Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Endocrine disrupters: we need research, biomonitoring and action

The majority of chemicals so far identified as having endocrine-disrupting (ED) abilities are organic compounds. Paradoxically, up to about 200 years ago organic compounds were only produced by living organisms. Examples are our own hormones and plant phytoestrogens, which together with many other naturally occurring organic compounds have been in our milieu for millions of years. However, with the evolvement of synthetic organic chemistry during the latter half of the 19th century, ignited by the petrochemical industry and the recognition of oil and gas as a vast and cheap source of organic raw material, the synthesis and development of new organic compounds literarily exploded. At the turn of the millennium, an estimated 30,000 new organic chemicals were on the market, with some 1000 new compounds being added annually (Barney, 1980). Thus, people today are likely to be exposed to thousands of organic chemicals that did not exist less than four generations ago. We need to acknowledge that the development of the petrochemical industry was a crucial prerequisite for the industrial revolution, and thus for the subsequent prosperity and development of the Western world. It has enabled the development of new medicines that have improved and saved lives. Today’s modern living is filled with products and utensils consisting of such new materials, which make our everyday lives easier and safer. However, these obvious benefits must not make us blind to the fact that among all these new chemicals, some have turned out to be harmful to endocrine systems. Few of them, including pesticides, were designed to exert endocrine activities. But for many EDCs, their endocrine activity was not intended or foreseen and was only detected later as a result of animal testing or after exposure to wildlife and humans had occurred. It is important to keep in mind that the research field on endocrine disruption from the start was spurred by observations of increasing trends in the incidence of hormone related diseases and conditions in wildlife and human populations (Toppari et al., 1996; Gee, 2012). Some trends seen in wildlife have improved significantly following better cleansing of wastewater. Although trends in some reproductive problems seen in human populations have slowed down in some countries, they do not seem to have reversed (for review, see Skakkebaek et al., 2016). The fact remains that endocrine disruption is occurring in human populations; perhaps best documented by the increase in incidence rates of cancer in some endocrine organs, including breast, testicular, pancreas and thyroid cancer. [(Kilfoy et al., 2009; Znaor et al., 2015), see also Fig. 1, which contains data from the National Danish Cancer Registry; the first national cancer registry in the world (Wagner, 1991)]. It is also well documented that poor semen quality is very common among young men in industrialised countries (Jorgensen et al., 2012; Hart et al., 2015). Environmental factors are undoubtedly involved and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are among the suspects (WHO & UNEP Report 2013).
An architecture for robust UAV navigation in GPS‐denied areas

This article presents a software architecture for safe and reliable autonomous navigation of aerial robots in GPS‐denied areas. The techniques employed within key modules from this architecture are explained in detail, such as a six‐dimensional localization approach based on visual odometry and Monte Carlo localization, or a variant of the Lazy Theta* algorithm for motion planning. The aerial robot used to demonstrate this approach has been extensively tested over the past 2 years for localization and state estimation without any external positioning systems, autonomous local obstacle avoidance, and local path planning among other tasks. This article describes the architecture and main algorithms used to achieve these goals to build a robust autonomous system.
Activation of human platelets by 2-arachidonoylglycerol is enhanced by serotonin

Summary The endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) has been shown to activate human platelets in platelet-rich plasma, by binding to a “platelet-type” cannabinoid receptor (CBPT). Here, washed human platelets were used to characterize the binding of [3H]2-AG to CBPT, showing a dissociation constant (Kd) of 140 ± 31 nM and a maximum binding (Bmax) of 122 ± 10 pmol.mg protein-1. Selective antagonists of both CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors inhibited this binding, which was enhanced up to ~230% over the controls by 1 µM serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT). Human platelets were also able to bind [3H]5-HT (Kd = 79 ± 17 nM, Bmax = 14.6 ± 1.3 pmol.mg protein-1), and 1 µM 2-AG enhanced this binding up to ~150%. Moreover, they were able to take up [3H]5-HT through a high affinity transporter (Michaelis-Menten constant = 22 ± 2 nM, maximum velocity = 344 ± 15 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1), which was not affected by 2-AG. Interestingly, 5-HT did not affect the activity of the 2-AG transporter of human platelets. Treatment of washed platelets with 1 µM 2-AG led to increased intracellular inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (up to ~300%) and decreased cyclic AMP (down to ~50%). Furthermore, treatment of pre-loaded platelets with 1 µM 2-AG induced a ~300% increase in [3H]2-AG release, according to a CBPT-dependent mechanism. Also, 1 µM 5-HT enhanced the effect of 2-AG on inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (~500% of the controls), cyclic AMP (~20%) and [3H]2-AG release (~570%), and the latter process was shown to be partly (~50%) involved in the 5-HT-dependent platelet activation. Taken together, reported findings represent the first demonstration that 2-AG and 5-HT can mutually reinforce their receptor binding on platelet surface, which might have therapeutic implications.
Two New Cyathane Diterpenoids from Mycelial Cultures of the Medicinal Mushroom Hericium erinaceus and the Rare Species, Hericium flagellum

