Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MiR-376a-3p alleviates the development of glioma through negatively regulating KLF15.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to uncover the role of microRNA-376a-3p (miR-376a-3p) in mediating migratory and invasive capacities of glioma, as well as the underlying mechanism. PATIENTS AND METHODS MiR-376a-3p levels in 39 collected glioma tissues were detected. After collecting clinical data of included glioma patients, the relationship between miR-376a-3p level and clinical features of glioma was analyzed. Next, regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on proliferative and metastatic capacities of U251 and T98-G cells were assessed. Downstream genes of miR-376a-3p were searched by bioinformatics approach. At last, the involvement of KLF15 in the development of glioma regulated by miR-376a-3p was explored. RESULTS It was found that miR-376a-3p was lowly expressed in glioma tissues. Low level of miR-376a-3p was linked to high metastasis rate and poor prognosis in glioma. Besides, overexpression of miR-376a-3p suppressed proliferative and metastatic capacities of glioma cells. KLF15, the downstream gene binding miR-376a-3p, was highly expressed in glioma, and displayed a negative correlation to miR-376a-3p. Notably, KLF15 was able to abolish the regulatory effects of miR-376a-3p on phenotypes of glioma cells. CONCLUSIONS MiR-376a-3p is related to lymphatic metastasis and distant metastasis of glioma, and alleviates metastasis of glioma by negatively regulating KLF15.
Effluent from ischemic preconditioned hearts confers cardioprotection independent of the number of preconditioning cycles

Coronary effluent collected from ischemic preconditioning (IPC) treated hearts induces myocardial protection in non-ischemic-preconditioned hearts. So far, little is known about the number of IPC cycles required for the release of cardioprotective factors into the coronary effluent to successfully induce cardioprotection. This study investigated the cardioprotective potency of effluent obtained after various IPC cycles in the rat heart. Experiments were performed on isolated hearts of male Wistar rats, mounted onto a Langendorff system and perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer. In a first part, effluent was taken before (Con) and after each IPC cycle (Eff 1, Eff 2, Eff 3). IPC was induced by 3 cycles of 5 min of global myocardial ischemia followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion. In a second part, hearts of male Wistar rats were randomized to four groups (each group n = 4–5) and underwent 33 min of global ischemia followed by 60 min of reperfusion. The previously obtained coronary effluent was administered for 10 minutes before ischemia as a preconditioning stimulus. Infarct size was determined at the end of reperfusion by triphenyltetrazoliumchloride (TTC) staining. Infarct size with control effluent was 54±12%. Effluent obtained after IPC confers a strong infarct size reduction independent of the number of IPC cycles (Eff 1: 27±5%; Eff 2: 35±7%; Eff 3: 35±8%, each P<0.05 vs. Con). Effluent extracted after one cycle IPC is comparably protective as after two or three cycles IPC.
Kumaraswamy inverse Gompertz distribution: Properties and engineering applications to complete, type-II right censored and upper record data

This article proposes and studies a new three-parameter generalized model of the inverse Gompertz distribution, in the so-called Kumaraswamy inverse Gompertz distribution. The main advantage of the new model is that it has "an upside down bathtub-shaped curve hazard rate function" depending upon the shape parameters. Several of its statistical and mathematical properties including quantiles, median, mode, moments, probability weighted moment, entropy function, skewness and kurtosis are derived. Moreover, the reliability and hazard rate functions, mean time to failure, mean residual and inactive lifetimes are also concluded. The maximum likelihood approach is done here to estimate the new model parameters. A simulation study is conducted to examine the performance of the estimators of this model. Finally, the usefulness of the proposed distribution is illustrated with different engineering applications to complete, type-II right censored, and upper record data and it is found that this model is more flexible when it is compared to well-known models in the statistical literature.
Decreased dengue transmission in migrant worker populations in Singapore attributable to SARS-CoV-2 quarantine measures

