Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility, Safety and Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Exergame System to Supplement Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Post-Stroke: A Pilot Randomized Clinical Trial and Proof of Principle

(1) Background: Increasing the amount of therapy time has been shown to improve motor function in stroke survivors. However, it is often not possible to increase the amount of therapy time provided in the current one-on-one therapy models. Rehabilitation-based virtual reality exergame systems, such as Jintronix, can be offered to stroke survivors as an adjunct to traditional therapy. The goal of this study was to examine the safety and feasibility of providing additional therapy using an exergame system and assess its preliminary clinical efficacy. (2) Methods: Stroke survivors receiving outpatient rehabilitation services participated in this pilot randomized control trial in which the intervention group received 4 weeks of exergaming sessions in addition to traditional therapy sessions. (3) Results: Nine subjects in the intervention and nine subjects in the control group completed the study. The intervention group had at least two extra sessions per week, with an average duration of 44 min per session and no serious adverse events (falls, dizziness, or pain). The efficacy measures showed statistically meaningful improvements in the activities of daily living measures (i.e., MAL-QOM (motor activity log-quality of movement) and both mobility and physical domains of the SIS (stroke impact scale) with mean difference of 1.0%, 5.5%, and 6.7% between the intervention and control group, respectively) at post-intervention. (4) Conclusion: Using virtual reality exergaming technology as an adjunct to traditional therapy is feasible and safe in post-stroke rehabilitation and may be beneficial to upper extremity functional recovery.
THE MINIMUM CLINICALLY IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENT FOR THE INCREMENTAL SHUTTLE WALKING TEST

BackgroundThe Incremental Shuttle Walking Test (ISWT) is used to assess exercise capacity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and is employed as an outcome measure for pulmonary rehabilitation. This study was designed to establish the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) for the ISWT. Methods – 372 patients (205 male) performed an ISWT before and after a 7 week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation programme. After completing the course subjects were asked to identify, from a 5-point Likert scale, the perceived change in their exercise performance immediately upon completion of the ISWT. The scale ranged from ‘better’ to ‘worse’. ResultsThe mean (SD) age was 69.4 (8.4) years, FEV1 1.06 (0.53) litres, and FEV1/FVC ratio 50.8 (18.1) %. Baseline shuttle walking test distance was 168.5(14.6) m. After rehabilitation this increased to 234.7 (125.3) m. The mean difference and 95% confidence interval for the difference was 65.9 (58.9 to72.9) m. For a subject to feel they were ‘slightly better’ the mean improvement was 47.5 (38.6 to 56.5) m and to report feeling ‘better’ the mean increase was 78.7 (70.5 to 86.9) m. Patients who reported that their exercise tolerance was ‘about the same’ increased by a mean of 18.0 (4.5 – 31.5) m. ConclusionTwo levels of improvement were identified. The minimum clinically important improvement for the ISWT is 47.5m. In addition patients were able to distinguish an additional benefit at 78.7m. Introduction Improving exercise performance is an important therapeutic goal for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and other chronic respiratory diseases (1). In this context a laboratory exercise test may provide a precise physiological outcome but field walking tests are often employed as a pragmatic alternative. The most popular field walking tests are the unpaced six-minute walking distance (6MWD) and the incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT). The ISWT has been used in an increasing number of studies, because the externally paced incremental format is similar to the laboratory incremental exercise test (1). The ISWT has been used as an outcome measure in trials of pulmonary rehabilitation (2;3), pharmaceutical studies (4) and other disease populations as a prognostic marker (5). In the context of a therapeutic trial, laboratory or field exercise tests are generally used as a proxy outcome that may reflect domestic functional performance. Any positive changes in exercise performance must therefore be perceived as beneficial by the patient. However the small statistically significant improvements reported in trials may not necessarily translate to useful recognised benefit. The concept of the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) has therefore been on 20 July 2018 by gest. P rocted by coright. httphorax.bm jcom / T hrax: frst pulished as 10.1136. 2007.081208 on 4 A ril 208. D ow nladed fom
Biological Responses to the Transitional Area of Dental Implants: Material- and Structure-Dependent Responses of Peri-Implant Tissue to Abutments

The stability of peri-implant tissue is essential for the long-term success of dental implants. Although various types of implant connections are used, little is known about the effects of the physical mechanisms of dental implants on the stability of peri-implant tissue. This review summarizes the relevant literature to establish guidelines regarding the effects of connection type between abutments and implants in soft and hard tissues. Soft tissue seals can affect soft tissue around implants. In external connections, micromobility between the abutment and the hex component of the implant, resulting from machining tolerance, can destroy the soft tissue seal, potentially leading to microbial invasion. Internal friction connection implants induce strain on the surrounding bone via implant wall expansion that translates into masticatory force. This strain is advantageous because it increases the amount and quality of peri-implant bone. The comparison of internal and external connections, the two most commonly used connection types, reveals that internal friction has a positive influence on both soft and hard tissues.
Predicted Archaic 3D Genome Organization Reveals Genes Related to Head and Spinal Cord Separating Modern from Archaic Humans

