Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The plastidial metabolite 2‐C‐methyl‐D‐erythritol‐2,4‐cyclodiphosphate modulates defence responses against aphids

Abstract Feeding by insect herbivores such as caterpillars and aphids induces plant resistance mechanisms that are mediated by the phytohormones jasmonic acid (JA) and salicylic acid (SA). These phytohormonal pathways often crosstalk. Besides phytohormones, methyl‐D‐erythriol‐2,4‐cyclodiphosphate (MEcPP), the penultimate metabolite in the methyl‐D‐erythritol‐4‐phosphate pathway, has been speculated to regulate transcription of nuclear genes in response to biotic stressors such as aphids. Here, we show that MEcPP uniquely enhances the SA pathway without attenuating the JA pathway. Arabidopsis mutant plants that accumulate high levels of MEcPP (hds3) are highly resistant to the cabbage aphid (Brevicoryne brassicae), whereas resistance to the large cabbage white caterpillar (Pieris brassicae) remains unaltered. Thus, MEcPP is a distinct signalling molecule that acts beyond phytohormonal crosstalk to induce resistance against the cabbage aphid in Arabidopsis. We dissect the molecular mechanisms of MEcPP mediating plant resistance against the aphid B. brassicae. This shows that MEcPP induces the expression of genes encoding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of several primary and secondary metabolic pathways contributing to enhanced resistance against this aphid species. A unique ability to regulate multifaceted molecular mechanisms makes MEcPP an attractive target for metabolic engineering in Brassica crop plants to increase resistance to cabbage aphids.
Bipolar Plasma Enucleation of the Prostate: 5 Years Outcomes.

Background: Aim of our study is to assess outcomes and safety of button bipola transurethral enucleation of the prostate (B-TUEP) in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) caused by benign prostatic enlargement (BPE) in a single-center cohort study. Materials and Methods: All patients with LUTS caused by BPE undergoing button B-TUEP between May 2012 and December 2013 were prospectively enrolled in our study. Data on clinical history, physical examination, urinary symptoms, erectile function, uroflowmetry, and prostate volume were collected at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 months. Early and long-term complications were recorded. Results: Overall 50 patients were enrolled at baseline. Nine patients were excluded during the 5 years. All patients completed the procedure without severe complications. In terms of outcomes, improvement in International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) were sustained for all 5 years and mean difference from baseline at 5 years was 17 points. As well, improvements in Qmax (maximum urinary flow rate) were sustained for all 5 years and mean improvement at 5 years was 16 mL/second. Erectile function was slightly improved after surgery and maintained for the following 5 years. Conclusions: Our single-center study suggests that B-TUEP may have excellent outcomes at 5 years with no recurrence. Further multicentre studies should confirm our results.
Priorities, Barriers, and Facilitators towards International Guidelines for the Delivery of Supportive Clinical Care during an Ebola Outbreak: A Cross-Sectional Survey

During the Ebola outbreak, mortality reduction was attributed to multiple improvements in supportive care delivered in Ebola treatment units (ETUs). We aimed to identify high-priority supportive care measures, as well as perceived barriers and facilitators to their implementation, for patients with Ebola Virus Disease (EVD). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of key stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 West African EVD outbreak. Out of 57 email invitations, 44 responses were received, and 29 respondents completed the survey. The respondents listed insufficient numbers of health workers (23/29, 79%), improper tools for the documentation of clinical data (n = 22/28, 79%), insufficient material resources (n = 22/29, 76%), and unadapted personal protective equipment (n = 20/28, 71%) as the main barriers to the provision of supportive care in ETUs. Facilitators to the provision of supportive care included team camaraderie (n in agreement = 25/28, 89%), ability to speak the local language (22/28, 79%), and having treatment protocols in place (22/28, 79%). This survey highlights a consensus across various stakeholders involved in the response to the 2014–2016 EVD outbreak on a limited number of high-priority supportive care interventions for clinical practice guidelines. Identified barriers and facilitators further inform the application of guidelines.
Do Self-Enhancing and Affiliative Humor Buffer for the Negative Associations of Quantitative and Qualitative Job Insecurity?

