Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bioimmunological activities of Candida glabrata cellular mannan

ABSTRACT Candida glabrata is a second most common human opportunistic pathogen which causes superficial but also life‐threatening systemic candidosis. According to the localisation of mannans and mannoproteins in the outermost layer of the cell wall, mannan detection could be one of the first steps in the cell recognition of Candida cells by the host innate immune system. Mannans from the cell wall provide important immunomodulatory activities, comprising stimulation of cytokine production, induction of dendritic cells (DCs) maturation and T‐cell immunity. The model of DCs represents a promising tool to study immunomodulatory interventions throughout the vaccine development. Activated DCs induce, activate and polarise T‐cell responses by expression of distinct maturation markers and cytokines regulating the adaptive immune responses. In addition, they are uniquely adept at decoding the fungus‐associated information and translate it in qualitatively different T helper responses. We find out, that C. glabrata mannan is able to induce proliferation of splenocytes and to increase the production of TNF‐&agr; and IL‐4. Next, increased the expression of co‐stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and the proportion of CD4+CD25+ and CD4+CD28+ T cells during in vitro stimulation of splenocytes. Reported results provide C. glabrata mannan capability to modulate cytokine production, DCs activation and antigen presentation activity, influencing T‐cell phenotype in response to stimulation.
Full-Differential Folded-Cascode Front-End Receiver Amplifier Integrated Circuit for Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers

This paper describes the design of a front-end receiver amplifier for capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT). The proposed operational amplifier (op amp) consists of a full differential folded-cascode amplifier stage followed by a class AB output stage. A feedback resistor is applied between the input and the output of the op amp to make a transimpedance amplifier. We analyzed the equivalent circuit model of the CMUT element operating in the receiving mode and obtained the static output impedance and center frequency characteristics of the CMUT. The op amp gain, bandwidth, noise, and power consumption trade-offs are discussed in detail. The amplifier was fabricated using GlobalFoundries 0.18-μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology. The open loop gain of the amplifier is approximately 65 dB, and its gain bandwidth product is approximately 29.5 MHz. The measured input reference noise current was 56 nA/√Hz@3 MHz. The amplifier chip area is 325 μm × 150 μm and the op amp is powered by ±3.3 V, the static power consumption is 11 mW. We verified the correct operation of our amplifier with CMUT and echo-pulse shown that the CMUT center frequency is 3 MHz with 92% fractional bandwidth.
Relating words. A model of base recognition. I

L'article est consacre a l'etude de la stabilite semantique des mots ayant une etymologie commune. L'A. propose un modele de reconnaissance de mots a partir de la base lexicale selon des principes phonologiques et non morphologiques. Le but de l'etude est de predire les conditions dans lesquelles une paire de mots gardent un lien semantique stable, et d'expliquer la possibilite intuitive qu'ont les auditeurs de langue maternelle anglaise d'apprecier les liens de parente entre les mots
Molecular identification and phylogenetic relationship of flying fishes of Tamil Nadu coast for fishery management purposes

Abstract The partial sequences of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) mitochondrial gene were analysed for developing species specific molecular signatures and phylogenetic relationship among the commercially important flying fishes (Cheilopogon cyanopterus, Cheilopogon furcatus and Hirundichthys coromandelensis) distributed in Tamil Nadu coast. Accurate identification of these species is important for fishery management as its morphological characters are very similar. Since the morphological features are very similar, accurate identification using molecular tools is essential for sustainable utilization and management of these species across their distributional range. The estimated transition/transversion bias (R) is 3.45. The average nucleotide sequences calculated were A = 30.00%, T/U = 26.40%, C = 17.00% and G = 26.60%. Using COI data analysis, the intraspecies genetic distance ranged from 0.00 to 0.05, while it varied from 0.06 to 0.08 for interspecies. Partial sequences of the genes provided sufficient phylogenetic information to distinguish the three flying fishes indicating the usefulness of mtDNA-based approach in species identification.
Medical misinformation: vet the message!

