Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimizing thermal block length during infrared neural inhibition to minimize temperature thresholds

Objective. Infrared neural inhibition (INI) is a method of blocking the generation or propagation of neural action potentials through laser heating with wavelengths strongly absorbed by water. Recent work has identified that the distance heated along axons, the block length (BL), modulates the temperature needed for inhibition; however, this relationship has not been characterized. This study explores how BL during INI can be optimized towards minimizing its temperature threshold. Approach. To understand the relationship between BL and the temperature required for INI, excised nerves from Aplysia californica were laser-heated over different lengths of axon during electrical stimulation of compound action potentials. INI was provided by irradiation (λ = 1470 nm) from a custom probe (n = 6 nerves), and subsequent validation was performed by providing heat block using perfused hot media over nerves (n = 5 nerves). Main Results. Two BL regimes were identified. Short BLs (thermal full width at half maximum (tFWHM) = 0.81–1.13 mm) demonstrated that increasing the tFWHM resulted in lower temperature thresholds for INI (p < 0.0125), while longer BLs (tFWHM = 1.13–3.03 mm) showed no significant change between the temperature threshold and tFWHM (p > 0.0125). Validation of this longer regime was performed using perfused hot media over different lengths of nerves. This secondary heating method similarly showed no significant change (p > 0.025) in the temperature threshold (tFWHM = 1.25–4.42 mm). Significance. This work characterized how the temperature threshold for neural heat block varies with BL and identified an optimal BL around tFWHM = 1.13 mm which minimizes both the maximum temperature applied to tissue and the volume of tissue heated during INI. Understanding how to optimally target lengths of nerve to minimize temperature during INI can help inform the design of devices for longitudinal animal studies and human implementation.
Wide Field Swept Source Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography for the Evaluation of Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy and Associated Lesions: A Review

ABSTRACT Retinal imaging remains the mainstay for monitoring and grading diabetic retinopathy. The gold standard for detecting proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) requiring treatment has long been the seven-field stereoscopic fundus photography and fluorescein angiography. In the past decade, ultra-wide field fluorescein angiography (UWF-FA) has become more commonly used in clinical practice for the evaluation of more advanced diabetic retinopathy. Since its invention, optical coherence tomography (OCT) has been an important tool for the assessment of diabetic macular edema; however, OCT offered little in the assessment of neovascular changes associated with PDR until OCT-A became available. More recently, swept source OCT allowed larger field of view scans to assess a variety of DR lesions with wide field swept source optical coherence tomography (WF-SS-OCTA). This paper reviews the role of WF-SS-OCTA in detecting neovascularization of the disc (NVD), and elsewhere (NVE), microaneurysms, changes of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ), intraretinal microvascular abnormalities (IRMA), and capillary non-perfusion, as well as limitations of this evolving technology.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of Brookite.

Hydrothermal synthesis of brookite was performed at 110-200 °C within 24 h using amorphous TiO2 and sodium salts as the starting material. Brookite was obtained as an almost single phase at 200 °C and TiO2 / NaOH mole ratio ≅ 1. By the results of XPS and UV-vis measurements, brookite was considered to be formed from sodium titanate by releasing Na+ and H+ of the surface accompanied by oxidation of Ti in the structure.
Mixed ligand Ni(II) complexes: DNA binding, oxidative and photo-cleavage studies

Mixed ligand complexes of the type [Ni(phen)2(bnp)](PF6)2 · 2H2O (1) and [Ni(bpy)2(bnp)](PF6)2 · 2H2O (2) (where phen, 1,10,Phenanathroline; bpy, 2,2 bipyridine; bnp, benzo[1.8]naphthyridinone-2-ol) have been synthesized and characterized by employing analytical and spectral methods. The DNA binding properties of the complexes with calf thymus-DNA were studied by using absorption spectra, viscosity measurements as well as thermal denaturation experiments. The absorption spectra indicated that the Ni(II) complexes intercalate tightly between the base pairs of the DNA with intrinsic DNA binding constants of 1.9 × 104 M−1 for (1) and 2.5 × 104 M−1 for (2) in 5 mM Tris-HCl/50 mM NaCl buffer at pH 7.2, respectively. The large enhancement in the relative viscosity of DNA on binding to the bnp supports the proposed DNA binding modes. The oxidative cleavage and photo-cleavage activity of complexes (1) and (2) were studied. The photo-induced DNA cleavage activities of the complexes in the presence and absence of d.
Florid Bacillus cereus Infection of the Placenta Associated With Intrauterine Fetal Demise

