Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of ethnicity on semen analysis and hormones in the infertile patient.

INTRODUCTION We aimed to study the association of ethnicity on semen parameters and hormones in patients presenting with infertility. METHODS Data from men presenting for infertility assessment were prospectively collected and retrospectively reviewed. Demographic and clinical history was self-reported. Semen analysis included volume, count, motility, morphology, and vitality. The 2010 World Health Organization cutoffs were used. Baseline total testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were recorded. Ethnicity data was classified as Caucasian, African-Canadian, Asian, Indo-Canadian, Native-Canadian, Hispanic, and Middle Eastern. All patients with complete data were included and statistical analysis was performed. RESULTS A total of 9079 patients were reviewed, of which 3956 patients had complete data. Of these, 839 (21.2%) were azoospermic. After adjusting for age, African-Canadians (odds ratio [OR] 1.70; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-2.25) and Asians (1.34; 95% CI 1.11-1.62) were more likely to be azoospermic compared to Caucasians. Similarly, African Canadians (OR 1.75; 95% CI 1.33-2.29) were more likely to be oligospermic and Asians (OR 0.82; 95% CI 0.70-0.97) less likely to be oligospermic. Low volume was found in African-Canadian (OR 1.42; 95% CI 1.05-1.91), Asians (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.01-1.51), and Indo-Canadians (OR 1.47; 95% CI 1.01-2.13). Furthermore, Asians (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.57-0.93) and Hispanics (OR 0.58; 95% CI 034-0.99) were less likely to have asthenospermia. Asians (OR 0.73; 95% CI 0.57-0.94) and Indo-Canadians (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.35-0.99) were less likely to have teratozospermia. No differences were seen for vitality. No differences were seen for FSH levels, however, Asians (p<0.01) and Indo-Canadians (p<0.01) were more likely to have lower testosterone. CONCLUSIONS Our study illustrates that variations in semen analyses and hormones exist in men with infertility. This may provide insight into the workup and management for infertile men from different ethnicities.
Disability for basic and instrumental activities of daily living in older individuals

Aims To know the prevalence, associated factors and temporal trends of disabilities for basic and instrumental activities of daily living in older people in Spain from 2009 to 2017. Background Disability in older people is associated with health problems, increased health costs and low quality of life. There are no updated data in Spain with a representative sample about disability. Methods Cross-sectional study with 25,465 non-institutionalized older people who participated in the European Health Survey in 2009 and 2014 and the National Health Survey in 2011/12 and 2017 in Spain. The prevalence rates of disability were evaluated using the Katz Scale and Lawton and Brody Scale. Logistic regression was used to determine if there was an association between basic and instrumental activities of daily living and sociodemographic characteristics. Results More individuals had disability for instrumental activities of daily living (31.9%) than disability for basic activities of daily living (11.1%). The most predominant disability for instrumental activities of daily living was performing severe housework (34%). The prevalence of disabilities decreased from 2009 to 2017. In general, disability was associated with female gender, advanced age, lower education, restricted daily activity, being bedridden and higher pain levels. Conclusion There is a considerable prevalence of disabilities for basic and instrumental activities of daily living in older people in Spain. Although the disability prevalence has decreased slowly from 2009 to 2017, it continues to remain a health problem. Gender may influence the disabilities for basic and instrumental activities of daily living. Health policymakers should establish prevention strategies and effective interventions (e.g., physical exercise) for prevention and reduction of the disabilities for basic and instrumental activities of daily living, particularly in older females.
TASP1 mutation in a female with craniofacial anomalies, anterior segment dysgenesis, congenital immunodeficiency and macrocytic anemia

