Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutritional status at age 1 year in patients born with esophageal atresia: A population-based, prospective cohort study

Objective Despite recent progress in caring for patients born with esophageal atresia (EA), undernutrition and stunting remain common. Our study objective was to assess nutritional status in the first year after birth with EA and to identify factors associated with growth failure. Study design We conducted a population-based study of all infants born in France with EA between 2010 and 2016. Through the national EA register, we collected prenatal to 1 year follow-up data. We used body mass index and length-for-age ratio Z scores to define patients who were undernourished and stunted, respectively. Factors with P < 0.20 in univariate analyses were retained in a logistic regression model. Results Among 1,154 patients born with EA, body mass index and length-for-age ratio Z scores at 1 year were available for about 61%. Among these, 15.2% were undernourished and 19% were stunted at the age of 1 year. There was no significant catch-up between ages 6 months and 1 year. Patients born preterm (41%), small for gestational age (17%), or with associated abnormalities (55%) were at higher risk of undernutrition and stunting at age 1 year (P < 0.05). Neither EA type nor surgical treatment was associated with growth failure. Conclusion Undernutrition and stunting are common during the first year after birth in patients born with EA. These outcomes are significantly influenced by early factors, regardless of EA type or surgical management. Identifying high-risk patient groups with EA (i.e., those born preterm, small for gestational age, and/or with associated abnormalities) may guide early nutritional support strategies.
Studies on the fitness characteristics of wMel- and wAlbB-introgressed Aedes aegypti (Pud) lines in comparison with wMel- and wAlbB-transinfected Aedes aegypti (Aus) and wild-type Aedes aegypti (Pud) lines

Wolbachia, an intracellular maternally transmitted endosymbiont, has been shown to interfere with the replication of dengue virus in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. The Wolbachia-transinfected Ae. aegypti has been currently released in many countries to test its effectiveness in preventing the transmission of dengue virus. ICMR-Vector Control Research Centre in collaboration with World Mosquito Program Monash University, Australia, has generated two new Wolbachia-introgressed Ae. aegypti Puducherry (Pud) lines via backcrossing Ae. aegypti females of Australian (Aus) strains, infected with wMel and wAlbB Wolbachia with wild-type Ae. aegypti Puducherry (Pud) males. Wolbachia infections are known to induce a fitness cost and confer benefit on the host mosquito populations that will influence spread of the Wolbachia into native wild mosquito populations during the field release. Hence, the induced fitness cost or benefit/advantage in the two newly generated Ae. aegypti (Pud) lines was assessed in the laboratory in comparison with the wild-type Ae. aegypti (Pud) strain. In addition, maternal transmission (MT) efficiency, induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), and insecticide resistance status of the two (Pud) lines were determined to assess the likely frequency of wMel and wAlbB infections in the native wild population after field invasion. The study shows that wMel and wAlbB infections did not induce any fitness cost on the two newly generated (Pud) lines. Rather, in terms of wing length, fecundity, egg hatch rate, and adult survival, the Wolbachia introgression conferred fitness benefits on the (Pud) lines compared to uninfected Wolbachia free wild Ae. aegypti population. wMel and wAlbB exhibited a high maternal transmission (99–100%) and induced nearly complete (98–100%) cytoplasmic incompatibility. Both the (Pud) lines were resistant to deltamethrin, malathion, DDT, and temephos, and the level of resistance was almost the same between the two lines as in the wild type. Overall, the stable association of wMel and wAlbB established with Ae. aegypti and the reproductive advantages of the (Pud) lines encourage a pilot release in the field for population replacement potential.
Adeno-associated virus-mediated expression of activated factor V (FVa) for hemophilia phenotypic correction

