Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Benefits of Conversion Surgery after Multimodal Treatment for Unresectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

Background: Traditionally, the treatment options for unresectable locally advanced (UR-LA) and metastatic (UR-M) pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are palliative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy. The benefits of surgery for such patients remains unknown. The present study investigated clinical outcomes of patients undergoing conversion surgery (CS) after chemo(radiation)therapy for initially UR-PDAC. Methods: We recruited patients with UR-PDAC who underwent chemo(radiation)therapy for initially UR-PDAC between April 2006 and September 2017. We analyzed resectability of CS, predictive parameters for overall survival, and early recurrence (within six months). Results: A total of 468 patients (108 with UR-LA and 360 with UR-M PDAC) were enrolled in this study, of whom, 17 (15.7%) with UR-LA and 15 (4.2%) with UR-M underwent CS. The median survival time (MST) and five-year survival of patients who underwent CS was 37.2 months and 34%, respectively; significantly better than non-resected patients (nine months and 1%, respectively, p < 0.0001). MST did not differ according to UR-LA or UR-M (50.5 vs. 29.0 months, respectively, p = 0.53). Early recurrence after CS occurred in eight patients (18.8%). Lymph node metastasis, positive washing cytology, large tumor size (>35 mm), and lack of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were statistically significant predictive factors for early recurrence. Moreover, the site of pancreatic lesion and administration of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy were statistically significant prognostic factors for overall survival in the patients undergoing CS. Conclusion: Conversion surgery offers benefits in terms of increase survival for initially UR-PDAC for patients who responded favorably to chemo(radiation)therapy when combined with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.
Comparison of ecosystem water‐use efficiency among Douglas‐fir forest, aspen forest and grassland using eddy covariance and carbon isotope techniques

Comparisons were made among Douglas‐fir forest, aspen (broad leaf deciduous) forest and wheatgrass (C3) grassland for ecosystem‐level water‐use efficiency (WUE). WUE was defined as the ratio of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation rate and evapotranspiration (ET) rate. The ET data measured by eddy covariance were screened so that they overwhelmingly represented transpiration. The three sites used in this comparison spanned a range of vegetation (plant functional) types and environmental conditions within western Canada. When compared in the relative order Douglas‐fir (located on Vancouver Island, BC), aspen (northern Saskatchewan), grassland (southern Alberta), the sites demonstrated a progressive decline in precipitation and a general increase in maximum air temperature and atmospheric saturation deficit (Dmax) during the mid‐summer. The average (±SD) WUE at the grassland site was 2.6±0.7 mmol mol−1, which was much lower than the average values observed for the two other sites (aspen: 5.4±2.3, Douglas‐fir: 8.1±2.4). The differences in WUE among sites were primarily because of variation in ET. The highest maximum ET rates were approximately 5, 3.2 and 2.7 mm day−1 for the grassland, aspen and Douglas‐fir sites, respectively. There was a strong negative correlation between WUE and Dmax for all sites. We also made seasonal measurements of the carbon isotope ratio of ecosystem respired CO2 (δR) in order to test for the expected correlation between shifts in environmental conditions and changes to the ecosystem‐integrated ratio of leaf intercellular to ambient CO2 concentration (ci/ca). There was a consistent increase in δR values in the grassland, aspen forest and Douglas‐fir forest associated with a seasonal reduction in soil moisture. Comparisons were made between WUE measured using eddy covariance with that calculated based on D and δR measurements. There was excellent agreement between WUE values calculated using the two techniques. Our δR measurements indicated that ci/ca values were quite similar among the Douglas‐fir, aspen and grassland sites, despite large variation in environmental conditions among sites. This implied that the shorter‐lived grass species had relatively high ci/ca values for the D of their habitat. By contrast, the longer‐lived Douglas‐fir trees were more conservative in water‐use with lower ci/ca values relative to their habitat D. This illustrates the interaction between biological and environmental characteristics influencing ecosystem‐level WUE. The strong correlation we observed between the two independent measurements of WUE, indicates that the stable isotope composition of respired CO2 is a useful ecosystem‐scale tool to help study constraints to photosynthesis and acclimation of ecosystems to environmental stress.
Spousal Influence on Diabetes Self-care: Moderating Effects of Distress and Relationship Quality on Glycemic Control.

