Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antiviral Strategies against Arthritogenic Alphaviruses

Alphaviruses are members of the Togaviridae family that are mainly transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes. In the last decades, several alphaviruses have re-emerged, causing outbreaks worldwide. One example is the re-emergence of chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in 2004, which caused massive epidemics in the Indian Ocean region after which the virus dramatically spread to the Americas in late 2013. Besides CHIKV, other alphaviruses, such as the Ross River virus (RRV), Mayaro virus (MAYV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), have emerged and have become a serious public health concern in recent years. Infections with the Old World alphaviruses (e.g., CHIKV, RRV) are primarily associated with polyarthritis and myalgia that can persist for months to years. On the other hand, New World alphaviruses such as VEEV cause mainly neurological disease. Despite the worldwide (re-)emergence of these viruses, there are no antivirals or vaccines available for the treatment or prevention of infections with alphaviruses. It is therefore of utmost importance to develop antiviral strategies against these viruses. We here provided an overview of the reported antiviral strategies against arthritogenic alphaviruses. In addition, we highlighted the future perspectives for the development and the proper use of such antivirals.
Personalized Computational Models of Tissue-Rearrangement in the Scalp Predict the Mechanical Stress Signature of Rotation Flaps

Objective: To elucidate the mechanics of scalp rotation flaps through 3D imaging and computational modeling. Excessive tension near a wound or sutured region can delay wound healing or trigger complications. Measuring tension in the operating room is challenging, instead, noninvasive methods to improve surgical planning are needed. Design: Multi-view stereo allows creation of 3D patient-specific geometries based on a set of photographs. The patient-specific 3D geometry is imported into a finite element (FE) platform to perform a virtual procedure. The simulation is compared with the clinical outcome. Additional simulations quantify the effect of individual flap parameters on the resulting tension distribution. Participants: Rotation flaps for reconstruction of scalp defects following melanoma resection in 2 cases are presented. Rotation flaps were designed without preoperative FE preparation. Main Outcome Measure: Tension distribution over the operated region. Results: The tension from FE shows peaks at the base and distal ends of the scalp rotation flap. The predicted geometry from the simulation aligns with postoperative photographs. Simulations exploring the flap design parameters show variation in the tension. Lower tensions were achieved when rotation was oriented with respect to skin tension lines (horizontal tissue fibers) and smaller rotation angles. Conclusions: Tension distribution following rotation of scalp flaps can be predicted through personalized FE simulations. Flaps can be designed to reduce tension using FE, which may greatly improve the reliability of scalp reconstruction in craniofacial surgery, critical in complex cases when scalp reconstruction is essential for coverage of hardware, implants, and/or bone graft.
Participants’ lived experience of pursuing personal goals in the Illness Management and Recovery program

Background: The Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program is designed to support people diagnosed with severe mental illness in developing tailored illness-management skills and to pursue personal goals. Although IMR is a goal-oriented program, little is know about the participants’ experience of goal-setting as part of IMR. Aim: To describe participants’ lived experience of personal goal-setting as part of the Illness Management and Recovery program (IMR). Method: A descriptive, phenomenological research design was employed with individual interviews. Results: IMR helped the participants break down their personal goals into manageable short-term goals. The main themes were as follows: ‘We were guided to set clearer and specific goals in IMR’, ‘We were encouraged to pursue our personal goals in IMR’ and ‘We were encouraged and supported to resume work on our goals when we stopped making progress’. The findings emphasise goal-setting in IMR as a means to instilling hope for the future and work on goals. Conclusions: The participants learned to identify, articulate and initiate work towards short- and long-term goals when guided by the instructor and supported by peers in the IMR group. Goal-setting is a useful method for breaking down personal recovery goals into a practical short-term goals and motivating participants to pursue them. The findings indicate goal-setting is an important part of the IMR-program, but suggest that flexibility in goal-setting is needed, especially in the time required to achieve personal goals.
A Narrow Endemic or a Species Showing Disjunct Distribution? Studies on Meehania montis-koyae Ohwi (Lamiaceae)

Meehania montis-koyae Ohwi (Lamiaceae), which has been considered a narrow endemic and endangered species in Japan, was found in eastern China in 2011. China and Japan belong to the same floristic region and share many plant species, but it is very rare that Japanese narrow endemic species are newly found outside of the country. We examined herbarium specimens of both countries, and conducted analyses of molecular phylogenetics, population genetics, and divergence time estimation using two nuclear (ITS and ETS) gene regions and MIG-seq data. Chinese plants tend to become larger than Japanese, and they are different in leaf shape and floral features. Molecular phylogenetic analysis shows Chinese and Japanese M. montis-koyae are the closest relatives to each other. Population genetic analysis indicates no current gene flow between the Chinese and Japanese populations, and divergence time analysis shows they were separated during the late Miocene. We reach the conclusion that Chinese and Japanese M. montis-koyae have already become distinct biological entities, and a new taxon name Meehania zheminensis A. Takano, Pan Li, G. -H.Xia is proposed for the Chinese plants. A key to Asian Meehania species is provided.
Case Study—Spiking Neural Network Hardware System for Structural Health Monitoring

