Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ionizing Radiation and Complex DNA Damage: Quantifying the Radiobiological Damage Using Monte Carlo Simulations

Ionizing radiation is a common tool in medical procedures. Monte Carlo (MC) techniques are widely used when dosimetry is the matter of investigation. The scientific community has invested, over the last 20 years, a lot of effort into improving the knowledge of radiation biology. The present article aims to summarize the understanding of the field of DNA damage response (DDR) to ionizing radiation by providing an overview on MC simulation studies that try to explain several aspects of radiation biology. The need for accurate techniques for the quantification of DNA damage is crucial, as it becomes a clinical need to evaluate the outcome of various applications including both low- and high-energy radiation medical procedures. Understanding DNA repair processes would improve radiation therapy procedures. Monte Carlo simulations are a promising tool in radiobiology studies, as there are clear prospects for more advanced tools that could be used in multidisciplinary studies, in the fields of physics, medicine, biology and chemistry. Still, lot of effort is needed to evolve MC simulation tools and apply them in multiscale studies starting from small DNA segments and reaching a population of cells.
De-Skewing LiDAR Scan for Refinement of Local Mapping

Simultaneous localization and mapping have become a basic requirement for most automatic moving robots. However, the LiDAR scan suffers from skewing caused by high-acceleration motion that reduces the precision in the latter mapping or classification process. In this study, we improve the quality of mapping results through a de-skewing LiDAR scan. By integrating high-sampling frequency IMU (inertial measurement unit) measurements and establishing a motion equation for time, we can get the pose of every point in this scan’s frame. Then, all points in this scan are corrected and transformed into the frame of the first point. We expand the scope of optimization range from the current scan to a local range of point clouds that not only considers the motion of LiDAR but also takes advantage of the neighboring LiDAR scans. Finally, we validate the performance of our algorithm in indoor and outdoor experiments to compare the mapping results before and after de-skewing. Experimental results show that our method smooths the scan skewing on each channel and improves the mapping accuracy.
Two-Phase Equilibrium Conditions in Nanopores

It is known that thermodynamic properties of a system change upon confinement. To know how, is important for modelling of porous media. We propose to use Hill’s systematic thermodynamic analysis of confined systems to describe two-phase equilibrium in a nanopore. The integral pressure, as defined by the compression energy of a small volume, is then central. We show that the integral pressure is constant along a slit pore with a liquid and vapor in equilibrium, when Young and Young–Laplace’s laws apply. The integral pressure of a bulk fluid in a slit pore at mechanical equilibrium can be understood as the average tangential pressure inside the pore. The pressure at mechanical equilibrium, now named differential pressure, is the average of the trace of the mechanical pressure tensor divided by three as before. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we computed the integral and differential pressures, p^ and p, respectively, analysing the data with a growing-core methodology. The value of the bulk pressure was confirmed by Gibbs ensemble Monte Carlo simulations. The pressure difference times the volume, V, is the subdivision potential of Hill, (p−p^)V=ϵ. The combined simulation results confirm that the integral pressure is constant along the pore, and that ϵ/V scales with the inverse pore width. This scaling law will be useful for prediction of thermodynamic properties of confined systems in more complicated geometries.
A Study of Basic Needs and Psychological Wellbeing of Medical Workers in the Fever Clinic of a Tertiary General Hospital in Beijing during the COVID-19 Outbreak

a Department of Psychological Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; b Department of Emergency Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China; c Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Received: February 26, 2020 Accepted after revision: March 23, 2020 Published online: March 30, 2020
“A little bit of a guidance and a little bit of group support”: a qualitative study of preferences, barriers, and facilitators to participating in community-based exercise opportunities among adults living with chronic pain

