Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-load resistance training to task-failure with and without blood flow restriction: muscular functional and structural adaptations.

The application of blood flow restriction (BFR) during resistance exercise is increasingly recognized for its ability to improve rehabilitation and as an effective method for increasing muscular hypertrophy and strength amongst healthy populations. However, direct comparison of the skeletal muscle adaptations to low-load resistance exercise (LL-RE) and low-load blood flow restriction resistance exercise (LL-BFR) performed to task-failure are lacking. Using a within-subject design, we examined whole-muscle group and skeletal muscle adaptations to 6-weeks of LL-RE and LL-BFR training to repetition failure. Both types of training had similar muscle strength and size outcomes despite ~33% lower total exercise volume (load x repetition) with LL-BFR (LL-RE: 28,544±1,771kg vs. LL-BFR: 18,949±1,541kg, p=0.004). Following training, only LL-BFR improved the average power output throughout the midportion of a voluntary muscular endurance task. Specifically, LL-BFR training sustained an 18% greater power output from baseline and had a greater change from baseline compared to LL-RE (19±3 W vs. 3±4 W, p=0.008). This improvement occurred despite histological analysis revealing similar increases in capillary content of type I muscle fibers following LL-RE and LL-BFR training, which was primarily driven by increased capillary contacts (Pre: 4.53±0.23 vs. LL-RE: 5.33±0.27 and LL-BFR: 5.17±0.25, both p<0.05). Moreover, maximally-supported mitochondrial respiratory capacity increased only in the LL-RE leg by 30% from baseline (p=0.006). Overall, low-load resistance training increased indices of muscle oxidative capacity and strength, which were not further augmented with the application of BFR. However, performance on a muscular endurance test was improved following BFR training.
Screening Hub Genes as Prognostic Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Bioinformatics Analysis

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a widespread, common type of cancer in Asian countries, and the need for biomarker-matched molecularly targeted therapy for HCC has been increasingly recognized. However, the effective treatment for HCC is unclear. Therefore, identifying additional hub genes and pathways as novel prognostic biomarkers for HCC is necessary. In this study, the expression profiles of GSE121248, GSE45267 and GSE84402 were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), including 132 HCC and 90 noncancerous liver tissues. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between HCC and noncancerous samples were identified by GEO2 R and Venn diagrams. In total, 109 DEGs were identified in these datasets, including 24 upregulated genes and 85 downregulated genes. Subsequently, Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) preliminary analyses of the DEGs were performed using DAVID. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network of the DEGs was constructed with the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes (STRING) and visualized in Cytoscape. Module analysis of the PPI network was performed using MCODE to get hub genes. Moreover, the influence of the hub genes on overall survival was determined with Kaplan–Meier plotter. All hub genes were analyzed by Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) and KEGG. Overall, the hub genes DTL, CDK1, CCNB1, RACGAP1, ECT2, NEK2, BUB1B, PBK, TOP2A, ASPM, HMMR, RRM2, CDKN3, PRC1, and ANLN were upregulated in HCC, and the survival rate was lower for HCC with increased expression of these hub genes. CCNB1, CDK1, and RRM2 were enriched in the p53 signaling pathway, and CCNB1, CDK1, and BUB1B were enriched in the cell cycle. In brief, we screened 15 hub genes and pathways to identify potential prognostic markers for HCC treatment. However, the specific occurrence and development of HCC with expression of the hub genes should be verified in vivo and in vitro.
IL6 and FAS/FASL gene polymorphisms may be associated with disease progression in HIV‐1‐positive ethnically mixed patients

