Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methylated Cell-Free Tumor DNA in Sputum as a Tool for Diagnosing Lung Cancer—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary Lung cancer is one of the deadliest cancers worldwide, and the prognosis is poor. The disease is potentially curable if detected at an early stage, but currently, the only widely implemented screening tool is low-dose computed tomography. Biomarkers such as methylated tumor DNA may be used for the early detection of lung cancer, and sputum is an appealing, non-invasive sample type. With this systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed to identify all studies evaluating the quantitative methylation of tumor DNA in sputum samples for lung cancer detection. A systematic overview of all the available evidence may highlight areas of improvement as well as certain high-performing genes to prioritize in future studies. Abstract Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Early diagnosis is pivotal for the prognosis. There is a notable overlap between lung cancer and chronic bronchitis, and the potential use of methylated tumor DNA in sputum as a biomarker for lung cancer detection is appealing. This systematic review and meta-analysis followed the PRISMA 2020 statement. A comprehensive search was conducted in Embase, Medline, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library, using these search strings: Lung cancer, sputum, and methylated tumor DNA. A total of 15 studies met the eligibility criteria. Studies predominantly utilized a case–control design, with sensitivity ranging from 10 to 93% and specificity from 8 to 100%. A meta-analysis of all genes across studies resulted in a summary sensitivity of 54.3% (95% CI 49.4–59.2%) and specificity of 79.7% (95% CI 75.0–83.7%). Notably, two less explored genes (TAC1, SOX17) demonstrated sensitivity levels surpassing 85%. The study’s findings highlight substantial variations in the sensitivity and specificity of methylated tumor DNA in sputum for lung cancer detection. Challenges in reproducibility could stem from differences in tumor site, sample acquisition, extraction methods, and methylation measurement techniques. This meta-analysis provides a foundation for prioritizing high-performing genes, calling for a standardization and refinement of methodologies before potential application in clinical trials.
Honeypot Method to Lure Attackers Without Holding Crypto-Assets

In recent years, the convenience and potential use of crypto-assets such as Bitcoin and Ethereum have attracted increasing attention. On the other hand, there have been reports of attacks on the blockchain networks that support crypto-assets in an attempt to steal other users’ assets. In the past, research on attack observation against blockchains has used techniques such as holding real crypto-assets to lure attackers into honeypots or falsifying balances to attackers. However, these methods risk losing crypto-assets to attackers or being exposed as honeypots to attackers. To solve these problems, we propose a new RPC (Remote Procedure Call) honeypot method that returns the wallet address of another party holding a high balance in response to an attacker’s request, thereby luring the attacker without having the real crypto-assets. Our experimental evaluation shows that this method can attract more attackers than the method with zero-balance wallets and can observe more sophisticated attacks. Furthermore, we proposed a risk reduction strategy for crypto-asset theft by applying the idea of our method. In the log analysis process, we devised a new clustering method using the number of times an attacker executes a specific method as a feature. By applying this method, we successfully classified attackers based on their objectives, demonstrating the efficient analysis of vast amounts of log data.
Continuous long-range measurement of tonic dopamine with advanced FSCV for pharmacodynamic analysis of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease

Levodopa, a dopamine prodrug, alleviates the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but its chronic use gives rise to levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID). However, it remains unclear whether levodopa pharmacodynamics is altered during the progressive onset of LID. Using in vivo fast-scan cyclic voltammetry and second-derivative-based background drift removal, we continuously measured tonic dopamine levels using high temporal resolution recording over 1-h. Increases to tonic dopamine levels following acute levodopa administration were slow and marginal within the naïve PD model. However, these levels increased faster and higher in the LID model. Furthermore, we identified a strong positive correlation of dyskinetic behavior with the rate of dopamine increase, but much less with its cumulative level, at each time point. Here, we identified the altered signature of striatal DA dynamics underlying LID in PD using an advanced FSCV technique that demonstrates the long-range dynamics of tonic dopamine following drug administration.
COMPARING ROTATION-ROBUST MECHANISMS IN LOCAL FEATURE MATCHING: HAND-CRAFTED VS. DEEP LEARNING ALGORITHMS

