Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac autonomic tone, plasma BDNF levels and paroxetine response in newly diagnosed patients of generalised anxiety disorder

Abstract Objective: The study examined the effect on cardiac autonomic tone via heart rate variability (HRV), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in newly diagnosed generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) cases with paroxetine-controlled release (PX) CR intervention. Methods: Fifty GAD cases using DSM-5 criteria, matched with healthy controls (HC) were assessed with clinical measures (Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAM-A), Clinical Global Impression- Severity Scale (CGI-Severity), General Health Questionnaire -12 (GHQ-12), HRV, plasma BDNF levels initially and 6 weeks postintervention with paroxetine CR. Results: HRV parameters were significantly lower in GAD vs HC at baseline for standard deviation of normal to normal intervals (SDNN) and proportion of differences in consecutive NN intervals that are longer than 50 ms (pNN50). Significantly higher plasma BDNF levels were noted between HC versus GAD at baseline. Postintervention HAM-A, CGI scores, GHQ-12 item scores showed significant reduction. Significant differences also noted in square root of mean squared difference of successive NN intervals (RMSSD), (SDNN), pNN50 and in plasma BDNF levels after intervention within GAD group. Significant negative correlation observed between HAM-A scores and SDNN parameter after taking PX CR in GAD. Conclusion: GAD showed cardiac autonomic dysfunction, lowered plasma BDNF levels and their improvement with paroxetine CR. Key message GAD is associated with significantly lower HRV, suggestive of cardiac autonomic dysfunction and lowered plasma BDNF levels, an indicator of stress. Therapeutic intervention with Paroxetine in GAD patients showed clinically significant improvement reflecting restoration of the cardiac autonomic tone and BDNF levels, thus implying their role as potential biomarkers.
Surgical excision of paraurethral cyst

ABSTRACT Purpose Patients with paraurethral cyst may be asymptomatic or bothered by sensation of a mass, pain, distorted urinary outflow, dyspareunia, and dysuria (1). Differential diagnosis includes ectopic ureterocele, pelvic organ prolapse, and urethral diverticulum. At present, the management of paraurethral cysts is unclear, but surgical excision appears as the best treatment option (1-3). Alternative methods include waiting for spontaneous rupture, needle aspiration and marsupialization (4). The aim of the video-tutorial is to provide anatomic views and surgical steps necessary to achieve a successful complete excision of a paraurethral cyst. Materials and methods A 54-year-old woman with a 2cm paraurethral cyst bothered by intermittent sensation of an introital mass, dyspareunia, and dysuria was admitted to surgical excision according to the described technique. Urethrocystoscopy and ultrasonography were preoperatively performed to confirm the diagnosis and rule out an urethral diverticulum. Surgical steps included: cyst exposure; vaginal mucosa incision; adequate dissection (needle injection of saline solution inside the cyst can be performed to inflate the cyst) with scissors and swab, isolation and excision of paraurethral cyst, layered reconstruction with avoidance of suture layers overlapping. Results Surgical procedure was successfully achieved without complications. The postoperative course was uneventful. No recurrence was observed and the patient reported complete resolution of her symptoms. Conclusions The featured video showed complete excision of a paraurethral cyst successfully achieved without complications. Surgical excision represents a safe and effective procedure to manage paraurethral cysts. This step-by-step video-tutorial may represent an important tool to improve surgical know-how.
Cost-Effectiveness of a Multifaceted Quality Improvement Intervention for Acute Ischemic Stroke in China

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background and Purpose— Multifaceted quality improvement interventions of stroke care have been shown to improve hospital personnel adherence to evidence-based performance measures and subsequent stroke outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention for stroke care in China, the world’s largest low- and middle-income country. Methods— A short-term decision tree model and a long-term Markov model were used to analyze the cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted quality improvement intervention for patients with acute ischemic stroke. Outcomes, transition probability, and cost data were obtained from a recent clinical trial and the published literature. The benefit of the intervention was assessed by the costs per quality-adjusted life-years gained in the short- and long-term. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to assess the uncertainty of the findings. Results— Compared with usual care, a multifaceted quality improvement intervention for stroke care was found to be cost-effective in the first year and highly cost-effective from the second year onward. In the long-term, the intervention yielded a lifetime gain of 0.246 quality-adjusted life-years at an additional cost of Chinese Yuan Renminbi 1510 (US $230), resulting in a cost of Chinese Yuan Renminbi 6138 (US $940) per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis indicated that the intervention was highly cost-effective in 99.9% of the simulation runs at a willingness-to-pay threshold of Chinese Yuan Renminbi 59 700 (1× gross domestic product per capita of China in 2017, US $9200) per quality-adjusted life-year. Conclusions— A multifaceted quality improvement intervention for stroke care was highly cost-effective in China. The results of this study may be used as a reference for delivering such interventions in low- and middle-income countries and in underserved areas of high-income countries.
An Ancient Baboon Genome Demonstrates Long-Term Population Continuity in Southern Africa

