Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cortical Thickness Mediates the Association Between Self-Reported Pain and Sleep Quality in Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Introduction Musculoskeletal pain is prevalent in older adults representing the leading cause of disability in this population. Similarly, nearly half of older adults complain of difficulty sleeping. We aimed to explore the relationship between sleep quality with self-reported musculoskeletal pain, somatosensory and pain thresholds in community-dwelling older adults and further explore brain regions that may contribute to this association. Methods Older adults (>60 years old, n=69) from the NEPAL study completed demographic, pain and sleep assessments followed by a quantitative sensory testing battery. A subset (n=49) also underwent a 3T high-resolution, T1-weighted anatomical scan. Results Poorer sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was positively associated with self-reported pain measures (all p’s >0.05), but not somatosensory and pain thresholds (all p’s >0.05). Using a non-parametric threshold-free cluster enhancement (TFCE) approach, worse sleep quality was significantly associated with lower cortical thickness in the precentral, postcentral, precuneus, superior parietal, and lateral occipital regions (TFCE-FWE-corrected at p < 0.05). Further, only postcentral cortical thickness significantly mediated the association between sleep quality and self-reported pain intensity using bootstrapped mediation methods. Conclusion Our findings in older adults are similar to previous studies in younger individuals where sleep is significantly associated with self-reported pain. Specifically, our study implicates brain structure as a significant mediator of this association in aging. Future larger studies are needed to replicate our findings and to further understand if the brain can be a therapeutic target for both improved sleep and pain relief in older individuals.
Rooting herbaceous cuttings of Genista monosperma Lam.: Seasonal fluctuations in phenols affecting rooting ability

Genista monosperma Lam. can be propagated by herbaceous cuttings, but seasonal fluctuations in rooting ability can be observed. These appear to be correlated with the ratio of two main endogenous phenols, 3-hydroxymandelic acid and luteolin-7-O-glucoside, accumulating in the tissues, the first acting as an inhibitor and the second as a promoter of adventive rhizogenesis. Their biological activity has been tested and evaluated on G. monosperma in vitro micropropagated explants. The inhibitory effect on rooting of 3-hydroxymandelic acid accumulation in cutting basal tissues can be lessened by a soaking treatment with distilled water, applied to the basal part of the cuttings before planting in rooting benches.
SCREENING CASUARINA EQUISETIFOLIA PROVENANCES AGAINST THE BARK CATERPILLAR, INDARBELA QUADRINOTATA AND POSSIBLE BIOCHEMICAL FACTORS DETERMINING RESISTANCE

species are reported to be associated with Casuarina equisetifolia in India and among them the bark caterpillar, Indarbela quadrinotata is considered as the key pest in Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry. In order to determine the seed sources resistant to the bark caterpillar, screening was carried out at the International Provenance Trial of C.equisetifolia established at Pondicherry with 35 seed sources from various parts of the world. It was found that two seed sources were not infested by the pest throughout the study period from 1997 till 2003. Other seed sources were found to have low, moderate or high susceptibility. Studies on the bark chemistry showed that infestation was negatively correlated with tannin contents. The seed sources, which are unattacked or exhibiting low susceptibility may be useful for planting in bark caterpillar epidemic locations as well as for breeding programme to develop bark caterpillar resistant varieties of Casuarina. Lebih daripada 60 spesies serangga dikaitkan dengan Casuarina equisetifolia di India. Antara species ini, Indarbela quadrinotata dianggap sebagai serangga perosak utama C. equisetifolia di Tamil Nadu dan Pondicherry. Untuk menentukan sumber bijih benih yang tahan terhadap ulat bulu kulit kayu, penapisan 35 sumber biji benih daripada berbagai-bagai bahagian dunia dijalankan di Ujian Provenans Antarabangsa C. equisetifolia di Pondicherry. Dua sumber biji benih didapati bebas daripada serangan ulat bulu sepanjang tempoh kajian dari 1997 hingga 2003. Sumber biji benih yang lain mempunyai ketahanan rendah, sederhana dan tinggi. Kajian ke atas kandungan kimia kulit kayu menunjukkan yang kulit kayu yang diserang berkorelasi secara negatif
ICU Recovery Clinic Attendance, Attrition, and Patient Outcomes: The Impact of Severity of Illness, Gender, and Rurality

