Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial communities in PM2.5 and PM10 inside the cage broiler houses before and after disinfection.

Background Air in broiler houses is contaminated with considerable amounts of microbial aerosols, which affects the health of humans and birds. Thorough cleaning and disinfecting should be carried out to reduce particulate concentrations and minimize airborne microorganisms. Aims To evaluate the effects of cleaning and disinfecting measures on bacterial communities in particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) and particulate matter between 2.5 and 10 μm (PM10) inside broiler houses. Methods A mixed disinfectant (containing aldehydes, alcohol, and quaternary ammonium salt) was sprayed to decontaminate broiler cage houses. 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing was performed in this study to compare the bacterial communities in PM2.5 and PM10 before and after disinfection. Results A variety of pathogens and opportunistic pathogens such as Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Corynebacterium, Bordetella, Pseudomonas, and Shewanella were detected, the quantities of which were noticeably reduced but not eradicated after disinfection. In addition, the impacts on several pathogens and opportunistic pathogens in PM2.5 were not significant, which may be due to bacterial resistance to this type of disinfectant or other reasons discussed in the present study. Conclusion Our results suggest that disinfection measures were effective in decontaminating air and further improving the feeding environment. This finding will help develop a reasonable disinfecting scheme for broiler houses.
Balancing in a black box: Potential immunomodulatory roles for TGF-β signaling during blood-stage malaria

ABSTRACT Malarial disease caused by Plasmodium parasites challenges the mammalian immune system with a delicate balancing act. Robust inflammatory responses are required to control parasite replication within red blood cells, which if unchecked, can lead to severe anemia and fatality. However, the same inflammatory response that controls parasite replication is also associated with immunopathology and severe disease, as is exemplified by cerebral malaria. A robust literature has identified critical roles for innate, cellular, and humoral immune responses orchestrated by IFN-γ and TH1 type responses in controlling blood stage malarial disease. In contrast, TGF-β and IL-10 have been identified as important anti–inflammatory immunomodulators that help to limit inflammation and pathology during malaria. TGF-β is a pleiotropic cytokine, with the ability to exert a wide variety of context-dependent immunomodulatory roles. The specific mechanisms that allow TGF-β to protect against malarial pathology remain essentially unexplored and offer a promising avenue to dissect the most critical elements of immunomodulation in avoiding severe malaria. Here we discuss potential immunomodulatory roles for TGF-β during malaria in light of recent advances in our understanding of the role of Tregs during blood-stage malaria.
Reviewing the Composition of Vaginal Microbiota: Inclusion of Nutrition and Probiotic Factors in the Maintenance of Eubiosis

The vaginal microbiota has importance in preserving vaginal health and defending the host against disease. The advent of new molecular techniques and computer science has allowed researchers to discover microbial composition in depth and associate the structure of vaginal microbial communities. There is a consensus that vaginal flora is grouped into a restricted number of communities, although the structure of the community is constantly changing. Certain Community-State Types (CSTs) are more associated with poor reproductive outcomes and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) meanwhile, CSTs dominated by Lactobacillus species—particularly Lactobacillus crispatus—are more related to vaginal health. In this work, we have reviewed how modifiable and non-modifiable factors may affect normal vaginal microbiota homeostasis—including sexual behavior, race or ethnicity, and hygiene. Special interest has been given to how the use of probiotics, diet intake, and use of hormone replacement therapies (HRTs) can potentially impact vaginal microbiota composition.
Automatic Fabric Defect Detection Using Cascaded Mixed Feature Pyramid with Guided Localization

Generic object detection algorithms for natural images have been proven to have excellent performance. In this paper, fabric defect detection on optical image datasets is systematically studied. In contrast to generic datasets, defect images are multi-scale, noise-filled, and blurred. Back-light intensity would also be sensitive for visual perception. Large-scale fabric defect datasets are collected, selected, and employed to fulfill the requirements of detection in industrial practice in order to address these imbalanced issues. An improved two-stage defect detector is constructed for achieving better generalization. Stacked feature pyramid networks are set up to aggregate cross-scale defect patterns on interpolating mixed depth-wise block in stage one. By sharing feature maps, center-ness and shape branches merges cascaded modules with deformable convolution to filter and refine the proposed guided anchors. After balanced sampling, the proposals are down-sampled by position-sensitive pooling for region of interest, in order to characterize interactions among fabric defect images in stage two. The experiments show that the end-to-end architecture improves the occluded defect performance of region-based object detectors as compared with the current detectors.
Metabolic and inflammatory links to rotator cuff tear in hand osteoarthritis: A cross sectional study

