Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability assessment for blood oxygen saturation levels measured with optoacoustic imaging

Abstract Significance: Quantitative optoacoustic (OA) imaging has the potential to provide blood oxygen saturation (SO2) estimates due to the proportionality between the measured signal and the blood’s absorption coefficient. However, due to the wavelength-dependent attenuation of light in tissue, a spectral correction of the OA signals is required, and a prime challenge is the validation of both the optical characterization of the tissue and the SO2. Aim: We propose to assess the reliability of SO2 levels retrieved from spectral fitting by measuring the similarity of OA spectra to the fitted blood absorption spectra. Approach: We introduce a metric that quantifies the trends of blood spectra by assigning a pair of spectral slopes to each spectrum. The applicability of the metric is illustrated with in vivo measurements on a human forearm. Results: We show that physiologically sound SO2 values do not necessarily imply a successful spectral correction and demonstrate how the metric can be used to distinguish SO2 values that are trustworthy from unreliable ones. Conclusions: The metric is independent of the methods used for the OA data acquisition, image reconstruction, and spectral correction, thus it can be readily combined with existing approaches, in order to monitor the accuracy of quantitative OA imaging.
Roles of noncoding RNAs in drug resistance in multiple myeloma

Despite the administration of new effective drugs in recent years, relapse and drug resistance are still the main obstacles in multiple myeloma (MM) treatment, making MM an incurable disease. To overcome drug resistance in MM, it is critical to understand the underlying mechanisms of malfunctioning gene expression and develop novel targeted therapies. During the past few decades, with the discovery and characterization of noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), the landscape of dysregulated ncRNAs of cancers as well as their biological and pathobiological functions in tumorigenesis and drug resistance have been recognized. Studies about ncRNAs improved the understanding of variations of drug response among individuals at a level distinguished from genetic polymorphism, and provided with new orientations for targeted therapies. In this review, we will summarize the emerging impact and underlying molecular mechanisms of the most relevant classes of ncRNAs in drug resistance of MM, and discuss the potential as well as strategies of treating ncRNAs as therapeutic targets.
Fifty Years Exploring the Visual System.

We as a couple spent 50 years working in visual psychophysics of color vision, temporal vision, and luminance adaptation. We sought collaborations with ophthalmologists, anatomists, physiologists, physicists, and psychologists, aiming to relate visual psychophysics to the underlying physiology of the primate retina. This review describes our journey and reflections in exploring the visual system. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Vision Science, Volume 6 is September 15, 2020. Please see http://www.annualreviews. org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
Re-circulation of Schmallenberg virus, Germany, 2019.

Schmallenberg virus (SBV), an insect-transmitted orthobunyavirus that induces severe fetal malformation in calves and lambs, was detected for the first time in late summer 2011 in Central Europe. Thereafter, the virus spread rapidly across the continent causing a large epidemic in the ruminant population. In 2019, detection of virus was again reported more frequently in Germany. From March to November, infections of viremic adult animals were noticed. In September, SBV genome was also detected in newborn lambs. Altogether, affected species included cattle, sheep, a goat and a fallow deer. M-segment sequences were generated from viruses detected in viremic cattle and compared to viral sequences from previous years. The genome of viruses detected in the blood of acutely-infected adult cattle and sheep, which represent the circulating SBV strains, seems very stable over the course of nine years and in various European countries. The nucleotide similarities of these viruses are as high as 99.4% to 100%. The renewed SBV circulation in 2019 in the country, in which the virus was first detected in 2011 and where it circulated again in 2014 and 2016, suggests the establishment of an enzootic status in Central Europe with regular larger waves in a cycle of around three years. Therefore, it has to be anticipated that SBV will re-emerge at similar intervals in the future, and hence, it represents a constant threat for the continent's ruminant population.
Levels of Heterochiasmy During Arabidopsis Development as Reported by Fluorescent Tagged Lines

Crossing over, the exchange of DNA between the chromosomes during meiosis, contributes significantly to genetic variation. The rate of crossovers (CO) varies depending upon the taxon, population, age, external conditions, and also, sometimes, between the sexes, a phenomenon called heterochiasmy. In the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the male rate of all crossover events (mCO) is typically nearly double the female rate (fCO). A previous, PCR-based genotyping study has reported that the disparity decreases with increasing parental age, because fCO rises while mCO remains stable. We revisited this topic using a fluorescent tagged lines approach to examine how heterochiasmy responded to parental age in eight genomic intervals distributed across the organism’s five chromosomes. We determined recombination frequency for, on average, more than 2000 seeds, for each interval, for each of four age groups, to estimate sex-specific CO rates. mCO did not change with age, as reported previously, but, here, fCO did not rise, and thus the levels of heterochiasmy were unchanged. We can see no methodological reason to doubt that our results reflect the underlying biology of the accessions we studied. The lack of response to age could perhaps be due to previously reported variation in CO rate among accessions of Arabidopsis.
Molecular epidemiology of dengue fever outbreaks in Bhutan, 2016-2017