BACKGROUND Spouses often attempt to influence patients' diabetes self-care. Spousal influence has been linked to beneficial health outcomes in some studies, but to negative outcomes in others. PURPOSE We aimed to clarify the conditions under which spousal influence impedes glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Spousal influence was hypothesized to associate with poorer glycemic control among patients with high diabetes distress and low relationship quality. METHODS Patients with type 2 diabetes and their spouses (N = 63 couples) completed self-report measures before patients initiated a 7-day period of continuous glucose monitoring. Mean glucose level and coefficient of variation (CV) were regressed on spousal influence, diabetes distress, relationship quality, and their two- and three-way interactions. RESULTS The three-way interaction significantly predicted glucose variability, but not mean level. Results revealed a cross-over interaction between spousal influence and diabetes distress at high (but not low) levels of relationship quality, such that spousal influence was associated with less variability among patients with low distress, but more among those with high distress. Among patients with high distress and low relationship quality, a 1 SD increase in spousal influence predicted a difference roughly equivalent to the difference between the sample mean CV and a CV in the unstable glycemia range. CONCLUSIONS This was the first study to examine moderators of the link between spousal influence and glycemic control in diabetes. A large effect was found for glucose variability, but not mean levels. These novel results highlight the importance of intimate relationships in diabetes management.
TLR2, TLR4 and TLR10 Shape the Cytokine and Chemokine Release of H. pylori-Infected Human DCs

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a stomach pathogen that persistently colonizes the gastric mucosa, often leading to chronic inflammation and gastric pathologies. Although infection with H. pylori is the primary risk factor for gastric cancer, the underlying mechanisms of pathogen persistence and consequential chronic inflammation are still not well understood. Conventional dendritic cells (cDCs), which are among the first immune cells to encounter H. pylori in the gastric lining, and the cytokines and chemokines they secrete, contribute to both acute and chronic inflammation. Therefore, this study aimed to unravel the contributions of specific signaling pathways within human CD1c+ cDCs (cDC2s) to the composition of secreted cytokines and chemokines in H. pylori infection. Here, we show that the type IV secretion system (T4SS) plays only a minor role in H. pylori-induced activation of cDC2s. In contrast, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling drives the secretion of inflammatory mediators, including IL-12 and IL-18, while signaling via TLR10 attenuates the release of IL-1β and other inflammatory cytokines upon H. pylori infection. The TLR2 pathway significantly blocks the release of CXCL1 and CXCL8, while it promotes the secretion of TNFα and GM-CSF. Taken together, these results highlight how specific TLR-signaling pathways in human cDC2s shape the H. pylori-induced cytokine and chemokine milieu, which plays a pivotal role in the onset of an effective immune response.
Olive Leaves as Biotemplates for Enhanced Solar-Light Harvesting by a Titania-Based Solid

Olive leaves (by-product from olive oil production in olive mills) were used as biotemplates to synthesize a titania-based artificial olive leaf (AOL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of AOL showed the successful replication of trichomes and internal structure channels present in olive leaves. The BET surface area of AOL was 52 m2·g−1. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectra revealed that the resulting solid was in the predominantly-anatase crystalline form (7.5 nm average particle size). Moreover, the synthesis led to a red-shift in light absorption as compared to reference anatase (gap energies of 2.98 and 3.2 eV, respectively). The presence of surface defects (as evidenced by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, XPS, and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, EPR) and doping elements (e.g., 1% nitrogen, observed by elemental analysis and XPS) could account for that. AOL was preliminarily tested as a catalyst for hydrogen production through glycerol photoreforming and exhibited an activity 64% higher than reference material Evonik P25 under solar irradiation and 144% greater under ultraviolet radiation (UV).
Heritability of muscular cathepsin B activity in Italian Large White pigs