This case study provides feasibility analysis of adapting Spiking Neural Networks (SNN) based Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) system to explore low-cost solution for inspection of structural health of damaged buildings which survived after natural disaster that is, earthquakes or similar activities. Various techniques are used to detect the structural health status of a building for performance benchmarking, including different feature extraction methods and classification techniques (e.g., SNN, K-means and artificial neural network etc.). The SNN is utilized to process the sensory data generated from full-scale seven-story reinforced concrete building to verify the classification performances. Results show that the proposed SNN hardware has high classification accuracy, reliability, longevity and low hardware area overhead.
Characterizing Phage-Host Interactions in a Simplified Human Intestinal Barrier Model

An intestinal epithelium model able to produce mucus was developed to provide an environment suitable for testing the therapeutic activity of gut bacteriophages. We show that Enterococcus faecalis adheres more effectively in the presence of mucus, can invade the intestinal epithelia and is able to translocate after damaging tight junctions. Furthermore, Enterococcus phage vB_EfaM_A2 (a member of Herelleviridae that possesses virion associated immunoglobin domains) was found to translocate through the epithelium in the presence and absence of its host bacteria. Phage A2 protected eukaryotic cells by reducing mortality and maintaining the structure of the cell layer structure. We suggest the mammalian cell model utilized within this study as an adaptable in vitro model that can be employed to enable a better understanding of phage–bacteria interactions and the protective impact of phage therapy relating to the intestinal epithelium.
The value of S-Detect in improving the diagnostic performance of radiologists for the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules.

AIMS To compare the diagnostic value of S-Detect (a computer aided diagnosis system using deep learning) in differentiating thyroid nodules in radiologists with different experience and to assess if S-Detect can improve the diagnostic performance of radiologists. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between February 2018 and October 2019, 204 thyroid nodules in 181 patients were included. An experienced radiologist performed ultrasound for thyroid nodules and obtained the result of S-Detect. Four radiologists with different experience on thyroid ultrasound (Radiologist 1, 2, 3, 4 with 1, 4, 9, 20 years, respectively) analyzed the conventional ultrasound images of each thyroid nodule and made a diagnosis of "benign" or "malignant" based on the TI-RADS category. After referring to S-Detect results, they re-evaluated the diagnoses. The diagnostic performance of radiologists was analyzed before and after referring to the results of S-Detect. RESULTS The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of S-Detect were 77.0, 91.3, 65.2, 68.3 and 90.1%, respectively. In comparison with the less experienced radiologists (radiologist 1 and 2), S-Detect had a higher area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), accuracy and specificity (p <0.05). In comparison with the most experienced radiologist, the diagnostic accuracy and AUC were lower (p<0.05). In the less experienced radiologists, the diagnostic accuracy, specificity and AUC were significantly improved when combined with S-Detect (p<0.05), but not for experienced radiologists (radiologist 3 and 4) (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS S-Detect may become an additional diagnostic method for the diagnosis of thyroid nodules and improve the diagnostic performance of less experienced radiologists.
COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, health behaviors, and policy support

Abstract Conspiracy theories have been proliferating during the COVID-19 pandemic. Evidence suggests that belief in conspiracy theories undermines engagement in pro-health behaviors and support for public health policies. Moreover, previous work suggests that inoculating messages from opinion leaders that expose conspiracy theories as false before people are exposed to them can help to prevent belief in new conspiracies. Goals of this study were to: (a) explore associations between COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs with SARS-CoV-2 vaccine intentions, cooperation with public health recommendations, and support for public health policies among U.S. adults and (b) investigate trusted sources of COVID-19 information to inform strategies to address conspiracy beliefs. A cross-sectional, online survey was conducted with 845 U.S. adults in April 2020. Data were analyzed using analyses of variance and multivariable regressions. One-third (33%) of participants believed one or more conspiracies about COVID-19. Participants who believed conspiracies reported that their intentions to vaccinate were 3.9 times lower and indicated less support for COVID-19 public health policies than participants who disbelieved conspiracies. There were no differences in cooperation with public health recommendations by conspiracy belief endorsement in the multivariable regression analysis. Although there were some key differences in trusted sources of COVID-19 information, doctor(s) were the most trusted source of information about COVID-19 overall with 90% of participants trusting doctor(s). Doctor(s) may play a role in addressing COVID-19 conspiracy theories before people are exposed to them to promote COVID-19 prevention efforts.
COMPARE OF TWO METHODS OF DIRECT PCR AND PCR WITH DNA EXTRACTION IN CLOSTRIDIUM PERFRINGENS TYPING

