Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Subcellular Energetics and Carbon Storage in Chlamydomonas

Microalgae have emerged as a promising platform for production of carbon- and energy- rich molecules, notably starch and oil. Establishing an economically viable algal biotechnology sector requires a holistic understanding of algal photosynthesis, physiology, cell cycle and metabolism. Starch/oil productivity is a combined effect of their cellular content and cell division activities. Cell growth, starch and fatty acid synthesis all require carbon building blocks and a source of energy in the form of ATP and NADPH, but with a different requirement in ATP/NADPH ratio. Thus, several cellular mechanisms have been developed by microalgae to balance ATP and NADPH supply which are essentially produced by photosynthesis. Major energy management mechanisms include ATP production by the chloroplast-based cyclic electron flow and NADPH removal by water-water cycles. Furthermore, energetic coupling between chloroplast and other cellular compartments, mitochondria and peroxisome, is increasingly recognized as an important process involved in the chloroplast redox poise. Emerging literature suggests that alterations of energy management pathways affect not only cell fitness and survival, but also influence biomass content and composition. These emerging discoveries are important steps towards diverting algal photosynthetic energy to useful products for biotechnological applications.
Air pollution is linked to infant deaths and reduced lung function in children

Three air pollutants—nitrogen dioxide, particulate matter (PM10), and sulfur dioxide—separately and together are associated with an increased risk of infant deaths, according to a study of nearly eight million live births.1 A second study of nearly 14 000 children shows that exposure to air pollution from road traffic as early as the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with small but significant reductions in lung function at eight years.2 Both studies were presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress in Madrid and have not yet been published or peer reviewed. In the first study, funded by the UK Medical Research Council, researchers analysed data from 7 984 266 live births and deaths that occurred in England and Wales between 2001 and 2012. They divided the country into approximately 35 000 small areas each with a similar population size of 1500 residents. The areas were divided into quintiles according to their annual pollution exposure The researchers adjusted …
Amphetamine Dose‐Dependently Decreases and Increases Binge Intake of Fat and Sucrose Independent of Sex

Amphetamine was formerly used as a treatment to combat obesity, but amphetamine’s use as an appetite suppressant was discontinued because of its significant abuse potential. Most of the rewarding and reinforcing effects of amphetamine differ by sex, with females showing higher levels of drug intake and amphetamine‐induced motivation, relapse, and locomotion, but it is unknown whether amphetamine’s effects on feeding also differ by sex. Furthermore, previous research on the anorectic effects of amphetamine has been focused primarily on its effects on baseline homeostatic feeding, but it is unknown whether amphetamine also affects hedonic, reward‐related feeding, which is an important factor driving the rise in obesity levels.
Hexa-Longin domain scaffolds for inter-Rab signalling

Abstract Summary CPLANE is a protein complex required for assembly and maintenance of primary cilia. It contains several proteins, such as INTU, FUZ, WDPCP, JBTS17 and RSG1 (REM2- and RAB-like small GTPase 1), whose genes are mutated in ciliopathies. Using two contrasting evolutionary analyses, coevolution-based contact prediction and sequence conservation, we first identified the INTU/FUZ heterodimer as a novel member of homologous HerMon (Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome and MON1-CCZ1) complexes. Subsequently, we identified homologous Longin domains that are triplicated in each of these six proteins (MON1A, CCZ1, HPS1, HPS4, INTU and FUZ). HerMon complexes are known to be Rab effectors and Rab GEFs (Guanine nucleotide Exchange Factors) that regulate vesicular trafficking. Consequently, INTU/FUZ, their homologous complex, is likely to act as a GEF during activation of Rab GTPases involved in ciliogenesis. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Plasma extracellular vesicle long RNA profiling identifies a diagnostic signature for the detection of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

Objective Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is difficult to diagnose at resectable stage. Recent studies have suggested that extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain long RNAs. The aim of this study was to develop a diagnostic (d-)signature for the detection of PDAC based on EV long RNA (exLR) profiling. Design We conducted a case-control study with 501 participants, including 284 patients with PDAC, 100 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and 117 healthy subjects. The exLR profile of plasma samples was analysed by exLR sequencing. The d-signature was identified using a support vector machine algorithm and a training cohort (n=188) and was validated using an internal validation cohort (n=135) and an external validation cohort (n=178). Results We developed a d-signature that comprised eight exLRs, including FGA, KRT19, HIST1H2BK, ITIH2, MARCH2, CLDN1, MAL2 and TIMP1, for PDAC detection. The d-signature showed high accuracy, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.960, 0.950 and 0.936 in the training, internal validation and external validation cohort, respectively. The d-signature was able to identify resectable stage I/II cancer with an AUC of 0.949 in the combined three cohorts. In addition, the d-signature showed superior performance to carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in distinguishing PDAC from CP (AUC 0.931 vs 0.873, p=0.028). Conclusion This study is the first to characterise the plasma exLR profile in PDAC and to report an exLR signature for the detection of pancreatic cancer. This signature may improve the prognosis of patients who would have otherwise missed the curative treatment window.
Histone tales: lysine methylation, a protagonist in Arabidopsis development.