Abstract Purpose To understand preferences, barriers, and facilitators to participating in community-based exercise opportunities among adults living with chronic pain. Materials and Methods An interpretive description methodology based on semi-structured interviews was conducted. Adults (age>18 years) living with chronic pain (pain >3 months in duration) were recruited from a multidisciplinary chronic pain clinic in Toronto, Canada. Thematic analysis was used to conceptualize interview data. Results Fifteen adults living with chronic pain (11/15 women) were interviewed. Four themes regarding preferences, barriers, and facilitators to participation in community-based exercise are described: (1) accessibility (e.g., cost, location, scheduling, and access to program information from healthcare providers); (2) intrinsic factors (e.g., pain, mental health, and motivation); (3) social factors (e.g., isolation, participation with people with similar capabilities, and safe environment); and (4) program factors (e.g., tailored to adults living with chronic pain, gentle exercise, group-based, and delivered by an instructor knowledgeable about chronic pain). Conclusions Participation in community-based exercise opportunities among adults living with chronic pain may be influenced by accessibility, intrinsic factors, social factors, and program factors. Results provide a foundation of understanding to develop person-centered community-based exercise opportunities that are tailored to meet the preferences of this population. Implications for Rehabilitation Although community-based exercise is commonly recommended as part of ongoing self-management of chronic pain, there is limited research exploring perspectives towards community-based exercise opportunities from the perspective of adults living with chronic pain. Adults living with chronic pain reported specific preferences, barriers, and facilitators to participating in community-based exercise opportunities, including accessibility, instrinsic factors, social factors, and program factors. Most adults living with chronic pain reported a preference for community-based exercise opportunities that: (1) are delivered by an instructor who is knowledgeable about chronic pain; (2) involve gentle exercise; (3) are group-based; and (4) include other individuals with similar physical capabilities. Healthcare providers, community-based organizations, and researchers should develop, implement, and evaluate person-centered community-based exercise opportunities for adults living with chronic pain that consider their unique preferences, barriers, and facilitators to participation.
Cold Exposure-Induced Up-Regulation of Hsp70 Positively Regulates PEDV mRNA Synthesis and Protein Expression In Vitro

Porcine epidemic diarrhea (PED) is a highly contagious, intestinal infectious disease caused by porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV). PEDV as an emerging and re-emerging epizootic virus of swine causes substantial economic losses to the pig industry in China and other countries. In China, the occurrence of PED shows significant seasonal variations, usually outbreak during the winter season. The epidemic characteristics of PED may be highly correlated with the changes of ambient temperature. However, molecular mechanism on the seasonal occurrence of PED still remains unclear. It has been widely observed that low ambient temperature up-regulates the expression of host heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70). Here, we showed that nucleotide and protein levels of Hsp70 were up-regulated in the intestinal of cold exposed pig and cold exposed Vero E6 cells. We found that overexpression of Hsp70 could increase PEDV mRNA synthesis and protein expression in Vero E6 and IPEC-J2 cells, while the siRNAs mediated knockdown of Hsp70 and VER155008 mediated inhibition of Hsp70 resulted in inhibition of viral mRNA synthesis and protein expression in Vero E6 cells. These data suggested that Hsp70 positively regulated PEDV mRNA synthesis and protein expression, which being helpful for understanding the seasonality of PED epidemics and development of novel antiviral therapies in the future.
The Unique and Interactive Effects of Patient Race, Patient Socioeconomic Status, and Provider Attitudes on Chronic Pain Care Decisions.

BACKGROUND Compared to White and high socioeconomic status (SES) patients, Black and low SES patients receive less adequate pain care. Providers may contribute to these disparities by making biased decisions that are driven, in part, by their attitudes about race and SES. PURPOSE We examined the effects of patient race and SES on providers' chronic pain decisions and the extent to which providers' implicit and explicit attitudes about race and SES were related to these decisions. METHODS Physician residents/fellows (n = 436) made pain care decisions for 12 computer-simulated patients with chronic back pain that varied by race (Black/White) and SES (low/high). Physicians also completed measures assessing implicit and explicit attitudes about race and SES. RESULTS There were three significant race-by-SES interactions: (a) For high SES patients, Black (vs. White) patients were rated as having more pain interference; the opposite race difference emerged for low SES patients. (b) For high SES patients, Black (vs. White) patients were rated as being in greater distress; no race difference emerged for low SES patients. (c) For low SES patients, White (vs. Black) patients were more likely to be recommended workplace accommodations; no race difference emerged for high SES patients. Additionally, providers were more likely to recommend opioids to Black (vs. White) and low (vs. high) SES patients, and were more likely to use opioid contracts with low (vs. high) SES patients. Providers' implicit and explicit attitudes predicted some, but not all, of their pain-related ratings. CONCLUSION These results highlight the need to further examine the effects of patient race and SES simultaneously in the context of pain care.
Serum level of Visfatin in Psoriasis and its Relation to Disease Severity

Background: psoriasis is a chronic, debilitating, autoimmune disease that adversely affects the individual's quality of life; the disease progresses with periods of flare-ups and remission. Psoriasis affects approximately 2% of the global population. Psoriasis can begin at any age, however, the mean age of onset was 15-20 years old and the second peak period was 55-60years of age . Aim of the Work: this study aimed to evaluate the serum level of visfatin in psoriatic patients and its relation to duration and severity of psoriasis. Subjects and Methods: the present study represents a case-control study which was carried out on 20 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 20 age and sex matched healthy volunteers as the controls. Results: in the present study, serum level of visfatin in patients group was statistically significant higher than serum level of visfatin in the control group. There was a significant positive correlation between visfatin level and PASI score proposing visfatin as a marker of psoriasis severity. Conclusion: Visfatin is one of adipokines that may have a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and its severity in addition to its role in the cardiovascular system diseases, which may explain the relation between psoriasis and cardiovascular complications and their severity in the psoriatic patients.
Tumor Targeted Nanocarriers for Immunotherapy

