Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of a community intervention program on knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in Anhui Province, China

Background Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a novel infectious disease with no specific therapeutics and vaccines. We hypothesize that health education in vulnerable people would ameliorate their knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) regarding SFTS and reduce its prevalence. Methods A four-stage cluster cross-section study in sixteen community units was performed. Sixteen groups were allocated to the intervention or control groups. A 6 months education program was administrated. The primary outcome was KAP scores 6 months after intervention. Predictors of KAP score changes were also analyzed. Results Eight hundred and fifteen valid questionnaires pre-intervention and 767 ones post-intervention were retreated. No significant differences were found in demographic characteristics and KAP scores before intervention. A significant improvement in KAP score (16.8 ± 4.7 vs. 22.0 ± 4.2, p < 0.001) in the intervention group was observed compare with the controls. Educational level and intervention program were the common predictors of KAP score changes. Conclusions Education improved KAP scores in SFTS vulnerable people which may contribute to the control of the disease.
Polymorphisms of nucleotide excision repair genes associated with colorectal cancer risk: Meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Background: Reduced DNA repair capacity in nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathways owing to genetic variant may influence cancer susceptibility. According to published studies, variants of NER genes associations with colorectal cancer (CRC) risk were inconclusive. Thus, this meta-analysis aimed to explore the possible association. A trial sequence analysis (TSA) analysis was performed to control the risk of false positive or false negative. Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Network (CNKI), Wanfang Database and Scientific and Technical Journal Database (VIP) were searched to identify relative studies until April 2022. The association was assessed by odds ratio (OR) in Allele, homozygous, heterozygous, dominant, recessive, and over-dominant models. In addition, Begg’s and Egger’s tests, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis and TSA analysis were performed. Results: A total of 29 studies were eventually included in the meta-analysis, including 12,153 CRC patients and 14,168 controls. It showed that excision and repair cross complementary group 1 (ERCC1) rs11615 CC genotype decreased the risk of CRC, compared with TT genotype (CC vs. TT: OR = 0.816, 95% CI = 0.673–0.990, p = 0.039). For ERCC1 rs3212986, the significant impact was detected on increased the risk of CRC in the allele (OR = 1.267, 95% CI = 1.027–1.562, p = 0.027), homozygous (OR = 1.805, 95% CI = 1.276–2.553, p = 0.001), dominant (OR = 1.214, 95% CI = 1.012–1.455, p = 0.037) and recessive (OR = 1.714, 95% CI = 1.225–2.399, p = 0.002) models, especially in the Asian population. The results revealed the association of ERCC2 rs1799793 A allele with a higher risk of CRC (A vs. G: OR = 1.163, 95% CI = 1.021–1.325, p = 0.023). It also showed that ERCC5 rs17655 increased CRC risk in the allele (OR = 1.104, 95% CI = 1.039–1.173, p = 0.001), homozygous (OR = 1.164, 95% CI = 1.018–1.329, p = 0.026), heterozygous (OR = 1.271, 95% CI = 1.018–1.329, p < 0.001), dominant (OR = 1.241, 95% CI = 1.135–1.358, p < 0.001) and over-dominant (OR = 0.828, 95% CI = 0.762–0.900, p < 0.001) models, especially among Asians. Conclusion: This meta-analysis based on current evidence suggests that the significant association was observed between ERCC1 rs11615, ERCC1 rs3212986, ERCC2 rs1799793, and ERCC5 rs17655 and CRC susceptibility. However, given the limited sample size and the influence of genetic background, studies of a larger scale and well-designed are required to confirm the results.
Understanding cognitive control in aging: A brain network perspective

Cognitive control decline is a major manifestation of brain aging that severely impairs the goal-directed abilities of older adults. Magnetic resonance imaging evidence suggests that cognitive control during aging is associated with altered activation in a range of brain regions, including the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes. However, focusing on specific regions, while ignoring the structural and functional connectivity between regions, may impede an integrated understanding of cognitive control decline in older adults. Here, we discuss the role of aging-related changes in functional segregation, integration, and antagonism among large-scale networks. We highlight that disrupted spontaneous network organization, impaired information co-processing, and enhanced endogenous interference promote cognitive control declines during aging. Additionally, in older adults, severe damage to structural network can weaken functional connectivity and subsequently trigger cognitive control decline, whereas a relatively intact structural network ensures the compensation of functional connectivity to mitigate cognitive control impairment. Thus, we propose that age-related changes in functional networks may be influenced by structural networks in cognitive control in aging (CCA). This review provided an integrative framework to understand the cognitive control decline in aging by viewing the brain as a multimodal networked system.
The protein kinase FvRIPK1 regulates plant morphogenesis by ABA signaling using seed genetic transformation in strawberry