The objective of this research is to conduct a performance comparison between hand-crafted feature matching algorithms and deep learning-based counterparts in the context of rotational variances. Hand-crafted algorithms underwent testing utilizing FLANN (Fast Library for Approximate Nearest Neighbors) as the matcher and RANSAC (Random sample consensus) for outlier detection and elimination, contributing to enhanced accuracy in the results. Surprisingly, experiments revealed that hand-crafted algorithms could yield comparable or superior results to deep learning-based algorithms when exposed to rotational variances. Notably, the application of horizontally flipped images showcased a distinct advantage for deep learning-based algorithms, demonstrating significantly improved results compared to their hand-crafted counterparts. While deep learning-based algorithms exhibit technological advancements, the study found that hand-crafted algorithms like AKAZE and AKAZE-SIFT could effectively compete with their deep learning counterparts, particularly in scenarios involving rotational variances. However, the same level of competitiveness was not observed in horizontally flipped cases, where hand-crafted algorithms exhibited suboptimal results. Conversely, deep learning algorithms such as DELF demonstrated superior results and accuracy in horizontally flipped scenarios. The research underscores that the choice between hand-crafted and deep learning-based algorithms depends on the specific use case. Hand-crafted algorithms exhibit competitiveness, especially in addressing rotational variances, while deep learning-based algorithms, exemplified by DELF, excel in scenarios involving horizontally flipped images, showcasing the unique advantages each approach holds in different contexts.
Inflammatory Biomarkers and Gait Impairment in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Peripheral inflammation and gait speed alterations are common in several neurological disorders and in the aging process, but the association between the two is not well established. The aim of this systematic literary review is to determine whether proinflammatory markers are a positive predictor for gait impairments and their complications, such as falls in older adults, and may represent a risk factor for slow gait speed and its complications. The systematic review was performed in line with the Preferred Report Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). A protocol for literature searches was structured a priori and designed according to the International Perspective Register of Systemic Review (PROSPERO: CRD42023451108). Peer-reviewed original articles were identified by searching seven electronic databases: Excerpta Medica Database (EMBASE), SciVerse (ScienceDirect), Scopus, PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library. The search strategy was formulated based on a combination of controlled descriptors and/or keywords related to the topic and a manual search was conducted of the reference lists from the initially selected studies to identify other eligible studies. The studies were thoroughly screened using the following inclusion criteria: older adults, spatiotemporal gait characteristics, and proinflammatory markers. A meta-analysis was not performed due to the heterogeneity of the studies, and the results were narratively synthesized. Due to the clinical and methodological heterogeneity, the studies were combined in a narrative synthesis, grouped by the type of biomarkers evaluated. A standardized data extraction form was used to collect the following methodological outcome variables from each of the included studies: author, year, population, age, sample size, spatiotemporal gait parameters such as gait velocity, and proinflammatory markers such as TNF-α, high sensitivity C-reactive (CRP) proteins, and IL-6. We included 21 out of 51 studies in our review, which examined the association between inflammatory biomarkers and gait impairment. This review highlights the role of TNF-α, CRP, and IL-6 in gait impairment. Biomarkers play an important role in the decision-making process, and IL-6 can be an effective biomarker in establishing the diagnosis of slow gait speed. Further longitudinal research is needed to establish the use of molecular biomarkers in monitoring gait impairment.
Genetic Basis of Pigment Dispersion Syndrome and Pigmentary Glaucoma: An Update and Functional Insights