The paramount discovery of passive accumulation of nanoparticles in tumoral tissues triggered the development of a wide number of different nanoparticles capable of transporting therapeutic agents to tumoral tissues in a controlled and selective way. These nanocarriers have been endowed with important capacities such as stimuli-responsive properties, targeting abilities, or the capacity to be monitored by imaging techniques. However, after decades of intense research efforts, only a few nanomedicines have reached the market. The reasons for this disappointing outcome are varied, from the high tumor-type dependence of enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect to the poor penetration capacity of nanocarriers within the cancerous tissue, among others. The rapid nanoparticle clearance by immune cells, considered another important barrier, which compromises the efficacy of nanomedicines, would become an important ally in the fight against cancer. In the last years, the fine-tuned ability of immune cells to recognize and engulf nanoparticles have been exploited to deliver immunoregulating agents to specific immune cell populations selectively. In this work, the recent advances carried out in the development of nanocarriers capable of operating with immune and tumoral cells in order to orchestrate an efficient antitumoral response will be presented. The combination of nanoparticles and immunotherapy would deliver powerful weapons to the clinicians that offer safer and more efficient antitumoral treatments for the patients.
Biceps Tenodesis Versus Tenotomy in the Treatment of Lesions of the Long Head of the Biceps Tendon in Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery: A Prospective Double-Blinded Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: The biceps tendon is a known source of shoulder pain. Few high-level studies have attempted to determine whether biceps tenotomy or tenodesis is the optimal approach in the treatment of biceps pathology. Most available literature is of lesser scientific quality and shows varying results in the comparison of tenotomy and tenodesis. Purpose: To compare patient-reported and objective clinical results between tenotomy and tenodesis for the treatment of lesions of the long head of the biceps brachii. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: Patients aged ≥18 years undergoing arthroscopic surgery with intraoperative confirmation of a lesion of the long head of the biceps tendon were randomized. The primary outcome measure was the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, while secondary outcomes included the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index (WORC) score, elbow and shoulder strength, operative time, complications, and the incidence of revision surgery with each procedure. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at postoperative 1 year to evaluate the integrity of the procedure in the tenodesis group. Results: A total of 114 participants with a mean age of 57.7 years (range, 34 years to 86 years) were randomized to undergo either biceps tenodesis or tenotomy. ASES and WORC scores improved significantly from pre- to postoperative time points, with a mean difference of 32.3% (P < .001) and 37.3% (P < .001), respectively, with no difference between groups in either outcome from presurgery to postoperative 24 months. The relative risk of cosmetic deformity in the tenotomy group relative to the tenodesis group at 24 months was 3.5 (95% CI, 1.26-9.70; P = .016), with 4 (10%) occurrences in the tenodesis group and 15 (33%) in the tenotomy group. Pain improved from 3 to 24 months postoperatively (P < .001) with no difference between groups. Cramping was not different between groups, nor was any improvement in cramping seen over time. There were no differences between groups in elbow flexion strength or supination strength. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging at postoperative 12 months showed that the tenodesis was intact for all patients. Conclusion: Tenotomy and tenodesis as treatment for lesions of the long head of biceps tendon both result in good subjective outcomes but there is a higher rate of Popeye deformity in the tenotomy group. Registration: NCT01747902 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier)
Conversational topics of social media messages associated with state-level mental distress rates

Abstract Background: Upstream public health indicators of poor mental health in the United States (U.S.) are currently measured by national telephone-based surveys; however, results are delayed by 1–2 years, limiting real-time assessment of trends. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate associations between conversational topics on Twitter from 2018 to 2019 and mental distress rates from 2017 to 2018 for the 50 U.S. states and capital. Method: We used a novel lexicon, Empath, to examine conversational topics from aggregate social media messages from Twitter that correlated most strongly with official U.S. state-level rates of mental distress from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Results: The ten lexical categories most positively correlated with rates of frequent mental distress at the state-level included categories about death, illness, or injury. Lexical categories most inversely correlated with mental distress included categories that serve as proxies for economic prosperity and industry. Using the prevalence of the 10 most positively and 10 most negatively correlated lexical categories to predict state-level rates of mental distress via a linear regression model on an independent sample of data yielded estimates that were moderately similar to actual rates (mean difference = 0.52%; Pearson correlation = 0.45, p < 0.001). Conclusion: This work informs efforts to use social media to measure population-level trends in mental health.
Cryopreserved human skin allografts promote angiogenesis and dermal regeneration in a murine model