Dengue continues to pose a significant public health problem in tropical and subtropical countries. In Bhutan, first outbreak of dengue fever (DF) was reported in 2004 in a southern border town, followed by sporadic cases over the years. In this study, we analysed DF outbreaks that occurred in 3 different places during the years 2016 and 2017. A total of 533 cases in 2016 and 163 in 2017 were suspected of having of DF, where young adults were mostly affected. A total of 240 acute serum specimens collected and analyzed for serotype by nested RT-PCR revealed predominance of serotypes 1 and 2 (DENV-1 and 2). Phylogenetic analysis using envelope gene for both the serotypes demonstrated cosmopolitan genotype which were closely related to strains from India, indicating that they were probably imported from the neighboring country over the past few years.
Lowering costs for large-scale screening in psychosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of performance and value of information for speech-based psychiatric evaluation

Objective: Obstacles for computational tools in psychiatry include gathering robust evidence and keeping implementation costs reasonable. We report a systematic review of automated speech evaluation for the psychosis spectrum and analyze the value of information for a screening program in a healthcare system with a limited number of psychiatrists (Maputo, Mozambique). Methods: Original studies on speech analysis for forecasting of conversion in individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, diagnosis of manifested psychotic disorder, and first-episode psychosis (FEP) were included in this review. Studies addressing non-verbal components of speech (e.g., pitch, tone) were excluded. Results: Of 168 works identified, 28 original studies were included. Valuable speech features included direct measures (e.g., relative word counting) and mathematical embeddings (e.g.: word-to-vector, graphs). Accuracy estimates reported for schizophrenia diagnosis and CHR conversion ranged from 71 to 100% across studies. Studies used structured interviews, directed tasks, or prompted free speech. Directed-task protocols were faster while seemingly maintaining performance. The expected value of perfect information is USD 9.34 million. Imperfect tests would nevertheless yield high value. Conclusion: Accuracy for screening and diagnosis was high. Larger studies are needed to enhance precision of classificatory estimates. Automated analysis presents itself as a feasible, low-cost method which should be especially useful for regions in which the physician pool is insufficient to meet demand.
Thrombin action on astrocytes in the hindbrain of the rat disrupts glycemic and respiratory control

Severe trauma can produce a postinjury “metabolic self-destruction” characterized by catabolic metabolism and hyperglycemia. The severity of the hyperglycemia is highly correlated with posttrauma morbidity and mortality. Although no mechanism has been posited to connect severe trauma with a loss of autonomic control over metabolism, traumatic injury causes other failures of autonomic function, notably, gastric stasis and ulceration (“Cushing’s ulcer”), which has been connected with the generation of thrombin. Our previous studies established that proteinase-activated receptors (PAR1; “thrombin receptors”) located on astrocytes in the autonomically critical nucleus of the solitary tract (NST) can modulate gastric control circuit neurons to cause gastric stasis. Hindbrain astrocytes have also been implicated as important detectors of low glucose or glucose utilization. When activated, these astrocytes communicate with hindbrain catecholamine neurons that, in turn, trigger counterregulatory responses (CRR). There may be a convergence between the effects of thrombin to derange hindbrain gastrointestinal control and the hindbrain circuitry that initiates CRR to increase glycemia in reaction to critical hypoglycemia. Our results suggest that thrombin acts within the NST to increase glycemia through an astrocyte-dependent mechanism. Blockade of purinergic gliotransmission pathways interrupted the effect of thrombin to increase glycemia. Our studies also revealed that thrombin, acting in the NST, produced a rapid, dramatic, and potentially lethal suppression of respiratory rhythm that was also a function of purinergic gliotransmission. These results suggest that the critical connection between traumatic injury and a general collapse of autonomic regulation involves thrombin action on astrocytes.
Access to and delivery of acute ischaemic stroke treatments: A survey of national scientific societies and stroke experts in 44 European countries