Previous studies suggested that proteolysis lasting for many months after slaughtering could be responsible for excessive softness in dry-cured hams. Also, the long-term activity of muscle proteinases is mainly attributed to cathepsin B. Should an additive genetic component exist for the activity level of cathepsin B, such information could be used as a selection criterion for improving meat quality for dry-cured ham production. Data on the growth rate, carcass composition, and meat quality of 234 Large White pigs raised in a test station under a &lsquo|quasi ad libitum' nutritive level and slaughtered at around 160 kg live weight were analysed using a blup- mt-animal model. The cathepsin B activity level showed a moderate heritability (0.23–0.28) in all analyses, and negative genetic correlations with daily gain (− 0.34 to − 0.52) and backfat thickness (− 0.40 to − 0.86), but, with large standard errors. These results suggest that a genetic component exists in explaining the variability of the cathepsin B activity level. Further studies are necessary to confirm the outcome and to investigate genetic correlations with other traits currently under selection.
α-Melanocyte-stimulating Hormone Protects from Ultraviolet Radiation-induced Apoptosis and DNA Damage*

Ultraviolet radiation is a well established epidemiologic risk factor for malignant melanoma. This observation has been linked to the relative resistance of normal melanocytes to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation-induced apoptosis, which consequently leads to accumulation of UVB radiation-induced DNA lesions in melanocytes. Therefore, identification of physiologic factors regulating UVB radiation-induced apoptosis and DNA damage of melanocytes is of utmost biological importance. We show that the neuropeptide α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) blocks UVB radiation-induced apoptosis of normal human melanocytes in vitro. The anti-apoptotic activity of α-MSH is not mediated by filtering or by induction of melanin synthesis in melanocytes. α-MSH neither leads to changes in the cell cycle distribution nor induces alterations in the expression of the apoptosis-related proteins Bcl2, Bclx, Bax, p53, CD95 (Fas/APO-1), and CD95L (FasL). In contrast, α-MSH markedly reduces the formation of UVB radiation-induced DNA damage as demonstrated by reduced amounts of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers, ultimately leading to reduced apoptosis. The reduction of UV radiation-induced DNA damage by α-MSH appears to be related to induction of nucleotide excision repair, because UV radiation-mediated apoptosis was not blocked by α-MSH in nucleotide excision repair-deficient fibroblasts. These data, for the first time, demonstrate regulation of UVB radiation-induced apoptosis of human melanocytes by a neuropeptide that is physiologically expressed within the epidermis. Apart from its ability to induce photoprotective melanin synthesis, α-MSH appears to exert the capacity to reduce UV radiation-induced DNA damage and, thus, may act as a potent protection factor against the harmful effects of UV radiation on the genomic stability of epidermal cells.
Imaging-Based Prediction of Molecular Therapy Targets in NSCLC by Radiogenomics and AI Approaches: A Systematic Review

The objective of this systematic review was to analyze the current state of the art of imaging-derived biomarkers predictive of genetic alterations and immunotherapy targets in lung cancer. We included original research studies reporting the development and validation of imaging feature-based models. The overall quality, the standard of reporting and the advancements towards clinical practice were assessed. Eighteen out of the 24 selected articles were classified as “high-quality” studies according to the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies 2 (QUADAS-2). The 18 “high-quality papers” adhered to Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis (TRIPOD) with a mean of 62.9%. The majority of “high-quality” studies (16/18) were classified as phase II. The most commonly used imaging predictors were radiomic features, followed by visual qualitative computed tomography (CT) features, convolutional neural network-based approaches and positron emission tomography (PET) parameters, all used alone or combined with clinicopathologic features. The majority (14/18) were focused on the prediction of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. Thirty-five imaging-based models were built to predict the EGFR status. The model’s performances ranged from weak (n = 5) to acceptable (n = 11), to excellent (n = 18) and outstanding (n = 1) in the validation set. Positive outcomes were also reported for the prediction of ALK rearrangement, ALK/ROS1/RET fusions and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression. Despite the promising results in terms of predictive performance, image-based models, suffering from methodological bias, require further validation before replacing traditional molecular pathology testing.
Age and seasonal changes in the semiochemicals of the sternal gland secretions of male koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Male koalas communicate with conspecifics using scent markings from their sternal scent gland. We examined age and seasonal changes in the profile of organic compounds produced by koala sternal glands. Scent exudates from 12 male koalas were collected over a one-year period and analysed by direct-injection gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) of the methanol extract. Carboxylic acids, aldehydes, ketones, and alcohols were found to dominate the scent mixture. Thirty-seven compounds were identified by comparison of their spectra with those in the Wiley 138K library. The identity, complexity and relative concentrations of these compounds were found to vary both seasonally and by age of the individuals, with the most odorous and complex mixtures occurring during the mating season. We suggest that seasonal and age differences in the complexity of the chemical composition of the koala scent gland exudate provides evidence that olfactory communication probably has important ramifications for male reproductive success in the wild.
Short-Term Rental Forecast of Urban Public Bicycle Based on the HOSVD-LSTM Model in Smart City