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Objectives: The primary purpose is to characterize patients attending ICU recovery clinic and then describe their trajectory of cognitive and emotional health in 1 year. Design: Retrospective observational study to assess attendance, attrition, and patient outcomes. Setting: ICU Recovery Clinic. Patients: Adult patients recently admitted to ICU for sepsis or acute respiratory failure and who were referred to clinic. Interventions: None. Measurements and Main Results: Thirty-eight patients (63%) attended ICU recovery clinic with a mean age of 53.2 ± 16 years (range, 20–82 yr), 42% female and mean Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores at an ICU admission of 9.4 ± 2.9 participated in outcomes. Twelve patients (32%) were lost to follow up and 12 patients (32%) were transferred to different providers before the end of 1 year. Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores were negatively associated with health-related quality of life at baseline (r = –0.41; p = 0.033; n = 28) and short term (r = –0.40; p = 0.037; n = 27). Male patients had higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment scores (mean difference = 2.4; t = 2.779; p = 0.008) and longer hospital length of stay (mean difference = 9.3; t = 2.27; p = 0.029). Female patients had higher scores on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (mean difference = 7.2; t = 2.74; p = 0.01) and Impact of Events Scale-Revised (mean difference = 18.9; t = 2.74; p = 0.011) at the initial follow-up visit. Patients never attending clinic were more likely to live further away, have a tracheotomy, and spent longer time in the ICU. Conclusions: Attendance and attrition in ICU recovery clinic are related to patient factors (living in rural area) and ICU factors. Data suggest different recovery trajectories exist based on gender, severity of illness, and self-reported outcomes.
Experience of Polish Patients with Obesity in Contacts with Medical Professionals

Purpose Discrimination and stigmatization of patients with obesity are a commonly occurring social problem. The purpose of our research was to analyze the scale of the experience including medical staff’s improper behaviours towards patients with obesity in Poland. Patients and Methods In a completed national study, we studied the statements of 621 adult patients who suffer from obesity. An original closed question survey was used as a tool to collect the data. Patients were informed about the possibility to participate in the study through social media, medical institutions and patient foundations. Results As many as 82.6% have experienced improper behaviours. Usually, it came from doctors (90%), nurses and midwives (51%), people who operated medical equipment (24%), nutritionists (14%) and paramedics (9%). Exactly 81% of the respondents pointed to unpleasant and judgmental comments as the most frequent form of improper behaviour which they have encountered mainly during diagnostic tests, palpation or procedures. Conclusion There is an urgent need for developing national strategies connected with care for individuals with higher body weight. Introducing dedicated solutions in this field may contribute to increasing the quality of health care and reducing stigmatizing behaviours.
In vivo Glioblastoma Therapy Using Targeted Liposomal Cisplatin

Background Drug delivery systems have demonstrated promising results to cross blood–brain barrier (BBB) and deliver the loaded therapeutics to the brain tumor. This study aims to utilize the transferrin receptor (TR)-targeted liposomal cisplatin (Cispt) for transporting Cispt across the BBB and deliver Cispt to the brain tumor. Methods Targeted pegylated liposomal cisplatin (TPL-Cispt) was synthesized using reverse phase evaporation method and thiolated OX26 monoclonal antibody. The formulation was characterized in terms of size, size distribution, zeta potential, drug encapsulation and loading efficiencies, bioactivity, drug release profile, stability and cellular uptake using dynamic light scattering, flame atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), ELISA, dialysis membrane, and ﬂuorescence assay. Next, the potency of the formulation to increase the therapeutic effects of Cispt and decrease its toxicity effects was evaluated in the brain tumor-bearing rats through measuring the mean survival time (MST), blood factors and histopathological studies. Results The results showed that TPL-Cispt with a size of 157±8 nm and drug encapsulation efficiency of 24%±1.22 was synthesized, that was biologically active and released Cispt in a slow-controlled manner. The formulation compared to Cispt-loaded PEGylated liposome nanoparticles (PL-Cispt) caused an increase in the cellular uptake by 1.43-fold, as well as an increase in the MST of the brain tumor-bearing rats by 1.7-fold compared to the PL-Cispt (P<0.001). TPL-Cispt was potent enough to cause a significant decrease in Cispt toxicity effects (P<0.001). Conclusion Overall, the results suggest that targeting the Cispt-loaded PEGylated liposome is a promising approach to develop formulation with enhanced efficacy and reduced toxicity for the treatment of brain tumor.
The Perspective of Diagnostic and Prognostic Values of Lipoxygenases mRNA Expression in Colon Adenocarcinoma

