Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra-small and biocompatible platinum nanoclusters with peroxidase-like activity for facile glucose detection in real samples

Abstract The highly sensitive glucose detection based on the peroxidase-like properties of nanoclusters has been gained great interest. In this work, Pericarpium Citri Reticulatae polysaccharide (PCRP) stabilized platinum nanoclusters (Pt-PCRP NCs) were prepared by a green method in which potassium tetrachloroplatinate and PCRP were simply mixed without addition of other agents. Platinum nanoclusters (Pt NCs) had ultra-small size of 1.26 ± 0.34 nm. The hydrodynamic size of Pt-PCRP NCs was 29.7 nm, and zeta potential of which was -12.0 mV. Pt-PCRP NCs showed high biocompatibility toward HeLa cells and red blood cells. In addition, Pt-PCRP NCs catalyzed the decomposition of H2O2 to produce •OH, which further oxidized colorless 3,3′5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) to blue oxidized 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (oxTMB), exhibiting peroxidase-like property. The kinetics followed the Michaelis-Menten equation. More importantly, the colorimetric method for glucose detection using Pt-PCRP NCs had high selectivity and low detection limit for 0.38 μM. The established method based on Pt-PCRP NCs was used to precisely detect glucose detection in human serum, saliva, and sweat. Taken together, the prepared ultra-small and biocompatible Pt-PCRP NCs have good potential glucose applications in clinical diagnosis in the future.
Golgi‐associated microtubules are fast cargo tracks and required for persistent cell migration

Microtubules derived from the Golgi (Golgi MTs) have been implicated to play critical roles in persistent cell migration, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, partially due to the lack of direct observation of Golgi MT‐dependent vesicular trafficking. Here, using super‐resolution stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM), we discovered that post‐Golgi cargos are more enriched on Golgi MTs and also surprisingly move much faster than on non‐Golgi MTs. We found that, compared to non‐Golgi MTs, Golgi MTs are morphologically more polarized toward the cell leading edge with significantly fewer inter‐MT intersections. In addition, Golgi MTs are more stable and contain fewer lattice repair sites than non‐Golgi MTs. Our STORM/live‐cell imaging demonstrates that cargos frequently pause at the sites of both MT intersections and MT defects. Furthermore, by optogenetic maneuvering of cell direction, we demonstrate that Golgi MTs are essential for persistent cell migration but not for cells to change direction. Together, our study unveils the role of Golgi MTs in serving as a group of “fast tracks” for anterograde trafficking of post‐Golgi cargos.
Administering an additional hepatitis B vaccination dose after 18 years maintains adequate long-term protection levels in healthcare workers

Abstract Background: HBV (hepatitis B virus) vaccination in first year of life is recommended to prevent infection. Observational studies have suggested that vaccination at birth provides protection for 90% of the population for 30 years. Data on response to booster doses and long-term protection are lacking. Methods: We compared HBV antibody levels of healthcare students who were immunized for HBV with a primary series during their first year of life (primary) to students who were immunized with a primary series and received an additional dose at age 18 (boosted) four years earlier. Antibody titres ≥10 mIU/mL were considered adequate. Those that were inadequate received another dose and were reassessed. Results: We assessed 381 students, 80.1% were primary and 19.9% boosted. A significantly higher percentage of students in the boosted group had antibody titre levels ≥10 mIU/mL compared to primary group (88.1% vs. 41.3%, p < .001). Of 179 students in the primary group with inadequate antibody levels, 134 received a booster dose and 126 of them (94%) developed anti-HBs levels ≥10 mIU/mL. Of 9 students with inadequate levels in the boosted group, 8 received another booster dose and all developed adequate levels. Conclusions: Primary vaccination against HBV at birth does not necessarily provide lifelong adequate antibody levels. Boosting at 18 years reinforces antibody levels for at least four more years. Current guidelines recommend testing and boosting all medical personal. Based on our study, it may be prudent to extend this practice to all individuals who are at higher risk.
Serum Levels of Interleukin-8 and Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor in Patients with Stage-I Multiple Myeloma: A Case-Control Study

