Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of the Time to First Cigarette and the Prevalence of Chronic Respiratory Diseases in Chinese Elderly Population

Background Increasing number of studies have suggested the time to first cigarette after waking (TTFC) have significant positive effect on respiratory diseases. However, few of them focused on the Chinese population. This study aims to estimate the impact of TTFC on the prevalence of chronic respiratory diseases (CRD) in Chinese elderly and explore the association in different sub-populations. Methods Cross-sectional data of demographic characteristics, living environment, smoking-related variables, and CRD were drawn from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey in 2018. Multivariate stepwise logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of the TTFC with the prevalence of CRD. Results This study includes 13,208 subjects aged 52 years and older, with a mean age of 85.3 years. Of them, 3,779 participants were ex- or current smokers (44.9% had the TTFC ≤30 minutes, 55.1% >30 minutes) and 1,492 had suffered from CRD. Compared with non-smokers, participants with TTFC ≤30 minutes seemed to have higher prevalence of CRD (OR 1.97; 95% CI, 1.65–2.35) than those with TTFC >30 minutes (OR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.44–2.00), although the difference was statistically insignificant (Pinteraction = 0.12). Compared with TTFC >30 minutes, TTFC ≤30 minutes could drive a higher prevalence of CRD among female participants, those aged 90 years and older, urban residents, and ex-smokers (Pinteraction < 0.05). Conclusion Shorter TTFC relates to higher prevalences of CRD in Chinese older females, those aged 90 years and older, urban residents, and ex-smokers. Delaying TTFC might partially reduce its detrimental impact on respiratory disease in these specific subpopulations.
Sensitivity of Amphibians to Copper

Amphibian populations are declining globally. Major drivers of these global declines are known. However, the contribution of these major drivers to population declines varies by the presence or absence and the interactive effect of drivers, thus creating local challenges for conservation of populations. Studies have determined that environmental contaminants contribute to amphibian population declines. However, there is a disagreement over the use of amphibians as sentinel species in ecotoxicological testing rather than the traditional taxa used, fish and invertebrates. Reviews of ecotoxicological studies have demonstrated that amphibians are generally less sensitive than fish and invertebrates to different groups of contaminants. Nonetheless, because of the distinct nature and mechanism of toxicity of various contaminants, it is necessary to study contaminants individually to be able to come to any conclusion on the relative sensitivity of amphibians. Copper is one of the most studied environmental contaminants. We conducted a literature review of Cu toxicity to amphibians and the relative sensitivity of amphibians to other aquatic animals. The available data suggest that although amphibians may be tolerant of acute Cu exposure, they are relatively sensitive to chronic exposure (i.e., 100‐fold greater sensitivity to chronic compared to acute exposure). In addition, ecologically relevant endpoints specific to amphibians (e.g., duration of metamorphosis and behavior) are shown to provide a better understanding of their sensitivity compared to traditional endpoints (e.g., survival and growth). Our current knowledge on amphibian sensitivity is far from complete. Considering the current status of this globally threatened class of animals, it is necessary to fill the knowledge gaps regarding their sensitivity to individual contaminants, beginning with Cu. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:1808–1819. © 2021 SETAC
Attention selectively enhances stimulus information for surround over foveal stimulus representations in occipital cortex

By attending to part of a visual scene, we can prioritize processing of the most relevant visual information and so use our limited resources effectively. Previous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) work has shown that attention can increase overall blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal responsiveness but also enhances the stimulus information in terms of classifier performance. Here, we investigate how these effects vary across the visual field. We compare attention-enhanced fMRI–BOLD amplitude responses and classifier accuracy in fovea and surrounding stimulus regions using a set of four simple stimuli subdivided into a foveal region (1.4° diameter) and a surround region (15° diameter). We found dissociations between the effects of attention on average response and in enhancing stimulus information. In early visual cortex, we found that attention increased the amplitude of responses to both foveal and surround parts of the stimuli and increased classifier performance only for the surround stimulus. Conversely, ventral visual areas showed less change in average response but greater changes in decoding. Unlike for early visual cortex, in the ventral visual cortex attention produced similar changes in decoding for center and surround stimuli.
Surface-energy-dependent field-effect mobilities up to 1 cm2/V s for polymer thin-film transistor