Joseph A. Hill, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Circulation), Stefan Agewall, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, European Heart Journal Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy), Adrian Baranchuk, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Electrocardiology), George W. Booz, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology), Jeffrey S. Borer, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Cardiology), Paolo G. Camici, MD (Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Cardiology), Peng-Sheng Chen, MD (Editor-in-Chief, HeartRhythm), Anna F. Dominiczak, DBE, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Hypertension), Çetin Erol, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Anatolian Journal of Cardiology), Cindy L. Grines, MD (Editor-inChief, Journal of Interventional Cardiology), Robert Gropler, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging), Tomasz J. Guzik, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Cardiovascular Research), Markus K. Heinemann, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, The Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeon), Ami E. Iskandrian, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Journal Nuclear Cardiology), Bradley P. Knight, MD (Editor-in-Chief, PACE and EPLab Digest), Barry London, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Heart Association), Thomas F. Lüscher, MD (Editor-in-Chief, European Heart Journal), Marco Metra, MD (Editor-in-Chief, European Journal of Heart Failure), Kiran Musunuru, MD, PhD, MPH (Editor-in-Chief, Circulation: Genomic and Precision Medicine), Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, MD, MPH (Editor-in-Chief, Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes), Andrea Natale, MD and Sanjeev Saksena, MD (Editors-in-Chief, Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology), Michael H. Picard, MD (Editor-in-Chief, Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography), Sunil V. Rao, MD (Editor-inChief, Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions), Willem J. Remme, MD, PhD and Robert S. Rosenson, MD (Editors-in-Chief, Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy), Nancy K. Sweitzer, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, Circulation: Heart Failure), Adam Timmis, MD (Editor-in-Chief, European Heart Journal: Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes), Christiaan Vrints, MD, PhD (Editor-in-Chief, European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care)
Impact of perceived stress on cognitive performance: Moderating effect of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Stress is a well-known determinant of cognitive performance in both younger and older adults. However, the moderating effect of pathological aging on this relationship remains insufficiently documented. We hypothesize that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients will report higher perceived stress than control older adults, when asked to complete an effortful cognitive task. We also hypothesize that the deleterious effect of perceived stress on cognitive performance is more evident in MCI and AD patients. Method: The 131 participants consisted of: 25 functional older adults, 35 nonamnestic-MCI patients, 35 amnestic-MCI patients, and 36 AD patients. They were asked to complete the Victoria Stroop test and report their level of perceived stress at four times: before the test (i.e., baseline) and after each part of the test (three, increasingly effortful levels of cognitive requirement). Results: Overall, perceived stress increased in the most effortful condition—except for AD patients, who reported a decline. A positive main effect of perceived stress on response latency was confirmed. However, this effect became negative in all participants when the model accounted for the difficulty of the task. Discussion: The results suggest that the ability to perceive the stress levels generated by an effortful cognitive task may be altered in AD. They also suggest that the Stroop task may generate a form of perceived stress favoring engagement, and AD patients may not benefit from its positive effects on performance. They put into questions the usual clinical interpretations.
An Exploratory Study of Inflammatory Bowel Disease and the Psychosocial Factors Affecting Health-Related Quality of Life

Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is a multidimensional concept that assesses an individual’s personal satisfaction with his/her daily life while coping with a medical condition and/or its consequent therapy. This study aims to determine the psychosocial needs most commonly affected among inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Psychosocial needs which were pertinent to the IBD community were assessed using a questionnaire designed by the gastrointestinal team at the Port of Spain General Hospital, Trinidad after getting ethical approval. The chi-squared test was used to assess for statistically significant associations. Of the total 115 participants who completed the survey, a majority of 73 (63%) were females and 70 (61%) were in the 18 to 40-year age group. A majority of 66 (57%) were diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and 66 (57%) were on non-biologic drug therapy. Diet was the need most prevailingly affected, with 87% of participants indicating such. Ability to maintain good hygiene was the need least affected, with 32% of participants identifying concern. We found a significant association between participant’s illness perception (IP) and each of the ten psychosocial variables. The participants’ IP was in turn strongly associated with the ability to cope with the illness while not being associated with the demographic or clinical details of the participants. The results can be used to improve the quality of care delivered to patients living with IBD.
“Don’t sweat it buddy, it’s OK”: an exploration of the needs of adolescents with disabilities when designing a mobile application for weight management and healthy lifestyles