A strawberry RIPK1, a leu-rich repeat receptor-like protein kinase, is previously demonstrated to be involved in fruit ripening as a positive regulator; however, its role in vegetable growth remains unknown. Here, based on our first establishment of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of germinating seeds in diploid strawberry by FvCHLH/FvABAR, a reporter gene that functioned in chlorophyll biosynthesis, we got FvRIPK1-RNAi mutants. Downregulation of FvRIPK1 inhibited plant morphogenesis, showing curled leaves; also, this silencing significantly reduced FvABAR and FvABI1 transcripts and promoted FvABI4, FvSnRK2.2, and FvSnRK2.6 transcripts. Interestingly, the downregulation of the FvCHLH/ABAR expression could not affect FvRIPK1 transcripts but remarkably reduced FvABI1 transcripts and promoted FvABI4, FvSnRK2.2, and FvSnRK2.6 transcripts in the contrast of the non-transgenic plants to the FvCHLH/FvABAR-RNAi plants, in which chlorophyll contents were not affected but had abscisic acid (ABA) response in stomata movement and drought stress. The distinct expression level of FvABI1 and FvABI4, together with the similar expression level of FvSnRK2.2 and FvSnRK2.6 in the FvRIPK1- and FvABAR/CHLH-RNAi plants, suggested that FvRIPK1 regulated plant morphogenesis probably by ABA signaling. In addition, FvRIPK1 interacted with FvSnRK2.6 and phosphorylated each other, thus forming the FvRIPK1–FvSnRK2.6 complex. In conclusion, our results provide new insights into the molecular mechanism of FvRIPK1 in plant growth.
Sentiment analysis of tweets on alopecia areata, hidradenitis suppurativa, and psoriasis: Revealing the patient experience

Background Chronic dermatologic disorders can cause significant emotional distress. Sentiment analysis of disease-related tweets helps identify patients’ experiences of skin disease. Objective To analyze the expressed sentiments in tweets related to alopecia areata (AA), hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), and psoriasis (PsO) in comparison to fibromyalgia (FM). Methods This is a cross-sectional analysis of Twitter users’ expressed sentiment on AA, HS, PsO, and FM. Tweets related to the diseases of interest were identified with keywords and hashtags for one month (April, 2022) using the Twitter standard application programming interface (API). Text, account types, and numbers of retweets and likes were collected. The sentiment analysis was performed by the R “tidytext” package using the AFINN lexicon. Results A total of 1,505 tweets were randomly extracted, of which 243 (16.15%) referred to AA, 186 (12.36%) to HS, 510 (33.89%) to PsO, and 566 (37.61%) to FM. The mean sentiment score was −0.239 ± 2.90. AA, HS, and PsO had similar sentiment scores (p = 0.482). Although all skin conditions were associated with a negative polarity, their average was significantly less negative than FM (p < 0.0001). Tweets from private accounts were more negative, especially for AA (p = 0.0082). Words reflecting patients’ psychological states varied in different diseases. “Anxiety” was observed in posts on AA and FM but not posts on HS and PsO, while “crying” was frequently used in posts on HS. There was no definite correlation between the sentiment score and the number of retweets or likes, although negative AA tweets from public accounts received more retweets (p = 0.03511) and likes (p = 0.0228). Conclusion The use of Twitter sentiment analysis is a promising method to document patients’ experience of skin diseases, which may improve patient care through bridging misconceptions and knowledge gaps between patients and healthcare professionals.
FveARF2 negatively regulates fruit ripening and quality in strawberry

Auxin response factors (ARFs) are transcription factors that play important roles in plants. ARF2 is a member of the ARF family and participates in many plant growth and developmental processes. However, the role of ARF2 in strawberry fruit quality remains unclear. In this study, FveARF2 was isolated from the woodland strawberry ‘Ruegen’ using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), which showed that FveARF2 expression levels were higher in the stem than in other organs of the ‘Ruegen’ strawberry. Moreover, FaARF2 was higher in the white fruit stage of cultivated strawberry fruit than in other stage. Subcellular localization analysis showed that FveARF2 is located in the nucleus, while transcriptional activation assays showed that FveARF2 inhibited transcription in yeast. Silencing FveARF2 in cultivated strawberry fruit revealed earlier coloration and higher soluble solid, sugar, and anthocyanin content in the transgenic fruit than in the control fruit, overexpression of FveARF2 in strawberry fruit delayed ripening and lower soluble solid, sugar, and anthocyanin content compared to the control fruit. Gene expression analysis indicated that the transcription levels of the fruit ripening genes FaSUT1, FaOMT, and FaCHS increased in FveARF2-RNAi fruit and decreased in FveARF2-OE fruit, when compared with the control. Furthermore, yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) and GUS activity experiments showed that FveARF2 can directly bind to the AuxRE (TGTCTC) element in the FaSUT1, FaOMT, and FaCHS promoters in vitro and in vivo. Potassium ion supplementation improved the quality of strawberry fruit, while silencing FveARF2 increased potassium ion content in transgenic fruit. The Y1H and GUS activity experiments also confirmed that FveARF2 could directly bind to the promoter of FveKT12, a potassium transporter gene, and inhibited its expression. Taken together, we found that FveARF2 can negatively regulate strawberry fruit ripening and quality, which provides new insight for further study of the molecular mechanism of strawberry fruit ripening.
Ginsenosides: Allies of gastrointestinal tumor immunotherapy

