Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Salamanders of the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee

Salamanders of the Mio-Pliocene Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee by Grant Stanley Boardman Screening efforts at the Gray Fossil Site, Washington County, Tennessee, have yielded a unique and diverse salamander fauna for the southern Appalachian Mio-Pliocene; including at least five taxa from three modern families (Ambystomatidae, Plethodontidae, and Salamandridae) supporting the woodland-pond interpretation of the site. All specimens represent the earliest record of their respective families in the Appalachian Mountains; with the Notophthalmus sp. vertebrae being the only Mio-Pliocene skeletal fossil known for the family Salamandridae in North America. Three types of plethodontid salamander are present, with one type representing the earliest known desmognathine. The desmognathine fossils lend credence to the 'Appalachian' origin of the clade in the Mio-Pliocene. The GFS salamander fauna is predominated by plethodontids; competition is inferred by the presence of several similarly large-sized taxa and is invoked to explain the presence of neotenic individuals in an otherwise amicable terrestrial environment.
Indicators for the evaluation of musculoskeletal trauma systems: A scoping review and Delphi study

Background Trauma is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries. Musculoskeletal trauma results in the majority of post-traumatic morbidity and disability globally. The literature has reported many performance indicators relating to trauma care, but few specific to musculoskeletal injuries. Study objectives The purpose of this study was to establish a practical list of performance indicators to evaluate and monitor the quality and equity of musculoskeletal trauma care delivery in health systems worldwide. Methods A scoping review was performed that identified performance indicators related to musculoskeletal trauma care. Indicators were organized by phase of care (general, prevention, pre-hospital, hospital, post-hospital) within a modified Donabedian model (structure, process, outcome, equity). A panel of 21 experts representing 45 countries was assembled to identify priority indicators utilizing a modified Delphi approach. Results The scoping review identified 1,206 articles and 114 underwent full text review. We included 95 articles which reported 498 unique performance indicators. Most indicators related to the hospital phase of care (n = 303, 60%) and structural characteristics (n = 221, 44%). Mortality (n = 50 articles) and presence of trauma registries (n = 16 articles) were the most frequently reported indicators. After 3 rounds of surveys our panel reached consensus on a parsimonious list of priority performance indicators. These focused on access to trauma care; processes and key resources for polytrauma triage, patient stabilization, and hemorrhage control; reduction and immobilization of fractures and dislocations; and management of compartment syndrome and open fractures. Conclusions The literature has reported many performance indicators relating to trauma care, but few specific to musculoskeletal injuries. To create quality and equitable trauma systems, musculoskeletal care must be incorporated into development plans with continuous monitoring and improvement. The performance indicators identified by our expert panel and organized in a modified Donabedian model can serve as a method for evaluating musculoskeletal trauma care.
Imaging Flow Cytometry

Imaging flow cytometry (IFC) platforms combine features of flow cytometry and fluorescent microscopy with advances in data-processing algorithms. IFC allows multiparametric fluorescent and morphological analysis of thousands of cellular events and has the unique capability of identifying collected events by their real images. IFC allows the analysis of heterogeneous cell populations, where one of the cellular components has low expression (<0.03%) and can be described by Poisson distribution. With the help of IFC, one can address a critical question of statistical analysis of subcellular distribution of proteins in a cell. Here the authors review advantages of IFC in comparison with more traditional technologies, such as Western blotting and flow cytometry (FC), as well as new high-throughput fluorescent microscopy (HTFM), and discuss further developments of this novel analytical technique.
Application of Hidden Markov Models to Short-Term Speed Prediction During Peak Periods

