Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antidepressant Use in Depressed Women During Pregnancy and the Risk of Preterm Birth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 23 Cohort Studies

Objective The associations between maternal use of antidepressant during pregnancy and preterm birth (PTB) has been the subject of much discussion and controversy. The aim of the present study was to systematically review the association between antidepressant use during pregnancy and the risk of PTB, especially in depressed women. Methods A computerized search was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase before June 30, 2019, supplemented with a manual search of the reference lists, to identify original research regarding PTB rates in women taking antidepressants during pregnancy. A random-effects model was used to calculate the summarized relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The potential for publication bias was examined through Begg' s and Egger' s tests. Results A total of 2,279 articles were reviewed, 23 of which were selected. The risk of PTB was increased in women with depression [1.58 (1.23−2.04)] and in the general pregnant female population [1.35 (1.11−1.63)] who used antidepressants during pregnancy. Similar results were observed in depressed women treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during pregnancy [1.46 (1.32−1.61)]. There was no significantly increased risk of PTB observed with SSRI use in the general pregnant female population [1.25 (1.00−1.57)], and the heterogeneity of these studies was high. Conclusions The results of this meta-analysis indicate maternal antidepressant use is associated with a significantly increased risk of PTB in infants. Health care providers and pregnant women must weigh the risk-benefit potential of these drugs when making decisions about whether to treat with antidepressant during pregnancy.
Investigation of the Aedes (Stegomyia) flavopictus Complex (Diptera: Culicidae) in Japan by Sequence Analysis of the Internal Transcribed Spacers of Ribosomal DNA

Abstract Aedes (Stegomyia) flavopictus Yamada is widely distributed in Japan and Korea. The species comprises three subspecies based on current morphological taxonomy: Aedes f. flavopictus in the Palearctic region of Japan, Ae. f. downsi Bohart & Ingram from Amami and Okinawa Islands, and Ae. f. miyarai Tanaka, Mizusawa & Ingram from Ishigaki and Iriomote Islands of the Ryukyu Archipelago. These subspecies designations are based on observations of a combination of several morphological characters, none of which, by itself is diagnostic for discriminating among the three subspecies. To further study the relationships in this group, we examined the nucleic acid sequence divergence in the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA gene array of Ae. flavopictus individuals collected at five sites from three geographic regions in Japan. Analysis of sequence data by distance and maximum parsimony methods produced phylogenetic trees that showed separation of the specimens into three major clades, corresponding to both subspecies and geographic region. These results were consistent with and support the current classification and geographic distribution of the three subspecies.
Neurophysiological investigations into the human somatosensory system

Using noninvasive neuroimaging methods in human subjects, we attempt to understand functional neuroanatomy and neurophysiological processes (somatotopy, inhibition, excitation, spike bursts, background activity) underlying somatosensory function. In order to define functional neuroanatomy, we use mainly task-based fMRI to identify somatotopy e.g., in SI and SII. Recently, we showed that gross somatotopy can also be extracted from task-less resting-state fMRI. Regarding neurophysiological processes, we show that the strength of background rhythms (Rolandic alpha, beta rhythm) determines receptiveness of the somatosensory system to activation and is inversely related to cortical BOLD-fMRI signal. We establish a model of predominant inhibitory processing using subliminal stimulation and we show that this decreases BOLD-fMRI signal, decreases connectivity of SI, and transiently increases alpha rhythm. Using simultaneous EEG-fMRI, we identify correlates of spike bursts in human subjects non-invasively and relate them to BOLD fMRI signal along the path of somatosensory processing.
Configuration of live migration for VoIP applications

The use of VoIP technologies is still growing: a SIP based client is nowadays integrated even in the Google's smartphone operating system Android. Recent progress in virtualization technology allows the use of virtual machines for real-time applications like VoIP. A continuous live migration of a whole system without breaking down of existing TCP and TLS connections is improving the availability and the hardware fault tolerance. Furthermore, it's transparent for clients without impact on the existing application. One of observed issues is the latency and the jitter added by buffering the network output between two virtual machine replication cycles. This problem can be disregarded for the signalling data, but it needs to be solved for the user data where the jitter must be compensated, otherwise it impairs the voice quality. In this article we present the impact of the live migration on the latency and jitter. We show that the utilisation of continuous live replication without network buffering improves the quality of user experience to the detriment of the data consistency. The impact of network buffering on network characteristics is also shown.
Different lengths of a polymorphic repeat sequence in the thymidylate synthase gene affect translational efficiency but not its gene expression.

