Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity and Connectivity in the Threatened Staghorn Coral (Acropora cervicornis) in Florida

Over the past three decades, populations of the dominant shallow water Caribbean corals, Acropora cervicornis and A. palmata, have been devastated by white-band disease (WBD), resulting in the listing of both species as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A key to conserving these threatened corals is understanding how their populations are genetically interconnected throughout the greater Caribbean. Genetic research has demonstrated that gene flow is regionally restricted across the Caribbean in both species. Yet, despite being an important site of coral reef research, little genetic data has been available for the Florida Acropora, especially for the staghorn coral, A. cervicornis. In this study, we present new mitochondrial DNA sequence data from 52 A. cervicornis individuals from 22 sites spread across the upper and lower Florida Keys, which suggest that Florida's A. cervicornis populations are highly genetically interconnected (FST = −0.081). Comparison between Florida and existing mtDNA data from six regional Caribbean populations indicates that Florida possesses high levels of standing genetic diversity (h = 0.824) relative to the rest of the greater Caribbean (h = 0.701±0.043). We find that the contemporary level of gene flow across the greater Caribbean, including Florida, is restricted ( = 0.117), but evidence from shared haplotypes suggests the Western Caribbean has historically been a source of genetic variation for Florida. Despite the current patchiness of A. cervicornis in Florida, the relatively high genetic diversity and connectivity within Florida suggest that this population may have sufficient genetic variation to be viable and resilient to environmental perturbation and disease. Limited genetic exchange across regional populations of the greater Caribbean, including Florida, indicates that conservation efforts for A. cervicornis should focus on maintaining and managing populations locally rather than relying on larval inputs from elsewhere.
Targeting HMGA2 in Retinoblastoma Cells in vitro Using the Aptamer Strategy

High-mobility group A2 (HMGA2) protein regulates retinoblastoma (RB) cancer cell proliferation. Here, a stable phosphorothioate-modified HMGA2 aptamer was used to block HMGA2 protein function in RB cells. HMGA2-aptamer internalisation in RB cells (Y79, Weri Rb1) and non-neoplastic human retinal cells (MIO-M1) were optimised. Aptamer induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity in RB cancer cells (0.25-1.5 µM). Increased expression of TGFβ, SMAD4, CDH1, BAX, CASP 3, PARP mRNA and decreased SNAI1, Bcl2 mRNA levels in aptamer-treated RB cells suggests the activation of TGFβ-SMAD4-mediated apoptotic pathway. Synergistic effect with etoposide was observed in aptamer treated RB cells (p value ≤0.05). No significant toxicity was observed in non-neoplastic retinal cells.
Developing a theory of change for a community‐based response to illegal wildlife trade

The escalating illegal wildlife trade (IWT) is one of the most high‐profile conservation challenges today. The crisis has attracted over US$350 million in donor and government funding in recent years, primarily directed at increased enforcement. There is growing recognition among practitioners and policy makers of the need to engage rural communities that neighbor or live with wildlife as key partners in tackling IWT. However, a framework to guide such community engagement is lacking. We developed a theory of change (ToC) to guide policy makers, donors, and practitioners in partnering with communities to combat IWT. We identified 4 pathways for community‐level actions: strengthen disincentives for illegal behavior, increase incentives for wildlife stewardship, decrease costs of living with wildlife, and support livelihoods that are not related to wildlife. To succeed the pathways, all require strengthening of enabling conditions, including capacity building, and of governance. Our ToC serves to guide actions to tackle IWT and to inform the evaluation of policies. Moreover, it can be used to foster dialogue among IWT stakeholders, from local communities to governments and international donors, to develop a more effective, holistic, and sustainable community‐based response to the IWT crisis.
Exploring accounts of collaborative working between speech and language therapists and stroke association communication support coordinators following stroke

