Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long noncoding RNA Plnc1 controls adipocyte differentiation by regulating peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ

Detailed understanding of molecular mechanisms controlling adipogenesis is of great importance to identify new targets for treating obesity. Emerging evidence suggests that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) may play a pivotal role in adipogenesis. Here, we have identified a novel lncRNA, Plnc1, which is transcribed from a position ~25,000 bp upstream of the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ2(PPAR‐γ2) gene. Plnc1 is abundantly expressed in adipose tissue, and obese mice have higher Plnc1 expression in adipose tissue than nonobese mice. Plnc1 was induced in established adipogenic lines ST2, 3T3‐L1, and C3H10T1/2 as well as in bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) after adipogenic treatment. Plnc1 knockdown blocked differentiation of ST2 cells and BMSCs into mature adipocytes, along with the reduction of PPAR‐γ, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein‐α, and adipocyte protein 2. Conversely, overexpression of Plnc1 promoted ST2 cells and BMSCs to fully differentiate. Mechanism studies revealed that Plnc1 could reduce the methylation level of CpG region in the PPAR‐γ2 promoter and enhance the transcriptional activity of the promoter and thereby increase PPAR‐γ2 transcription. Our study suggests that Plnc1 promotes adipogenic differentiation through controlling the key adipogenic transcription factor PPAR‐g and highlights the potential of Plnc1 as a target for new therapies to control metabolic disorders like obesity. —Zhu, E. , Zhang, J., Li, Y. , Yuan, H. , Zhou, J., Wang, B. Long noncoding RNA Plnc1 controls adipocyte differentiation by regulating peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor γ. FASEB J. 33, 2396–2408 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Pre-imaginal conditioning alters adult sex pheromone response in Drosophila

Pheromones are chemical signals that induce innate responses in individuals of the same species that may vary with physiological and developmental state. In Drosophila melanogaster, the most intensively studied pheromone is 11-cis-vaccenyl acetate (cVA), which is synthezised in the male ejaculatory bulb and is transferred to the female during copulation. Among other effects, cVA inhibits male courtship of mated females. We found that male courtship inhibition depends on the amount of cVA and this effect is reduced in male flies derived from eggs covered with low to zero levels of cVA. This effect is not observed if the eggs are washed, or if the eggs are laid several days after copulation. This suggests that courtship suppression involves a form of pre-imaginal conditioning, which we show occurs during the early larval stage. The conditioning effect could not be rescued by synthetic cVA, indicating that it largely depends on conditioning by cVA and other maternally-transmitted factor(s). These experiments suggest that one of the primary behavioral effects of cVA is more plastic and less stereotypical than had hitherto been realised.
A Systematic Review of Access to Rehabilitation for People with Disabilities in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Rehabilitation seeks to optimize functioning of people with impairments and includes a range of specific health services—diagnosis, treatment, surgery, assistive devices, and therapy. Evidence on access to rehabilitation services for people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. A systematic review was conducted to examine this in depth. In February 2017, six databases were searched for studies measuring access to rehabilitation among people with disabilities in LMICs. Eligible measures of access to rehabilitation included: use of assistive devices, use of specialist health services, and adherence to treatment. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts. Data was extracted by one reviewer and checked by a second. Of 13,048 screened studies, 77 were eligible for inclusion. These covered a broad geographic area. 17% of studies measured access to hearing-specific services; 22% vision-specific; 31% physical impairment-specific; and 44% measured access to mental impairment-specific services. A further 35% measured access to services for any disability. A diverse range of measures of disability and access were used across studies making comparability difficult. However, there was some evidence that access to rehabilitation is low among people with disabilities. No clear patterns were seen in access by equity measures such as age, locality, socioeconomic status, or country income group due to the limited number of studies measuring these indicators, and the range of measures used. Access to rehabilitation services was highly variable and poorly measured within the studies in the review, but generally shown to be low. Far better metrics are needed, including through clinical assessment, before we have a true appreciation of the population level need for and coverage of these services.
Background and Clinical Knowledge of Intimate Partner Violence: A Study of Primary Care Residents and Medical Students at a United States Medical School

Abstract Purpose: Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a significant public health issue that affects the physical and mental health of victims. However, residents and medical students may not receive adequate training to effectively identify and intervene with patients who may be victims of IPV. The purpose of this study is to examine the background and clinical knowledge of IPV among primary care residents and medical students in the United States of America. Methods: Third and fourth year medial students (n=65) and primary care residents (n=60) participated in an online survey in 2013. Results: While the majority of the participants reported IPV was an important and relevant issue for their practice, approximately half of them had never talked about IPV with patients. Residents reported higher levels of background and knowledge of IPV than medical students. Knowing a victim of IPV, confidence about talking to patients about IPV, and talking to patients about IPV would be helpful to increase levels of background and knowledge of IPV. Conclusions: This study found that background and clinical knowledge of IPV can potentially affect physicians' approach with IPV victims. This study also demonstrated the need for future research in the development of effective programs and trainings to help bridge the gap between knowledge and implementation in medical practice.
Coinfection with cryptococcus and aspergillus in an immunocompetent adult