Bacillus cereus is a gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly implicated in foodborne illness but has also become increasingly recognized as a source of serious non-gastrointestinal infections, including sepsis, meningitis, and pneumonia. Non-gastrointestinal B. cereus infections have been identified in children, especially in neonates; however, there are no previously described cases of fetal demise associated with B. cereus placental infection. We present a case of acute chorioamnionitis-related intrauterine fetal demise of twin A at 17 weeks gestation, noted two days after selective termination of twin B. Histological examination revealed numerous gram-positive bacilli in placental tissue, as well as fetal vasculature, in the setting of severe acute necrotizing chorioamnionitis and subchorionitis, intervillous abscesses, acute villitis, and peripheral acute funisitis. Cultures of maternal blood and placental tissue both yielded growth of B. cereus. This case underscores the importance of B. cereus as a human pathogen, and specifically demonstrates its potential as an agent of severe intraamniotic and placental infection with poor outcomes for the fetus.
Changes in Choroidal Component Ratio and Circulation After Coffee Intake in Healthy Subjects

Purpose The effects of coffee intake on the ratio of stromal and luminal components in the choroid and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. This prospective cross-sectional study aimed to explore how coffee intake affects the choroidal component ratio and circulation. Methods Forty-nine right eyes of healthy adult volunteers were evaluated as the coffee intake group. Thirty-two right eyes of healthy volunteers served as the control group. The participants consumed 185 mL of coffee or water, respectively, and the systemic hemodynamics, enhanced-depth imaging optical coherence tomographic (EDI-OCT) images, and foveal mean blur rate (MBR), an indicator of blood flow velocity, were recorded at baseline and after coffee or water intake. The EDI-OCT images were binarized using ImageJ software, and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SCT) and whole, luminal, and stromal choroidal areas were calculated. Results In the coffee intake group, significant decreases in SCT and luminal area peaked at 60 minutes after intake (both P < 0.001), whereas a significant increase in MBR peaked at 30 minutes (P < 0.001). No significant stromal area fluctuations were observed. SCT and luminal area fluctuations exhibited a significant positive correlation (r = 0.978, P < 0.001). Significant negative correlations of luminal area fluctuations with MBR fluctuations were observed by stepwise regression analysis (r = –0.220, P < 0.001). The control group exhibited no significant fluctuations. Conclusions Coffee-induced choroidal thinning may result mainly from a reduction in the choroidal vessel lumen, and this vessel lumen reduction correlated with an increased choroidal blood flow velocity after coffee intake. These coffee-induced changes in choroidal component ratio and circulation should be considered when evaluating choroids.
Drug repurposing against breast cancer by integrating drug-exposure expression profiles and drug–drug links based on graph neural network

Abstract Motivation Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths among women worldwide. It is necessary to develop new breast cancer drugs because of the shortcomings of existing therapies. The traditional discovery process is time-consuming and expensive. Repositioning of clinically approved drugs has emerged as a novel approach for breast cancer therapy. However, serendipitous or experiential repurposing cannot be used as a routine method. Results In this study, we proposed a graph neural network model GraphRepur based on GraphSAGE for drug repurposing against breast cancer. GraphRepur integrated two major classes of computational methods, drug network-based and drug signature-based. The differentially expressed genes of disease, drug-exposure gene expression data and the drug–drug links information were collected. By extracting the drug signatures and topological structure information contained in the drug relationships, GraphRepur can predict new drugs for breast cancer, outperforming previous state-of-the-art approaches and some classic machine learning methods. The high-ranked drugs have indeed been reported as new uses for breast cancer treatment recently. Availabilityand implementation The source code of our model and datasets are available at: https://github.com/cckamy/GraphRepur and https://figshare.com/articles/software/GraphRepur_Breast_Cancer_Drug_Repurposing/14220050. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Long-Term Colorectal Cancer Incidence and Mortality After Colonoscopy Screening According to Individuals' Risk Profiles.

