by soluble extracts of PRF membranes as indicated by tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) staining and pit formation. In support of the histochemical observations, soluble extracts of PRF membranes decreased expression levels of the osteoclast marker genes TRAP, Cathepsin K, dendritic cell‐specific transmembrane protein (DCSTAMP), nuclear factor of activated T‐cells (NFATc1), and osteoclast‐associated receptor (OSCAR). PRF membranes, however, cannot reverse the process once osteoclastogenesis has evolved. Conclusion These in vitro findings indicate that PRF membranes can inhibit the formation of osteoclasts from hematopoietic progenitors in bone marrow cultures. Overall, our results imply that the favorable effects of PRF membranes in alveolar ridge preservation may be attributed, at least in part, by the inhibition of osteoclastogenesis.
In planta gene targeting can be enhanced by the use of CRISPR/Cas12a.

The controlled change of plant genomes by homologous recombination (HR) is still difficult to achieve. We developed the in planta gene targeting (ipGT) technology which depends on the simultaneous activation of the target locus by a DSB and the excision of the target vector. Whereas the use of SpCas9 resulted in low ipGT frequencies in Arabidopsis, we were recently able to improve the efficiency by using egg cell specific expression of the potent but less broadly applicable SaCas9 nuclease. We now tested whether we can improve ipGT further, by either performing it in cells with enhanced intrachromosomal HR efficiencies or by the use of Cas12a, a different kind of CRISPR/Cas nuclease with an alternative cutting mechanism. We could show before that plants possess three kinds of DNA ATPase complexes, which all lead to instabilities of homologous genomic repeats if lost by mutation. As these proteins act in independent pathways, we tested ipGT in double mutants in which intrachromosomal HR is enhanced 20 to 80 fold. However, we were not able to obtain higher ipGT frequencies, indicating that mechanisms for GT and chromosomal repeat-induced HR differ. However, using LbCas12a, the GT frequencies were higher than with SaCas9, despite a lower NHEJ induction efficiency, demonstrating the particular suitability of Cas12a to induce HR. As SaCas9 has substantial restrictions due to its longer GC rich PAM sequence, the use of LbCas12a with its AT-rich PAM broadens the range of ipGT drastically, particularly when targeting in CG-deserts like promoters and introns. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Intracardiac Turbines Suitable for Catheter-Based Implantation—An Approach to Power Battery and Leadless Cardiac Pacemakers?

Objective: Cardiac pacemakers are powered by batteries, which become exhausted after a few years. This is a problem in particular for leadless pacemakers as they are difficult to explant. Thus, autonomous devices powered by energy harvesters are desired. Methods: We developed an energy harvester for endocardial implantation. The device contains a microgenerator to convert a flexible turbine runner's rotation into electrical energy. The turbine runner is driven by the intracardiac blood flow; a magnetic coupling allows hermetical sealing. The energy harvester has a volume of 0.34 cm3 and a weight of 1.3 g. Computational simulations were performed to assess the hemodynamic impact of the implant. The device was studied on a mock circulation and an in vivo trial was performed in a domestic pig. Results: In this article, we show that an energy harvester with a 2-bladed 14-mm-diameter turbine runner delivers 10.2 ± 4.8 μW under realistic conditions (heart rate 80/min, stroke volume 75 ml) on the bench. An increased output power (>80 μW) and power density (237.1 μW/cm3) can be achieved by higher stroke volumes, increased heart rates, or larger turbine runners. The device was successfully implanted in vivo. Conclusion: The device is the first flow-based energy harvester suitable for catheter-based implantation and provides enough energy to power a leadless pacemaker. Significance: The high power density, the small volume, and the flexible turbine runner blades facilitate the integration of the energy harvester in a pacemaker. This would allow overcoming the need for batteries in leadless pacemakers.
Cold temperature/Biodur®/S10/von Hagens'—Silicone plastination technique