ABSTRACT In the United Kingdom, speech and language therapists (SLTs) and Stroke Association communication support coordinators (CSCs) are both employed to provide services for people with communication difficulties following stroke. There is very little literature of this type of collaborative working. This research is unique because it explores collaborative working between SLTs who are employed by the National Health Service and CSCs who are employed by the Stroke Association. Five CSCs and seven SLTs from the East of England participated in a series of in-depth interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis informed by an interpretative phenomenological approach. The analysis suggested complex negotiation processes occur at a number of different levels. These levels include negotiation of individual relationships between SLTs and CSCs, negotiating the particular challenges involved in working across organisations and professions, and the need for both roles to negotiate and promote the value of their services at a societal level. The findings of this research are discussed in relation to existing theories and research within the field of collaborative working. Clinical applications are suggested for collaborative working within communication services. We propose that our findings may have relevance to other individuals and organisations delivering services collaboratively.
Dual Suppression of the Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitors CDKN2C and CDKN1A in Human Melanoma

Resistance to BRAFV600E inhibitors is associated with reactivation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling at different levels in melanoma. To identify downstream effectors of MAPK signaling that could be used as potential additional therapeutic targets for BRAFV600E inhibitors, we used hTERT/CDK4R24C/p53DD-immortalized primary human melanocytes genetically modified to ectopically express BRAF V600E or NRAS G12D and observed induction of the AP-1 transcription factor family member c-Jun. Using a dominant negative approach, in vitro cell proliferation assays, western blots, and flow cytometry showed that MAPK signaling via BRAFV600E promotes melanoma cell proliferation at G1 through AP-1-mediated negative regulation of the INK4 family member, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2C (CDKN2C), and the CIP/KIP family member, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A). These effects were antagonized by pharmacological inhibition of CDKN2C and CDKN1A targets CDK2 and CDK4 in vitro. In contrast to BRAF V600E or NRAS G12D-expressing melanocytes, melanoma cells have an inherent resistance to suppression of AP-1 activity by BRAFV600E- or MEK-inhibitors. Here, CDK2/4 inhibition statistically significantly augmented the effects of BRAFV600E- or MEK-inhibitors on melanoma cell viability in vitro and growth in athymic nude Foxn1 nu mice (P = .03 when mean tumor volume at day 13 was compared for BRAFV600E inhibitor vs BRAFV600E inhibitor plus CDK2/4 inhibition; P = .02 when mean tumor volume was compared for MEK inhibitor vs MEK inhibitor plus CDK2/4 inhibition; P values were calculated by a two-sided Welch t test; n = 4–8 mice per group).
Triple negative breast cancer: the kiss of death

One of the most controversial women malignancies, triple negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are critically overviewed here, being focused on data useful in clinical practice or to improve the therapy and patients survival. TNBCs “choose” young women and its “kiss” is, unfortunately deadly in most cases. Currently, few sparse data are available in literature concerning the origins of TNBC. Vasculogenic mimicry detected in TNBCs, seems to be determined by a population of CD133+ cells and may be stimulated by different pharmacological agents such sunitinib. Despite the fact that TNBCs do not usually metastasize through the lymphatic pathways, TNBCs may be characterized by lymphatic invasion and by an increased lymphatic microvascular density. If TNBCs treatment depends on the molecular profile of the tumor, the same statement may be postulated for TNBCs metastasis. Whether metastases have a similar phenotype as the primary tumor remains an enigma. Therefore, the question: ‘Could TNBC be subject to a standardized, unanimously accepted therapeutic strategy or is it strictly subclass-dependent? ’ remains to be further investigated.
RISK ASSESSMENT OF DECUBITUS ULCERS USING FOUR SCALES AMONG PATIENTS ADMITTED IN MEDICAL AND SURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS IN A TERTIARY CARE SET UP: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Background and objectives: Pressure ulcers are the third most expensive disorder after cancer and cardiovascular diseases. For predicting the risk factors early among patients admitted in intensive care units , all critically ill patient should be screened for presence of all possible risk factors. There is no single specific tool for risk assessment which can predict almost all risk factors. Least studies have been done in Indian scenario to compare and suggest a better predictor of risk assessment for presence of pressure ulcers. The objectives of the present study was to assess & predict the risk for decubitus ulcer using Braden, Norton, Waterlow and Cubbin & Jackson scale as well as to compare better predictor score / tool among these four scales in patients admitted in M.I.C.U. & S.I.C.U. in Indian scenario. Materials and Methodology: A total of one hundred fifty (150) subjects adult males and females admitted in I.C.U within 48 hours were included in the study. Braden scale, Norton scale, Waterlow scale and Cubbin & Jackson scale were administered by two physiotherapy interns. Results: The data was analyzed using student’s paired t test, Chi square test and single way ANOVA. Statistically significant differences were noted when the test scores were compared to age (58-77) years (p=0.0308) nutritional status(underweight & obesity) (p=0.0174), mechanical ventilation (p=0.00001), musculoskeletal problems (p=0.0333), type II Diabetes Mellitus (p=0.0003) that have shown to contribute higher risk for development of decubitus ulcers. Cubbin & Jackson scale have shown to be the best predictive value with 99.3% sensitivity and 55.5% specificity compared to other scores. Conclusion: The present cross-sectional study concluded that the Cubbin and Jackson scale is a better predictor of risk of pressure ulcer in Indian scenario. In addition, Nutritional status, age group of 58-77 years, Type II diabetes mellitus and musculoskeletal problems have demonstrated to be risk factors for development of pressure ulcers in ICU admitted patients.
Travel-acquired ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae: impact of colonization at individual and community level

