Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The functional role of the palmar aponeurosis and A1 pulley in proximal zone 2 flexor tendon repairs: a case report

Much attention has been paid over the last 30 years to the vital role of the A2 and A4 pulleys and their appropriate management during finger flexor tendon repairs (Tang, 1994, 2019). Less attention has been paid to the palmar pulleys proximal to A2, namely the palmar aponeurosis (PA) or A0 pulley (Manske and Lesker, 1983) and the A1 pulley. A 28-year-old man presented with a 100% division of both flexor tendons of his ring finger. Intraoperatively, the location of the tendon division was located in subzone 2D, between the proximal border of the A2 pulley and the proximal margin of Zone 2 (Tang, 1994). The A0 and A1 pulleys were released to improve the exposure for tendon repair, preserving the A2 pulley. A primary repair of both tendons was performed using the 6strand M-Tang method with no peripheral suture (Tang, 2019). A full passive excursion of the repaired tendons and restoration of the digital cascade throughout the wrist tenodesis manoeuvre was checked before wound closure. Postoperatively, the patient completed a 6-week postoperative rehabilitation protocol using a place-and-hold regime. At followup, when asked to make a fist, he was found to have a full passive range of motion (ROM) of his ring finger, but a flexion deficit with a total active motion (TAM) of 193 , thus preventing him from making a full fist and limiting his grip strength (Figure 1(a)). After discussion with the patient, revision surgery was carried out using the wide-awake local anaesthesia with no tourniquet (WALANT) technique. Both tendon repairs were found to be fully healed and gliding well with no evidence of adhesions. The A2 pulley system was found to be intact and the patient was asked to flex his finger, but a flexion deficit was again demonstrated on the table. As the only missing structures were the A0 and A1 pulleys, we simulated these pulleys by pressing on the tendons at a level proximal to the A2 pulley and the range of active finger flexion immediately improved. A decision was then made to reconstruct the A1 pulley using a palmaris longus graft sutured to the A1 pulley remnants (Figure 1(b)). Journal of Hand Surgery (European Volume) 2020, Vol. 45(9) 981–997 journals.sagepub. com/home/jhs
Carbonic anhydrase activity and photosynthesis in marine diatoms

The photosynthesis and carbonic anhydrase activity of four marine diatoms currently found in oyster-ponds near the French Atlantic coast, Haslea ostrearia, Navicula phyllepta, Entomoneis paludosa and Amphora coffeaeformis, were investigated. Photosynthetic parameters determined from photosynthesis versus irradiance curves showed that A. coffeaeformis (a benthic species) had lower maximum net photosynthesis but a higher light utilization coefficient than the other species studied. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity was measured using intact cells (external CA) and extracts (total CA) of these four species. In all four diatoms, the internal CA activity accounted for between 56 and 63% of the total CA activity. Two or three active forms of CA were separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two enzymatic bands of low molecular mass (4.5 and 6.5 kDa) were found in all four diatoms. A third enzymatic band was detected at 33 kDa in H. ostrearia and 11.7 kDa in E. paludosa. Acetazolamide, an inhibitor of external CA, reduced the net photosynthesis in H. ostrearia, E. paludosa and A. coffeaeformis by about 13%, but could not be tested on N. phyllepta as it is permeable to this substance. Direct uptake of was estimated using the anion-exchange inhibitor 4,4′-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2′-disulphonate. Bicarbonate accounted for about 50% of fixed inorganic carbon in E. paludosa, and for about 60% in the other species. The higher affinity (K1/2) for dissolved inorganic carbon in H. ostrearia (24.5 µM) than in E. paludosa (38.2 µM) seemed to be related to greater external CA activity, and the presence of a more efficient anion exchange protein in the plasmalemma.
Electrical stimulation as a tool to promote plasticity of the injured spinal cord.