High coverage sequences of archaic humans enabled the reconstruction of their DNA methylation patterns. This allowed comparing gene regulation between human groups, and linking such regulatory changes to phenotypic differences. In a previous work, a detailed comparison of DNA methylation in modern humans, archaic humans, and chimpanzees revealed 873 modern human-derived differentially methylated regions (DMRs). To understand the regulatory implications of these DMRs, we defined differentially methylated genes (DMGs) as genes that harbor DMRs in their promoter or gene body. While most of the modern human-derived DMRs could be linked to DMGs, many others remained unassigned. Here, we used information on 3D genome organization to link ~70 out of the remaining 288 unassigned DMRs to genes. Combined with the previously identified DMGs, we reinforce the enrichment of these genes with vocal and facial anatomy, and additionally find significant enrichment with the spinal column, chin, hair, and scalp. These results reveal the importance of 3D genomic organization in understanding gene regulation by DNA methylation.
Neurochemical Characterization of Neurons Expressing Estrogen Receptor β in the Hypothalamic Nuclei of Rats Using in Situ Hybridization and Immunofluorescence

Estrogens play an essential role in multiple physiological functions in the brain, including reproductive neuroendocrine, learning and memory, and anxiety-related behaviors. To determine these estrogen functions, many studies have tried to characterize neurons expressing estrogen receptors known as ERα and ERβ. However, the characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat brain still remain poorly understood compared to that of ERα-expressing neurons. The main aim of this study is to determine the neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons in the rat hypothalamus using RNAscope in situ hybridization (ISH) combined with immunofluorescence. Strong Esr2 signals were observed especially in the anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV), bed nucleus of stria terminalis, hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus, and medial amygdala, as previously reported. RNAscope ISH with immunofluorescence revealed that more than half of kisspeptin neurons in female AVPV expressed Esr2, whereas few kisspeptin neurons were found to co-express Esr2 in the arcuate nucleus. In the PVN, we observed a high ratio of Esr2 co-expression in arginine-vasopressin neurons and a low ratio in oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing factor neurons. The detailed neurochemical characteristics of ERβ-expressing neurons identified in the current study can be very essential to understand the estrogen signaling via ERβ.
SPICE-ML Algorithm for Direction-of-Arrival Estimation

Sparse iterative covariance-based estimation, an iterative direction-of-arrival approach based on covariance fitting criterion, can simultaneously estimate the angle and power of incident signal. However, the signal power estimated by sparse iterative covariance-based estimation approach is inaccurate, and the estimation performance is limited to direction grid. To solve the problem above, an algorithm combing the sparse iterative covariance-based estimation approach and maximum likelihood estimation is proposed. The signal power estimated by sparse iterative covariance-based estimation approach is corrected by a new iterative process based on the asymptotically minimum variance criterion. In addition, a refinement procedure is derived by minimizing a maximum likelihood function to overcome the estimation accuracy limitation imposed by direction grid. Simulation results verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Compared with sparse iterative covariance-based estimation approach, the proposed algorithm can achieve more accurate signal power and improved estimation performance.
Light-Controlled Fruit Pigmentation and Flavor Volatiles in Tomato and Bell Pepper

Light is a major environmental factor affecting the regulation of secondary metabolites, such as pigments and flavor. The Solanaceae plant family has diverse patterns of fruit metabolisms that serve as suitable models to understand the molecular basis of its regulation across species. To investigate light-dependent regulation for fruit pigmentation and volatile flavors, major fruit pigments, their biosynthetic gene expression, and volatiles were analyzed in covered fruits of tomato and bell pepper. Immature covered fruits were found to be ivory in color and no chlorophyll was detected in both plants. The total carotenoid content was found to be reduced in ripe tomato and bell pepper under cover. Naringenin chalcone decreased more than 7-fold in ripe tomato and total flavonoids decreased about 10-fold in immature and ripe pepper fruit under light deficiency. Light positively impacts fruit pigmentation in tomato and bell pepper by regulating gene expression in carotenoid and flavonoid biosynthesis, especially phytoene synthase and chalcone synthase, respectively. Nineteen volatile flavors were detected, and seven of these exhibited light-dependent regulations for both ripe tomato and pepper. This study will help in improving fruit quality and aid future research works to understand the molecular mechanisms regulating the influence of light-dependency on pigments and flavor volatiles.
PIN1 Inhibition Sensitizes Chemotherapy in Gastric Cancer Cells by Targeting Stem Cell–like Traits and Multiple Biomarkers