PURPOSE Thymidylate synthase (TS) is a target enzyme of 5-fluorouracil. Recently, the TS gene has been shown to contain a polymorphic tandem repeat sequence. The aim of this study was to determine whether differences in the number of tandem repeats could affect gene expression or mRNA translation. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN We quantified TS mRNA isolated from 130 colorectal cancer tissues by real-time reverse transcription-PCR and TS protein in 92 available samples by the fluoro-dUMP binding assay. These values were compared with TS genotypes of the samples determined by a PCR assay. RESULTS There was no relation between TS genotype and mRNA expression level. On the other hand, cancer tissues with the 3R/3R genotype had a significantly higher TS protein expression level than did those with the 2R/3R genotype. These results suggest that the efficiency of TS mRNA translation is responsible for the genotype-dependent difference in TS protein expression. Further analysis using TS 5'-untranslated region-luciferase reporter constructs showed that the RNA with the three-repeat sequence was translated three to four times more efficiently than that with two-repeat sequence. CONCLUSIONS From the results of both in vitro and in vivo study, we conclude that TS mRNA with a three-repeat sequence has greater translation efficiency than that with the two-repeat sequence. The results provide the rationale for comprehensive usage of TS genotyping with quantitation of TS mRNA or TS protein to predict the patient's response to 5-fluorouracil-based chemotherapy.
Exercise-Related Oxidative Stress as Mechanism to Fight Physical Dysfunction in Neuromuscular Disorders

Neuromuscular diseases (NMDs) are a group of often severely disabling disorders characterized by dysfunction in one of the main constituents of the motor unit, the cardinal anatomic-functional structure behind force and movement production. Irrespective of the different pathogenic mechanisms specifically underlying these disease conditions genetically determined or acquired, and the related molecular pathways involved in doing that, oxidative stress has often been shown to play a relevant role within the chain of events that induce or at least modulate the clinical manifestations of these disorders. Due to such a putative relevance of the imbalance of redox status occurring in contractile machinery and/or its neural drive in NMDs, physical exercise appears as one of the most important conditions able to positively interfere along an ideal axis, going from a deranged metabolic cell homeostasis in motor unit components to the reduced motor performance profile exhibited by the patient in everyday life. If so, it comes out that it would be important to identify a proper training program, suitable for load and type of exercise that is able to improve motor performance in adaptation and response to such a homeostatic imbalance. This review therefore analyzes the role of different exercise trainings on oxidative stress mechanisms, both in healthy and in NMDs, also including preclinical studies, to elucidate at which extent these can be useful to counteract muscle impairment associated to the disease, with the final aim of improving physical functions and quality of life of NMD patients.
Chronic Hepatitis, Hepatic Dysplasia, Fibrosis, and Biliary Hyperplasia in Hamsters Naturally Infected with a Novel Helicobacter Classified in the H. bilis Cluster