Threonine Aspartase 1 (Taspase 1) is a highly conserved site‐specific protease whose substrates are broad‐acting nuclear transcription factors that govern diverse biological programs, such as organogenesis, oncogenesis, and tumor progression. To date, no single base pair mutations in Taspase 1 have been implicated in human disease.
Coronally Advanced Flap and Envelope Type of Flap plus Acellular Dermal Matrix Graft for the Treatment of Thin Phenotype Multiple Recession Defects. A Randomized Clinical Trial.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this randomized clinical trial was to assess the esthetical and clinical outcomes of acellular dermal matrix graft (ADMG) plus coronally advanced flap (CAF) with vertical incisions or the envelope flap in the treatment of thin phenotype, multiple-recession defects. MATERIAL AND METHODS Twenty-two participants with 55 class recession type 1 (RT1) with a depth of ≥3 mm were investigated. Control group was treated with ADMG plus conventional CAF with vertical releasing incisions whereas test group received the envelope flap with ADMG. Primary outcome variables were complete root coverage (CRC), root coverage esthetic score and patient satisfaction. RESULTS Tooth based CRC was observed in 23 of the 28 recession defects in mCAF+ADMG group (82.1%) whereas in 19 of the 27 recession defects in CAF+ADMG group (70.37%), with no inter-group difference (P > 0.05). CRC was observed in 9 of the 11 patients in mCAF+ADMG group (81.8%). On the other hand, in CAF+ADMG group, CRC was achieved in 8 of the 11 patients (72.7%). Results were similar between the groups (P > 0.05) CONCLUSIONS: Both techniques were successful in the management of multiple recessions however superior results regarding patient's satisfaction were achieved with mCAF+ADMG.
Targeting cellular cholesterol for anticancer therapy

Cholesterol dyshomeostasis in cancer cells leads to intracellular cholesterol accumulation, which imparts drug resistance and allows these cells to evade apoptotic signalling processes and maintain continuous cell division and proliferation. Therefore, cholesterol lowering in cancer cells has been envisaged as a potential anticancer strategy. In this direction, two therapeutic strategies have been proposed: (a) to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol in the cells and (b) to deplete excess cholesterol from cancer cells. In the first phase of this review, we collate the cancer signalling pathways (particularly in breast cancer) that are perturbed by cholesterol dyshomeostasis and highlight recent drug discovery efforts to develop cholesterol‐lowering compounds, some of which are currently under clinical trials. In the second phase, based on the analysis of the available scientific evidence, we conceptualize and argue that the depletion of excess cholesterol could sensitize cancer cells to available therapeutics and may also help to alleviate cancer drug resistance.
A Core Outcome Set to Evaluate Physical Activity Interventions for People Living With Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES A core outcome set (COS) to evaluate physical activity (PA) interventions for people living with dementia is needed, as the development of guidelines is currently limited by important heterogeneity in this field of research. Development of COS often includes Delphi surveys, but people living with dementia are often excluded. This study aimed to reach consensus on this COS using a modified Delphi survey to enable the participation of people living with dementia. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Two stakeholders groups took part in a Delphi survey (Group 1: people living with dementia and family caregivers; Group 2: professionals from different backgrounds, including physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and researchers). Caregivers and professionals completed the survey remotely. Participants living with dementia took part face-to-face, using a card sorting strategy. The consensus process was finalized with a consensus meeting. RESULTS Ninety-five participants of both groups completed the modified Delphi. Of those, 11 attended the consensus meeting. The card sorting strategy was successful at including people living with dementia. Seven outcomes reached consensus: preventing falls; doing what you can do; staying healthy and fit; walking better, being able to stand up and climb stairs; feeling brighter; enjoying the moment; and, feeling useful and having a purpose. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS Robust and innovative methodological strategies were used to reach a consensus on a COS (what to measure) to evaluate PA for people living with dementia. Future work will focus on the selection of the most appropriate tools to measure these outcomes (how to measure).
Two‐way crosstalk between BER and c‐NHEJ repair pathway is mediated by Pol‐β and Ku70