Histone methylation plays a fundamental role in the epigenetic regulation of gene expression driven by developmental and environmental cues in plants, including Arabidopsis. Histone methyltransferases and demethylases act as "writers" and "erasers" of methylation at lysine and/or arginine residues of core histones, respectively. A third group of proteins, the "readers", recognize and interpret the methylation marks. Emerging evidences confirm the crucial roles of histone methylation in multiple biological processes throughout plant life cycle. In this review, we summarize the regulatory mechanisms of lysine methylation, especially at histone H3 tails, and focus on the recent advances regarding the roles of lysine methylation in Arabidopsis development, from seed performance to reproductive development, and in callus formation.
Effectiveness of interventions to improve hand motor function in individuals with moderate to severe stroke: a systematic review protocol

Introduction The human hand is extremely involved in our daily lives. However, the rehabilitation of hand function after stroke can be rather difficult due to the complexity of hand structure and function, as well as neural basis that supports hand function. Specifically, in individuals with moderate to severe impairment following a stroke, previous evidence for effective treatments that recover hand function in this population is limited, and thus has never been reviewed. With the progress of rehabilitation science and tool development, results from more and more clinical trials are now available, thereby justifying conducting a systematic review. Methods and analysis This systematic review protocol is consistent with the methodology recommended by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols and the Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions. Electronic searches will be carried out in the PubMed, CINAHL, Physiotherapy Evidence Database and Cochrane Library databases, along with manual searches in the reference lists from included studies and published systematic reviews. The date range parameters used in searching all databases is between January 1999 and January 2019. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) published in English, with the primary outcome focusing on hand motor function, will be included. Two reviewers will screen all retrieved titles, abstracts and full texts, perform the evaluation of the risk bias and extract all data independently. The risk of bias of the included RCTs will be evaluated by the Cochrane Collaboration’s tool. A qualitative synthesis will be provided in text and table, to summarise the main results of the selected publications. A meta-analysis will be considered if there is sufficient homogeneity across outcomes. The quality of the included publications will be evaluated by the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation system from the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. Ethics and dissemination No ethical approval is needed, and the results of this review will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations. Trial registration number CRD42019128285.
Personality determinants of subjective executive function in older adults

Abstract Objectives: Problems in subjective executive function, the perceived cognitive control of mental processes for goal-directed behavior, may indicate cognitive impairment in older adulthood. Although, previous studies highlight the importance of personality on objective cognitive performance, no studies clarify their role with subjective executive function. To inform methods of early identification of cognitive impairment, this study explored how temperament and personality traits account for problems in subjective executive function. Method: The current project examined the associations between temperament and personality on subjective executive function across two samples of community-dwelling older adults (65+ years, n1 = 25, n2 = 50). Both studies measured subjective executive function (Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult) and separately administered scales on temperament (Adult Temperament Questionnaire) and personality (Big Five Inventory). Results: Concerning temperament, older adults higher in negative affect endorsed greater difficulty in subjective executive function. Regarding personality traits, older adults with higher neuroticism and lower conscientiousness reported higher difficulty in subjective executive function. Conclusion: Findings enhance our understanding of subtle cognitive changes and may aid in early detection. In particular, distressful inclinations were associated with more reported problems in executive function whereas problem-solving tendencies were inversely related. Future work should examine if enhanced negativity coupled with analytical disengagement predicts problems in subjective executive function over time.
Prevalence of overweight and obesity and associated risk factors among adult residents of northwest China: a cross-sectional study

Objective Overweight and obesity have been shown to be related to multiple chronic conditions, leading to a heavy economic burden on society throughout the world. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity and determine potential influencing factors among adults in Xinjiang, northwest China. Design A community-based observational study. Setting The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University. Methods In total, 14 618 adult participants (7799 males; 6819 females) aged over 35 years were recruited from the Cardiovascular Risk Survey conducted in 2010. Data were obtained from face-to-face interviews and physical examinations. The sample was used to estimate the prevalence of overweight (body mass index (BMI) 24–28 kg/m2) and obesity (BMI ≥28 kg/m2) in Xinjiang Province. Influencing factors were analysed based on statistical methods. Results In Xinjiang Province, the overall prevalence of overweight was 36.5% (male 40.1%; female 33.4%), and the prevalence of obesity was 26.5% (male 27.2%; female 25.8%). The prevalence of both overweight and obesity were higher in women than in men (p<0.001). The main influencing factors for overweight and obesity were sex, age, race, marital status, education level, occupation, smoking, drinking, hypertension, diabetes and dyslipidaemia (p<0.05). Conclusions This study estimated that the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adult residents of Xinjiang Province, northwest China, was high. These data suggest that efforts related to the prevention and control of overweight and obesity should be a public health priority in northwest China.
Transition from Acute to Chronic Pain: Evaluating Risk for Chronic Postsurgical Pain.