Abstract Baboons are one of the most abundant large nonhuman primates and are widely studied in biomedical, behavioral, and anthropological research. Despite this, our knowledge of their evolutionary and demographic history remains incomplete. Here, we report a 0.9-fold coverage genome sequence from a 5800-year-old baboon from the site of Ha Makotoko in Lesotho. The ancient baboon is closely related to present-day Papio ursinus individuals from southern Africa—indicating a high degree of continuity in the southern African baboon population. This level of population continuity is rare in recent human populations but may provide a good model for the evolution of Homo and other large primates over similar timespans in structured populations throughout Africa.
Unraveling the Deep Genetic Architecture for Seedlessness in Grapevine and the Development and Validation of a New Set of Markers for VviAGL11-Based Gene-Assisted Selection

Seedless inheritance has been considered a quasi-monogenic trait based on the VvAGL11 gene. An intragenic simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker, p3_VvAGL11, is currently used to opportunely discard seeded progeny, which represents up to 50% of seedlings to be established in the field. However, the rate of false positives remains significant, and this lack of accuracy might be due to a more complex genetic architecture, some intrinsic flaws of p3_VvAGL11, or potential recombination events between p3_VvAGL11 and the causal SNP located in the coding region. The purpose of this study was to update the genetic architecture of this trait in order to better understand its implications in breeding strategies. A total of 573 F1 individuals that segregate for seedlessness were genotyped with a 20K SNP chip and characterized phenotypically during four seasons for a fine QTL mapping analysis. Based on the molecular diversity of p3_VvAGL11 alleles, we redesigned this marker, and based on the causal SNP, we developed a qPCR-HRM marker for high-throughput and a Tetra-ARMS-PCR for simple predictive analyses. Up to 10 new QTLs were identified that describe the complex nature of seedlessness, corresponding to small but stable effects. The positive predictive value, based on VvAGL11 alone (0.647), was improved up to 0.814 when adding three small-effect QTLs in a multi-QTL additive model as a proof of concept. The new SSR, 5U_VviAGL11, is more informative and robust, and easier to analyze. However, we demonstrated that the association can be lost by intragenic recombination and that the e7_VviAGL11 SNP-based marker is thus more reliable and decreases the occurrence of false positives. This study highlights the bases of prediction failure based solely on a major gene and a reduced set of candidate genes, in addition to opportunities for molecular breeding following further and larger validation studies.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry-based platforms for studies involving nanoparticles effects in biological samples.

The application of nanoparticles in several areas has grown significantly in recent years, resulting in concern related to the effects of nanoparticles in biological systems. Although nanoparticles can be produced naturally, industrially synthesized ones can affect the metabolism of a given organism due to their high reactivity. The biotransformation of nanoparticles is a result of different processes, including aggregation/agglomeration and reactions with biomolecules that will be reflected in their toxicity. Several analytical techniques, including inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, have been considered for the characterization and quantification of nanoparticles in biological samples. In fact, in addition to providing results in terms of nanoparticles morphology and concentration, ICP-MS-based platforms, such as LC/ICP-MS, spICP-MS, FFF (AF4)-ICP-MS, and LA-ICP-MS, among others, can yield elemental information related to molecular information. Furthermore, such combined information together with speciation analysis can enlarge our comprehension of the interaction of nanoparticles with biological organisms. Therefore, the present review describes the contribution of ICP-MS-based platforms as a tool for the evaluation of nanoparticles in distinct biological samples by providing additional understanding of the behavior of nanoparticles and their toxicity in distinct organisms.
Exercise improves adiposopathy, insulin sensitivity and metabolic syndrome severity independent of intensity