Objectives To estimate the prevalence and associated factors of rotator cuff tear (RCT) in patients with hand osteoarthritis (HOA). Methods Between June 2013 and December 2015, we recruited 1150 participants in rural area of South Korea. Of the 1150 participants, 307 participants with HOA were analyzed. Plain radiography of both hands, magnetic resonance imaging of both shoulders, and serum levels of high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were obtained for all patients. HOA and RCT were diagnosed by clinical and radiologic findings. Results The prevalence of RCT in patients with HOA (192/307, 62.5%) was higher than that in those without HOA (410/827, 49.5%, p<0.001). Among the 307 patients with HOA, the patients with RCT were older, and had higher hsCRP and lower HDL levels than the patients without RCT. Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed significant associations of age (odds ratio [OR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02–1.11), serum hsCRP levels ≥0.6mg/L (OR, 1.68; CI, 1.00–2.80), and low HDL levels (male, <50 mg/dL; female, <40 mg/dL) (OR, 1.93; CI, 1.05–3.56) with RCT in patients with HOA. For patients below 60 years old, the prevalence of RCT was 2.8-fold higher in the low HDL group than normal HDL group (p = 0.048). Finally, the prevalence of RCT was 2.6-fold higher in patients with HOA with both elevated hsCRP and low HDL levels compared with those with neither (p<0.05). Conclusions Our findings suggest inflammation and metabolic factors were associated with the prevalence of RCT in HOA patients.
Therapeutic Implications of Transference Structures in Various Personality Pathologies

Definitions of specific organizations of transference developments are proposed for neurotic, borderline, narcissistic, schizoid, symbiotic, and psychotic character structures. These distinct organizations of transference developments correspond to the underlying characteristics of internalized object relations stemming from the conflictual implications of split-off, idealized, and persecutory self- and object representations. The transference structures described have implications for the corresponding application of psychoanalytic technique. Clinical cases illustrate the relationship between personality structure, transference organization, and psychoanalytic techniques.
Selection for Growth and Precocity Alters Muscle Metabolism in Nellore Cattle

To clarify the relationship between beef genetic selection for growth and precocity with muscle metabolism and metabolites, we performed metabolomic analysis using Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle from Nellore cattle with divergent selection for these traits (high growth, HG; low growth, LG; high precocity, HP; low precocity, LP). Genetic potential for growth affected muscle protein and energetic metabolism. HG animals had a high concentration of arginine, carnosine, and leucine compared to LG animals. HP animals presented a high concentration of glutamine, betaine, creatinine, isoleucine, carnitine, acetyl carnitine, and lower levels of glucose compared to LP animals, affecting protein and fatty acid metabolism. Intensity of selection (high or low) was correlated with changes in protein metabolism, and the type of selection (growth or precocity) affected fat metabolism. In conclusion, both HG and HP appear to be correlated with a high concentration of protein metabolites and changes in protein metabolic pathways, while selection for precocity is more correlated with changes in fat metabolism compared to animals selected for growth.
Bioinspired pursuit with a swimming robot using feedback control of an internal rotor

