Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Peptide Selected by Biopanning Identifies the Integrin αvβ6 as a Prognostic Biomarker for Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer

The development of new modes of diagnosis and targeted therapy for lung cancer is dependent on the identification of unique cell surface features on cancer cells and isolation of reagents that bind with high affinity and specificity to these biomarkers. We recently isolated a 20-mer peptide which binds to the lung adenocarcinoma cell line, H2009, from a phage-displayed peptide library. We show here that the cellular receptor for this peptide, TP H2009.1, is the uniquely expressed integrin, αvβ6, and the peptide binding to lung cancer cell lines correlates to integrin expression. The peptide is able to mediate cell-specific uptake of a fluorescent nanoparticle via this receptor. Expression of αvβ6 was assessed on 311 human lung cancer samples. The expression of this integrin is widespread in early-stage nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Log-rank test and Cox regression analyses show that expression of this integrin is significantly associated with poor patient outcome. Preferential expression is observed in the tumors compared with the surrounding normal lung tissue. Our data indicate that αvβ6 is a prognostic biomarker for NSCLC and may serve as a receptor for targeted therapies. Thus, cell-specific peptides isolated from phage biopanning can be used for the discovery of cell surface biomarkers, emphasizing the utility of peptide libraries to probe the surface of a cell. [Cancer Res 2007;67(12):5889–95]
RNA Signaling in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension—A Double-Stranded Sword

Recognition of and response to pathogens and tissue injury is driven by the innate immune system via activation of pattern recognition receptors. One of the many patterns recognized is RNA and, while several receptors bind RNA, Toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) is well placed for initial recognition of RNA molecules due to its localization within the endosome. There is a growing body of work describing a role for TLR3 in maintenance of vascular homeostasis. For example, TLR3 deficiency has been shown to play repair and remodeling roles in the systemic vasculature and in lung parenchyma. A hallmark of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is pulmonary vascular remodeling, yet drivers and triggers of this remodeling remain incompletely understood. Based on its role in the systemic vasculature, our group discovered reduced endothelial TLR3 expression in PAH and revealed a protective role for a TLR3 agonist in rodent models of pulmonary hypertension. This review will provide an overview of RNA signaling in the vasculature and how it relates to PAH pathobiology, including whether targeting double-stranded RNA signaling is a potential treatment option for PAH.
Abnormal Gait Patterns in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Correlations with Social Impairments

Ground walking in humans is typically stable, symmetrical, characterized by smooth heel‐to‐toe ground contact. Previous studies on children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) identified various gait abnormalities. However, they produced inconsistent findings, particularly for the occurrence of toe walking and gait symmetry between feet, owing to their reliance on retrospective reports, visual analysis of videos, or kinematic analysis of the gait. The present study examined gait functions in children with ASD using plantar pressure that quantified foot–ground interaction with high spatial and temporal resolutions. Fifty‐eight 4–6‐year‐old children with ASD (12 low‐functioning and 46 high‐functioning autism) and 28 age‐matched typically developed children walked straight 6 m at their preferred speed for 10 repetitions. We found that both ASD groups walked with more flat‐footed contact pattern, more left–right asymmetry, and larger step‐to‐step variability than their controls. Furthermore, these abnormal gait characteristics were related to social impairments measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient and Social Responsive Scale, supporting a close association between impaired motor coordination and core symptoms of autism. Autism Res 2020, 13: 1215‐1226. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Toward Efficient Processing and Learning With Spikes: New Approaches for Multispike Learning

Spikes are the currency in central nervous systems for information transmission and processing. They are also believed to play an essential role in low-power consumption of the biological systems, whose efficiency attracts increasing attentions to the field of neuromorphic computing. However, efficient processing and learning of discrete spikes still remain a challenging problem. In this article, we make our contributions toward this direction. A simplified spiking neuron model is first introduced with the effects of both synaptic input and firing output on the membrane potential being modeled with an impulse function. An event-driven scheme is then presented to further improve the processing efficiency. Based on the neuron model, we propose two new multispike learning rules which demonstrate better performance over other baselines on various tasks, including association, classification, and feature detection. In addition to efficiency, our learning rules demonstrate high robustness against the strong noise of different types. They can also be generalized to different spike coding schemes for the classification task, and notably, the single neuron is capable of solving multicategory classifications with our learning rules. In the feature detection task, we re-examine the ability of unsupervised spike-timing-dependent plasticity with its limitations being presented, and find a new phenomenon of losing selectivity. In contrast, our proposed learning rules can reliably solve the task over a wide range of conditions without specific constraints being applied. Moreover, our rules cannot only detect features but also discriminate them. The improved performance of our methods would contribute to neuromorphic computing as a preferable choice.
Hfq CLASH uncovers sRNA-target interaction networks linked to nutrient availability adaptation