Abstract Purpose: Adolescents with disabilities often demonstrate higher sedentary behaviours, lower physical activity levels, poorer quality diets, and higher rates of overweight and obesity than typically developing youth. This study had two objectives: 1) To understand the needs and priorities of adolescents with disabilities, parents, and the healthcare professionals who work with them around healthy lifestyles and weight management; and 2) To explore whether and how a mobile application could address these needs. Methods: Multiple perspectives were gathered through separate qualitative focus groups with adolescents with disabilities (12–17 years), parents, and rehabilitation healthcare professionals. Data were analysed using descriptive thematic analysis. Results: Parents (n = 6) and healthcare professionals (n = 9) described the complex needs of adolescents with disabilities around weight management and healthy lifestyles, including balancing differing priorities and a lack of appropriate resources. Adolescents (n = 7) endorsed the potential for technology to enhance their health through empowerment and having a virtual support system. All stakeholder groups endorsed taking a holistic, wellness approach. Conclusions: Adolescents with disabilities have a complex lifestyle and weight management needs, but mobile applications have the potential to provide individualized support. It is critical that anyone developing mobile applications engage a range of stakeholders as co-designers. Implications for rehabilitation Adolescents with disabilities have complex support needs and priorities around weight management and healthy lifestyles. Existing resources do not take into account the wide-ranging abilities of adolescents with disabilities. Mobile applications have the potential to empower adolescents and provide tailored support around healthy lifestyles. Including user input when designing technologies is critical.
Vitamin B12, folate, and the methionine remethylation cycle—biochemistry, pathways, and regulation

Vitamin B12 (cobalamin, Cbl) is a nutrient essential to human health. Due to its complex structure and dual cofactor forms, Cbl undergoes a complicated series of absorptive and processing steps before serving as cofactor for the enzymes methylmalonyl‐CoA mutase and methionine synthase. Methylmalonyl‐CoA mutase is required for the catabolism of certain (branched‐chain) amino acids into an anaplerotic substrate in the mitochondrion, and dysfunction of the enzyme itself or in production of its cofactor adenosyl‐Cbl result in an inability to successfully undergo protein catabolism with concomitant mitochondrial energy disruption. Methionine synthase catalyzes the methyl‐Cbl dependent (re)methylation of homocysteine to methionine within the methionine cycle; a reaction required to produce this essential amino acid and generate S‐adenosylmethionine, the most important cellular methyl‐donor. Disruption of methionine synthase has wide‐ranging implications for all methylation‐dependent reactions, including epigenetic modification, but also for the intracellular folate pathway, since methionine synthase uses 5‐methyltetrahydrofolate as a one‐carbon donor. Folate‐bound one‐carbon units are also required for deoxythymidine monophosphate and de novo purine synthesis; therefore, the flow of single carbon units to each of these pathways must be regulated based on cellular needs. This review provides an overview on Cbl metabolism with a brief description of absorption and intracellular metabolic pathways. It also provides a description of folate‐mediated one‐carbon metabolism and its intersection with Cbl at the methionine cycle. Finally, a summary of recent advances in understanding of how both pathways are regulated is presented.
‘There’s nothing you can do … it’s like that in Chinatown’: Chinese immigrant women’s perceptions of experiences in Chicago Chinatown healthcare settings