Objective: Multiple myeloma (MM) remains an incurable disease that needs better recognition and further research. Previous studies elucidated the interaction between myeloma cells and showed the necessity of bone marrow stromal cells for the initiation and progression of MM. Many chemokines and their receptors including interleukin-8 (IL-8) and soluble interleukin-6 receptor (sIL-6R) play important roles in this interaction. The main purpose of this study is evaluating the serum level of IL-8 and sIL-6R on stage-I of MM patients and healthy controls. Methods: Serum samples from 30 stage-I MM patients (13 males and 17 females) and 30 healthy subjects as controls (13 males and 17 females) were examined in this study. The protein concentrations of serum IL-8 and sIL-6R were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The mean level of IL-8 and sIL-6R were significantly elevated in stage-I MM. The mean levels of IL-8 were 1246.57±279.22 ng/ml in stage-I MM and 902.53± 294.61 ng/ml in controls (P<0.001). The mean levels of sIL-6R were 5.39±1.38 ng/ml and 4.1±1.14 ng/ml in stage-I MM and controls, respectively (P<0.001). The mean levels of IL-8 were 1342.18±193.4 ng/ml in patient females and 859± 278.2ng/ml in control females (P <0.001). The mean levels of sIL-6R were 5.21±1.55 ng/ml and 3.91±1.22 ng/ml in patient females and control females, respectively (P=0.01). The mean level of sIL-6R in patient males and control males were 5.63±1.43 ng/ml and 4.34±1.04 ng/ml, respectively (P=0.01). A significant correlation (Pearson’s correlation = 0.45, P=0.008) was observed in the population of females (patients and controls). Conclusion: The results of study suggest the possible involvement of IL-8 and the sIL-6R at stage-I MM and can better characterize the role of chemokines and their receptors in the disease process, especially in the early stages.
Memory Compensation Strategies in Older People with Mild Cognitive Impairment

Abstract Objectives: With the rapid growth of the older population worldwide, understanding how older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) use memory strategies to mitigate cognitive decline is important. This study investigates differences between amnestic and nonamnestic MCI subtypes in memory strategy use in daily life, and how factors associated with cognition, general health, and psychological well-being might relate to strategy use. Methods: One hundred forty-eight participants with MCI (mean age = 67.9 years, SD = 8.9) completed comprehensive neuropsychological, medical, and psychological assessments, and the self-report ‘Memory Compensation Questionnaire’. Correlational and linear regression analyses were used to explore relationships between memory strategy use and cognition, general health, and psychological well-being. Results: Memory strategy use does not differ between MCI subtypes (p > .007) despite higher subjective everyday memory complaints in those with amnestic MCI (p = .03). The most marked finding showed that increased reliance-type strategy use was significantly correlated with more subjective memory complaints and poorer verbal learning and memory (p < .01) in individuals with MCI. Moreover, fewer subjective memory complaints and better working memory significantly predicted (p < .05) less reliance strategy use, respectively, accounting for 10.6% and 5.3% of the variance in the model. Conclusions: In general, the type of strategy use in older adults with MCI is related to cognitive functioning. By examining an individual’s profile of cognitive dysfunction, a clinician can provide more personalized clinical recommendations regarding strategy use to individuals with MCI, with the aim of maintaining their day-to-day functioning and self-efficacy in daily life.
Spatiotemporal-Filtering-Based Channel Selection for Single-Trial EEG Classification