Rationale: Aspergillus and Cryptococcus exposure can cause serious secondary infections in human lungs, especially in immunocompromised patients or in conjunction with a chronic disease caused by low disease resistance. Primary invasive fungal infections are clinically rare; therefore, coexistence of 2 fungi at an infection site is uncommon. This paper reports a case of healthy male who was diagnosed with both Cryptococcus neoformans and Aspergillus infections. Patient concerns: A healthy 33-year-old male office worker was admitted to the Second Hospital of Jilin University for hemoptysis. A chest computed tomography (CT) scan showed a cavity, which was formed by the thick dorsal wall of the lower left lobe with an irregular inner wall and burr changes around the lesion. Intervention: After 1.0 week of antibiotic and antituberculosis treatment, the hemoptysis symptoms remained. A resection of the left lower lobe was performed. Diagnoses: The postoperative pathological reports indicated the presence of both Aspergillus and Cryptococcus. The 2 fungal lesions were separate but within the same location. Outcomes: After treatment, the patient no longer had hemoptysis. Lessons: The current study indicated that fungi can infect not only immunocompromised patients but also healthy people, and that there can be 2 separate fungal infections at the same infection site.
Multiple density‐dependent processes shape the dynamics of a spatially structured amphibian population

Understanding the mechanisms that regulate the dynamics of spatially structured populations (SSP) is a critical challenge for ecologists and conservation managers. Internal population processes such as births and deaths occur at a local level, while external processes such as dispersal take place at an inter-population level. At both levels, density dependence is expected to play a critical role. At a patch scale, demographic traits (e.g., survival, breeding success) and the population growth rate can be influenced by density either negatively (e.g., competition effect) or positively (e.g., Allee effects). At the scale of an SSP, although positive density-dependent dispersal has been widely reported, an increasing number of studies have highlighted negative density-dependent dispersal. While many studies have investigated the effects of density on population growth or on dispersal, few have simultaneously examined density-dependent effects at the scale of both the local population and the entire SSP. In this study, we examine how density is related to demographic processes at both the pond level (survival and population growth) and the SSP level (between-pond dispersal) in a pond-breeding amphibian, the great crested newt (Triturus cristatus). The study was based on 20 years of individual capture-recapture (CR) data (from 1996 to 2015) gathered from an SSP made up of 12 experimental ponds ("patches"). We first used a CR multievent model to estimate both survival and dispersal rates in specific ponds as a function of distance between ponds. Then, using a second CR multievent model, we examined whether survival and recapture rates were influenced by population density in a pond. Lastly, we used state-space time series models to investigate whether density affected population growth in each pond. Our results found a positive density-dependent effect on survival and a negative density-dependent effect on departure. In addition, the findings indicate that population growth was negatively related to density in all 12 ponds. These results support the hypothesis that in SSPs, density may have multiple and contrasting effects on demographic parameters and growth rates within local populations as well as on dispersal. This study underlines the need to better understand how density dependence may influence potential trade-offs between life-history strategies and life-history stages.
CD11b-activated Src signal attenuates neuroinflammatory pain by orchestrating inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in microglia

Neuroinflammation plays an important role in the induction and maintenance of chronic pain. Orchestra of pattern-recognition receptor-induced pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines is critical for inflammation homeostasis. CD11b on macrophages could inhibit toll-like receptor (TLR) activation-induced inflammatory responses. However, the function of CD11b on microglia remains unknown. In the current study, we demonstrated that CD11b-deficient microglia cells produced more inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha, while less anti-inflammatory cytokines. Signal transduction assay confirmed that nuclear factor-κB activation was increased in CD11b-deficient microglia cells, which resulted from decreased activation of Src. Inhibition of Src by PP1 increased inflammation in wild-type microglia cells significantly, but not in CD11b-deficient microglia cells. In vivo, CD11b-deficient mice were more susceptible to chronic constrictive injury-induced allodynia and hyperalgesia with significantly more inflammatory cytokines expression. All these results indicated that the regulatory function of CD11b-Src signal pathway on both inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in microglia cells is a potential target in neuropathic pain treatment.
Optical tissue clearing in combination with perfusion and immunofluorescence for placental vascular imaging