Theoretical guarantees of capture become complicated in the case of a swimming fish or fish robot because of the oscillatory nature of the fish heading. Building on the connection between a swimming fish and the canonical Chaplygin sleigh, a novel state feedback control law is shown to result in closed-loop dynamics that exhibit a limit cycle resulting in steady forward-swimming motion in a desired heading. Analysis of this limit cycle reveals boundaries on the size of the oscillations around the desired heading, which are then used to specify under what conditions (e.g. prey speed, predator speed, control gains) capture is guaranteed. By changing the desired swimming direction in response to prey movements, the control law is shown to be capable of pure pursuit, deviated pure pursuit, intercept, and parallel navigation in simulation. An experimental demonstration of pure pursuit by a flexible fish-inspired robot actuated with an internal reaction wheel is described.
Prenatal risk factors for urgent atrial septostomy at birth in fetuses with transposition of the great arteries: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Purpose of the article. To explore the role of fetal echocardiography in predicting the risk of urgent balloon atrial septostomy (BAS) at birth in fetuses diagnosed with transposition of the great arteries (TGA). Material and methods Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched. The primary aim was to explore the differences in prenatal echocardiographic parameters among fetuses diagnosed with TGA that required urgent BAS within 24 h of birth due to life-threatening cyanosis compared to those who did not require such procedure. Random-effect meta-analyses were used to compute the data. Results Six studies (292 fetuses) were included. Restrictive appearance of the FO was present in 64.5% (95% CI = 39.8–85.7) of fetuses with TGA requiring BAS at birth compared to 7.9% (95% CI = 2.1–16.8) not requiring such procedure (OR = 71.1; 95% CI = 8.3–608.5, p < .0001). Hypermobile appearance of the atrial septum was present in 39.1% (95% CI = 26.4–56.5) of fetuses requiring BAS at birth compared to 9.8% (95% CI = 1.4–24.3) of those which did (OR 3.6; 95% CI = 1.4–9.0, p = .05). There was no difference in the prevalence of redundant (p = .374) or fixed (p = .051) atrial septum, bidirectional flow in the DA (p = .26) or an abnormal size of the DA (p = .06) in fetuses requiring urgent BAS at birth compared to those which did not. Mean (±SD) size of the right atrium was smaller in the fetuses with TGA undergoing urgent BAS at birth (23.4 ± 6.7) compared to those which did not (29.2 ± 6.2, p = .01). The mean (±SD) ratio between the FO and the aortic valve diameters (1.01 ± 0.41 versus 1.41 ± 0.43, p = .009) and the mean (±SD) ratio between the FO diameter and the septal length (0.36 ± 0.13 versus 0.51 ± 0.14, p = .001) were significantly smaller in fetuses requiring compared to those not undergoing urgent BAS at birth. The diagnostic accuracy of each independent ultrasound marker of the need for urgent BAS showed an overall good specificity but a low sensitivity. Conclusion Fetal echocardiography prior to birth can stratify the risk of BAS in fetuses with TGA. Further studies are needed to validate these findings and build individualized multiparametric predictive models in order to more accurately identify those fetuses with TGA at a higher risk of urgent BAS after birth.
Flavonoids as Antiviral Agents for Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71)

Flavonoids are natural biomolecules that are known to be effective antivirals. These biomolecules can act at different stages of viral infection, particularly at the molecular level to inhibit viral growth. Enterovirus A71 (EV-A71), a non-enveloped RNA virus, is one of the causative agents of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD), which is prevalent in Asia. Despite much effort, no clinically approved antiviral treatment is available for children suffering from HFMD. Flavonoids from plants serve as a vast reservoir of therapeutically active constituents that have been explored as potential antiviral candidates against RNA and DNA viruses. Here, we reviewed flavonoids as evidence-based natural sources of antivirals against non-picornaviruses and picornaviruses. The detailed molecular mechanisms involved in the inhibition of EV-A71 infections are discussed.
Sustained Release of Levobupivacaine, Lidocaine, and Acemetacin from Electrosprayed Microparticles: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

In this study, we explored the release characteristics of analgesics, namely levobupivacaine, lidocaine, and acemetacin, from electrosprayed poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microparticles. The drug-loaded particles were prepared using electrospraying techniques and evaluated for their morphology, drug release kinetics, and pain relief activity. The morphology of the produced microparticles elucidated by scanning electron microscopy revealed that the optimal parameters for electrospraying were 9 kV, 1 mL/h, and 10 cm for voltage, flow rate, and travel distance, respectively. Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry indicated that the analgesics had been successfully incorporated into the PLGA microparticles. The analgesic-loaded microparticles possessed low toxicity against human fibroblasts and were able to sustainably elute levobupivacaine, lidocaine, and acemetacin in vitro. Furthermore, electrosprayed microparticles were found to release high levels of lidocaine and acemetacin (well over the minimum therapeutic concentrations) and levobupivacaine at the fracture site of rats for more than 28 days and 12 days, respectively. Analgesic-loaded microparticles demonstrated their effectiveness and sustained performance for pain relief in fracture injuries.
Swimming in unsteady water flows: is turning in a changing flow an energetically expensive endeavor for fish?