Plastination is a late 20th century preservation methodology which replaces tissue fluid within a specimen with a curable polymer, such as silicone. Plastination yields superb, beautiful, well‐preserved specimens each with their own unique qualities. Silicone polymer is used around the world to preserve macroscopic cadavers or portions/organs thereof. Plastination was conceived by Dr. Gunther von Hagens, Universität Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany prior to 1977. Silicone polymer was the primary polymer which emerged initially for plastination. The Biodur® line of silicone polymer and additives was chosen and manufactured because it has consistently produced the best plastinates since the inception of plastination. Since the discovery of silicone, generic and similar silicone polymers are known and used around the World by many industries and used in numerous products. The plastination process has four steps: Specimen preparation, Specimen dehydration and degreasing, Vacuum‐forced impregnation of specimens and Specimen hardening.
Development of immediate release Rupatadine fumarate 10 mg tablets: A Quality by Design (QbD) approach

Abstract Objective: The main objective of this research is to develop an immediate release Rupatadine fumarate 10 mg tablets formulation by direct compression, through a Quality by Design approach in Costa Rica. Methods: According to a Quality by Design approach; Target Product Profile, Quality Target Product Profile, and the Critical Quality Attributes were defined. In the preformulation study, compatibility tests were carried out between the raw materials. The Critical Material Attributes were established using Quality Risk Management. Three formulation prototypes were prepared by direct compression and its Critical Process Parameters were defined. The analysis of the prototypes was realized in terms of organoleptic properties, identification, potency, content uniformity, dissolution, disintegration, friability and loss by drying. Results: All the prototypes showed a white or slightly pink surface, potency between 90.0 –110.0 % of the labeling, an acceptance value for the content uniformity lower than the specification (AV < 15), the dissolved amount of active pharmaceutical ingredient was greater than 85.0 % at 30 minutes, friability less than 1.0 %, a disintegration time less than 15 minutes and moisture content less than 2.0 %. Conclusions: The approaching of a Quality by Design model to the current development allowed to obtain satisfactory results in the three formulation prototypes. The excipients to be used can be lactose monohydrate, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium croscarmellose, pregelatinized starch, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, and PVP K-30.
Adaptation of a Proactive Smoking Cessation Intervention to Increase Tobacco Quitline Use by LGBT Smokers

Abstract:Purpose: The study purpose was to evaluate the content of a proactive population health management intervention aimed at promoting uptake of smoking cessation treatments offered by the Illinois Tobacco Quitline (ITQL) among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)-identified smokers.Methods: This study represents a partnership between a community-based health center and university researchers. As part of the study, focus groups and in-depth interviews were conducted with LGBT smokers (N = 30). First, we conducted focus groups to obtain feedback on the readability, acceptability, and motivational salience of a targeted and nontargeteed proactive outreach letter. After revisions, a series of in-depth interviews were conducted to evaluate finalized materials. Focus groups and interviews were systematically analyzed.Results: Based on feedback, the revised intervention letter was rated more positively than the initial version, with 80% of participants indicating that they found the information in the letter to be useful. Further, more participants reported that the letter would motivate them to accept a call from a quitline counselor compared with the initial version (47.6% vs. 60.0%, respectively). In the final iteration, 60% of participants preferred the targeted letter, 30% preferred the non-targeted letter, and 10% had no preference. In the first iteration, outreach text messages were rated as unacceptable or completely unacceptable by 54% of participants. The revised text messages and protocols were seen as unacceptable by only 10% of participants.Conclusions: The development and testing of population-based and cost-effective interventions is critical to the reduction of LGBT smoking disparities. The study protocol and intervention materials were well-received by participants. In a future study, we will evaluate the efficacy of the intervention in increasing use of the quitline among LGBT smokers.
Application of two bioassays as potential indicators of phenol phytoremediation efficiency by tobacco hairy roots