Background This study was mainly to explore and study the potential application of lipoxygenases (ALOX) family genes in the diagnostic and prognostic values of colon adenocarcinoma (COAD). Methods Data sets related to the ALOX genes of COAD were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and the University of California, Santa Cruz Xena browser. Then, the relevant biological information was downloaded from the public data platform. Finally, the bioinformatics technologies and clinical verification were employed to comprehensively analyze the potential values of ALOX genes. Results The Pearson correlation analysis indicated that there were correlations among ALOXE3, ALOX5, ALOX12, and ALOX12B. The diagnostic receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves suggested that ALOXE3 and ALOX12 had significant diagnosis in COAD: ALOXE3; P<0.001, area under curve (AUC) 95%CI:=0.818 (0.773–0.862) and ALOX12; P<0.001, AUC 95%CI=0.774 (0.682–0.807). Besides, the verification study indicated that ALOX12 had a diagnostic value in COAD. Finally, our multivariate survival analysis and comprehensive prognosis of ALOX genes in COAD suggested that the ALOXE3 and ALOX12 were associated with COAD overall survival: ALOXE3; P=0.025, HR 95%CI=1.765 (1.074–2.901), ALOX12; P=0.046, HR 95%CI=1.680 (1.009–2.796), and the low expression of ALOXE3 and ALOX12 had a favorable prognosis of COAD (all P<0.05); on the contrary, the high regulation of them increased the risk of death. Conclusion In our study, we observed that the mRNA expressions of ALOX genes were associated with the diagnosis and prognosis of COAD. The results of the diagnostic analysis suggested that ALOX12 might have a diagnosis value in COAD. Besides, our comprehensive prognosis analysis indicated that ALOXE3 combined ALOX12 might serve as potential prognosis biomarkers for COAD.
Long Noncoding RNA EBLN3P Promotes the Progression of Liver Cancer via Alteration of microRNA-144-3p/DOCK4 Signal

Background Therapy for patients with liver cancer in the advanced stage remains a great challenge, and there are very few approved treatments. Although accumulated evidence demonstrates the importance of lncRNAs in liver cancer, data on the functional roles and molecular mechanisms of endogenous bornavirus-like nucleoprotein (EBLN3P) have been rarely reported. Materials and Methods The bioinformatics prediction software ENCORI was used to predict the putative binding sites of EBLN3P. The regulatory roles of EBLN3P and miR-144-3p in cell proliferation, migration and invasion ability were verified by the Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing and Transwell assays, respectively. The interactions among EBLN3P, miR-144-3p and DOCK4 were explored by a luciferase assay and Western blotting. The expression of EBLN3P and microRNA (miR)-144-3p in liver cancer tissues was quantified by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR, and the expression of dedicator of cytokinesis 4 (DOCK4) was quantified by immunohistochemical analysis. Results The present results revealed that overexpression of EBLN3P or knockdown of miR-144-3p promoted liver cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Bioinformatics analysis and a luciferase assay demonstrated that EBLN3P directly interacts with miR-144-3p to attenuate miR-144-3p binding to the 3ʹ-untranslated region of DOCK4. Furthermore, the mechanistic investigations showing that the miR-144-3p/DOCK4 regulatory loop was activated by knockdown of miR‐144-3p or overexpression of DOCK4 validate the roles of EBLN3P in promoting liver cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion in vitro. Elevated levels of EBLN3P and DOCK4 and decreased miR-144-3p expression were observed in both liver cancer tissues and cell lines. Conclusion The present study is the first to demonstrate that EBLN3P may act as a ceRNA to modulate DOCK4 expression by competitively sponging miR-144-3p, leading to the regulation of liver cancer progression, which provides new insights for liver cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Assessing sleep, travelling habits and jet lag in kite surfers according to competition level