Accurate short-term prediction of traffic condition on freeways and major arterials has become increasingly important because of its vital role in traffic management functions and various trip-making decisions. Given the dynamic nature of freeway traffic, this study proposed a stochastic approach, Hidden Markov Model (HMM), for short-term freeway traffic prediction during peak periods. The data used in the study was real world traffic monitoring data gathered over 6 years on the 38-mile segment of I-4 in Orlando, Florida. The HMM defines traffic states in a two-dimensional space using both first-order statistics (mean) and second-order statistics (contrast) of speed, and addresses the dynamic aspect of freeway traffic with state transition probabilities. For a sequence of traffic speed observations, the HMMs estimated the most likely corresponding traffic states sequence. Relatively small prediction errors were obtained, and the model performance was slightly affected by location, travel direction, and peak period time. The study concluded that the HMM approach is able to account for the stochastic nature of traffic conditions, and therefore, is appropriate for short-term traffic condition prediction during peak periods.
A novel nonsurgical therapy for peri‐implantitis using focused pulsed electromagnetic field: A pilot randomized double‐blind controlled clinical trial

Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy modulates the immune response and is successfully used in orthopedics to treat osteoarthritis and improve bone regeneration. This may suggest that this treatment may consequently reduce peri‐implant soft tissue inflammation and marginal bone loss. To compare clinical, radiographic, and immunological results following nonsurgical treatment for peri‐implantitis with or without PEMF therapy. Patients with peri‐implantitis were included: pocket probing depth (PPD) between 6 and 8 mm with bleeding on probing (BOP); crestal bone loss between 3 and 5 mm. A novel healing abutment that contained active (test) or inactive (control) PEMF was connected. PEMF was administered via the abutment at exposure ratio of 1/500–1/5000, intensity: 0.05–0.5 mT, frequency: 10–50 kHz for 30 days. Nonsurgical mechanical implant surface debridement was performed. Patients were examined at baseline, 1 and 3 months. Clinical assessment included: plaque index, BOP, PPD, recession, and bone crest level which was radiography measured. Samples of peri‐implant crevicular fluid were taken to analyze interleukin‐1β (IL‐1β). Twenty‐three patients (34 implants; 19 control, 15 test) were included. At the follow‐up, mean crestal bone loss was lower in the test group at 1 and 3 months (2.48 mm vs. 3.73 mm, p < 0.05 and 2.39 vs. 3.37, p < 0.01). IL‐1β levels were also lower in the test group at 2 weeks (72.86 pg/mL vs. 111.7, p < 0.05). Within all the limitation of this preliminary study, the test group improved clinical parameters after a short‐term period compared to the control group.
A model for individualized prediction of liver-related death in outpatients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis

Introduction: In alcohol-associated cirrhosis, an accurate estimate of the risk of death is essential for patient care. We developed individualized prediction charts for 5-year liver-related mortality among outpatients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis that take into account the impact of abstinence. Methods: We collected data on outpatients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis in a prospective registry. The model was derived, internally and externally validated, and compared with the Child-Pugh and the Model For End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. Results: A total of 527 and 127 patients were included in the derivation and validation data sets, respectively. A model was developed based on the 3 variables independently associated with liver-related mortality in multivariate analyses (age, Child-Pugh score, and abstinence). In the derivation data set, the model combining age, Child-Pugh score, and abstinence outperformed the Child-Pugh and the MELD scores. In the validation data set, the Brier score was lower for the model (0.166) compared with the Child-Pugh score (0.196, p = 0.008) and numerically lower compared with the MELD score (0.190) (p = 0.06). The model had the greatest AUC (0.77; 95% CI 0.68–0.85) compared with the Child-Pugh score (AUC = 0.66; 95% CI 0.56–0.76, p = 0.01) and was numerically higher than that of the MELD score (AUC = 0.66; 95% CI 0.56–0.78, p = 0.06). Also, the Akaike and Bayesian information criterion scores were lower for the model (2163; 2172) compared with the Child-Pugh (2213; 2216) or the MELD score (2205; 2208). Conclusion: A model combining age, Child-Pugh score, and abstinence accurately predicts liver-related death at 5 years among outpatients with alcohol-associated cirrhosis. In this study, the model outperformed the Child-Pugh and the MELD scores, although the AUC and the Brier score of the model were not statically different from the MELD score in the validation data set.
Preparing for pragmatic trials in dementia care: Health equity considerations for nonpharmacological interventions

