Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trastuzumab: A Milestone in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Cancer

Abstract Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpression is seen in 25% of breast cancers. Patients with HER2-positive breast cancer have aggressive disease and inferior survival. HER2 overexpression is assessed by immunohistochemistry or fluorescent in situ hybridization-based methods. Trastuzumab has shown to improve survival in HER2-positive breast cancer. It is recommended in patients with >T1c for 1-year duration in adjuvant setting, preferably given concurrently with taxane.
Molecular Testing for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections: Clinical and Diagnostic Recommendations From the IDSA’s Diagnostics Committee

Abstract The clinical signs and symptoms of acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are not pathogen specific. Highly sensitive and specific nucleic acid amplification tests have become the diagnostic reference standard for viruses, and translation of bacterial assays from basic research to routine clinical practice represents an exciting advance in respiratory medicine. Most recently, molecular diagnostics have played an essential role in the global health response to the novel coronavirus pandemic. How best to use newer molecular tests for RTI in combination with clinical judgment and traditional methods can be bewildering given the plethora of available assays and rapidly evolving technologies. Here, we summarize the current state of the art with respect to the diagnosis of viral and bacterial RTIs, provide a practical framework for diagnostic decision making using selected patient-centered vignettes, and make recommendations for future studies to advance the field.
Calculated parenteral initial treatment of bacterial infections: Respiratory infections

This is the fifth chapter of the guideline “Calculated initial parenteral treatment of bacterial infections in adults – update 2018” in the 2nd updated version. The German guideline by the Paul-Ehrlich-Gesellschaft für Chemotherapie e.V. (PEG) has been translated to address an international audience. It provides recommendations for the empirical and targeted antimicrobial treatment of lower respiratory tract infections, with a special emphasis on the treatment of acute exacerbation of COPD, community-acquired pneumonia and hospital-acquired pneumonia.
THE ORIGINS OF ROBUSTNESS 1

The endoparasitic wasp Copidosoma floridanum has a bizarre ontogeny. The tiny female wasp deposits a single egg into the egg of a moth host. The moth egg hatches, and develops into a larva that grows and develops until pupation. As expected, infected larvae produce wasps and not moths, but unexpectedly it is not a single wasp, but more than a thousand adult wasps that appear from a moth larva that was originally infected by a single wasp egg. This phenomenon is due to polyembryony, the division of the embryo into a number of clonal replicates that each develop as a separate individual. It is easy to understand why polyembryony is a good strategy for a tiny parasite infecting a much larger host. The mother wasp is too small to produce a large number of eggs, and the polyembryony provides a clever way around this constraint, which allows her to use all the resources provided by the moth larva. In fact, polyembryony has evolved multiple times among parasitic wasps (Grbic 2003). Although the evolutionary biologist may see this as yet another clever strategy forged by natural selection, the developmental biologist may see reasons for surprise. After all, the textbook version of insect development describes a complex series of orchestrated events that sets up the morphogenetic pattern of the insect embryo. And the general notion, captured in von Baer’s laws, is that early development is highly conservative and acts as a constraint on later diversification. In Drosophila, as well as in wasps related to Copidosoma, the embryo develops from a large yolky egg, where maternal prepatterning is essential in initializing the body axis, and where a sequence of expression of gene sets takes this as an input to generate the familiar compartmentalization of the embryo. The early parts of this sequence even take place in a syncytium before cellularization. The patterning
Genetic Drift in a Religious Isolate: An Analysis of the Causes of Variation in Blood Group and Other Gene Frequencies in a Small Population

The Baltimore Rh Typing Laboratory, The Johns Hopkins University, and The University of Maryland By general recognition race is now increasingly defined in terms of differing gene frequencies, and the origin of such differences has become of very great interest. Sewall Wright, in a notable series of papers (1931, 1932, 1940, 1943, 1948) has developed the theoretical aspects of the interaction of the four factors which can upset existing gene frequency equilibria and establish new gene frequencies, namely, mutation, selection, migration, and genetic drift. In particular, he has pointed out the limitation upon the effectiveness of mutation, migration, and selection pressure in those populations wherein 4Nv, 4Nm, or 4Ns, respectively, are less than 1 (N = effective size of the population; v = mutation rate; m = net migration rate;
An Overview of the Electroencephalographic (EEG) Features of Epilepsy with Eyelid Myoclonia (Jeavons Syndrome)