ABSTRACT We recently described helicobacter-associated progressive, proliferative, and dysplastic typhlocolitis in aging (18- to 24-month-old) Syrian hamsters. Other pathogens associated with typhlocolitis in hamsters, Clostridium difficile, Lawsonia intracellularis, and Giardia spp. , were not indentified. The presence of Helicobacter genus-specific DNA was noted by PCR in cecal and paraffin-embedded liver samples from aged hamsters by the use of Helicobacter-specific PCR primers. By 16S rRNA analysis, the Helicobacter sp. isolated from the liver tissue was identical to the cecal isolates from hamsters. The six hamster 16S rRNA sequences form a genotypic cluster most closely related to Helicobacter sp. Flexispira taxon 8, part of the Helicobacter bilis/H. cinaedi group. Livers from aged helicobacter-infected hamsters showed various stages of predominantly portocentric and, to a lesser extent, perivenular fibrosis. Within nodules, there was cellular atypia consistent with nodular dysplasia. The livers also exhibited a range of chronic active portal/interface and lobular inflammation, with significant portal hepatitis being present. The inflammation was composed of a mixture of lymphocytes, neutrophils, and macrophages, indicative of its chronic-active nature in these aged hamsters infected with Helicobacter spp. The isolation of novel Helicobacter spp. , their identification by PCR from the diseased livers of aged hamsters, and their taxonomic classification as belonging to the Helicobacter bilis cluster strengthen the argument that H. bilis and closely related Helicobacter spp. play an etiological role in hepatobiliary disease in both animals and humans.
Effects of Long-Term Paired Associative Stimulation on Strength of Leg Muscles and Walking in Chronic Tetraplegia: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study

Recovery of lower-limb function after spinal cord injury (SCI) is dependent on the extent of remaining neural transmission in the corticospinal pathway. The aim of this proof-of-concept pilot study was to explore the effects of long-term paired associative stimulation (PAS) on leg muscle strength and walking in people with SCI. Five individuals with traumatic incomplete chronic tetraplegia (>34 months post-injury, motor incomplete, 3 females, mean age 60 years) with no contraindications to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) received PAS to one or both legs for 2 months (28 sessions in total, 5 times a week for the first 2 weeks and 3 times a week thereafter). The participants were evaluated with the Manual Muscle Test (MMT), AIS motor and sensory examination, Modified Asworth Scale (MAS), and the Spinal Cord Independence Measure (SCIM) prior to the intervention, after 1 and 2 months of PAS, and after a 1-month follow-up. The study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT03459885). During the intervention, MMT scores and AIS motor scores increased significantly (p = 0.014 and p = 0.033, respectively). Improvements were stable in follow-up. AIS sensory scores, MAS, and SCIM were not modified significantly. MMT score prior to intervention was a good predictor of changes in walking speed (Radj2 = 0.962). The results of this proof-of-concept pilot study justify a larger trial on the effect of long-term PAS on leg muscle strength and walking in people with chronic incomplete SCI.
Metagenomic Identification of a Novel Salt Tolerance Gene from the Human Gut Microbiome Which Encodes a Membrane Protein with Homology to a brp/blh-Family β-Carotene 15,15′-Monooxygenase

The human gut microbiome consists of at least 3 million non-redundant genes, 150 times that of the core human genome. Herein, we report the identification and characterisation of a novel stress tolerance gene from the human gut metagenome. The locus, assigned brpA, encodes a membrane protein with homology to a brp/blh-family β-carotene monooxygenase. Cloning and heterologous expression of brpA in Escherichia coli confers a significant salt tolerance phenotype. Furthermore, when cultured in the presence of exogenous β-carotene, cell pellets adopt a red/orange pigmentation indicating the incorporation of carotenoids in the cell membrane.
Severe Malaria

When an individual has been inoculated with a plasmodium parasite, a variety of clinical effects may follow, within the sequence: Infection? asymptomatic parasitaemia? uncomplicated illness? severe malaria? death. Many factors influence the disease manifestations of the infection and the likelihood of progression to the last two categories. These factors include the species of the infecting parasite, the levels of innate and acquired immunity of the host, and the timing and efficacy of treatment, if any.
The Role of Floral Density in Determining Bee Foraging Behavior: A Natural Experiment