Pigment Dispersion Syndrome (PDS) and Pigmentary Glaucoma (PG) comprise a spectrum of ocular disorders characterized by iris pigment dispersion and trabecular meshwork changes, resulting in increased intraocular pressure and potential glaucomatous optic neuropathy. This review summarizes recent progress in PDS/PG genetics including rare pathogenic protein coding alterations (PMEL) and susceptibility loci identified from genome-wide association studies (GSAP and GRM5/TYR). Areas for future research are also identified, especially the development of efficient model systems. While substantial strides have been made in understanding the genetics of PDS/PG, our review identifies key gaps and outlines the future directions necessary for further advancing this important field of ocular genetics.
An Examination of the Motives for Attributing and Interpreting Deception in People with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment

The aim of the present study was to examine how a person with amnestic mild cognitive impairment perceives the phenomenon of deception. Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) usually represents the prodromal phase of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with patients showing memory impairment but with normal activities of daily living. It was expected that aMCI patients would face difficulties in the attribution and interpretation of deceptive behavior due to deficits regarding their diagnosis. The main sample of the study consisted of 76 older adults who were patients of a daycare center diagnosed with aMCI. A sample of 55 highly educated young adults was also examined in the same experiment to qualitatively compare their performance with that of aMCI patients. Participants were assigned a scenario where a hypothetical partner (either a friend or a stranger) was engaged in a task in which the partner could lie to boost their earnings at the expense of the participant. The results showed that aMCI patients, even if they understood that something was going wrong, did not invest in interpretations of potential deception and tended to avoid searching for confirmative information related to the hypothetical lie of their partner compared to highly educated young adults. It seems that aMCI patients become somehow “innocent”, and this is discussed in terms of cognitive impairment and/or socioemotional selectivity.
Diversity–Productivity Trade‐off During Converting Cropland to Perennial Grassland in the Semi‐arid Areas of China

The trade‐off between plant community structure and function is an important issue during grassland restoration. It is essential to assess changes of structure and function after converting farmland to grassland. Three restoration stages (5, 15, and 30 years) were studied to determine the optimum time when the trade‐off between diversity and productivity occurs. The results showed that the vegetation coverage, height, and productivity significantly increased, but the species richness, diversity, and density significantly decreased along the restoration time. Grassland community presented a succession from small individuals and high density to larger individuals and lower density. The community changed from being dominated by grass and forb functional groups to being dominated only by the grass functional group. The dominant grass functional group plays a decisive role on community structure and function (productivity, diversity, and density) during grassland succession. Our results suggest that community structure and function were mainly driven by the dominant grass functional group during the long‐term succession. Grassland should be utilized to suppress the leading role of the dominant functional groups in the 20th year for keeping the trade‐off of diversity and productivity. We suggest that the restoration grassland should be considered to use appropriately in the 20th year. Our study could provide a key guidance for maintaining the community structure and function trade‐off for cropland‐converted grassland management in the semi‐arid areas. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Framework for Advancing Streamflow and Water Allocation Forecasts in the Elqui Valley, Chile

In many semi-arid regions, agriculture, energy, municipal, and environmental demands often stress available water supplies. Such is the case in the Elqui River valley of northern Chile, which draws on a limited capacity reservoir and annually variable snowmelt. With infrastructure investments often deferred or delayed, water managers are forced to address demand-based allocation strategies, particularly challenging in dry years. This is often realized through a reduction in the volume associated with each water right, applied across all water rights holders. Skillful season-ahead streamflow forecasts have the potential to inform managers with an indication of likely future conditions upon which to set the annual water right volume and thereby guide reservoir allocations. This work evaluates season-ahead statistical prediction models of October-January (austral growing season) streamflow at multiple lead times associated with manager and user decision points, and link predictions with a simple reservoir allocation tool.
Efficient Charge Separation and Transport in Fullerene-CuPcOC8 Donor–Acceptor Nanorod Enhancing Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