Multiple DNA repair pathways may be involved in the removal of the same DNA lesion caused by endogenous or exogenous agents. Although distinct DNA repair machinery fulfill overlapping roles in the repair of DNA lesions, the mechanisms coordinating different pathways have not been investigated in detail. Here, we show that Ku70, a core protein of nonhomologous end‐joining (NHEJ) repair pathway, can directly interact with DNA polymerase‐β (Pol‐β), a central player in the DNA base excision repair (BER), and this physical complex not only promotes the polymerase activity of Pol‐β and BER efficiency but also enhances the classic NHEJ repair. Moreover, we find that DNA damages caused by methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) or etoposide promote the formation of Ku70‐Pol‐β complexes at the repair foci. Furthermore, suppression of endogenous Ku70 expression by small interfering RNA reduces BER efficiency and leads to higher sensitivity to MMS and accumulation of the DNA strand breaks. Similarly, Pol‐β knockdown impairs total‐NHEJ capacity but only has a slight influence on alternative NHEJ. These results suggest that Pol‐β and Ku70 coordinate 2‐way crosstalk between the BER and NHEJ pathways. —Xia, W. , Ci, S. , Li, M. , Wang, M. , Dianov, G. L. , Ma, Z. , Li, L. , Hua, K. , Alagamuthu, K. K. , Qing, L. , Luo, L. , Edick, A. M. , Liu, L. , Hu, Z. , He, L. , Pan, F. , Guo, Z. Two‐way crosstalk between BER and c‐NHEJ repair pathway is mediated by Pol‐β and Ku70. FASEB J. 33, 11668‐11681 (2019). www.fasebj. org
A conserved region of nonstructural protein 1 from alphacoronaviruses inhibits host gene expression and is critical for viral virulence

Coronaviruses are enveloped, single-stranded RNA viruses that are distributed worldwide. They include transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), and the human coronaviruses severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), many of which seriously endanger human health and well-being. Only alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses harbor nonstructural protein 1 (nsp1), which performs multiple functions in inhibiting antiviral host responses. The role of the C terminus of betacoronavirus nsp1 in virulence has been characterized, but the location of the alphacoronavirus nsp1 region that is important for virulence remains unclear. Here, using TGEV nsp1 as a model to explore the function of this protein in alphacoronaviruses, we demonstrate that alphacoronavirus nsp1 inhibits host gene expression. Solving the crystal structure of full-length TGEV at 1.85-Å resolution and conducting several biochemical analyses, we observed that a specific motif (amino acids 91–95) of alphacoronavirus nsp1 is a conserved region that inhibits host protein synthesis. Using a reverse-genetics system based on CRISPR/Cas9 technology to construct a recombinant TGEV in which this specific nsp1 motif was altered, we found that this mutation does not affect virus replication in cell culture but significantly reduces TGEV pathogenicity in pigs. Taken together, our findings suggest that alphacoronavirus nsp1 is an essential virulence determinant, providing a potential paradigm for the development of a new attenuated vaccine based on modified nsp1.
Intelligent Fault Diagnosis of Diesel Engines via Extreme Gradient Boosting and High-Accuracy Time–Frequency Information of Vibration Signals

Accurate and timely misfire fault diagnosis is of vital significance for diesel engines. However, existing algorithms are prone to fall into model over-fitting and adopt low energy-concentrated features. This paper presents a novel extreme gradient boosting-based misfire fault diagnosis approach utilizing the high-accuracy time–frequency information of vibration signals. First, diesel engine misfire tests were conducted under different spindle speeds, and the corresponding vibration signals were acquired via a triaxial accelerometer. The time-domain features of signals were extracted by using a time-domain statistics method, while the high-accuracy time–frequency domain features were obtained via the high-resolution multisynchrosqueezing transform. Thereafter, considering the nonlinearity and high dimensionality of the original characteristic data sets, the locally linear embedding method was employed for feature dimensionality reduction. Eventually, to avoid model overfitting, the extreme gradient boosting algorithm was utilized for diesel engine misfire fault diagnosis. Experiments under different spindle speeds and comprehensive comparisons with other evaluation methods were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed extreme gradient boosting-based misfire diagnosis method. The results verify that the highest classification accuracy of the proposed extreme gradient boosting-based algorithm is up to 99.93%. Simultaneously, the classification accuracy of the presented approach is approximately 24.63% higher on average than those of algorithms that use wavelet packet-based features. Moreover, it is shown that it obtains the minimum root mean squared error and can effectively prevent the model from falling into overfitting.
Managing blood pressure in acute intracerebral hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) results from the rupture of cerebral vessels leading to the development of a hematoma in the brain. It comprises approximately 15%‐30% of all strokes and affects more than 1 million people every year worldwide.1 Hypertension is the most common cause of ICH, and less frequent etiologies include co‐ agulopathies, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, vascular abnormalities, brain trauma or tumors, and infections. Cerebral hemorrhage is the stroke subtype characterized by the highest mortality and morbidity: the fatality rate is about 40% at 1 month from bleeding and most survivors retain a severe residual disability, with only 20%‐40% of patients living independently at 1 year.2 Currently, medical and surgical strategies have substantially failed to improve outcome, and the management of ICH consists mainly of supportive therapies. The understanding of the mecha‐ nisms underlying the course of hematoma and the progression of the injury in surrounding parenchyma is, hence, of paramount relevance to identify therapeutic targets and effective treatment approaches.
Does in Ovo Injection of Two Chicken Strains with Royal Jelly Impact Hatchability, Post-Hatch Growth Performance and Haematological and Immunological Parameters in Hatched Chicks?

