Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ferroptosis Contributes to Neuronal Death and Functional Outcome After Traumatic Brain Injury*

Objectives: Traumatic brain injury triggers multiple cell death pathways, possibly including ferroptosis—a recently described cell death pathway that results from accumulation of 15-lipoxygenase–mediated lipid oxidation products, specifically oxidized phosphatidylethanolamine containing arachidonic or adrenic acid. This study aimed to investigate whether ferroptosis contributed to the pathogenesis of in vitro and in vivo traumatic brain injury, and whether inhibition of 15-lipoxygenase provided neuroprotection. Design: Cell culture study and randomized controlled animal study. Setting: University research laboratory. Subjects: HT22 neuronal cell line and adult male C57BL/6 mice. Interventions: HT22 cells were subjected to pharmacologic induction of ferroptosis or mechanical stretch injury with and without administration of inhibitors of ferroptosis. Mice were subjected to sham or controlled cortical impact injury. Injured mice were randomized to receive vehicle or baicalein (12/15-lipoxygenase inhibitor) at 10–15 minutes postinjury. Measurements and Main Results: Pharmacologic inducers of ferroptosis and mechanical stretch injury resulted in cell death that was rescued by prototypical antiferroptotic agents including baicalein. Liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry revealed the abundance of arachidonic/adrenic-phosphatidylethanolamine compared with other arachidonic/adrenic acid-containing phospholipids in the brain. Controlled cortical impact resulted in accumulation of oxidized phosphatidylethanolamine, increased expression of 15-lipoxygenase and acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (enzyme that generates substrate for the esterification of arachidonic/adrenic acid into phosphatidylethanolamine), and depletion of glutathione in the ipsilateral cortex. Postinjury administration of baicalein attenuated oxidation of arachidonic/adrenic acid-containing-phosphatidylethanolamine, decreased the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling positive cells in the hippocampus, and improved spatial memory acquisition versus vehicle. Conclusions: Biomarkers of ferroptotic death were increased after traumatic brain injury. Baicalein decreased ferroptotic phosphatidylethanolamine oxidation and improved outcome after controlled cortical impact, suggesting that 15-lipoxygenase pathway might be a valuable therapeutic target after traumatic brain injury.
Therapeutic potential of natural plant products and their metabolites in preventing radiation enteropathy resulting from abdominal or pelvic irradiation

Abstract Radiation-induced gastrointestinal injury or radiation enteropathy is an imminent risk during radiation therapy of abdominal or pelvic tumors. Despite remarkable technological advancements in image-guided radiation delivery techniques, the risk of intestinal injury after radiotherapy for abdominal or pelvic cancers has not been completely eliminated. The irradiated intestine undergoes varying degrees of adverse structural and functional changes, which can result in transient or long-term complications. The risk of development of enteropathy depends on dose, fractionation, and quality of radiation. Moreover, the patients’ medical condition, age, inter-individual sensitivity to radiation and size of the treatment area are also risk factors of radiation enteropathy. Therefore, strategies are needed to prevent radiotherapy-induced undesirable alteration in the gastrointestinal tract. Many natural plant products, by virtue of their plethora of biological activities, alleviate the adverse effects of radiation-induced injury. The current review discusses potential roles and possible mechanisms of natural plant products in suppressing radiation enteropathy. Natural plant products have the potential to suppress intestinal radiation toxicity.
Key Affordances of Platform-as-a-Service: Self-Organization and Continuous Feedback

Abstract Although software development teams increasingly use Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS), a minimal amount is known regarding the impact of PaaS on software development. We explored the impact of PaaS on software development through a grounded-theory study, conducting 48 interviews in 16 teams. The data turned our attention to the affordances, or potentials for action, that PaaS provides to software development teams. Two key affordances emerging from our data analysis were self-organizing and triggering continuous feedback. Actualizing these affordances helped accelerate the collective learning processes that underlie software development, thus supporting software development teams in their quest for agility. Our emerging theory explains how, why, and when these affordances arise. The key contribution of our paper lies in unveiling how the use of cloud computing technology can transform technology-mediated collective learning activities by helping to remove barriers to rapid feedback. Our findings also imply that organizations can leverage PaaS to facilitate the transition to agile and continuous software development practices, in particular in conjunction with cross-functional team designs.
Circulating miRNAs in localized/locally advanced prostate cancer patients after radical prostatectomy and radiotherapy