By shaping gene expression profiles, small RNAs (sRNAs) enable bacteria to efficiently adapt to changes in their environment. To better understand how Escherichia coli acclimatizes to nutrient availability, we performed UV cross-linking, ligation and sequencing of hybrids (CLASH) to uncover Hfq-associated RNA-RNA interactions at specific growth stages. We demonstrate that Hfq CLASH robustly captures bona fide RNA-RNA interactions. We identified hundreds of novel sRNA base-pairing interactions, including many sRNA-sRNA interactions and involving 3’UTR-derived sRNAs. We rediscovered known and identified novel sRNA seed sequences. The sRNA-mRNA interactions identified by CLASH have strong base-pairing potential and are highly enriched for complementary sequence motifs, even those supported by only a few reads. Yet, steady state levels of most mRNA targets were not significantly affected upon over-expression of the sRNA regulator. Our results reinforce the idea that the reproducibility of the interaction, not base-pairing potential, is a stronger predictor for a regulatory outcome.
Binder-Free α-MnO2 Nanowires on Carbon Cloth as Cathode Material for Zinc-Ion Batteries

Recently, rechargeable zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have gained a considerable amount of attention due to their high safety, low toxicity, abundance, and low cost. Traditionally, a composite manganese oxide (MnO2) and a conductive carbon having a polymeric binder are used as a positive electrode. In general, a binder is employed to bond all materials together and to prevent detachment and dissolution of the active materials. Herein, the synthesis of α-MnO2 nanowires on carbon cloth via a simple one-step hydrothermal process and its electrochemical performance, as a binder-free cathode in aqueous and nonaqueous-based ZIBs, is duly reported. Morphological and elemental analyses reveal a single crystal α-MnO2 having homogeneous nanowire morphology with preferential growth along {001}. It is significant that analysis of the electrochemical performance of the α-MnO2 nanowires demonstrates more stable capacity and superior cyclability in a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) electrolyte ZIB than in an aqueous electrolyte system. This is because DMSO can prevent irreversible proton insertion as well as unfavorable dendritic zinc deposition. The application of the binder-free α-MnO2 nanowires cathode in DMSO can promote follow-up research on the high cyclability of ZIBs.
TRANSLOCATION OF RADIOPHOSPHORUS IN THE PHLOEM OF THE COTTON PLANT

THE SUBJECT of phloem transport has been quite adequately reviewed in recent years. Curtis (1935), Mason and Phillis (1937) and Crafts (1938) have summarized existing data and hypotheses, each from his respective point of view. The opinions expressed by the many workers in this field are diverse both as to tissues involved and forces responsible for movement. Hence, it is anticipated that further reviews will contribute less than presentation of experimental results. EXPERIMENTAL. -Since the problem of phloem transport is an old one, many different experimental methods have been employed in its attempted solution. The present study utilizes the advantages gained by the use of tracer elements and presents data which heretofore have not been available by means of the application of older methods. This method is characterized by extreme convenience in manipulation, and it allows detection of extremely minute quantities of migratory material. It is rapid, direct and precise to about seven per cent under the conditions of these experiments. The object of the study is to follow the translocation of phosphorus from the leaf to other parts of the plant. It is known to accumulate in the leaves following delivery there by the transpiration stream (Biddulph, 1940). In order to demonstrate its redistribution, an "injection technique" was employed to localize an amount of radiophosphorus in the leaf to be studied; then the radiophosphorus was followed to other parts of the plant by means of its radioactivity. The path of its movement can be adequately traced by means of the presence of the radioactive material in the tissues traversed. The investigation consists of two parts, as follows: first, experiments were conducted in order to learn how closely the migratory phosphate follows the vascular traces of the petiole while moving from the leaf into the stem; second, experiments were conducted in order to learn whether the radiophosphorus, after leaving the leaf, moved through the xylem or the phloem of the stem. Both parts yielded evidence on the direction of movement in the stem. Vascular anatomy and translocation. -Cotton seed (Gossypium sp.), obtained from the Agronomy Department of the Alabama Experiment Station, was delinted by immersion in concentrated sulfuric acid for three minutes, washed free from acid and dried. The seeds were then dusted with Semesan and placed in moist paper toweling (Scott Tissue Towels No. 5a, Folded) to germinate, after which they were transferred to sand culture or to solution culture.
Changes in peroxidase activity and isoperoxidase pattern during strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa) callus development