Abstract The present study examines an important contemporary stressor: Job insecurity, both in terms of losing one’s job as such (i.e. quantitative job insecurity) and losing one’s valued job aspects (i.e., qualitative job insecurity). Moreover, we study whether humor assists in offsetting the negative associations of these types of job insecurity with employee well-being. Specifically, by drawing up the conservation of resources theory, self-enhancing and affiliative humor are framed as personal resources buffering the detrimental relationship of both types of job insecurity with burnout (i.e., exhaustion and cynicism) and work engagement (i.e., vigor and dedication) in a large heterogeneous sample of Belgian employees (N = 3,254). Results evidenced the detrimental main effects of quantitative and qualitative job insecurity as well as the beneficial relations of self-enhancing and affilitative humor on burnout and work engagement. In addition, the buffering role of affiliative humor was supported in the relationships of both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity with burnout. Self-enhancing humor only interacted with qualitative job insecurity in the prediction of exhaustion. The discussion centers around the importance of personal resources attenuating the negative associations of quantitative and quantitative job insecurity, and highlights the different roles of humor for employees’ work-related well-being.
Effect of Sensory Deprivation on Maximal Force Abilities from Local to Non-local Digits

Abstract The present study investigates the effect of sensory deprivation of the index and middle finger on motor function of all digits during maximal voluntary force production tasks. A total of 27 subjects performed maximal isometric pressing tasks by using different instructed finger combinations. Subjects completed the same tasks in two visits: a control visit when they had normal sensory feedback in all fingers, and an anesthesia visit when digital nerve blocks were performed on their right index and middle fingers. We evaluated three aspects of motor adaptation on both local (anesthetized) and non-local (non-anesthetized) digits during maximal force production: (1) task-relevant and overall force magnitude, (2) force directional application, and (3) digital individuation and force sharing. Our results indicate that selective digital anesthesia resulted in decreased maximal force magnitude, changed direction of force production, and significant changes extended to non-local digits. The motor weakness and inefficiency revealed in the non-local digits implies that sensory information from each digit can be shared across the digits to assist motor execution within the same hand.
Tumour size determines both recurrence-free survival and disease-specific survival after surgical treatment for thymoma.

OBJECTIVES The tumour, node and the metastasis (TNM) staging system for thymic epithelial tumours was adopted by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) in 2016. Although the T factor is defined by the invasive nature of a thymoma, tumour size is not considered. The aim of this study was to examine the clinical importance of tumour size using a nationwide retrospective database of cases treated from 1991 to 2010 compiled by the Japanese Association for Research of the Thymus. METHODS Tumour size was evaluated by the maximum diameter shown by computed tomography imaging prior to resection. Tumour size was available for 2083 thymoma patients undergoing upfront surgical treatment. The tumour size ranged from 0.6 to 19.4 cm (mean 5.1 cm, median 4.9 cm). Harrell's C-index was adopted to determine the cut-off value of the tumour size in 0.5-cm increments. RESULTS The highest C-index value (0.7760) was obtained in terms of recurrence-free survival after the complete resection when the cut-off value was set at 5.0 cm. The 10-year recurrence-free survival rate was 93.8% in patients with a tumour ≤5.0 cm and 84.3% in patients with a tumour >5.0 cm (P < 0.0001). The highest C-index value (0.8885) in terms of disease-specific survival was obtained when the cut-off value was set at 8.0 cm. The 10-year disease-specific survival rate was 98.8% in patients with a tumour <8.0 cm and 90.1% in those with a tumour ≥8.0 cm (P < 0.0001). The Cox's proportional hazard model analysis showed that the tumour size and the TNM-based pathological stage were independent factors to determine both recurrence-free survival and disease-specific survival. CONCLUSIONS Tumour size is an important prognostic factor and should be considered when determining the treatment strategy for thymoma patients.
Talin-mediated force transmission and talin rod domain unfolding independently regulate adhesion signaling