Abstract This study evaluated sleep duration, travelling habits and jet lag effects in kite surfers according to their competition level. Ninety-four male kite surfers (34.3 ± 8.8 years) were evaluated through an online questionnaire in order to collect information on training volume, clinical history, anthropometric profile, sleep habits, fluid and fruit intake and jet lag effects on athletic performance. Mean sleep duration was 07 h 19 min ± 01 h 12 min on weekdays with 82.3% sleeping less than 8 h/night. Sleep duration was less on weekdays (p = 0.002) and weekends (p = 0.011) in kite surfers‘ squad members (SM) compared to no squad members (NoSM). Greater jet lag symptoms were reported following west-to-east flights. Kite surfers with SM arrived earlier at the competition destination (p = 0.019), were more likely to implement strategies to minimize travel effects (p = 0.003), but reported more symptoms of jet lag than did NoSM (p = 0.041). Travel effects were positively correlated with the distance travelled and negatively correlated with sleep duration on weekdays and water intake during travel to an international kite surfing competition. Jet lag negatively influenced kite surfers’ athletic performance with greater symptoms following west-to-east travel in both SM and NoSM.
Grade C molar-incisor pattern periodontitis subgingival microbial profile before and after treatment

ABSTRACT Aim: This study evaluated the influence of periodontal therapy on the microbiological profile of individuals with Grade C Molar-Incisor Pattern Periodontitis (C/MIP). Methods: Fifty-three African-American participants between the ages of 5–25, diagnosed with C/MIP were included. Patients underwent full mouth mechanical debridement with systemic antibiotics (metronidazole 250 mg + amoxicillin 500 mg, tid, 7 days). Subgingival samples were collected from a diseased and a healthy site from each individual prior to treatment and at 3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after therapy from the same sites. Samples were subjected to a 16S rRNA gene based-microarray. Results: Treatment was effective in reducing the main clinical parameters of disease. Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (A.a.) was the strongest species associated with diseased sites. Other species associated with diseased sites were Treponema lecithinolyticum and Tannerella forsythia. Species associated with healthy sites were Rothia dentocariosa/mucilaginosa, Eubacterium yurii, Parvimonas micra, Veillonella spp. , Selenomonas spp. , and Streptococcus spp. Overall, treatment was effective in strongly reducing A.a. and other key pathogens, as well as increasing health-associated species. These changes were maintained for at least 6 months. Conclusions:Treatment reduced putative disease-associated species, particularly A.a. , and shifted the microbial profile to more closely resemble a healthy-site profile. (Clinicaltrials.gov registration #NCT01330719).
Deciphering Age Differences in Experience-Based Decision-Making: The Role of Sleep

Objective Recent studies have demonstrated that sleep not only facilitates memory consolidation but also benefits more complex cognitive skills such as decision-making in young adults. Older adults use different decision strategies compared with young adults, which leaves the role of sleep in older adults’ decision-making unclear. We investigated the age-by-sleep effect on decision-making. Methods We recruited 67 young adults (ages 18 to 29 years) and 66 older adults (ages 60 to 79 years) and randomly assigned them into the “sleep” or “wake” study condition. They were given a modified Iowa gambling task to perform before and after a 12-hour interval with sleep or wakefulness. Results Using the typical model-free analysis, we found that young adults’ between-session performance improved greater than that of older adults regardless of the sleep/wake condition. Furthermore, older adults with longer total sleep time showed a greater improvement in the selection of one “good” deck. To further examine the sleep effect on age-related differences in cognitive processes underlying decision-making, we conducted computational modelling. This more fine-grained analysis revealed that sleep improved feedback sensitivity for both young and older adults while it increased loss aversion for older adults but not for young adults. Conclusion These findings indicate that sleep promotes learning-based decision-making performance via facilitating value representation, and such modulation is distinct in young compared to older adults.
Application and Prospects of Molecular Imaging in Immunotherapy