Abstract Background We examined the impact of SARS-CoV-2 social distancing and quarantine policies on dengue transmission in the general and migrant worker populations in Singapore. Methods We utilized all nationally reported dengue cases in the general and migrant worker populations from 1 January 2013 to 31 May 2020. A difference-in-difference identification strategy was used to determine the effects of social distancing and quarantine policies on reported dengue case counts over time, whilst controlling for weather patterns, seasonality, age and population size. Results A reduction of 4.8 dengue cases per age band among migrant workers was attributable to quarantine policies, corresponding to a total reduction of around 432 reported dengue cases over 10 weeks. In the general working population, an increase of 14.5 dengue cases per age band was observed, which corresponds to a total increase of around 1450 reported dengue cases in the same time period. There is an expected relative risk reduction in dengue transmission for the migrant worker population at 0.635 due to quarantine policy and a relative risk increase for the general working population due to social distancing policies at 0.685. Conclusions Migrant workers experienced a reduced risk of dengue when they were confined to their dormitories as part of the COVID-19 social distancing measures. Our study highlights the vulnerability of migrant workers under normal working conditions.
Two-Week Isocaloric Time-Restricted Feeding Decreases Liver Inflammation without Significant Weight Loss in Obese Mice with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Prolonged, isocaloric, time-restricted feeding (TRF) protocols can promote weight loss, improve metabolic dysregulation, and mitigate non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). In addition, 3-day, severe caloric restriction can improve liver metabolism and glucose homeostasis prior to significant weight loss. Thus, we hypothesized that short-term, isocaloric TRF would improve NAFLD and characteristics of metabolic syndrome in diet-induced obese male mice. After 26 weeks of ad libitum access to western diet, mice either continued feeding ad libitum or were provided with access to the same quantity of western diet for 8 h daily, over the course of two weeks. Remarkably, this short-term TRF protocol modestly decreased liver tissue inflammation in the absence of changes in body weight or epidydimal fat mass. There were no changes in hepatic lipid accumulation or other characteristics of NAFLD. We observed no changes in liver lipid metabolism-related gene expression, despite increased plasma free fatty acids and decreased plasma triglycerides in the TRF group. However, liver Grp78 and Txnip expression were decreased with TRF suggesting hepatic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of inflammatory pathways may have been diminished. We conclude that two-week, isocaloric TRF can potentially decrease liver inflammation, without significant weight loss or reductions in hepatic steatosis, in obese mice with NAFLD.
Volumetric and Ultrasonic Studies on Interionic Interactions of some Amino Acids in Aqueous Magnesium Acetate Medium at 306.15K

The experimental measurements of density ( r ), viscosity ( h ) and Ultrasonic velocity (U) have been carried out on the amino acids, namely, L-valine, L-lysine and L-histidine which have been mixed with various molar concentrations in aqueous magnesium acetate solution in different molarities (0M, 0.4M & 0.8M) at a temperature of 306.15K. Using these experimental values, the acoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility ( b ), molar hydration number (n H ), apparent molar compressibility ( j K ), apparent molar volume ( j V ), limiting apparent molar compressibility ( ), limiting apparent molar volume ( ) and the constants (S K , S V ) at infinite dilution were evaluated. Transfer Volume (âˆ† ) at infinite dilution from water to aqueous magnesium acetate solutions has been determined. In addition, Viscosity A and B coefficients of Jone-Dole equation have also been evaluated from viscosity measurements. Eventually, these parameters have been critically analyzed and emphasizing the possible interionic interactions such as ion-ion, solute-solvent, ion-solvent, solute-co-solute etc., and discussed in terms of structure-making and structure-breaking effects of the amino acids in the solvent mixture.
Validating dental age estimation in Kenyan black children and adolescents using the Willems method