ABSTRACT Talin protein is one of the key components in integrin-mediated adhesion complexes. Talins transmit mechanical forces between β-integrin and actin, and regulate adhesion complex composition and signaling through the force-regulated unfolding of talin rod domain. Using modified talin proteins, we demonstrate that these functions contribute to different cellular processes and can be dissected. The transmission of mechanical forces regulates adhesion complex composition and phosphotyrosine signaling even in the absence of the mechanically regulated talin rod subdomains. However, the presence of the rod subdomains and their mechanical activation are required for the reinforcement of the adhesion complex, cell polarization and migration. Talin rod domain unfolding was also found to be essential for the generation of cellular signaling anisotropy, since both insufficient and excess activity of the rod domain severely inhibited cell polarization. Utilizing proteomics tools, we identified adhesome components that are recruited and activated either in a talin rod-dependent manner or independently of the rod subdomains. This study clarifies the division of roles between the force-regulated unfolding of a talin protein (talin 1) and its function as a physical linker between integrins and the cytoskeleton. Highlighted Article: Transmission of mechanical forces through talin regulates adhesion complex composition and phosphotyrosine signaling. Talin rod subdomains and their mechanical activation are required for cell polarization and migration.
Artificial Oxygen Carriers—Past, Present, and Future—a Review of the Most Innovative and Clinically Relevant Concepts

Blood transfusions are a daily practice in hospitals. Since these products are limited in availability and have various, harmful side effects, researchers have pursued the goal to develop artificial blood components for about 40 years. Development of oxygen therapeutics and stem cells are more recent goals. Medline (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/? holding=ideudelib), ClinicalTrials.gov (https://clinicaltrials.gov), EU Clinical Trials Register (https://www.clinicaltrialsregister.eu), and Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (http://www.anzctr.org.au) were searched up to July 2018 using search terms related to artificial blood products in order to identify new and ongoing research over the last 5 years. However, for products that are already well known and important to or relevant in gaining a better understanding of this field of research, the reader is punctually referred to some important articles published over 5 years ago. This review includes not only clinically relevant substances such as heme-oxygenating carriers, perfluorocarbon-based oxygen carriers, stem cells, and organ conservation, but also includes interesting preclinically advanced compounds depicting the pipeline of potential new products. In- depth insights into specific benefits and limitations of each substance, including the biochemical and physiologic background are included. “Fancy” ideas such as iron-based substances, O2 microbubbles, cyclodextranes, or lugworms are also elucidated. To conclude, this systematic up-to-date review includes all actual achievements and ongoing clinical trials in the field of artificial blood products to pursue the dream of artificial oxygen carrier supply. Research is on the right track, but the task is demanding and challenging.
The impact of O2/Ar ratio on morphology and functional properties in reactive sputtering of metal oxide thin films

Morphology is a critical parameter for various thin film applications, influencing properties like wetting, catalytic performance and sensing efficiency. In this work, we report on the impact of oxygen partial flow on the morphology of ceramic thin films deposited by pulsed DC reactive magnetron sputtering. The influence of O2/Ar ratio was studied on three different model systems, namely Al2O3, CuO and TiO2. The availability of oxygen during reactive sputtering is a key parameter for a versatile tailoring of thin film morphology over a broad range of nanostructures. TiO2 thin films with high photocatalytic performance (up to 95% conversion in 7 h) were prepared, exhibiting a network of nanoscopic cracks between columnar anatase structures. In contrast, amorphous thin films without such crack networks and with high resiliency to crystallization even up to 950 °C were obtained for Al2O3. Finally, we report on CuO thin films with well aligned crystalline nanocolumns and outstanding gas sensing performance for volatile organic compounds as well as hydrogen gas, showing gas responses up to 35% and fast response in the range of a few seconds.
Meta-analysis Comparing Platelet-Rich Plasma vs Hyaluronic Acid Injection in Patients with Knee Osteoarthritis