ABSTRACT Epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia or Jeavons Syndrome is a unique idiopathic generalized epilepsy with onset in childhood. It is characterized by eyelid myoclonia which may be associated with absence seizures, eyelid closure-induced epileptiform discharges and/or seizures and photosensitivity. It is frequently underrecognized and misdiagnosed because it may be mistaken for some other type of generalized epilepsy or facial tic disorder. The intent of this narrative review is to focus on existing literature and highlight the distinct electroencephalographic features including characteristic eye movements, associated waveforms, interictal and ictal findings that are suggestive and characteristic of Jeavons Syndrome to aid in timely recognition of this syndrome.
Two fine‐resolution Pliocene charcoal records and their bearing on pre‐human fire frequency in south‐western Australia

Yallalie is a probable meteor impact crater and in the Upper Pliocene contained a substantial lake. Two Mid-Pliocene finely laminated sediment records from Palaeolake Yallalie, from about 3 million years ago, provide evidence of fire and fire frequency in the sclerophyll woodland and heaths of south-western Australia in the absence of humans. Fine charcoal was observed in all samples examined, and was deposited at a rate of about 0.3-0.8 cm 2 cm -2 year -1 in Palaeolake Yallalie. This evidence suggests the occurrence of annual fires occurring every year in the slightly warmer and wetter climate compared with today. The near coastal western location and the prevailing westerly winds probably carry charcoal from the near region or lake catchment scale. The data indicate that local fires occurred at a variety of time intervals between 3 and 13 years, with a typical average of 6-10 years. The results are comparable with those of Atahan et al. (2004) for the same site but from a period of about 200 000 years later in the Mid-Pliocene. Thus, the records which differ in age by some hundreds of thousands of years have all recorded fire frequencies that are longer than for the historical period and this may have important implications for the long-term survival of the integrity of the high biodiversity plant communities of the region.
Considerations for pharmacoepidemiological analyses in the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered several hypotheses regarding use of specific medicines and risk of infection as well as prognosis. Under these unique circumstances, rapid answers require quick engagement in data collection and analyses, however, appropriate design and conduct of pharmacoepidemiologic studies is needed to generate valid and reliable evidence. In this paper, endorsed by the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology, we provide methodological considerations for the conduct of pharmacoepidemiological studies in relation to the pandemic across eight domains: (1) timeliness of evidence, including the need to prioritize some questions over others in the acute phase of the pandemic; (2) the need to align observational and interventional research on efficacy; (3) the specific challenges related to 'real-time epidemiology' during an ongoing pandemic; (4) what design to use to answer a specific question; (5) considerations on the definition of exposures; (6) what covariates to collect; (7) considerations on the definition of outcomes; and (8) the need for transparent reporting. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Marine cave mysids of the genus Palaumysis (Crustacea: Mysidacea), with a description of a new species from the Philippines

The genus Palaumysis (Crustacea: Mysidacea) was established by Bacescu and Iliffe (1986b) to accommodate the marine cave mysid P. simonae and currently contains only the sole type species. Re-examination of the paratypes of P. simonae and further specimens from the Palau Islands has shown that this species possesses a rudimentary antennal scale, as opposed to having no scale according to the original description, resulting in a substantial revision of the genus, and also provides new information for this poorly known mysid. Furthermore, a second species, P. philippinensis sp. nov., is reported from a submarine cave on the Philippines. The new species differs from P. simonae in having the carapace with a small unfused lobe posteroventrally, the inner flagellum of the antennule consisting of five segments and the antennal scale with a long terminal seta. Larval forms of the new species in the marsupium are also illustrated.
Effects of Oral Commensal Streptococci on Porphyromonas gingivalis Invasion into Oral Epithelial Cells

