Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Activation Receptor–Dependent IFN-γ Production by NK Cells Is Controlled by Transcription, Translation, and the Proteasome

Key Points NK activation receptor–dependent IFN-γ requires additional signals. Cytokine stimulation, but not activation receptor stimulation, induces Ifng transcription. Activation receptor ligation stimulates IFN-γ translation through TPL2. Visual Abstract NK cells can recognize target cells such as virus-infected and tumor cells through integration of activation and inhibitory receptors. Recognition by NK cells can lead to direct lysis of the target cell and production of the signature cytokine IFN-γ. However, it is unclear whether stimulation through activation receptors alone is sufficient for IFN-γ production. In this study, we show that NK activation receptor engagement requires additional signals for optimal IFN-γ production, which could be provided by IFN-β or IL-12. Stimulation of murine NK cells with soluble Abs directed against NK1.1, Ly49H, Ly49D, or NKp46 required additional stimulation with cytokines, indicating that a range of activation receptors with distinct adaptor molecules require additional stimulation for IFN-γ production. The requirement for multiple signals extends to stimulation with primary m157-transgenic target cells, which triggers the activation receptor Ly49H, suggesting that NK cells do require multiple signals for IFN-γ production in the context of target cell recognition. Using quantitative PCR and RNA flow cytometry, we found that cytokines, not activating ligands, act on NK cells to express Ifng transcripts. Ly49H engagement is required for IFN-γ translational initiation. Results using inhibitors suggest that the proteasome–ubiquitin–IKK–TPL2–MNK1 axis was required during activation receptor engagement. Thus, this study indicates that activation receptor–dependent IFN-γ production is regulated on the transcriptional and translational levels.
Smoked Tobacco, Air Pollution, and Tuberculosis in Lao PDR: Findings from a National Sample

In 2017, more than half of the global burden of incident tuberculosis (TB) came from the Western Pacific region. In Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), the high rates of tobacco use and use of polluting biomass fuels for cooking (e.g., wood, charcoal, crop waste, dung) represent significant risk factors for TB. The purpose of this study was to determine the association between self-reported (1) smoking and TB; and (2) exposure to air pollution (from both cooking fires and environmental tobacco smoke) and TB among adults in Lao PDR. We analyzed data from the 2012 National Adult Tobacco Survey (NATSL) of Lao PDR—a multi-stage stratified cluster sample of 9706 subjects from 2822 households located in all 17 provinces. Utilizing a nationally representative sample and inferential, multivariable methods, we observed a significant increase in odds of self-reported TB among those who smoked tobacco (OR = 1.73, 95% CI = (1.00 to 2.98)). Larger multivariable models identified independent contributions from exposure to tobacco pipes (OR = 21.51, 95% CI = (6.34 to 72.89)) and communal outdoor fires (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = (1.15 to 4.49)). An index measuring combined exposure to smoked tobacco, environmental tobacco smoke in enclosed workspace, indoor cooking fire, trash fires, and other outdoor communal fires also showed a positive association (OR per added exposure = 1.47, 95% CI = (1.14 to 1.89)). The findings of this study underscore the need for multi-sectoral collaboration between tobacco control, environmental health, TB prevention and treatment programs, national authorities, policy makers, civil groups, and the private sector to address the convergence of potential risk factors impacting respiratory health in Lao PDR.
Multiple and interpersonal trauma are risk factors for both post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder: A systematic review on the traumatic backgrounds and clinical characteristics of comorbid post-traumatic stress disorder/borderline personality disorder groups versus singl

BACKGROUND Both borderline personality disorder (BPD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are associated with exposure to traumatic events and are highly comorbid. No review to date has addressed the clinical presentations and traumatic backgrounds associated with these disorders although this work is essential for the development of effective interventions. OBJECTIVES To systematically explore similarities and differences in traumatic history and clinical presentation in comorbid BPD and PTSD as compared to PTSD or BPD alone. METHOD The Web of Science, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and PILOTS databases were searched systematically. Eligible studies included adult populations, compared comorbid BPD/PTSD to a single disorder, and published in English. RESULTS A total of 10,147 cases across 33 studies were included: 2,057 comorbid BPD/PTSD, 2,648 BPD only, and 5,442 PTSD only. The comorbid group overall reported greater exposure to multiple and interpersonal trauma and elevated emotion dysregulation compared to both single-disorder groups. In terms of methodological quality, most papers achieved a Fair rating with improvements required in minimizing bias through recruiting adequate and representative samples, and reporting on traumatic exposure. CONCLUSION Multiple and interpersonal trauma might have a unique role in the development of comorbid BPD/PTSD features, particularly so for emotion dysregulation. Future research is required to unravel the unique characteristics of interpersonal trauma that can generate BPD and PTSD symptoms. PRACTITIONER POINTS Practitioners should routinely assess for interpersonal trauma considering its impact. Tackling emotion regulation difficulties might promote recovery from both PTSD and BPD symptoms. Presence of self -injury might be used to discriminate between PTSD and BPD and offer suitable interventions.
Ferlin Overview: From Membrane to Cancer Biology

In mammal myocytes, endothelial cells and inner ear cells, ferlins are proteins involved in membrane processes such as fusion, recycling, endo- and exocytosis. They harbour several C2 domains allowing their interaction with phospholipids. The expression of several Ferlin genes was described as altered in several tumoural tissues. Intriguingly, beyond a simple alteration, myoferlin, otoferlin and Fer1L4 expressions were negatively correlated with patient survival in some cancer types. Therefore, it can be assumed that membrane biology is of extreme importance for cell survival and signalling, making Ferlin proteins core machinery indispensable for cancer cell adaptation to hostile environments. The evidences suggest that myoferlin, when overexpressed, enhances cancer cell proliferation, migration and metabolism by affecting various aspects of membrane biology. Targeting myoferlin using pharmacological compounds, gene transfer technology, or interfering RNA is now considered as an emerging therapeutic strategy.
Cytotoxic Polyketides from a Deep-Sea Sediment Derived Fungus Diaporthe phaseolorum FS431

Two new chromone-derived polyketides phaseolorins, G and H (1 and 2), and one new anthraquinone derivative, phaseolorin I (3), together with three known compounds (4–6), were isolated from the deep-sea sediment-derived fungus Diaporthe phaseolorum FS431. The structures of the new compounds were determined by comprehensive analysis of their spectroscopic data, and the absolute configuration of 1 was established by quantum chemical calculations of electron capture detection (ECD). All the isolated compounds (1–6) were tested for their in vitro cytotoxic activities against four human tumor cell lines, of which compound 4 exhibited significant effect against MCF-7, HepG-2, and A549 tumor cell lines with IC50 values of 2.60, 2.55, and 4.64 µM, respectively.
Scheduled power tracking control of the wind-storage hybrid system based on the reinforcement learning theory

In allusion to the intermittency and uncertainty of the wind electricity, energy storage and wind generator are combined into a hybrid system to improve the controllability of the output power. A scheduled power tracking control method is proposed based on the reinforcement learning theory and Q-learning algorithm. In this method, the state space of the environment is formed with two key factors, i.e. the state of charge of the energy storage and the difference value between the actual wind power and scheduled power, the feasible action is the output power of the energy storage, and the corresponding immediate rewarding function is designed to reflect the rationality of the control action. By interacting with the environment and learning from the immediate reward, the optimal control strategy is gradually formed. After that, it could be applied to the scheduled power tracking control of the hybrid system. Finally, the rationality and validity of the method are verified through simulation examples.
OD Morphing: Balancing Simplicity with Faithfulness for OD Bundling

OD bundling is a promising method to identify key origin-destination (OD) patterns, but the bundling can mislead the interpretation of actual trajectories traveled. We present OD Morphing, an interactive OD bundling technique that improves geographical faithfulness to actual trajectories while preserving visual simplicity for OD patterns. OD Morphing iteratively identifies critical waypoints from the actual trajectory network with a min-cut algorithm and transitions OD bundles to pass through the identified waypoints with a smooth morphing method. Furthermore, we extend OD Morphing to support bundling at interaction speeds to enable users to interactively transition between degrees of faithfulness to aid sensemaking. We introduce metrics for faithfulness and simplicity to evaluate their trade-off achieved by OD morphed bundling. We demonstrate OD Morphing on real-world city-scale taxi trajectory and USA domestic planned flight datasets.
Assessment of Pig‐a, Micronucleus, and Comet Assay Endpoints in Tg.RasH2 Mice Carcinogenicity Study of Aristolochic Acid I

A newly developed in vivo Pig‐a gene mutation assay displays great potential for integration into genotoxicity tests. To obtain more evidence for application of the Pig‐a assay, we integrated this assay, micronucleus test in peripheral blood (MN‐pb test) and bone marrow (MN‐bm test), as well as a Comet assay into a transgenic RasH2 mice carcinogenicity study. Fourteen male RasH2 mice and five wild‐type (WT) mice were treated with a strong mutagen aristolochic acid I at a dose of 5 mg/kg/day for 4 consecutive weeks. Mice recovered in 5 weeks. Peripheral bloods were collected for Pig‐a assay, MN‐pb test, and Comet assay at several time points, while bone marrow and target organs were harvested for the MN‐bm test and pathological diagnosis after mice were euthanized. Finally, 13 of the 14 RasH2 mice developed squamous cell carcinomas in the forestomach, while there were no carcinomas in the WT mice. Pig‐a mutant frequencies (MFs) consecutively increased throughout the study to a maximum value of approximately 63‐fold more than background. These frequencies were relative to the incidence, size, and malignant degree of tumors. Micronucleated reticulocytes increased from Day 1 to Day 49, before returning to background levels. No positive responses were observed in either the MN‐bm test or the Comet assay. Results suggested that, when compared with the other two tests, the Pig‐a assay persistently contributed to sustaining MFs, enhanced detection sensitivity due to the accumulation of Pig‐a mutations, and demonstrated better predictability for tumorigenicity. Environ. Mol. Mutagen. 61:266–275, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mercury Detection in Benthic and Pelagic Fish Collected from Western Sicily (Southern Italy)

Simple Summary In highly polluted water, fish can accumulate Hg at concentrations that cause risk to human health. This has occurred in Sicily (Southern Italy), where there is activity from the petrochemical pole. In this paper, we present concentrations of mercury in 14 fish species collected from western Sicilian coasts in 2013. A significant difference was found between fish species examined but not between pelagic and benthic fish. Four out of 130 analyzed samples showed mercury concentrations over the European limits. Abstract In highly polluted water, fish can accumulate mercury up to a concentration of 10 mgKg−1. This has occurred on the eastern coasts of Sicily (Southern Italy), probably due to the intense industrial activity of this area. However, little is known about Hg accumulation in fish of the western Sicilian coasts. In this work, we examined the Hg accumulation of 108 fish samples belonging to 14 species collected from western Sicilian coasts using a direct mercury analyzer. The samples showed a mean mercury concentration of 0.165 ± 0.22 mg kg−1 with a maximum in Lepidopus caudatus (1.72 mgKg−1), exceeding the limits provided by EC Reg. 1881/2006. The lowest Hg levels were found in Sparus aurata samples (0.001 mgKg−1). A significant difference was found between the fish species examined (p < 0.05). The comparison between benthic and pelagic species did not show statistical differences (p < 0.05). Fish food constitutes the main route of Hg uptake for humans. Only four of the 130 samples examined reached a mercury concentration over the European limits. The comparative analysis of Hg pollution for benthic and pelagic species did not confirm a different trend in metal contamination.
A 9.2-g Fully-Flexible Wireless Ambulatory EEG Monitoring and Diagnostics Headband With Analog Motion Artifact Detection and Compensation

An 8-channel wearable wireless device for ambulatory surface EEG monitoring and analysis is presented. The entire multi-channel recording, quantization, and motion artifact removal circuitries are implemented on a 4-layer polyimide flexible substrate. The recording electrodes and active shielding are also integrated on the same substrate, yielding the smallest form factor compared to the state of the art. Thanks to the dry non-contact electrodes, the system is quickly mountable with minimal assistance required, making it an ideal ambulatory front- and temporal-lobe EEG monitoring device. The flexible main board is connected to a rechargeable battery on one end and to a 13 × 17 mm$^2$ rigid board on the other end. The mini rigid board hosts a low-power programmable FPGA and a BLE 5.0 transceiver, which add diagnostic capability and wireless connectivity features to the device, respectively. Design considerations for a wearable EEG monitoring and diagnostic device are discussed in details. The theory of the novel fully-analog method for motion artifact detection and removal is described and the detailed circuit implementation is presented. The device performance in terms of voltage gain (260 V/V), bandwidth (DC-300 Hz), motion artifact removal, and wireless communication throughput (up to 1 Mbps) is experimentally validated. The entire wearable solution with the battery weighs 9.2 grams.
The Development of a Digital Dysphagia Guide with Care Homes: Co-Production and Evaluation of a Nutrition Support Tool

Good nutrition is a recognised outcome in the health and well-being of older care home residents and dysphagia is a known risk factor associated with under nutrition and poor outcomes. The study co-produced a digital Dysphagia Guide with Care Homes using a consensus method with interviews and focus groups to prioritise the need for information and explore acceptability of an educational tool for care home workers. Evaluation of use, acceptability of design, and content of the guide were completed via remote monitoring. The workforce prioritised the need for training as well as the knowledge and skills in relation to planning resident-centred care and advice on textured diets. The technology was a means of offering ‘bite-size’ learning to enhance planning for nutrition across the whole organisation including managers, kitchen staff, and care workers. The Guide to Dysphagia was produced on a tablet and piloted in four care homes over 12 weeks, by 57 staff. Integrated analytics allowed user activity to be monitored. Findings showed that 73% of respondents reported the guide helped them in their job. Additionally, 88% of respondents stated they would recommend the guide to other staff, with 90% reporting it was easy to use. Engagement with staff and managers in four homes resulted in a co-designed, dysphagia guide.
Sodium Alginate/Gelatine Hydrogels for Direct Bioprinting—The Effect of Composition Selection and Applied Solvents on the Bioink Properties

Hydrogels tested and evaluated in this study were developed for the possibility of their use as the bioinks for 3D direct bioprinting. Procedures for preparation and sterilization of hydrogels and the speed of the bioprinting were developed. Sodium alginate gelatine hydrogels were characterized in terms of printability, mechanical, and biological properties (viability, proliferation ability, biocompatibility). A hydrogel with the best properties was selected to carry out direct bioprinting tests in order to determine the parameters of the bioink, adapted to print with use of the designed and constructed bioprinter and provide the best conditions for cell growth. The obtained results showed the ability to control mechanical properties, biological response, and degradation rate of hydrogels through the use of various solvents. The use of a dedicated culture medium as a solvent for the preparation of a bioink, containing the predicted cell line, increases the proliferation of these cells. Modification of the percentage of individual components of the hydrogel gives the possibility of a controlled degradation process, which, in the case of printing of temporary medical devices, is a very important parameter for the hydrogels’ usage possibility—both in terms of tissue engineering and printing of tissue elements replacement, implants, and organs.
Genome-Wide SNPs and InDels Characteristics of Three Chinese Cattle Breeds