Gastric cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Diffuse type gastric cancer has the worst prognosis due to notorious resistance to chemotherapy and enrichment of cancer stem-like cells (CSC) associated with the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The unique proline isomerase PIN1 is a common regulator of oncogenic signaling networks and is important for gastric cancer development. However, little is known about its roles in CSCs and drug resistance in gastric cancer. In this article, we demonstrate that PIN1 overexpression is closely correlated with advanced tumor stages, poor chemo-response and shorter recurrence-free survival in diffuse type gastric cancer in human patients. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated genetic or all-trans retinoic acid–mediated pharmaceutical inhibition of PIN1 in multiple human gastric cancer cells potently suppresses the EMT, cell migration and invasion, and lung metastasis. Moreover, PIN1 genetic or pharmaceutical inhibition potently eliminates gastric CSCs and suppresses their self-renewal and tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Consistent with these phenotypes, are that PIN1 biochemically targets multiple signaling molecules and biomarkers in EMT and CSCs and that genetic and pharmaceutical PIN1 inhibition functionally and drastically enhances the sensitivity of gastric cancer to multiple chemotherapy drugs in vitro and in vivo. These results demonstrate that PIN1 inhibition sensitizes chemotherapy in gastric cancer cells by targeting CSCs, and suggest that PIN1 inhibitors may be used to overcome drug resistance in gastric cancer.
MRI/Photoluminescence Dual-Modal Imaging Magnetic PLGA Nanocapsules for Theranostics

Developing multifunctional and biocompatible drug delivery nanoplatforms that integrate high drug loads and multiple imaging modalities avoiding cross-interferences is extremely challenging. Here we report on the successful chemical reaction of the high quantum yield biodegradable and photoluminescent polyester (BPLP) with the poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) polymer to fabricate biocompatible photoluminescent nanocapsules (NCs). Furthermore, we transform the PLGA-BPLP NCs into a magnetic resonance (MR)/photoluminescence dual-modal imaging theranostic platform by incorporating superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) into the polymeric shell. In vitro phantoms confirmed the excellent MRI-r2 relaxivity values of the NCs whilst the cellular uptake of these NCs was clearly observed by fluorescence optical imaging. Besides, the NCs (mean size ~270 nm) were loaded with ~1 wt% of a model protein (BSA) and their PEGylation provided a more hydrophilic surface. The NCs show biocompatibility in vitro, as hCMEC/D3 endothelial cells viability was not affected for particle concentration up to 500 μg/mL. Interestingly, NCs decorated with SPIONs can be exploited for magnetic guiding and retention.
Hypoxia-Induced miR-210 Is Necessary for Vascular Regeneration upon Acute Limb Ischemia

Critical limb ischemia is the most serious form of peripheral artery disease, characterized by severe functional consequences, difficult clinical management and reduced life expectancy. The goal of this study was to investigate the miR-210 role in the neo-angiogenic response after acute limb ischemia. Complementary approaches were used in a mouse model of hindlimb ischemia: miR-210 loss-of-function was obtained by administration of LNA-oligonucleotides anti-miR-210; for miR-210 gain-of-function, a doxycycline-inducible miR-210 transgenic mouse was used. We tested miR-210 ability to stimulate vascular regeneration following ischemia. We found that miR-210 was necessary and sufficient to stimulate blood perfusion recovery, as well as arteriolar and capillary density increase, in the ischemic muscle. To clarify the molecular events underpinning miR-210 pro-angiogenic action, the transcriptomic changes in ischemic muscles upon miR-210 blocking were analyzed. We found that miR-210 impacted the transcriptome significantly, regulating pathways and functions linked to vascular regeneration. In agreement with a pro-angiogenic role, miR-210 also improved cardiac function and left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. Moreover, miR-210 blocking decreased capillary density in a Matrigel plug assay, indicating that miR-210 is necessary for angiogenesis independently of ischemia. Collectively, these data indicate that miR-210 plays a pivotal role in promoting vascular regeneration.
An Educational Study Promoting the Delivery of Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound Screening in Paediatric Sickle Cell Disease: A European Multi-Centre Perspective