Inequities with regard to brain health, economic costs, and the evidence base for dementia care continue. Achieving health equity in dementia care requires rigorous efforts that ensure disproportionately affected populations participate fully in—and benefit from—clinical research. Embedding‐proven interventions under real‐world conditions and within existing healthcare systems have the potential to examine the effectiveness of an intervention, improve dementia care, and leverage the use of existing resources. Developing embedded pragmatic controlled trials (ePCT) research designs for nonpharmacological dementia care interventions involves a plethora of a priori assumptions and decisions. Although frameworks exist to determine whether interventions are “ready” for ePCT, there is no heuristic to assess health equity‐readiness. We discuss health equity considerations, case examples, and research strategies across ePCT study domains of evidence, risk, and alignment. Future discussions regarding health equity considerations across other domains are needed.
What do the clinical features of positive nontuberculous mycobacteria isolates from patients with HIV/AIDS in China reveal? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background China has a high burden of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections. Immunocompromised populations, such as those with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), are at a higher risk of being infected with NTM than immunocompetent individuals. Yet, there is a paucity of information on the clinical features of positive NTM isolates from patients with HIV/AIDS in China. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies, comparing them against current expert consensus to provide guidance for clinical practice. Methods Two researchers independently searched eight databases (SinoMed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang, VIP, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science) from inception to 26 December 2022 to retrieve published Chinese- and English-language studies reporting clinical features of NTM-positive isolates among patients with HIV/AIDS in China. Results We included 28 studies with 1861 patients. The rate of positive NTM isolates detected from men among all patients was 87.3%. NTM species distribution was mainly Mycobacterium avium complex (64.3%), which was predominant in different regions. The five most common clinical symptoms were fever (68.5%), cough or expectoration (67.0%), appetite loss (49.4%), weight loss (45.5%), and superficial lymphadenectasis (41.1%). The prevalence of laboratory tests were as follows: albumin <35 g/L (55.6%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate >20 mm/h (91.4%), anaemia (59.0%), predominantly mild, CD4+ T cell count ≤50 pieces/μL (70.3%), and CD4+ T cell count 51-200 pieces/μL (22.1%). Lesion manifestations in thoracic imaging mainly included bilateral lung involvement (83.8%), showed stripe shadows (60.3%), patchy shadows (42.9%), nodules (40.6%), and bronchiectasis (38.6%). Accompanied signs included thoracic lymph node enlargement (49.5%). Seventy per cent of symptoms improved after treatment. Conclusions Focusing on clinical symptoms, laboratory tests, and thoracic imaging helps with initial screening for NTM infections. Physicians should raise awareness of the diagnosis and treatment of Mycobacterium avium complex, providing guidance for experimental treatment, screening of priority populations for NTM infections, and prophylactic treatment of NTM disease. Registration PROSPERO CRD42023388185.
Effect of D‐pinitol on MK‐801‐induced schizophrenia‐like behaviors in mice

Schizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder characterized by positive symptoms (delusions or hallucinations), negative symptoms (impaired motivation or social withdrawal), and cognitive impairment. In the present study, we explored whether D‐pinitol could ameliorate schizophrenia‐like behaviors induced by MK‐801, an N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate receptor antagonist. Acoustic startle response test was conducted to evaluate the effects of D‐pinitol on sensorimotor gating function. Social interaction and novel object recognition tests were employed to measure the impact of D‐pinitol on social behavior and cognitive function, respectively. Additionally, we examined whether D‐pinitol affects motor coordination. Western blotting was conducted to investigate the mechanism of action of D‐pinitol. Single administration of D‐pinitol at 30, 100, or 300 mg/kg improved the sensorimotor gating deficit induced by MK801 in the acoustic startle response test. D‐Pinitol also reversed social behavior deficits and cognitive impairments induced by MK‐801 without causing any motor coordination deficits. Furthermore, D‐pinitol reversed increased expression levels of pNF‐kB induced by MK‐801 treatment and consequently increased expression levels of TNF‐α and IL‐6 in the prefrontal cortex. These results suggest that D‐pinitol could be a potential candidate for treating sensorimotor gating deficits and cognitive impairment observed in schizophrenia by down‐regulating transcription factor NF‐κB and pro‐inflammatory cytokines in the prefrontal cortex.
Association of Environmental and Climatic Factors in the Epidemiology of American Visceral Leishmaniasis in Northeast Brazil Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System Methods.