Unlike their peripheral nervous system counterparts, the capacity of central nervous system neurons and axons for regeneration after injury is minimal. Although a myriad of therapies (and different combinations thereof) to help promote repair and recovery after spinal cord injury (SCI) have been trialed, few have progressed from bench-top to bedside. One of the few such therapies that has been successfully translated from basic science to clinical applications is electrical stimulation (ES). Although the use and study of ES in peripheral nerve growth dates back nearly a century, only recently has it started to be used in a clinical setting. Since those initial experiments and seminal publications, the application of ES to restore function and promote healing have greatly expanded. In this review, we discuss the progression and use of ES over time as it pertains to promoting axonal outgrowth and functional recovery post-SCI. In doing so, we consider four major uses for the study of ES based on the proposed or documented underlying mechanism: (1) using ES to introduce an electric field at the site of injury to promote axonal outgrowth and plasticity; (2) spinal cord ES to activate or to increase the excitability of neuronal networks below the injury; (3) motor cortex ES to promote corticospinal tract axonal outgrowth and plasticity; and (4) leveraging the timing of paired stimuli to produce plasticity. Finally, the use of ES in its current state in the context of human SCI studies is discussed, in addition to ongoing research and current knowledge gaps to highlight the direction of future studies for this therapeutic modality.
Quantitative material decomposition using linear iterative near-field phase retrieval dual-energy x-ray imaging

This paper expands the linear iterative near-field phase retrieval (LIPR) formalism to achieve quantitative material thickness decomposition. Propagation-based phase contrast x-ray imaging with subsequent phase retrieval has been shown to improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) by factors of up to hundreds compared to conventional x-ray imaging. This is a key step in biomedical imaging, where radiation exposure must be kept low without compromising the SNR. However, for a satisfactory phase retrieval from a single measurement, assumptions must be made about the object investigated. To avoid such assumptions, we use two measurements collected at the same propagation distance but at different x-ray energies. Phase retrieval is then performed by incorporating the Alvarez-Macovski (AM) model, which models the x-ray interactions as being comprised of distinct photoelectric and Compton scattering components. We present the first application of dual-energy phase retrieval with the AM model to monochromatic experimental x-ray projections at two different energies for obtaining split x-ray interactions. Our phase retrieval method allows us to separate the object investigated into the projected thicknesses of two known materials. Our phase retrieval output leads to no visible loss in spatial resolution while the SNR improves by factors of 2 to 10. This corresponds to a possible x-ray dose reduction by a factor of 4 to 100, under the Poisson noise assumption.
Implementation of CAPI and Traditional PCIe and Delay of Comparison

With the development of artificial intelligence technology and heterogeneous computing, heterogeneous communication speed is becoming more and more important. The latency of transmitting data determines whether a heterogeneous computing architecture is available. Current acceleration cards usually use PCIe interface. IBM developed the CAPI communication architecture for heterogeneous computing. This paper compares the technical principles and delays of the Power CAPI architecture and a high speed PCIe communication method.
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide and lung-liquid reabsorption in vitro by lungs from fetal guinea-pigs

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) is present in the lungs, notably in their internal neuroendocrine system; however, its use is not clear. It was investigated for its possible ability to cause lung-liquid reabsorption around birth. Lungs from 31 late-term fetal guinea-pigs (at 60 ± 2 days of gestation) were supported in vitro for 3 h; lung-liquid movements were monitored by a dye-dilution method. Untreated control preparations (n = 9) produced fluid at 1.85 ± 0.40 mL·kg1 body mass·h1 (mean ± SD), with no significant change (ANOVA, regression analysis). Those given 108 M PACAP in the middle hour turned to reabsorption (n = 3) or reduced production markedly (n = 3) (average fall 84.4 ± 5.4%; significant at P < 0.0010.0005); effects continued and increased after the PACAP was removed. Preparations given 109 M PACAP reacted similarly, but there was partial recovery after treatment (five reabsorbed, four reduced production; average fall 91.4 ± 14.3%; significant at P < 0.010.0005). P.
RELATIONSHIPS AMONG FORAGING VARIABLES, PHYLOGENY, AND FORAGING MODES, WITH NEW DATA FOR NINE NORTH AMERICAN LIZARD SPECIES