Introduction Acute stroke unit care, intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment significantly improve the outcome for patients with ischaemic stroke, but data on access and delivery throughout Europe are lacking. We assessed best available data on access and delivery of acute stroke unit care, intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment throughout Europe. Methods A survey, drafted by stroke professionals (ESO, ESMINT, EAN) and a patient organisation (SAFE), was sent to national stroke societies and experts in 51 European countries (World Health Organization definition) requesting experts to provide national data on stroke unit, intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular treatment rates. We compared both pooled and individual national data per one million inhabitants and per 1000 annual incident ischaemic strokes with highest country rates. Population estimates were based on United Nations data, stroke incidences on the Global Burden of Disease Report. Results We obtained data from 44 European countries. The estimated mean number of stroke units was 2.9 per million inhabitants (95% CI 2.3–3.6) and 1.5 per 1000 annual incident strokes (95% CI 1.1–1.9), highest country rates were 9.2 and 5.8. Intravenous thrombolysis was provided in 42/44 countries. The estimated mean annual number of intravenous thrombolysis was 142.0 per million inhabitants (95% CI 107.4–176.7) and 72.7 per 1000 annual incident strokes (95% CI 54.2–91.2), highest country rates were 412.2 and 205.5. Endovascular treatment was provided in 40/44 countries. The estimated mean annual number of endovascular treatments was 37.1 per million inhabitants (95% CI 26.7–47.5) and 19.3 per 1000 annual incident strokes (95% CI 13.5–25.1), highest country rates were 111.5 and 55.9. Overall, 7.3% of incident ischaemic stroke patients received intravenous thrombolysis (95% CI 5.4–9.1) and 1.9% received endovascular treatment (95% CI 1.3–2.5), highest country rates were 20.6% and 5.6%. Conclusion We observed major inequalities in acute stroke treatment between and within 44 European countries. Our data will assist decision makers implementing tailored stroke care programmes for reducing stroke-related morbidity and mortality in Europe.
The Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in Drinking Drinking Water Samples in Egypt

Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences is the official English language journal of the Egyptian Society for Biological Sciences, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Sciences Ain Shams University. Microbiology journal is one of the series issued twice by the Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences, and is devoted to publication of original papers related to the research across the whole spectrum of the subject. These including bacteriology, virology, mycology and parasitology. In addition, the journal promotes research on the impact of living organisms on their environment with emphasis on subjects such a resource, depletion, pollution, biodiversity, ecosystem.etc www.eajbs. eg.net Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.
USE OF INSPIRATORY MUSCLE STRENGTH TRAINING TO FACILITATE VENTILATOR WEANING.

2002;122;192-196 Chest Harman A. Daniel Martin, Paul D. Davenport, Amy C. Franceschi and Eloise 10 Consecutive Patients : A Series of * to Facilitate Ventilator Weaning Use of Inspiratory Muscle Strength Training http://chestjournal.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/1/192 and services can be found online on the World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information ). ISSN: 0012-3692. http://www.chestjournal.org/misc/reprints.shtml ( of the copyright holder may be reproduced or distributed without the prior written permission Northbrook IL 60062. All rights reserved. No part of this article or PDF by the American College of Chest Physicians, 3300 Dundee Road, Physicians. It has been published monthly since 1935. Copyright 2007 CHEST is the official journal of the American College of Chest
Esophageal injury associated with catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation: Determinants of risk and protective strategies

Catheter ablation has become an important element in the management of atrial fibrillation. Several technical advances allowed for better safety profiles and lower recurrence rates, leading to an increasing number of ablations worldwide. Despite that, major complications are still reported, and esophageal thermal injury remains a significant concern as atrioesophageal fistula (AEF) is often fatal. Recognition of the mechanisms involved in the process of esophageal lesion formation and the identification of the main determinants of risk have set the grounds for the development and improvement of different esophageal protective strategies. More sensitive esophageal temperature monitoring, safer ablation parameters and catheters, and different energy sources appear to collectively reduce the risk of esophageal thermal injury. Adjunctive measures such as the prophylactic use of proton‐pump inhibitors, as well as esophageal cooling or deviation devices, have emerged as complementary methods with variable but promising results. Nevertheless, as a multifactorial problem, no single esophageal protective measure has proven to be sufficiently effective to eliminate the risk, and further investigation is still warranted. Early screening in the patients at risk and prompt intervention in the cases of AEF are important risk modifiers and yield better outcomes.
Fabrication and Characterization of Microemulsion Stabilized by Integrated Phosvitin and Gallic Acid.