The objective of this study was to determine if the interaction between common oral commensal bacteria and oral epithelial cells would provide protective effects against the invasion of periodontopathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Oral epithelial OKF6/Tert cells were used in co-cultures with Streptococcus gordonii, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus mitis, and Streptococcus intermedius. The viability of OKF6/Tert cells following a bacterial challenge was evaluated by trypan blue exclusion. The adherence of commensal species was determined by CFU counts. P. gingivalis invasion in OKF6/Tert cells was assessed before and after exposure to commensal species according to CFU counts. Viability assays show that only S. gordonii and S. intermedius display low toxicity toward OKF6/Tert cells. Both commensals adhere to OKF6/Tert cells at an average ratio of 1 CFU to 10 cells. P. gingivalis invasion into host cells is significantly reduced by 25% or 60% after exposure to S. gordonii or S. intermedius, respectively. The results suggest that these commensal species bind to host cells and diminish P. gingivalis invasion. This is important in the context of periodontal disease since P. gingivalis primarily acts on the host by invading it. Therefore, efforts to decrease invasion will eventually lead to future therapies harnessing the mechanisms employed by oral commensal bacteria.
Kir6.1‐dependent KATP channels in lymphatic smooth muscle and vessel dysfunction in mice with Kir6.1 gain‐of‐function

Spontaneous contractions are essential for normal lymph transport and these contractions are exquisitely sensitive to the KATP channel activator pinacidil. KATP channel Kir6.1 and SUR2B subunits are expressed in mouse lymphatic smooth muscle (LSM) and form functional KATP channels as verified by electrophysiological techniques. Global deletion of Kir6.1 or SUR2 subunits results in severely impaired lymphatic contractile responses to pinacidil. Smooth muscle‐specific expression of Kir6.1 gain‐of‐function mutant (GoF) subunits results in profound lymphatic contractile dysfunction and LSM hyperpolarization that is partially rescued by the KATP inhibitor glibenclamide. In contrast, lymphatic endothelial‐specific expression of Kir6.1 GoF has essentially no effect on lymphatic contractile function. The high sensitivity of LSM to KATP channel GoF offers an explanation for the lymphoedema observed in patients with Cantú syndrome, a disorder caused by gain‐of‐function mutations in genes encoding Kir6.1 or SUR2, and suggests that glibenclamide may be an appropriate therapeutic agent.
Acupuncture for pain management in pediatric psoriatic arthritis: a case report

In July 2018, a 17-year-old girl (height 162 cm, weight 62 kg, body mass index (BMI) 23.6) attended the Pain Center of Ospedale Pediatrico Bambino Ges u, a third-level pediatric hospital, for widespread arthralgias associated with psoriasis. During the previous year, the cutaneous lesions associated with her psoriasis had been increasing, and since June 2018, she had complained of pain. She described the pain as frequent and oppressive, and localized to the hips, lower limbs, and feet. Associated symptoms were asthenia, palpitations with hypertension, and hand tremors. Stress test and Holter monitoring of blood pressure and electrocardiography were negative. The pain did not respond to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). There were no relevant findings from laboratory investigations including indices of phlogosis, thyroid function, and autoimmune diseases. Bone scintigraphy reported low and diffuse uptake of radioactive phosphorus in the right tarsus and right distal tibia, and focal uptake of radioactive phosphorus at the level of the left tibia and left tarsus (Figures 1 and 2). The final diagnosis was psoriatic arthritis according to the Classification Criteria for Psoriatic Arthritis (CASPAR).
Antiretroviral Therapy in HTLV-1 Infection: An Updated Overview