Complete characterization of lizard foraging behaviors may require information about aspects rarely measured. Most studies record only number of movements per minute (MPM) and/or percent of time moving (PTM), but lizards differ markedly in average speed (AS) and speed while moving (MS) during foraging and in proportion of attacks initiated after detecting prey while the lizard is moving (PAM). We present data on these variables for nine lizard species and on foraging speed for several others, permitting first assessments of relationships between speed, PAM, and both phylogeny and foraging mode; examination of the effect of body length on foraging speed; and correlative analyses of relationships between foraging variables. Although sprint speed may increase with body size, foraging speed did not, presumably for two reasons. Because search speed is much lower than sprint speed, as is speed of movement between ambush sites, searching efficiency and stamina may be more important determinants of foraging speed than is sprint speed. Second, the body size range was small, allowing the possibility that foraging speed may vary with body length over the much larger size range between the smallest and largest species worldwide. Nevertheless, a large majority of lizard species are in the size range tested, suggesting that body length may not strongly affect foraging speed except when extremely short or long species are included in comparative analyses. High PAM, high AS, and low MS were characteristic of autarchoglossans and active foragers, whereas low PAM, low AS and high MS were exhibited by iguanians and ambush foragers. In independent species analyses, significant correlations were observed between several pairs of foraging variables. In analyses using phylogenetically independent contrasts, the only significant finding was a strong positive correlation between PAM and PTM. Although these findings suggest that foraging speed, MPM, and either PTM or PAM may provide independent measures of foraging activity needed to adequately describe interspecific variation, this conclusion is tentative due to the small sample size of limited taxonomic breadth.
Interleukin‐1 blockade with anakinra in acute leukaemia patients with severe COVID‐19 pneumonia appears safe and may result in clinical improvement

As of 17th May, 2020 the number of patients infected by coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide has exceeded 4.5 million (WHO 2020). A subgroup of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia develop a hyperinflammatory syndrome which has a similar cytokine release profile to secondary haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) (Huang, et al 2020). Immunomodulatory drugs are hypothesised to abrogate the dysfunctional immune response in hyperinflammatory COVID-19 and are currently being investigated in clinical trials. IL-1 blockage with anakinra has been shown to be safe and is associated with clinical improvement in patients with hyperinflammatory COVID-19 (Cavalli, et al 2020).
Excited State Properties of Canthaxanthin in Cyanobacterial Carotenoid-Binding Proteins HCP2 and HCP3.

Recently a new family of carotenoproteins, homologs of the N-terminal domain of the orange carotenoid protein (NTD-OCP) have been identified in cyanobacteria. These homologs are called helical carotenoid proteins (HCPs) as they are all predicted to maintain the all-helical structure of the NTD-OCP and to bind carotenoid. Here, HCP2 and HCP3 isolated from the cyanobacterium Tolypothrix PCC 7601 were studied by ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy to explore excited-state dynamics of the bound carotenoid, canthaxanthin. The lowest excited state, S1, of canthaxanthin in both HCPs yields a lifetime of 3.5 ps, it is thus shorter than for canthaxanthin in solution (4.5 ps). This is because of longer effective conjugation of canthaxanthin in HCPs, as one of the terminal rings is in s-trans configuration. Using two different excitation wavelengths, 470 and 570 nm, revealed excitation wavelength dependent spectroscopic response. Additional excited state absorption bands are observed after excitation at 470 nm for both HCPs, proving the presence of more than one ground state conformer.
Non‐vitamin‐K oral anticoagulants may not significantly reduce the risk of fatal or disabling stroke compared with warfarin

With great interest, we read the article by Costello M et al. entitled "Effect of non-vitamin-K oral anticoagulants on stroke severity compared to warfarin: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. " published in the March 2020 issue of European Journal of Neurology 1 . The study is of profound academic importance, and there are some points we would like to address. In the section "Statistical Analysis", the authors stated that I2 values were calculated for each analysis to examine study heterogeneity. Consequently, I2 regarding the pooled data of Fatal or Disabling Stroke in the section "Results", was 51% and P for heterogeneity was 0.06 (as shown in its forest plot).
Soil Water Movement to Germinating Seeds