ABSTRACT Phenol is one of the contaminants most frequently found in the environment and it is considered a priority pollutant due to their toxic effects. Hairy roots (HR) constitute a good model tool for the removal of this contaminant. In this work, phenol removal using wild type (WT) and double transgenic (DT) Nicotiana tabacum HR was performed with high efficiency (60–80%, for 25–250 mg L−1 phenol solutions, respectively). After phytoremediation process, the toxicity of post removal solutions (PRS) was evaluated through two-toxicity test belonging to two trophic levels, Lactuca sativa test and Rhinella arenarum (AMPHITOX). Toxicity of PRS showed variable results since these solutions were less toxic to L. sativa seeds compared to R. arenarum embryos, which could be attributed to different sensitivities of the exposed organisms. Although PRS obtained using WT and DT HR reduced phenol phytotoxicity on L. sativa seeds, WT PRS were even less toxic than DT PRS according to this test. Regarding AMPHITOX, HR culture medium without phenol but incubated with HR and phenol PRS exerted a toxic effect on the embryos, which could be related to the presence of toxic products derived from HR metabolism. The results demonstrated that an efficient phenol removal is not always accompanied by a considerable reduction of the solution toxicity and therefore, the use of organisms from different trophic levels to evaluate the toxicity after the removal process gains importance. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Multidomain Geriatric Screen and Physical Fitness Assessment Identify Prefrailty/Frailty and Potentially Modifiable Risk Factors in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

INTRODUCTION Frailty begins in middle life and manifests as a decline in functional fitness. We described a model for community frailty screening and factors associated with prefrailty and frailty and fitness measures to distinguish prefrail/frail from robust older adults. We also compared the Fatigue, Resistance, Ambulation, Illnesses and Loss of weight (FRAIL) scale against Fried frailty phenotype and Frailty Index (FI). MATERIALS AND METHODS Community-dwelling adults ≥55 years old were designated robust, prefrail or frail using FRAIL. The multidomain geriatric screen included social profiling and cognitive, psychological and nutritional assessments. Physical fitness assessments included flexibility, grip strength, upper limb dexterity, lower body strength and power, tandem and dynamic balance and cardiorespiratory endurance. RESULTS In 135 subjects, 99 (73.3%) were robust, 34 (25.2%) were prefrail and 2 (1.5%) were frail. After adjusting for age and sex, depression (odds ratio [OR], 2.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-7.90; P = 0.040) and malnutrition (OR, 6.07; 95% CI, 2.52-14.64; P <0.001) were independently associated with prefrailty/frailty. Prefrail/frail participants had significantly poorer performance in upper limb dexterity (P = 0.030), lower limb power (P = 0.003), tandem and dynamic balance (P = 0.031) and endurance (P = 0.006). Except for balance and flexibility, all fitness measures differentiated prefrail/frail from robust women. In men, only lower body strength was significantly associated with frailty. Area under receiver operating characteristic curves for FRAIL against FI and Fried were 0.808 (0.688-0.927, P <0.001) and 0.645 (0.546-0.744, P = 0.005), respectively. CONCLUSION Mood and nutrition are targets in frailty prevention. Physical fitness declines early in frailty and manifests differentially in both genders.
Automatic detection of eating disorder-related social media posts that could benefit from a mental health intervention.

OBJECTIVE Online forums allow people to semi-anonymously discuss their struggles, often leading to greater honesty. This characteristic makes forums valuable for identifying users in need of immediate help from mental health professionals. Because it would be impractical to manually review every post on a forum to identify users in need of urgent help, there may be value to developing algorithms for automatically detecting posts reflecting a heightened risk of imminent plans to engage in disordered behaviors. METHOD Five natural language processing techniques (tools to perform computational text analysis) were used on a data set of 4,812 posts obtained from six eating disorder-related subreddits. Two licensed clinical psychologists labeled 53 of these posts, deciding whether or not the content of the post indicated that its author needed immediate professional help. The remaining 4,759 posts were unlabeled. RESULTS Each of the five techniques ranked the 50 posts most likely to be intervention-worthy (the "top-50"). The two most accurate detection techniques had an error rate of 4% for their respective top-50. DISCUSSION This article demonstrates the feasibility of automatically detecting-with only a few dozen labeled examples-the posts of individuals in need of immediate mental health support for an eating disorder.
Synthesis, crystal structures and anti-inflammatory activity of fluorine-substituted 1,4,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin-2-amine derivatives.