Simple Summary The present investigation examined improvements in egg hatchability and the growth performance of hatched chicks of two strains upon injection with increasing concentrations of royal jelly (RJ). The results showed positive effects of RJ injection on all parameters. Limited impacts of the different chicken strains were observed on the tested parameters. The study revealed that varying the chicken strain could alter the response to the in ovo injection with RJ. Abstract The hypothesis of the present work was that the effects of in ovo injection may differ in different chicken strains. The influence of in ovo royal jelly (RJ) injection on hatching, growth and blood parameters in two chicken strains (Dokki-4 and El-Salam as example for different strains) was evaluated. A total of 1080 eggs were used. On the seventh day of incubation, the eggs were randomly allocated into six experimental groups in a 2 × 3 arrangement that included the two chicken strains and three concentrations of RJ (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mL RJ/egg). Injection with 0.5 mL RJ/egg improved hatchability compared to the other treatments. The El-Salam strain exhibited significantly higher body weight and body weight gain than the Dokki-4 strain. Injection with 0.5 mL RJ/egg significantly (p < 0.05) improved chicken body weight and daily weight gain compared to the control treatment. RJ injection decreased blood lipid profile parameters and the numbers of monocytes and eosinophils and increased total protein, globulin, haemoglobin (Hb) and lymphocyte levels compared to the control treatment. The Dokki-4 strain showed significantly higher antibody titres against avian influenza virus (AIV) (p < 0.05) and sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) (p < 0.0001) than the El-Salam strain and RJ injection enhanced antibody titres against AIV, Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and SRBCs. Therefore, the Dokki-4 strain was superior to the El-Salam strain for the tested parameters and injection with 0.5 mL RJ/egg produced the best hatching parameters, growth performance and health-related traits. RJ in ovo injection was much more effective in the Dokki-4 strain than in the El-Salam strain, which supported the hypothesis of the study that varying the chicken strain could alter the response to the in ovo injection with RJ.
AN EFFECTIVE NEAREST METHOD TO REDUCE THE INTER-OBJECT'S DISTANCE

A fascinating problem referred to as Nearest Key phrases search would be to query objects, known as keyword cover, which together cover some query key phrases and also have the minimum inter-objects distance. Recently, we take notice of the growing availability and need for keyword rating in object evaluation for that better making decisions. It's quite common the objects inside a spatial database (e.g., restaurants/hotels) are connected with keyword(s) to point their companies/services/features. This motivates us to research a normal form of Nearest Key phrases search known as Best Keyword Cover which views inter-objects distance along with the keyword rating of objects. The baseline formula is inspired through the techniques of Nearest Key phrases search which is dependent on exhaustively mixing objects from various query key phrases to create candidate keyword covers. The in-depth analysis and extensive experiments on real data sets have justified the brilliance in our keyword-NNE formula. When the amount of query key phrases increases, the performance from the baseline formula drops significantly because of massive candidate keyword covers produced. To fight this drawback, the work proposes an infinitely more scalable formula known as keyword nearest neighbor expansion (keyword-NNE). In comparison towards the baseline formula, keyword-NNE formula considerably reduces the amount of candidate keyword covers produced.
Bone Protective Effect of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Phenolic Compounds by Modulating Osteoblast Gene Expression