Water movement to germinating seeds of several range plants was measured with a gamma ray attenuation technique. Seeds were placed at a depth of 1-5 cm in soil at several water contents and the soil water content of thin (3 mm) layers above and below the seeds was measured daily. It was found that the distance from which water was taken up by the seeds did not exceed 1 cm and was not affected by soil water content. Germination was found to be dependent on seed water uptake, which was determined by soil water content. The rate of seedling root growth was not affected by initial soil water content, but shoot growth was strongly affected. Solutions of the water flow equation were applied to the case of spheric geometry and infinite medium and to the case of linear flow and semi-infinite medium, in order to calculate water movement to a germinating seed or to a layer of seeds. Both the calculations and the measurements showed that water uptake by a 2-mm-diameter seed from distances exceeding 1 cm was negligible.
THE PATTERN OF MICROTUBULES DURING SPERMATOGENESIS: A COMPARATIVE IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL STUDY ON THE DISTRIBUTION OF TUBULIN

During spermatogenesis, a great number of microtubules temporarily appear around the nucleus of the spermatid at the time the nucleus undergoes transfiguration. Therefore, the transfiguration of the nucleus is considered to be closely related to the distribution of the microtubules.In this paper, the distribution pattern of microtubules in the spermatid of the rodent, which has an asymmetrical fishhook-shaped nucleus, was compared with that of microtubules in the spermatid of the dog, which has the symmetrical ovoid nucleus.The results indicate that the microtubules in rodents were localized only on the concave side of the nucleus, while those in the dog spermatid were distributed evenly on the posterior half of the nucleus.
Chaperone-Mediated Autophagy in the light of evolution: insight from fish.

Chaperone-Mediated-Autophagy (CMA) is a major pathway of lysosomal proteolysis recognized as a key player of the control of numerous cellular functions, and whose defects have been associated with several human pathologies. To date, this cellular function is presumed to be restricted to mammals and birds, due to the absence of an identifiable lysosome-associated membrane protein 2A (LAMP2A), a limiting and essential protein for CMA, in non-tetrapod species. However, the recent identification of expressed sequences displaying high homology with mammalian LAMP2A in several fish species challenges that view and suggests that CMA likely appeared earlier during evolution than initially thought. In the present study, we provide a comprehensive picture of the evolutionary history of the LAMP2 gene in vertebrates and demonstrate that LAMP2 indeed appeared at the root of the vertebrate lineage. Using a fibroblast cell line from medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), we further show that the splice variant lamp2a controls, upon long term starvation, the lysosomal accumulation of a fluorescent reporter commonly used to track CMA in mammalian cells. Finally, to address the physiological role of Lamp2a in fish, we generated knockout medaka for that specific splice variant, and found that these deficient fish exhibit severe alterations in carbohydrate and fat metabolisms, in consistency with existing data in mice deficient for CMA in liver. Altogether, our data provide the first evidence for a CMA-like pathway in fish and bring new perspectives on the use of complementary genetic models, such as zebrafish or medaka, for studying CMA in an evolutionary perspective.
Comprehensive Assessment of Alcohol Consumption in People Living with HIV (PLWH): The New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV Study.