Basidiomycetes of the genus Hericium are among the most praised medicinal and edible mushrooms, which are known to produce secondary metabolites with the potential to treat neurodegenerative diseases. This activity has been attributed to the discovery of various terpenoids that can stimulate the production of nerve growth factor (NGF) or (as established more recently) brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in cell-based bioassays. The present study reports on the metabolite profiles of a Lion’s Mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) strain and a strain of the rare species, Hericium flagellum (synonym H. alpestre). While we observed highly similar metabolite profiles between the two strains that were examined, we isolated two previously undescribed metabolites, given the trivial names erinacines Z1 and Z2. Their chemical structures were elucidated by means of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry. Along with six further, previously identified cyathane diterpenes, the novel erinacines were tested for neurotrophin inducing effects. We found that erinacines act on BDNF, which is a neurotrophic factor that has been reported recently by us to be induced by the corallocins, but as well on NGF expression, which is consistent with the literature.
Electrical, dielectric properties and study of AC electrical conduction mechanism of Li0.9□0.1NiV0.5P0.5O4

In this paper, we report the measurements of impedance spectroscopy for a new olivine-type lithium deficiency Li0.9□0.1NiV0. 5P0.5O4 compound. It was synthesized by the conventional solid-state technique. All the X-ray diffraction peaks of the compound are indexed, and it is found that the sample is well crystallized in orthorhombic olivine structure belonging to the space group Pnma. Conductivity and dielectric analyses of the sample are carried out at different temperatures and frequencies using the complex impedance spectroscopy technique. The electrical conductivity of Li0.9□0.1NiV0. 5P0.5O4 is higher than that of parent compound LiNiV0.5P0.5O4. Temperature dependence of the DC conductivity and modulus was found to obey the Arrhenius law. The obtained values of activation energy are different which confirms that transport in the title compound is not due to a simple hopping mechanism. To determine the conduction mechanism, the AC conductivity and its frequency exponent have been analysed in this work by a theoretical model based on quantum mechanical tunnelling: the non-overlapping small polaron tunnelling model.
Spatial and temporal distribution of litter arthropods in different vegetation covers of Porto Santo Island ( Madeira Archipelago , Portugal )

The main objective of this study is to assess the soil diversity and temporal and spatial distribution of litter macro-arthropods, captured with pitfall traps, on different vegetation covers from Porto Santo Island (Portugal) with different soil physical and chemical characteristics. The PCA clearly separated sampling areas geographically more exposed to winds and solar radiation, from the others that were not. In this analysis, seasons seemed to have no influence on this distribution. Non-exposed areas were characterized by high soil temperatures, water and organic matter contents. Among these areas, those that were covered by Pinus halepensis and Eucalyptus ficifolia showed the highest C/N ratios in winter, which may be explained by likely inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds of the leaves of both species on the decomposition process. The highest number of organisms was recorded on the exposed areas. Variance partitioning using CCA showed that the different vegetation covers and environmental variables explained 19% and 30%, respectively, of the variance in macro-arthropods distribution. Four environmental variables (exposure, temperature, C/N ratio and exchangeable K) were positively correlated with the taxa abundance matrix. The results showed that non-exposed areas with E. ficifolia and Cupressus macrocarpa seemed to favour the establishment of a high diversity of taxa, especially in the summer, when soil conditions tend to be extreme. a 2007 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
First-onset mental disorders after cancer diagnosis and cancer-specific mortality: a nationwide cohort study

Background The diagnosis of cancer is strongly associated with the risk of mental disorders even in patients with no previous history of mental disorders. Accumulating data suggest that mental distress may accelerate tumor progression. We hypothesized therefore that mental disorders after a cancer diagnosis may increase the risk of cancer-specific mortality. Patients and methods We conducted a nationwide cohort study including 244 261 cancer patients diagnosed in Sweden during 2004-2009 and followed them through 2010. Through the Swedish Patient Register, we obtained clinical diagnoses of all mental disorders and focused on mood-, anxiety-, and substance abuse disorders (ICD10: F10-F16, F18-F19, F32-F33, F40-F41, and F43-45) that are commonly diagnosed among patients with cancer. We further classified the studied mental disorders into first-onset or recurrent mental disorders. We used Cox regression to estimate multivariable hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) as a measure of the association between mental disorders after cancer diagnosis and cancer-specific mortality, adjusting for age, sex, calendar period, educational level, cancer stage, and cancer type at diagnosis. Results After cancer diagnosis, 11 457 patients were diagnosed with mood-, anxiety-, and substance abuse disorders; of which 7236 were first-onset mental disorders. Patients with a first-onset mental disorder were at increased risk of cancer-specific mortality (HR: 1.82, 95% CI: 1.71-1.92) while patients with a recurrent mental disorder had much lower risk elevation (HR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.05-1.24). The increased cancer-specific mortality by first-onset mental disorders was observed for almost all cancer sites/groups and the association was stronger for localized cancers (HR: 2.00, 95% CI: 1.73-2.31) than for advanced cancers (HR: 1.49, 95% CI: 1.32-1.69). Conclusions Patients with a first-onset common mood-, anxiety-, or substance abuse disorder after cancer diagnosis may be at increased risk of cancer-specific death.
Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Expression Regulates the Switch Between an Epithelial and a Mesenchymal-Like Phenotype in Breast Carcinoma.