Photocatalytic hydrogen generation via water decomposition is a promising avenue in the pursuit of large-scale, cost-effective renewable hydrogen energy generation. However, the design of an efficient photocatalyst plays a crucial role in achieving high yields in hydrogen generation. Herein, we have engineered a fullerene-2,3,9,10,16,17,23,24-octa(octyloxy)copper phthalocyanine (C60-CuPcOC8) photocatalyst, achieving both efficient hydrogen generation and high stability. The significant donor–acceptor (D–A) interactions facilitate the efficient electron transfer from CuPcOC8 to C60. The rate of photocatalytic hydrogen generation for C60-CuPcOC8 is 8.32 mmol·g−1·h−1, which is two orders of magnitude higher than the individual C60 and CuPcOC8. The remarkable increase in hydrogen generation activity can be attributed to the development of a robust internal electric field within the C60-CuPcOC8 assembly. It is 16.68 times higher than that of the pure CuPcOC8. The strong internal electric field facilitates the rapid separation within 0.6 ps, enabling photogenerated charge transfer efficiently. Notably, the hydrogen generation efficiency of C60-CuPcOC8 remains above 95%, even after 10 h, showing its exceptional photocatalytic stability. This study provides critical insight into advancing the field of photocatalysis.
Postoperative Arrhythmia Repair of Tetralogy of Fallot in Pediatrics

Tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) is the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease. ToF affects 3% to 10% of all babies born with congenital heart disease. Arrhythmia is a common complication following congenital heart surgery. As a medical guide, it is important to know Arrhythmia as a complication after ToF surgery. Method : The author searched, selected, and chose journals related to Arrhythmia after ToF repair surgery through several research databases including ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, PubMed, and Wiley. by using the keywords "Arrhythmia", "Surgery", "Pediatrics" and "Tetralogy of Fallot". The results of the literature search were 2,006 journals with 21 journals meeting the selection criteria, and 6 studies that would be analyzed further. Results and Discussion : Arrhythmia after heart surgery is a common complication that occurs. The most common type of arrhythmia that occurs after ToF repair surgery is JET. This arrhythmia is associated with injury to the heart's conduction system during surgery. JET is a life-threatening tachyarrhythmia that occurs especially after procedures near the AV node (AVN), such as ToF repair operation. The main risk factor for postoperative arrhythmias is a longer cardiopulmonary bypass time. Conclusion : Arrhythmia is a common complication that occurs after ToF repair surgery and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality if not treated immediately.
Astaxanthin Inhibits H2O2-Induced Excessive Mitophagy and Apoptosis in SH-SY5Y Cells by Regulation of Akt/mTOR Activation

Oxidative stress, which damages cellular components and causes mitochondrial dysfunction, occurs in a variety of human diseases, including neurological disorders. The clearance of damaged mitochondria via mitophagy maintains the normal function of mitochondria and facilitates cell survival. Astaxanthin is an antioxidant known to have neuroprotective effects, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study demonstrated that astaxanthin inhibited H2O2-induced apoptosis in SH-SY5Y cells by ameliorating mitochondrial damage and enhancing cell survival. H2O2 treatment significantly reduced the levels of activated Akt and mTOR and induced mitophagy, while pretreatment with astaxanthin prevented H2O2-induced inhibition of Akt and mTOR and attenuated H2O2-induced mitophagy. Moreover, the inhibition of Akt attenuated the protective effect of astaxanthin against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. Taken together, astaxanthin might inhibit H2O2-induced apoptosis by protecting mitochondrial function and reducing mitophagy. The results also indicate that the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway was critical for the protection of astaxanthin against H2O2-induced cytotoxicity. The results from the present study suggest that astaxanthin can reduce neuronal oxidative injury and may have the potential to be used for preventing neurotoxicity associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
Keragaman Karakter Morfologis Garut (Marantha arundinaceae L.)