ABSTRACT: Animal-pollinated plants depend on sequential pollinator visits to conspecifics for successful reproduction. Therefore, in co-flowering plant communities, the proportion of visits to a focal plant species in individual pollinator foraging bouts determines reproductive outcomes for that species. We investigated the factors determining bee visits to the plant Astragalus scaphoides within foraging bouts in a natural multispecies community in the northern Rocky Mountains. We found that both conspecific and heterospecific floral density influenced the proportion of visits to A. scaphoides during foraging bouts, but these effects of floral density differed among two abundant bee groups. Our field observations reject the null expectation that bees visit plant species in direct proportion to their relative floral densities. Bombus consistently visited A. scaphoides more than expected, while solitary bees of the genera Anthophora and Eucera exhibited a nonlinear response to floral density.
Self supervised deep representation learning for fine-grained body part recognition

Difficulty on collecting annotated medical images leads to lack of enough supervision and makes discrimination tasks challenging. However, raw data, e.g., spatial context information from 3D CT images, even without annotation, may contain rich useful information. In this paper, we exploit spatial context information as a source of supervision to solve discrimination tasks for fine-grained body part recognition with conventional 3D CT and MR volumes. The proposed pipeline consists of two steps: 1) pre-train a convolutional network for an auxiliary task of 2D slices ordering in a self-supervised manner; 2) transfer and fine-tune the pre-trained network for fine-grained body part recognition. Without any use of human annotation in the first stage, the pre-trained network can still outperform CNN trained from scratch on CT as well as M-R data. Moreover, by comparing with pre-trained CNN from ImageNet, we discover that the distance between source and target tasks plays a crucial role in transfer learning. Our experiments demonstrate that our approach can achieve high accuracy with a slice location estimation error of only a few slices on CT and MR data. To the best of our knowledge, our work is the first attempt studying the problem of robust body part recognition at a continuous level.
The enterotoxin of Bacteroides fragilis is a metalloprotease

During the past decade, strains of Bacteroides fragilis that produce an enterotoxin have been implicated in diarrheal disease in animals and humans. The extracellular enterotoxin has been purified and characterized as a single polypeptide (M(r), approximately 20,000). Single specific primer-PCR was used to clone a portion of the B. fragilis enterotoxin gene. The recombinant protein expressed by the cloned gene fragment reacted with monospecific antibodies to B. fragilis enterotoxin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunoblot analysis. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed a signature zinc-binding consensus motif (HEXXHXXGXXH/Met-turn) characteristic of metalloproteases termed metzincins. Sequence comparisons showed close identity to matrix metalloproteases (e.g., human fibroblast collagenase) within the zinc-binding and Met-turn region. Purified enterotoxin contained 1 g-atom of Zn2+ per molecule and hydrolyzed gelatin, azocoll, actin, tropomyosin, and fibrinogen. The enterotoxin also underwent autodigestion. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of two autodigestion products were identical to the deduced amino acid sequence of the recombinant enterotoxin and revealed cleavage at Cys-Leu and Ser-Leu peptide bonds. Gelatinase (type IV collagenase) activity comigrated with the toxin when analyzed by gel fractionation and zymography, indicating that protease activity is due to the enterotoxin and not to a contaminating protease(s). Optimal proteolytic activity occurred at 37 degrees C and pH 6.5. Primary proteolytic cleavage sites in actin were identified, revealing cleavage at Gly-Met and Thr-Leu peptide bonds. Enzymatic activity was inhibited by metal chelators but not by inhibitors of other classes of proteases. Additionally, cytotoxic activity of the enterotoxin on human carcinoma HT-29 cells was inhibited by acetoxymethyl ester EDTA. The metalloprotease activity of the enterotoxin suggests a possible mechanism for enterotoxicity and may have additional implications in the study of disease caused by B. fragilis.
Glutathione S-transferases as emerging therapeutic targets