Summary Changes in peroxidase (EC. 1.11.1.7) activity and isoperoxidase pattern were analysed during strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ) callus development. Peroxidase activity per g fresh weight using 4-methoxy-α-naphthol, 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethyl bencidine, coniferyl alcohol or ferulic acid as substrates was highest at 40 days of culture, which coincided with the exponential phase of growth. While the specific peroxidase activity with the first three substrates was highest during the exponential growth phase, the highest specific enzymatic activity with ferulic acid as substrate was reached after 80 days of culture when callus growth had ceased. Several isoperoxidases were constitutively expressed during the complete callus growth cycle, unlike a group of acidic isoperoxidases, which were only present when callus had ceased growing. The high reactivity of the acidic isoperoxidases with ferulic acid as substrate, as judged by the k 1 and k 3 values of the peroxidase catalytic cycle, strongly suggests that these acidic isoenzymes are mainly involved in the formation of diferuloyl bridges between non-cellulosic components of the cell wall, thus contributing to cell wall rigidification, which, in turn, is partly responsible for the cessation of growth.
In-Depth Characterization of EpiIntestinal Microtissue as a Model for Intestinal Drug Absorption and Metabolism in Human

The Caco-2 model is a well-accepted in vitro model for the estimation of fraction absorbed in human intestine. Due to the lack of cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) activities, Caco-2 model is not suitable for the investigation of intestinal first-pass metabolism. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new human intestine model, EpiIntestinal microtissues, as a tool for the prediction of oral absorption and metabolism of drugs in human intestine. The activities of relevant drug transporters and drug metabolizing enzymes, including MDR1 P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), CYP3A4, CYP2J2, UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGT), carboxylesterases (CES), etc., were detected in functional assays with selective substrates and inhibitors. Compared to Caco-2, EpiIntestinal microtissues proved to be a more holistic model for the investigation of drug absorption and metabolism in human gastrointestinal tract.
How a mega‐grazer copes with the dry season: food and nutrient intake rates by white rhinoceros in the wild

Summary 1 Few studies have investigated how free-ranging wild herbivores adjust their food intake rate and nutrient gains during the dry season. Our study focused on the largest extant grazer, the white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum Burchell 1817). Field measurements were made on changes in bite mass, bite rate and nutrient concentrations of food eaten during the dry season. 2 As the dry season progressed, the quality and availability of food resources declined. During this time white rhinos foraged mainly in high-quality short and woodland grasslands. Late in the dry season they also used flushes of green grass in previously burnt Themeda grasslands. 3 Bite mass increased linearly with increasing sward height, while bite rate declined. Intake rate was determined primarily by bite mass and thus tended to increase linearly with sward height. Maximum bite mass and intake rate was obtained in swards >20 cm. 4 White rhinos did not compensate for seasonal declines in food quality by adjusting their food intake rate or diet breadth. We suggest that white rhinos mobilize fat reserves to help meet their nutritional needs during the dry season.
EEG Signal Analysis for Diagnosing Neurological Disorders Using Discrete Wavelet Transform and Intelligent Techniques †

Analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is essential because it is an efficient method to diagnose neurological brain disorders. In this work, a single system is developed to diagnose one or two neurological diseases at the same time (two-class mode and three-class mode). For this purpose, different EEG feature-extraction and classification techniques are investigated to aid in the accurate diagnosis of neurological brain disorders: epilepsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two different modes, single-channel and multi-channel, of EEG signals are analyzed for epilepsy and ASD. The independent components analysis (ICA) technique is used to remove the artifacts from EEG dataset. Then, the EEG dataset is segmented and filtered to remove noise and interference using an elliptic band-pass filter. Next, the EEG signal features are extracted from the filtered signal using a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to decompose the filtered signal to its sub-bands delta, theta, alpha, beta and gamma. Subsequently, five statistical methods are used to extract features from the EEG sub-bands: the logarithmic band power (LBP), standard deviation, variance, kurtosis, and Shannon entropy (SE). Further, the features are fed into four different classifiers, linear discriminant analysis (LDA), support vector machine (SVM), k-nearest neighbor (KNN), and artificial neural networks (ANNs), to classify the features corresponding to their classes. The combination of DWT with SE and LBP produces the highest accuracy among all the classifiers. The overall classification accuracy approaches 99.9% using SVM and 97% using ANN for the three-class single-channel and multi-channel modes, respectively.
A Novel Theranostic Platform: Integration of Magnetomotive and Thermal Ultrasound Imaging With Magnetic Hyperthermia