Cryopreserved human skin allografts (CHSAs) are used for the coverage of major burns when donor sites for autografts are insufficiently available and have clinically shown beneficial effects on chronic non‐healing wounds. However, the biologic mechanisms behind the regenerative properties of CHSA remain elusive. Furthermore, the impact of cryopreservation on the immunogenicity of CHSA has not been thoroughly investigated and raised concerns with regard to their clinical application. To investigate the importance and fate of living cells, we compared cryopreserved CHSA with human acellular dermal matrix (ADM) grafts in which living cells had been removed by chemical processing. Both grafts were subcutaneously implanted into C57BL/6 mice and explanted after 1, 3, 7, and 28 days (n = 5 per group). A sham surgery where no graft was implanted served as a control. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and flow cytometry were used to characterise the ultrastructure and cells within CHSA before implantation. Immunofluorescent staining of tissue sections was used to determine the immune reaction against the implanted grafts, the rate of apoptotic cells, and vascularisation as well as collagen content of the overlaying murine dermis. Digital quantification of collagen fibre alignment on tissue sections was used to quantify the degree of fibrosis within the murine dermis. A substantial population of live human cells with intact organelles was identified in CHSA prior to implantation. Subcutaneous pockets with implanted xenografts or ADMs healed without clinically apparent rejection and with a similar cellular immune response. CHSA implantation largely preserved the cellularity of the overlying murine dermis, whereas ADM was associated with a significantly higher rate of cellular apoptosis, identified by cleaved caspase‐3 staining, and a stronger dendritic cell infiltration of the murine dermis. CHSA was found to induce a local angiogenic response, leading to significantly more vascularisation of the murine dermis compared with ADM and sham surgery on day 7. By day 28, aggregate collagen‐1 content within the murine dermis was greater following CHSA implantation compared with ADM. Collagen fibre alignment of the murine dermis, correlating with the degree of fibrosis, was significantly greater in the ADM group, whereas CHSA maintained the characteristic basket weave pattern of the native murine dermis. Our data indicate that CHSAs promote angiogenesis and collagen‐1 production without eliciting a significant fibrotic response in a xenograft model. These findings may provide insight into the beneficial effects clinically observed after treatment of chronic wounds and burns with CHSA.
Exposure of Aspergillus fumigatus to Atorvastatin Leads to Altered Membrane Permeability and Induction of an Oxidative Stress Response

Aspergillus fumigatus is a serious cause of disease in immune-deficient patients and in those with pulmonary malfunction (e.g., cystic fibrosis (CF), asthma). Atorvastatin is a member of the statin drug family, which are the main therapeutic agents used to decrease high serum cholesterol levels by inhibiting (HMG-CoA) reductase enzyme. The aim of the work presented here was to analyse the antifungal activity of atorvastatin and assess its effect on the virulence of A. fumigatus. Atorvastatin demonstrated strong antifungal activity and reduced the growth and viability of A. fumigatus. Exposure of A. fumigatus to atorvastatin led to a reduction in ergosterol content and increased membrane permeability, as evidenced by the release of protein, amino acids and gliotoxin. Proteomic analysis revealed an increased abundance of proteins associated with an oxidative stress response, such as the glutathione s-transferase family protein (+8.43-fold), heat shock protein Hsp30/Hsp42 (+2.02-fold) and 5-demethoxyubiquinone hydroxylase, mitochondrial (+1.73-fold), as well as secondary metabolites such as isocyanide synthase A icsA (+8.52-fold) and non-ribosomal peptide synthetase fmpE (+3.06-fold). The results presented here indicate that atorvastatin has strong antifungal properties and may have potential application in the treatment of A. fumigatus infections alone or in combination with existing antifungal agents.
Transcriptional Regulation of HMOX1 Gene in Hezuo Tibetan Pigs: Roles of WT1, Sp1, and C/EBPα

Heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1) is a stress-inducing enzyme with multiple cardiovascular protective functions, especially in hypoxia stress. However, transcriptional regulation of swine HMOX1 gene remains unclear. In the present study, we first detected tissue expression profiles of HMOX1 gene in adult Hezuo Tibetan pig and analyzed the gene structure. We found that the expression level of HMOX1 gene was highest in the spleen of the Hezuo Tibetan pig, followed by liver, lung, and kidney. A series of 5’ deletion promoter plasmids in pGL3-basic vector were used to identify the core promoter region and confirmed that the minimum core promoter region of swine HMOX1 gene was located at −387 bp to −158 bp region. Then we used bioinformatics analysis to predict transcription factors in this region. Combined with site-directed mutagenesis and RNA interference assays, it was demonstrated that the three transcription factors WT1, Sp1 and C/EBPα were important transcription regulators of HMOX1 gene. In summary, our study may lay the groundwork for further functional study of HMOX1 gene.