As a minimally invasive treatment option, intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been widely used in clinical therapy. Our meta-analysis showed that PRP injections constitute an effective and safe alternative treatment for long-term pain relief and functional improvement in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). The optimal dosage, timing intervals and frequency of injections and the ideal treatment for different stages of KOA remain areas of concern for future investigation future.
SMILE intraoperative complications: incidence and management.

AIM To report the intraoperative complications associated with small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and their management. METHODS This was a retrospective consecutive interventional clinical study, carried out on patients with myopia and myopic astigmatism, who underwent SMILE procedure. Type of intraoperative complications and their management were recorded. RESULTS Our study comprised 282 eyes of 141 patients who were enrolled for SMILE surgeries. The intraoperative complications included lost vacuum (18 eyes, 6.38%), treatment decentration (6 eyes, 2.12%), wound bleeding (21 eyes, 7.45%), incomplete bubble separation (black islands) (3 eyes, 1.06%), the epithelial defects (15 eyes, 5.32%). Incision tear (27 eyes, 9.57%), lenticule adherence to the cap (6 eyes, 2.12%), and cap perforation occurred in 2 eyes (0.7%). CONCLUSION Although SMILE is a promising technique for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism with predictable, efficient, safe refractive and visual outcomes, complications can occur. However, most of them are related to inexperience and are included in the learning curve of the technique. More studies with a bigger number of eyes are required to efficiently evaluate the intraoperative complications and standardize their management strategies.
The Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire (SCD-Q): a validation study.

BACKGROUND Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is gaining importance as a focus of investigation, but adequate tools are needed for its quantification. OBJECTIVE To develop and validate a questionnaire to quantify SCD, termed the Subjective Cognitive Decline Questionnaire (SCD-Q). METHODS 124 controls (CTR), 144 individuals with SCD, 83 mild cognitive impairment subjects, 46 Alzheimer's disease patients, and 397 informants were included. The SCD-Q contains: part I, named MyCog, which is answered by the subject; and part II, TheirCog, which includes the same questions and is answered by the informant or caregiver. The 24 SCD-Q items assess the perceived subjective decline in memory, language, and executive functions in the last two years. RESULTS The MyCog scores of controls differed significantly from those of the other groups (p < 0.05) and there were significant differences in TheirCog scores between all groups. The optimal TheirCog cut-off score for discriminating between individuals with and without cognitive impairment was 7/24 (sensitivity 85%, specificity 80%). MyCog scores correlated significantly with anxiety and depression (r = 0.29, r = 0.43, p < 0.005), but no correlations were found with neuropsychological tests. TheirCog scores correlated significantly with most of the neuropsychological tests (p < 0.05). Informants' depression and anxiety influenced TheirCog scores in controls and SCD groups. CONCLUSION Self-perceived cognitive decline, measured by the SCD-Q part I (MyCog), discriminated SCD from CTR. Part II (TheirCog) was strongly related to subjects' objective cognitive performance, and discriminated between subjects with or without cognitive impairment. The SCD-Q is a useful tool to measure self-perceived cognitive decline incorporating the decliner and the informant perspective.
Prediction of Protein Subcellular Localization Based on Fusion of Multi-view Features