Abstract Background: Antibiotic resistance is a rapidly increasing global emergency that calls for action from all of society. Intestinal multidrugresistant (MDR) bacteria have spread worldwide with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) -producing Enterobacteriaceae (ESBL-PE) as the most prevalent type. The millions of travelers annually visiting regions with poor hygiene contribute substantially to this spread. Our review explores the underlying data and discusses the consequences of the colonization. Methods: PubMed was searched for relevant literature between January 2010 and August 2016. We focused on articles reporting (1) the rate of ESBL-PE acquisition in a group of travelers recruited before/after international travel, (2) fecal carriage of ESBL-PE as explored by culture and, for part of the studies, (3) analysis of factors predisposing to colonization. Results: We reviewed a total of 16 studies focusing on travel-acquired ESBL-PE. The acquisition rates reveal that 2070% of visitors to (sub)tropical regions get colonized by ESBL-PE. The main risk factors predisposing to colonization during travel are destination, travelers diarrhea, and antibiotic use. Conclusions: While most of those colonized remain asymptomatic, acquisition of ESBL-PE may have consequences both at individual and community level. We discuss current efforts to restrict the spread.
Multiframe Scene Flow with Piecewise Rigid Motion

We introduce a novel multiframe scene flow approach that jointly optimizes the consistency of the patch appearances and their local rigid motions from RGB-D image sequences. In contrast to the competing methods, we take advantage of an oversegmentation of the reference frame and robust optimization techniques. We formulate scene flow recovery as a global non-linear least squares problem which is iteratively solved by a damped Gauss-Newton approach. As a result, we obtain a qualitatively new level of accuracy in RGB-D based scene flow estimation which can potentially run in real-time. Our method can handle challenging cases with rigid, piecewise rigid, articulated and moderate non-rigid motion, and does not rely on prior knowledge about the types of motions and deformations. Extensive experiments on synthetic and real data show that our method outperforms state-of-the-art.
Molecular Pathogenetics of Renal Cancer

Recent developments in genetics and molecular biology have led to an increased understanding of the pathobiology of renal cancer. Thorough knowledge of the molecular pathways associated with renal cancer is a prerequisite for novel potential therapeutic interventions. Studies are ongoing to evaluate novel anticancer agents that target specific molecular entities. This article reviews current knowledge on the genetics and molecular pathogenesis of sporadic and inherited forms of renal cancer.
Carbon based dot capped silver nanoparticles for efficient surface-enhanced Raman scattering