The phenolic compounds of extra-virgin olive oil can act at various levels to protect individuals against cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and osteoporosis, among others. Polyphenols in extra-virgin olive oil can stimulate the proliferation of osteoblasts, modify their antigen profile, and promote alkaline phosphatase synthesis. The objective of this work was to determine the effect of different extra-virgin olive oil phenolic compounds on the gene expression of osteoblast-related markers. The cells of the MG63 osteoblast line were cultured for 24 h with 10−6 M of the phenolic compounds ferulic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, apigenin, or luteolin. The expression of studied markers was quantified using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (q-RT-PCR). The expression by MG63 osteoblasts of growth and differentiation/maturation markers was modified after 24 h of treatment with 10−6 M of the phenolic compounds under study, most of which increased the gene expression of the transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), TGF-β receptor 1,2 and 3 (TGF-βR1, TGF-βR2, TGF-βR3), bone morphogenetic protein 2 and 7 (BMP2, BMP7), run-related transcription factor 2 (RUNX-2), Alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Osteocalcin (OSC), Osterix (OSX), Collagen type I (Col-I) and osteoprotegerin (OPN). The extra-virgin olive oil phenolic compounds may have a beneficial effect on bone by modulating osteoblast physiology, which would support their protective effect against bone pathologies.
NMR‐assisted protein structure prediction with MELDxMD

We describe the performance of MELD‐accelerated molecular dynamics (MELDxMD) in determining protein structures in the NMR‐data‐assisted category in CASP13. Seeded from web server predictions, MELDxMD was found best in the NMR category, over 17 targets, outperforming the next‐best groups by a factor of ~4 in z‐score. MELDxMD gives ensembles, not single structures; succeeds on a 326‐mer, near the current upper limit for NMR structures; and predicts structures that match experimental residual dipolar couplings even though the only NMR‐derived data used in the simulations was NOE‐based ambiguous atom–atom contacts and backbone dihedrals. MELD can use noisy and ambiguous experimental information to reduce the MD search space. We believe MELDxMD is a promising method for determining protein structures from NMR data.
Bacillus subtilis RecA interacts with and loads RadA/Sms to unwind recombination intermediates during natural chromosomal transformation

Abstract During natural transformation Bacillus subtilis RecA, polymerized onto the incoming single-stranded (ss) DNA, catalyses DNA strand invasion resulting in a displacement loop (D-loop) intermediate. A null radA mutation impairs chromosomal transformation, and RadA/Sms unwinds forked DNA in the 5′→3′ direction. We show that in the absence of RadA/Sms competent cells require the RecG translocase for natural chromosomal transformation. RadA/Sms tetracysteine motif (C13A and C13R) variants, which fail to interact with RecA, are also deficient in plasmid transformation, but this defect is suppressed by inactivating recA. The RadA/Sms C13A and C13R variants bind ssDNA, and this interaction stimulates their ATPase activity. Wild-type (wt) RadA/Sms interacts with and inhibits the ATPase activity of RecA, but RadA/Sms C13A fails to do it. RadA/Sms and its variants, C13A and C13R, bound to the 5′-tail of a DNA substrate, unwind DNA in the 5′→3′ direction. RecA interacts with and loads wt RadA/Sms to promote unwinding of a non-cognate 3′-tailed or 5′-fork DNA substrate, but RadA/Sms C13A or C13R fail to do it. We propose that wt RadA/Sms interaction with RecA is crucial to recruit the former onto D-loop DNA, and both proteins in concert catalyse D-loop extension to favour integration of ssDNA during chromosomal transformation.
Pronunciation Problems of Chinese Learners of English.

ORTESOL Journal Increasingly Chinese students are pursuing their studies abroad in English speaking countries, such as the USA, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. Despite the fact that they have studied English as a compulsory subject for a number of years and have passed multiple English proficiency tests, many still find it is difficult to communicate well in spoken English. One of the major obstacles for oral communication is undoubtedly English pronunciation, which hinders many Chinese students’ ability to be understood by native speakers or English learners from other language backgrounds.