The progression of AIDS depends on the complex host and virus interactions. The most important disease progression hallmarks are immune activation and apoptosis. In this study, we address the prevalence of polymorphisms related to proinflammatory and apoptotic genes, such as IFNG (+874T/A), TNF (308G/A), IL6 (−174G/C), IL8 (−251A/T), FAS (−670A/G), and FASL (−124A/G) in 160 ethnically mixed HIV‐1‐infected patients from multicentre cohorts with different clinical outcomes (13 elite controllers [EC], 66 slow long‐term non‐progressors [LTNPs], and 81 progressors [P]). The genotyping was accomplished by TaqMan‐qPCR. Among all the polymorphisms analyzed in the cytokines, the IL6 −174G/C polymorphism showed a higher frequency of GG genotype in the LTNP and LTNP+EC groups as compared to the P group. Moreover, there was a significantly higher frequency of the G allele in the LTNP and LTNP+EC groups as compared to the P group. On the other hand, the levels of CD4+ T lymphocytes were higher among individuals showing the AA and AG genotypes for the FASL −124A/G polymorphism as compared to the GG genotype. Furthermore, the AG and AA genotypes were more frequent, as compared to the GG genotype, in individuals showing a lower viral load. In contrast, for the FAS −670A/G polymorphism, a significantly higher viral load was observed in individuals with the AG genotype as compared to the GG genotype. In conclusion, we found three genetic allelic variants of the IL6 −174G/C, FASL −124A/G, and FAS −670A/G polymorphisms that were related to disease progression and immunological and virological markers in cohorts of HIV‐1‐positive ethnically mixed patients.
Continuing bonds and dreams following violent loss among Cambodian survivors of the Pol Pot era

Abstract In non-Western societies, two-way communication between the bereaved and deceased is important in distinguishing adaptive versus maladaptive continuing bonds (CBs). We examined CBs expressed in dreams among Cambodian survivors during the Pol Pot era. Participants completed measures addressing dreams of the deceased, complicated grief (CG), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Participants who reported distressing dreams were more likely to have witnessed violent deaths of loved ones during the Pol Pot era and reported more severe CG and PTSD symptoms relative to those reporting other types of dreams. Distressing visitation dreams were shown to mediate the effect of violent loss on CG but not on PTSD.
Platinum-Based Modification of Styrylbenzylsulfones as Multifunctional Antitumor Agents: Targeting RAS-RAF Pathway, Enhancing Antitumor Activity and Overcoming Multidrug Resistance.

Inhibiting/disturbing the RAS-RAF pathway may benefit the treatment of cancer and overcome the resistance. Utilizing such pathway as the target, nine styrylbenzylsulfone derivatives generated from the platinum-based modification of the side chain of Rigosertib were designed. Among them, compound 29 showed the most potent antitumor activity in vitro with IC50 values at nanomolar level against the tested tumor cell lines and 1000-fold higher than cisplatin against the multidrug resistant cells (A549/CDDP, A549/DOX, and SKOV-3/CDDP cells) while showed only moderate cytotoxicity against normal cells (HEUVC cells). Compound 29 could clearly disturb signaling transduction between RAS and CRAF by directly bonding to CRAF and inhibit CRAF activation. Besides, the enhanced intracellular platinum level made 29 more potent than cisplatin in DNA damage, ROS accumulation and mitochondrial membrane potential decrease. Moreover, 29 induced apoptosis by endogenous pathway and efficiently inhibited tumor growth in A549 xenograft model without side effect.
Outgrowth endothelial cells form a functional cerebral barrier and restore its integrity after damage