ABSTRACT Unsteady, dynamic flow regimes commonly found in shallow marine ecosystems such as coral reefs pose an energetic challenge for mobile organisms that typically depend on station-holding for fitness-related activities. The majority of experimental studies, however, have measured energetic costs of locomotion at steady speeds, with only a few studies measuring the effects of oscillatory flows. In this study, we used a bidirectional swimming respirometer to create six oscillatory water flow regimes consisting of three frequency and amplitude combinations for both unidirectional and bidirectional oscillatory flows. Using the goldring surgeonfish, Ctenochaetus strigosus, a pectoral-fin (labriform) swimmer, we quantified the net cost of swimming (swimming metabolic rate minus standard metabolic rate) associated with station-holding under these various conditions. We determined that the swimming costs of station-holding in the bidirectional flow regime increased by 2-fold compared with costs based on swimming over the same range of speeds at steady velocities. Furthermore, as we found minimal differences in energetic costs associated with station-holding in the unidirectional, oscillating flow compared with that predicted from steady swimming costs, we conclude that the added acceleration costs are minimal, while the act of turning is an energetically expensive endeavor for this reef fish species. Summary: The measurement of the costs of swimming in wave-surge type flows revealed minimal costs for acceleration but large costs for turning in a pectoral-fin swimming reef fish.
Poxvirus Vectored Cytomegalovirus Vaccine to Prevent Cytomegalovirus Viremia in Transplant Recipients

Background Triplex vaccine was developed to enhance cytomegalovirus (CMV)-specific T cells and prevent CMV reactivation early after hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT). Objective To determine the safety and efficacy of Triplex. Design First-in-patient, phase 2 trial. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02506933). Setting 3 U.S. HCT centers. Participants 102 CMV-seropositive HCT recipients at high risk for CMV reactivation. Intervention Intramuscular injections of Triplex or placebo were given on days 28 and 56 after HCT. Triplex is a recombinant attenuated poxvirus (modified vaccinia Ankara) expressing immunodominant CMV antigens. Measurements The primary outcomes were CMV events (CMV DNA level ≥1250 IU/mL, CMV viremia requiring antiviral treatment, or end-organ disease), nonrelapse mortality, and severe (grade 3 or 4) graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), all evaluated through 100 days after HCT, and grade 3 or 4 adverse events (AEs) within 2 weeks after vaccination that were probably or definitely attributable to injection. Results A total of 102 patients (51 per group) received the first vaccination, and 91 (89.2%) received both vaccinations (46 Triplex and 45 placebo). Reactivation of CMV occurred in 5 Triplex (9.8%) and 10 placebo (19.6%) recipients (hazard ratio, 0.46 [95% CI, 0.16 to 1.4]; P = 0.075). No Triplex recipient died of nonrelapse causes during the first 100 days or had serious AEs, and no grade 3 or 4 AEs related to vaccination were observed within 2 weeks after vaccination. Incidence of severe acute GVHD after injection was similar between groups (hazard ratio, 1.1 [CI, 0.53 to 2.4]; P = 0.23). Levels of long-lasting, pp65-specific T cells with effector memory phenotype were significantly higher in Triplex than placebo recipients. Limitation The lower-than-expected incidence of CMV events in the placebo group reduced the power of the trial. Conclusion No vaccine-associated safety concerns were identified. Triplex elicited and amplified CMV-specific immune responses, and fewer Triplex-vaccinated patients had CMV viremia. Primary Funding Source National Cancer Institute and Helocyte.
Extensive Clonal Branching Shapes the Evolutionary History of High-Risk Pediatric Cancers