Background: Effective stroke prevention in sickle cell disease (SCD) is recommended for children with sickle cell anaemia. Effective implementation relies on the correct stratification of stroke risk using Transcranial Doppler Ultrasound (TCD), prior to committing children to long-term treatment with transfusion. Nevertheless, less than 50% of children with SCD in Europe receive annual TCD—one of the reasons being a lack of trained personnel. The present European multi-centre study was designed to promote the standardisation and delivery of effective screening. Methods: Fifty-five practitioners from differing professional backgrounds were recruited to the TCD training program. The impact of the training programme was evaluated in three European haematology clinics by comparing stroke risk classification and middle cerebral artery time-averaged maximum velocity (TAMMV) obtained from a cohort of 555 patients, before and after training. Results: 42% (23/55) of trainees successfully completed the program. The TAMMV, used to predict stroke risk at each Centre, demonstrated the highest values in Centre 3 (p < 0.0001) before training. The imaging-TCD TAMMV was also higher in Centre 3 (p < 0.001). Following training, the TAMMV showed closer agreement between centres for both imaging-TCD and non-imaging TCD. The stroke risk distribution of children at each centre varied significantly before training (p < 0.001), but improved after training (Fisher’s Exact: no treatment = 5.6, p = 0.41, treatment = 13.8, p < 0.01). The same consistency in stroke risk distribution following training was demonstrated with both non-imaging and imaging-TCD data. Conclusion: The attainment of competency in stroke screening using transcranial Doppler scanning (TCD) in sickle cell disease is more feasible for professionals with an ultrasound imaging background. A quality assurance (QA) system is required to ensure that standards are maintained. Further work is in progress to develop an achievable and reproducible QA program.
Stress Recovery of Campus Street Trees as Visual Stimuli on Graduate Students in Autumn

Human stress recovery response to landscapes is under discussion in Chinese settings. The present study aimed to clarify the stress recovery effects of campus street trees on graduate students in autumn. A total of 150 participants (23.75 ± 1.01 years old) completed the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) and were then randomly assigned to view one of five virtual environments, including the street trees Sophora japonica, Ginkgo biloba, Platanus acerifolia, Koelreuteria paniculata, and the indoor environment (control). Physiological responses were measured by R-R interval and electroencephalography (EEG). Psychological responses were examined through the state version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-S) and the Perceived Restorativeness Scale (PRS). Results showed that R-R intervals significantly increased while viewing all street trees. Both alpha and beta brainwave activities while viewing S. japonica and G. biloba were remarkably higher than those while viewing P. acerifolia and K. paniculata. The STAI-S scores significantly decreased, and the positive PRS scores were registered after viewing street trees. We concluded that a brief virtual visual experience of campus street trees in autumn has stress recovery effects on graduate students, and the different levels of stress recovery are associated with different types of street trees.
Host- and Microbiota-Derived Extracellular Vesicles, Immune Function, and Disease Development

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are blebs of either plasma membrane or intracellular membranes carrying a cargo of proteins, nucleic acids, and lipids. EVs are produced by eukaryotic cells both under physiological and pathological conditions. Genetic and environmental factors (diet, stress, etc.) affecting EV cargo, regulating EV release, and consequences on immunity will be covered. EVs are found in virtually all body fluids such as plasma, saliva, amniotic fluid, and breast milk, suggesting key roles in immune development and function at different life stages from in utero to aging. These will be reviewed here. Under pathological conditions, plasma EV levels are increased and exacerbate immune activation and inflammatory reaction. Sources of EV, cells targeted, and consequences on immune function and disease development will be discussed. Both pathogenic and commensal bacteria release EV, which are classified as outer membrane vesicles when released by Gram-negative bacteria or as membrane vesicles when released by Gram-positive bacteria. Bacteria derived EVs can affect host immunity with pathogenic bacteria derived EVs having pro-inflammatory effects of host immune cells while probiotic derived EVs mostly shape the immune response towards tolerance.
Cluster-Based Control Plane Messages Management in Software-Defined Flying Ad-Hoc Network

Collaboration between multiple Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to establish a Flying Ad-hoc Network (FANET) is a growing trend since future applications claim for more autonomous and rapidly deployable systems. In this context, Software-Defined Networking FANET (SDN-FANET ) separates the control and data plane and provides network programmability, which considers a centralized controller to perform all FANET control functions based on global UAV context information, such as UAV positions, movement trajectories, residual energy, and others. However, control message dissemination in an SDN-FANET with low overhead and high performance is not a trivial task due to FANET particular characteristics, i.e., high mobility, failures in UAV to UAV communication, and short communication range. With this in mind, it is essential to predict UAV information for control message dissemination as well as consider hierarchical network architecture, reducing bandwidth consumption and signaling overhead. In this article, we present a Cluster-bAsed control Plane messages management in sOftware-defined flying ad-hoc NEtwork, called CAPONE. Based on UAV contextual information, the controller can predict UAV information without control message transmission. In addition, CAPONE divides the FANET into groups by computing the number of clusters using the Gap statistics method, which is input for a Fuzzy C-means method to determine the group leader and members. In this way, CAPONE reduces the bandwidth consumption and signaling overhead, while guaranteeing the control message delivering in FANET scenarios. Extensive simulations are used to show the gains of the CAPONE in terms of Packet Delivery Ratio, overhead, and energy compared to existing SDN-FANET architectures.