In the past decade, immunotherapy has been the most promising treatment for gastrointestinal tumors. But the low response rate and drug resistance remain major concerns. It is therefore imperative to develop adjuvant therapies to increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy and prevent drug resistance. Ginseng has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine as a natural immune booster for thousands of years. The active components of ginseng, ginsenosides, have played an essential role in tumor treatment for decades and are candidates for anti-tumor adjuvant therapy. They are hypothesized to cooperate with immunotherapy drugs to improve the curative effect and reduce tumor resistance and adverse reactions. This review summarizes the research into the use of ginsenosides in immunotherapy of gastrointestinal tumors and discusses potential future applications.
Dynamics of stand productivity in Moso bamboo forest after strip cutting

Strip cutting can effectively reduce the cutting cost of bamboo forests and promote the transformation and upgradation of bamboo forests through mechanization and modernization. Despite the rapid accumulation of Moso bamboo biomass, the dynamics of five years changes in stand characteristics and productivity after cutting remain unclear. This is critical for formulating efficient bamboo forest management measures. In this paper, plots with an 8 m width strip cut (SC) and respective reserved belts (RB) were selected as the research object, and the traditional management forest (CK) as control. The dynamic characteristics of stand, biomass distribution pattern, and productivity change in the different treatment plots were studied for 5 years after cutting. The results showed that cutting increased the number of shoots and new bamboo, and decreased the diameter at breast height, height to crown base, and height of new bamboo (p<0.05). Cutting reduces the productivity of both SC and RB, and allocates more biomass to the bamboo leaves to capture light in SC (p<0.05). Over time, the characteristics of new bamboo in SC reached the level of CK, and the density of standing bamboo, and productivity, were higher than those in CK. However, the number and productivity of new bamboo decreased significantly in the RB (p<0.05), which reflected the density restriction effect of bamboo forest. Further analysis showed that the increase in productivity in SC and CK was mainly from Moso bamboo at II and III “du”, which positively correlated with the soil contents of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus. It was suggested that after three On-year restorations, the SC could reach the level of CK, however it is necessary to density manage RB from the second On-year after cutting.
Bell's theorem in automata theory

Bell's theorem is reformulated and proved in the pure mathematical terms of automata theory, avoiding any physical or ontological notions. It is stated that no pair of finite probabilistic sequential machines can reproduce in its output the statistical results of the quantum-physical Bell test experiment if each machine is independent of the respective remote input.
pH variation in medical implant biofilms: Causes, measurements, and its implications for antibiotic resistance

The advent of implanted medical devices has greatly improved the quality of life and increased longevity. However, infection remains a significant risk because bacteria can colonize device surfaces and form biofilms that are resistant to antibiotics and the host’s immune system. Several factors contribute to this resistance, including heterogeneous biochemical and pH microenvironments that can affect bacterial growth and interfere with antibiotic biochemistry; dormant regions in the biofilm with low oxygen, pH, and metabolites; slow bacterial growth and division; and poor antibody penetration through the biofilm, which may also be regions with poor acid product clearance. Measuring pH in biofilms is thus key to understanding their biochemistry and offers potential routes to detect and treat latent infections. This review covers the causes of biofilm pH changes and simulations, general findings of metabolite-dependent pH gradients, methods for measuring pH in biofilms, effects of pH on biofilms, and pH-targeted antimicrobial-based approaches.
Membrane lipid rafts are required for AMPA receptor tyrosine phosphorylation

Membrane lipid rafts are sphingolipids and cholesterol-enriched membrane microdomains, which form a center for the interaction or assembly of palmitoylated signaling molecules, including Src family non-receptor type protein tyrosine kinases. Lipid rafts abundantly exist in neurons and function in the maintenance of synapses. Excitatory synaptic strength is largely controlled by the surface expression of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptors in the mammalian brain. AMPA receptor endocytosis from the synaptic surface is regulated by phosphorylation of the GluA2 subunit at tyrosine 876 by Src family kinases. Here, I revealed that tyrosine phosphorylated GluA2 is concentrated in the lipid rafts fraction. Furthermore, stimulation-induced upregulation of GluA2 tyrosine phosphorylation is disrupted by the treatment of neurons with a cholesterol-depleting compound, filipin III. These results indicate the importance of lipid rafts as enzymatic reactive sites for AMPA receptor tyrosine phosphorylation and subsequent AMPA receptor internalization from the synaptic surface.
Unexpected features in the optical vibrational spectra of δ-UO3