BACKGROUND The pathophysiology of pain involves complex nervous system interactions after initial noxious stimuli. When stimuli persist, biochemical and structural changes occur in the nociceptive pathways of the central and peripheral nervous systems, leading to pain sensitization. Peripheral and central sensitization are key in the transition from acute to chronic pain. This development of chronic pain is particularly common following various surgical procedures, with many postsurgical patients experiencing persistent pain for significant periods. Chronic pain is a common and severe complication of surgery, and preventing its development is tantamount in improving patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES To understand underlying pathophysiology of chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP) and the underlying risk factors predisposing the transition from acute to CPSP. To review our ability to identify patients at highest risk for the development CPSP. To identify evidence-based multimodal approaches that can aid in the prevention of CPSP. STUDY DESIGN Narrative review of peer-reviewed literature. SETTING Inpatient surgical centers. METHODS Medline and Cochrane databases were reviewed to identify publications relevant to CPSP pathophysiology, risk factors, predictive models, and prevention. Publications were selected based on author expertise to summarize our current understanding of CPSP. RESULTS This review presents our current understanding of CPSP in the following domains: underlying pathophysiology, predisposing risk factors, predictive models of CPSP, and preventative strategies. Each section provides a structured review of key evidence base to understand the complex topic of CPSP. LIMITATIONS This narrative review is a nonsystematic review of relevant publications aimed at presenting succinct overview of CPSP. CONCLUSIONS The incidence of CPSP can potentially be reduced through early identification of perioperative, genetic, physiologic, and psychologic factors. Models predicting the development of CPSP continue to improve and may help focus preventative efforts in patients at highest risk. There is a growing body of evidence supporting the use of multimodal analgesia and anesthetic techniques in the reducing rates of CPSP development. KEY WORDS Acute pain, chronic postsurgical pain, pain sensitization, chronic pain prevention, regional anesthesia, pain adjuncts, neuraxial anesthesia, chronic pain risk factors.
[RCT about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for psychological distress in cancer patients].

BACKGROUND Cancer patients may experience psychological distress, like anxiety and depressive symptoms. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been shown to alleviate this psychological distress. However, patients experience barriers in participating in face-to-face MBCT. Individual internet-based MBCT (eMBCT) could be an alternative. AIM: To compare MBCT and eMBCT to treatment as usual (TAU) for psychological distress in cancer patients. METHOD: 245 cancer patients with psychological distress were randomly allocated to MBCT (n = 77), eMBCT (n = 90) or TAU (n = 78). Patients completed baseline (T0) and post-intervention (T1) assessments. The primary outcome was psychological distress on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Outcomes were analyzed using linear mixed modeling on the intention-to-treat sample. Since both interventions were compared to TAU, the type I error rate was set to p < 0.025. RESULTS: Compared to TAU, patients reported significantly less psychological distress after both MBCT (Cohen's d = 0.43, p < 0.001) and eMBCT (Cohen's d = 0.63, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Compared to TAU, MBCT and eMBCT were similarly effective in reducing psychological distress in a sample of distressed heterogeneous cancer patients.
Precision and consistency of the passive leg raising maneuver for determining fluid responsiveness with bioreactance non-invasive cardiac output monitoring in critically ill patients and healthy volunteers

Objective The passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver has become standard practice in fluid resuscitation. We aim to investigate the precision and consistency of the PLR for determining fluid responsiveness in critically ill patients and healthy volunteers using bioreactance non-invasive cardiac output monitoring (NiCOM™, Cheetah Medical, Inc., Newton Center, Massachusetts, USA). Methods This study is prospective, single-center, observational cohort with repeated measures in critically ill patients admitted to the medical intensive care unit and healthy volunteers at a tertiary academic medical center. Three cycles of PLR were performed, each at 20–30 minutes apart. Fluid responsiveness was defined as a change in stroke volume index (ΔSVI) > 10% with each PLR as determined by NiCOM™. Precision was the variability in ΔSVI after the 3 PLR’s, and determined by range, average deviation and standard deviation. Consistency was the same fluid responsiveness determination of “Yes” (ΔSVI > 10%) or “No” (ΔSVI ≤ 10%) for all 3 PLR’s. Results Seventy-five patients and 25 volunteers were enrolled. In patients, the precision was range of 17.2±13.3%, average deviation 6.5±4.0% and standard deviation 9.0±5.2%; and for volunteers, 17.4±10.3%, 6.6±3.8% and 9.0±6.7%, respectively. There was no statistical difference in the precision measurements between patients and volunteers. Forty-nine (65.3%) patients vs. twenty-four (96.0%) volunteers had consistent results, p < 0.01. Among those with consistent results, twenty-four (49.0%) patients and 24 (100%) volunteers were fluid responsive. Conclusions The precision and consistency of determining ΔSVI with NiCOM™ after PLR may have clinical implication if ΔSVI > 10% is the absolute cutoff to determine fluid responsiveness.
Association Mapping between Candidate Gene SNP and Production and Oil Quality Traits in Interspecific Oil Palm Hybrids