ABSTRACT Objectives: Chinese American women living in linguistically isolated communities are among the least likely to utilize healthcare services. Qualitative research methods can help identify health system vulnerability points to improve local healthcare delivery for this population. Design: We conducted 6 focus groups among 56 Chinese-speaking adult women in Chicago’s Chinatown between July and August 2014 to explore their perceptions of experiences receiving medical care and interacting with healthcare providers in Chinatown healthcare settings. Results: Health system/clinic infrastructure and patient–provider communications were perceived barriers to care at Chinatown healthcare settings. Chinese participants reported long wait times, difficulty scheduling appointments, and poor front desk customer service. Communication difficulties at Chinatown healthcare settings involved language barriers with non-Chinese-speaking providers, but consideration for healthcare providers, provider demeanor, and reliance on provider recommendation also hindered patient–provider communications. Conclusions: Findings improve understanding of barriers to care experienced by Chinese immigrant women in one urban Chinatown community.
Role of Postintervention Fractional Flow Reserve to Improve Procedural and Clinical Outcomes

The value of fractional flow reserve (FFR) in determining the appropriateness of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been well established and incorporated into current guidelines and appropriate use criteria. However, the value of performing FFR after intervention is uncertain. This review provides the current evidence base highlighting the clinical and prognostic implications of post-PCI FFR. It provides evidence for improvement in post-PCI FFR with subsequent interventions (functional optimization) challenging the notion that FFR after angiographic optimization is fixed because of the underlying plaque burden. Multiple large observational studies and post hoc analyses of randomized trials have established that post-PCI FFR value is independently predictive of long-term outcomes (higher is better). The accumulated evidence suggests that post-PCI FFR be incorporated into routine practice in those patients having undergone pre-PCI FFR as part of clinical decision making.
The genomic imprint of cancer therapies helps timing the formation of metastases

A retrospective determination of the time of metastasis formation is essential for a better understanding of the evolution of oligometastatic cancer. This study was based on the hypothesis that genomic alterations induced by cancer therapies could be used to determine the temporal order of the treatment and the formation of metastases. We analysed the whole genome sequence of a primary tumour sample and three metastatic sites derived from autopsy samples from a young never‐smoker lung adenocarcinoma patient with an activating EGFR mutation. Mutation detection methods were refined to accurately detect and distinguish clonal and subclonal mutations. In comparison to a panel of samples from untreated smoker or never‐smoker patients, we showed that the mutagenic effect of cisplatin treatment could be specifically detected from the base substitution mutations. Metastases that arose before or after chemotherapeutic treatment could be distinguished based on the allele frequency of cisplatin‐induced dinucleotide mutations. In addition, genomic rearrangements and late amplification of the EGFR gene likely induced by afatinib treatment following the acquisition of a T790M gefitinib resistance mutation provided further evidence to tie the time of metastasis formation to treatment history. The established analysis pipeline for the detection of treatment‐derived mutations allows the drawing of tumour evolutionary paths based on genomic data, showing that metastases may be seeded well before they become detectable by clinical imaging.
Mechanisms of sympathetic regulation during Apnea