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a suitable method for detecting pathogenic agents and first step in this process is DNA extraction. DNA extraction enumerate as a long stage in molecular genetic researches that is longer than total PCR process in some cases. The aim of this research is use of direct PCR (without DNA extraction) for different typing of Clostridium perfringens. In this study direct PCR and also PCR by extracted DNA was implemented on the A, B, C and D types of Clostridium perfringens. For this purpose four pairs of specific primers that were complementary with parts of the genes encoding α, β, e and ι toxins of this bacterium were used. In both direct PCR and PCR by extracted DNA, 196, 324 and 655 bp fragments were amplified that are dependent to α, β and e toxins respectively. Upshot different strains of this bacterium were identified based on amplified fragment length in PCR. The result showed that success of PCR is simple from colony directly and quality of created bands is the same in both methods. Therefore, use of this method is recommended because the direct PCR reduce time, steps and cost of PCR and provide possibility of testing many samples in shorter times provides.
A rare case of the pancreas with heterotopic gastric mucosa detected by EUS (with video)

Pancreas with heterotopic gastric mucosa is a rare congenital malformation and hardly be detected.In the embryonic stages, primitive gut, including foregut, midgut and hindgut, originated in the gastrula endoderm. Stomach and pancreas were stemed from the ending of foregut. When abnormal differentiation occurred, pancreatic tissue was usually ectopic to the stomach, but heterotopic gastric mucosa of the pancreas was rare. This malformation was usually confirmed by post-operative pathology. We report a case of congenital malformation of heterotopic gastric mucosa of pancreas detected by EUS and contrast enhanced EUS. The manifestations in EUS are different from the pancreatic cyst lesion.
Serious Inhalation Injuries From Military Operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria

Objective: To characterize serious inhalation injuries seen during recent military operations, and assess whether bronchoscopic severity findings were associated with clinical presentation and outcomes. Methods: Service members who suffered inhalation injuries while deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria from 2001-2018 were identified using ICD-9 and 10 codes from the Expeditionary Medical Encounter Database (EMED), which is abstracted from patient records in forward-deployed medical facilities. Further information including demographics, mechanism of injury, mortality, total burn surface area (TBSA), degree of facial burn, total Injury Severity Score (ISS), and first post-injury bronchoscopy notes were collected. Patients were excluded with ISS less than 16 or without sufficient details regarding bronchoscopy. Injuries were grouped based on bronchoscopic Abbreviated Injury Scores (AIS) into low-grade (AIS of 1), moderate-grade (AIS of 2), or high-grade (AIS of 3 or 4). Results: 91 patients met inclusion criteria, with no significant differences in age, gender, paygrade, or service branch between degrees of injury. There were no statistical correlations between grade of injury and battle versus non-battle injury, blast versus non-blast mechanism, TBSA, or degree of facial burn. High-grade injuries had significantly higher ISS than low or moderate-grade injuries. After adjusting for ISS, the odds ratio of death was 10.4 (95% CI 1.47 to 74.53) for those with high-grade and 3.7 (95% CI 0.45 to 32.30) for those with moderate-grade compared to low-grade injuries. Conclusion: In this cohort of deployed military members with inhalation injuries, initial bronchoscopic severity findings are strongly associated with mortality even after adjusting for ISS. The AIS may be an important prognostic tool in all of those with serious inhalation injuries.
Phage display selection of recombinant antibodies derived from a chicken immune library against cryopreserved Eimeria tenella sporozoites

Phage Display Selection of Recombinant Antibodies Derived from a Chicken Immune Library against Cryopreserved Eimeria tenella Sporozoites. (August 2006) Daad Ali Abi Ghanem, B.S.; M.S., American University of Beirut, Lebanon Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Luc R. Berghman An antibody library against Eimeria tenella sporozoites was constructed by phage display. Total RNA was isolated from the spleen, bone marrow, and ceca of immune chickens, and was used to reverse-transcribe cDNA. Heavy and light antibody variable genes were amplified from cDNA by the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), using primer pairs that contain complementary sequences encoding a short linker sequence. The single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) was obtained by a secondary overlap PCR with primers that incorporate SfiI restriction sites, thus allowing for subsequent cloning into the phagemid vector pComb3X. Vector and scFv insert were digested with SfiI, ligated, and transformed into competent XL1-Blue Escherichia coli cells by electroporation, yielding a library with 7.4 x 10 total transformants. The culture was grown under carbenicillin selective pressure, rescued with helper phage, and the antibody-displaying phage was precipitated by PEG/NaCl, and subsequently used for panning. Five panning rounds were performed using cryopreserved E. tenella sporozoites, with a gradual increase of washing stringency to select for specific, highaffinity binders. A 1000-fold increase in phage output was obtained after 3 rounds of
Effects of Age on Long-Term Functional Recovery in Patients with Stroke