The field-effect mobility of a liquid-crystalline semiconducting polymer, poly(2,5-bis(3-hexadecylthiophene-2-yl)thieno[3,2-b]thiophene) (PB16TTT), has depended significantly on the surface energies of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed on insulating layers. Using a SAM with fluoroalkyl groups, with a low surface energy of 13.3 mN/m, the mobility of PB16TTT reached as high as 1 cm2/V s. These results indicate that an edge-on orientation of the polymer chains progresses more favorably on the surfaces with low surface energies via the liquid-crystalline phase.
A Parsesciencing Inquiry on Hope

Hope is a universal humanuniverse living experience. The author engaged in the Parsesciencing inquiry as a mode of inquiry unique to the humanbecoming paradigm. The inquiry stance was: What is the discerning extant moment of the universal humanuniverse living experience of hope? Historians were 10 individuals, living in the community, who were age 18 and above. The major discovery of this Parsesciencing inquiry was the discerning extant moment: Hope is envisioning possibilities with contentment, as tenacious forbearance amid the arduous arises with treasured affiliations.
Total Ankle Arthroplasty Radiographic Alignment Comparison Between Patient-Specific Instrumentation and Standard Instrumentation

Background: Several benefits are published supporting patient-specific instrumentation (PSI) in total ankle arthroplasty (TAA). This study seeks to determine if TAA with PSI yields different radiographic outcomes vs standard instrumentation (SI). Methods: Sixty-seven primary TAA patients having surgery using PSI or SI between 2013 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed using weightbearing radiographs at 6-12 weeks postsurgery. Radiographic parameters analyzed were the medial distal tibia angle (MDTA), talar-tilt angle (TTA), anatomic sagittal distal tibia angle (aSDTA), lateral talar station (LTS), and talar component inclination angle (TCI). A comparison of the 2 groups for each radiologic parameter’s distribution was performed using a nonparametric median test and Fisher exact test. Furthermore, TAAs with all radiographic measurements within acceptable limits were classified as “perfectly aligned. ” The rate of “perfectly aligned” TAAs between groups was compared using a Fisher exact test with a significance of . 05. Results: Of the 67 TAAs, 51 were done with PSI and 16 with SI. There were no differences between groups in MDTA (P = .174), TTA (P = .145), aSDTA (P = .98), LTS (P = .922), or TCI angle (P = .98). When the rate of “perfectly aligned TAA” between the 2 groups were compared, there was no significant difference (P = .35). Conclusion: No significant radiographic alignment differences were found between PSI and SI implants. This study showed that both techniques achieve reproducible TAA radiographic coronal and sagittal alignment for the tibial component when performed by experienced surgeons. The talar component’s sagittal alignment is similar whether or not PSI was used but is noticeably different from normal anatomic alignment by design. Level of Evidence: Level III, retrospective cohort study using prospectively collected data.
Isotope effects in FTIR difference spectra of the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving catalytic site determined by ab initio calculations on model compounds

The oxidation of water and the production of O 2 during photosynthesis occur at a manganese-containing catalytic site within photosystem II. A number of questions remain regarding water substrate interactions and the nature of the other ligands to the catalytic site. Through the use of difference spectra, FTIR spectroscopy is being exploited in the mid-IR range to address these questions. Here, we investigate the isotope-induced effects in three regions of the mid-IR range S 2 /S 1 difference spectrum of photosystem II (Noguchi T.; Sugiura, M. Biochemistry 2000, 39, 10943 and Noguchi, T.; Inoue, Y.; Tang, X.-S. Biochemistry 1999, 38, 10187) by ah initio Hartree-Fock and density functional calculations, using the 6-31G(d), 6-31+G(d,p). and 6-311++G-(d,p) bases. The first region contains the OH stretching modes of water. From a determination of the coupling between the two stretching modes and knowledge of the H 2 O/D 2 O isotope-induced shifts, the frequency of the symmetric stretching mode has been determined. It is shown that in the S 2 state, one OH is strongly H-bonded and the other much more weakly, whereas in the S 1 state the H-bonding for both OHs is more similar. The second region involves frequencies of two ring modes near 1100 cm - 1 . Calculations of N-deuteration and 1 5 N isotope-induced shifts both confirm that the histidine interaction with the catalytic site is represented by 5-methylimidazole. The third region investigated spans the frequencies characteristic of the stretching vibrations of the carboxyl group. An apparent deuterium-induced frequency upshift of a band near 1600 cm - 1 , and attributed to the carboxyl group, requires that the two CO bonds of the carboxyl group are similar.
The paradox of the role of resistin in early-onset obesity hypertension: A comparative study among four Chinese adult subgroups