AIM Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by the acquisition of invasive fibroblast-like morphology by epithelial cells that are highly polarized. EMT is recognized as a crucial mechanism in cancer progression and metastasis. In this study, we sought to assess the involvement of manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) during the switch between epithelial-like and mesenchymal-like phenotypes in breast carcinoma. RESULTS Analysis of breast carcinomas from The Cancer Genome Atlas database revealed strong positive correlation between tumors' EMT score and the expression of MnSOD. This positive correlation between MnSOD and EMT score was significant and consistent across all breast cancer subtypes. Similarly, a positive correlation of EMT score and MnSOD expression was observed in established cell lines derived from breast cancers exhibiting phenotypes ranging from the most epithelial to the most mesenchymal. Interestingly, using phenotypically distinct breast cancer cell lines, we provide evidence that constitutively high or induced expression of MnSOD promotes the EMT-like phenotype by way of a redox milieu predominantly driven by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Conversely, gene knockdown of MnSOD results in the reversal of EMT to a mesenchymal-epithelial transition (MET)-like program, which appears to be a function of superoxide (O2(-•))-directed signaling. INNOVATION AND CONCLUSION These data underscore the involvement of MnSOD in regulating the switch between the EMT and MET-associated phenotype by influencing cellular redox environment via its effect on the intracellular ratio between O2(-•) and H2O2. Strategies to manipulate MnSOD expression and/or the cellular redox milieu vis-a-vis O2(-•):H2O2 could have potential therapeutic implications. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 25, 283-299.
KAT: a K-mer analysis toolkit to quality control NGS datasets and genome assemblies

Motivation De novo assembly of whole genome shotgun (WGS) next-generation sequencing (NGS) data beneﬁts from high-quality input with high coverage. However, in practice, determining the quality and quantity of useful reads quickly and in a reference-free manner is not trivial. Gaining a better understanding of the WGS data, and how that data is utilised by assemblers, provides useful insights that can inform the assembly process and result in better assemblies. Results We present the K-mer Analysis Toolkit (KAT): a multi-purpose software toolkit for reference-free quality control (QC) of WGS reads and de novo genome assemblies, primarily via their k-mer frequencies and GC composition. KAT enables users to assess levels of errors, bias and contamination at various stages of the assembly process. In this paper we highlight KAT’s ability to provide valuable insights into assembly composition and quality of genome assemblies through pairwise comparison of k-mers present in both input reads and the assemblies. Availability KAT is available under the GPLv3 license at: https://github.com/TGAC/KAT. Contact bernardo.clavijo@earlham.ac. uk Supplementary Information Supplementary Information (SI) is available at Bioinformatics online. In addition, the software documentation is available online at: http://kat.readthedocs. io/en/latest/.
Cystine/glutamate antiporter blockage induces myelin degeneration

The cystine/glutamate antiporter is a membrane transport system responsible for the uptake of extracellular cystine and release of intracellular glutamate. It is the major source of cystine in most cells, and a key regulator of extrasynaptic glutamate in the CNS. Because cystine is the limiting factor in the biosynthesis of glutathione, and glutamate is the most abundant neurotransmitter, the cystine/glutamate antiporter is a central player both in antioxidant defense and glutamatergic signaling, two events critical to brain function. However, distribution of cystine/glutamate antiporter in CNS has not been well characterized. Here, we analyzed expression of the catalytic subunit of the cystine/glutamate antiporter, xCT, by immunohistochemistry in histological sections of the forebrain and spinal cord. We detected labeling in neurons, oligodendrocytes, microglia, and oligodendrocyte precursor cells, but not in GFAP+ astrocytes. In addition, we examined xCT expression and function by qPCR and cystine uptake in primary rat cultures of CNS, detecting higher levels of antiporter expression in neurons and oligodendrocytes. Chronic inhibition of cystine/glutamate antiporter caused high toxicity to cultured oligodendrocytes. In accordance, chronic blockage of cystine/glutamate antiporter as well as glutathione depletion caused myelin disruption in organotypic cerebellar slices. Finally, mice chronically treated with sulfasalazine, a cystine/glutamate antiporter inhibitor, showed a reduction in the levels of myelin and an increase in the myelinated fiber g‐ratio. Together, these results reveal that cystine/glutamate antiporter is expressed in oligodendrocytes, where it is a key factor to the maintenance of cell homeostasis. GLIA 2016. GLIA 2016;64:1381–1395
Safe Double Blind Studies as a Service