Overtreatment is a well‐known clinical challenge in local prostate cancer (PCa). Although risk assessment models have contributed to a better stratification of patients with local PCa, a tailored management is still in its infancy. Over the last few decades, microRNAs (miRNAs) have shown promising results as biomarkers in PCa. The aim of this study was to investigate circulating miRNAs after management of local PCa.
Tailor-made PL-UC-C3 nanoparticles for fluorescence/computed tomography imaging-guided cascade amplified photothermal therapy

Background Development of the burgeoning number of photothermal therapy (PTT) agents has drawn a huge amount of interest, since PTT treatment is a powerful and effective alternative to traditional treatments. Optimal PTT agents should integrate some essential preconditions including negligible systemic toxicity, deep penetration into tumor tissues, and maximum laser energy absorbance. Unfortunately, only few of the PTT agents reported could meet all of the above mentioned conditions. Methods Here, we report a brand new PTT agent through the encapsulation of NaGdF4:Yb,Tm@ NaGdF4:Yb (UCNPs) and an organic compound (C3) into poly-e-caprolactone-polyethylene-polyglycol (PCL-PEG) (PL-UC-C3 NPs). Results UCNPs as an up-conversion material and C3 as a PTT agent both feature low cytotoxicity, and most importantly, UCNPs with superior conversion efficiency could efficiently absorb the energy of a 980 nm laser, transform the near-infrared laser light into visible light, and translate the palingenetic visible light to C3. The usage of a 980 nm laser ensures a deeper penetration and lower energy, while the highly efficient absorption and transformation process confers a cascade amplified hyperthermia for tumor treatment. Conclusion In this regard, our research provides a powerful and robust breakthrough for florescence/computed tomography imaging-guided PTT treatment, lighting up the clinical application in cancer treatment.
Relationship between network operators and risky sex behaviors among female versus transgender commercial sex workers in Pakistan

ABSTRACT Unprotected sex among commercial sex workers (CSWs) remains a leading cause of HIV transmission internationally. Previous research on condom use among CSWs has focused on females, with limited research among transgenders or on the role of network operators who mediate paid sexual transactions. We test whether network operators increase the likelihood of condom use among female and transgender CSWs in four Pakistan provinces using the 2011 Integrated Behavioral and Biological Survey. We find that transgender CSWs recruiting clients through network operators had higher odds of consistently using condoms compared with female CSWs recruiting clients through another source (relative OR: 2·80, 95% CI: 1·67, 4·70). While transgender CSWs in Pakistan using network operators have higher rates of condom use, however, this protective effect does not hold among females. This suggests that network operators may be a valuable group to target for HIV prevention efforts.
Multiple Canonical Correlation with Neural Network

We review [4] a new method of performing Canonical Correlation Analysis with Artiﬁcial Neural Networks. We demonstrate its capability on a real data set where the results are compared with those achieved with standard statistical tools. In this paper, we extend the method by implementing a very precise set of constraints which allow multiple correlations to be found at once. We demonstrate the network’s capabilities on artiﬁcial data and on the standard random dot stereogram data set.
Transprotein-Electropore Characterization: A Molecular Dynamics Investigation on Human AQP4