Oil palm production is gaining importance in Central and South America. However, the main species Elaeis guineensis (Eg) is suffering severely from bud rod disease, restricting the potential cultivation areas. Therefore, breeding companies have started to work with interspecific Elaeis oleifera × Eg (Eo × Eg) hybrids which are tolerant to this disease. We performed association studies between candidate gene (CG) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) and six production and 19 oil quality traits in 198 accessions of interspecific oil palm hybrids from five different origins. For this purpose, barcoded amplicons of initially 167 CG were produced from each genotype and sequenced with Ion Torrent. After sequence cleaning 115 SNP remained targeting 62 CG. The influence of the origins on the different traits was analyzed and a genetic diversity study was performed. Two generalized linear models (GLM) with principle component analysis (PCA) or structure (Q) matrixes as covariates and two mixed linear models (MLM) which included in addition a Kinship (K) matrix were applied for association mapping using GAPIT. False discovery rate (FDR) multiple testing corrections were applied in order to avoid Type I errors. However, with FDR adjusted p values no significant associations between SNP and traits were detected. If using unadjusted p values below 0.05, seven of the studied CG showed potential associations with production traits, while 23 CG may influence different quality traits. Under these conditions the current approach and the detected candidate genes could be exploited for selecting genotypes with superior CG alleles in Marker Assisted Selection systems.
Observation of Patient and Caregiver Burden Associated with Early Alzheimer’s Disease in the United States: Design and Baseline Findings of the GERAS-US Cohort Study1

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the costliest diseases in the United States. Objective: To describe aspects of real-world patient and caregiver burden in patients with clinician-diagnosed early AD, including mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and mild dementia (MILD) due to AD. Methods: Cross-sectional assessment of GERAS-US, a 36-month cohort study of patients seeking care for early AD. Eligible patients were categorized based on study-defined categories of MCI and MILD and by amyloid positivity [+] or negativity [–] within each severity cohort. Demographic characteristics, health-related outcomes, medical history, and caregiver burden by amyloid status are described. Results: Of 1,198 patients with clinician-diagnosed early AD, 52% were amyloid[+]. For patients in both cohorts, amyloid[–] was more likely to occur in those with: delayed time to an AD-related diagnosis, higher rates of depression, poorer Bath Assessment of Subjective Quality of Life in Dementia scores, and Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (all p < 0.05). MILD[–] patients (versus MILD[+]) were more medically complex with greater rates of depression (55.7% versus 40.4%), sleep disorders (34.3% versus 26.5%), and obstructive pulmonary disease (11.8% versus 6.6%); and higher caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview) (all p < 0.05). MILD[+] patients had lower function according to the Functional Activities Questionnaire (p < 0.001), yet self-assessment of cognitive complaints across multiple measures did not differ by amyloid status in either severity cohort. Conclusions: Considerable patient and caregiver burden was observed in patients seeking care for memory concerns. Different patterns emerged when both disease severity and amyloid status were evaluated underscoring the need for further diagnostic assessment and care for patients. Study Registry: H8A-US-B004; ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02951598.
Benefits and harms of antipsychotic drugs in drug-naïve patients with psychosis: A systematic review

OBJECTIVE: To study the benefits and harms of antipsychotics in drug-naïve patients with psychosis. METHODS: This study is a systematic review and meta-analysis of placebo-controlled trials. Main outcome measures: Mortality, activities of daily living, quality of life, core psychiatric events, and relapse and recovery rates. Data sources: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), two trial registers and references in potentially eligible articles. Data extraction: Two researchers extracted data independently. The outcomes were planned to be meta-analysed using Review Manager based on a fixed effect model. RESULTS: Our searches resulted in 493 unique records of which 447 were clearly not eligible. We read the full text of the 46 potentially eligible articles and found one eligible trial in drug-naïve patients, which was unreliable. It was a Chinese trial comparing olanzapine with placebo in 261 patients with first-episode schizophrenia. After 12 weeks, there was an extremely large difference favouring placebo, but the authors reported the opposite, that olanzapine was effective. CONCLUSIONS: The use of antipsychotics cannot be justified based on the evidence we currently have. Withdrawal effects in the placebo groups make existing placebo-controlled trials unreliable.