BACKGROUND It remains unknown whether the benefit of colonoscopy screening against colorectal cancer (CRC) and the optimal age to start screening differ by CRC risk-profile. METHODS Among 75,873 women and 42,875 men, we defined a CRC risk score (0-8) based on family history, aspirin, height, body mass index, smoking, physical-activity, alcohol, and diet. We calculated colonoscopy screening-associated hazard ratios (HRs) and absolute risk reductions (ARRs) for CRC incidence and mortality and age-specific CRC cumulative incidence according to risk score. All statistical tests were 2-sided. RESULTS During a median of 26 years' follow-up, we documented 2,407 CRC cases and 874 CRC deaths. While the screening-associated hazard ratio did not vary by risk score, the absolute risk reductions in multivariable-adjusted 10-year CRC incidence more than doubled for individuals with score 6-8 (ARR = 0.34%, 95% CI = 0.26% to 0.42%) compared to 0-2 (ARR = 0.15%, 95% CI = 0.12% to 0.18%; Ptrend<0.001). Similar results were found for CRC mortality (ARR = 0.22% [95% CI = 0.21% to 0.24%] vs. 0.08% [95% CI = 0.07% to 0.08%]; Ptrend<0.001). The absolute risk reduction in mortality of distal-colon and rectal cancers was four-fold higher for score 6-8 than 0-2 (distal-colon cancer: ARR = 0.08% [95% CI = 0.07% to 0.08%] vs. 0.02% [95% CI = 0.02% to 0.02%], Ptrend <0.001; rectal cancer: ARR = 0.08% [95% CI = 0.08% to 0.09%] vs. 0.02% [95% CI = 0.02% to 0.03%], Ptrend <0.001). When using age 45 years as the benchmark to start screening, individuals with risk score of 0-2, 3, 4, 5, and 6-8 attained the threshold CRC risk level (10-year cumulative risk of 0.47%) at age 51, 48, 45, 42, and 38 years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The absolute benefit of colonoscopy screening is more than twice higher for individuals with the highest than lowest CRC risk profile. Individuals with a high and low risk profile may start screening up to 6-7 years earlier and later, respectively, than the recommended age 45 years.
MBP‐activated autoimmunity plays a role in arsenic‐induced peripheral neuropathy and the potential protective effect of mecobalamin

Intake excessive arsenic (As) is related to the occurrence of peripheral neuropathy. However, both the underlying mechanism and the preventive approach remain largely unknown. In the present study, As treatment significantly decreased the mechanical withdrawal threshold and increased the titer of anti‐myelin basic protein antibody in rats, accompanied with damaged BNB. The levels of inflammatory cytokines and proteolytic enzymes were also significantly upregulated. However, administration of MeCbl in As‐treated rats significantly reversed the decline in hindfoot mechanical withdrawal threshold, as well as BNB failure and sciatic nerve inflammation. Repeated As treatment in athymic nude mice indicated that sciatic nerve inflammation and mechanical hyperalgesia were T cell‐dependent. These data implicated that MBP‐activated autoimmunity and the related neuroinflammation probably contributed to As‐induced mechanical hyperalgesia and MeCbl exerted a protective role probably via maintenance the integrity of BNB and inhibition of neuroinflammation.
Tissue factor potentiates adherence of breast cancer cells to human umbilical vein endothelial cells under static and flow conditions

ABSTRACT Tissue factor (TF) has been extensively studied for tumor metastasis, but its role in mediating cancer cell adhesion to vasculature remains unknown. This study aimed to measure the ability of TF to mediate the adhesion of breast cancer cells to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). MDA-MB-231 cells expressed the highest TF level and adhered more to HUVECs under static and flow conditions, a neutralizing TF antibody abolished the enhanced adhesion of MDA-MB-231 cells to HUVECs. Recombinant human soluble TF (rTF) bonded β1integrin on HUVECs surfaces, β1 or α3integrin antibody combined with TF antibody abolished more cell-cell adhesion. These data suggested that TF mediated adhesion of breast cancer cells to endothelial cells may rely on β1integrin on HUVECs surfaces.
A literature survey on antimicrobial and immune-modulatory effects of butyrate revealing non-antibiotic approaches to tackle bacterial infections