Electroporation characterization is a topic of intensive interest probed by extensive ongoing research efforts. Usually, these studies are carried out on lipid-bilayer electroporation. Surprisingly, the possibility of water-channel electropore formation across transmembrane proteins themselves, particularly in view of such a promising application, has not yet been elucidated. The present work examines the geometrical and kinetic aspects of electropores and their stability in such a protein milieux (as opposed through the phospholipid membranes) in depth, by means of scrutiny of such a process in human-AQP4 as a well-representative prototype. The residues forming the electropore’s walls, organized in loops, reveal the formation mechanism by their dipole alignment and translational response in response to applied axial electric fields in nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulation. The magnitude of sustaining electric fields (keeping a stable electropore open) were determined. This suggests that transmembrane proteins could play a central role in electroporation applications, e.g., in medicine and biotechnology.
Spreading Patterns of NDM-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Clinical and Environmental Settings in Yangon, Myanmar

The spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), contributing to widespread carbapenem resistance, has become a global concern. However, the specific dissemination patterns of carbapenemase genes have not been intensively investigated in developing countries, including Myanmar, where NDM-type carbapenemases are spreading in clinical settings. ABSTRACT The spread of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE), contributing to widespread carbapenem resistance, has become a global concern. However, the specific dissemination patterns of carbapenemase genes have not been intensively investigated in developing countries, including Myanmar, where NDM-type carbapenemases are spreading in clinical settings. In the present study, we phenotypically and genetically characterized 91 CPE isolates obtained from clinical (n = 77) and environmental (n = 14) samples in Yangon, Myanmar. We determined the dissemination of plasmids harboring genes encoding NDM-1 and its variants using whole-genome sequencing and plasmid analysis. IncFII plasmids harboring blaNDM-5 and IncX3 plasmids harboring blaNDM-4 or blaNDM-7 were the most prevalent plasmid types identified among the isolates. The IncFII plasmids were predominantly carried by clinical isolates of Escherichia coli, and their clonal expansion was observed within the same ward of a hospital. In contrast, the IncX3 plasmids were found in phylogenetically divergent isolates from clinical and environmental samples classified into nine species, suggesting widespread dissemination of plasmids via horizontal transfer. Half of the environmental isolates were found to possess IncX3 plasmids, and this type of plasmid was confirmed to transfer more effectively to recipient organisms at a relatively low temperature (25°C) compared to the IncFII plasmid. Moreover, various other plasmid types were identified harboring blaNDM-1, including IncFIB, IncFII, IncL/M, and IncA/C2, among clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae or Enterobacter cloacae complex. Overall, our results highlight three distinct patterns of the dissemination of blaNDM-harboring plasmids among CPE isolates in Myanmar, contributing to a better understanding of their molecular epidemiology and dissemination in a setting of endemicity.
Increasing Human Performance by Sharing Cognitive Load Using Brain-to-Brain Interface

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) attract a lot of attention because of their ability to improve the brain's efficiency in performing complex tasks using a computer. Furthermore, BCIs can increase human's performance not only due to human-machine interactions, but also thanks to an optimal distribution of cognitive load among all members of a group working on a common task, i.e., due to human-human interaction. The latter is of particular importance when sustained attention and alertness are required. In every day practice, this is a common occurrence, for example, among office workers, pilots of a military or a civil aircraft, power plant operators, etc. Their routinely work includes continuous monitoring of instrument readings and implies a heavy cognitive load due to processing large amounts of visual information. In this paper, we propose a brain-to-brain interface (BBI) which estimates brain states of every participant and distributes a cognitive load among all members of the group accomplishing together a common task. The BBI allows sharing the whole workload between all participants depending on their current cognitive performance estimated from their electrical brain activity. We show that the team efficiency can be increased due to redistribution of the work between participants so that the most difficult workload falls on the operator who exhibits maximum performance. Finally, we demonstrate that the human-to-human interaction is more efficient in the presence of a certain delay determined by brain rhythms. The obtained results are promising for the development of a new generation of communication systems based on neurophysiological brain activity of interacting people. Such BBIs will distribute a common task between all group members according to their individual physical conditions.
The comparison of violence, and the relationship with childhood trauma in Turkish men with alcohol, opiate, and synthetic cannabinoid use disorder