A simple method has been developed for the preparation of silver nanoparticles/carbon based quantum dot nano-hybrids (AgNPs@CDs). First, the small-sized CDs with abundant oxygen-containing functional groups adsorbed Ag+ ions through ion exchange or coordination reactions. Then, during the reaction with NaBH4, the Ag+ ions were reduced to AgNPs while the oxygen-containing functional groups were partially removed from the CDs. Thus, CDs were coated on the surfaces of the resultant AgNPs, leading to the formation of AgNPs@CDs. The residual oxygen-containing groups on the CDs made the obtained AgNPs@CDs possess excellent dispersivity and long-term stability in water. The synthesized AgNPs@CDs showed high surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) activity and provided a sensitive SERS sensing ability for 4-aminothiophenol, with a wide dynamic range from 1 × 10−10 to 1 × 10−5 M and a low detection limit (S/N = 3) of 5.0 × 10−11 M.
Liberating ICU Patients from Deep Sedation and Mechanical Ventilation — An Overview of Best Practices

Pain, agitation, and delirium (PAD) occur frequently in critically ill patients. Severe pain is the most common memory that patients recall of their ICU stay. Pain often goes unrecognized and untreated, because many ICU patients can’t self-report their pain. Severe pain leads to both shortand long-term psychological and physical complications in ICU patients. Agitation and anxiety (due to pain, delirium, drug withdrawal, etc.) also occur often in critically ill patients, leading to hemodynamic instability, ventilator dyssynchrony, and device removal. Delirium occurs in the vast majority of ICU patients at some point during their ICU stay and is a risk factor for prolonged mechanical ventilation, increased ICU and hospital lengths of stay (LOS), increased healthcare costs, and increased hospital mortality in these patients. Delirious ICU patients also have a greater risk of developing long-term cognitive and physical dysfunction, a greater need for institutional care, and a shorter life expectancy following hospital discharge. Delirium can have a widely variable presentation, making it difficult to diagnose in these patients.
Feasibility of Studying a Brief Intervention to Help Chinese Villagers with Problem Alcohol Use After an Earthquake

Aim To evaluate the feasibility of conducting a study of structured brief intervention (BI) for reducing problem alcohol use among individuals who experienced earthquake. Methods Following the Wenchuan earthquake, 1336 clients from 18 local hospitals were invited to complete the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Of those, 239 individuals (AUDIT score of greater than or equal to 7) were included in the study. The participants from intervention village hospitals who were assigned to the BI group (n = 118) received a structured BI lasting 15-30 min plus general health education. The participants from the control village hospitals were assigned to the control group (n = 121) only received general health education. Baseline and post-intervention assessments at 12 weeks were conducted using the AUDIT, Substance Abuse Knowledge Scale (SAKS), Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and General Well-being Schedule. Results At 3 months follow-up, the BI group had reduced scores on AUDIT (F = 65.84; P < 0.001) and increased on SAKS (F = 44.45; P < 0.001), but the control group had increased scores on SAS (F = 10.76; P = 0.001) and SDS (F = 18.43; P < 0.001) compared with baseline. BI group showed more decreases for AUDIT scores (group × time effect, F = 34.8; P < 0.001), and had mores increases for SAKS scores (group × time effect, F = 15.7; P < 0.001) compared with control group. Conclusion The study demonstrated the feasibility of a study of BI in problem alcohol users who experienced traumatic events. Further research need to be done to test the effectiveness of BI over a longer period of time, and provide evidence in support of BI as an effective technique in China.
ICRC-HIT: A Deep Learning based Comment Sequence Labeling System for Answer Selection Challenge

In this paper, we present a comment labeling system based on a deep learning strategy. We treat the answer selection task as a sequence labeling problem and propose recurrent convolution neural networks to recognize good comments. In the recurrent architecture of our system, our approach uses 2-dimensional convolutional neural networks to learn the distributed representation for question-comment pair, and assigns the labels to the comment sequence with a recurrent neural network over CNN. Compared with the conditional random fields based method, our approach performs better performance on Macro-F1 (53.82%), and achieves the highest accuracy (73.18%), F1-value (79.76%) on predicting the Good class in this answer selection challenge.
Association Between Short Sleep Duration and Risk Behavior Factors in Middle School Students