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore the role of resistin in the onset and development of obesity-related hypertension. Methods: Resistin serum levels were tested by ELISA in 153 adult subjects among four characteristic Chinese adult physical examination groups. Waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SB), diastolic blood pressure (DB), and other clinical laboratory data were collected. Following, correlations between research index and differences between groups were analyzed using SPSS. Results: Serum resistin levels statistically significantly negatively correlated with SB, DB and BMI, but statistically significantly positively correlated with serum creatinine (SCR) and serum albumin (ALB), even after adjustment for age and/or gender. The serum level of resistin in the normal healthy subject group (NH) was higher than in other groups. Conclusions: Resistin’s role in the onset of obesity-related hypertension may be more important than what has been previously assumed. More pathway substances in the early onset of obesity-related hypertension should be tested. Abbreviations: WC, waist circumference; GGT, Gamma-glutamyltransferase; ALB, Albumin; ALT, Alanine aminotransferase; LDL, Low density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, Triglyceride; HDLC, High density lipoprotein cholesterol; FA Fructosamine; SCR, serum creatinine; IB, Indirect bilirubin; ALP, Alkaline phosphatase; CB, Conjugated bilirubin; UREA, Urea; Ua, Uric acid; FBG, fasting blood glucose; TC, Total cholesterol; TB, Total bilirubin; TP, Total protein; TC/HDLC, TC/HDLC ratio; SB, systolic blood pressure; DB, diastolic blood pressure
Prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with self-injurious thoughts among people living with HIV presenting for HIV testing in Mozambique

ABSTRACT Self-injurious thoughts have been associated with psychiatric morbidity and suicide. Little is known about psychosocial factors associated with self-injurious thoughts among people newly diagnosed with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa. This study examined whether food insufficiency, mental health symptoms, or social support were associated with recent self-injurious thoughts among people newly diagnosed with HIV in Mozambique. The sample included 2001 PLWH aged ≥ 18 newly diagnosed with HIV at 10 health clinics in Mozambique between April 2013 and June 2015. Data were collected at time of HIV diagnosis. Multivariable logistic regression modeled the association of social support, affective mental health symptom severity, somatic mental health symptom severity, and food insufficiency on recent self-injurious thoughts. Ten percent of respondents reported recent self-injurious thoughts, which was higher among women than men (11% vs 7%). In multivariable analyses, food insufficiency [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 1.7 (95% CI 1.3, 2.2)], and low [aORvs no = 4.8, 95% CI 1.7, 13.4) and moderate/high affective symptom severity [aORvs no = 8.7, 95% CI 2.8, 27.6) were associated with greater odds of self-injurious thoughts. Interventions to address self-injurious thoughts should consider accompanying psychosocial stressors. Longitudinal research to examine mechanisms through which psychosocial stressors are associated with self-injurious thoughts is warranted.
Is the association between physical activity and fatigue mediated by physical function or depressive symptoms in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis? The Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study