Breakdown of blood-brain barrier, formed mainly by brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs), represents the major cause of mortality during early phases of ischemic strokes. Hence, discovery of novel agents that can effectively replace dead or dying endothelial cells to restore blood-brain barrier integrity is of paramount importance in stroke medicine. Although endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) represent one such agents, their rarity in peripheral blood severely limits their adequate isolation and therapeutic use for acute ischemic stroke which necessitate their ex vivo expansion and generate early EPCs and outgrowth endothelial cells (OECs) as a result. Functional analyses of these cells, in the present study, demonstrated that only OECs endocytosed DiI-labelled acetylated low-density lipoprotein and formed tubules on matrigel, prominent endothelial cell and angiogenesis markers, respectively. Further analyses by flow cytometry demonstrated that OECs expressed specific markers for stemness (CD34), immaturity (CD133) and endothelial cells (CD31) but not for hematopoietic cells (CD45). Like BMECs, OECs established an equally tight in vitro model of human BBB with astrocytes and pericytes, suggesting their capacity to form tight junctions. Ischemic injury mimicked by concurrent deprivation of oxygen and glucose (4 hours) or deprivation of oxygen and glucose followed by reperfusion (20 hours) affected both barrier integrity and function in a similar fashion as evidenced by decreases in transendothelial electrical resistance and increases in paracellular flux, respectively. Wound scratch assays comparing the vasculoreparative capacity of cells revealed that, compared to BMECs, OECs possessed a greater proliferative and directional migratory capacity. In a triple culture model of BBB established with astrocytes, pericytes and BMEC, exogenous addition of OECs effectively repaired the damage induced on endothelial layer in serum-free conditions. Taken together, these data demonstrate that OECs may effectively home to the site of vascular injury and repair the damage to maintain (neuro)vascular homeostasis during or after a cerebral ischemic injury.
Janus Electrochemical Paper-Based Analytical Devices for Metals Detection in Aerosol Samples.

Exposure to trace metals in airborne particulate matter (PM) has been linked to various adverse health effects. Quantifying metals in PM is important; however, current analytical tools tend to be bulky and expensive. A need therefore exists for more rapid, low-cost, portable tools for multiplexed determination of metals in PM. Electrochemical paper-based devices (ePADs) have been used for detecting metals in PM but require different devices and methods for different metals, making the systems more complicated than desired. Recently reported Janus ePADs offer a solution to this problem by allowing for multiple electrochemical experiments from a single sample. Here, we sought to determine if a Janus ePAD containing four independent channels and working electrodes could be used for simultaneous detection of multiple metals in PM. Online sample pretreatment in each channel during sample delivery yielded optimal conditions for each experiment. The design allows the device to conduct square-wave anodic stripping voltammetry (SWASV) and square-wave cathodic stripping voltammetry (SWCSV) for simultaneous detection of Cd, Pb, Cu, Fe, and Ni from a single sample. Two detection zones each with shared reference and counter electrodes were used for SWASV and SWCSV, respectively. The proposed sensors reached LODs down to 0.5, 0.5, 1.0, 0.5, 1.0 μg L-1, for Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Fe(II), and Ni(II), respectively. The linear working ranges were 0.5-400.0 μg L-1 for Cd(II), Pb(II), and Fe(II), 1.0-400.0 μg L-1 for Cu(II), and 0.5-200.0 μg L-1 for Ni(II). The devices were applied for Cd(II), Pb(II), Cu(II), Fe(II), and Ni(II) determination in PM samples and the results agreed with those using traditional ICP-MS analyses at 95% confidence.
Acute interaction between human epicardial adipose tissue and human atrial myocardium induce arrhythmic susceptibility.

AIMS Epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) deposition has a strong clinical association with atrial arrhythmias; however, whether a direct functional interaction exists between EAT and the myocardium to induce atrial arrhythmias is unknown. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether human EAT can be an acute trigger for arrhythmias in human atrial myocardium. METHODS AND RESULTS Human trabeculae were obtained from right atrial appendages of cardiac surgery patients (n=89). The propensity of spontaneous contractions (SCs) in the trabeculae (proxy for arrhythmias) was determined under physiological conditions, and during known triggers of SCs (high Ca2+, β-adrenergic stimulation). To determine whether EAT could trigger SCs, trabeculae were exposed to superfusate of fresh human EAT, and medium of 24h-cultured human EAT treated with β1/2- (isoproterenol) or β3- (BRL37344) adrenergic agonists. Without exposure to EAT, high Ca2+ and β1/2-adrenergic stimulation acutely triggered SCs in, respectively, 47% and 55% of trabeculae that previously were not spontaneously active. Acute β3-adrenergic stimulation did not trigger SCs. Exposure of trabeculae to either superfusate of fresh EAT or untreated medium of 24h-cultured EAT did not induce SCs; however, specific β3-adrenergic stimulation of EAT did trigger SCs in the trabeculae, either when applied to fresh (31%) or cultured (50%) EAT. Additionally, fresh EAT increased trabecular contraction and relaxation, whereas media of cultured EAT only increased function when treated with the β3-adrenergic agonist. CONCLUSIONS An acute functional interaction between human EAT and human atrial myocardium exists that increases the propensity for atrial arrhythmias, which depends on β3-adrenergic rather than β1/2-adrenergic stimulation of EAT.
Journal of Anatomy January 2020