The excessive prescription of antibiotics has led to an increasing number of antimicrobial resistances, posing a major public health concern. Therefore, the pharmacological research has shifted its focus to the identification of natural compounds that exhibit anti-pathogenic properties without triggering antibiotic resistance. Butyrate has received increasing attention as a promising candidate for the treatment of bacterial infections in the gastrointestinal tract, particularly when antibiotic treatment is contraindicated. This literature survey summarizes recently investigated antibacterial and immunemodulatory effects of butyrate. This survey revealed that butyrate exerts direct antimicrobial effects against distinct strains of Acinetobacter baumannii, Escherichia coli, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus species. In addition, in vitro and in vivo studies confirmed indirect antimicrobial effects of butyrate, which were exhibited via induction of host defensin production as well as by activation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Finally, the synergistic action of butyrate in combination with other antimicrobial compounds results in a striking clearance of bacterial pathogens. In conclusion, butyrate and its derivatives might be considered as promising antibacterial and immune-modulatory agents in order to tackle bacterial infections without antibiotics.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Relevance of Serum Irisin Level in Patients with Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND We aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of serum irisin level in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) admitted to the emergency department. METHODS Ninety patients who underwent computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) due to suspected PE were included in the study. Demographic data, PE risk factors, and associated diseases, vital signs, Wells score, Revised Geneva score, pulmonary embolism severity index (PESI), and simplified PESI (sPESI) were recorded. Irisin levels were measured by enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay. RESULTS Serum irisin level in patients with confirmed PE (n = 45) was significantly lower than that in patients (n = 45) without PE (p = 0.001). On receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, use of optimal irisin cutoff level of 8.6 µg/mL for diagnosis of PE was associated with 82.2% sensitivity, 60% specificity, 67.3% positive predictive value (PPV), and 77.1% negative predictive value (NPV) [area under the curve (AUC): 0.744, 95% confidence in-terval (CI): 0.641 - 0.830, p < 0.001)]. Use of optimal D-dimer cutoff level of 1,720 µg/L was associated with 86.7% sensitivity, 62.2% specificity, 69.6% PPV, and 82.4% NPV (AUC: 0.801, 95% CI: 0.704 - 0.878, p < 0.001). Irisin level showed no significant correlation with Wells score or revised Geneva score; however, irisin level showed a significant negative correlation with PESI and sPESI. CONCLUSIONS Patients with acute PE showed significantly lower serum levels of irisin. The sensitivity, specificity, NPV, and PPV of irisin level for diagnosis of PE were lower than those of D-dimer.
Investigating the exposure and impact of chemical UV filters on coral reef ecosystems: Review and research gap prioritization

Coral reefs are among the world's most productive and biologically diverse ecosystems. In recent decades, they have experienced an unparalleled decline resulting from various anthropogenically induced stressors. Ultraviolet (UV) filters found in personal care products, such as sunscreen, are chemical pollutants that are emerging as a growing toxic threat to reef organisms. In this study, a systematic literature review was conducted to (1) determine the current understanding of spatial distribution and the occurrence of UV filters exposed to the marine environment, (2) synthesize current ecotoxicological thresholds of relevant reef organisms under various UV‐filter exposures, (3) identify research gaps related to both exposure and toxicity of UV filters in coral reef ecosystems. With gaps identified, a survey was developed and distributed to experts in the field representing academic, governmental, not‐for‐profit, and industry researchers in order to prioritize research gaps and inform future research efforts. The survey identified the need for better understanding of the impacts of co‐stressors, long‐term exposure, mixture, and degradation product exposure and realistic environmental conditions. Ultimately, this review will help guide priority research efforts to understand the risks of UV‐filter exposure to coral reef ecosystems. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2021;17:967–981. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Anatomic Variation of the Superficial Temporal Artery and Posterior Auricular Artery in a Pediatric Moyamoya Disease Population