This stocfy associated climatic and environmental factors with die incidence of visceral leishmaniasis (calazar) in Northeast Brazilian. Remote sensing (RS) techniques permitted evaluation of spatial and temporal landscape features to stratify the region and define die target population for this vector-borne disease. The Municipality of Caninde, Ceara, Brazil was divided into 8732x2 km3 squares centered on coordinates from a Universal Transverse Mercator projection (scale 1:100,000, 1994) and geo-referenced with 2 Landsat T.M. (TM) scenes (September 26, 1976 and July 2, 1996). The assignment of squares into foothills, plains or city strata was based on vegetative categories determined from TM scenes (Bands: 4,5,3) with ERDAS Imagine ISODATA classification procedures. Odds Ratios (OR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (Cl) were determined for the juveniles less than age 10 based on 17 years o f demographic, calazar incidence and rainfall information supplied by: Funda$ao Nacional de Saude, Funda? ao Cearense do Metorologia e Recurso Hidricos, and Fundapao Ihstiftitn de Planejamento do Ceara. The population and number of calazar cases were determined for each 2x2 km2 square. The odds ratio of calazar for a Caninde juvenile in the foothills relative to the city was OR = 4.11 Cl (3.2,5.3). The calazar odds ratio for juveniles living in years with 3-year rainfall average between 6090 cm was OR = 3.07 Cl (1.3, 7.2), the rainfall average between 40-60 cm had OR = 9.12 Cl (4.4, 23.3), and with less than 40 cm OR = 9.23 Cl (3.9, 25.2) relative to years with an average greater than 90 cm. The logistic regression model for Ceara comprised an ordinal-incidence-densityresponse variable, a 5-level region explanatory variable, and a 3-level juvenile proportion variable. The odds ratios for calazar in municipalities located in the interior high plains was x Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. OR = 1.94 Cl (1.6,2.4) relative to location in the littoral and for a municipality with less than 26% juvenile population was OR= 0.63 Cl (0.5,0.78). Results suggest that RS can classify climatic and environmental factors resulting in increased strata homogeneity and better defined population at risk which reduces dilution of data and increases die probability for detecting statistical associations.
Hybrid Deep Morpho-Temporal Framework for Oscillometric Blood Pressure Measurement

Oscillometric blood pressure (BP) measurement devices are widely utilized as the primary automated BP measurement tools in non-specialist environments. However, their accuracy and reliability vary under different settings and for different age groups and health conditions. An essential constraint of current oscillometric BP measurement devices is their analysis algorithms' incapacity to capture the BP information encoded in the pattern of recorded oscillometric pulses to its fullest extent. In this article, we propose a new 2D oscillometric data representation that enables a full characterization of arterial system and empowers the application of deep learning to extract the most informative features correlated with BP. A hybrid convolutional-recurrent neural network was developed to capture the oscillometric pulses morphological information as well as their temporal evolution over the cuff deflation period from the 2D structure, and estimate BP. The performance of the proposed method was verified on three oscillometric databases collected from the wrist and upper arms of 245 individuals. It was found that it achieves a mean error and a standard deviation of error of as low as 0.08 mmHg and 2.4 mmHg in the estimation of systolic BP, and 0.04 mmHg and 2.2 mmHg in the estimation of diastolic BP, respectively. Our proposed method outperformed the state-of-the-art techniques and satisfied the current international standards for BP monitors by a wide margin. The proposed method shows promise toward robust and objective BP estimation in a variety of patients and monitoring situations.
Ecomorphology and sensory biology of bats