What is the central question of this study? What are the effects of work‐matched continuous versus high‐intensity interval training for 2 weeks on adiposopathy and cardiometabolic risk in obese adults with prediabetes? What is the main finding and its importance? Independent of intensity, short‐term exercise improves adiposopathy and insulin sensitivity. While both exercise intensities reduced fasting leptin concentrations and metabolic syndrome severity, only interval training elevated total adiponectin. In contrast to previous work, neither condition altered high‐molecular weight adiponectin. Collectively, these data suggest that short‐term exercise can improve adipokine profiles, which may aid in reducing cardiometabolic risk prior to clinically meaningful weight loss in adults with prediabetes.
Protective effects of N-oleoylglycine in a mouse model of mild traumatic brain injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main cause of death in young people and currently no drugs to treat brain injury exist. Recently, we have reported that mice with mild-TBI with a specific injury in the insula, showed elevated levels of a little investigated N-acyl amino acid, the N-oleoyl-glycine (OlGly). N-acyl-amino acids have recently gained increased interest because of their important biological activities, moreover, they belong to the lipoaminoacids family and have structural similarities with the endocannabinoids (eCBs). The aim of this study was to test the neuroprotective and anti-hyperalgesic actions of OlGly in a model of mouse mild-TBI (mTBI) and its effect on levels of eCBs and N-acylethanolamines at the end of treatment. Following mTBI, the mice were administered a daily injection of OlGly (10-50-100 mg/kg i.p.) for 14 days. Treatment with OlGly normalized motor impairment and behavior in the light/dark box test; ameliorated TBI-induced thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia and normalized aggressiveness and depression. Moreover, levels of eCBs and some N-acylethanolamines underwent significant changes 60 days after TBI, especially in the prefrontal cortex and in the hypothalamus, and OlGly reversed some of these changes. In conclusion, our findings reveal that OlGly ameliorates the behavioral alterations associated with mTBI, whilst concomitantly modulating eCB and eCB-like mediator tone.
Vernalization shapes shoot architecture and ensures the maintenance of dormant buds in the perennial Arabis alpina.

Perennials have a complex shoot architecture with axillary meristems organized in zones of differential bud activity and fate. This includes zones of buds maintained dormant for multiple seasons and used as reservoirs for potential growth in case of damage. The shoot of Arabis alpina, a perennial relative of Arabidopsis thaliana, consists of a zone of dormant buds placed between subapical vegetative and basal flowering branches. This shoot architecture is shaped after exposure to prolonged cold, required for flowering. To understand how vernalization ensures the maintenance of dormant buds we performed physiological and transcriptome studies, followed the spatiotemporal changes of auxin, and generated transgenic plants. Our results demonstrate that the complex shoot architecture in A. alpina is shaped by its flowering behavior, specifically the initiation of inflorescences during cold treatment and rapid flowering after subsequent exposure to growth-promoting conditions. Dormant buds are already formed before cold treatment. However, dormancy in these buds is enhanced during, and stably maintained after, vernalization by a BRC1-dependent mechanism. Post-vernalization, stable maintenance of dormant buds is correlated with increased auxin response, transport, and endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels in the stem. Here we provide a functional link between flowering and the maintenance of dormant buds in perennials.
Rational design, synthesis, and evaluation of uncharged, “smart” bis-oxime antidotes of organophosphate-inhibited human acetylcholinesterase

Organophosphate (OP) intoxications from nerve agent and OP pesticide exposures are managed with pyridinium aldoxime–based therapies whose success rates are currently limited. The pyridinium cation hampers uptake of OPs into the central nervous system (CNS). Furthermore, it frequently binds to aromatic residues of OP-inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in orientations that are nonproductive for AChE reactivation, and the structural diversity of OPs impedes efficient reactivation. Improvements of OP antidotes need to include much better access of AChE reactivators to the CNS and optimized orientation of the antidotes' nucleophile within the AChE active-center gorge. On the basis of X-ray structures of a CNS-penetrating reactivator, monoxime RS194B, reversibly bound to native and venomous agent X (VX)–inhibited human AChE, here we created seven uncharged acetamido bis-oximes as candidate antidotes. Both oxime groups in these bis-oximes were attached to the same central, saturated heterocyclic core. Diverse protonation of the heterocyclic amines and oxime groups of the bis-oximes resulted in equilibration among up to 16 distinct ionization forms, including uncharged forms capable of diffusing into the CNS and multiple zwitterionic forms optimal for reactivation reactions. Conformationally diverse zwitterions that could act as structural antidote variants significantly improved in vitro reactivation of diverse OP-human AChE conjugates. Oxime group reorientation of one of the bis-oximes, forcing it to point into the active center for reactivation, was confirmed by X-ray structural analysis. Our findings provide detailed structure-activity properties of several CNS-directed, uncharged aliphatic bis-oximes holding promise for use as protonation-dependent, conformationally adaptive, “smart” accelerated antidotes against OP toxicity.
Effects of 2-Week Exercise Training in Hypobaric Hypoxic Conditions on Exercise Performance and Immune Function in Korean National Cycling Athletes with Disabilities: A Case Report

We aimed to evaluate the effects of a 2-week exercise training program in hypobaric hypoxic conditions on exercise performance and immune function in Korean national cycling athletes with disabilities. Six Korean national cycling athletes with disabilities participated in exercise training consisting of continuous aerobic exercise and anaerobic interval exercise in hypobaric hypoxic conditions. The exercise training frequency was 60 min (5 days per week for 2 weeks). Before and after the exercise training, exercise performance and immune function were measured in all athletes. Regarding the exercise performance parameters, the 3-km time trial significantly decreased and blood lactate levels after the 3-km time trial test significantly increased by exercise training in hypobaric hypoxic conditions. Regarding the oxygen-transporting capacity, significant differences were not observed. Regarding immune function, the number of leukocytes and natural killer cells significantly decreased and that of eosinophils, B cells, and T cells significantly increased. These results indicated that our 2-week hypoxic training showed the potential to improve exercise performance in Korean national disabled athletes. However, the effects of our hypoxic training method on immune function remained unclear.
CT-guided microcoil implantation for localizing pulmonary ground-glass nodules: feasibility and accuracy of oblique approach for lesions difficult to access on axial images.