Purpose This study aimed to validate the Willems Belgian Caucasian (Willems BC) age estimation model in a Kenyan sample, to develop and validate a Kenyan-specific (Willems KB) age estimation model and to compare the age prediction performances of both models. Methods Panoramic radiographs of 1038 (523 female, 515 male) Kenyan children without missing permanent teeth and without all permanent teeth fully developed (except third molars) were retrospectively selected. Tooth development of the seven lower-left permanent teeth was staged according to Demirjian et al. The Willems BC model, performed on a Belgian Caucasian sample and a constructed Kenyan-specific model (Willems KB) were validated on the Kenyan sample. Their age prediction performances were quantified and compared using the mean error (ME), mean absolute error (MAE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE). Results The ME with Willems BC method equalled zero. Hence, there was no systematic under- or overestimation of the age. For males and females separately, the ME with Willems BC was significantly different from zero, but negligible in magnitude (–0.04 and 0.04, respectively). Willems KB was found not to outperform Willems BC, since the MAE and RMSE were comparable (0.98 vs 0.97 and 1.31 vs 1.29, respectively). Although Willems BC resulted in a higher percentage of subjects with predicted age within a one-year difference of the true age (63.3% vs 60.4%, p=0.018), this cannot be considered as clinically relevant. Conclusion There is no reason to use a country-specific (Willems KB) model in children from Kenya instead of the original Willems (BC) model.
Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Associates with Ventricular Stress in Young Adults and Triggers Intracellular Ca2+ Alterations in Adult Ventricular Cardiomyocytes

Oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) is associated with cardiac damage and causes injury to multiple cell types. We aimed to investigate the role of oxLDL in ventricular stress. We first examined the association between circulating oxLDL and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), a marker of myocardial stress, in young subjects (30–50 years) with or without stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). oxLDL and NT-proBNP were significantly higher in subjects at high cardiovascular risk (CVR) than in subjects at low CVR and were associated independently of traditional CVR factors and C-reactive protein. Furthermore, the levels of oxLDL and NT-proBNP were significantly lower in subjects with SCAD than in peers at high CVR. To determine the intracellular mechanisms involved in the cardiac effects of oxLDL, we analyzed the in vitro effect of oxLDL on intracellular Ca2+ handling in adult rat ventricular cardiomyocytes using confocal microscopy. Acute challenge of adult ventricular cardiomyocytes to oxLDL reduced systolic Ca2+ transients and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ load. Moreover, diastolic spontaneous Ca2+ leak increased significantly after acute exposure to oxLDL. Thus, we demonstrate that oxLDL associates with NT-proBNP in young subjects, and can directly induce Ca2+ mishandling in adult ventricular cardiomyoyctes, predisposing cardiomyocytes to cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmogenicity.
Preoperative bevacizumab does not increase complications following cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy

Background Preoperative bevacizumab has been reported to increase postoperative complication risk following cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (CRS/HIPEC). We sought to review our experience with preoperative bevacizumab in patients undergoing CRS/HIPEC for peritoneal surface malignancy. Methods This is a retrospective review of patients who received neoadjuvant systemic therapy with or without bevacizumab prior to CRS/HIPEC at a high-volume academic center from 2007–2018. Results Of 499 patients, a total of 88 patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy alone (n = 34) or in combination with bevacizumab (n = 54) within 3 months prior to CRS/HIPEC. No differences existed in 60-day major morbidity (17.6 vs. 16.7%, p = 0.81) or 60-day mortality (0 vs. 0%) between the two cohorts, and neoadjuvant bevacizumab was not associated with increased odds of overall complications (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.35–2.09, p = 0.73) or major morbidity (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.24–3.00, p = 0.81). Stratifying patients by primary tumor origin and post-operative complications did not reveal any significant differences between the two treatment groups. In addition, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were similar in both cohorts. Conclusions Preoperative bevacizumab is not associated with increased morbidity or mortality following CRS/HIPEC. Neoadjuvant therapy employing this biologic agent is safe and should not be a deterrent for aggressive cytoreduction with curative intent.
Cyberbullying Involvement and Psychological Distress among Chinese Adolescents: The Moderating Effects of Family Cohesion and School Cohesion

Cyberbullying and its consequences is a little-investigated public health issue. We investigated the correlations between cyberbullying involvement, either being a victim or being a preparator, and psychological distress among a group of Chinese adolescents. A representative sample of 4978 students from Jiangsu province covering all types of pre-college schools was surveyed using a stratified sampling method. Both being a victim and being a perpetrator correlated with higher degrees of psychological distress, and the former’s effect is stronger. Family cohesion and school cohesion are protective factors of psychological distress, but only family cohesion plays a moderating effect between cyberbullying involvement and distress. Moreover, the positive correlations between cyberbullying involvement and psychological distress become non-significant when the interactions are included in regression models. Last but not least, female students and students in a higher grade or students with worse academic performance have higher degrees of distress. Our study reveals that, instead of school cohesion, family cohesion is more important to mitigate the psychological impact of cyberbullying involvement and eventually heal the trauma.
52 million years old Eucalyptus flower sheds more than pollen grains