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy has been successfully applied in hemophilia patients excluding patients with inhibitors. During the coagulation pathway, activated factor V (FVa) functions downstream as a cofactor of activated factor X (FXa) to amplify thrombin generation. We hypothesize that the expression of FVa via gene therapy can improve hemostasis of both factor IX and FVIII deficiencies, regardless of clotting factor inhibitor. A human FVa (hFVa) expression cassette was constructed, and AAV8 vectors encoding hFVa (AAV8/TTR-hFVa) were intravenously administrated into mice with hemophilia A and B with or without FVIII inhibitors. Hemostasis, including hFVa level, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), tail clip, and the saphenous vein bleeding assay (SVBA), was evaluated. In hemophilia B mice, a dose of 4 × 1013 vg/kg AAV8/TTR-hFVa vectors achieved a complete phenotypic correction over 28 weeks. In hemophilia A mice, hemostasis improvement was also achieved, regardless of FVIII inhibitor development. In vivo hemostasis efficacy was confirmed by tail clip and SVBA. Interestingly, while minimal shortening of aPTT was observed at a lower dose of AAV8 vectors, hemostasis improvement was still achieved via in vivo bleeding assays. Collectively, FVa-based AAV gene therapy shows promise for hemostasis correction in hemophilia, regardless of inhibitor development and no potential risk for thrombosis.
Comprehensive analysis to identify the neurotransmitter receptor-related genes as prognostic and therapeutic biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly heterogeneous disease with high morbidity and mortality, which accounts for the fourth most common cause of cancer-related deaths. Reports suggest that the neurotransmitter receptor-related genes (NRGs) may influence the tumor microenvironment and the prognosis of patients with HCC. Methods: The clinical information and RNA-seq data of patients with HCC were acquired from the ICGC-LIRI-JP dataset and the TCGA-LIHC dataset. Effects of 115 NRGs on the prognosis of HCC patients were analyzed in the ICGC-LIRI-JP dataset. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model was utilized to generate a risk score formula based on the critical NRGs. Next, the risk score effectiveness was validated both in the TCGA-LIHC dataset and in our clinical HCC samples. Based on the risk scores, patients with HCC were divided into two groups. Moreover, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened. The gene ontology (GO) was used to analyze the functional enrichments of DEGs and to identify potential signaling pathways. To test the diagnostic effectiveness of our model, the receiver operator characteristic curve (ROC) analysis and nomogram were used. Finally, potential targeted drug prediction was performed based on DEGs of nine clinical HCC samples. Results: Nine NRGs were correlated significantly with the prognosis of patients with HCC, and eight NRGs were successfully included in the LASSO regression model. The Kaplan-Meier analysis of overall survival (OS) suggested that patients in the high-risk score group had worse prognosis; on the other hand, ROC analysis revealed a high prognostic value of the risk score in HCC. Several critical signaling pathways, such as lipid metabolism, organic acid metabolism, cell migration, cell adhesion, and immune response, were enriched both in public datasets and clinical samples. Nomogram results also suggested that the risk scores correlated well with the patients’ prognosis. Potential targeted drugs prediction revealed that tubulin inhibitors might be the promising drugs for patients with HCC who have high risk scores based on the NRGs. Conclusion: We established a prognostic model based on critical NRGs. NRGs show a promising prognostic prediction value in HCC and are potential therapeutic targets for the disease treatment.
Is liquid biopsy mature enough for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease?

The preclinical diagnosis and clinical practice for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) based on liquid biopsy have made great progress in recent years. As liquid biopsy is a fast, low-cost, and easy way to get the phase of AD, continual efforts from intense multidisciplinary studies have been made to move the research tools to routine clinical diagnostics. On one hand, technological breakthroughs have brought new detection methods to the outputs of liquid biopsy to stratify AD cases, resulting in higher accuracy and efficiency of diagnosis. On the other hand, diversiform biofluid biomarkers derived from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), blood, urine, Saliva, and exosome were screened out and biologically verified. As a result, more detailed knowledge about the molecular pathogenesis of AD was discovered and elucidated. However, to date, how to weigh the reports derived from liquid biopsy for preclinical AD diagnosis is an ongoing question. In this review, we briefly introduce liquid biopsy and the role it plays in research and clinical practice. Then, we summarize the established fluid-based assays of the current state for AD diagnostic such as ELISA, single-molecule array (Simoa), Immunoprecipitation–Mass Spectrometry (IP–MS), liquid chromatography–MS, immunomagnetic reduction (IMR), multimer detection system (MDS). In addition, we give an updated list of fluid biomarkers in the AD research field. Lastly, the current outstanding challenges and the feasibility to use a stand-alone biomarker in the joint diagnostic strategy are discussed.
The formation of multi-destination image: A study of China’s Greater Bay Area

Many governments promote the concept of multi-destination tourism to attract foreign visitors to stay longer in a region. This study constructs a higher-order multi-destination image model to examine how the unique cognitive images of Hong Kong, Macau, and Guangzhou collectively constitute the overall cognitive image of China’s Greater Bay Area (GBA). Then, it further examines how this overall cognitive image builds affective, overall, and conative images of the GBA. The results of an online survey of non-Chinese tourists from Guinea, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States show that cognitive images of three cities in the GBA take different weighting in constructing the overall cognitive image of the GBA. The overall cognitive destination image significantly influences the formation of the affective, overall, and conative images of the GBA region. For constructing the conative image, the affective image shows the greatest impact, overall cognitive image follows; the impact of the overall image is less. This study proposes theoretical implications for future regional tourism studies. Practical recommendations are also proposed.
Clinical comparative study of glasses-free 3D and 2D thoracoscopic surgery in minimally invasive esophagectomy