BACKGROUND High frequency of alcohol use among people living with HIV (PLWH) warrants careful assessment and screening to better understand its impact on HIV disease progression and development of comorbidities. Due to the limitations of the tools used to measure alcohol use, the links to health consequences are not fully understood. METHODS We completed a cross-sectional analysis to examine the prevalence of alcohol consumption using multiple alcohol assessment tools and their correlation and consistency in a cohort of PLWH (N = 365) enrolled in the New Orleans Alcohol Use in HIV (NOAH) Study. Alcohol use was assessed with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), timeline followback (TLFB) Calendar, lifetime drinking history, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Severity Index, and blood levels of phosphatidylethanol (PEth). Spearman's correlations were estimated for continuous measures of alcohol consumption; Wilcoxon rank-sum tests were used to compare means; and logistic regression was used to estimate odds of alcohol use by demographic characteristics. RESULTS Self-report of current alcohol use varied from 58.9 to 73.7% depending on the assessment. All the self-reported alcohol measures showed statistically significant correlations with the biological marker PEth. The highest correlation was with TLFB grams (r = 0.67, p < 0.001). Using TLFB, 73.7% of the cohort reported using alcohol in the last 30 days, and 61.6% had a positive PEth value. The prevalence of risky drinkers, meeting the TLFB > 3 (women) or >4 (men) drinks/day or>7 (women) or>14 (men) drinks/week, was 49.0%. Medium-risk drinking defined as an AUDIT score ≥ 8 was reported in 40.3%, and high-risk drinkers/probable AUD (AUDIT score ≥ 16) was met by 17.0% of the cohort. CONCLUSIONS Our results demonstrate the importance of comprehensive assessments for alcohol use, including self-report via multiple assessment tools administered by trained staff, as well as the addition of biomarkers for improved classification of subjects into different drinking categories.
PD-L1 produced by HaCaT cells under polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid stimulation inhibits melanin production by B16F10 cells

Skin forms a physical barrier that protects the body against outside agents. The deepest layer of the skin, the stratum basale, contains two cell types: agent-sensing keratinocytes, and melanin-producing melanocytes. Keratinocytes can sense both harmless commensal organisms and harmful pathogens via Toll-like receptors (TLRs), and keratinocytes subsequently drive immune responses. Activation of TLR3 is required for barrier repair because it stimulates essential genes, including tight junction genes, and inflammatory cytokines. Within the basal layer of the skin, resident melanocytes use their dendritic processes to connect with approximately 30–40 neighboring keratinocytes. Most studies have focused on the transfer of melanin-synthesizing melanosomes from melanocytes to keratinocytes, but the potential regulation of melanogenesis by soluble factor(s) produced by keratinocytes remains to be explored. Studying such regulation in vivo is challenging because of the keratinocyte:melanocyte ratio in the epidermis and the location of the cells within the skin. Therefore, in this study, we investigated whether keratinocytes affected melanocyte melanogenesis in vitro under normal or inflammatory conditions. We found that polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] stimulation induced PD-L1 secretion from HaCaT cells and that poly(I:C)-induced PD-L1 inhibited melanin production by B16F10 cells. These data provide key evidence that keratinocytes can alter melanocyte melanogenesis via the production of soluble factors under inflammatory conditions.
A comparison of different practical indices for assessing carbohydrate quality among carbohydrate-rich processed products in the US

Healthier carbohydrate (carb)-rich foods are essential for health, but practical, validated indices for their identification are not established. We compared four pragmatic metrics, based on, per 10g of carb:(a) ≥1g fiber (10:1 carb:fiber), (b) ≥1g fiber and <1g free sugars (10:1:1 carb:fiber:free sugars), (c) ≥1g fiber and <2g free sugars (10:1:2 carb:fiber:free sugars); and (d) ≥1g fiber and, per each 1 g of fiber, <2g free sugars (10:1 carb:fiber, 1:2 fiber:free sugars; or 10:1|1:2). Using 2013–2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey /Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies, we assessed, overall and for 12 food categories, whether each metric discriminated carb-rich products higher or lower (per 100g) in calories, total fat, saturated fat, protein, sugar, fiber, sodium, potassium, magnesium, folate, and 8 vitamins/minerals. Among 2,208 carb-rich products, more met 10:1 (23.2%) and 10:1|1:2 (21.3%), followed by 10:1:2 (19.2%) and 10:1:1 (16.4%) ratios, with variation by product sub-categories. The 10:1 and 10:1|1:2 ratios similarly identified products with lower calories, fat, free sugars, and sodium; and higher protein, fiber, potassium, magnesium, iron, vitamin B6, vitamin E, zinc and iron. The 10:1:2 and 10:1:1 ratios identified products with even larger differences in calories and free sugars, but smaller differences in other nutrients above and lower folate, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin; the latter findings were attenuated after excluding breakfast cereals (~9% of products). These novel findings inform dietary guidance for consumers, policy, and industry to identify and promote the development of the healthier carb-rich foods.