The emergence of IoT devices is revolutionizing various aspects of human life, including healthcare, where the use of such devices can potentially improve health outcomes for millions. However, the efficacy of treatments and protocols based on IoT devices is measured through the use of rigorous double-blind studies, which can be quite expensive to conduct as they traditionally require a third party mediator. In this paper, we propose CATnIP, a secure, centralized cloud hub for instrumenting and conducting double-blind studies, with an extended focus on seamless integration with IoT devices. This paper outlines the construction and security considerations of CATnIP, the motivations behind creating such a system, and an evaluation based on the Five Safes and Stakeholder frameworks.
To derotate or not? The impact of a permanent derotation screw on the revision rate of dynamic hip screw fixation for intracapsular neck of femur fractures.

Background : In this retrospective study, we examine the impact that employing a permanent derotation screw (DRS) has on the rate of revision for 2-hole dynamic hip screws (DHS, a.k.a. sliding hip screws), used for internal fixation of intracapsular neck of femur (NOF) fractures. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to examine the impact of using a derotation screw on DHS revision rate. Methods : We obtained a list of 64 patients suffering intracapsular NOF fracture treated with 2-hole DHS over a 5-year period, 28 of these were also treated with a DRS, forming our DRS group, 36 were not (non-DRS group). Fracture severity and patient demographics between the groups were compared to ensure homogeneity. The rate of revision to arthroplasty (total or hemi) of the two groups were compared. Results : The mean age in the DRS group was 70.79 years, 1.77 years lower than the non-DRS group (p=0.570). The DRS group had a rate of revision of 14%, in comparison with 39% in the non-DRS group (p=0.0299), corresponding with a number needed to treat of 4.06 derotation screws to prevent a single failure. Conclusions : In this study, employing a permanent derotation screw alongside a 2-hole DHS was associated with a significantly lower rate of revision to arthroplasty than using a 2-hole DHS alone. We would recommend this be further investigated with prospective randomized trials, to provide robust evidence and make clinical recommendations.
Electrodeposition: A Technology for the Future

Electrochemical deposition, or electrodeposition for short, has been around for a very long time now; so why should serious scientists and technologists still get excited by it? There are several answers. To begin, electrodeposition is a fascinating phenomenon. That one can put a shiny coating of one metal on another simply by donating electrons to ions in a solution is remarkable, and studies of the process at an atomic level continue to yield surprises. Electrodeposition is exceptionally versatile, and valuable applications keep being invented. In this article we can give only a brief and incomplete overview, but we hope at least to whet your appetite to learn more.
Asporin enhances colorectal cancer metastasis through activating the EGFR/Src/cortactin signaling pathway

Asporin has been implicated as an oncogene in various types of human cancers; however, the roles of asporin in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) have not yet been determined. With clinical samples, we found that asporin was highly expressed in CRC tissues compared to adjacent normal tissues and the asporin expression levels were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis status and TNM stage of the patients. Through knockdown of asporin in CRC cell lines RKO and SW620 or overexpression of asporin in cell lines HT-29 and LoVo, we found that asporin could enhance wound healing, migration and invasion abilities of the CRC cells. Further more, with the human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) tube formation assays and the xenograft model, we found that asporin promoted the tumor growth through stimulating the VEGF signaling pathway. The portal vein injection models suggested that asporin overexpression stimulated the liver metastasis of HT29 cell line, while asporin knockdown inhibited the liver metastasis of RKO cell line. In addition, asporin was found to augment the phosphorylation of EGFR/Src/cortactin signaling pathway, which might be contributed to the biological functions of asporin in CRC metastasis. These results suggested that asporin promoted the tumor growth and metastasis of CRC, and it could be a potential therapeutic target for CRC patients in future.
A Comparative Survey on Wireless Internet Usage and Future Expectations of University Students -The Cases of USF, AKU and IUS

In this article, college students’ internet usage and the expectations for better wireless access are discussed. Wireless and mobile internet access recently became an integral part of our lives. Especially, with the introduction of smart devices (phones, tablets etc.) into the wireless market and the vast number of applications running on these devices, we end up being addicted to them. Now, some of us have come to a point where we can leave everything behind us except our phones. To better understand how the wireless access has influenced us we conducted a face-to-face survey with three different groups of college students totalling 829. According to the survey, there are some problems while using the internet, such as internet speed and connection. University students do not want to give up mobile communications and they never want to be secondary users. They pay more attention to security and privacy in communication. They are also awaiting functional innovations in the future.