Objectives: To examine whether physical activity (PA) was associated with fatigue, and quantify the extent of potential mediation through depressive symptoms or physical function (PF) on the relationship between PA and fatigue in symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Method: This longitudinal study used data from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study (n = 484), comprising subjects aged ≥ 50 years. Baseline PA was quantified via an ankle-worn accelerometer. The outcome was fatigue, measured using a 0–10 rating scale at 2 year follow-up. Mediators included gait speed as a measure of PF and depressive symptoms at 2 year follow-up. Mediation analysis was carried out after adjustment for baseline confounders. Stratified analysis by baseline fatigue status [no/low (< 4) and high (≥ 4) fatigue] was performed. Results: A significant direct association was found between PA and fatigue at 2 years [unstandardized coefficient (B) = −0.054; 95% confidence interval (CI) −0.107, −0.002, p = 0.041]. The PA–fatigue relationship was not mediated by gait speed (B = −0.006; 95% CI −0.018, 0.001) or depressive symptoms (B = 0.009; 95% CI 0.009, 0.028). In the subgroup with high baseline fatigue, direct associations were found between PA and fatigue (gait speed model:, B = −0.107; 95% CI −0.212, −0.002, p = 0.046; depressive symptoms model: B = −0.110; 95% CI −0.120, −0.020, p = 0.017); but in the no/low baseline fatigue group, no significant association was found between PA and fatigue. Conclusion: In the symptomatic KOA population, higher baseline PA was directly associated with reduced fatigue 2 years later, especially in those with high baseline fatigue. However, this relationship was not mediated by depressive symptoms or PF.
Single-molecule insight into stalled replication fork rescue in Escherichia coli

Abstract DNA replication forks stall at least once per cell cycle in Escherichia coli. DNA replication must be restarted if the cell is to survive. Restart is a multi-step process requiring the sequential action of several proteins whose actions are dictated by the nature of the impediment to fork progression. When fork progress is impeded, the sequential actions of SSB, RecG and the RuvABC complex are required for rescue. In contrast, when a template discontinuity results in the forked DNA breaking apart, the actions of the RecBCD pathway enzymes are required to resurrect the fork so that replication can resume. In this review, we focus primarily on the significant insight gained from single-molecule studies of individual proteins, protein complexes, and also, partially reconstituted regression and RecBCD pathways. This insight is related to the bulk-phase biochemical data to provide a comprehensive review of each protein or protein complex as it relates to stalled DNA replication fork rescue.
Considerations for toxicity experiments and risk assessments with PFAS mixtures

Per‐ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been around for decades and have been the subject of laboratory and field research studies for nearly as long. Although attention to PFAS has grown in recent years, many unanswered questions remain. Accordingly, the number of research projects designed to improve our understanding of PFAS toxicity, bioaccumulation, and biomagnification, and to improve our ability to predict the interactions of PFAS mixtures, is also increasing. The growing number of ongoing and future research projects focusing on these chemicals will benefit from lessons learned in previous studies. This perspectives article discusses available approaches to mixture risk assessment with specific focus on application to PFAS mixtures. We discuss ongoing research as well as lessons learned from approaches to handling mixtures of other groups of chemicals. Many of these approaches require some detailed understanding of a manageable number of representative chemicals, yet only limited toxicological data are available for most PFAS. With the limited amount of published data currently available, the need for single‐chemical and binary‐mixture studies persists. Based on our previous work with single‐chemical exposures for understudied PFAS, we explored some of the challenges of trying to design and interpret an aquatic concentration–response experiment for a binary mixture of two commonly detected PFAS: perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid (PFHxS). Based on our findings, we propose that addressing risk from PFAS mixtures will likely require combinations of approaches incorporating findings from traditional whole‐organism toxicity studies and novel methods relying on in vitro assays, read‐across, or quantitative structure activity relationships. Complicating a limited understanding of PFAS mixture toxicity is that relative concentrations of PFAS mixtures vary across sites and time, even at one site. Thus, reliance on empirical data, such as site‐specific toxicity sampling or community structure studies, may be needed to fully understand potential impacts of mixtures. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:697–704. © 2021 SETAC
High‐fat diet exacerbates lead‐induced blood–brain barrier disruption by disrupting tight junction integrity