Abstract Imaging of placental tissues is a difficult task, because of specific for this organ complex multicellular and 3D tissue structure. The tissue clearing systems (X-CLARITY) system is a valuable tool for the examining the expression of molecular pathways in whole tissues and organs, originally developed for brain imaging. In the present report, we utilized this technology for the examination of placental vasculature and protein expression in perfused human placental tissue. The placental tissue was sufficiently cleared with preservation of endothelial staining and fluorescent markers, allowing visualization using confocal microscopy. The CLARITY method and X-CLARITY system is a valuable tool in placental imaging.
Probing the Action of Permeation Enhancers Sodium Cholate and N-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside in a Porcine Jejunal Mucosal Explant System

The small intestinal epithelium constitutes a major permeability barrier for the oral administration of therapeutic drugs with poor bioavailability, and permeation enhancers (PEs) are required to increase the paracellular and/or transcellular uptake of such drugs. Many PEs act as surfactants by perturbing cell membrane integrity and causing permeabilization by leakage or endocytosis. The aim of the present work was to study the action of sodium cholate (NaC) and N-dodecyl-β-D-maltoside (DDM), using a small intestinal mucosal explant system. At 2 mM, both NaC and DDM caused leakage into the enterocyte cytosol of the fluorescent probe Lucifer Yellow, but they also blocked the constitutive endocytotic pathway from the brush border. In addition, an increased paracellular passage of 3-kDa Texas Red Dextran into the lamina propria was observed. By electron microscopy, both PEs disrupted the hexagonal organization of microvilli of the brush border and led to the apical extrusion of vesicle-like and amorphous cell debris to the lumen. In conclusion, NaC and DDM acted in a multimodal way to increase the permeability of the jejunal epithelium both by paracellular and transcellular mechanisms. However, endocytosis, commonly thought to be an uptake mechanism that may be stimulated by PEs, was not involved in the transcellular process.
Maintenance of intracellular Ca2+ basal concentration in airway smooth muscle (Review)

In airway smooth muscle, the intracellular basal Ca2+ concentration [b(Ca2+)i] must be tightly regulated by several mechanisms in order to maintain a proper airway patency. The b[Ca2+]i is efficiently regulated by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase 2b, plasma membrane Ca2+-ATPase 1 or 4 and by the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger. Membranal Ca2+ channels, including the L-type voltage dependent Ca2+ channel (L-VDCC), T-type voltage dependent Ca2+ channel (T-VDCC) and transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3), appear to be constitutively active under basal conditions via the action of different signaling pathways, and are responsible for Ca2+ influx to maintain b[Ca2+]i. The two types of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (L- and T-type) are modulated by phosphorylation processes mediated by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK) and extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2). The MEK/ERK signaling pathway can be activated by G-protein-coupled receptors through the αq subunit when the endogenous ligand (i.e., acetylcholine, histamine, leukotrienes, etc.) is present under basal conditions. It may also be stimulated when receptor tyrosine kinases are occupied by the appropriate ligand (cytokines, growth factors, etc.). ERK1/2 phosphorylates L-VDCC on Ser496 of the β2 subunit and Ser1928 of the α1 subunit, decreasing or increasing the channel activity, respectively, and enabling it to switch between an open and closed state. T-VDCC is also probably phosphorylated by ERK1/2, although further research is required to identify the phosphorylation sites. TRPC3 is directly activated by diacylglycerol produced by phospholipase C (PLCβ or γ). Constitutive inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production induces the release of Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum through inositol triphosphate receptor 1. This ion induces Ca2+-induced Ca2+ release through the ryanodine receptor 2 (designated as Ca2+ ‘sparks’). Therefore, several Ca2+ handling mechanisms are finely tuned to regulate basal intracellular Ca2+ concentrations. It is conceivable that alterations in any of these processes may render airway smooth muscle susceptible to develop hyperresponsiveness that is observed in ailments such as asthma.
A Review on the Gluten-Free Diet: Technological and Nutritional Challenges

Consumers, food manufacturers and health professionals are uniquely influenced by the growing popularity of the gluten-free diet. Consumer expectations have urged the food industry to continuously adjust and improve the formulations and processing techniques used in gluten-free product manufacturing. Health experts have been interested in the nutritional adequacy of the diet, as well as its effectiveness in managing gluten-related disorders and other conditions. In this review, we aim to provide a clear picture of the current motivations behind the use of gluten-free diets, as well as the technological and nutritional challenges of the diet as a whole. Alternative starches and flours, hydrocolloids, and fiber sources were found to play a complex role in mimicking the functional and sensory effects of gluten in gluten-free products. However, the quality of gluten-free alternatives is often still inferior to the gluten-containing products. Furthermore, the gluten-free diet has demonstrated benefits in managing some gluten-related disorders, though nutritional imbalances have been reported. As there is limited evidence supporting the use of the gluten-free diet beyond its role in managing gluten-related disorders, consumers are urged to be mindful of the sensorial limitations and nutritional inadequacies of the diet despite ongoing strategies to improve them.
Calorie restriction prevents diet‐induced insulin resistance independently of PGC‐1‐driven mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipose tissue