As a kind of transportation in a smart city, urban public bicycles have been adopted by major cities and bear the heavy responsibility of the “last mile” of urban public transportation. At present, the main problem of the urban public bicycle system is that it is difficult for users to rent a bike during peak h, and real-time monitoring cannot be solved adequately. Therefore, predicting the demand for bicycles in a certain period and performing redistribution in advance is of great significance for solving the lag of bicycle system scheduling with the help of IoT. Based on the HOSVD-LSTM prediction model, a prediction model of urban public bicycles based on the hybrid model is proposed by transforming the source data (multiple time series) into a high-order tensor time series. Furthermore, it uses the tensor decomposition technology (HOSVD decomposition) to extract new features (kernel tenor) from higher-order tensors. At the same time, these kernel tenors are directly used to train tensor LSTM models to obtain new kernel tenors. The inverse tensor decomposition and high-dimensional, multidimensional, and tensor dimensionality reduction were introduced. The new kernel tenor obtains the predicted value of the source sequence. Then the bicycle rental amount is predicted.
Dual Electrochemical Treatments to Improve Properties of Ti6Al4V Alloy

Surface treatments are considered as a good alternative to increase biocompatibility and the lifetime of Ti-based alloys used for implants in the human body. The present research reports the comparison of bare and modified Ti6Al4V substrates on hydrophilicity and corrosion resistance properties in body fluid environment at 37 °C. Several surface treatments were conducted separately to obtain either a porous oxide layer using nanostructuration (N) in ethylene glycol containing fluoride solution, or bulk oxide thin films through heat treatment at 450 °C for 3 h (HT), or electrochemical oxidation at 1 V for 3 h (EO), as well as combined treatments (N-HT and N-EO). In-situ X-ray diffraction and ex-situ transmission electron microscopy have shown that heat treatment gave first rise to the formation of a 30 nm thick amorphous layer which crystallized in rutile around 620 °C. Electrochemical oxidations gave rise to a 10 nm thick amorphous film on the top of the surface (EO) or below the amorphous nanotube layer (N-EO). Dual treated samples presented similar results with a more stable behavior for N-EO. Finally, for both corrosion and hydrophilicity points of view, the new combined treatment to get a total amorphous N-EO sample seems to be the best and even better than the partially crystallized N-HT sample.
Analysis of the structure and substrate scope of chitooligosaccharide oxidase reveals high affinity for C2‐modified glucosamines

Chitooligosaccharide oxidase (ChitO) is a fungal carbohydrate oxidase containing a bicovalently bound FAD cofactor. The enzyme is known to catalyse the oxidation of chitooligosaccharides, oligomers of N‐acetylated glucosamines derived from chitin degradation. In this study, the unique substrate acceptance was explored by testing a range of N‐acetyl‐d‐glucosamine derivatives, revealing that ChitO preferentially accepts carbohydrates with a hydrophobic group attached to C2. The enzyme also accepts streptozotocin, a natural product used to treat tumours. Elucidation of the crystal structure provides an explanation for the high affinity towards C2‐decorated glucosamines: the active site has a secondary binding pocket that accommodates groups attached at C2. Docking simulations are fully in line with the observed substrate preference. This work expands the knowledge on this versatile enzyme.
Exercise-Induced Circulating Irisin Level Is Correlated with Improved Cardiac Function in Rats