OBJECTIVES (1) To evaluate the value of CT-guided microcoil implantation for localizing pulmonary ground-glass nodules (GGNs) before video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS); (2) To evaluate the feasibility, safety and accuracy of cephalic-caudal oblique approach for lesions difficult to access on axial images owing to overlying bony structures, large vessels or interlober fissures. METHODS AND MATERIALS From June 2016 to March 2019, all patients with GGNs resected by VATS after marking using CT-guided microcoil implantation in our institution were enrolled and clinical and imaging data were retrospectively analyzed. According to the microcoil marked path, the GGNs were divided into cephalic-caudal oblique group (oblique group) and non-oblique group. The success rate of marking, the time required for marking and the incidence of complications between the two groups were compared. RESULTS 258 GGNs from 215 consecutive patients were included in this study. The diameter of GGNs was 1.22 ± 0.50 cm, and the shortest distance from GGNs to the pleura was 1.56 ± 1.09 cm. All 258 GGNs were successfully resected by VATS under the guidance of implanted microcoils, and no case was converted to thoracotomy. During CT-guided microcoil implantation, cephalic- caudal oblique approach was taken in 56 GGNs (oblique group) to avoid bone, interlobar fissure and blood vessels. The time required for marking was significantly longer for oblique group compared with non-oblique group (16.6 ± 2.4 vs. 13.1 ± 1.9 min, p＜0.01). No significant differences in the success rate of marking (94.6% vs 91.6%), the incidence of pneumothorax (19.6% vs 17.8%), the bleeding rate (10.7% vs 8.9%), and the hemoptysis rate (1.8% vs 1.5%) were observed between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS CT-guided microcoil implantation can effectively guide VATS to resect GGNs. For GGNs difficult to access on axial images, CT-guided cephalic-caudal oblique approach is feasible, safe, and accurate. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE CT-guided microcoil implantation can effectively guide VATS to resect GGNs. The marked path with cephalic-caudal obliquity can effectively avoid bone, interlobar fissure and blood vessels, successfully mark GGNs difficult to access on axial images, while keeping the distance from the pleura to the lesion on the marked path as short as possible at the same time.
The Effect of Emblematic Gestures on the Memorization of Greek Expressions by Immigrants

A number of studies have shown that accompanying lexical items of a foreign language with gestures leads to better results when it comes to memorizing them. This article examines the effect of emblematic gestures on second language memorization by learners immersed in the target culture. Fifteen immigrants took part in an experiment aiming to assess active knowledge on new vocabulary. They had to learn 27 Greek multi-word expressions and two different teaching methods were applied. The control group was taught multi-word expressions included in everyday communicative situations by reading and listening, while the gesture group was taught the same expressions in the same way, in addition to being exposed to the use of relevant gestures. Results have shown that gestures indeed influence the memorization of L2 lexical items and leave a richer trace in the memory of students.
2 Corporate Financing : Some Stylized Facts 2

One of the goals of corporate finance theory is to help predict or advise on security issues and payout policies at various stages of a firm’s life cycle. There is much discretion involved in specifying a security’s cash-flow rights, control rights, and other rights (collateral, options) and the contingencies under which these rights are triggered and exercised. As for corporate governance in Chapter 1, the purpose of this selective review of corporate financing and payout policies is to guide the later theoretical construct and to enable future feedback concerning the accuracy of its predictions. This chapter offers a succinct description of the financing of firms, focusing on their main financial instruments: debt and equity, in their different varieties.
Development of a TaqMan Based Real-Time Fluorescent Quantitative PCR Assay for Detection of Porcine Cytomegalovirus in Semen

This study described a TaqMan based real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR) method to detect porcine cytomegalovirus (PCMV) infection, targeting the conserved region of the DNA polymerase (DPOL) gene. The standard curve showed a linear regression relationship with a coefficient of 0.999 and a slope of y = −3.249x + 38.958 corresponding to the amplification efficiency at 99.8%. The limit of the qPCR method was 51.9 copies/μl. The established qPCR method showed excellent specificity, with no cross-reaction observed with common porcine pathogens. The coefficient of variation for intra-assay and interassay variability ranged up to 1.51% and 2.24%, respectively. PCMV positive signals can be found in semen using this qPCR method, which suggested that we should pay more attention to PCMV contamination in semen in order to eliminate PCMV infection in artificial insemination and xenotransplantation.