PREMISE Fossils provide fundamental evidence of the evolutionary processes that crafted today’s biodiversity and consequently for understanding life on Earth. We report the finding of Myrtaceidites eucalyptoides pollen grains preserved within the anthers of a 52‐million‐year‐old Eucalyptus flower collected at Laguna del Hunco locality of Argentinean Patagonia and discuss its implications in understanding the evolutionary history of the iconic Australian genus Eucalyptus. METHODS Pollen grains were extracted from the flower’s anthers and were then observed under light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The phylogenetic position of the fossil was investigated by adding pollen data to a previously published total‐evidence matrix and analyzing it using parsimony. RESULTS We erect the species Eucalyptus xoshemium for the fossil flower. Pollen extracted from E. xoshemium belongs to the species Myrtaceidites eucalyptoides, which, until now, was only known as dispersed pollen. The numerous pollen grains recovered from the single flower allowed estimation of M. eucalyptoides’ variability. Results of the phylogenetic analysis reinforce the position of this fossil within crown group Eucalyptus. CONCLUSIONS The discovery of these pollen grains within a Patagonian Eucalyptus fossil flower confirms the hypothesis that Myrtaceidites eucalyptoides represents fossil pollen in the Eucalyptus lineage, extends the geographic and stratigraphic fossil pollen record, and supports an earlier age for crown‐group eucalypts.
Elongated neutrophil-derived structures are blood-borne microparticles formed by rolling neutrophils during sepsis

During bacterial sepsis, tethers break off from neutrophils rolling on the vessel wall, destabilizing neutrophil rolling and forming elongated neutrophil-derived structures (ENDS) in the blood circulation. ENDS are phosphatidylserine- and tetraspanin-negative structures that fragment, round up, and release S100-A8/A9 upon degradation.
Caracterización molecular y fenotípica de aislamientos clínicos de Salmonella Typhimurium variante monofásica (1,4,[5],12:i:-) recuperados en Colombia