The human T cell leukemic/lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), discovered several years ago, is the causative agent for a rapid progressive haematological malignancy, adult T cell leukemia (ATL), for debilitating neurological diseases and for a number of inflammatory based diseases. Although the heterogeneous features of the diseases caused by HTLV-1, a common topic concerning related therapeutic treatments relies on the use of antiretrovirals. This review will compare the different approaches and opinions in this matter, giving a concise overview of preclinical as well as clinical studies covering all the aspects of antiretrovirals in HTLV-1 infection. Studies will be grouped on the basis of the class of antiretroviral, putting together both pre-clinical and clinical results and generally following a chronological order. Analysis of the existing literature highlights that a number of preclinical studies clearly demonstrate that different classes of antiretrovirals, already utilized as anti-HIV agents, are actually capable to efficiently contrast HTLV-1 infection. Nevertheless, the results of most of the clinical studies are generally discouraging on the same point. In conclusion, the design of new antiretrovirals more specifically focused on HTLV-1 targets, and/or the establishment of early treatments with antiretrovirals could hopefully change the perspectives of diseases caused by HTLV-1.
Response of Barnyardgrass (Echinochloa crus-galli), Green Foxtail (Setaria virdis), Longspine Sandbur (Cenchrus longispinus), and Large Crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) to Nicosulfuron and Rimsulfuron

Abstract Experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy, absorption, and translocation of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron on barnyardgrass, green foxtail, longspine sandbur, and large crabgrass. In the greenhouse, nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron were applied at 0.0625, 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, and 2 times their label rates of 35, 13, and 26 + 13 g ai ha−1, respectively, on 5- to 10-cm plants. Three weeks after treatment (WAT), barnyardgrass was the most susceptible species to all three herbicides, and large crabgrass was the least susceptible. The nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, or nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron rates causing 50% visible injury (GR50) for barnyardgrass were 10.9, 4.8, and 6 + 3 g ai ha−1, respectively. Similarly, the GR50 for large crabgrass were 25.6, 9.9, and 14.3 + 7.2 g ai ha−1, respectively, 3 WAT. Absorption of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron was greater in barnyardgrass than in large crabgrass. Absorption of nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron in barnyardgrass and large crabgrass was 74% and 57%, respectively, 7 d after treatment (DAT). In addition, translocation of nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron out of the treated leaf was 14, 12, and 14% higher, respectively, in barnyardgrass than in large crabgrass. The differential response of these weed species to nicosulfuron, rimsulfuron, and nicosulfuron + rimsulfuron might be due to differences in herbicide absorption and translocation. Nomenclature: Nicosulfuron; rimsulfuron; barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) P. Beauv. ; green foxtail, Setaria virdis (L.) Beauv. ; large crabgrass, Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. ; longspine sandbur, Cenchrus longispinus (Hack.) Fernald.
[18F]FDG-PET/CT Radiomics for Prediction of Bone Marrow Involvement in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: A Retrospective Study in 97 Patients

Biopsy is the standard for assessment of bone marrow involvement in mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). We investigated whether [18F]FDG-PET radiomic texture features can improve prediction of bone marrow involvement in MCL, compared to standardized uptake values (SUV), and whether combination with laboratory data improves results. Ninety-seven MCL patients were retrospectively included. SUVmax, SUVmean, SUVpeak and 16 co-occurrence matrix texture features were extracted from pelvic bones on [18F]FDG-PET/CT. A multi-layer perceptron neural network was used to compare three combinations for prediction of bone marrow involvement—the SUVs, a radiomic signature based on SUVs and texture features, and the radiomic signature combined with laboratory parameters. This step was repeated using two cut-off values for relative bone marrow involvement: REL > 5% (>5% of red/cellular bone marrow); and REL > 10%. Biopsy demonstrated bone marrow involvement in 67/97 patients (69.1%). SUVs, the radiomic signature, and the radiomic signature with laboratory data showed AUCs of up to 0.66, 0.73, and 0.81 for involved vs. uninvolved bone marrow; 0.68, 0.84, and 0.84 for REL ≤ 5% vs. REL > 5%; and 0.69, 0.85, and 0.87 for REL ≤ 10% vs. REL > 10%. In conclusion, [18F]FDG-PET texture features improve SUV-based prediction of bone marrow involvement in MCL. The results may be further improved by combination with laboratory parameters.
Natural selection drives population divergence for local adaptation in a wheat pathogen