Volitional Apnea produces a robust peak sympathetic response through several interacting mechanisms. However, the specific contribution of each mechanism has not been elucidated. Muscle sympathetic activity was collected in participants (n = 10; 24 ± 3 years) that performed four maximal volitional apneas aimed at isolating lung‐stretch (mechanical) and chemoreflex drive: (Ainslie and Duffin ) end‐expiratory breath‐hold, (Ainslie et al. ) end‐inspiratory breath‐hold, (Alpher et al. ) prehyperventilation breath‐hold, and (Andersson and Schagatay ) prehyperoxia breath‐hold. A final repeated rebreathe breath‐hold protocol was performed to measure the peak sympathetic response during successive breath‐holds at increasing chemoreflex stress. Finally, the influence of dynamic ventilation was assessed through asphyxic rebreathe. Muscle sympathetic activity was calculated as the change in burst frequency (burst/min), burst incidence (burst/100 heart‐beats), and amplitude (au) between baseline and prevolitional breakpoint. Rebreathe was analyzed at similar chemoreflex stress as inspiratory breath‐hold. All maneuvers increased muscle sympathetic activity compared to baseline (P < 0.01). However, prehyperoxia exhibited a smaller increase (+22.18 ± 9.13 burst/min; +25.52 ± 11.7 burst/100 heart‐beats) compared to inspiratory, expiratory, and prehyperventilation breath‐holds. At similar chemoreflex strain, rebreathe sympathetic activity was blunted compared to inspiratory breath‐hold (P < 0.01). Finally, muscle sympathetic activity was not different between the repeated rebreathe trials, despite elevated chemoreflex stress and lower breath‐hold duration with each subsequent breath‐hold. We have demonstrated an obligatory role of the peripheral, but not central, chemoreflex (prehyperventilation vs. prehyperoxia) in producing peak sympathetic responses. At similar chemoreflex stresses the act of dynamic ventilation, but not static lung stretch per se, blunts muscle sympathetic activity. Finally, similar peak sympathetic responses during successive repeated breath‐holds suggest a sympathetic ceiling may exist.
Post-Genomic Methodologies and Preclinical Animal Models: Chances for the Translation of Cardioprotection to the Clinic

Although many cardioprotective strategies have demonstrated benefits in animal models of myocardial infarction, they have failed to demonstrate cardioprotection in the clinical setting highlighting that new therapeutic target and treatment strategies aimed at reducing infarct size are urgently needed. Completion of the Human Genome Project in 2001 fostered the post-genomic research era with the consequent development of high-throughput “omics” platforms including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics. Implementation of these holistic approaches within the field of cardioprotection has enlarged our understanding of ischemia/reperfusion injury with each approach capturing a different angle of the global picture of the disease. It has also contributed to identify potential prognostic/diagnostic biomarkers and discover novel molecular therapeutic targets. In this latter regard, “omic” data analysis in the setting of ischemic conditioning has allowed depicting potential therapeutic candidates, including non-coding RNAs and molecular chaperones, amenable to pharmacological development. Such discoveries must be tested and validated in a relevant and reliable myocardial infarction animal model before moving towards the clinical setting. Moreover, efforts should also focus on integrating all “omic” datasets rather than working exclusively on a single “omic” approach. In the following manuscript, we will discuss the power of implementing “omic” approaches in preclinical animal models to identify novel molecular targets for cardioprotection of interest for drug development.
HIV-1 Fusion with CD4+ T cells Is Promoted by Proteins Involved in Endocytosis and Intracellular Membrane Trafficking

The HIV-1 entry pathway into permissive cells has been a subject of debate. Accumulating evidence, including our previous single virus tracking results, suggests that HIV-1 can enter different cell types via endocytosis and CD4/coreceptor-dependent fusion with endosomes. However, recent studies that employed indirect techniques to infer the sites of HIV-1 entry into CD4+ T cells have concluded that endocytosis does not contribute to infection. To assess whether HIV-1 enters these cells via endocytosis, we probed the role of intracellular trafficking in HIV-1 entry/fusion by a targeted shRNA screen in a CD4+ T cell line. We performed a screen utilizing a direct virus-cell fusion assay as readout and identified several host proteins involved in endosomal trafficking/maturation, including Rab5A and sorting nexins, as factors regulating HIV-1 fusion and infection. Knockdown of these proteins inhibited HIV-1 fusion irrespective of coreceptor tropism, without altering the CD4 or coreceptor expression, or compromising the virus’ ability to mediate fusion of two adjacent cells initiated by virus-plasma membrane fusion. Ectopic expression of Rab5A in non-permissive cells harboring Rab5A shRNAs partially restored the HIV-cell fusion. Together, these results implicate endocytic machinery in productive HIV-1 entry into CD4+ T cells.