Objective: Nanotheranostic systems integrate therapeutic and diagnostic procedures using nanotechnology. This type of approach has enabled the development of methods for early detection and treatment of different pathologies. Magnetic hyperthermia (MH) has been proposed as an alternative or complementary method of cancer therapy. However, challenges such as delivering and localizing the magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) within tissues and monitoring the temperature during the treatment hinder this technique to be effectively translated into a clinical routine. Therefore, in this study a theranostic platform has been proposed and examined to address two main issues, localizing MNPs and real-time temperature monitoring, for preclinical MH. Methods: The system integrates magnetomotive (MMUS) and thermal ultrasound imaging with MH. An ultrasound device was used to acquire MMUS images to detect MNPs, and ultrasound thermometry to monitor the temperature. This platform was designed such that a single coil generated the magnetic field for MMUS and MH. The feasibility of the system was examined using a tissue mimicking phantom containing an inclusion filled with zinc substituted magnetite NPs. Results: These MNPs were effectively used as contrast agent for MMUS and to generate heat during MH. In addition to localizing MNPs, real-time two-dimensional temperature maps were obtained with substantial concordance (ρc > 0.97) with invasive measurements using fiber optic thermometer. The heating rate was proportional to the displacements in MMUS (r = 0.92). Conclusion: Ultrasound thermometry was successfully used to monitor the temperature during MH. In addition, it was shown that acquiring MMUS images prior to MH can qualitatively predict the temperature distribution of the MNP-laden regions.
Identifying Circulating and Lung Tissue Cytokines Associated with Thoracic Irradiation and AEOL 10150 Treatment in a Nonhuman Primate Model

Inflammatory cytokines have been suggested to play important roles in radiation-induced lung injury (RILI). Identifying significantly changed circulating and tissue cytokines after thoracic irradiation will aid in deciphering the mechanism of RILI and identifying potential biomarkers to predict clinical outcome. Herein, the levels of 24 cytokines were measured in serial plasma samples and lung tissue samples collected from a pilot study where nonhuman primates (NHPs) received 11.5 Gy whole thoracic lung irradiation (WTLI) and were then treated with or without a medical countermeasure, AEOL 10150 [a superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic]. Seven plasma cytokines (i.e., IP-10, MCP-1, IL-12, IL-15, IL-16, IL-7 and IL-6) were found to be significantly changed at different time points due to WTLI. Plasma IP-10 and MDC were significantly changed between the vehicle group and the drug group. The levels of IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, TARC, IL-17, TNF-β and IL-6 were significantly elevated in the lung tissue lysates of NHPs that received WTLI versus radiation-naïve NHPs. The terminal plasma concentrations of IP-10, MDC, TARC, IL-12, IL-15 and IL-6 were significantly correlated with their levels in the lung tissue. The levels of four cytokines (MCP-4, IL-17, TNF-β and IL-2) at early time points (≤8 weeks postirradiation) were significantly correlated with their terminal plasma levels, respectively. Statistical analysis indicated that circulating cytokines could be discriminatory predictors of AEOL 10150 treatment. Taken together, our data suggested that the cytokine profiles were significantly changed after WTLI as well as mitigator treatment, and that the plasma cytokine profiles could potentially be used to distinguish vehicle or mitigator treatment after WTLI in a NHP model.
WATER RELATIONS OF COCONUT PALMS AFFECTED WITH ROOT (WILT) DISEASE

Summary The water relations of apparently healthy and root (wilt)-diseased coconut palms (Cocos nucifera L.) were investigated. Leaves of diseased palms had lower stomatal resistances (with relatively high transpiration rates) and leaf water potentials than apparently healthy palms. Although there was a small reduction of osmotic potential in leaves of diseased palms, there was almost complete loss of turgor potential, and flaccidity resulted.
A new inflammatory marker in overweight patients: triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1.

BACKGROUND Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (TREM-1) is secreted by phagocytes in adipose tissue and it also upregulates the expression of genes involved in the inflammatory response and atherosclerotic conditions. This study was aimed to investigate the serum TREM-1 levels in overweight patients. METHODS Twenty-eight subjects in the overweight group (OG) and 20 age-matched healthy subjects in the control group (CG) (BMI 27.6±1.2 vs 23.1±2.17 kg/m2, respectively, p<0.001) were included in the study. The serum sTREM-1 level was measured by ELISA. The homeostasis model assessment score (HOMA-IR) was also calculated. RESULTS The mean TREM-1 levels were significantly higher in OG than in CG (407.3±323.7 vs 150.3±152.7 pg/mL, respectively, p<0.001). The HOMA-IR score was also significantly higher in OG than in CG (3.42±3.63 vs 2.77±1.61, respectively). A positive correlation was detected between TREM-1 and BMI (r=0.318, p=0.028). CONCLUSIONS This study mainly demonstrated that a high serum TREM-1 level might be an early inflammatory marker in overweight patients. We found that TREM-1 might be associated with BMI in overweight patients regardless of insulin resistance (Tab. 1, Ref. 21). Text in PDF www.elis. sk.