Evolution favors the emergence of locally-adapted optimum phenotypes that are likely to differ across a wide array of environmental conditions. The emergence of favorable adaptive characteristics is accelerated in agricultural pathogens due to the unique properties of agro-ecosystems. We performed a QST - FST comparison using 164 strains of Parastagonospora nodorum sampled from eight global field populations to disentangle the predominant evolutionary forces driving population divergence in a wheat pathogen. We used digital image analysis to obtain quantitative measurements of growth rate and melanization at different temperatures and under different fungicide concentrations in a common garden experiment. FST measures were based on complete genome sequences obtained for all 164 isolates. Our analyses indicated that all measured traits were under selection. Growth rates at 18°C and 24°C were under stabilizing selection (QST < FST), while diversifying selection (QST > FST) was the predominant evolutionary force affecting growth under fungicide and high temperature stress. Stabilizing selection (QST < FST) was the predominant force affecting melanization across the different environments. Melanin production increased at 30°C but was negatively correlated with higher growth rates, consistent with a trade-off under heat stress. Our results demonstrate that global populations of P. nodorum possess significant evolutionary potential to adapt to changing local conditions, including warmer temperatures and applications of fungicides.
Inhibitory Effect of Juniperonic Acid (Δ-5c,11c,14c,17c-20:4, ω-3) on Bombesin-Induced Proliferation of Swiss 3T3 Cells

Juniperonic acid (Δ-5c,11c,14c,17c-20:4, JA) is a polymethylene-interrupted (PMI) fatty acid that occurs in Biota orientalis. In this study, we found that JA has an antiproliferative activity. Swiss 3T3 cells were preloaded with fatty acids before stimulation with bombesin, a mitogenic neuropeptide, and proliferation of the cells was assessed by [3H]thymidine incorporation. Preloading of linoleic acid (Δ-9c,12c-18:2) significantly enhanced bombesin-induced proliferation. In contrast, preloading of eicosapentaenoic acid (Δ-5c,8c,11c,14c,17c-20:5, EPA) suppressed proliferation. Likewise, cells preloaded with JA showed a significantly curtailed response to bombesin. The antiproliferative potency of JA was equivalent to that of EPA. Sciadonic acid (Δ-5c,11c,14c-20:3), an ω-6 analogue of JA did not show antiproliferative activity, suggesting the importance of the ω-3 double bond rather than the PMI structure. The EPA-like activity of JA may be involved in the pharmaceutical activity of biota seeds, a psychoactive Chinese traditional medicine.
Prevalence of Key Modifiable Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Urban Adolescents: The CRO-PALS Study

The occurrence of chronic diseases in youth has become a serious global issue requiring early prevention. Due to the specific environment in large cities, urban youth are especially exposed to risky lifestyle patterns. Objective: This survey aimed to determine the prevalence of key modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in the adolescent population of the Croatian capital Zagreb. Methods: A clustered two-stage random sample design was employed to select a representative group of 903 adolescents (girls n = 444; boys n = 459; age 15.6 ± 0.4) starting their secondary education. Participants were invited to fulfil an electronic questionnaire meant to collect data on daily physical activity, screen time and tobacco use. In addition, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were taken by medically trained personnel. Data that were not originally categorical were dichotomized based on internationally accepted cut-off values for each risk factor, summarized for females and males, and presented as percentages and 95% confidence intervals. Results: The outcomes suggest that more than one half did not meet the recommended daily physical activity (girls 59.4%; boys 45.5%), a vast majority exceeded 2 h of screen time per day (girls 87.9%; boys 91.6%), and one quarter had high blood pressure (girls 21.6%; boys 27.0%). Moreover, the results indicated nearly one fifth of adolescents had excess weight (girls 16.1%; boys 22.2%) and a similar proportion smoked tobacco (girls 20.8%; boys 17.0%). Conclusions: Local and regional health stakeholders should make additional efforts to promote healthy lifestyles in urban teenagers. Special emphasis should be placed on promoting physical activity.