The prediction of protein subcellular localization is critical for inferring protein functions, gene regulations and protein-protein interactions. With the advances of high-throughput sequencing technologies and proteomic methods, the protein sequences of numerous yeasts have become publicly available, which enables us to computationally predict yeast protein subcellular localization. However, widely-used protein sequence representation techniques, such as amino acid composition and the Chou’s pseudo amino acid composition (PseAAC), are difficult in extracting adequate information about the interactions between residues and position distribution of each residue. Therefore, it is still urgent to develop novel sequence representations. In this study, we have presented two novel protein sequence representation techniques including Generalized Chaos Game Representation (GCGR) based on the frequency and distributions of the residues in the protein primary sequence, and novel statistics and information theory (NSI) reflecting local position information of the sequence. In the GCGR + NSI representation, a protein primary sequence is simply represented by a 5-dimensional feature vector, while other popular methods like PseAAC and dipeptide adopt features of more than hundreds of dimensions. In practice, the feature representation is highly efficient in predicting protein subcellular localization. Even without using machine learning-based classifiers, a simple model based on the feature vector can achieve prediction accuracies of 0.8825 and 0.7736 respectively for the CL317 and ZW225 datasets. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed encoding schemes, we introduce a multi-view features-based method to combine the two above-mentioned features with other well-known features including PseAAC and dipeptide composition, and use support vector machine as the classifier to predict protein subcellular localization. This novel model achieves prediction accuracies of 0.927 and 0.871 respectively for the CL317 and ZW225 datasets, better than other existing methods in the jackknife tests. The results suggest that the GCGR and NSI features are useful complements to popular protein sequence representations in predicting yeast protein subcellular localization. Finally, we validate a few newly predicted protein subcellular localizations by evidences from some published articles in authority journals and books.
Correlation between Implant Geometry, Bone Density, and the Insertion Torque/Depth Integral: A Study on Bovine Ribs

During insertion of dental implants, measurement of dynamic parameters such as the torque-depth curve integral or insertion energy might convey more information about primary stability than traditional static parameters such as the insertion or removal torque. However, the relationship between these dynamic parameters, bone density, and implant geometry is not well understood. The aim of this investigation was to compare static and dynamic implant stability measurements concerning three different implant designs when implants were inserted into bovine bone ribs and dynamic parameters were collected using an instantaneous torque measuring implant motor. Standard implant osteotomies were created in segments of bovine ribs. After measuring the bone density using the implant motor, 10 cylindrical, 10 hybrid tapered-cylindrical, and 10 modified cylindrical implants were placed, and their primary stability was assessed by measuring the torque–depth curve integral, along with insertion and removal torque. The relationship between these quantities, bone density, and implant geometry was investigated by means of regression and covariance analysis. The regression lines describing the relationship between the torque–depth integral and bone density differed significantly from those describing the relationship between insertion torque, removal torque, and bone density for all three designs. The torque–depth curve integral provides different information about immediate primary stability than insertion and removal torque and in certain clinical conditions might be more reliable than these static parameters for assessing implant primary stability. Further research should be carried out to investigate the findings of the present study.
Evolutionary behaviour of bacterial prion-like proteins

Prions in eukaryotes have been linked to diseases, evolutionary capacitance, large-scale genetic control and long-term memory formation. In bacteria, constructed prion-forming proteins have been described, such as the prion-forming protein recently described for Clostridium botulinum transcription terminator Rho. Here, I analyzed the evolution of the Rho prion-forming domain across bacteria, and discovered that its conservation is sporadic both in the Clostridium genus and in bacteria generally. Nonetheless, it has an apparent evolutionary reach into eight or more different bacterial phyla. Motivated by these results, I investigated whether this pattern of wide-ranging evolutionary sporadicity is typical of bacterial prion-like domains. A measure of coverage of a domain (C) within its evolutionary range was derived, which is effectively a weighted fraction of the number of species in which the domain is found. I observe that occurrence across multiple phyla is not uncommon for bacterial prion-like protein domain families, but that they tend to sample of a low fraction of species within their evolutionary range, like Rho. The Rho prion-like domain family is one of the top three most widely distributed prion-like protein domain families in terms of number of phyla. There are >60 prion-like protein domain families that have at least the evolutionary coverage of Rho, and are found in multiple phyla. The implications of these findings for evolution and for experimental investigations into prion-forming proteins are discussed.