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In certain cases of pediatric patients with Moyamoya disease undergoing encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis (EDAS) treatment, the posterior auricular artery can be used as an alternative when the parietal branch of the superficial temporal artery is unavailable. In this study, anatomic variations of the superficial temporal and posterior auricular arteries in pediatric patients with Moyamoya disease and postoperative outcomes of posterior auricular artery-EDAS are explored. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of 572 patients with Moyamoya disease who underwent surgical procedures from 2007 to 2017 at the Seoul National University Children's Hospital were reviewed. Anatomic classifications of the superficial temporal and posterior auricular arteries were based on previous classifications. Postoperative hemodynamic changes of posterior auricular artery-EDAS were analyzed using the Matsushima grade. Also, Karnofsky Performance Scale and mRS scores of posterior auricular artery-EDAS cases were reviewed to identify postoperative clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Among 1144 hemispheres, 24 were considered posterior auricular artery-EDAS candidates (2.1%). Of those, 10 hemispheres underwent posterior auricular artery-EDAS (41.7%, in total hemispheres 0.9%). Comparing the Matsushima grades of the superficial temporal artery-EDAS and posterior auricular artery-EDAS groups showed similar postoperative revascularization. Postoperative Karnofsky Performance Scale and mRS scores of patients having undergone posterior auricular artery-EDAS did not show deterioration. CONCLUSIONS: In approximately 2% of pediatric patients with Moyamoya disease for whom the superficial temporal artery is unavailable as the EDAS donor, the posterior auricular artery can be considered an alternative. On the basis of the results, the clinical outcome of posterior auricular artery-EDAS was not inferior to that of superficial temporal artery-EDAS. Hence, we suggest an in-depth consideration of the posterior auricular artery as the donor artery if the superficial temporal artery parietal branch is unavailable.
Flash Continuous Glucose Monitoring: A Practical Guide and Call to Action for Pharmacists

Despite advances in diabetes technology, the proportion of patients with type 2 diabetes achieving recommended glycemic goals remains suboptimal. There is a growing interest in flash continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) among patients, pharmacists and providers. Pharmacists are well positioned to collaborate with patients and providers in ambulatory care or community-based settings to allow a greater number of patients with diabetes to harness the benefits of flash CGM. The purpose of this narrative review is to provide pharmacists with a background on flash CGM technology, review the data supporting pharmacist-driven flash CGM services, and address common questions that arise in pharmacy practice surrounding flash CGM.
Reversible photodarkening and structural changes in As2S3 thin films

Abstract The photodarkening effect in evaporated As2S3 films has been studied. Optical transmissivity was measured and its dependence on intensity, wavelength, temperature and previous thermal history was found. A structural investigation was also made using Raman spectroscopy. A feature at 231 cm−1 in the Raman spectra, which is associated with homopolar As–As bonds, is enhanced after photodarkening. A model based on the redistribution of chemical bonds under illumination is used to explain the results.
Effects of aqueous chemistry on the binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons by dissolved humic materials

The influence of solution chemistry on the binding of three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by well-characterized humic material (Suwannee River humic and fulvic acid) was examined by using fluorescence quenching techniques. The experiments show that binding is complete within 3 min and that the fluorescence of PAH compounds associated with the humic substances is fully quenched as evidenced by quantum yields which approached zero for all systems. These observations validate the use of fluorescence quenching in determining partition coefficients. In NaCl solutions, the binding of PAHs by Suwannee River humic material generally decreased with increases in pH (constant ionic strength) and generally decreased with increasing ionic strength (fixed pH). The presence of Ca[sup 2+] yielded mixed results: at neutral to high pH values, it generally increased the binding of PAHs relative to that in NaCl solutions, while at low pH it generally had little effect on the binding. From the results of this study, it is hypothesized that the binding of a particular PAH compound by Suwannee River humic substances depends not only on the hydrophobicity of the PAH solute but also on the size of the solute molecule and its ability to fit into hydrophobic cavities in humic andmore » fulvic material. This hypothesis is supported by the experimental observations above, as well as the failure of a Flory-Huggins partitioning (i.e., dissolution) model to consistently characterize the hydrophobic environment of the humic substances. 47 refs., 6 figs., 3 tabs. « less