Different pediatric cancers with a high risk of relapse share a common generic pattern of extensively branching evolution of somatic mutations. Darwinian evolution of tumor cells remains underexplored in childhood cancer. We here reconstruct the evolutionary histories of 56 pediatric primary tumors, including 24 neuroblastomas, 24 Wilms tumors, and 8 rhabdomyosarcomas. Whole-genome copy-number and whole-exome mutational profiling of multiple regions per tumor were performed, followed by clonal deconvolution to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree for each tumor. Overall, 88% of the tumors exhibited genetic variation among primary tumor regions. This variability typically emerged through collateral phylogenetic branching, leading to spatial variability in the distribution of more than 50% (96/173) of detected diagnostically informative genetic aberrations. Single-cell sequencing of 547 individual cancer cells from eight solid pediatric tumors confirmed branching evolution to be a fundamental underlying principle of genetic variation in all cases. Strikingly, cell-to-cell genetic diversity was almost twice as high in aggressive compared with clinically favorable tumors (median Simpson index of diversity 0.45 vs. 0.88; P = 0.029). Similarly, a comparison of multiregional sampling data from a total of 274 tumor regions showed that new phylogenetic branches emerge at a higher frequency per sample and carry a higher mutational load in high-risk than in low-risk tumors. Timelines based on spatial genetic variation showed that the mutations most influencing relapse risk occur at initiation of clonal expansion in neuroblastoma and rhabdomyosarcoma, whereas in Wilms tumor, they are late events. Thus, from an evolutionary standpoint, some high-risk childhood cancers are born bad, whereas others grow worse over time. Significance: Different pediatric cancers with a high risk of relapse share a common generic pattern of extensively branching evolution of somatic mutations. Graphical Abstract: http://cancerres.aacrjournals. org/content/canres/80/7/1512/F1.large. jpg. Graphical Abstract
Increased risk of dizziness in human immunodeficiency virus‐infected patients taking zidovudine and efavirenz combination: a Brazilian cohort study

Neuropsychiatric adverse effects (NPAE) related to efavirenz, mainly dizziness, is detrimental to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) treatment. Our study aims at evaluating if zidovudine use potentiates the risk of dizziness related to efavirenz when used together and whether there are significant differences in over time distribution of this NPAE and others relatively frequents regarding efavirenz regimen without zidovudine.
Connected Elbow Exoskeleton System for Rehabilitation Training Based on Virtual Reality and Context-Aware

Traditional physiotherapy rehabilitation systems are evolving into more advanced systems based on exoskeleton systems and Virtual Reality (VR) environments that enhance and improve rehabilitation techniques and physical exercise. In addition, due to current connected systems and paradigms such as the Internet of Things (IoT) or Ambient Intelligent (AmI) systems, it is possible to design and develop advanced, effective, and low-cost medical tools that patients may have in their homes. This article presents a low-cost exoskeleton for the elbow that is connected to a Context-Aware architecture and thanks to a VR system the patient can perform rehabilitation exercises in an interactive way. The integration of virtual reality technology in rehabilitation exercises provides an intensive, repetitive and task-oriented capacity to improve patient motivation and reduce work on medical professionals. One of the system highlights is the intelligent ability to generate new exercises, monitor the exercises performed by users in search of progress or possible problems and the dynamic modification of the exercises characteristics. The platform also allows the incorporation of commercial medical sensors capable of collecting valuable information for greater accuracy in the diagnosis and evolution of patients. A case study with real patients with promising results has been carried out.
Oxidative ATP synthesis in human quadriceps declines during 4 minutes of maximal contractions

During maximal exercise, skeletal muscle metabolism and oxygen consumption remain elevated despite precipitous declines in power. Presently, it is unclear whether these responses are caused by an increased ATP cost of force generation (ATPCOST) or mitochondrial uncoupling; a process that reduces the efficiency of oxidative ATP synthesis (ATPOX). To address this gap, we used 31‐phosphorus magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure changes in ATPCOST and ATPOX in human quadriceps during repeated trials of maximal intensity knee extensions lasting up to 4 min. ATPCOST remained unchanged. In contrast, ATPOX plateaued by ∼2 min and then declined (∼15%) over the final 2 min. The maximal capacity for ATPOX (Vmax), as well as ADP‐specific rates of ATPOX, were also significantly diminished. Collectively, these results suggest that mitochondrial uncoupling, and not increased ATPCOST, is responsible for altering the regulation of skeletal muscle metabolism and oxygen consumption during maximal exercise.