Simple Summary Whole-genome resequencing is an important tool to reveal the in-depth genomic characteristics of a genome. Adaptability traits are key to the survival of the south Chinese zebu cattle. However, the potential genetic information behind these remarkable traits still remains uncertain and needs to be addressed. In the current study, we utilized a total of 15 local south Chinese cattle samples (Leiqiong (LQ), Wannan (WN), Wenshan (WS)) from one of our previous studies mapped to the old reference genome (Btau_5.0.1) and remapped them to the latest reference genome (ARS-UCD1.2) to explore potential single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions-deletions (InDels) responsible for some important immune related traits. The present study emphasizes and illustrates the genetic diversity, extending our previous study. The InDel annotation show that WS cattle had more enriched genes associated with immune functions than the other two breeds. Our findings provide valuable resources for further investigation of the functions of SNP- and InDels-related genes and help to determine the molecular basis of adaptive mutations in Chinese zebu cattle. Abstract We report genome characterization of three native Chinese cattle breeds discovering ~34.3 M SNPs and ~3.8 M InDels using whole genome resequencing. On average, 10.4 M SNPs were shared amongst the three cattle breeds, whereas, 3.0 M, 4.9 M and 5.8 M were specific to LQ, WN and WS breeds, respectively. Gene ontology (GO)analysis revealed four immune response-related GO terms were over represented in all samples, while two immune signaling pathways were significantly over-represented in WS cattle. Altogether, we found immune related genes (PGLYRP2, ROMO1, FYB2, CD46, TSC1) in the three cattle breeds. Our study provides insights into the genetic basis of Chinese indicine adaptation to the tropic and subtropical environment, and provides a valuable resource for further investigations of genetic characteristics of the three breeds.
Inclusion Complexes of Melphalan with Gemini-Conjugated β-Cyclodextrin: Physicochemical Properties and Chemotherapeutic Efficacy in In-Vitro Tumor Models

β-cyclodextrin (βCD) has been widely explored as an excipient for pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals as it forms stable host–guest inclusion complexes and enhances the solubility of poorly soluble active agents. To enhance intracellular drug delivery, βCD was chemically conjugated to an 18-carbon chain cationic gemini surfactant which undergoes self-assembly to form nanoscale complexes. The novel gemini surfactant-modified βCD carrier host (hereafter referred to as 18:1βCDg) was designed to combine the solubilization and encapsulation capacity of the βCD macrocycle and the cell-penetrating ability of the gemini surfactant conjugate. Melphalan (Mel), a chemotherapeutic agent for melanoma, was selected as a model for a poorly soluble drug. Characterization of the 18:1βCDg-Mel host–guest complex was carried out using 1D/2D 1H NMR spectroscopy and dynamic light scattering (DLS). The 1D/2D NMR spectral results indicated the formation of stable and well-defined 18:1βCDg-Mel inclusion complexes at the 2:1 host–guest mole ratio; whereas, host–drug interaction was attenuated at greater 18:1βCDg mole ratio due to hydrophobic aggregation that accounts for the reduced Mel solubility. The in vitro evaluations were performed using monolayer, 3D spheroid, and Mel-resistant melanoma cell lines. The 18:1βCDg-Mel complex showed significant enhancement in the chemotherapeutic efficacy of Mel with 2–3-fold decrease in Mel half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values. The findings demonstrate the potential applicability of the 18:1βCDg delivery system as a safe and efficient carrier for a poorly soluble chemotherapeutic in melanoma therapy.
Sodium and potassium excretion predict increased depression in urban adolescents

This study examined the prospective role of urinary sodium and potassium excretion in depressive symptoms among urban, low‐income adolescents, and whether these relationships vary by gender. A total of 84 urban adolescents (mean age 13.36 years; 50% male; 95% African American) self‐reported on their depressive symptoms at baseline and 1.5 years later. At baseline, the youth also completed a 12‐h (overnight) urine collection at home which was used to measure sodium and potassium excretion. After adjusting for baseline depressive symptoms, age, BMI percentile, and pubertal development, greater sodium excretion and lower potassium excretion predicted more severe depressive symptoms at follow‐up, with no significant gender differences. The results suggest that consumption of foods high in sodium and low in potassium contributes to the development of depressive symptoms in early adolescence, and that diet is a modifiable risk factor for adolescent depression. Interventions focusing on diet may improve mental health in urban adolescents.