Environmental exposure to lead (Pb) can damage to the central nervous system (CNS) in humans. High‐fat diet (HFD) also has been suggested to impair neurocognitive function. Blood–brain barrier (BBB) is a rigorous permeability barrier for maintaining homeostasis of CNS. The damage of BBB caused by tight junctions (TJs) disruption is central to the etiology of various CNS disorders. This study aimed to investigate whether HFD could exacerbate Pb exposure induced the destruction of BBB integrity by TJs disruption. To this end, we measured cell viability assay, trans‐endothelial electrical resistance assay, horseradish peroxidase flux measurement, Western blot analysis, and immunofluorescence experiments. The results showed that palmitic acid (PA), the most common saturated fatty acid found in the human body, can increase the permeability of the BBB in vitro which formed in bEnd.3 cells induced by Pb exposure, and decrease the expression of TJs, such as zonula occludins‐1 (ZO‐1) and occludin. Besides, we found that PA could promote the up‐regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9 expression and activate the c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase (JNK) pathway induced by Pb. MMP‐9 inhibitor or JNK inhibitor could increase BBB integrity and up‐regulate the expressions of ZO‐1 and occludin after treatment, respectively. Moreover, the JNK inhibitor could down‐regulate the expression of MMP‐9. In conclusion, these results suggested that HFD exacerbates Pb‐induced BBB disruption by disrupting TJs integrity. This may be because PA promotes the activation of JNK pathway and then up‐regulated the expression of MMP‐9 after Pb‐exposure. It is suggested that people with HFD exposed to environmental Pb may cause more serious damage to the CNS.
Pathogen reduction of whole blood: Supplementing fibrinogen partly corrects clot formation in a massive transfusion model

The use of whole blood (WB) to treat trauma patients is becoming more common. Similar to the treatment of individual components, pathogen inactivation (PI) technologies are available to treat WB. The impact of PI on WB function is not well understood. This study investigated the impact of PI of WB with riboflavin/ultraviolet (UV) light on its hemostatic function by modeling transfusion scenarios for trauma patients and assessing transfusion efficacy by rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM). As fibrinogen is affected by PI of WB, the effect of fibrinogen supplementation commonly used in trauma patients was also analyzed in this model.
Frequent Marijuana or Alcohol Use in Low-Income Emerging Adults: Impact of Adverse Life Experiences

Abstract Background The transition to adulthood may be especially difficult for those who use drugs and alcohol regularly. While research clearly links adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) with later substance use, many studies have explored only a limited range of ACEs, and have focused on the number instead of specific types of ACE. Objectives: The current study examined the role of ACEs on the likelihood of frequent marijuana and alcohol use among a community sample of emerging adults (N = 185). This research builds on and extends previous work by focusing on a low-income sample, examining specific types of ACEs, and expanding categories to include some less studied ACEs. Logistic regression models examined the relationships between ACEs and frequent alcohol or marijuana use. Results: The emerging adults in the current sample experienced many ACEs in childhood, and roughly a third reported frequent (defined as using once a week or more for the past 90 days) alcohol or marijuana use. ACEs associated with both frequent marijuana and alcohol use were time spent in foster care, childhood emotional abuse, and having a close family member or friend who died violently. Alcohol use was further predicted by childhood sexual abuse and witnessing a serious injury or death, while marijuana use was further predicted by childhood physical abuse. Conclusions: Findings highlight the importance of thoroughly assessing for ACEs when addressing substance use issues in young adults. The negative impact of being in foster care may be overlooked as a trauma beyond the experiences that contributed to entering care.
Trading off spatio‐temporal properties in 3D high‐speed fMRI using interleaved stack‐of‐spirals trajectories

Highly undersampled acquisitions have been proposed to push the limits of temporal resolution in functional MRI. This contribution is aimed at identifying parameter sets that let the user trade‐off between ultra‐high temporal resolution and spatial signal quality by varying the sampling densities. The proposed method maintains the synergies of a temporal resolution that enables direct filtering of physiological artifacts for highest statistical power, and 3D read‐outs with optimal use of encoding capabilities of multi‐coil arrays for efficient sampling and high signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR).