Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiomyopathies

The most common cardiomyopathies often present to primary care physicians with similar symptoms, despite the fact that they involve a variety of phenotypes and etiologies (1). Many have signs and symptoms common in heart failure, such as reduced ejection fraction, peripheral edema, fatigue, orthopnea, exertion dyspnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, presyncope, syncope and cardiac ischemia (1). In all cardiomyopathies, the cardiac muscle (myocardium) may be structurally and/or functionally impaired. They can be classified as hypertrophic, dilated, left-ventricular non compaction, restrictive and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathies. (www.actabiomedica.it)
An Arrangement Giving a Stiff Leading Edge to the Hand Wing in Bats

A special arrangement giving a stiff leading edge of the hand wing, the two distal phalanges of the third digit excluded, is described. the second digit, the metacarpal and first phalanx of the third digit, and the ligament between the distal end of the second digit and the base of the second phalanx of the third digit form a convex frame enclosing the dactylopatagium minus (the membrane between the second and third digits). This unit is stiff in the membrane plane. a simplified mechanical analysis of the function of this unit is made. in almost every photo of flying bats (of different genera) taken from a suitable direction this arrangement can be seen.
Divalent cations bind to phosphoinositides to induce ion and isomer specific propensities for nano-cluster initiation in bilayer membranes

We report all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of asymmetric bilayers containing phosphoinositides in the presence of monovalent and divalent cations. We have characterized the molecular mechanism by which these divalent cations interact with phosphoinositides. Ca2+ desolvates more readily, consistent with single-molecule calculations, and forms a network of ionic-like bonds that serve as a ‘molecular glue’ that allows a single ion to coordinate with up to three phosphatidylinositol-(4,5)-bisphosphate (PI(4, 5)P2) lipids. The phosphatidylinositol-(3,5)-bisphosphate isomer shows no such effect and neither does PI(4, 5)P2 in the presence of Mg2+. The resulting network of Ca2+-mediated lipid-lipid bonds grows to span the entire simulation space and therefore has implications for the lateral distribution of phosophoinositides in the bilayer. We observe context-specific differences in lipid diffusion rates, lipid surface densities and bilayer structure. The molecular-scale delineation of ion-lipid arrangements reported here provides insight into similar nanocluster formation induced by peripheral proteins to regulate the formation of functional signalling complexes on the membrane.
Clinical evaluation of IFN beta1b in COVID-19 pneumonia: a retrospective study

Background COVID-19 pneumonia is associated with significant mortality and has no approved antiviral therapy. Interferon beta1 has shown in vitro studies a potent inhibition of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. In an in vitro study, SARS-CoV-2 had more sensitivity to IFN-I pretreatment that SARS-CoV. A combination of IFN beta1b administered subcutaneously with other antiviral treatments has been recommended in several guidelines. However, clinical trial results for the treatment of COVID-19 are pending. We aimed to assess the efficiency of IFN beta1b in COVID19 comparing the in-hospital mortality between patients who received IFN beta1b and patients did not receive. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we included hospitalized adults with COVID-19 between February 23th and April 4th, 2020, at the Central Defense Hospital (Madrid, Spain). Subcutaneous interferon beta-1b was recommended in moderate-severe pneumonia. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to identify variables associated with in-hospital mortality. Findings We analyzed 256 patients (106 patients in interferon group and 150 patients in control group). At admission, patients who did not receive interferon beta1b presented a greater number of comorbidities. The overall mortality rate was 24.6% (63/256). Twenty-two patients (20.8%) in the interferon group died and 41 (27.3%) in the control group (p=0.229). In the multivariate analysis, the predictors of in-hospital mortality were age, severity of clinical picture at admission and hydroxychloroquine treatment. Interpretation In hospitalized patients with COVID-19, interferon beta1b treatment was not associated to decrease in-hospital mortality. Further assessment of the earlier administration of this drug in randomized trials is recommended.
Longevity of kings and queens and first time of production of fertile progeny in dampwood termite (Isoptera; Termopsidae; Zootermopsis) colonies with different reproductive structures

Summary 1 We report age-specific survivorship of founding kings and queens and colony age of first production of fertile progeny (alates) of two cohorts, containing 52 and 42 complete colonies, respectively, in the primitive dampwood termite Zootermopsis nevadensis ssp. nevadensis. 2 Longevity of kings and queens was determined and compared in various experimental manipulations of reproductive structure of incipient colonies (removal of king or queen or both vs. unmanipulated pairs as controls) performed one year after pairing. Life span of reproductives was also evaluated in circumstances of interactions between young colonies, a treatment inspired by field observations of natural nest spacing and intraspecific competition between young dampwood termite colonies. 3 In our first experimental series, founding pairs survived 2–7 years (x = 4·5 ± 0·3 SE) after pairing. Kings lived significantly longer (x = 4·7 ± 0·3 years after pairing; range 2·2–7·3 years) in treatments initiated as pairs than when left as the remaining founder in the queen removal treatment (x = 3·2 ± 0·6 years after pairing; range 1·5–5·3 years), even though one or more female replacement reproductives differentiated within several months after queen loss. Queen life span in the absence of kings averaged 4·9 ± 0·4 years (range 3·6–6·3 years) after pairing, not significantly different from the life span of queens living with kings. There was no significant difference between king and queen life spans in non-interaction treatments in our first experiment. Results from the second experimental series (35 colonies) are presented to date. 4 Survival of pairs until death of one mate was significantly shorter in interaction treatments compared with control colonies, suggesting that intraspecific competition between young colonies may create opportunities for replacement reproductives. 5 The first alates were produced between 1·8 and 6·5 years after pairing in our first experimental series, and between 2·4 and 5 years, to date, in the second experiment. 6 Ecological and evolutionary correlates of long life span in social insect reproductives and other animals are discussed.
Prolonged deep dives by the leatherback turtle Dermochelys coriacea : pushing their aerobic dive limits

Air-breathing diving animals are capable of maintaining activity during prolonged dives fuelled by on-board oxygen stores. Leatherback turtles ( Dermochelys coriacea ) perform the deepest and longest dives among sea turtles, and are among the most prolific air-breathing divers. Here we report the longest dive duration for D. coriacea during an extremely deep dive (1186 m) that lasted 86.5 minutes. This dive duration exceeded previously published calculated aerobic dive limits by almost two-fold and extends our knowledge of the diving capacity of this species.
Interaction of nickel and manganese in uptake, translocation and accumulation by the nickel-hyperaccumulator plant, Alyssum bracteatum (Brassicaceae)

Serpentine soils are often characterised by high concentrations of heavy metals, high plant diversity and endemism, and, in some cases, the presence of plants that hyperaccumulate nickel (Ni). Nickel uptake by hyperaccumulator plants could potentially be affected by other heavy metals in serpentine soils, such as manganese (Mn), which competes for uptake at roots. The present study investigated interactions between Ni and Mn in metal uptake, translocation and storage in a serpentine-endemic Ni-hyperaccumulator plant, Alyssum bracteatum (Brassicaceae), native to western Iran. The results based on a factorial treatment of seedlings using Ni and Mn and elemental analyses showed that whole shoot and root Ni concentrations were inversely correlated with Mn in the growing medium. Likewise, whole shoot and root Mn concentrations were inversely correlated with Ni in the medium, suggesting competition between Ni and Mn for uptake at roots. No evidence was found for competition between Ni and Mn for translocation between the roots and shoot.
Reading the Mind in the Eyes of Children Test (RME-C-T): Development and Validation of a Complex Emotion Recognition Test

Much research has been devoted to the development of emotion recognition tests that can be used to investigate how individuals identify and discriminate emotional expressions of other individuals. One of the most prominent emotion recognition tests is the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RME-T). The original RME-T has been widely used to investigate how individuals recognize complex emotional expressions from the eye region of adult faces. However, the RME-T can only be used to investigate inter-individual differences in complex emotion recognition during the processing of adult faces. To extend its usefulness, we developed a modified version of the RME-T, the Reading the Mind in the Eyes of Children Test (RME-C-T). The RME-C-T can be used to investigate how individuals recognize complex emotional expressions from the eye region of child faces. However, the validity of the RME-C-T has not been evaluated yet. We, thus, administered the RME-C-T together with the RME-T to a sample of healthy adult participants (n = 119). The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS) were also administered. Participants’ RME-C-T performance correlated with participants’ RME-T performance, implying that the RME-C-T measures similar emotion recognition abilities as the RME-T. Participants’ RME-C-T performance also correlated with participants’ IRI and TAS scores, indicating that these emotion recognition abilities are affected by empathetic and alexithymic traits. Moreover, participants’ RME-C-T performance differed between participants with high and low TAS scores, suggesting that the RME-C-T is sensitive enough to detect impairments in these emotion recognition abilities. The RME-C-T, thus, turned out to be a valid measure of inter-individual differences in complex emotion recognition during the processing of child faces.
Methylene Blue Preserves Cytochrome Oxidase Activity and Prevents Neurodegeneration and Memory Impairment in Rats With Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion in neurocognitive disorders diminishes cytochrome oxidase activity leading to neurodegenerative effects and impairment of learning and memory. Methylene blue at low doses stimulates cytochrome oxidase activity and may thus counteract the adverse effects of cerebral hypoperfusion. However, the effects of methylene blue on cytochrome oxidase activity during chronic cerebral hypoperfusion have not been described before. To test this hypothesis, rats underwent bilateral carotid artery occlusion or sham surgery, received daily 4 mg/kg methylene blue or saline injections, and learned a visual water task. Brain mapping of cytochrome oxidase activity was done by quantitative enzyme histochemistry. Permanent carotid occlusion for 1 month resulted in decreased cytochrome oxidase activity in visual cortex, prefrontal cortex, perirhinal cortex, hippocampus and amygdala, and weaker interregional correlation of cytochrome oxidase activity between these regions. Methylene blue preserved cytochrome oxidase activity in regions affected by carotid occlusion and strengthened their interregional correlations of cytochrome oxidase activity, which prevented neurodegenerative effects and facilitated task-specific learning and memory. Brain-behavior correlations revealed positive correlations between performance and brain regions in which cytochrome oxidase activity was preserved by methylene blue. These results are the first to demonstrate that methylene blue prevents neurodegeneration and memory impairment by preserving cytochrome oxidase activity and interregional correlation of cytochrome oxidase activity in brain regions susceptible to chronic hypoperfusion. This demonstration provides further support for the hypothesis that lower cerebral blood flow results in an Alzheimer’s-like syndrome and that stimulating cytochrome oxidase activity with low-dose methylene blue is neuroprotective.
Utilizing Organoid and Air-Liquid Interface Models as a Screening Method in the Development of New Host Defense Peptides

Host defense peptides (HDPs), also known as antimicrobial peptides, are naturally occurring polypeptides (~12–50 residues) composed of cationic and hydrophobic amino acids that adopt an amphipathic conformation upon folding usually after contact with membranes. HDPs have a variety of biological activities including immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-biofilm functions. Although HDPs have the potential to address the global threat of antibiotic resistance and to treat immune and inflammatory disorders, they have yet to achieve this promise. Indeed, there are several challenges associated with bringing peptide-based drug candidates from the lab bench to clinical practice, including identifying appropriate indications, stability, toxicity, and cost. These challenges can be addressed in part by the development of innate defense regulator (IDR) peptides and peptidomimetics, which are synthetic derivatives of HDPs with similar or better efficacy, increased stability, and reduced toxicity and cost of the original HDP. However, one of the largest gaps between basic research and clinical application is the validity and translatability of conventional model systems, such as cell lines and animal models, for screening HDPs and their derivatives as potential drug therapies. Indeed, such translation has often relied on animal models, which have only limited validity. Here we discuss the recent development of human organoids for disease modeling and drug screening, assisted by the use of omics analyses. Organoids, developed from primary cells, cell lines, or human pluripotent stem cells, are three-dimensional, self-organizing structures that closely resemble their corresponding in vivo organs with regards to immune responses, tissue organization, and physiological properties; thus, organoids represent a reliable method for studying efficacy, formulation, toxicity and to some extent drug stability and pharmacodynamics. The use of patient-derived organoids enables the study of patient-specific efficacy, toxicogenomics and drug response predictions. We outline how organoids and omics data analysis can be leveraged to aid in the clinical translation of IDR peptides.
The Moral Choice Machine

Allowing machines to choose whether to kill humans would be devastating for world peace and security. But how do we equip machines with the ability to learn ethical or even moral choices? In this study, we show that applying machine learning to human texts can extract deontological ethical reasoning about “right” and “wrong” conduct. We create a template list of prompts and responses, such as “Should I [action]? ”, “Is it okay to [action]? ”, etc. with corresponding answers of “Yes/no, I should (not). ” and "Yes/no, it is (not). " The model's bias score is the difference between the model's score of the positive response (“Yes, I should”) and that of the negative response (“No, I should not”). For a given choice, the model's overall bias score is the mean of the bias scores of all question/answer templates paired with that choice. Specifically, the resulting model, called the Moral Choice Machine (MCM), calculates the bias score on a sentence level using embeddings of the Universal Sentence Encoder since the moral value of an action to be taken depends on its context. It is objectionable to kill living beings, but it is fine to kill time. It is essential to eat, yet one might not eat dirt. It is important to spread information, yet one should not spread misinformation. Our results indicate that text corpora contain recoverable and accurate imprints of our social, ethical and moral choices, even with context information. Actually, training the Moral Choice Machine on different temporal news and book corpora from the year 1510 to 2008/2009 demonstrate the evolution of moral and ethical choices over different time periods for both atomic actions and actions with context information. By training it on different cultural sources such as the Bible and the constitution of different countries, the dynamics of moral choices in culture, including technology are revealed. That is the fact that moral biases can be extracted, quantified, tracked, and compared across cultures and over time.
Transcription Factor-Based Fate Specification and Forward Programming for Neural Regeneration

Traditionally, in vitro generation of donor cells for brain repair has been dominated by the application of extrinsic growth factors and morphogens. Recent advances in cell engineering strategies such as reprogramming of somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells and direct cell fate conversion have impressively demonstrated the feasibility to manipulate cell identities by the overexpression of cell fate-determining transcription factors. These strategies are now increasingly implemented for transcription factor-guided differentiation of neural precursors and forward programming of pluripotent stem cells toward specific neural subtypes. This review covers major achievements, pros and cons, as well as future prospects of transcription factor-based cell fate specification and the applicability of these approaches for the generation of donor cells for brain repair.
Be Careful What You Feed Your Brain: Cannabis and Mental Health

Adolescence is an important period when the brain undergoes many changes. Because the brain is changing so much at this time, our experiences can have a huge impact on the brain’s health. Positive experiences keep the mind healthy, whereas negative experiences can lead to mental disorders. To process all the information that comes into the brain, the brain cells must talk with each other. They communicate via messenger systems. One of these systems is called the endocannabinoid (eCB) system. The eCB system plays an important role in the changes that happen in the adolescent brain. In this article, we see how the eCB system is affected by cannabis and how this may lead to a mental disorder.
Storage Stability of Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) Eggs at Room Temperature

Abstract Fresh quail eggs were stored at room temperature in July and periodically examined to evaluate microbiological quality, weight loss, and interior quality. Egg contents showed no marked change after storage for 14 days, but heavy contamination with gram negative bacteria or moulds was detected after storage for 21 and 28 days. The degree of contamination of the eggs after washing was heavier than that of unwashed eggs. An average of 4.0 × 105 bacteria/egg were found on the shell surface of the fresh eggs. Gram positive bacteria predominated and their numbers decreased with storage. Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus were found on the eggs, 6% and 1% respectively, but these pathogens were not detected after 14 days storage. The weight loss in the eggs was 2.99% after 14 days and 5.90% after 28 days. The yolk index decreased rapidly in comparison with hen eggs. Haugh unit values did not correlate well with storage time, whereas both the interior quality unit and albumen height seemed to be suitable for expressing interior quality. The yolks of eggs stored 21 days could not be readily separated from the albumen, either because of collapse of the yolk membrane or because of adhesion of the yolk to shell membranes. It was concluded from this study that shelf life of unrefrigerated quail eggs would not be greater than 14 days in summer and that washing of the eggs at farms should be avoided.
Modern Chemical Routes for the Controlled Synthesis of Anisotropic Bimetallic Nanostructures and Their Application in Catalysis

Bimetallic nanoparticles (BNPs) have attracted greater attention compared to its monometallic counterpart because of their chemical/physical properties. The BNPs have a wide range of applications in the fields of health, energy, water, and environment. These properties could be tuned with a number of parameters such as compositions of the bimetallic systems, their preparation method, and morphology. Monodisperse and anisotropic BNPs have gained considerable interest and numerous efforts have been made for the controlled synthesis of bimetallic nanostructures (BNS) of different sizes and shapes. This review offers a brief summary of the various synthetic routes adopted for the synthesis of Palladium(Pd), Platinum(Pt), Nickel(Ni), Gold(Au), Silver(Ag), Iron(Fe), Cobalt(Co), Rhodium(Rh), and Copper(Cu) based transition metal bimetallic anisotropic nanostructures, growth mechanisms e.g., seed mediated co-reduction, hydrothermal, galvanic replacement reactions, and antigalvanic reaction, and their application in the field of catalysis. The effect of surfactant, reducing agent, metal precursors ratio, pH, and reaction temperature for the synthesis of anisotropic nanostructures has been explained with examples. This review further discusses how slight modifications in one of the parameters could alter the growth mechanism, resulting in different anisotropic nanostructures which highly influence the catalytic activity. The progress or modification implied in the synthesis techniques within recent years is focused on in this article. Furthermore, this article discussed the improved activity, stability, and catalytic performance of BNS compared to the monometallic performance. The synthetic strategies reported here established a deeper understanding of the mechanisms and development of sophisticated and controlled BNS for widespread application.
Resin Injection Process in the Manufacture of a Polymer Composite Reinforced with NiTi Ribbons: A CFD Analysis

This work aims to numerically simulating the resin injection manufacturing process of a polymer composite,reinforced with ribbons of NiTishape memory alloy, using the software Ansys CFX®. The multiphase flow mathematical modeling was used to describe the transient and isothermal resin-air flow during the process. Results of the pressure fields, velocity andvolume fractionsof the involved phases are presented. The fluid flow inside the mold was compared withthe flow between parallel flat plates and showed to be consistent. Process parameters, such as resin volumetric flow rate, resin inlet and air outlet positions have a large influence in the mold filling time, volume and position of voids fractions inside de mold and final product quality.