Achieving high classification performance in electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) often entails a large number of channels, which impedes their use in practical applications. Despite the previous efforts, it remains a challenge to determine the optimal subset of channels in a subject-specific manner without heavily compromising the classification performance. In this article, we propose a new method, called spatiotemporal-filtering-based channel selection (STECS), to automatically identify a designated number of discriminative channels by leveraging the spatiotemporal information of the EEG data. In STECS, the channel selection problem is cast under the framework of spatiotemporal filter optimization by incorporating a group sparsity constraints, and a computationally efficient algorithm is developed to solve the optimization problem. The performance of STECS is assessed on three motor imagery EEG datasets. Compared with state-of-the-art spatiotemporal filtering algorithms using full EEG channels, STECS yields comparable classification performance with only half of the channels. Moreover, STECS significantly outperforms the existing channel selection methods. These results suggest that this algorithm holds promise for simplifying BCI setups and facilitating practical utility.
Frizzled‐4 is required for normal bone acquisition despite compensation by Frizzled‐8

The activation of the Wnt/β‐catenin signaling pathway is critical for skeletal development but surprisingly little is known about the requirements for the specific frizzled (Fzd) receptors that recognize Wnt ligands. To define the contributions of individual Fzd proteins to osteoblast function, we profiled the expression of all 10 mammalian receptors during calvarial osteoblast differentiation. Expression of Fzd4 was highly upregulated during in vitro differentiation and therefore targeted for further study. Mice lacking Fzd4 in mature osteoblasts had normal cortical bone structure but reduced cortical tissue mineral density and also exhibited an impairment in the femoral trabecular bone acquisition that was secondary to a defect in the mineralization process. Consistent with this observation, matrix mineralization, markers of osteoblastic differentiation, and the ability of Wnt3a to stimulate the accumulation of β‐catenin were reduced in cultures of calvarial osteoblasts deficient for Fzd4. Interestingly, Fzd4‐deficient osteoblasts exhibited an increase in the expression of Fzd8 both in vitro and in vivo, which suggests that the two receptors may exhibit overlapping functions. Indeed, ablating a single Fzd8 allele in osteoblast‐specific Fzd4 mutants produced a more severe effect on bone acquisition. Taken together, our data indicate that Fzd4 is required for normal bone development and mineralization despite compensation from Fzd8.
Efficacy of Bevacizumab Combined with Albumin-Bound Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Platinum-Resistant Recurrent Ovarian Cancer.

PURPOSE To investigate the efficacy and safety of bevacizumab (BEV) combined with albumin-bound paclitaxel (ABP) in the treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer. METHODS Eighty-six patients with platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer admitted to our hospital from March 2014 to March 2016 were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups, namely, BEV + ABP group (n=43, treated with BEV combined with ABP) and ABP group (n=43, treated with ABP alone). Next, the clinical objective response rate (ORR), changes in serum carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) level and adverse reactions were compared between two groups. Additionally, the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were observed and recorded after treatment. RESULTS The clinical ORR and disease control rate (DCR) were 86.0% (37/43) and 93.0% (40/43) in BEV + ABP group and 62.8% (27/43) and 79.1% (34/43) in ABP group, respectively. The clinical ORR of patients exhibited a statistically significant difference between two groups (p=0.025), which was overtly higher in BEV + ABP group than that in ABP group, while the DCR had no statistically significant difference between two groups (p=0.117). The serum CA125 level was evidently decreased in both groups after treatment (p<0.05) compared with that before treatment, but it displayed no statistically significant difference between two groups after treatment (p=0.220). The major adverse reactions of patients were myelosuppression, gastrointestinal reaction, alopecia, rash, fatigue and peripheral neurotoxicity. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence rate of adverse reactions between two groups (p>0.05). All patients were followed up for 6-29 months. The median OS of patients was 16.3 months and 12.6 months in BEV + ABP group and ABP group, respectively, which was clearly longer in BEV + ABP group than that in ABP group (p=0.007). The median PFS in BEV + ABP group was obviously longer than that in ABP group (8.9 months vs. 6.7 months, p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS In comparison with ABP alone, BEV combined with ABP applied in the treatment of platinum-resistant recurrent ovarian cancer prominently improves the clinical efficacy, PFS and OS, with good tolerance of patients, which is worthy of popularization and application in clinical practice.
Evaluation of total phenolic, flavonoid, carbohydrate contents and antioxidant activities of various solvent extracts from Angelica amurensis root