The purpose of this work was to conjugate phosvitin (Pv) with gallic acid (GA) to explore a new emulsifier that had both good emulsifying properties and antioxidant activity. Pv-GA complex was prepared at GA concentration of 1.5 mg/mL with pH=9.0. The Pv-GA complex obtained was identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry and characterized with infrared, ultraviolet and fluorescence spectra. The emulsifying activity and stability of Pv-GA complex were slightly improved and antioxidant activities were significantly enhanced. Furthermore, the Pv-GA complex was used to load conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) for microemulsion preparation. Results showed that Pv-GA complex could increase the viscosity and lipid antioxidant capacity of Pv-GA/CLA microemulsion. And the Pv-GA/CLA microemulsion had remarkable emulsifying activity, emulsifying stability, pH and thermal stability and poor salt stability.
Abstract 2455: The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA)DANCRin acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells (LSC)

Introduction: Prognosis for AML patients (pts) is inadequate. Therapeutic strategies are needed to target not only bulk blasts but also the distinct LSCs, which are more resistant to chemotherapy & cause relapse. lncRNAs are non-coding RNA transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides that regulate cellular processes. A functional role in LSCs has yet to be elucidated. Methods: We derived a LSC-specific lncRNA profile using whole transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) data of 377 pts ( Results: 161 lncRNAs were consistently deregulated in CEhigh pts with a p .5 (Spearmen correlation test). We chose DANCR to further analyze because it was among the top lncRNAs upregulated in CEhigh pts, is highly conserved between human & mouse, & was previously shown to have a role in promoting stemness in hepatocellular carcinoma (Yuan, Hepatology 2016). We confirmed that DANCR expression was significantly higher in functionally validated LSC enriched populations (p=.05). To assess the role in self-renewal, we KD DANCR in pts cells & found a decrease in colony numbers after replating (average decrease vs SCR: 38.9%, p=.03). Using membrane labeling assays, we found a decrease of quiescent cells after DANCR KD (average decrease: 36.1%, p=.04). Long term colony-initiating cell cultures were performed to determine the LSC frequency & we found significant decreases in the number of LSCs in primary pts samples after DANCR KD (average decrease of LSC frequency: 79.2%, p=.001). Mice transplanted with murine AML cells (CD45.2+) were treated with NP (n=3 per group) for 5 days (d). 2d later, bone marrow was harvested & retransplantated (Tx) using limiting dilutions (2x106, 1x106, 5x105) into irradiated BoyJ (CD45.1+) recipients (n=30). 14d post-Tx, anti-Dancr recipient mice showed a lower engraftment (CD45.2/CD45.1: 37% vs 47%, p=.03) and also a concomitant improvement in survival (p Conclusion: We show for the first time that LSCs have a distinct lncRNA profile. Among the highly expressed lncRNAs associated with LSCs we identified & validated DANCR. Our data show that DANCR has an impact on LSC function (self-renewal, quiescence, engraftment) & regulates LSC frequency. DANCR is the first lncRNA shown to have a functional role in LSCs & represents a novel target for AML treatment. Citation Format: Marius Bill, Malith Karunasiri, Jessica Kohlschmidt, Allison E. Walker, Zachary Brannan, Stefano Volinia, Clara D. Bloomfield, Ramiro Garzon, Adrienne M. Dorrance. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) DANCR in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) stem cells (LSC) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2455.
Impact of IFN‐β and LIF overexpression on human adipose‐derived stem cells properties

Adipose‐derived stem cells (ADSCs) are a subset of mesenchymal stem cells that their therapeutic effects in various diseases make them an interesting tool in cell therapy. In the current study, we aimed to overexpress interferon‐β (IFN‐β) and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) cytokines in human ADSCs to evaluate the impact of this overexpression on human ADSCs properties. Here, we designed a construct containing IFN‐β and LIF and then, transduced human adipose‐derived stem cells (hADSCs) by this construct via a lentiviral vector (PCDH‐513B). We assessed the ability of long‐term expression of the transgene in transduced cells by western blot analysis and enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay techniques on Days 15, 45, and 75 after transduction. For the evaluation of stem cell properties, flow cytometry and differentiation assays were performed. Finally, the MTT assay was done to assess the proliferation of transduced cells compares to controls. Our results showed high‐efficiency transduction with highest expression rates on Day 75 after transduction which were 70 pg/ml for IFN‐β and 77.9 pg/ml for LIF in comparison with 25.60 pg/ml and 27.63 pg/ml, respectively, in untransduced cells (p = .0001). Also, transduced cells expressed a high level of ADSCs surface markers and successfully differentiated into adipocytes, chondrocytes, neural cells, and osteocytes besides the preservation rate of proliferation near untreated cells (p = .88). All in all, we successfully constructed an hADSC population stably overexpressed IFN‐β and LIF cytokines. Considering the IFN‐β and LIF anti‐inflammatory and neuroprotective effects as well as immune‐regulatory properties of hADSCs, the obtained cells of this study could be subjected for further evaluations in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis mice model.