Calorie restriction (CR) exerts remarkable, beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis by mechanisms that are not fully understood. Given the relevance of white adipose tissue (WAT) in glucose homeostasis, we aimed at identifying the main cellular processes regulated in WAT in response to CR in a pathologic context of obesity. For this, a gene‐expression profiling study was first conducted in mice fed ad libitum or subjected to 40% CR. We found that the gene network related to mitochondria was the most highly upregulated in WAT by CR. To study the role that increased mitochondrial biogenesis plays on glucose homeostasis following CR, we generated a mouse model devoid of the coactivators peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor ³ coactivator 1 (PGC‐1)α and PGC‐1β specifically in adipocytes. Our results show that mice lacking PGC‐1s in adipocytes are unable to increase mitochondrial biogenesis in WAT upon CR. Despite a blunted induction of mitochondrial biogenesis in response to calorie deprivation, mice lacking adipose PGC‐1s still respond to CR by improving their glucose homeostasis. Our study demonstrates that PGC‐1 coactivators are major regulators of CR‐induced mitochondrial biogenesis in WAT and that increased mitochondrial biogenesis and oxidative function in adipose tissue are not required for the improvement of glucose homeostasis mediated by CR. —Pardo, R. , Vila, M. , Cervela, L. , de Marco, M. , Gama‐Pérez, P., González‐Franquesa, A. , Statuto, L. , Vilallonga, R. , Simó, R. , Garcia‐Roves, P. M. , Villena, J. A. Calorie restriction prevents diet‐induced insulin resistance independently of PGC‐1‐driven mitochondrial biogenesis in white adipose tissue. FASEB J. 33, 2343–2358 (2019). www.fasebj. org
Beta-Glucanemia after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery: A Case Report

Blood salvage techniques are increasingly being used during surgical procedures to reduce the need for exogenous blood products. The blood recovered from the surgical field through aspiration or absorption by surgical sponges is reinfused into a patient. A 65-year old patient who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting using blood salvage techniques developed a fever on post-op day 3 and was noted to have an elevated β-d-glucan level, a marker of systemic fungal infections. Ultimately, no fungal infection was identified, β-d-glucan levels slowly decreased and the patient demonstrated clinical improvement. To determine whether blood salvage procedures led to his elevated β-d-glucan levels, the surgical sponges were tested for elutable levels of β-d-glucan. The β-d-glucan content of the eluents was measured using the Fungitell® IVD kit (Associates of Cape Cod, Inc.; East Falmouth, MA). The β-d-glucan levels were found to be in concentrations 10,000-times greater than the limit of detection for human serum. While various studies have demonstrated both the immunomodulatory and pro-inflammatory effects of β-d-glucan, the physiologic impact of such high levels of β-d-glucan post-operatively remains unknown. Additionally, the persistence of detectable β-d-glucan up to several weeks after surgical procedures presents a challenge for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. Further studies are needed to assess the beta-glucanemia-related safety of surgical materials and their potential biological effects.
On the measure of conflicts: an argumentation-based framework

Abstract An important issue in the management of knowledge-based systems is the handling of inconsistency. This problem has recently been attracting a lot of attention from Artificial Intelligence community. When inconsistency occurs in a knowledge base, there are mainly two ways to deal with it; we either resolve it or accept inconsistency and cope with it. This paper tackles the problem of evaluating the amount of contradiction in propositional knowledge bases, and provides a new measure of conflict based on deductive argumentation theory. Measuring the degree of conflict of a knowledge base can help us to deal with inconsistencies. Several semantic- and syntax-based approaches have been proposed separately. Given the pivotal role of argumentation in representing and handling inconsistency, in this paper, we use logical argumentation as a way to compute the inconsistency measure for propositional formulae. We show using the complete argumentation tree that our family of inconsistency measures is able to localise the conflict of a formula following its context and allows us to distinguish between formulae. We extend our measure to quantify the degree of inconsistency of a set of formulae and give a general formulation of the inconsistency using some logical properties. We also provide a general formulation of our method in order to quantify the conflict of the whole knowledge base. Finally, we address the problem of restoring consistency using inconsistency measures.