Morphological Characteristics Variability of Arrowroot (Marantha arundinaceae L.). The arrowroot has been recognized by most society member of Indonesia as a source of potential foodstuf. The arrowroot has low glicemic index, and high carbohydrate content, high quality of flour and can replace position of wheat flour as food material and industry. Evaluation and characterization are needed to get informations of superior characteristic of arrowroot as source of genetic variability to develop promising new arrowroot varieties. The result showed that the morphological characteristic of 20 arrowroot accecions were not different on the qualitative characteristics. The characteristics of leaf colour, stem and stalk leaf colour, and white colour of tuber were not different among arrowroot accecions. The quantitative characteristics of tuber or rhizomes type (tuber length and tuber circle), plant height, number of tiller/hill, total leaf/main stem, leaf length and leaf width among accecions had low variability. The tuber weight per hill had positive correlation with plant height, number of leaf, tuber length and tuber circle and negative correlation with leaf length, leaf width and stalk length leaf. Abstrak Garut (Marantha arundinaceae L.) merupakan sumber pangan yang potensial bagi sebagian masyarakat di Indonesia. Garut memiliki indeks glikemik rendah dan kandungan karbohidrat tinggi. Tepung garut dapat menggantikan terigu sebagai bahan makanan dan industri. Evaluasi dan karakterisasi garut perlu dilakukan untuk memperoleh informasi sifat-sifat unggul untuk dapat digunakan dalam perakitan varietas unggul. Hasil evaluasi 20 aksesi garut yang dikarakterisasi menunjukan tidak ada perbedaan morfologis sifat kualitatif. Warna daun, pelepah dan tangkai daun, bentuk daun, bentuk dan warna umbi memiliki kesamaan antaraksesi. Karakter kuantitatif pada bentuk umbi (panjang dan lingkar umbi), tinggi tanaman, jumlah anakan/rumpun, jumlah daun pada batang utama, panjang dan lebar daun antar aksesi plasma nutfah garut memiliki keragaman yang sempit. Hasil analisis menunjukkan bahwa bobot umbi per rumpun berkorelasi positif dengan tinggi tanaman, jumlah daun, panjang, lingkar umbi, dan berkorelasi negatif dengan panjang daun, lebar daun, dan panjang tangkai daun.
Breast cancer but not the menopausal status is associated with small changes of the gut microbiota

Background Possible relationships between gut dysbiosis and breast cancer (BC) development and progression have been previously reported. However, the results of these metagenomics studies are inconsistent. Our study involved 88 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 86 cancer-free control women. Participants were divided into groups based on their menopausal status. Fecal samples were collected from 47 and 41 pre- and postmenopausal newly diagnosed breast cancer patients and 51 and 35 pre- and postmenopausal controls, respectively. In this study, we performed shotgun metagenomic analyses to compare the gut microbial community between pre- and postmenopausal BC patients and the corresponding controls. Results Firstly, we identified 12, 64, 158, and 455 bacterial taxa on the taxonomy level of phyla, families, genera, and species, respectively. Insignificant differences of the Shannon index and β-diversity were found at the genus and species levels between pre- and postmenopausal controls; the differences concerned only the Chao index at the species level. No differences in α-diversity indexes were found between pre- and postmenopausal BC patients, although β-diversity differed these subgroups at the genus and species levels. Consistently, only the abundance of single taxa differed between pre- and postmenopausal controls and cases, while the abundances of 14 and 23 taxa differed or tended to differ between premenopausal cases and controls, and between postmenopausal cases and controls, respectively. There were similar differences in the distribution of enterotypes. Of 460 bacterial MetaCyc pathways discovered, no pathways differentiated pre- and postmenopausal controls or BC patients, while two and one pathways differentiated cases from controls in the pre- and postmenopausal subgroups, respectively. Conclusion While our findings did not reveal an association of changes in the overall microbiota composition and selected taxa with the menopausal status in cases and controls, they confirmed differences of the gut microbiota between pre- and postmenopausal BC patients and the corresponding controls. However, these differences were less extensive than those described previously.