Abstract Recently, immunotherapies that target the interactions of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) with its major ligands, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) and programmed death ligand 2 (PD-L2), have achieved significant success. To date, several immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway have been developed to treat melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, head and neck cancer, renal cell carcinoma, and urothelial carcinoma. Despite promising outcomes with immunotherapy, there are many limitations to several current immune biomarkers for predicting immune benefits and to traditional imaging for evaluating the efficacy and prognosis of immunotherapy and monitoring adverse reactions. In this review, we recommend a novel imaging method, molecular imaging. This paper reviews the application and prospects of molecular imaging in the context of current immunotherapies in regard to the following aspects: 1) detecting the expression of PD-1/PD-L1; 2) evaluating the efficacy of immunotherapy; 3) assessing patient prognosis with immunotherapy; 4) monitoring the toxicity of immunotherapy; and 5) other targets imaging.
Tachyzoites of Toxoplasma gondii enhance the cytotoxicity of Etoposide (VP-16) to mouse colon cancer cell ct26 in vitro.

The urose of this study was to investigate the changes of cell cycle of mouse colon cancer cell ct26 infected with Toxolasma gondii(T.gondii) RH strain tachyzoites and test the synergistic action of T.gondii tachyzoites with cell cycle secific anticancerogen Etooside(V-16) for enhancing cytotoxicity to cancer cell ct26.The co-culture models of ct26 cells with different tachyzoites numbers of T.gondii RH strain(the roortions were 2∶1,4:1,8∶1 and 16∶1,resectively) were established,and the changes of cell cycle of ct26 cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.The ct26 cells(1×106/mL) infected with T.gondii tachyzoites(2×106/mL) had been cultured for 24 hours before being treated with different concentrations of V-16,then the growth inhibition rates of ct26 cells were tested by the CCK-8 stain method.The tachyzoites infected ct26 cells treated with 40μg/mL V-16 were stained with Hochest 33258,then their morhological changes were observed by fluorescence microscoy.The inhibition rates of roliferation of T.gondii tachyzoites treated with different concentrations of V-16 for different hours(2h,4h,12h and 24h resectively) were evaluated by tryan-blue exclusion method.The DNA changes of T.gondii tachyzoites treated with V-16(20μg/mL) were detected by agarose electrohoresis.Results showed that the different concentrations of T.gondii tachyzoites could change the cell cycle of ct26.And comared with the control grou,the ercentage of G0/Gl hase of the ct26 cells was decreased and that of G2/M cells was increased significantly in the grous infected with T.gondii(0.01). The ct26 cells(1×106/mL) infected with tachyzoites(2×106/mL) for 24 hours could make the ercentage of S and G2/M hase of the cells increased by 14.92%,and could enhance cytotoxicity of different concentrations of V-16 to the cancer cells.The arasitism of T.gondii tachyzoites in ct26 cells was observed under fluorescence microscoe,and the aotosis of ct26 cell and tachyzoites treated with V-16 were obvious.All T.gondii tachyzoites in the trial grous were stained by tryan-blue after they had been treated with more than 10μg/mL V-16 for 4 hours.DNA fragments of the tachyzoites treated with V-16(20μg/mL) were revealed by the agarose electrohoresis.It's suggested that T.gondii tachyzoites could induce the cell cycle of mouse colon cancer cells ct26 to the G2/M hase,and enhance cytotoxicity of V-16 to the cancer cells.And V-16 could also inhibit the roliferation of T.gondii tachyzoites in vitro and induces their aotosis.