Two fluorine-substituted 1,4,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin-2-amine (BQA) derivatives, namely 2-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)-9-methoxy-1,4,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin-3-ium chloride, (8), and 2-amino-4-(4-fluorophenyl)-9-methoxy-1,4,5,6-tetrahydrobenzo[h]quinazolin-3-ium chloride, (9), both C19H19FN3O+·Cl-, were generated by Michael addition reactions between guanidine hydrochloride and the α,β-unsaturated ketones (E)-2-(2-fluorobenzylidene)-7-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one, C18H15FO2, (6), and (E)-2-(4-fluorobenzylidene)-7-methoxy-3,4-dihydronaphthalen-1(2H)-one, (7). Because both sides of α,β-unsaturated ketones (6) or (7) can be attacked by guanidine, we obtained a pair of isomers in (8) and (9). Single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicates that each isomer has a chiral C atom and both (8) and (9) crystallize in the achiral space group P21/c. The chloride ion, as a hydrogen-bond acceptor, plays an important role in the formation of multiple hydrogen bonds. Thus, adjacent molecules are connected through intermolecular hydrogen bonds to generate a banded structure. Furthermore, these bands are linked into an interesting 3D network via hydrogen bonds and π-π interactions. Fortunately, the solubilities of (8) and (9) were distinctly improved and can exceed 50 mg ml-1 in water or PBS buffer system (pH 7.4) at room temperature. In addition, the results of an investigation of anti-inflammatory activity show that (8) and (9), with o- and p-fluoro substituents, respectively, display more potential for inhibitory effects on LPS-induced NO secretion than starting ketones (6) and (7).
Use of Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold technology in treating coronary bifurcation lesions: A report about long-term clinical results and review of available literature.

INTRODUCTION BVS proved safe in humans. ABSORB trials showed them performing similar to Drug Eluting Stents in simple coronary interventions. We assessed a registry of 63 patients with bifurcation lesions, treated by BVS and followed their outcomes up-to 5 years. METHODS Patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria were included. Data about contact information, baseline characteristics, findings of coronary angiogram, details of their interventional treatment; short and long-term outcomes up till 5 years was collected. RESULTS Acute feasibility of implantation in bifurcation was high (98 %). Rate of stent thrombosis, acute or sub-acute, was 3.1 %. Rate of re-intervention was 38 %. The average time for an event to occur was 1.6±0.8 years. Over 5 years, 56 % had developed MACE. Patients with MACE were more likely females, hypertensive, smokers, with acute presentations (p=NS), and diabetic (72 % vs 33 % non-diabetic; p=0.002). Patients treated with hybrid strategy of BVS and DES were more likely to develop MACE (64 % vs 49 % for others; P=ns). Patients treated by simple provisional stenting were less likely to develop MACE (45 % vs 60.5 %; p=ns). The average SYNTAX score of MACE patients was 27 vs 20; p=0.06). Diabetes was independently associated with MACE. Hypertension was of borderline statistical significance (2-sided Log rank for Hypertension p=0.06, for Diabetes p=0.01). DISCUSSION The use of multiple stenting strategies to treat true bifurcation lesions using BVS is feasible with low rate of serious adverse events, albeit on the long run, the rate of re-intervention is high and stringent follow up is required (Tab. 7, Fig. 3, Ref. 37).
PAAR proteins act as the ‘sorting hat’ of the type VI secretion system

Bacteria exist in polymicrobial environments and compete to prevail in a niche. The type VI secretion system (T6SS) is a nanomachine employed by Gram-negative bacteria to deliver effector proteins into target cells. Consequently, T6SS-positive bacteria produce a wealth of antibacterial effector proteins to promote their survival among a prokaryotic community. These toxins are loaded onto the VgrG–PAAR spike and Hcp tube of the T6SS apparatus and recent work has started to document the specificity of effectors for certain spike components. Pseudomonas aeruginosa encodes several PAAR proteins, whose roles have been poorly investigated. Here we describe a phospholipase family antibacterial effector immunity pair from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and demonstrate that a specific PAAR protein is necessary for the delivery of the effector and its cognate VgrG. Furthermore, the PAAR protein appears to restrict the delivery of other phospholipase effectors that utilise distinct VgrG proteins. We provide further evidence for competition for PAAR protein recruitment to the T6SS apparatus, which determines the identities of the delivered effectors.