Irisin, a recently identified myokine, plays an important physiological role in modulating energy homeostasis. However, the role of irisin in cardiac function during exercise has not been evaluated. In this study, we investigated the effect of exercise on irisin, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and cardiac function during 12 weeks of exercise in rats. Eight-week-old Sprague-Dawley male rats were randomly divided into two groups (n = 9 per group): sedentary control (CON) and exercise (EXE) groups. The EXE group was trained on a motorized treadmill at 20 m/min, for 60 min/day, five times/week for 12 weeks. The EXE group showed a decrease in abdominal visceral fat (p < 0.05), epididymal fat (p < 0.01), and total cholesterol (TC) (p < 0.05) and an increase in irisin levels (p < 0.01). Irisin negatively correlated with abdominal visceral (p < 0.05) and epididymal fat (p < 0.05) and positively correlated with the ejection fraction (p < 0.05), fractional shortening (p < 0.05), and cardiac output (p < 0.05). In conclusion, exercise decreases the abdominal visceral and epididymal fat and TC levels, possibly caused by elevated irisin levels, thus improving the cardiac function. This suggests that exercise-induced circulating irisin levels correlate with improved cardiac function in rats.
Synthesis and isolation of added‐value milk fat derivatives using lipase‐catalyzed reactions and supercritical carbon dioxide

Lipase-catalyzed reactions and supercritical technology are powerful tools that can be effectively combined for the modification and processing of fats. In addition, both are “green” technologies, which can produce high-quality, food-grade products without the need of additional solvents. We show two examples in which milk fat was used as raw material for the production of added-value derivatives: short-chain fatty acid ethyl esters, which are natural flavor agents; and a diacylglycerol-based, potentially superior dietary fat. In both cases we applied a combination of lipases and supercritical carbon dioxide extraction for the synthesis and separation of products.
Four Facts Every Conservation Biologists Should Know about Persistence

In the natural world, populations or individual stocks can decrease by large amounts in short intervals of time. We refer to all such changes as "catastrophes" and include physical factors such as hurricanes, freezes, and droughts, biological factors such as epidemics or invasion by a new competitor or predator, or perturbations of the environment caused by humans. Examples of such catastrophes, across a wide range of taxa and species, abound. In the Caribbean Sea (Richards and Bohnsack 1990), several epizootics occurred in the 1980s, including a massive fish kill in the reefs (the cause of which is still unknown) and a mass mortality of sea urchin (Diadema spp.) in which up to 98% of the population was destroyed in many areas (Lessios 1988, Levitan 1988). Geraci et al. (1982) report that 445 harbor seals out of a local population of 600 and a metapopulation of 10 000 harbor seals died in New England during an epizootic and that similar catastrophes occurred in 1931, 1957, and 1964. Harwood and Hall (1990) report a mass mortality of 18 000 common seals in northern Europe in 1988, of -3000 Baikal seals in the former Soviet Union in 1987, of -2500 (out of a population of 3000) crabeater seals in the Antartic in 1955, and that in 1758 (in a less precise era) "multitudes" of seals died. Since the 1970s, there appears to have been an increase in the incidence of such unusual marine mammal mass mortalities throughout the world (Marine Mammal Commission 1993; some of the most recent unusual mortality events are described in this report). The 1982-1983 El Niiio event led to a 60-70% over-
Immunoreactive inhibin α-subunit in human serum: implications for radioimmunoassay

The specificity of the most widely used heterologous RIA for human serum inhibin was examined with regard to its cross-reactivity with the α-subunit of inhibin. Using a mixture of recombinant α inhibin proteins, including precursor and mature forms, the epitopic specificity of this antibody was localized entirely to the α-subunit. Furthermore, varying degrees of a inhibin immunoactivity were demonstrated in serum from normal subjects and patients with various reproductive disorders by both Western blot and RIA. These results demonstrate that data obtained using this RIA should be interpreted with caution as to the degree to which they reflect the presence of intact dimeric inhibin vs. α inhibin proteins in the circulation.