Glutathione S-transferases (GST) represent a large family of Phase II detoxification enzymes widely expressed in animals and plants. These enzymes catalyse the conjugation of glutathione with some endogenous molecules and a broad range of exogenous substrates including various anticancer drugs. Due to high expression of GSTs in tumours when compared to normal tissues and their high level in plasma from cancer patients, these enzymes are considered to be cancer markers. Their involvement in resistance to anticancer drugs and an inverse correlation between expression and prognosis in many tumours provided a rationale for the design of inhibitors and prodrugs to enhance therapeutic index. The first generation of GST inhibitors included ethacrynic acid and showed promising potentiating activity in vitro but lack of isoenzyme specificity and diuretic side effects restricted clinical use. Novel GST inhibitors include glutathione analogues and demonstrate better specificities with fewer limiting toxicities. One lead compound is a potent inhibitor of the GSTP1-1 isoform in both cell lines and animal models. A GSTP1-1 activated prodrug has also been developed. Testing of the preclinical and clinical efficacy of these agents is presently in progress. Their rational design provides a promising new approach to targeting tumour-specific characteristics in a manner consistent with improving therapeutic index.
Handling of object by mobile manipulator in cooperation with human using object trajectory following method

In this paper, we propose a motion control strategy for a mobile robot helper to handle a single object in cooperation with a human. The method, referred to as the object trajectory-following method, controls the motion of the mobile robot so as to track the trajectory of the object manipulated by the human. Experimental results using the "MR (Mobile Robot) Helper" illustrate the validity of the method.
Universal frozen spectra after time-dependent symmetry restoring phase transitions

For a general O(N) model, we study the time-dependent phase transition from a state with broken symmetry ⟨ φ ˆ ⟩ ≠ 0? > to the symmetric phase ⟨ φ ˆ ⟩ = 0? > . During this non-equilibrium process, the primordial quantum (or thermal) fluctuations of the initial Goldstone modes are frozen and result in a deviation from the final ground (or thermal) state. For very slow transitions, we find that these fluctuations display a universal scaling behaviour. Their spectra are universal functions of a single parameter, which combines the initial frequency of the Goldstone modes and the sweep rate. As a result, the final two-point function ⟨ φ ˆ a ( r ) φ ˆ b ( r ′ ) ⟩ ? > is not exponentially suppressed at large distances Δr = r − r′ (as it would be in the ground state) but decays polynomially in 1/|Δr|. Finally, we exemplify this universal behaviour for the transition from the super-fluid phase to the Mott state in the Bose–Hubbard model.
Inflammation in the nervous system. Basic mechanisms and immunological concepts.

The basic questions in the pathogenesis of inflammation in the nervous system are how inflammatory cells reach the brain, where they recognize their antigen, how the nervous system interacts with local immune regulation in the lesion, and how inflammatory cells induce irreversible tissue damage. These questions have been addressed by studying the pathogenesis of experimental models of encephalomyelitis. The minimal requirement to start brain inflammation is the presence of activated circulating T-cells directed against a brain antigen and of antigen presenting cells in meninges and perivascular spaces of the nervous system. Such a constellation, however, only results in the disease after hypersensitization, i.e. in the presence of very high numbers of circulating autoreactive T-cells. Other local and systemic immunological factors may profoundly lower the threshold for the induction of brain inflammation. They include antigen recognition on cells in the brain parenchyma (microglia, astroglia), local upregulation of MHC antigens and possibly adhesion molecules (by cytokines or as a consequence of brain injury) and the presence of additional humoral immune responses against brain antigens (autoantibodies). Focal production of cytokines by inflammatory cells as well as by resident cells of the brain plays an important role in determining the activity of the inflammatory process and in inducing effector cells and inflammatory mediators, responsible for tissue destruction. Whereas in pure T-cell mediated auto-immune encephalomyelitis these activated effector mechanisms have low selectivity and mainly induce a "bystander" damage of CNS tissue, additional presence of autoantibodies may focus the immune reaction to specific targets, thus inducing, in high sensitivity, very selective tissue destruction. The present experimental data suggest that different immunological pathways may finally lead to quite similar inflammatory demyelinating lesions. Thus, brain lesions in individual multiple sclerosis patients may develop on a quite diverse immunological background.