A Happy New Year to all. As we have done before in the January issue, we take this opportunity to give you a short account on the current state of Journal of Anatomy. We are pleased to report that the Journal is in good health and year on year is gaining in strength. We have again seen a record-breaking number of submissions to the Journal and from these we are able to publish high quality papers from across the areas highlighted in our mast head – Structure, Function, Development and Evolution. As ever, we seek to publish papers that give significant novel insights into normal anatomy. These include many that use experimental studies to elucidate the mechanisms underpinning the anatomy as well as descriptive studies that communicate broader functional and/or evolutionary anatomical significance. It is still our intent to offer an effective and speedy Editorial and review process. Currently, our average time to first decision is 26 days and the time to final decision about 39 days. The growth in the number of submissions and thus in the quality of the papers that we are publishing is further reflected in the increase in our impact factor year on year –
Arterial compression by an adjacent venous stent graft in a patient undergoing dialysis

Background: Stent graft is effective for management of balloon-angioplasty-related complications in hemodialysis access. These complications include post-angioplasty venous rupture, dissection/recoil, and acute formation of pseudoaneurysm. Case report: We report a stent-graft complication that caused immediate acute arterial insufficiency by external compression. An 84-year-old woman presented with acute arteriovenous graft thrombosis. During percutaneous balloon thrombectomy, a stent graft was placed because of persistent recoil and mural thrombus, but the flow into the arteriovenous graft immediately ceased. External compression of the brachial artery was observed. A nitinol self-expandable stent was deployed in the brachial artery to oppose the external compression. The flow in the arteriovenous graft was recovered. Conclusion: This case demonstrates the possibility of arterial compression by an adjacent venous stent graft, especially in a patient with a thin habitus and a brachial–brachial arteriovenous graft. Detailed identification of the outflow vein anatomy before stent implantation is mandatory to avoid such a complication.
Clinical Practice Guidelines: Cochlear Implants

C ochlear implants are an increasingly popular treatment for improving access to auditory information for persons with hearing loss. Since their initial approval by the Food andDrug Administration (FDA) in 1984 for use in adults with bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss, cochlear implant candidacy has expanded as a treatment option for children and individuals with varying degrees of hearing loss. Cochlear implant candidacy is likely to continue to evolve as evidence becomes available, which supports expanding its use for thosewho do not demonstrate benefit from acoustic amplification alone. As the number of individuals using cochlear implants increases, the need for access to appropriate evidence-based care from audiologists and cochlear implantmultidisciplinary teams continues to grow. Considerable variability in performance outcomes among recipients of a cochlear implant has been well documented in the scientific literature (e.g., Cosetti and Waltzman, 2012; Blamey and Artieres, 2013). A large number of factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic to the user, have been shown to impact postoperative performance with a cochlear implant. Many of these elements are outside the control of the audiologist and care team; however, one factor that can be addressed is access to appropriate services and follow-up care (Mertes and Chinnici, 2006). Although many professionals may be involved in the care and success of recipients of a cochlear implant, audiologists play a large role in diagnosis and counseling regarding hearing loss, providing services for candidacy determination, and delivering appropriate follow-up care to recipients of a cochlear implant. The audiologist will likely have a long-term relationship with their patients who have a cochlear implant, as appropriate follow-up care consists of routine appointments across the recipient’s lifetime. Despite the known importance of the audiologist and the services they provide to recipients of a cochlear implant, cochlear implant practice patterns vary widely across audiologists for both adult and pediatric populations (Uhler and Gifford, 2014; Vaerenberg et al, 2014; Hemmingson andMessersmith, 2018). Given the rise in cochlear implantation as an appropriate treatment option for individuals with hearing loss in light of variability in performance outcomes and variability in practice patterns across audiologists, a need for a best practice guideline document was identified.
Global Epidemiologic Characteristics of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Individuals Using Preexposure Prophylaxis for the Prevention of HIV Infection