Objective To investigate the safety and efficacy of glasses-free three-dimensional (3D) thoracoscopic surgery in minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE). Methods The clinical data of 98 patients, including 81 men and 17 women aged 45–77 years, with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma who underwent minimally invasive thoracoscopic esophagectomy from January 2017 to December 2019 [3 years, with clinical follow-up time: 1 year~4 years (2017.01–2020.12)] were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were divided into two groups according to different surgical methods including a glasses-free 3D thoracoscopic group (G-3D group: 38 patients) and a two-dimesional (2D) thoracoscopic group (2D group: 60 patients). The clinical outcome of the two groups were compared. Results The operation time of the thoracoscopic part in the G-3D group was significantly shorter than that in the 2D group (P<0.05). The total number of lymph node dissection in the G-3D group was more than that in the 2D group (P<0.05). The thoracic indwelling time, postoperative hospital stay, severe pulmonary infection, arrhythmia, anastomotic leakage, chylothorax, and recurrent laryngeal nerve injury were not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05). There was also no significant difference between the two groups on the progression-free survival (P>0.05). Conclusion Glasses-free 3D thoracoscopic surgery for esophageal cancer is a safe and effective surgical procedure. Compared with 2D thoracoscopic MIE, glasses-free 3D thoracoscopic MIE for esophageal cancer has higher safety, more lymph node dissection, and higher operation efficiency through the optimized surgical operations. We believe that glasses-free 3D thoracoscopy for MIE is worthy of clinical promotion.
Latent profiles of sleep quality, financial management behaviors, and sexual satisfaction in emerging adult newlywed couples and longitudinal connections with marital satisfaction

Emerging adult newlywed couples often experience many demands on their time, and three common problems may surface as couples try to balance these demands—problems related to finances, sleep, and sex. We used two waves of dyadic data from 1,001 emerging adult newlywed couples to identify four dyadic latent profiles from husbands’ and wives’ financial management behaviors, sexual satisfaction, and sleep quality: Flounderers, Financially Challenged Lovers, Drowsy Budgeters, and Flourishers. We then examined how husbands’ and wives’ marital satisfaction, in relation to profile membership, varied at a later wave. We found that Financially Challenged Lovers and Flourishers had significantly higher marital satisfaction than Drowsy Budgeters and Flounderers (mostly medium effect sizes). Whereas, Financially Challenged Lovers and Flourishers did not differ in terms of marital satisfaction, Drowsy Budgeters seemed to have slightly higher marital satisfaction than Flounderers for wives only (small effect size). However, we did not find evidence that these connections meaningfully differed by sex. Implications for the efforts of clinicians and educators are discussed.
Congeners-Specific Intestinal Absorption Of Microcystins In An In Vitro 3D Human Intestinal Epithelium: The Role Of Influx/Efflux Transporters

Microcystins constitute a group of over 200 variants and are increasingly considered as emerging toxins in food and feed safety, particularly with regards to sea-food and fish consumption. Toxicity of MCs is congener-specific, being characterised by different acute potencies, likely related to the differential activity of metabolic enzymes and transporters proteins involved in their cellular uptake. However, the active transport of MCs across intestinal membranes has not been fully elucidated. Our results, obtained using a fit for purpose 3D human reconstructed intestinal epithelium, provide new information on the complex mechanisms involved in the absorption of 5 MC variants’: it is indeed characterised by the equilibrium between uptake and extrusion, since the selected congeners are substrates of both influx and efflux proteins. In the range of tested nominal concentrations (10–40 µM) fully representative of relevant exposure scenarios, none of the active tested transporters were saturated. The comparison of permeability (Papp) values of MCs variants highlighted a dose independent relationship for MC-LR, -YR and -RR (Papp x 10–7 ranged from 2.95 to 3.54 cm/s), whereas -LW and–LF showed a dose dependent increase in permeability reaching Papp values which were similar to the other congeners at 40 µM. MC-RR, -LR, -YR show absorption values around 5% of the administered dose. Due to their lipophilicity, MC-LW and -LF were also detected within the cellular compartment. The intestinal uptake was only partially attributable to OATPs, suggesting the involvement of additional transporters. Regarding the efflux proteins, MCs are not P-gp substrates whereas MRP2 and to a lesser extent Breast cancer resistance protein are active in their extrusion. Despite the presence of GST proteins, as an indication of metabolic competence, in the intestinal tissue, MC-conjugates were never detected in our experimental settings.
Prognostic value of 12 m7G methylation-related miRNA markers and their correlation with immune infiltration in breast cancer