This special issue of The Anatomical Record is inspired by and dedicated to Professor Kunwar P. Bhatnagar, whose lifelong interests in biology, and long career studying bats, inspired many and advanced our knowledge of the world's only flying mammals. The 15 articles included here represent a broad range of investigators, treading topics familiar to Prof. Bhatnagar, who was interested in seemingly every aspect of bat biology. Key topics include broad themes of bat development, sensory systems, and specializations related to flight and diet. These articles paint a complex picture of the fascinating adaptations of bats, such as rapid fore limb development, ear morphologies relating to echolocation, and other enhanced senses that allow bats to exploit niches in virtually every part of the world. In this introduction, we integrate and contextualize these articles within the broader story of bat ecomorphology, providing an overview of each of the key themes noted above. This special issue will serve as a springboard for future studies both in bat biology and in the broader world of mammalian comparative anatomy and ecomorphology.
Homeobox‐D 1 and FTO form a transcriptional–epigenetic feedback loop to promote head and neck cancer proliferation

Transcription factors (TFs) and N6‐methyladenosine (m6A) modifiers are involved in tumor progression through transcriptional regulation and posttranscriptional regulation of genes, respectively. However, the crosstalk and role of these two types of gene expression regulators in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC) remains poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrate that the TF homeobox‐D1 (HOXD1) and the m6A demethylase fat mass and obesity‐associated protein (FTO) form a positive feedback loop to promote cell proliferation and survival in HNSC. Clinically, HOXD1 expression is dysregulated in multiple cancer types and is associated with worse prognosis in patients with HNSC, stomach adenocarcinoma, uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma, and pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma. Mechanistically, FTO is overexpressed in HNSC tumor samples and positively regulates HOXD1 expression in an m6A‐dependent manner. Functionally, deficiency of HOXD1 relieved the resistance of HNSC cells to apoptosis and arrested tumor cells at the G0/G1 phase, thereby inhibiting cell growth, whereas overexpression of HOXD1 caused the opposite effect. Furthermore, HOXD1 activates the transcription of the oncogenic factor FTO by directly targeting its promoter. Downregulation of FTO mimicked the biological effect of HOXD1 knockdown on HNSC. Importantly, overexpression of HOXD1 significantly rescued the proliferation inhibition and apoptosis promotion of HNSC cells induced by deficiency of FTO. Together, our findings reveal HOXD1 as a novel prognostic predictor and a potential target for HNSC, providing mechanistic insights into the role of the HOXD1–FTO circuit in this cancer.
Inhibition of α-hemolysin activity of Staphylococcus aureus by theaflavin 3,3’-digallate

The ongoing rise in antibiotic resistance, and a waning of the introduction of new antibiotics, has resulted in limited treatment options for bacterial infections, including these caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, leaving the world in a post-antibiotic era. Here, we set out to examine mechanisms by which theaflavin 3,3’-digallate (TF3) might act as an anti-hemolytic compound. In the presented study, we found that TF3 has weak bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on Staphylococcus aureus, and strong inhibitory effect towards the hemolytic activity of its α-hemolysin (Hla) including its production and secretion. A supportive SPR assay reinforced these results and further revealed binding of TF3 to Hla with KD = 4.57×10−5 M. Interestingly, TF3 was also able to protect human primary keratinocytes from Hla-induced cell death, being at the same time non-toxic for them. Further analysis of TF3 properties revealed that TF3 blocked Hla-prompting immune reaction by inhibiting production and secretion of IL1β, IL6, and TNFα in vitro and in vivo, through affecting NFκB activity. Additionally, we observed that TF3 also markedly attenuated S. aureus-induced barrier disruption, by inhibiting Hla-triggered E-cadherin and ZO-1 impairment. Overall, by blocking activity of Hla, TF3 subsequently subdued the inflammation and protected the epithelial barrier, which is considered as beneficial to relieving skin injury.