Background and objectives: Age might be a determinant that limits functional recovery in patients with stroke. Here, we investigated the effect of age on functional recovery within 30 months after stroke onset. Materials and Methods: This retrospective longitudinal study enrolled 111 patients with first-ever stroke. Functional recovery was assessed at 2 weeks and at 1, 6, and 30 months after stroke onset using the modified Barthel Index (MBI), modified Rankin Score (mRS), functional ambulation category (FAC), muscle strength, and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). A generalized estimating equation analysis was performed. Results: With the MBI, function improved until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in patients ≥70 years. At 30 months after stroke, there was no significant change of MBI in patients aged <70 years, whereas there was a significant decline in older patients. With the mRS and FAC, function improved until 30 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in older patients. Motor deficit, assessed using the Medical Research Council (MRC), improved significantly until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years. There was a significant improvement in cognition (assessed using the MMSE) until 6 months after stroke onset in patients aged <70 years and until 1 month after stroke onset in older patients. Conclusions: Long-term functional recovery occurred for up to 30 months after stroke. Patients aged ≥70 years showed functional decline between 6 and 30 months after onset. These findings could be useful when measuring functional recovery after stroke.
High efficiency shoot regeneration from calluses of strawberry (Fragaria X ananassa Duch.) stipules of in vitro shoot cultures

A highly efficient method of shoot regeneration was developed from calluses of four culti- vars of strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa Duch.), ‘Addie’, ‘Dana’, ‘Gea’ and ‘Santana’, grown in vitro. Optimum shoot regeneration (84-96% of the explants), with four to eight shoots was obtained from calluses developed from stipules near the internal zone between petiole and stipule, on Murashige and Skoog (1962) or Gamborg et al. (1968) media, supplemented with 3% (w/v) glucose, 10 [iM BAP and 2.5 IBA and 0.8% agar. The calluses continued to produce shoots for at least six subsequent subcultures. This has been reported, up to now, only in juvenile explants. Microscopic observation showed no preformed buds or meristematic groups of cells in the connecting zone of petiole and stipule prior to culture. However, there were several layers of cells in this area containing higher amounts of starch, which were not observed in the cells of the bottom or in the external side of the stipule. Regeneration from stipules occurr.
Foods of White-tailed Deer, Odocoileus virginianus, in Martin County, Indiana

Rumen contents of 132 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from southern Indiana were analyzed and tabulated by seasons to show frequency of occurrence and percentage of total volume. Overall, the seven most important taxa were grass (late winter), Japanese honeysuckle, acorns, English plantain, persimmon, poison ivy and . Virginia creeper. Only 19 taxa were eaten in sufficient amounts for each to comprise more than 1.0% of the yearly volume. Most of the diet consisted of commercially unimportant species. About 3.0% of the winter diet was leafless twigs.
IgE-Mediated Immune Response and Antibody-Mediated Rejection.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Active antibody-mediated rejection is the main cause of kidney transplant loss, sharing with SLE the alloimmune response and the systemic activation of the IFN-α pathway. IgE-mediated immune response plays a key role in the development of SLE nephritis and is associated with IFN-α secretion. The aim of our study was to investigate IgE-mediated immune response in antibody-mediated rejection. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS This was a cross-sectional study of 56 biopsy-proven antibody-mediated rejection study participants, 80 recipients with normal graft function/histology (control), 16 study participants with interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy, and six participants with SLE. We evaluated graft IgE deposition, tryptase (a mast cell marker), and CD203 (a specific marker of activated basophils) by immunofluorescence/confocal microscopy. In addition, we measured serum concentration of human myxovirus resistance protein 1, an IFN-α-induced protein, and anti-HLA IgE. RESULTS We observed a significantly higher IgE deposition in tubules and glomeruli in antibody-mediated rejection (1766±79 pixels) and SLE (1495±43 pixels) compared with interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy (582±122 pixels) and control (253±50 pixels). Patients with antibody-mediated rejection, but not control patients and patients with interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy, presented circulating anti-HLA IgE antibodies, although with a low mean fluorescence intensity. In addition, immunofluorescence revealed the presence of both mast cells and activated basophils in antibody-mediated rejection but not in control and interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy. The concentration of circulating basophils was significantly higher in antibody-mediated rejection compared with control and interstitial fibrosis/tubular atrophy. MxA serum levels were significantly higher in antibody-mediated rejection compared with control and correlated with the extent of IgE deposition. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that IgE deposition and the subsequent recruitment of basophils and mast cells within the kidney transplant might play a role in antibody-mediated rejection.