Objective The objectives of this study are, first, to explore the prevalence of lifetime violent and criminal behaviors among alcohol, opioid, and synthetic cannabinoid (SC) users in the treatment program; second, to examine and compare sociodemographic characteristics, childhood traumatic experiences, and impulsivity of these groups. Patients and method This cross-sectional cohort study includes 110 male patients who received inpatient treatment in AMATEM (Alcohol and Substance Addiction Treatment Center) Clinic of Erenköy Training and Research Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology between October 2014 and May 2015, diagnosed with alcohol, opioid, SC use disorder. The patients who were included in the study were given Data Collection Form, APIsoft (Addiction Profile Index), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-28), and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS 15.0 statistic software package. Results We found that resorting to verbal and physical violence was more frequent in SC group in comparison with alcohol and opiate groups (for verbal violence 88.5%, 60%, 70%; P = 0.02; for physical violence (82%, 40%, 60%; P = 0.001). Criminal involvement was also higher for SC users than alcohol and opioid users (94%, 85%, 68.5%; P = 0.01). The average CTQ-28 scores for SC group (P = 0.017) were high whereas there was no difference in the average BIS-11 scores (P = 0.073) between groups. There was no difference between the groups in terms of severity of addiction (P = 0.2). Our study ascertained that the patients exhibited mild and moderate addiction. Conclusion Although creating a treatment for addiction, we think that a holistic treatment that will take into consideration the used substance and the individual’s childhood traumatic events along with his/her impulsive and aggressive behaviors could make a significant contribution to the prevention of the patient’s possible violent and criminal behaviors in the future.
Ferulic Acid, an Angelica sinensis-Derived Polyphenol, Slows the Progression of Membranous Nephropathy in a Mouse Model

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a leading cause of adult nephrotic syndrome but lacks adequate treatment. Different extracts of Angelica sinensis (AS) and one of its active compounds, ferulic acid (FA), were used to evaluate the therapeutic effects in a MN mouse model. The MN model was grouped into three subgroups: no treatment (N-T), treatment at induction of MN (Pre-T), and treatment after full-blown MN (Post-T). The results showed that the methanol (ME) layer of AS extract exhibited a therapeutic effect on MN-induced proteinuria. The ME layer-enriched compound, FA, improved the hypoalbuminemia, hyperlipidemia, and proteinuria in both Pre-T and Post-T groups. Ferulic acid also reduced the formation of oxidative protein products and increased the synthesis of antioxidant enzymes in groups Pre-T and Post-T. Regarding angiogenesis factors, the antiangiogenic factors in renal glomeruli were increased in group N-T, but, after FA treatment, only one of the antiangiogenic factors, thrombospondin-1, showed a significant decrease. Furthermore, the expression of Th2 predominant showed significant decrease in both Pre-T and Post-T groups when compared to that of N-T group. In summary, FA retarded the progression of MN, and the mechanisms involved the regulation of oxidative stresses, angiogenic and antiangiogenic factors, and attenuation of Th2 response.
The precise molecular signals that control endothelial cell–cell adhesion within the vessel wall

Endothelial cell–cell adhesion within the wall of the vasculature controls a range of physiological processes, such as growth, integrity and barrier function. The adhesive properties of endothelial cells are tightly controlled by a complex cascade of signals transmitted from the surrounding environment or from within the cells themselves, with the dynamic nature of cellular adhesion and the regulating signalling networks now beginning to be appreciated. Here, we summarise the current knowledge of the mechanisms controlling endothelial cell–cell adhesion in the developing and mature blood vasculature.
Small Animal Models of Respiratory Viral Infection Related to Asthma