Uranium trioxide displays a complex chemical phase space, with at least six structurally distinct polymorphs accessible via different synthetic routes. Remarkably, despite its technological importance, full structural and electronic characterization of these polymorphs remains an open area of study. δ-UO3 in particular has attracted significant theoretical attention due to its high point group and space group symmetries, having U (VI) in octahedral coordination with polyhedra interconnected through corner-sharing to build a 3-D cubic lattice with space group symmetry Pm-3m and Z = 1. Critical experimental information, such as its optical vibrational spectra, are not known. Here, we study the Raman and infrared (IR) spectra of δ-UO3 together with the support of density functional theory (DFT) calculations for spectral interpretation. A symmetry analysis of the DFT-predicted phonon eigenmodes indicates that δ-UO3 should have two IR active modes and no Raman active modes. Experimental results, however, indicate significant Raman scattering from δ-UO3. We therefore propose four potential explanations for this apparent contradiction: a possible tetragonal distortion to the cubic cell, the existence of a surface impurity layer, vacancy scattering, and structural activation of Raman signal. We use powder X-ray diffraction and confocal Raman spectroscopy with depth profiling to investigate these possibilities and suggest future experiments to explore this phenomenon in more detail. Understanding the lattice dynamics of δ-UO3 is important for identification of technogenic U phases via Raman and infrared spectroscopy and our results indicate that the simple understanding of δ-UO3 as a high-symmetry cubic structure should be reconsidered.
Metformin: Activation of 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase and its emerging potential beyond anti-hyperglycemic action

Metformin is a plant-based drug belonging to the class of biguanides and is known to treat type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The drug, combined with controlling blood glucose levels, improves the body’s response to insulin. In addition, trials have identified the cardioprotective potential of metformin in the diabetic population receiving the drug. Activation of 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is the major pathway for these potential beneficial effects of metformin. Historically, much emphasis has been placed on the potential indications of metformin beyond its anti-diabetic use. This review aims to appraise other potential uses of metformin primarily mediated by the activation of AMPK. We also discuss various mechanisms, other than AMPK activation, by which metformin could produce beneficial effects for different conditions. Databases including PubMed/MEDLINE and Embase were searched for literature relevant to the review’s objective. Reports from both research and review articles were considered. We found that metformin has diverse effects on the human body systems. It has been shown to exert anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cardioprotective, metabolic, neuroprotective, anti-cancer, and antimicrobial effects and has now even been identified as effective against SARS-CoV-2. Above all, the AMPK pathway has been recognized as responsible for metformin’s efficiency and effectiveness. Owing to its extensive potential, it has the capability to become a part of treatment regimens for diseases apart from T2DM.
Individual and combined effects of the GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 polymorphisms on leukemia risk: An updated meta-analysis

Background: Several meta-analyses have analyzed the association of GSTM1 present/null, GSTT1 present/null, and GSTP1 IIe105Val polymorphisms with leukemia risk. However, the results of these meta-analyses have been conflicting. Moreover, they did not evaluate the combined effects of the three aforementioned gene polymorphisms. Furthermore, they did not appraise the credibility of the positive results. Finally, many new studies have been published. Therefore, an updated meta-analysis was conducted. Objectives: To further explore the relationship of the three aforementioned gene polymorphisms with leukemia risk. Methods: The crude odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to evaluate the association of the individual and combined effects of the three aforementioned genes. Moreover, the false-positive report probability (FPRP) and Bayesian false discovery probability (BFDP) were applied to verify the credibility of these statistically significant associations. Results: Overall, the individual GSTM1, GSTT1, and GSTP1 IIe105Val polymorphisms added leukemia risk. On combining GSTM1 and GSTT1, GSTM1 and GSTP1, and GSTT1 and GSTP1 polymorphisms, positive results were also observed. However, no significant association was observed between the combined effects of these three polymorphisms with leukemia risk in the overall analysis. Moreover, when only selecting Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) and medium- and high-quality studies, we came to similar results. However, when the FPRP and BFDP values were applied to evaluate the credibility of positive results, the significant association was only observed for the GSTT1 null genotype with leukemia risk in Asians (BFDP = 0.367, FPRP = 0.009). Conclusion: This study strongly suggests a significant increase in the risk of leukemia in Asians for the GSTT1 null genotype.