RNA guanine-7 methyltransferase (RNMT), in complex with FAM103A1, plays an important role in tumorigenesis and development. The aim of this study was to establish a prognostic model of RNMT and FAM103A1-based upstream microRNAs and explore its correlation with immune cell infiltration in breast cancer (BC) while investigating its potential prognostic value and verify the model by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The miRNA expression data upstream of the m7G methyltransferase complex RNMT/FAM103A1 in BC was obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and TargetScan databases. We performed univariate Cox regression, LASSO regression, Kaplan-Meier survival, and principal component analyses, along with risk prognostic modelling. Based on multivariate Cox regression analysis, a total of 12 m7G methyltransferase-related miRNAs were found. The model showed good accuracy for predicting the 1-, 3-,5-, and 10-year survival rates, and the areas under the curve were almost >0.7. To characterize the risk-level model constructed from 12 miRNAs, 12 differentially expressed mRNAs related to prognosis and immune infiltration were obtained. The prognosis of BC patients is well predicted by the risk model we constructed. This model is also closely related to immune infiltration, and new immunotherapy targets can be explored from this field.
DNA methylation patterns and gene expression from amygdala tissue of mature Brahman cows exposed to prenatal stress

Prenatal stress can alter postnatal performance and temperament of cattle. These phenotypic effects may result from changes in gene expression caused by stress-induced epigenetic alterations. Specifically, shifts in gene expression caused by DNA methylation within the brain’s amygdala can result in altered behavior because it regulates fear, stress response and aggression in mammals Thus, the objective of this experiment was to identify DNA methylation and gene expression differences in the amygdala tissue of 5-year-old prenatally stressed (PNS) Brahman cows compared to control cows. Pregnant Brahman cows (n = 48) were transported for 2-h periods at 60 ± 5, 80 ± 5, 100 ± 5, 120 ± 5, and 140 ± 5 days of gestation. A non-transported group (n = 48) were controls (Control). Amygdala tissue was harvested from 6 PNS and 8 Control cows at 5 years of age. Overall methylation of gene body regions, promoter regions, and cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands were compared between the two groups. In total, 202 genes, 134 promoter regions, and 133 CpG islands exhibited differential methylation (FDR ≤ 0.15). Following comparison of gene expression in the amygdala between the PNS and Control cows, 2 differentially expressed genes were identified (FDR ≤ 0.15). The minimal differences observed could be the result of natural changes of DNA methylation and gene expression as an animal ages, or because this degree of transportation stress was not severe enough to cause lasting effects on the offspring. A younger age may be a more appropriate time to assess methylation and gene expression differences produced by prenatal stress.
Prediction of conversion to dementia using interpretable machine learning in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment

Purpose Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a transitional state between normal aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, not all aMCI patients are observed to convert to AD dementia. Therefore, developing a predictive algorithm for the conversion of aMCI to AD dementia is important. Parametric methods, such as logistic regression, have been developed; however, it is difficult to reflect complex patterns, such as non-linear relationships and interactions between variables. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the predictive power of aMCI patients’ conversion to dementia by using an interpretable machine learning (IML) algorithm and to identify the factors that increase the risk of individual conversion to dementia in each patient. Methods We prospectively recruited 705 patients with aMCI who had been followed-up for at least 3 years after undergoing baseline neuropsychological tests at the Samsung Medical Center between 2007 and 2019. We used neuropsychological tests and apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype data to develop a predictive algorithm. The model-building and validation datasets were composed of data of 565 and 140 patients, respectively. For global interpretation, four algorithms (logistic regression, random forest, support vector machine, and extreme gradient boosting) were compared. For local interpretation, individual conditional expectations (ICE) and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) were used to analyze individual patients. Results Among the four algorithms, the extreme gradient boost model showed the best performance, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.852 and an accuracy of 0.807. Variables, such as age, education, the scores of visuospatial and memory domains, the sum of boxes of the Clinical Dementia Rating scale, Mini-Mental State Examination, and APOE genotype were important features for creating the algorithm. Through ICE and SHAP analyses, it was also possible to interpret which variables acted as strong factors for each patient. Conclusion We were able to propose a predictive algorithm for each aMCI individual’s conversion to dementia using the IML technique. This algorithm is expected to be useful in clinical practice and the research field, as it can suggest conversion with high accuracy and identify the degree of influence of risk factors for each patient.
High selectivity of photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO based on terpyridine ligand supported CuI metal organic framework

In this work, a 4’-(4-cynaophenyl)-4,2’:6′,4-terpyridine supported CuI MOFs photocatalyst (Cu I MOF) was applied to the photocatalytic CO2 reduction for the first time. The micro-structural and physicochemical properties of the Cu I MOF were systematically studied by the powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), Single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), UV-Vis diffuse spectroscopy (UV-vis DRS), ns-level photoluminescence spectra (ns-level PL), Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and N2 adsorption-desorption test (BET-BJH). Moreover, the in situ diffuse reflectance infrared fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTS) was applied to investigate the adsorption and reaction intermediates of photocatalytic CO2 reduction. As a result, Cu I MOF exhibited good performance and outstanding selectivity toward photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO under full-spectrum and visible light illumination. Notably, 100% selective photocatalytic conversion of CO2 to CO was achieved. Thus, the study presents the high selectivity and CO2 reduction efficiency of Cu I MOF as a potential family of photocatalysts.