Resumen Introducción. La variante monofásica (1,4,[5],12:i:-) de Salmonella Typhimurium ocupa los primeros lugares en los programas de vigilancia de Salmonella a nivel mundial. En Colombia, Salmonella enterica variante monofásica alcanza el cuarto lugar en cuanto a los aislamientos clínicos recuperados por medio de la vigilancia por laboratorio del Grupo de Microbiología del Instituto Nacional de Salud, pero se desconoce si dichos aislamientos están relacionados con la variante monofásica de Typhimurium que circula a nivel global, y con sus características genéticas y fenotípicas. Objetivo. Caracterizar los aislamientos de Salmonella monofásica recuperados en Colombia entre el 2015 y el 2018 por el Grupo de Microbiología del Instituto Nacional de Salud. Materiales y métodos. Se analizaron 286 aislamientos clínicos de Salmonella enterica variante monofásica mediante PCR o secuenciación del genoma completo (Whole Genome Sequencing, WGS) para confirmar si correspondían a Salmonella Typhimurium variante monofásica, en tanto que, en 54 aislamientos, se determinó la estructura genética del operón que codifica la segunda fase flagelar y, en 23, se evaluó la motilidad, el crecimiento y la expresión de las proteínas de membrana externa. Resultados. El 61 % (n=174) de los aislamientos de Salmonella monofásica correspondió a Salmonella Typhimurium serovar monofásico. El 64,8 % (n=35/54) se relacionó con el clon europeo-español y, el 13 % (n=7/54), con el estadounidense. En dos aislamientos de orina se encontró una diferencia significativa en la motilidad y el crecimiento, así como ausencia de la porina OmpD en medio mínimo M9. Conclusiones. En el periodo de estudio, circuló en Colombia la variante monofásica de Salmonella Typhimurium relacionada con el clon europeo-español, y se registró ausencia total del operón fljAB. Los resultados evidenciaron cambios fenotípicos en los aislamientos provenientes de muestras de orina que sugieren adaptación en procesos invasivos.
Centromeric KIR AA Individuals Harbor Particular KIR Alleles Conferring Beneficial NK Cell Features with Implications in Haplo-Identical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Simple Summary We have recently shown a broad disparity of Natural Killer (NK) cell responses against leukemia, highlighting good and bad responders resting on the Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) and HLA genetics. In this study, we deeply investigated KIR2DL NK cell repertoire in combining high-resolution KIR allele typing and multicolor flow cytometry from a cohort of 108 blood donors. Our data suggest that centromeric (cen) AA individuals display more efficient KIR2DL alleles (L1*003 and L3*001) to mount a consistent frequency of KIR2DL+ NK cells and to confer an effective NK cell responsiveness. The transposition of our in vitro observations in T-replete haplo-identical Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) context led us to observe that cenAA HSC grafts limit significantly the incidence of relapse in patients with myeloid diseases after T-replete haplo-identical HSCT. As NK cells are crucial in HSCT reconstitution, one could expect that the consideration of KIR2DL1/2/3 allelic polymorphism could help to refine scores used for HSC donor selection. Abstract We have recently shown a broad disparity of Natural Killer (NK) cell responses against leukemia highlighting good and bad responders resting on the Killer cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) and HLA genetics. In this study, we deeply studied KIR2D allele expression, HLA-C recognition and functional effect on NK cells in 108 blood donors in combining high-resolution KIR allele typing and multicolor flow cytometry. The KIR2DL1*003 allotype is associated with centromeric (cen) AA motif and confers the highest NK cell frequency, expression level and strength of KIR/HLA-C interactions compared to the KIR2DL1*002 and KIR2DL1*004 allotypes respectively associated with cenAB and BB motifs. KIR2DL2*001 and *003 allotypes negatively affect the frequency of KIR2DL1+ and KIR2DL3+ NK cells. Altogether, our data suggest that cenAA individuals display more efficient KIR2DL alleles (L1*003 and L3*001) to mount a consistent frequency of KIR2DL+ NK cells and to confer an effective NK cell responsiveness. The transposition of our in vitro observations in the T-replete haplo-identical HSCT context led us to observe that cenAA HSC grafts limit significantly the incidence of relapse in patients with myeloid diseases after T-replete haplo-identical HSCT. As NK cells are crucial in HSCT reconstitution, one could expect that the consideration of KIR2DL1/2/3 allelic polymorphism could help to refine scores used for HSC donor selection.
Race, ethnicity, and racism in the nutrition literature: an update for 2020

Social disparities in the US and elsewhere have been terribly highlighted by the current COVID-19 pandemic but also an outbreak of state-sponsored violence. The field of nutrition, like other areas of science, has commonly used ‘race’ to describe research participants and populations, without the recognition that race is a social, not a biologic, construct. We review the limitations of classifying participants by race, and recommend a series of steps for authors, researchers and policymakers to consider when producing and reading the nutrition literature. We recommend that biomedical researchers, especially those in the field of nutrition, abandon the use of racial categories to explain biologic phenomena but instead rely on a more comprehensive framework of ethnicity; that authors consider not just race and ethnicity but many social determinants of health, including experienced racism; that race and ethnicity not be conflated; that dietary pattern descriptions inform ethnicity descriptions; and that depersonalizating language be avoided.
Neurotoxicity of Cancer Therapies.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW This article reviews neurologic complications associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antiangiogenic therapy, and immunotherapy. RECENT FINDINGS Cancer therapies can cause a wide range of neurologic adverse effects and may result in significant patient morbidity and mortality. Although some treatment-associated neurologic complications manifest acutely and are often reversible and transient, others occur with delayed onset, can be progressive, and are uniquely challenging to patient management. With an increase in multimodality and combination therapies, including targeted therapies and immunotherapies, and prolonged patient survival, novel and unique patterns of neurologic complications have emerged. SUMMARY Both conventional and novel cancer therapies can adversely affect the nervous system, thereby producing a wide range of neurologic complications. Increased awareness among neurologists and early recognition of cancer therapy-induced neurotoxic syndromes is critically important to minimize patient morbidity, prevent permanent injury, and improve patient outcomes.