Abstract We investigated the antioxidant activities of different solvent extracts of Angelica amurensis root (AAR). The yield of aqueous extract was the highest. The methanol extract had the highest total phenolic content and total flavonoid content. The aqueous extract showed the highest total carbohydrate content. Methanol and ethanol extracts showed high DPPH and ABTS radical-scavenging abilities, and high antioxidant activities in FRAP and CUPRAC assays. The extract of chloroform and water exhibited high ability to scavenge hydroxyl radicals. All extracts showed high inhibition of β-carotene bleaching, ethyl acetate extract showed the best effect. Ethyl acetate extract exhibited the highest protection against cellular oxidative damage. The best extraction solvent for the active substance in AAR was methanol. AAR may act as a natural antioxidant. Graphical Abstract
Clinicodemographic and Psychosocial Factors Related to Presentation or Severity of Delusions of Theft among Females with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

ABSTRACT Objectives: We examined the clinicodemographic and psychosocial factors that relate to the presentation and severity of delusions of theft among female patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Methods: We enrolled a total of 177 female patients with a-MCI or AD, of whom 40 presented with delusions of theft. We compared the differences in clinicodemographic and psychosocial factors of the 40 patients (delusions of theft group) with 50 age- and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)-matched controls without delusions (control group). Furthermore, we identified the factors associated with the presentation of delusions of theft using a general linear model (GLM). The severity of delusions of theft was calculated using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire, and correlations between the clinicodemographic and psychosocial factors were examined. Results: Between the two groups, the delusions of theft group had lower scores on the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and higher scores on the Japanese version of the Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview (ZBI-J) than the control group. GLM analysis revealed that the IADL score was related to the presentation of delusions of theft. The severity of delusions of theft correlated with the MMSE and the ZBI-J scores in the delusions of theft group. Conclusions: The two groups had several differences regarding clinicodemographic and psychosocial factors. Furthermore, lower IADL scores were related to symptom presentation. Symptom severity correlated with cognitive functioning and caregiver burden. Clinical Implications: In the determination of treatment or care, differences in these factors should be considered.
Stability issues and approaches to stabilised nanoparticles based drug delivery system

Abstract Nanoparticles form the fundamental building blocks for many exciting applications in various scientific disciplines due to its unique features such as large surface to mass ratio, targeting potential, ability to adsorbed and carry other compound which makes them suitable for biomedical applications. However, the problem of the large-scale synthesis of nanoparticles remains challenging due to physical instability associated with nanoparticles which lead to generation of aggregates particles with high polydispersity index (PDI) indicating low particle homogeneity and eventually loss of their special nanoscale properties. The stabilisation concept can be generated by repulsive electrostatic force, which nanoparticles experience, when they are surrounded by a double layer of electric charges. Selection of proper stabiliser will govern the stability of NPs and ultimately development of optimised drug delivery system. This review summarises mechanism of physical instability issues likely to be encountered during the development of nanoformulations. It also discusses potential stabilising agents used so far and their mechanism in achieving stable nanosystems.
Enhancement in MS‐based peptide detection by microfluidic free‐flow zone electrophoresis

Matrix components are known to significantly alter the ionization of a target analyte in ESI‐based measurements particularly when working with complex biological samples. This issue however may be alleviated by extracting the analyte of interest from the original sample into a relatively simple matrix compatible with ESI mass‐spectrometric analysis. In this article, we report a microfluidic device that enables such extraction of small peptide molecules into an ESI‐compatible solvent stream significantly improving both the sensitivity and reproducibility of the measurements. The reported device realizes this analyte extraction capability based on the free‐flow zone electrophoretic fractionation process using a set of internal electrodes placed across the width of the analysis channel. Employing lateral electric fields and separation distances of 75 V/cm and 600 µm, respectively, efficient extraction of the model peptide human angiotensin II was demonstrated allowing a reduction in its detection limit by one to three orders of magnitude using the ESI‐MS method. The noted result was obtained in our experiments both for a relatively simple specimen comprising DNA strands and angiotensin II as well as for human serum samples spiked with the same model peptide.
Functional Description of Multimodal Acts: A Proposal