Key Points Question What is the burden of sexually transmitted infections among individuals using preexposure prophylaxis (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the prevention of HIV infection? Findings This systematic review and meta-analysis identified 88 studies (71 published and 17 unpublished), with 26 (30%) from low- and middle-income countries. For studies reporting a composite outcome of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and early syphilis, the pooled prevalence was 23.9% at initiation of HIV preexposure prophylaxis, and the pooled incidence was 72.2 per 100 person-years during HIV preexposure prophylaxis. Meaning These estimates indicate a high burden of sexually transmitted infections among individuals initiating preexposure prophylaxis and persistent users of preexposure prophylaxis for the prevention of HIV infection, highlighting the opportunities for active integration of services for sexually transmitted infections and HIV preexposure prophylaxis.
Empirical Studies on Sensitivity to Perturbations and Hyperparameters in Bayesian Neural Networks

This paper examines the performance of two Bayesian Neural Networks, namely Monte-Carlo Dropout (MC-Dropout) and functional variational Bayesian Neural Networks (fBNN). The former specifies the prior distribution on weights, and the latter places the prior on stochastic processes (i.e., function space). We investigated their sensitivity to the change of hyperparameters, training set composition, and their ability to handle perturbed data. Their performances have been evaluated through empirical studies on the regression tasks. Moreover, their ability to detect out-of-distribution samples are examined.
Vegetation Drought Dynamic Analysis in European Russia

This research work deals with the spatial-temporal characteristics of the relationship between drought events (Standardized Precipitation Index [SPI]), land surface temperature (LSI) and vegetation indexes (VIs) in the spring-summer (May-August) over the European Russia (ER) from 2000 to 2018. We use Terra- MODIS - NDVI and LST product and TRMM for rainfall data. Statistical results indicate that year 2004, 2009 and 2015 were the most significant changing-point in mean annual rainfall values and VIs. Results indicate that vegetation area and VIs variate according to SPI values. Analysis results also indicate that low NDVI values (0.2-0.4) shift in high NDVI values (0.5-0.8) with high SPI values and viceversa, also high LST values associated with low VIs values and vice-versa, with correlation coefficients 0.90, means high-temperature show low vegetation. Correlation analysis of VIs, SPI and LST deficit shows that vegetation is closely related to rainfall and temperature, especially under the dry and wet conditions and indicates that this correlation can use for nearreal-time monitoring of vegetation drought dynamics. All predictions and monitoring using satellite-derived VIs is a low cost and effective means of identifying longer-term changes as opposed to natural inter-annual variability in vegetation growth.
SwitchScope: A View from the Inside

As modern switches become increasingly powerful, flexible, and even programmable, network operators have an ever greater need to monitor the behavior of their switches. Many existing systems provide the ability to observe and analyze traffic by treating switches as a black box, but do not provide visibility into the experience of packets within the switch. To fill this gap, we present SwitchScope, a telemetry system that illumes this black box and enables network operators to ask a suite of useful queries about the switch’s behavior of modifying, dropping, and forwarding packets in an intuitive and powerful Spark-like dataflow language. To minimize the overhead of SwitchScope on switch metadata, the Switch-Scope compiler uses a “tag little, compute early” approach that tags packets with metadata as they move through the switch pipeline, and computes queries as early as possible to free up metadata for later processing. SwitchScope also combines information from the ingress and egress pipelines to answer aggregate queries about packets dropped due to a full queue.