Respiratory viral infections are strongly associated with asthma exacerbations. Rhinovirus is most frequently-detected pathogen; followed by respiratory syncytial virus; metapneumovirus; parainfluenza virus; enterovirus and coronavirus. In addition; viral infection; in combination with genetics; allergen exposure; microbiome and other pathogens; may play a role in asthma development. In particular; asthma development has been linked to wheezing-associated respiratory viral infections in early life. To understand underlying mechanisms of viral-induced airways disease; investigators have studied respiratory viral infections in small animals. This report reviews animal models of human respiratory viral infection employing mice; rats; guinea pigs; hamsters and ferrets. Investigators have modeled asthma exacerbations by infecting mice with allergic airways disease. Asthma development has been modeled by administration of virus to immature animals. Small animal models of respiratory viral infection will identify cell and molecular targets for the treatment of asthma.
Socratrees: Make Discussions Great Again

Terms like 'misinformation', 'fake news', and 'echo chambers' permeate current discussions on the state of the Internet. We believe a lack of technological support to evaluate, contest, and reason about information online---as opposed to merely disseminating it---lies at the root of these problems. Several argument technologies support such functionality, but have seen limited use outside of niche communities. Most research systems overemphasize argument analysis, standing in stark contrast with the informal dialectical nature of everyday argumentation. Conversely, non-academic systems overlook important implications for design which can be derived from theory. In this paper, we present the design of a system aiming to strike a balance between the two. Informatron is a website for collaborative argumentative discussion targeting layman users, but includes sophisticated community guidelines and novel features inspired by informal logic; we argue these are key to scaling up argumentation. Based on a six-week-long evaluation and subsequent survey sent out to all active users, we conclude that while contributing to arguments remains a complex task, most users learned to do so effectively with minimal guidance and all recognized that structure improves online discussion and results in a clearer overview of arguments.
Interspinous Devices: An Overview and Review of the Evidence

Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Lippincott Continuing Medical Education Institute designates this enduring material for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. To earn CME credit, you must read the CME article and complete the quiz and evaluation assessment survey on the enclosed form, answering at least 70% of the quiz questions correctly. This activity expires on June 30, 2019. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After participating in this CME activity, the spine surgeon should be better able to: 1. Compare the various types of interspinous devices. 2. Evaluate the various biomechanical properties of interspinous devices. 3. Interpret the clinical evidence supporting interspinous devices and the advantages, disadvantages, and controversies associated with their use. 4. Predict complications associated with interspinous device implantation.
Hydrogen sulfide ameliorates cognitive dysfunction in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: involving suppression in hippocampal endoplasmic reticulum stress

Diabetes induces impairment in cognitive function. There is substantial evidence that hippocampal endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in diabetic cognitive impairment. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) attenuates the learning and memory decline in experimental Alzheimer's disease and inhibits the hippocampal ER stress in homocysteine-exposed rats. Therefore, this aim of the present work was to investigate whether H2S ameliorates the diabetic cognitive dysfunction involving inhibition of hippocampal ER stress. In the present work, we found that stretozotocin (STZ, 40 mg/kg)-induced diabetic rats exhibited impairment in cognitive function, as judged by the novel objective recognition task (NOR) test, the Y-maze test and the Morris water maze (MWM) test. Notably, treatment of diabetic rats with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS, a donor of H2S, 30 or 100 μmol/kg/d, for 30 d) significantly reversed diabetes-induced impairment in cognitive function. We also found that STZ (40 mg/kg)-induced diabetic rats exhibited hippocampal ER stress, as evidenced by upregulations of glucose regulated protein 78 (GRP78), C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP), and cleaved caspase-12 in the hippocampus. However, treatment with NaHS (30 or 100 μmol/kg/d, for 30 d) markedly suppressed the increases in GRP78, CHOP, and cleaved caspase-12 expressions in the hippocampus of diabetic rats. In addition, we noted that NaHS (30 or 100 μmol/kg/d, for 30 d) significantly enhanced the generation of hippocampal endogenous H2S in STZ-induced diabetic rats. These results suggest that H2S exhibits therapeutic potential for diabetes-associated cognitive dysfunction, which is most likely related to its protective effects against hippocampal ER stress.