Architectures for controlling communicative humanoids have been many and varied. Planning systems for multimodal behavior still require significant efforts to design and implement; this could be alleviated to some extent through the use of a common platform. In this paper we outline an approach to multimodal action generation following the SAIBA framework. The proposal focuses on planning at a medium-level of action abstraction – what we refer to as a functional level – building on our prior efforts in creating systems capable of human-like multimodal behavior. Starting from a high-level initial goal or releasing mechanism we assume that surface behavior can be generated in continuous incremental steps at multiple levels of abstraction, as outlined by SAIBA, progressing over time in a depth-first manner, towards an actual executed behavior. The paper proposes a starting point for a language intended to represent/describe functional aspects of communicative action. We argue that among key aspects that must be addressed for this to be successful are temporal constraints, prioritization and classification of function.
Why Employees (Still) Click on Phishing Links: Investigation in Hospitals

Background Hospitals have been one of the major targets for phishing attacks. Despite efforts to improve information security compliance, hospitals still significantly suffer from such attacks, impacting the quality of care and the safety of patients. Objective This study aimed to investigate why hospital employees decide to click on phishing emails by analyzing actual clicking data. Methods We first gauged the factors that influence clicking behavior using the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and integrating trust theories. We then conducted a survey in hospitals and used structural equation modeling to investigate the components of compliance intention. We matched employees’ survey results with their actual clicking data from phishing campaigns. Results Our analysis (N=397) reveals that TPB factors (attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control), as well as collective felt trust and trust in information security technology, are positively related to compliance intention. However, compliance intention is not significantly related to compliance behavior. Only the level of employees’ workload is positively associated with the likelihood of employees clicking on a phishing link. Conclusions This is one of the few studies in information security and decision making that observed compliance behavior by analyzing clicking data rather than using self-reported data. We show that, in the context of phishing emails, intention and compliance might not be as strongly linked as previously assumed; hence, hospitals must remain vigilant with vulnerabilities that cannot be easily managed. Importantly, given the significant association between workload and noncompliance behavior (ie, clicking on phishing links), hospitals should better manage employees’ workload to increase information security. Our findings can help health care organizations augment employees’ compliance with their cybersecurity policies and reduce the likelihood of clicking on phishing links.
Online EV Scheduling Algorithms for Adaptive Charging Networks with Global Peak Constraints

This paper tackles online scheduling of electric vehicles (EVs) in an adaptive charging network (ACN) with local and global peak constraints. Given the aggregate charging demand of the EVs and the peak constraints of the ACN, it might be infeasible to fully charge all the EVs according to their charging demand. Two alternatives in such resource-limited scenarios are to maximize the social welfare by partially charging the EVs (fractional model) or selecting a subset of EVs and fully charge them (integral model). The technical challenge is the need for online solution design since in practical scenarios the scheduler has no or limited information of future arrivals in a time-coupled underlying problem. For the fractional model, we devise both offline and online algorithms. We prove that the offline algorithm is optimal. Using competitive ratio as the performance measure, we prove the online algorithm achieves a competitive ratio of 2. The integral model, however, is more challenging since the underlying problem is strongly NP-hard due to 0/1 selection criteria of EVs. Hence, efficient solution design is challenging even in offline setting. For offline setting, we devise a low-complexity primal-dual scheduling algorithm that achieves a bounded approximation ratio. Built upon the offline approximate algorithm, we propose an online algorithm and analyze its competitive ratio in special cases. Extensive trace-driven experimental results show that the performance of the proposed online algorithms is close to the offline optimum, and outperform the existing solutions.