Study Objectives To examine the association between self-reported sleep duration (SD) and peer/individual factors predictive of risky behaviors (risk behavior factors) in a large socioeconomically diverse school-based sample of early adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants Survey data collected from 10718 and 11240 eighth-grade students in 2010 and 2012, respectively, were analyzed. Intervention N/A. Measurements and Results Self-reported school night SD was grouped as ≤4 hours, 5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, 8 hours, 9 hours, and ≥10 hours. Scores on 10 peer/individual risk behavior factor scales were dichotomized according to national eigth-grade cut points. The percentage of students reporting an "optimal" SD of 9 hours was 14.8% and 15.6% in 2010 and 2012, respectively; 45.6% and 46.1% reported <7 hours. Adjusted for covariates of gender, race, and SES, multilevel logistic regression results showed that odds ratios (ORs) for 9 of 10 risk factor scales increased with SD <7 hours, with a dose-response effect for each hour less sleep compared to an SD of 9 hours. For example, ORs for students sleeping <7 hours ranged from 1.3 (early initiation of antisocial behavior) to 1.8 (early initiation of drug use). The risk factor scale ORs for <5 hours SD ranged from 3.0 (sensation seeking) to 6.4 (gang involvement). Conclusions Middle school students are at high risk of insufficient sleep; in particular, an SD <7 hours is associated with increased risk behavior factors.
Novel and known ribosomal causes of Diamond-Blackfan anaemia identified through comprehensive genomic characterisation

Background Diamond-Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is an inherited bone marrow failure syndrome (IBMFS) characterised by erythroid hypoplasia. It is associated with congenital anomalies and a high risk of developing specific cancers. DBA is caused predominantly by autosomal dominant pathogenic variants in at least 15 genes affecting ribosomal biogenesis and function. Two X-linked recessive genes have been identified. Objectives We aim to identify the genetic aetiology of DBA. Methods Of 87 families with DBA enrolled in an institutional review board-approved cohort study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT00027274), 61 had genetic testing information available. Thirty-five families did not have a known genetic cause and thus underwent comprehensive genomic evaluation with whole exome sequencing, deletion and CNV analyses to identify their disease-associated pathogenic variant. Controls for functional studies were healthy mutation-negative individuals enrolled in the same study. Results Our analyses uncovered heterozygous pathogenic variants in two previously undescribed genes in two families. One family had a non-synonymous variant (p.K77N) in RPL35; the second family had a non-synonymous variant (p. L51S) in RPL18. Both of these variants result in pre-rRNA processing defects. We identified heterozygous pathogenic variants in previously known DBA genes in 16 of 35 families. Seventeen families who underwent genetic analyses are yet to have a genetic cause of disease identified. Conclusions Overall, heterozygous pathogenic variants in ribosomal genes were identified in 44 of the 61 families (72%). De novo pathogenic variants were observed in 57% of patients with DBA. Ongoing studies of DBA genomics will be important to understand this complex disorder.
Lipoprotein (a): Structure, Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications

The chemical structure of lipoprotein (a) is similar to that of LDL, from which it differs due to the presence of apolipoprotein (a) bound to apo B100 via one disulfide bridge. Lipoprotein (a) is synthesized in the liver and its plasma concentration, which can be determined by use of monoclonal antibody-based methods, ranges from < 1 mg to > 1,000 mg/dL. Lipoprotein (a) levels over 20-30 mg/dL are associated with a two-fold risk of developing coronary artery disease. Usually, black subjects have higher lipoprotein (a) levels that, differently from Caucasians and Orientals, are not related to coronary artery disease. However, the risk of black subjects must be considered. Sex and age have little influence on lipoprotein (a) levels. Lipoprotein (a) homology with plasminogen might lead to interference with the fibrinolytic cascade, accounting for an atherogenic mechanism of that lipoprotein. Nevertheless, direct deposition of lipoprotein (a) on arterial wall is also a possible mechanism, lipoprotein (a) being more prone to oxidation than LDL. Most prospective studies have confirmed lipoprotein (a) as a predisposing factor to atherosclerosis. Statin treatment does not lower lipoprotein (a) levels, differently from niacin and ezetimibe, which tend to reduce lipoprotein (a), although confirmation of ezetimibe effects is pending. The reduction in lipoprotein (a) concentrations has not been demonstrated to reduce the risk for coronary artery disease. Whenever higher lipoprotein (a) concentrations are found, and in the absence of more effective and well-tolerated drugs, a more strict and vigorous control of the other coronary artery disease risk factors should be sought.